Crab Feast

Maryland is world-famous for Blue Crabs- or Maryland Crabs as they are sometimes called.  Since the mid-1800's Maryland Blue Crabs have been caught commercially in Chesapeake Bay becoming a major industry for the state. In fact, the word "Chesapeake" is a Susquehanock word meaning "great shellfish bay." Native Marylanders look forward to crab season and the  social event known as a "crab feast."

We decided to find out what all the fuss was about and returned to one of our favorite "Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives," Stoney Creek Inn, to experience steamed Maryland Crabs. Our table was prepared for our crab feast- a heavy pad covered with brown butcher paper (makes for easier clean-up) and a roll of paper towels. There is nothing fancy or dainty about this adventure!

Adam and Janne considered the mallets toys... and acted accordingly! At least they didn't draw on the brown paper!

Learning to "pick a crab" requires having the right tools (a mallet and sharp knife), an experienced teacher, a desire to eat with your fingers and perseverance. Crab mallets are traditionally made of wood and are about seven inches long. Some people prefer shellfish picks, others a sharp paring/utility knife. In our case, we had a sturdy plastic knife with a sharp point on the end. Our server, Ashley, volunteered to teach us the finer points in crab picking. She made it look so easy... but looks can be deceiving! Eating with our fingers was not an obstacle since we consider many things "finger food" that others might not. That leaves perseverance which I think hinges on how badly you want something. Time would tell on that one.

Ashley suggested ordering appetizers and then a dozen large steamed crabs along with a couple of sides (sweet potato fries and macaroni salad). The appetizers were delicious... fried calamari, crab balls (like crab cakes), a seafood quesadilla (with shrimp and crab- yum!) and a giant pretzel covered with crab dip and cheese and then broiled (heavenly!). Finally the steamed crabs arrived.

The crab shells were caked with seasoning... and smelled delicious!

Ashley pulled up a chair and showed us how to pick a crab. First she pulled off the legs, discarding the ones too small to get any meat out of, then tapped the larger ones with the mallet to crack the shell and pulled the meat out using the tip of the knife. Using a knife, she pried off the apron on the belly of the crab, pulled it back and cut it off. Then she flipped the crab over (belly-side down) and used her thumb to pry the shell up and off, also placing it in the discard pile.

Ashley patiently demonstrated how to pick a crab.

The internal organs of the crab were now exposed and she went to work to remove the gills (often called lungs), heart,stomach, etc. which are all very colorful (yellow, green, red, orange, brownish). She said all of it was edible but the gills (lungs) will make you wish you hadn't eaten them. She suggested discarding all of that- and we quickly agreed!

Yeah, cleaning out the innards was pretty disgusting...

The pile on the right is the discard pile from just one crab!

After removing the membrane she pulled out chunks of white crab meat. It's a painstakingly slow process to pick and pull all the meat out of the legs and body- especially for a beginner. Richard said that he thinks crabs are "zero-calorie food" since you expend more energy getting the meat out than there are calories in the meat! While I wasn't such a fan of the process, I did enjoy the fruit of my labor. The crab meat was sweet and succulent- and surprisingly we could taste the seasoning caked on the outside of the shell. It was truly a tasty treat!

Janne was excited about her first crab! All three of them said they would do it again... I did two crabs and decided it wasn't worth the effort. I guess you can tell who persevered!

Somehow the dozen crabs disappeared- except for the pile of shells, innards and legs we left behind!

Life Cycles

Since I flipped the calendar page over to September I have been yearning for fall. There are hints of it- the air is a little cooler (some might even call it crisp!) after the sun goes down and I see more leaves falling off trees. With my camera in hand, I set out to find fall color.

What I found was a delightful little garden in front of a quaint shop in historic downtown Ellicott City. There were flowers of every color and description and I paused to admire them. Then I noticed the movement... and saw dozens and dozens of butterflies!

All butterflies are exquisitely beautiful. In fact, I have never seen an ugly butterfly... and I bet you haven't either. But butterflies don't start out as butterflies. They begin life as caterpillars... fuzzy, plump little critters that wreak havoc on crops as they do little more than stuff themselves on leaves. They blend in with their environment- their markings look like the plants they eat.

Once the caterpillar has grown as big as it will get, it hangs upside down and becomes a chrysalis where metamorphosis occurs. Tissue, limbs and organs of the caterpillar have all been changed by the time a beautiful butterfly emerges from the chrysalis. Yeah, I remembered all that from high school biology.

And then I began thinking about a Christian's life cycle. We begin life like a caterpillar (okay, not the fuzzy, plump part...well, maybe some...). We blend in with the world; our goal is to acquire things (eat leaves). Then we learn about Jesus, acknowledge our sin and repent accepting Him as our Savior, and we become a chrysalis. We are changed from the inside out. Second Corinthians 5:17 says, "What this means is that those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun!" We become a beautiful butterfly.

Of course, there the analogy ends because the butterfly will die in a few weeks and be gone but we, as Christians, have eternal life. As I stood quietly shooting 138 photos, I noticed there were no caterpillars, just butterflies flying around a beautiful garden eating sweet nectar. It seemed like "butterfly heaven."

You can see the proboscis (the black thread-like thing) as he gets a drink of nectar!

So back to the fall color I was searching for. Some of the trees are beginning to think about changing color but I only found two trees that actually are in the beginning stages of color change. Maybe fall isn't quite here yet.

The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum... America'a Railroad Museum

We visited the B&O Railroad Museum in Ellicott City about a month ago and decided then to explore "America's Railroad Museum" in Baltimore, the larger B&O Railroad Museum. The 40-acre historic site is home to beautiful buildings with unrivaled collections of railroad cars, engines, and memorabilia. It is within these 40 acres that railroading first started in America with the building of the first passenger station and laying the first commercial long-distance track. Our five-year old grandson, Nick, is visiting this week and wanted to see the "Iron Horses" so off we went!

Nick likes trains... and was excited to see so many old trains up close and personal!  

Baltimore, a thriving port city in the 18th and early 19th century, faced economic decline if it didn't open routes to the western states (Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, etc.) like New York did with the Erie Canal in 1820. Recognizing that the Erie Canal was very slow, twenty-five bankers and merchants from Baltimore developed a plan to build a railroad that would speed goods westward... and the B&O (Baltimore & Ohio) Railroad was born. Charles Carroll of Carrollton, the last living signer of the Declaration of Independence, a US Senator from Maryland and perhaps the wealthiest man in America at the time, was tremendously involved in creating the railroad.

The bust of Charles Carroll of Carrollton, through the magic of animatronics, spoke to us about his part in laying the first stone of the B&O Railroad on July 4, 1828, an event he said was second only to signing the Declaration of Independence. The stone he laid (on right) is now on display.

The roundhouse was originally constructed as a passenger car shop and at the time, was the largest circular industrial building in the world. It covered more than an acre of ground and rose 125 feet into the air! It later became the main building of the railroad museum complete with a turntable for turning engines around, as well as bays to store them. 

The Roundhouse is a beautiful piece of architecture- inside and outside! The picture on the right is the inside of the dome (you can see the very top windows in the corners). Unfortunately, the picture gives no perception of the height... it's TALL!!

In February, 2003, a record-breaking snowfall caused half of the massive roof of the roundhouse to collapse resulting in TONS of snow, wood, slate and cast iron falling on the exhibits. The building was restored (so the roof you see is not the original... but restored to look like it) and so far all but two of the engines have been restored. The museum reopened in November, 2004.

While only the bottom part of the doors were open when we were there, the top portion also opens to allow the engines and train cars to be pulled onto the turntable, which is then turned to position the cars in one of 22 bays.  (The engines behind the glass partition are the ones that have not yet been restored after the roof cave-in.)

One of the best things about this museum is that you can touch the engines, get close enough to see the workings... and even crawl around some of them. It's a very hand-on kind of museum.

The wheels of some of the locomotives are enormous... about twice the height of Nick! He enjoyed exploring the trains, seeing the gears and mechanics.

Boys of all ages like model trains. This outdoor model train display is huge... and Richard and Nick watched the trains go round and round.

We had a great afternoon... and learned a lot about the history of the railroad and its importance to America's history. 

Camp Grandma: Christopher's Visit

Grandchildren are most assuredly a blessing from God. They allow you to see your own child as a parent which is often amusing as you hear words come from their mouth that they promised they would never tell their children. Grandchildren are the chance to do what we could not do as a parent- spoil them a little bit. They are the future.

Our oldest grandchild, Christopher (not Chris, but Christopher!), came to visit us for a week. He just turned seven and is starting second grade this year. He likes Spiderman and playing Super Mario Brothers, has quite a sweet tooth, is generous and thoughtful, and loves pizza. I thought I knew him pretty well. But there are things you can learn about someone only by spending time alone with them.

Christopher was at "Camp Grandma" from July 24th to July 31st. What an awesome time we had!

We spent the week doing some planned/organized activities as well as some every-day things. I think Christopher was surprised to learn that I go grocery shopping, stop at the gas station, do laundry and clean just like his mom. I discovered he loves fruit and cole slaw and macaroni & cheese with hotdogs, he can sort and pair sox faster than I can, and he didn't know his mom had chores when she was his age. In fact, he liked hearing stories about his mom when she was "a kid." 

We made a Spiderman blanket and played "Imaginary Go Fish" (without cards!) while we were stuck in stop & go traffic. Did I mention he loves Super Mario Brothers? He played it with Grandpa most of the time because "Grandma isn't very good at it!" but he did try to teach me how to play. I discovered that he is a very patient teacher and can explain things fairly well.

It wouldn't be a camp experience without swimming... and we went several times. Although Christopher doesn't know how to swim (yet), he did make a lot of progress this week. It rained one day and we walked in it with umbrellas... and maybe splashed in a puddle or two. Our apartment building is next door to the public library and we went twice. I was astonished at how well Christopher can read. We got six books and he read them all... several times.

Christopher did a craft activity at the library. They made sand casts of fish and then read a story about a sea creature. He listened attentively to the directions and took his time as he made his cast... a "smiling fish!"

One day was "Christopher Day"- where he got to make all the decisions about what we did. We rode the metro into Washington, D.C. where he said he wanted to go to the National Air & Space Museum (Smithsonian) but when we arrived he changed his mind and we went to the Museum of Natural History (also known as "the dinosaur museum!") instead. We met Auntie Janne and Uncle Adam for lunch at Cosi (Christopher chose the place and what he had) and then we headed to the National Archives to see the "Decoration" of Independence that was in the movie National Treasure that we watched. But he changed his mind again and we went to the National Air & Space Museum leaving the National Archives for another time. I learned that he has definite opinions about what he wants to do and he enjoys being in charge! Who doesn't?

Christopher Day was fun!!

Christopher wanted to buy me these flowers- but took a picture of them instead since he didn't have any money. What a thoughtful and sweet kid! I told him the picture was even better because I could keep it forever.

All too soon the week was over and it was time for Christopher to go home. He and I took the train (Amtrak) from Baltimore's Penn Station to the train station in Fayetteville, North Carolina. It was a first for both of us... and a  lot of fun. We (and the rest of the car!) laughed at the man across from us who snored... really loudly, he watched a movie on my laptop, ate lunch in the lounge car, and made a video of his "vacation."

I think we both had a fun week.

Happy 4th of July!

Columbia has a huge fireworks show at Lake Kittamaqundi and we watched it from the rooftop of our parking garage. It was awesome!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMERICA!!

Diner, Drive-In or Dive #2

Most people who know Richard know that his favorite Food Channel program is "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" where host Guy Fieri showcases local restaurants featuring unusually good food often prepared in an unconventional way. We decided a while ago that we would try to visit as many of Fieri's "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" as we could when we travel. Richard could barely contain his excitement when he found out SEVEN places are right here in Baltimore (thanks for the list, Mike!)!

Today we tried Chaps Pit Beef, a local joint established in 1987 by Gus and Bob. It began as a 12x15 foot shack with no electricity or phone- just really good beef, ham and sausage. The "shack" and their menu have expanded some but the really good food remains.

Chaps Pit Beef... Diner, Drive-In or Dive??

Not even a fancy frame can dress up the outside of Chaps Pit Beef... but just as we shouldn't judge a book by its cover, the real deal is inside. 

We arrived about 1:00pm and the line to order was still long. Would it be worth the wait?

One of the first things I noticed when we went inside was the wonderful aroma that made my mouth start to water. The second thing I noticed was that there were people from all walks of life eating there- a guy in a sport coat and slacks, a worker from the Baltimore Maintenance Department, a retired couple, a group of engineers (easily identified by the Dockers and Polo shirt uniform and the requisite badge hanging on their belt! LOL!), a mom with two teenagers and an elderly gentleman eating alone. It was obvious this was no touristy place! The place is still small (intimate?) with inside seating for about 25 people and every table was taken when we walked in- fortunately, a table opened up while we were waiting for our food.

Good Eats!!

I had the Pork BBQ sandwich (top) with cole slaw. The homemade BBQ sauce has a bit of a kick to it making the sandwich not only tasty but unique. Richard had the beef sandwich with onion and horseradish- also quite tasty. While the cole slaw was better than most, the French fries were "soggy" (Richard's description) and a bit "flat" (my observation). Overall, we both still rate it "two thumbs up" and will definitely come back again... for the Mexican ham... or the Minced BBQ... 

Roadkill... or "sleeping animals"

What do you think of when you hear the word "roadkill"- or as Jenne tells her children "sleeping animals"? Living most of my life in the Phoenix area, when I hear "roadkill" I think "cat"... or "rabbit"... or "coyote"... or sometimes "dog" (because dogs are just smarter than cats!). As we traveled across the United States, the kinds of roadkill changed- we saw armadillos, raccoons, beavers, snakes, a variety of birds and a few deer and coyotes. I began to wonder what kind of roadkill we would see in our new state and what happens to these hapless creatures after they become "flat meat." And lest you think otherwise, I am apparently not alone in thinking about roadkill as there are several "Roadkill Cafes" across our country that serve only roadkill... and "Roadkill Bingo" is a favorite car game among many road tripsters- redneck or not.

According to 2009 data from the US Census Bureau, Phoenix is in Maricopa County (9,203 square miles) and has 437 people per square mile. Columbia is in the smaller Howard County (252 square miles) but has a higher population density of 1,118 people per square mile. Given that statistical data, I expected roadkill in Columbia to be similar to Phoenix roadkill- in other words, domestic animals with the occasional bunny or squirrel (since we have a LOT of squirrels here). However, reality did not support my expectation.

In an effort to learn the roads and find my way around, I have spent many hours driving around Columbia. I have seen lots of roadkill- but surprisingly few cats and no dogs or coyotes. I have seen many squirrels and quite a few raccoons. But the animal that surprises me every time I see one by the side of the road is...

...a deer!

This road, a divided parkway with intersections, is on my way to Target. There are neighborhoods just past the wooded area and LOTS of traffic. And yet, I've seen several dead deer along this stretch of road - and more on other roads!

More than 3000 deer are killed by cars in the Washington, D.C. area every year. State troopers and the Department of Transportation for each state are responsible for their removal from the roadways. What happens to the carcasses has changed over the years. In the 1960-70's they were taken to area zoos to be fed to the large cats. Fear of spreading disease and parasites led to the demise of that practice and roadside burial (the three-man burial teams created new jobs... but that's another topic) became common. As housing developments grew, this practice also fell by the wayside and was replaced with... composting! Maryland transportation crews began experimenting with deer composting in 2001, using the composted material to fertilize wildflowers along the roadways. (Since then, "roadkill composting" has generated interest in many other states, including Arizona.) Some counties dispose of the carcasses in landfills (can we say, "ICKY!") or deposit them back in the forests for other animals to scavenge before the remains completely decompose back to the forest or sell them to companies that make chicken feed out of them or incinerate them. I like composting the best- it's environmentally friendly and so far has not contributed to any disease threat.

I have previously described our neighborhood as "rural meets urban" and in many ways it is just that. Symphony Woods, a deeply forested picnic area with trails is just across the street from The Mall at Columbia and two high-density apartment complexes. Wooded areas butt up to nearly every major street making it impossible to see Costco, for example, less than a quarter of a mile beyond the road. Several rivers and many creeks and streams wind through an area with roughly 14 times as many people as reside in Maricopa County, Arizona. I should be surprised that there are not more dead deer by the side of the road. 

Duck, duck.. goose?

This morning was absolutely beautiful (temperature 70 degrees, humidity 50%) and since it's been awhile since I walked around Lake Kittamaqundi, I decided to see if I could find the Canada Geese and their goslings.

There was an earthy smell to the air as I stepped onto the path by our apartment building and I could see that the plants had grown- in some places they had overtaken the path! Before I could see the water I heard machine noise- kind of like a huge lawn mower- and wondered who was going to get in trouble for having a prohibited motor boat on the lake. When I reached the lake front path I saw that it was, indeed, a large floating lawn mower! A kayaker explained to me that they essentially mow the grass in the lake and scoop it (and garbage) into a basket to keep the lake cleaner and healthier for the wildlife. I was going to take a picture of this floating lawn mower when I got to the other side of the lake (better camera angle!) but by then my camera battery had died so you'll have to use your imagination!

I was surprised that many of the flowers I had enjoyed last month were no longer flowering- but new flowers had sprung up. Most of them are not planted but grow wild along the lake. Several kinds of berries were growing on bushes and I wondered if they are edible- and by whom or what!

Flowers in many colors and sizes adorned the lake path- a benefit of a warm and humid climate!

The noise from the "lawn mower boat" was really loud and at first I thought it had scared all the birds away. But as I stood quietly gazing into a tree I realized that the songbirds were still there and they were still singing- but I had to really listen to hear their sweet song. I didn't see any Canada Geese but the faithful Mallard ducks were still there. All the babies have grown up and many have "flown the coop." These beauties caught my eye as they paddled around.

As I was walking back thinking how different the lake has been every time I've explored it,  it occurred to me that this continuous change is like my life... babies grow up and leave the nest... flowers (friends) of every description constantly bloom in your path, some coming and some going... you can hear the sweet music of life if you ignore the noise of the world  and really listen... and sometimes you need to clean out the weeds (bad habits).

There's no place like home...

What makes four walls, a roof and a floor a home? In the course of our marriage, we have lived in an unfurnished apartment (in Denver, CO), a completely furnished condo (in Satellite Beach, FL), 3 houses we have owned (in Albuquerque, NM, Chandler, AZ and Gilbert, AZ), an unfurnished house we rented (in Calgary, AB, Canada) and now a completely furnished apartment (in Columbia, MD).  Some were teeny tiny and some were quite large. Sometimes it was just the two of us- and other times there was quite a crowd. We have also lived temporarily with friends and parents while our houses were being built. We have come to realize that "home" is where you live- where your  stories take place- where you feel comfortable and safe. It's more about who you're with than what you have or how you decorate it. It's walking in the door and realizing you're glad to be there. Every place we have lived has been "home." Here is a peak at our current home...

Columbia Town Center

The "traffic circle" in the front took some getting used to! Our apartment is off to the left.

Our apartment complex, Columbia Town Center, is situated across the street from the Mall at Columbia (I haven't decided if that is a blessing or a curse yet!) and in between a public library and Lake Kittamaqundi. There is a river and a "woods" within half a mile. It is, I guess, "rural meets urban"- a fairly typical up-scale apartment complex with the usual amenities (pool, exercise room, common areas).

Our home is apartment 401 in building 10340. Come on in!!

(Yeah- old picture!)

From the foyer, you enter the living area of our home- living room and dining room straight ahead with the kitchen off to the right.

This is my office =)

French doors off the living room go out to the balcony- just big enough for two chairs and a small table.

I can still enjoy my coffee on my patio- but now I have to get dressed first!

The dining room is between the living room and kitchen.

The kitchen is small but functional. Learning to cook with gas has been an adventure in itself!

Across from the refrigerator is a built-in desk- or Richard's office, as we call it!

Our "entertainment center"- tv, Wii, dvr, books, iPod.

We only brought a few of our family pictures and will probably add a few more. The doorway leads to...

...the guest bedroom...

... the guest bathroom- which is about twice as big as the master bathroom...

(I love that they put a towel rack in the shower- you don't get cold reaching for your towel!)

... and the laundry room (closet?) is in between the two. It has a full size washer and dryer which makes me a happy camper!

The door to the master bedroom is to the left of the French doors.  There is a walk-in closet between the bedroom and the master bathroom.

For some odd reason, the master bathroom has virtually no counter, a dinky medicine cabinet and is generally much smaller than the guest bathroom. It's one redeeming feature is a "garden tub"- great for soaking!!

Whether you call it the Perona Inn or the Vanilla Villa (my personal favorite!), it is still home to us. When you're out this way, stop for a visit- we'll keep the light on for you!

A Visit to Georgetown

We decided to explore Georgetown, a neighborhood in the northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C. this weekend. It is a historic town dating back to 1751- so there are  LOTS of really old buildings. It lies along the Potomac River and once was the furthest point up the river boats could navigate. Today it is home to many upscale shops, restaurants, bars, Georgetown University and several embassies as well as the Old Stone House, the oldest standing building in Washington, D.C. We had limited time there this time so I picked two things I really wanted to see: the new Safeway (yes, the grocery store- you'll see why!) and Dean & Deluca.

The Safeway in Georgetown is a "state of the art lifestyle store." In addition to groceries, a Starbucks and a bank this one also has a Bergmann's cleaners, a wine cellar with a tasting room, an expanded salad bar, sandwich bar and deli to complement the open-air cafe with a huge fireplace. Yep- it is the "yuppiest" grocery store I've ever seen and seems to reflect the new atmosphere in Georgetown. It is located on the second floor of the building with street shops on the ground floor and has a two-level parking garage attached. Some items were more expensive and some were about the same as our "regular Safeway" in Columbia. It was fun to visit but...

Bottom left to right: the wine tasting bar, bakery, expanded ready to eat food

After checking out Safeway we headed over to Dean & Deluca, a store with international foods- both ingredients and prepared foods ready to take home and serve. We leisurely walked through the store marveling at the fresh flowers, wondering who would buy lima bean salad and checking out the intricately decorated cupcakes. They also have the BEST coffee ever and we specifically went to get some ground coffee for Jacob's next care package (shhh... don't tell! =)) as well as a mocha from the coffee bar. 

My D&D Mocha was the best one I've ever paid for- Doug McGregor's are still the best ever!

I love how the buildings all butt up against each other- yet each one has its own distinct personality- with shops on all floors. It's a very "old town" feel!

After our "shopping adventures" we just walked around soaking up the local color. From across the street we saw a buildng with a bright red door we had to investigate. Grace Episcopal Church began having regular church services in 1857 for the local shopkeepers, laborers, craftsmen and watermen of the Georgetown waterfront, a very poor district quite different from today. Today they still have regular services and everyone is welcome, even your dog!

The church property has a wrought iron fence around it and the plaques were on either side of the gate into the church yard. The grounds are gorgeous- very peaceful and welcoming. Just a block or two farther is the Potomac River... and the Francis Scott Key Bridge. There is such beautiful architecture in Washington, D.C.!

We watched crew teams, rowers and kayakers on the Potomac with the Kennedy Center in the background. It was a beautiful day and there were a lot of people outside sunbathing, playing frisbee, riding bikes or just sitting and doing nothing. When we left the river, we walked up the steep street on the bottom left to get back to our car... whew!!

We had a fun time exploring some of Georgetown with Adam and Janne and are looking forward to going back again to see the Old Stone House and a shot tower we saw in the distance. There is so much to see and do!!!