Mountain Sightseeing in Maryland and West Virginia

Last week we visited some lovely sights in western Maryland and the mountains of West Virginia. We took a circle trip to Blackwater Falls State Park WV, Swallow Falls and Herrington Manor State Parks MD, the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad from Cumberland, Paw Paw Tunnel and visited some friends near Cacapon State Park WV. The weather was gorgeous, the waterfalls were so/so in dry weather and the friends were delightful.

I took many of my travel ideas from a book by Joseph Rossbach and Ian Plant called 50 Amazing Things You Must See and Do in the Greater D.C. Area. Although the book is targeted to active adults who like to hike and kayak, there were many places accessible to folks with a little less energy. Joe has presented several photography lectures at the St. Mary's County Camera Club and given us excellent advice on when and where to photograph nearby locations.

St. Mary's County saved ospreys

I recently took a boat ride in the creek to view all of the osprey nests. Many osprey live along the creeks and waterways in St. Mary's County. When the osprey started disappearing years ago, the residents put up platforms for the osprey to build nests on. The osprey usually appear in mid March and leave by mid September. They primarily eat fish, hence their other name, the fish hawk. I captured this osprey when he/she was landing and liked how dynamic the photo looked. Photographing birds takes a lot of patience and lots of photos. This photograph won second place in the August Advanced Digital Photo Competition at the St. Mary's County Camera Club.

St. Mary's Camera Club July Competition

As I get ready for the Camera Club competition this evening, I realized that I hadn’t sent some of my St. Mary’s County Camera Club competition winners from last month to my blog. Enjoy some lovely photos from Hawaii taken in May, a pink Hibiscus (Advanced Digital 1st place) and a beach on Molokai (Advanced Digital 2nd place).

We really enjoyed taking flowers with a new micro lens that can take sharp close up details. The beach was so lovely that I am currently using it as a background on my computer at work. It is such a relaxing photo. Molokai is very laid back and there aren’t a lot of tourists there. There is very little night life. We enjoyed talking with the local folks and visiting the quiet beaches.

Point No Point Lighthouse

Over the weekend we took a lovely cool boat ride out into the Chesapeake Bay. We went past Point No Point Lighthouse and saw a school of fish nearby. It is about 2 miles from shore and 6 miles North of Point Lookout. I believe it is currently owned by the Federal government, but was almost sold in private auction in 2008. It is a popular landmark for fishermen and needs a lot of renovation.

This photograph later won first place in the advanced digital monthly competition. The judge liked the reflection and placement of the lighthouse.

St. Mary's County Camera Club Photography Display

The St. Mary’s County Camera Club will have a photography exhibit at the Lexington Park Library on display from August 15-September 30th. Several of my photographs and Jim's photos will be on display and available for sale along with photos by my friends. Please stop by.

The 37th Governor's Cup Race Sails In

The 37th annual Governor’s Cup race took place on August 7th ending at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. The finish line was marked by the replica of the Maryland Dove, the ship that arrived at St. Mary’s City in 1634. Along the shore of Historic St. Mary’s City and St. Mary’s College of Maryland, visitors and sailors can enjoy music, food, the campus store and a great view of the race. The race started in Annapolis at 6PM the previous night. I’ve known the arrival times to vary greatly, sometimes 2AM, sometimes 5PM, depending on the prevailing winds and weather. To read more about the race and the winners, visit the official Governor’s Cup race site.

The River Concert Series Finish

The last River Concert of the 2010 series ended on Friday July 30th. Jim and I enjoyed it very much. Who doesn’t like Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony? Kate Baldwin, a singer who performed in Broadway’s “Finian’s Rainbow” was wonderfully expressive and fun to watch. We really feel blessed to get to see such wonderful talent in St. Mary’s County and I appreciate all of the work that must go on behind the scenes to plan, promote and put on the River Concerts each year. Thank you St. Mary’s College of Maryland and all the people involved. Click to see my review of “the Grand Finale” River Concert on The Bay Net. I have lots more of the Beauty of the World to photograph and share, so stay tuned.