With all the rain we've been getting recently, the humidity has been horrific, so thick you can almost chew it. Any small movements result in instantaneous drenching of all clothing, and an immediate need to sit down and rest. With these wonderful climate conditions, Richard, Eric, Liz and myself decided to go urbexing on Sunday, out to the Maryland eastern shore, hoping it would be cooler with sea breezes.
Wrong. We crossed the Bay Bridge and arrived to more heat and humidity; there was no escape. But we persevered, with Eric knowing some old houses we could explore, a couple of churches also on the list, and Liz persistently demanding the AC be turned up higher every time we climbed back into the car after each visit.
Eric took us to what he called, 'a good house', and we clambered in through a broken window. There were many memories left behind, old photos, clothing and ornaments. This always makes me sad, thinking of the circumstances in which family photos would be left to curl and fade, rather than treasured somewhere safe in a family album. I always try to imagine what the home would have looked like when the house was a happy hive of love and activity, and sometimes think I can hear small footsteps hammering up and down the stairs, family chatter, and smell the home cooking. It's almost a crime that these old places aren't salvaged or restored. They are built so much better than most of today’s houses, and the woodwork detailing is always exquisite. I love the old wallpaper patterns too. But, out here, homes tumbling down on the flat, farmed fields will be left to collapse. With climate change already leaving its mark, the water level here has risen dramatically, and many of the old houses we visited had spongy, waterlogged yards, a constant reminder that this coastal area would not be owned by humans for much longer. We also came across a few family cemeteries, the concrete casks already flooding by the encroaching rising sea level.
We stopped to check out a flea market, which looked quite promising, and did have some interesting antiquities, but most of them were coastal and beach decor, not ideal for my home, except for a wonderful pair of lightning rods, which I would have loved for the garden, but the $120 price tag held me back. There were also some novel wind chimes, made from empty fire extinguishers, which I loved, but for $29 and up, I took a photo instead, thinking I could make one myself, if I ever came across an empty fire extinguisher. We also passed an old bank building, which Eric had stopped at once before, the owner having restored it into a cozy home, although there were few neighbors nearby.
At the end of one road was a small fishing dock, with a couple of sunken boats, stacks of crab pots, and a row of 5 brand new condos, which was odd, since there was nothing else out here, and they would likely soon be experiencing flooding. A small family were enjoying the solitude of a tiny beach, the only people we'd seen down this road. After strolling around a couple more old homesteads, we'd had enough, and decided to look for crab cakes and beer, which we found, and then made our way back to civilization, although I kind of missed the peaceful solitude once we hit the busy traffic and strip malls again.
July 4th was another muggy and hot day, with storms on the horizon, but I had errands to run, and thought I'd drive about to see if anything was open, not wanting to sit indoors all day. I ended up in Winchester and discovered the Museum of the Shenadoah Valley was open, with a LEGO exhibition in the gardens. This interested me, and a wander along their nature trails could be done afterwards.
Sean Kenney, the artist, has been in partnership with LEGO for 14 years, creating sculptures and art, which have been viewed by millions. Based in Amsterdam, I was impressed that this little local museum was showcasing his work, so I paid for my ticket and entered the gardens. There weren't many other people here, so it was nice to be able to stroll around slowly and take a few photos without being in anyone's way. The sun blasted down, intermittently ducking in and out of the clouds, and the difference in temperature as it did this was noticeable.
Sean's work is impressive. The detail on these sculptures is incredible, they look so lifelike. I was pleased to see them in a garden setting, rather than a gallery room, the natural surroundings really enhanced the sculptures, making them stand out more against a living background, when they're so obviously man-made. And man-destroyed. This message was apparent as I walked around, the creatures displayed are all in danger of extinction. I actually loved the only extinct one here, the dodo, on a plinth, the first time that I've been close up to a 3D rendition of this amazing creature. I also couldn't help admiring the garden behind the chameleon, with an arch like mine, using a cattle panel and stakes. They've painted theirs blue, which I loved.
These sculptures took many hours to create. The polar bear group took 1048.5 hours, with 133,263 bricks, the biggest undertaking in this group, with the monarch and milkweed only 330 hours and 39,708 bricks!
I wasn't quite sure why this galleon was hovering above the garden, but it intrigued me enough for a photo, and I particularly liked the gardener's use of bamboo to create a trellis for the tomato plants in the background. It was interesting also, to see that their vegetable garden hadn’t grown as much as mine. I think that may be due to Front Royal having had more rain than Winchester.
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