A Stroll on the Battlefield

22 March 2009

Clear, crisp blue skies and temperatures in the high 50F (10C) range was all the encouragement we needed to escape from daily chores for a few hours today. Not that we needed the added incentive, but we also wanted to test new video and camera equipment before our upcoming trip to Perú. Around 10:00a, we headed out to the Manassas National Battlefield Park (MNBP), about a 20-minute drive from our place.

The MNBP is the site of two Civil War battles — First Manassas and Second Manassas (aka First and Second Bull Run). Having visited the park several times before, we knew exactly where to set up in order to test our new toys — right outside the Henry Hill Visitor Center. The expansive battlefield landscape and the Union guns nearby afforded us the perfect setting to check out zoom and wide angle capabilities. Soon, well satisfied with our testing, we were securing our equipment in the car and heading out for a walk across the battlefield.

Henry Hill from the visitor center.

Our first stop was Henry House and the Henry Hill Monument (aka Bull Run Monument). The house gets its name from the family that lived in it during the First Battle of Manassas. Mrs Judith Henry, who was bedridden and refused to leave her home, was killed in the Union artillery shelling that was brought to bear on the house to drive out Confederate sharpshooters who were firing from the windows; she was the first civilian casualty of the First Battle of Manassas.

Henry House and Bull Run Monument

After paying our respects to Mrs Henry, who is buried in a small plot behind Henry House, we continued our walk towards Stone House. Built in 1825 as a residence and a tavern, Stone House served as a makeshift clinic in both of the Manassas battles.

The red flag indicates that Stone House is open to visitors.

Lo and behold, when we arrived at the house, we found the doors open. There wasn’t much to see inside — only the three rooms on the first floor were open to the public. One room had a small display of historic photographs and another was furnished with a few period pieces. The main room had been restored back to its original purpose — a barroom. A tankard of cold ale or a cup of apple cider sure would have hit the spot before we left to retrace our path to the visitor center.

For a pictorial journal of our visit, browse our online gallery.

First Real Snow of 2009

2 March 2009

Yes ... I know, I know. This doesn't really fall under the category of travel. But hey; we haven't had any real snow this year ... until now. The snow started yesterday, picked up overnight, and is really falling quite heavily this morning.

Enjoy these scenes from our back deck, driveway, and the basement patio.

And here's a photo of Mui using his winter toy for the first time this year.

UPDATE: It's 11:00a - the snow has stopped and the sun is peeking out occasionally, making all that snow look prettier. The ruler shows 7 inches (~18 cm) of snow on our back deck.

High Exercise; Low Entertainment

21 February 2009

Today’s 5-mile (8 km) hike was high in exercise value, but low in entertainment value. That is, there wasn’t much to see on the trail until we reached the waterfalls at the turnaround point. Overall, the outing gets a “B+”.

We left the house rather late, waiting for the temperature to rise above freezing to where it would be comfortable to be out and about. By noon, we were at Rockburn Branch Park in Elkridge, Maryland. That there were no markers to identify any of the trails was not a good sign. Nonetheless, figuring we could always find our way back to the parking lot, we headed off on what we hoped was the right trail. It wasn’t! No problem — we made a few adjustments to the directions we were following and found the Morning Choice Trail at Patapsco Valley State Park without having to go too far out of our way.

There weren’t many people on the trail — just a few other hikers and some mountain bikers. That was a plus. The sky was blue; the air was crisp without being cold. Those were additional plusses. The hike would have been perfect except that the trail was a muddy mess, requiring extreme care with our footing. The terrain was relatively level, with little elevation gain, but there were several shallow creeks that we had to ford. Using partially submerged rocks as stepping stones, we crossed the streams without mishap. Finally, we made it to the small, partially frozen waterfalls that are a popular feature of the PVSP.

The only other people at the falls were already leaving, so we had the place to ourselves. A tree trunk that had fallen across the creek-bed provided an excellent perch for us. We made ourselves comfortable, eating our snacks while we listened to the melodious trickle of the water as it flowed down the rocks. We were at one with nature when suddenly the silence was broken by the sound of a splash, followed by an even louder splash — the latter was a dog plunging into the frigid water to get the stick his master had thrown. It was time for us to take our leave.

Ice Drape

After checking out another waterfall a little ways down the trail, we started our return trek. Where the Cascade Falls and Morning Choice trails joined up again, we took a detour, bypassing the muddy path in lieu of a more comfortable walk on a service road that took us first to the main road and from there to the parking lot to pick up our car.

We brought the day to a close with an early dinner at G&M — home of “crab cakes broiled to golden perfection.” True, the crab cakes were good, but I have to admit I much prefer the ones at our local Sweetwater Tavern. Somehow a couple of take-out desserts found their way home with us!!! Speaking of which, I’d better complete this blog entry and go downstairs for my share of chocolate cheesecake!!!

Check out the snippet of video for sounds and sights from the waterfall.

Pompeii to Perú

15 February 2009

A cold, but sunny day found us on the mall in DC, visiting not one, but two museums. Truth be told, had I known that we’d be having beautiful blue skies and glittering sunshine instead of the overcast that was forecasted, I would have planned a hike, as we much prefer outdoor activities to museums.

We started off by visiting the “Pompeii and the Roman Villa” exhibit at the National Gallery of Art. No photography was allowed, so I don’t have much to show for our time at the NGA. The artifacts on display ranged from intricately-carved bronze and marble sculptures, to exquisite jewelry and paintings, to a remarkably-well preserved 1st century AD fresco from a triclinium (dining room; so named for the three couches on which diners reclined). Perhaps someday we will have the chance to see these artifacts in situ as we're roaming the ruins of Pompeii.

As demonstrated by this mural, the pre-Vezuvius villas of Pompeii were lavisly decorated.

Our second stop was at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian. The lure for the visit was the opportunity to see the Peruvian Scissor Dancers performing at the "El Poder del Chocolate" — The Power of Chocolate — event.

I’m not sure what I was expecting the Scissor Dance to be, but it certainly wasn’t “break-dancing circa 16th century!” The dance is a one-on-one competition between acrobatic dancers while playing a three-pound, scissors-like steel instrument in one hand. The dancer in the spotlight must keep a constant rhythm and finely-tuned ringing sound with the scissors in his right hand, while performing intricate footwork, escalating into acrobatics and balancing acts. Judging from the reaction of the audience, they accomplished this feat beautifully. It was an intriguing performance — we hope to see more demonstrations of traditional dancing when we visit Perú in April.

The Yawar Chicchi dancers perform the Peruvian Scissor Dance.

(What's not clear in the photo above is that the dancers are in fact continuing to play the scissors-like instrument even as they stand on their heads. Check out the snippet of video for sounds and sights from the Scissor Dance.)

A Stroll at the Tidal Basin

8 February 2009

Slightly aching muscles — a result of yesterday’s 9-mile hike — did not stop us from going out again today. After all, who can resist 60F (16C) temps in February? Considering what we put our bodies through yesterday, however, we took it easy, going for a walk in Washington DC instead of doing another hike. Mui’s luck for finding a parking spot held — not an easy feat in DC — and 30 minutes after leaving the house, we were walking along the Potomac River, enjoying the sunshine and the breeze coming off the river. The lack of crowds at the Tidal Basin was surprising, but we didn't question our good fortune. It was nice not having to dodge runners and bikers as we strolled the narrow footpath. The two-hour walk around the basin was a great way to make the most of the spring-like day.

In keeping with our “this is for exercise motto,” I only took a point & shoot camera … here are a few scenes from our stroll.

Some like water in its liquid form; others like water in its solid form.

A glimpse of the Jefferson Memorial from the footpath around the Tidal Basin.

Mother Nature scallops the edge of the ice in the Tidal Basin.