Clinton Street Sunest #6

Clinton Street Sunset #4

This could be my fav out of the lot.

Clinton Street Sunset #3

I wish I could have gotten this without part of my car in the pic. Was so focused on the horizon, I failed to check the foreground. Maybe it can be cropped?

Clinton Street Sunset #2

On our way to dinner last night C and I stopped on Clinton street to (using John Katz's phrase) chase the sunset. It didn't disappoint and I'm not completely hating the pics either. I was prepared for transit police to boot us out of there. I don't think they take too kindly to folks hanging around the marine terminal with a camera but that worry didn't materialize (this time). I wonder if I can get away with this again? The only downside is the prevalent chain link fence. Also think this tactic will work well for sunrises directly across the water at Fort McHenry - where I'm sure taking pics is a very common occurrence. Rushing this morning. Anticipating a difficult day at work.

Ah Ha!!!

C has become convinced Allister likes to watch the animated movie Ratatoullie. I am convinced that is a bunch of bunk.

The scene approx 3 minutes ago:

d in basement mucking around considering a project that will keep her up too late.

C Yelling from main floor: "I'm going to walk the dogs. If you go upstairs, I put Ratatoullie on in the spare room for Allister."

d realizing all attempts to reason will be futile: "Ok!"

Front door slams shut.

d in stealth mode creeps up the steps so as to not interfere with Prince Allister's program, Blackberry at the ready.

Here's the scene. Who's nuts now?

Snuggly

It seems Squirt really likes to cuddle up with Allister. I'm rather surprised Allister tolerates it but he does.

Binky's Bootie

Molly has a spot on her paw which she licks a lot. It hasn't really responded to meds and those little purple balloon footies aren't tall enough and she can remove easily.

We checked at PetSmart yesterday and the really good dog shoes come in sets of 4 and cost about 50 bucks. I decided to attempt to retrofit a sock before shelling out that much for boots we never use again.

So far so good but we'll see how it performs and how long she leaves it alone.

Molly is sporting one of C's sacrificed Champion sport socks.

Pigeon

Brunch at Austin Grill this AM. If they ask you if you want your Margarita swirlee "Texas sized" you'd better be prepared. They are huge and pack a whollop!

Spotted in Dundalk

Gotta' love freedom of speach. . .Huh?

Pigtown - Bob's Bar

Pigtown - Smitty's Sub Shop

Tourist in Baltimore Again

This coupled with all the laughs C and I had over dinner about the tour itself did actually add up to an entertaining and memorable afternoon.

Tourist in Baltimore Again

The highlight of the day? The view of the skyline!

Tourist in Baltimore Again

So we moved back downstairs to the dining room. There was some more rambling on the guide's part and I was just itching to get out of there. I did get to see a "silver locker." Which apparently was used to lock away your silver in the event your help or relatives of ill repute wanted to steal your silverware. The guide was also sure to point out the painting of Carroll above the mantle was "cheap" as he had his one hand hidden - hands cost more to paint. Additionally, there was a portrait of Ann Tilghman in the room. She's not a "real" Ann according to the guide as she married into the family. (WTF?). There was also a little more profanity in this room but C and I can't seem to remember the exact line.

From there we moved into a "gift shop space" where the guide mentioned he was an "ornamentalist by habit" and made the keep sake boxes on display with automotive enamel. I'm completely interested in handmade items but I was so put out at this point, I had no attention span left.

We went through the kitchen - which was attached to the house and we got to see some sort of iron "toaster" that sits on the floor and you can "kick" with your foot to rotate the toast closer to the fire for even toasting. Why on earth you'd want to kick your toast with your shoes is beyond me but I guess it was likely state of the art in the period.

You get to leave through the kitchen door. . .And that is one hour and twenty minutes we'll never get back.

Tourist in Baltimore Again

The portico and the upstairs was about what you'd expect. The guide had mentioned the walls are solid masonry and plaster and Carroll had European masons build the structure that way to keep it cool in the summers. I was thinking it was really cool in the building since it's July but then I realized I was standing under a HVAC vent. Clearly there was some retro-fitting that occurred since 1760.

In the master bedroom, the guide was sure to point out he handmade the gentleman's wig on the dressing table. He mentioned that if he wanted to wear it, he would. This lead me off on a sick mental tangent of the guide romping around the house in a powdered wig and period clothing so I missed most of the discussion for the remainder of the upstairs.

However, I did catch that in the guide's opinion, the trundle key in the guest room was made of "cheap ass pine." I love a little profanity with my tours.

Tourist in Baltimore Again

The formal parlor was impressive in it's artwork and period furniture pieces. However, we got a sufficient overview of Mrs. Carroll and how the french style pieces found their way to the mansion - she redecorated after the Barrister died. This was momentarily interrupted by a woman coming into the building at which point the guide quipped "Oh great, my Mom's here. Hi Mom!" (Huh???)

The tour seemed to take a wild detour at this point when the guide made a reference to Mel Gibson/Braveheart and warriors storming around naked. According to the guide naked warfare worked out well until the invention of the cross-bow. I have no idea how this tangent developed but it carried over into the front entry of the house which does contain a glorious grand staircase.

Off the entry is a smaller parlor which apparently contained some type of bar accoutrement's at which point the guide went into some type of "character" complete with accent mentioning that he'd rather have a drink and "would study for the bar exam tomorrow."

We then made our ascent to the upstairs portico. At this point C whispered, "I think we should call the guide from the Basilica and just let her wing it."

Tourist In Baltimore Again

It was a rare treat that's for sure. As fantastic as our tour of the Basilica was last weekend, this one was just as ummmmm - interesting?

Our guide was clearly passionate about the building and it's contents. However, his rambling discussion and explanations were confusing at best and borderline annoying.

We were about 5 or 10 minutes late for the start of the tour. We missed an introductory video so I'm not sure if that would have helped us put things in better perspective? When we arrived, the docent was discussing a family coat of arms. He was referring to his family's design leading me to the erroneous assumption he was a descendant of the Carroll family. While he was rambling, I saw a picture and an explanation that referenced Tench Tilghman. We learned all about the Tilghman Family on a trip to Oxford, MD a few years back and I was excited to learn about their connections to the Carroll family. That wasn't really discussed. Instead we moved hastily on to the formal parlor.

(I'm reading a book called Princes of Ireland, Planters of Maryland - A Carroll Saga 1500-1782 so I'm hoping the Tilghman connection will be explained in the book.)

Tourist in Baltimore Again

This is from the website:

On a rise in the center of Carroll Park in southwest Baltimore stands Maryland's first museum house and one of the oldest and finest examples of colonial Georgian architecture in the city.

Mount Clare is a 1760 colonial Georgian home built by one of Maryland’s leading patriots and one of our first state senators, Charles Carroll, Barrister. Mount Clare was the center of Georgia Plantation, a self-sufficient plantation with a diverse community. Because of its exceptional value in interpreting our rich national heritage, Mount Clare was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1971.

The National Society of the Colonial Dames in America in the State of Maryland has been the steward of Mount Clare since 1917, and owns the museum's collection of nearly 3,000 objects from the 18th and 19th century which includes paintings, furniture, and decorative arts, a majority of which are on display at Mount Clare. Today, Mount Clare Museum House educates the public about all aspects of life on an 18th century plantation including the lives of enslaved Africans and indentured servants.

The museum has one of the finest privately owned decorative arts collections in the country, most of which belonged to the Carroll family. It is renowned amongst scholars and collectors alike. The collection consists of English and Chinese export objects as well as many regional objects and furnishings from Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania. On exhibit are 16 family portraits by notable artists such as Charles Willson Peale and Robert Edge Pine. This exceptional collection allows us to provide a remarkably personal interpretation of life at Mount Clare – a rare treat for historic house visitors.

Happy Birthday C!!

He had to fly to the Carolinas this AM. I had to take care of some family health concerns. . .The only cake I had ingredients for was gingerbread.

So happy birthday!!! I can't find the candles either - Oy!

Its not the best of birthday celebrations and we're both tired but its still important to recognize it. You can't wait around for perfect moments or even perfect cakes. We only get so many days and we should enjoy every one to the fullest.

I adore C and I think he adores gingerbread without candles so long as it's made with heart!

Maybe that bottle of prosecco hiding in the back of the fridge will even make an appearance! (That will likely make the cake more acceptable LOL!!)

Sunrise

Over Route 40 Eastbound - about 5:45 this morning. Yes I was awake.
I'm a lot of things - a morning person is not one of those things. But today was especially beautiful and sweet and I am very happy I got this pic - quality be damned!

It almost makes me want to chase sunrises more often. . .Almost. Someday I will - soon.