A Walk I Like to Take

I like to walk around Wilde Lake here in downtown Columbia, MD.

Looking back at my starting point: Vantage House,

I head down the sidewalk to

Little Patuxent Parkway where I wait for the walk light.

Along the sidewalk on the other side,

I turn left and connect with the pathway around the lake.

My first view of the lake is the dam.

I take a right and head up a slight hill

where I can see the dam up close.

Then there's the lake.

Continuing on the path takes me to a dock of sorts.

Across the street is one of the original houses predating Columbia.

The house has been added on to over the years and

has become rather large.

Farther down the path I can see an original barn

with its very red roof.

The lake is surrounded by a mix of condominium apartments, townhomes, and single family houses.

At the top end of the lake I cross a bridge over the stream that fills the lake

and turn left.

On this side the path brings me to a street so

I have to walk on the sidewalk for a bit.

Eventually the path appears again on my left and I return to walk along the lake.

The path makes many turns going around several coves.

One last look at the lake before heading 

downhill with the dam on my left.

The last stretch back to the sidewalk.

Glancing to my right I can see Vantage House, my home, above the tree line in the distance.

I return there after enjoying a great walk around the lake.

Another Pop Up Card

I have a granddaughter turning 1 year old next month.  

Here's the pop up card I completed for her.  

First two views are the card almost folded flat.

See other pop up cards I've made here.

We Are All Immigrants

Here in North America no one can say they are not an immigrant or descended from immigrants. Every human on this continent is descended from ancestors who came from other shores, even Native Americans whose ancestors came tens of thousands of years ago, looking for a better life.

Here is my immigrant ancestor's story:

In the first decade of the 18th century Benedict Brechbuohl was the leading teacher and preacher of the Swiss Mennonites. Because of his influence with the sect, the Swiss government more than doubled the reward for his capture.  He was imprisoned in 1709 after being expelled twice from Berne and was one of 58 Mennonites who were deported in 1710, to be taken by force to North Carolina.  With the others he escaped to Holland and returned to Manheim, Germany where he had been elder and preacher before his capture in Switzerland.  While in Mannheim, he acted as agent to whom the Dutch Mennonites sent financial aid for not only distressed in Germany but also in Switzerland.  He also went to Prussia to visit land on which King Frederick wished to found a Mennonite Colony.  In 1717 he with Burcholder, presided at a conference of Mennonite leaders which resulted in the decision to migrate to America.

He sold his house and farm situated near Weiler in Sape, on the river Werre in Germany for 700 Rix dollars ($570.15).  He sailed for America with his wife and three children and landed in Philadelphia August 24th, 1717 having been on passage for 12 weeks.  Their expenses were $30.44 a piece.  He (purchased) 530 acres of land for $186.66.  This land was between Strasburg, PA and Bunker Hill and was purchased from Hans Funk.

Rev. Benedict Brechbuohl was born in Transelwald, Berne, Switzerland in 1666, died near Strasburg in 1720 three years after his arrival.

My uncle did the genealogy research for this many years ago and wrote this history.  I am the ninth generation descended from this immigrant who was fleeing religious persecution in his home country.

I don't know if I would have had the courage to uproot myself and travel to an unknown land despite stories of how much better life would be.  Who are we to deny immigrants fleeing violence, hatred, war, prejudice ...?

What is your immigrant story?

On a Wall

Last month we took Dan's mother out for lunch in Alexandria.  As we returned to our car I had to capture this wall mural.

In trying to find an explanation of this mural I came upon this article about the neighborhood in the Washington Post.

Doesn't it look like the horse and jockey are racing the engine?  

I found this explanation finally:

The historic Del Ray mural outside of Cheesetique on Mount Vernon Avenue shows imagery of the old Potomac Yard railway linking Alexandria to Washington, D.C. as well as the St. Asaph Racetrack.

There are many more murals in Delray, as I discovered in trying to find the above explanation.  Next time we're there I'll have to look for them.

By the way this is where we ate (Screen shot from internet).  It was delicious BBQ.  I had Dan bookmark it on the GPS.