Morning on the Mall – Settling In – September 6, 2020

 

We are getting into a more ‘home-like’ routine now that we’re off the road. For the past couple of days, we’ve been settling in to a very quiet neighborhood and the nice home that Uncle John has allowed us to use.

 

One activity that helps me get back to a familiar rhythm is a regular schedule of morning runs. This morning was the perfect opportunity to put in a Sunday long run. The string of consecutive days with high humidity and thunderstorms ended yesterday, and this morning dawned with the air temperature in the low 60’s.

Our house in Arlington is just over the Potomac River from the National Mall, so my goal was to get over to the U.S. Capitol and return before the holiday crowds arrived. I ran over to the nearby Custis Trail and followed it down to the river past Theodore Roosevelt Island and south toward the Memorial Bridge. The first thing I could see in the east was the Washington Monument, back-lit by the rising sun.

At this time in the early morning, you’re heading directly into the sun as you cross the bridge and enter the Mall near the Lincoln Memorial.

 

The Mall was quite serene in the early morning light.

 

Once I got to the Capitol and turned around to go back westward, I could see the nearly full moon still high in the sky. The tip of the Washington Monument reminded me of a seal balancing a ball on its nose.

 

Most of the museums are still closed. At the closed Hirshhorn sculpture garden, a scary sentinel blocked the entrance.

 

On the way out, I paid respects to Old Abe (as I always do when I visit) and got back on the trail back to Arlington. 

 

After just under 13 miles, I climbed up onto the ‘sky porch’ to cool off and start the day.

 

 Next:  We shall see...

Another Birthday Breakfast – Another Historical Tour – Back to Arlington – September 3, 2020

 

Stephan surprised Karen this morning by preparing a full breakfast of pancakes, eggs, bacon, and toast in recognition of her ongoing birthday celebration. It was a great meal and a good way to end our little holiday with Stephanie and Stephan. It was really nice to do some outdoor activities, play some cards, laugh and have fun. We appreciate the dual birthday treatment they gave us! They had to get back to work this week, so after checking out of our town home, Karen and I went out on our own to see one last historical site for the week.

 

Above:  One of my birthday presents from Steph and Stephan - a bullet recovered from the Monocacy Battlefield.

The Monocacy National Battlefield is just south of Frederick, set among cornfields and farms that lie near the Monocacy River. The short version of events is that a Confederate Army on its way to invade Washington, D.C. ran into a small Union Army force in this area. The Union forces, led by General Lew Wallace (who, many years later, wrote the novel, “Ben Hur”), were ultimately defeated, but they delayed the Confederates enough to allow Union reinforcements to get to Washington, D.C. in time to prevent an invasion.

 

 It was hot, humid, and slightly rainy today as we toured the battlefields. We could (almost) get some sense of how uncomfortable it must have been for those Civil War soldiers as they marched through miles of soggy fields in their woolen uniforms.

 

Above:  The Best Farm, site of fierce artillery fighting.

 

Above:  The Gambrill Mill, where Union forces burned a wooden railroad bridge on the Monocacy River in order to slow the Confederate advance. We arrived just in time to see a freight train crossing on the new bridge. The old mill pond looked like it was filled with primordial ooze today. The humidity and the buzzing insects helped complete the experience. The wildlife seemed to enjoy it.

 

Above:  The Worthington Farm, which got pretty shot up during the battle.

 

Above:  The Thomas Farm, where the Confederates marched into an ambush in the cornfields; and where the Union force eventually decided to end the fighting and retreat.

 We drove back to Arlington this afternoon to begin our quarantine in preparation for Arthur’s birthday festivities. In the meantime, we’ll update the blog periodically.

 

Next: Relaxing in Arlington

More Frederick – The Bridges of Frederick County – Funky Filmy Frederick – September 2, 2020

 

While the rest of the group slept this morning, I took another walk through Frederick. This time, I went through old town and along the Carroll Creek Linear Park. Carroll Creek is a tributary to the nearby Monocacy River and runs right through the middle of town. Historically, the creek was prone to periodic flooding that destroyed property and threatened lives. After the floods of 1976, the city resolved to create a reliable flood control system. To do this, they diverted the creek underground into huge drainage pipes, leaving enough water above to create a charming canal. Walkways, shops, restaurants and public art line the route.

 

Barbara Fritchie House (see yesterday's blog entry). Note the flag.

The old Frederick Armory - now used for youth activities.

After this, we took Karen out for her birthday breakfast at a little café downtown. Then, we jumped in the car to head north for a few miles to take a driving tour of the famed covered bridges of Frederick County. The three surviving bridges (there used to be about nine of them) date from the 1850’s and provide a glimpse into the past.

Utica Mills Covered Bridge (c. 1850)

 

Loy’s Station Covered Bridge (c. 1848) – Four days after the Battle of Gettysburg, the Union Army crossed this bridge as they were pursuing the retreating Confederate Army of General Robert E. Lee.

 

Roddy Road Covered Bridge (c. 1856)

Since it was Karen’s birthday, we wanted to engage in one of her favorite activities – hiking? So we set out for nearby Cunningham Falls State Park. The light rain and the warm and humid conditions made for a lovely two mile nature walk through the forest and up to the falls. Happy Birthday, Karen!

 

On our drive back into Frederick, we stopped at the ‘Great Stuff by Paul’ antique store. This is more like a big warehouse of unusual items of mostly European origin. Paul told us that movie producers often use his stuff to dress film sets. We saw candles used in ‘The Last Airbender’, and some apple crates used in one of my personal favorite films, Steven Spielberg’s ‘Lincoln’.

 There were also some other weird and creepy things for sale there.

By this time, an afternoon weather front was moving in and we decided to get some dinner. Steph and Stephan treated us to Mexican food. Just as we got back to the town home and sat down to eat, the skies opened up to a torrential downpour. Judging by the amount of water flowing down our street, I think the city’s flood control plan of 1976 was a very wise decision. We had some birthday pie and played some cards, while the lightning and thunder flashed and boomed outside.

 P.S. See photos below for a brief look into some of the behind-the-scenes activities that help bring you the stunning visual compositions that accompany the lyrical text of the blog...

 

Next: Monocacy Battlefield?

Say Can You See? – Frederick – First President? – September 1, 2020

 

Stephanie and Stephan invited us to spend a couple of days with them at a town home in Frederick, MD. It’s just a 50 minute ride north from Arlington, and it takes you into the “Crossroads of American History”. To begin with, Frederick County was one of the first to openly defy the British Parliament’s notorious Stamp Act in 1765.

During the American Civil War, Maryland was a pivotal border slave state that ultimately stayed with the Union. As a result, Frederick found itself in the middle of the action during the war. At one point, the local citizens had to pay a $200,000 ‘ransom’ to the Confederate Army in order to prevent the town from being destroyed by the invading army. Abraham Lincoln visited the town during the war and gave a speech. Two of the bloodiest battles of the war, Antietam and Gettysburg, were fought just a few miles away from Frederick. And, the ‘battle that saved Washington, D.C.’ (the Battle of Monocacy) was waged just outside the city limits.

It was a rainy summer day when we rolled into town this morning. First, we took a walk near Carroll Creek, which runs through town.

 

Our town home is in the old town section on 4^th St. It’s a row house that dates back to the Civil War era. Just across the street from our front door is St. John’s Cemetery. Buried there is the author of one of the most infamous court decisions in American jurisprudence. We can stand on our front porch and see where Roger B. Taney, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court who wrote the majority opinion in the Dred Scott case, lies in repose. This legal decision gave the country a final push toward Civil War when it was decided in the late 1850’s.

 

We also took a walk through the Mt. Olivet Cemetery on the other side of town. This is where Francis Scott Key is buried. When you push a button on the historical placard at the base of his monument, the National Anthem plays.

 

Other notable Frederickians found here are Barbara Fritchie, who waved a Union flag at the Confederate soldiers (and dared them to shoot her) who marched through town in 1862 on their way to fight in the Battle of Antietam. The poet, John Greenleaf Whittier, was inspired to write and publish a famous poem based on this act. There is also a monument to the first ‘First Family’ of the U.S. - John and Jane Hanson. John was actually the President before George Washington, under the Articles of Confederation from 1781-1782. John was originally buried in a nearby county where, in the 1980's, illegal urban redevelopment destroyed his grave site. His remains were never found, so a monument to our country's little-known first President was erected at Mt. Olivet.

 

After a stimulating day of walking among the dead, we plan to do some hiking tomorrow.

 

Next: Cunningham Falls, Monocacy Battlefield, Covered Bridges