Day 6 Woodbine MD April 29,2021

Getting settled after the first day at Rollin’ Pines RV Park!   Some ‘resituating’ always needs to be done when moving from one campground to the other. At the first park we did not put up our awning over the slideout. (We have the one) , so that was a “get ‘er done”, before the morning was long. All went well. After 17 months of no using it, the trailer has its own mind sometimes, so always be ready for what can be revealed. That went well ,thankfully.

 The female E.Bluebird came out. The male is taking food to the box so their must be young ones.

 

 

 

 

 

Then we discussed how long we might be out each day, and that usually determines whether we take a lunch in the “cooler” (Ours is red and white and holds enough for a simple lunch.)  We do this most birding days. We decided ‘no’, as we would not be out past 1:00 or so. (We weren’t back until 2:30!!!). Follow along here.
We headed out for the Audrey Carrol Audubon Sanctuary on Old Annapolis Rd which was part of the original road from Washington DC to Baltimore. Then it happened again. We took the road we had planned on but it turned out NOT to be the right one, so in backtracking to Mt. Airy (which we started on,… we stopped and asked! “Vicki”the barber knew exactly where to go. And we did.

This Annapolis road had many beautiful homes on it. With 167,000 people on the rolls, the county has a median income for a household in the county of $60,021, and the median income for a family is $66,430 (these figures had risen to $78,912 and $90,376 respectively as of a 2007 estimate).  So it is a wealthy County . English Speakers were a minority , with German dominant until the Civil War. The KKK was influential here as late as 2018, and was a stronghold  until the present. Joseph A. Banks and Penguin House Books are 3rd and 4th employers in the County.
We decided already that we would miss lunch in the trailer so stopped at an Arby’s in Mt Airy, where we split a rueben sandwich and Ruth ordered one of those Peach Cream shakes. (I am on water the entire trip.) Go ahead and ask?

 

In the Audrey Carrol Audubon Sanctuary are a number of Martin houses . Tree Swallow claimed!

 So the Sanctuary of Audrey Carrol is a walk around only , and composed of open areas and forests on the edges. As it was raining slightly I walked a bit and Ruth watched from the truck for birds and wildlife. A large “gourdlike“ village”of Martin nesting sites was a center of the area. There were Tree Swallows that had taken over that roost.     Not being able to stay out side for  long did not give us much of an opportunity to identify many birds although they were there.  (Cardinals, Song Sparrows, Blue Jays, etc).

These are nine Azalea bushes  at one home "next door". Thousands of these in the area.

Heading back to the trailer we stopped in Woodbine at the only grocery on town, the Food Lion…and bought what we needed. Right next to the campground the first home has a beautiful display of Azaleas of which I will post the photos.  The area  here is an Azalea paradise, with almost every home having one at least, along with the Redbud, and those pure white Cherokee Chief Dogwood. There is a vista at almost every curve and hill in the roads, and there are many curves in these old roadways. The blooms will continue after the cherry and  then will come the Bradford Pear (non commercial) and the Crepe Myrtle right through July. It’s a “Bloomy Paradise”.

                            A combination of Dogwood and Redbud in the Sanctuary

One of those "Oreo" cows that is irresistable.

             And some of that Pennsylvania Dutch art work.This is not a hex that is used at times.

                                                                 Of course many trips show those "Oreo" cows.Just one here.

 

The day ended with a huge rain shower at supper time lasting about 20 minutes and it “came down in buckets” as they say.  I will try to post a video of it. —Tomorrow we  will visit a second Audubon Sanctuary a bit further away.  I think we can get to that one without a “hitch” , …he says!- Catch you tomorrow when the wind is suppose to get up to 40 mph. 

Day 5 on the “Bell Trip” April 28, 2021

Good day to you all,
I realized that I didn’t identify the first post yesterday, I will remember from now on.

As today was a travel day  there were not many photos  but a few will be shown.

Generally we travelled NE to SW from PA to Maryland. I realize some of you are just learning English  so I should not abbreviate  so much. It is difficult to know the meanings of abbreviations unless you “know the territory”.

Most of the trip was on divided highways as getting to our destination  the shortest and fastest was was essential. Once there we can take our time and enjoy the days.

Just north of Philadelphia was where we started at 9:15 as the roofers were just  getting started to put the shingles on the roof. (see photo). We followed I-476 south toI-76 and took a 20 minute longer route than otherwise as it allowed us more rural driving  through the countryside and over the  Susquehanna River. As it happens sometimes we missed seeing the exit sign for route 222 and being on a freeway, there was no exit for 20 miles. That meant a  31 mile trip to catchup to  US 30 east of York ,where it would have only been 14 miles had we been alert enough to see route 222.  So watch those road signs !!!There was some’ one lane traffic’ due to ??? You guessed it—-summer road construction. Up here, it is the only time that can be done.That is one advantage Western European countries have  in that they have a much shorter cold season and not so cold  as the northern tier of states in the USA.

 

 

 The roofers are ready put on the shingles. Note the platform they use to support their feet, then sit to nail the shingles.

 

 

The highlight of the day was yet to come as we stopped for lunch at the Burger King in New Freedon, PA, where granddaughter, Emily Simmons  was working. For her it was wonderful sharing time, albeit she was busy working as the line at the ‘drive through’ was 10-12 cars long at noon.  Ruth and I did set a record in the restaurant. THIS WAS OUR FIRST ATTEMPT TO EAT AT A RESTAURANT INDOORS SINCE MARCH OF 2020. I think we will survive as we have our vaccine shots and the restaurant was following guidelines as to number of customers. Emily insisted on buying our lunch. (Sometimes you have to say “YES!”)

The “Ramblin’ Pines” campground is off the highway for sure.  The nearby town of Woodbine is tiny (1500?) and the campground is another 5-6 miles on a very winding ,beautifully  visted (sic)  road, and although it is large with  150 campsites we are situated at the very back of the sites, away from the pool, office, horseshoe pits, laundry  and the children’s activity yard. (Of course I’ll throw a few ‘shoes’ one day and hot the pool if it stays like this (82 F today).

We arrived at about 3:15 PM and the site ,though our site had a steep drop off at the edge of the site. I only mean a few feet, but as it was all covered with the last years leaves (lots of oak), I had to be careful  when putting up the bird feeders when moving up and down that incline.

 

                                             Our campsite at the back of the park in the woods.

 This shows some what  the precautions are that  we have to take at this age (89) when all the appendages aren’t moving like they did some 10 years ago. Getting up after getting under the trailer for a release of “gray water”is one example.  Just can’t “pop” right up anymore.

So we got settled in, ate supper, and just chilled in the evening. I headed to the back of the trailer where I could see and hear the birds in that marvelous woods. Ruth got her i pad going with a good read. Tonight it is “The Face of a Stranger”.

 Our next door neighbr feeding the "Mrs" while he stands guard and gets her food. All day!

                                                Yes,It is an Eastern Bluebird

 So that is pretty much the day, and tomorrow we will start with making hummingbird syrup (one part sugar and 4 parts water  …boiled and cooled), and putting grape jelly in the  Oriole feeder.We have seen neither but we want to be ready. Let me know when yours arrives!!!

See you tomorrow as we will be here 10 nights and I should be able to put up a blog each day. Sometimes many photos , sometimes a few.

See you tomorrow,

Jim
 

 Hi there all friends and family.

We are on the road again after a 17 month hiaitus.  The object was to take the Church's handbells to Plumsteadville PA, drop them off, have a good time touring the local states (MD, PA,VA) see a few friends and family, then on the way back, pick the bells up after they have been refurbished and "just like new" (said the man who signed the receipt). That should be about 5-7 weeks.

So with two nights on the road , we are just 40 miles north of Philadelphia and south of the Leheigh Valley. You have the area in your mind? Tomorrow we head for a site near Fredericksburg MD

The campsite is one of very few trailer sites, as the most part of the park are permanent double wide residents.  100's of them. It is a well run park and has been here in the middle of Hatfield PA for a long time. Neat ,clean and orderly.

The three days we spent here Ruth and I have seen some beautiful blossoming spring trees, especially the Kwangsa Cherry. The most full of the spring blossoming trees .

 

 

 Tomorrow we head for Marylnd near Fredericksburg to do some serious birding. The migration is just about starting and with the warm days (it was 74 here today and 80 in Red lion  at Kathy and Steve's place).  We will attempt to meet Emily at her place for lunch. Burger King iswhere she works .

This is a beautiful evening here and all three have been  clear but two were cooler. I am sitting in the lawn chair  in my shorts for the first time this season, beside the trailer, where the shade and the breeze arejust right. The robins give their evening call and a few House Finches can be heard in the trees but they are elusive.

Neighbors are out ,seemingly for the first time,  enjoying the camaraderie.

 

Also we will try to meet up with Emily Simmons  at a Burger King  just off of I-83 on our way south to MD.

The owner of the Park,Teresa, had the office roof redone and added a veranda of sorts to shade the sun , so the workers have been here each day with their automatic air hammers,ladders, and roof coverings.T hey cleared the old shingles today , and will possibly put the new ones on when they come.

One of the barns, (you know Ruth loves old barns,), was seen near where we saw the blooming Kwangsa Cherry trees  and it had character,but as you can see there was a "gate" in the opening which Ruth said took away from the beauty. OK!

 

One of the vagaries of trailering is equipment. On departing a service station, I turned sharply to enter the lane on the main road and hit the low spot of the drive with the tongue of the trailer. That released the plate used to set the trailer on when unhitching. We had to get a new one at a local RV  sales on one leg of our journey today.

The Barn.

That's it for this one, and is a start. Hope you can follow along in the month of May.-Jim