Firs and Infringement at Lake Frederick

 On Saturday Elliott and I were out the door early to help out at Lake Frederick, a few miles north of us. When we had got our real tree at Christmas, we hadn't wanted to simply throw it in the trash afterwards, it seemed so wasteful and pointless at having chopped a tree down simply for decoration. There are a few local farms that collect them for their livestock to feed on, but they had enough, and by chance I discovered that Lake Frederick were collecting them to place strategically around the lake, creating safe havens underwater for fishes and other aquatic life to lay eggs or shelter in. Elliott had taken our tree up there in January, adding to a growing pile, and this weekend it was time to prepare them for their underwater life. Gregory, who owns the bait shop, had asked for volunteers and had guessed the task would take over a couple of hours.

We parked up and walked over to the small group that had assembled, and within 5 minutes we were working. One guy, with a chainsaw, chopped off the lower branches while the rest of us picked up the cinder blocks and laid them out on the gravel, holes facing up. Another couple began mixing cement, and then the rest of us dragged or carried the trees to the cinder blocks, sticking one tree in each block.

Cement was pushed into the holes to secure the trees. If a tree was tiny, we'd put 2 of them in the cinder block. We all worked well as a team, moving around like busy bees around a hive. The only time we stood still was while we waited for more trees to haul, the chainsaw being so noisy that it was impossible for any conversation. We just smiled at new faces as a couple more folk appeared and carried on bustling about.

All the small branches that had been hacked off the bottoms of the trees were gathered up and thrown into the lake, where they would eventually sink. I was a bit concerned about this, worrying about the acidity that would be added to the water. I had a chat with Gregory who informed me the water was naturally acidic, meaning that catfish and northern pike don't breed in here, but are added every year. He also told me the record in Virginia for a catfish weight was 31lbs, but that someone here had caught a 32lb fish but not recorded it, and had put it back. Gregory made me smile as even though he owns a bait shop, he doesn't like killing the fish, and will always put back whatever he catches.

We all worked together efficently, and I noticed one guy was taking photos, which I later saw he'd posted on Facebook, so I managed to download a couple of me in action. We had everything done after an hour so I chatted to Gregory and asked more questions. Apparently this job has been done for over 20 years, making me exclaim that there must be a lot of cinder blocks in the lake. He laughed and said that in the fall when on some days the water is crystal clear, on the left side of the lake in the cove, there are 2 cars on the lake bed which can be seen if you're over the top of them, an '88 Oldsmobile and a VW. We must come back to see that. There's also an arch structure in one of the deep areas, made of tires. I also asked about snake fish. He said there were once 6 of them but he thinks that there's only 1 now. When they had babies, he went out with a large net, lined with a sheet, and pulled out thousands of them. The regular fishermen love catching those as they taste wonderful, something I've yet to try.

We stood chatting and watching Jake the dog fetch sticks, which he was really good at, and then Gregory told us that Game and Inland Fisheries would be out on Thursday at 9:30am to haul the trees in their blocks out on to the water and drop groups of them at designated areas. Because of work, we won't be able to watch, or help, with that, but I found a couple of photos from last year showing them loading up the boats.

As much as I enjoyed helping and fully support what's being done to help the lake, I'm sad at how many house have been built around the perimeter. I've been coming here to kayak for quite a few years, loving the peace and solitude that could be found in the many inlets. But in the past few years, a huge housing association has appeared, large homes with yards reaching down to the water, so it's inevitable that much of the wildlife is now struggling to survive.

Over the past couple of years, some of the homeowners have formed a group that focuses on a trail running all around the lake, about 7.5 miles. They think this is wonderful, being able to enjoy the wild animals and what's left of the woodland, encouraging humans to tramp along the last vestiges of sanctuary that the animals have left. The maps above show how the homes have encroached upon and destroyed the natural habitat. When I first came here, there were only a few homes over to the right and a few on the left, and paddling up the larger left part of the lake would always be peaceful, with no signs of human life to be seen. I used to be able to sit in my kayak and enjoy the silence, the only noises coming from nature, of birds singing and fish jumping. I have no urge to come back here now and long for what used to be. I feel so bad for this natural habitat that's been all but destroyed.

Here are a couple of my blog from years past. Note how in the photos the trees go back as far as you can see, there's no homes on the shore fronts. That will never be seen again, this is now an area abundant in human life...

https://lucentmoments.blogspot.com/2014/06/floating-on-frederick.html

https://lucentmoments.blogspot.com/2017/09/kayaking-with-legions-on-lake.html

O Street Secrets and Snow Scenes

On Sunday we woke up with below freezing temperatures and swirling snow, with a good inch already accumulated on the ground. But we had plans, and were not going to have them thwarted. Every year on New Year's Day and Superbowl Day I love to go down to DC, or other places, where attractions are usually busy, because on these days they are empty. I've been to some great museums that would usually take all day to explore due to the crowds, but on these days, I've often had only a small number of fellow visitors. 

Today, Elliott and I were going to the O Street Mansion in DC. First, Elliott cooked up a full English breakfast, which would power us all day long. English bangers, bacon, black pudding, with eggs on toast and fried potatoes. And of course, for me, a huge mug of tea. After our blow out, which incredibly, and unfortunately, I couldn't finish, we staggered to the car, noting that the snow had conveniently stopped and we drove on near empty roads with the temperature at 28F and the countryside looking like a Christmas card. Every branch and blade of grass was covered, but the roads were clear.

We got down to DC in no time, thanks to the lack of traffic, and found a free parking spot a 5 minute walk from the mansion. I'd paid my first visit here 8 years ago, with a group of British friends at Christmas. We'd had fun back then and I remembered the freedom of spending all afternoon trying to find the secret doors. Today, we didn't have so much freedom. The tour was only for 2 hours and we couldn't walk around, drink in hand, like we used to be able to. But I did notice that some themes in the rooms had changed and many new items had been added. Most of these are donated to the museum, by the public and celebrities, and nearly everything on show is for sale. It's overwhelming when you first enter the building, a sensory overload, there's so much 'stuff' that you find yourself envying owls and their ability to swivel their heads around without blinking. Every wall, surface, nook and cranny is filled with 'things'.

I found myself just looking as we began the tour, leaving my camera strung round my neck. I was actually hoping to find a splendid artifact for the house or garden, so was more focused on that for a while, rather than photography. It wasn't until we reached the first floor that I really started taking photos. We were also on the 'Secret Door Tour'. With over 100 rooms and over 70 secret doors to find, it was a tall order to complete in just 2 hours. Through the course of the tour we found about 10 of them, but it was hard to keep my attention on just searching for them as I was constantly side tracked by an interesting ornament or picture or book. There's simply too much to see here to stay focused on one thing. We were also told to keep looking upwards at the different ceilings. We weren't overly impressed with the ceilings we saw, but I did love this one, with it's simple chandelier and glittering cherubs.

The lights hanging over the pool table were impressive. I wouldn't have minded playing a game but each time we passed through here, people were already using the table. I couldn't find any secret doors here either but I did try out the barber chairs, which were very comfortable. I'd like one of those in the kitchen.

This was my favorite room. A photo of Princess Diana on the window ledge may have influenced me, but I adored that huge chandelier of glass garlands complimenting the curves of the draped curtains. I loved the muted greens with orange details and the soft lighting. The snow falling outside emphasized just how cozily comfortable it would be laying on that sofa with a good book. It was tempting to shut the door and keep everyone else out, since one of the rules is a closed door mustn't be opened, as a guest may have rented the suite.

A new 'Chucky' room had been added to the museum, and I was impressed with this one. It was actually better than most haunted houses I've been in. The narrow corridor with netting and red lights illuminating grimaces and demonic grins was very well done. I'd completely forgotten about the 'clap your hands' routine we'd been forewarned of, so as I leaned in to a particularly scary faced group Elliott chose his moment well, with the group suddenly coming to life, creaking joints and deathly groans inches from my face. So, yes, I screamed. Well played, Elliott, well played.

There were plenty of opportunities to take selfies throughout the house, and we could have taken a lot more if we'd thought about it, but with so much to see, moments for photos were often missed. I did like the wings though, and was glad I found them behind an open door. There were huge mirrors everywhere, and some of these were doors, like the one above that we posed in front of. There were also more people than I'd thought would be here on a Superbowl day, but it wasn't a problem. We often found ourselves alone in rooms, and everyone was wearing a mask. I kept peeking out of windows when I got a chance, each time seeing that the snow was still falling.

The mansion has been named The Coolest Place in DC, Top 5 Historic Venues to Explore, and Top 7 Hotels in DC. They've certainly upped their game since I was last here, with themed tours and events, all with pretty high price tags. We chose the Secret Door Tour because it was the cheapest, and had worried that we'd be ushered out after the 2 hours were up, but no one came looking for us, and in all honesty, we were pretty much exhausted afterwards. We'd spent about 2.5 hours inside. There are 4 floors, which we explored as thoroughly as we could, but I knew we'd missed some rooms, and I didn't find anything that I had to have. The only thing that I quite liked was the wooden head in the photo above. Couldn't really see that it was supposed to be Shakespeare, even though it was in the collection, it looked more like a wizard to me. But it was cool, but not cool enough that I had to have it, and not at $70. Now if I could have dragged out that huge chandelier in the 'Diana' room, I would have snagged that. I could likely have carried it over my head and shoulders to the car, but had no idea where it would go in the Blue House. It would have been nice under the front porch, it's glass pendants tinkling along with the other chimes, but there's really no ceilings high enough to accommodate it. Shame.

We left the mansion and drove back to FroRo, which was still looking like a winter wonderland. Elliott chose a small country lane where we stopped to take photos at a creek, and then drove up another narrow lane that would its way up a mountain.

At the very top we stopped to admire the spectacular views. No one else had been up here, our tire tracks were the first, and the only footsteps in the fresh snow were from a passing deer. The views were amazing and the silence was deep. No car engines or people's voices, no bird calls or even breezes knocking snow to the ground. It was as if time had stopped still. The snow was about 6' deep in places, about 2' on the track we were parked on. The tree tops on the mountains looked like feathers, sunlight shining bright on some of the hillsides, and the clouds so heavy and dense that the Blue Ridge Mountains in the far distance couldn't be seen. We had the place to ourselves, it was perfect. I dropped my camera lens cap, and was pleased I'd noticed it fall, as it promptly disappeared deep into the fluffy snow.

It was breathtakingly beautiful on that mountain top, and I envied the homeowners whose house was hidden from our view by a small hillock. I guessed we were on their land, but we had no sure way to tell since the road had led us here and hadn't been marked 'private'. But we didn't outstay our welcome, and drove back down into the valley, where we stopped along another narrow lane where the Appalachian Trail crossed, a trail we'd walked along in the summertime.

We hiked along the trail, our footsteps once again the first to fall here, and stopped by the creek. I kept thinking of Narnia and half expected to hear a bell in the distance, followed by a horse snorting as it pulled Queen Jadis on her sleigh into our clearing. The only sound was the tiny waterfalls trickling into the creek. We thought it would be a fabulous idea if we shook some snow off a branch so we could take photos while it was 'snowing'. I positioned myself and pointed my camera towards the creek and waited for Elliott to pick a branch to shake. Which he did. But instead of a light snowfall, an avalanche cascaded down right on top of my head. I was covered! We were laughing so hard it took a while to brush and shake the snow off, Elliott had got some on himself too, but I'd taken the brunt of it. Incredibly, I still had the presence of mind to snap the shutter even though I was getting buried, so the photo above does look like it was snowing. Elliott took one of me immediately afterwards. It was time to go home. We'd had a fun-filled day, but now we needed to get indoors and warm up. We left the snowy scenery and headed to our cozy home.