Shenandoah County Route 11 Yard Crawl

Emily and Jason came over on Saturday to join me in checking out the 8th Annual Shenandoah County Route 11 Yard Crawl. I've been wanting to do this for some time and was excited to see what this would entail. We had a later start than I would have preferred but Emily had chores to finish so I had to hop up and down while I eagerly waited for them to arrive.
We set off and within an hour were on Route 11 but there didn't seem to be that many vendors. We discovered that most folks set up in the towns on on the outskirts, there certainly wasn't a continuous yard sale down both sides of the road as I had been imagining. But then that wouldn't be practical anyway as along some parts of the road there was little room to set up or park a car.

A 6" high electric fence around a vegetable plot. Keeping out what? Garden gnomes?

This jar of Civil War bullets was going for $100. It was very heavy as well as pricey.

Jason found an old gas mask and sportingly modeled it, noting afterwards that it smelt awful!

A mirror showing the Twin Towers.

Sponge Bob looks happy with his new owner. I just missed this lifetime opportunity by a few seconds.

I was impressed by some of the display skills, particularly noting how these egg slices helped to draw your attention to the vibrant shoes.

More Sponge Bob!

We stopped for a beer in an Irish bar as it was very hot work wandering from yard to yard.

The local cats were eager to play their part too. The cat in the pram was asleep outside the bar when we went in, and a few hours later when we returned to have dinner, he hadn't moved. What a life!
When we emerged from the pub after dinner it seemed most of the yard sale had packed up and left. The event was listed as running from 7am - 7pm but with the intense heat many had given up. But I did manage to find an amazing bargain, a compound bow for $15. When I had first viewed Meadow House, I had spotted an archery target in the field and had since picked up a few arrows on the grounds which now stand on my fireplace. It had piqued my interest making me research into the different kinds of bows and equipment. I rather fancied having a bow and arrow. But the success of The Hunger Games movie had also spurred many other people into taking up archery so any second hand bargains were difficult to find. I had decided I'd prefer a more traditional recurve bow but when I saw the compound bow I couldn't walk past such a tempting offer. Compound bows are actually easier to learn with. So watch this space, after a few weeks there may be archery blogs.
Emily landed a few bargains too, finding a collection of retro glassware for her kitchen at  a silly price, and also landing the best bargain of the day, a set of 6 shot glasses and 5 photo frames for $1! I'll be back to this yard sale next year but think I will try for an earlier start.
We all decided to drive into Strasberg and have a look around. This is a very pretty town so we got out and walked around a few streets.

All the stores were closed but the buildings were interesting and the setting sun was producing beautiful colors in the sky. I'll revisit this town later, maybe with Mum when she comes over for a visit in October.

As the daylight disappeared we got back into Stuart and started to head home, but not before we spotted this little ice cream parlor. Chocolate ice cream with hot fudge sauce. A perfect end to the day!

Congressional Cemetery, DC

Because we had gone on the prison tour so early we were out before lunch time and decided to go into DC to see the Congressional Cemetery. I've not been here before and was keen to see who would be buried here with such an impressive name.

I was a little disappointed with my first impression. The nameplate which had once arched over the main gates was now leaning against a wall and an old bell swaddled in cobwebs sat on top of a flat roof. The paths were over run with weeds and there didn't seem to be a lot of activity, no fresh flowers against a headstone or a grave area recently tended.

 But as we walked around we came across some beautiful grave stones and markers.

As the name of the cemetery implies there is also quite a few congressional members interred here.

This was also the home of a large flock of mockingbirds who flitted from stone to stone whistling and trilling as they went. Every one I saw was struggling with the intense heat, perched with beaks open as they panted but few sought the shade.

I loved this 'headstone', a giant rock turned on its side with pebbles marking the visits and a photo propped on a ledge.

There seemed to be quite a few persons of interest here but not many whose names I recognized. The website, click here, has quite a lot of information.

Some of the older headstones had some lovely terminology and the engraving was beautiful, obviously hewn by hand.
We came across a very recent grave with no headstone but a cluster of plants in pots on top in desperate need of water. I put my camera on a bench and dragged over a hosepipe drenching the plants, many of which were pretty hibiscus flowers. Too late I realized that while I was watering, my poor camera was also getting a good soaking from a leak in the hosepipe which was aimed directly at the bench. So much for my good deed. I quickly moved it and finished my watering. I slung my camera over my shoulder hoping the hot sun would soon dry it out, which fortunately it did, but I did get a couple of cool photos with blur filter effects from the water.

One grave had CDs and lots of origami birds spinning over it from the tree above. I found this in Wikipedia:
A thousand paper cranes are traditionally given as a wedding gift by the father, who is wishing a thousand years of happiness and prosperity upon the couple. They can also be gifted to a new baby for long life and good luck. Hanging them in one's home is thought to be a powerfully lucky and benevolent charm.
Several temples, including some in Tokyo and Hiroshima, have eternal flames for World Peace. At these temples, school groups or individuals often donate Senbazuru to add to the prayer for peace. The cranes are left exposed to the elements, slowly dissolving and becoming tattered as the wish is released. In this way they are related to the prayer flags of India and Tibet.
In Western countries, the custom has been extended from giving a senbazuru to cancer patients, to using them at funerals or on the grave.

A group of girls entered the cemetery, laughing as they walked towards a family member's grave, arms filled with balloons. They took photos of each other as they happily chatted and I noticed the balloons had '55 years old' on them. Not much older than me..

 Another child's grave but I've not seen one before with a sleeping child on top of it. Usually it's a small sheep, I found this one touching.
The sun was blazing down so intensely that as soon as I stopped moving I felt as though it was boring into me. I ended up seeking the sanctuary of the shade from the taller headstones and statues until finally we had endured enough and were driven back to the car and its AC, fanning over us with a soothing breeze. I know there were many resting places of so many important people that I missed but I shan't come back to this cemetery again, I was disappointed at its neglect. There was still apparent storm damage, a large fallen branch smothering a small group of headstones with many more headstones broken and shattered, pieces left where they fell in the grass. All of the stone paths needed attention, weeds removed and stones leveled. The overall impression of this place was, to me, sad and forgotten. I hope people visiting DC for the first time and coming here don't leave thinking all of the city shares this feeling of neglect. Another thing I disliked is a new policy that allows people, for a small sum of money, to exercise their dogs here. The thought of a dog defecating on a family grave disgusts me and I struggle to find this new policy acceptable, but obviously funds are low and desperate measures are sought.
Click here for an excellent article written last year. This cemetery holds so much history that it's almost a crime to let it fall into such disrepair, probably in this condition because it is privately owned. Maybe the government needs to look into purchasing what should be a National Treasure.

Maryland House of Correction

On Sunday morning I got up at 4:30am and met Barb to go up to the Maryland House of Corrections for the final public tour before it's demolished. It was opened in 1879 and was supposed to be a 'relief valve' for the Baltimore Prison, to take in non-violent offenders. But as in the case of many other prisons it soon held more than it was supposed to, including hard core prisoners and ultimately the increasing violence escalating into a string of murders and stabbings amongst the inmates and officers lead to its closure in 2007. The website contains a wealth of interesting information, click here.
We got there early, sat and listened to our briefing, then were led around the premises. We were only allowed in a few areas, the waiting area, the visiting area, the dining room, cell blocks, a dormitory and the central hall.

These cells were tiny, only supposed to house one inmate but as the prison filled, bunk beds were installed.

The Central Hall was our last stop. Some folks had complained that the tour was a rush and there weren't many opportunities to take creative photographs but there were a lot of people queueing up outside wanting to have a last look at an environment rarely seen by most people. The tour was about an hour long and I took many photos. I thought the staff who came round with us were incredibly patient and friendly, even willing to pose for photos. I was bending down to take a photo of a sticker on the floor by a bunk in the dormitory and when I looked over my shoulder there were two of the tour guides bent down also and craning their necks to share my perspective. We burst out laughing.

The tour finished in a foyer which housed weapons and contraband taken from prisoners that had been made inside or smuggled in by visitors. There was also some plastic jugs holding what I thought was urine until a prison guard told me it was 'Jump', a wine made by the inmates. Oranges were peeled and placed in a plastic bag until they softened, then they were beaten to a pulp. Sugar was added and bread that had been broken up into tiny pieces, this would provide the yeast. It was left in a plastic gallon container until fermentation stopped and then strained through a pillow case. Yum?
 The guides were also happy to share their tales and experiences and never stopped answering questions. There was no charge for the tour and no donations were requested. I was more than happy with this rare chance to visit the prison.
The prison was built brick by brick by prisoners and will be demolished in the same manner, giving inmates an opportunity to learn new skills for a future life and to also allow the materials salvaged to be used in new projects. An admirable end to an institution with so much history.
Click here for a newspaper report featuring the last warden of the prison, Gary Hornbaker.