Spring in Pennsylvania

Spring in Pennsylvania is a beautiful sight, although when you have seasonal allergies an occasional day of rain is welcome to knock some of the pollen out of the air.    However, I will gladly take some sneezing and itching eyes rather than endure the heat and humidity that is sure to arrive soon.

Across the street from my new house is one of the county’s largest parks:   Lancaster County Central Park.    Miles of trails, a small “river”, tennis courts, skate park, baseball and soccer fields; numerous pavilions and even garden plots make this large green space a welcome (and handy) escape from the city.

 

 

Yesterday on a beautiful morning walk, I captured the images below of spring in full bloom.

 

 

 

 

 

Out With the New, In With the Old

Yes, you read that title correctly.   My time on Mount Desert Island, Maine and Tilghman Island, Maryland have come to an end.   The combination of my desire to be geographically closer to my elderly parents and the need to “shore up” the bank account with regular work resulted in a decision to return to my “home” state of Pennsylvania.   Specifically, Lancaster, which is located in the south central part of the state.

 

ABOVE:  My new domicile

 

I am fortunate to be able to rent a home from some friends in a nice location on the outskirts of the city.   One of the best features is the home’s proximity to a large county park located directly across the street.    Miles of hiking trails are available, and while it is next to impossible to match the beauty of hiking in Acadia, I will at least have handy access to hikes through woods and along a small river just steps from  my door.

The move itself went very well with two round trips of a fully loaded car and a quick relocation of all my “old stuff” from the storage unit where it had been snoozing these last 18 months.

 

 

ABOVE:   All this and more (not including the washer/dryer) went into a VW Passat for the first trip.

 

My two furry feline friends, Pebbles and Bam Bam, made the 3+ hour drive from Maryland to Pennsylvania like champs, napping away in their carriers until we arrived at our new destination.  Considering the last two trips for them ranged from 12 – 15 hours of travel time, this must have felt like a very short drive.

 

ABOVE:   Enjoying the sunshine on the deck of our new home.   Clearly, they didn’t have trouble adapting!

 

One of the more interesting observations I’ve made regarding this move is my lack of interest in unpacking all of the “old stuff” I took out of storage.     Although I downsized considerably prior to my year in Maine, I look at all of these boxes and think about how I have lived without 75 – 80% of these “things” for the last 18 months, so why do I need them now?     In previous moves, you would have found me furiously unpacking nonstop until everything was organized and put away.  Now, it seems more important to explore the park, or read a book; and of course, look for a job.

 

ABOVE:   A work in progress, stuff, stuff, and more stuff.   Ugh!

 

It is a shift in perspective that I welcome, and an indication that some of the changes in how I approach life have indeed taken root.

 

 

 

Farewell to Tilghman Island

Six months certainly does go by quickly!    There were some weeks when time seemed to move very slowly on this island.   Frustrated by a lack of nearby hiking (okay, make that lack of nearby anything), I struggled to find ways to keep myself energized and fit.

The lack of distractions DID force me to focus on completing my manuscript “Moments of Panic, Moments of Peace”, so I can say “Mission Accomplished” on that score.   As we speak, query letters are on their way to agents and small publishing houses.    Should that approach yield no results, I will investigate self publication.

As time passed, I did develop a (grudging) appreciation for this place; primarily through bird watching and sea glass hunting.

From here I head back to Pennsylvania (more on that in my next post).   In the meantime, here are a few of my favorite shots from my “Time on Tilghman”.

Above:   Black Walnut Point – at the tip of the Island.

ABOVE:  A great heron fishing, a common sight.

ABOVE:  The dock at the end of my street, the day before “Sandy” arrived.  My first day on the island!

ABOVE:   Fog over Blackwater Marsh, a National Wildlife Sanctuary, about an hour’s drive from the island.

ABOVE:   River Otters at Pickering Creek – a decent place to hike and only 25 miles away!  🙂

ABOVE:  Living across the street from a working marina – always something interesting going on.

ABOVE:   Where Pebbles and Bam Bam spent most of their winter days.

ABOVE:   Hunting for sea glass became a pleasant diversion.

ABOVE:  My last few weeks here I enjoyed the company of nearby Ospreys.

ABOVE:  A board walk in Blackwater Marsh, and an appropriate symbol for the journey of my life.

The Ghost of Churches Past

Old buildings ( especially interesting are churches)  intrigue me, as I know they do many people and I have driven past these ruins several times on the way to one of my favorite hiking spots here along the Eastern Shore of Maryland.     On this occasion, I was travelling with a friend who also enjoys photography as a hobby, and as soon as she saw these ruins, she had the same reaction I did:  “We have GOT to photograph” this!

And so with an ally by my side (all the better to ignore the really old “No Trespassing Sign” my dear), we spent a few minutes photographing the ruins of this old church.

I would have loved to have had blue skies overhead as a way to contrast the bright green ivy and ground covers that were overtaking these walls; but grey skies were dominant,  so I settled for black and white medium.

 

 

 

The first picture (above) gives an overview of the site.   The rest are a few interpretations of views I found interesting.

 

 

 

Return of the Osprey

One of the delights of living in this rural area of the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay has been the variety of birds I see.   From songbirds visiting my feeders, to herons and gulls, ducks and geese, and flocks of red-winged blackbirds; watching the birds this winter has been a real treat.

But the greatest pleasure has been the prevalence of raptors.   Seldom does a day go by that I don’t see a bald eagle, red tail hawk, shin tail hawk, cooper’s hawk, or some smaller falcons that I have yet to identify.    But each spring one of the largest of the hawks, the osprey returns to fish the river and bay water that surrounds this area.

Just down the street from me, at the water’s edge there is platform with an osprey nest, and about three weeks ago I thought I spotted one flying overhead, and when I walked down the block to see if they were in the nest, indeed they were!   A splendid pair.

 

 

I am intrigued with how they return to the same nest each year, and how they choose to build their nests in such open, unprotected areas.

 

 

I think this must be a fairly young pair as their nest is not nearly as large as some of the others I have seen.   Aren’t they beautiful?

 

 

The folks that own this place must get such enjoyment out of seeing these birds every day.   I was hoping one might take flight while I was visiting, but they seemed content  to just hang out on the nest, so I had to settle for a shot of a mallard duck in flight over the bay (below).

 

 

 

 

National Parks – by the people and FOR the people

Even though I’m not currently living “next door” to Acadia National Park, it is never far from my thoughts.    Those of you from the good ‘ole USA are no doubt familiar with the newly implemented “sequester”, the automatic across the board budget cuts affecting all federal funding, including funding for national parks.   This post is not intended to be a political discourse, but merely to highlight the impact these cuts are having on our national parks and the communities that surround them.

In the case of Acadia, the cuts mean (among other things) a one month delay in opening the 27 mile Park Loop Road that takes visitors on a drive through the central part of the park as well as to the summit of Cadillac Mountain.

NOTE:  The photographs in this post depict scenes that you will not be able to see due to the delay of the park road opening.

 

ABOVE:  View from the summit of Cadillac Mountain

 

In addition, Visitor Center hours will be cut, fewer restrooms will be open, fewer seasonal positions will be filled, and ranger lead educational programs will be cut by 50%.    I find this last item especially disturbing as I believe that if people are not educated about the importance of the eco-systems our parks represent they will be less inclined to feel passionate about protecting them.   And of course there is a trickle down effect to the communities that surround the park and are supported by tourism.

ABOVE:  Otter Point at Sunset

 

The configuration of Acadia is such that many areas of the park are accessible throughout the year with a good map, a little ingenuity, and some pedal power or legwork.   But unfortunately, the majority of visitors to the park simply drive the loop road, staying in their cars, stopping at the “highlights” and then driving on to the next place, so the delay of opening the road for the spring will deter some visitors.

 

ABOVE:  Fall in the Great Meadow

 

Acadia is not alone in this dilemma, every single national park and monument are facing the same challenge.   It is not a challenge that is likely to go away.    And I am not here to debate the wisdom of these cuts or what else should be cut instead of park funding.  I am here merely to highlight the problem and to remind you that if you care about these national treasures, you may need to get more involved.    This can be in the form of  a donation to your favorite “Friends” organization, as it is likely these groups will need to shift their focus in how the dollars they raise are used to support our park systems.    Your support can be in the form of time, as volunteers will need to step in and do jobs that were previously held by seasonal workers.   Your support can be in the form of writing your senators and congressional representatives and letting them know your opinion, and how you and friends and family are impacted by these cuts.  Hopefully, your support will be all of the above.

 

 

ABOVE:  Jordan Stream Bridge

 

Without our involvement, I truly believe that our national parks as we know them today are in danger of vanishing forever.   Will it happen in what remains of my lifetime?   Probably not, but that is not the point of national parks.    It is not just about them being here for you and I.  They were created to be there for generation after generation, owned by the people and for the people.   

 

 

ABOVE:   Spring Thaw at Bubble Pond

 

 

 

 

 

What’s In A Name?

Revisions on my manuscript continue with the goal of having it submission ready by the end of April.     By then the lease on my “retreat” home here by the Chesapeake Bay will be up, and it will be back to “real world”, aka getting a “real job” and having a fixed address where all those rejection, oh I mean acceptance letters can be mailed.

In the meantime, I thought you might enjoy looking over the working list of “chapter” or “essay” titles that will be included in my book which is tentatively titled:  “Moments of Panic, Moments of Peace”.    The manuscript is a series of essays about my journey to reconnecting with and redefining life after the sudden death of my husband.

So without further ado, here is the list:

 

What is Loss or   Telling Your Story

Pre Hike Instructions – A Metaphor for   Grieving

Some Advice for the Newly Brokenhearted

You Can’t Fight the Wind

Everything Changes

The Cats That Saved My Life

A Few Words on Bravery

Dukkah Happens

“A” is for Anxiety

All We Can Do Is Keep Breathing

Keeping It Simple

The Control Illusion

What Is True

Is This As Good As It Gets

Who Am I

Keep Walking

What Do You Hope To Accomplish With All   That Thinking

Travelling Light

Being Awake

Finding My Tribe

What Is Essential Is Invisible to the   “I”

I Really Should…..

The Fine Art of Doing Nothing

That’s Where The Light Is

Be Here Now

Empty Me

The Pitfalls of Planning

What Is Important

Happiness Versus Peace

Recovery Defined

Moments of Panic, Moments of Peace

 

 

Gifts From the Sea

As followers of this blog have probably noticed, the photographic opportunities here on Tilghman Island, Maryland and nearby locations are not what they were in Acadia National Park. Perhaps this says more about my skill (and dedication) as a photographer than it does about the scenery, but nevertheless my expeditions with the camera have been significantly less frequent than what they were.

My “newest” hobby has been the pursuit of “sea glass” at a local beach not far from my home.  On a calm, sunny day, one can pass a pleasant hour or two combing the beach.   Who knew picking up “trash” could be so much fun?!

 

 

March at the Marsh

It’s been a couple of months since I made the trek to the National Wildlife Sanctuary called Blackwater Marsh, but a visit by a friend from California prompted us to make the hour+ drive.

It was a less than ideal day, cold and windy, but we managed a short hike and a drive around the loop road. One of the trails we had hoped to hike was closed due to nesting bald eagles, so in a few months there should be plenty of eagle activity.  We did spot one or two eagles, but none close up.

Of interest on this trip was a nesting white pelican. The migratory patterns of the white pelicans are being altered and they are beginning to use a more easterly route that includes a stop at Blackwater.  The pelican pictured below was injured and is no longer able to make the long flight. It now lives here year round and seems to be doing well, but is perhaps a little lonely.

 

 

But the star of the show today was the sky, stretching big and bold across the marshlands.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Writer’s Workshop

I had the opportunity this past week-end to attend the 16th annual “Bay to Ocean” writers conference which is organized and presented by a large writer’s group here on the Eastern Shore area.    This was the first such conference I had attended, and while excited, I tried to approach it without expectation.

I was delighted with the conference, and felt it was a great value for the money.   I attended five workshops on the following topics:

–   Using Social Media to Promote Your Writing

–  Preparing Your Manuscript for Submission (query letters, book proposals)

–  The Pros and Cons of Using a Literary Agent

–  Marketing Your Book as an E-book

–  Making Your Writing More Effective and Efficient

All of the presenters were well qualified, successfully published authors with the exception of the workshop about agents which was, in fact, presented by an agent.   There were approximately 300 participants and I could certainly feel the energy of being together with so many other people who feel compelled to create with words and have a common dream that someone will want to read those words.

I met some interesting people along the way, including a woman who, like me, had lost her husband to a sudden heart attack at a young age.   She took her experience of loss and the subsequent scattering of his ashes in locations around the world and turned it into a work of fiction.    I found it fascinating how we had a similar experience, but chose different approaches on how to “document” our grief journey.

All in all it was an interesting, informative, and illuminating experience.   I have, however, concluded that WRITING the book was the easy part.    Now the hard task of attempting to get it published begins.