U.S. Air Force Memorial

I'm away from Corning on a two week vacation at my son's home in Maryland. Because of a problem with one leg, I haven't walked as much as I would have liked, so there aren't many local pictures to offer you.

Instead, I want to share photos from a recent drive to the Washington D.C. area.

Fourteen years in the making, the United States Air Force Memorial near Arlington, Virginia proudly features three spires extending upward next door to Arlington National Cemetery. Standing at the base of this memorial, you can easily spot the distant Washington Monument and the Pentagon.

A view of the memorial from the fully-shaded parking lot...

Four Airman with the American and USAF flags...

In the first photo below, the memorial dedication star lies in the middle of three spires of differing heights, ranging from just over 200 feet to 270 feet. The base of one spire is seen in front of me. The other two are to my left and right. Look closely to see the Washington Monument on the left and the Pentagon just to the right peeking from behind the spire.

The first couple of times you look upward from directly below a spire, you imagine that it is swaying. It's not, but the clouds are moving which causes it to appear to sway. A rather dizzying effect.

The Pentagon...

Washington Monument...

In the Army you are a soldier, no matter your rank. In the Navy you are a sailor. In the Air Force you are an airman. The next four photos name airmen who received the Medal of Honor, including names that I recognize ~ Rickenbacker, Mitchell, Lindburgh and Doolittle.

A strange day weather-wise and darker clouds were rolling in. I could see a long line of rain approaching from D.C. and hurried to the car to avoid being soaked.

...And The Rain Keeps Pouring In Corning NY

Today's photos were taken at the end of June and beginning of July, during the week my son was visiting. We'd all hoped for clear weather so lots of short trips and grilling could fill our days. It didn't happen that way. Every day featured some sunshine, but also included rain at some point or other.

If you enlarge and look closely at each picture, you'll see raindrops, even on the leaves of the flowers above.

Too much rain is not good for the benches.

Four trees were cut down in between downpours. Now the homeowner, friends, family and village workers clear up the branches.

I rode back to the State of Maryland with my son on July 6 and am here for a couple of weeks. Would you believe, no rain (except for a couple of 2-3 minute sprinkles) until last night and today it continues, on and on. We've stayed close to home. He's been working an average of eleven hours a day and I've got a leg that's giving me trouble if I use it too much.


A Vacation Glimpse of Maryland and DC


We love to eat out and have many, many choices between Washington D.C. and Baltimore MD ~ Annapolis, Alexandria, Laurel, Columbia, Silver Spring and many others. So far this year we've concentrated on the nearby Waugh Chapel Towne Centre. What a fancy name for a shopping mall! I've noticed that this mall, as well as others in the area, have huge multi-story apartment complexes built right next to them. Out your door and you're in this new mall. We've eaten at Wegmans Market Cafe and Elevation Burger. (I originally said we ate at Red Robin, but realized after a couple of days that we checked out Red Robin and they weren't open yet, so we went next door to Elevation Burger.)


More Vacation Photos From Maryland


Saturday's prediction is for 85-degrees Fahrenheit and low humidity, so we might travel to D.C. Stops may include the U.S. Botanic Garden to see the blooming Titum Arum (corpse flower or stinky plant). Also, I have a gift for Koomo--manager of Chocolate Chocolate in downtown Washington, D.C. and serious collector of shot glasses.


Maryland Vacation

Walking Home on a Cool, Windy, Sunny Day

Darryl has worked on Market Street for many years. Such a nice guy! I thought about asking him for his photo when he rode by me on the walking bridge, but he waved, called me by name and went on by before I made my decision.

Then, he stopped and turned around. Came back. That made up my mind... it was meant to be. And here he is for your viewing pleasure. I love that Little Joe Tower and beautiful clouds are in the background.






So, I have dozens, no hundreds of photos ready to go, but this is going to be one of those rare days when I post photos on the day I take them.





Had a mid-morning appointment with a foot doctor on the other side of town. Hopped a bus. Yes, of course, ‘cause my foot hurt! One cortisone shot later and the heel still numb from the “number” (wait a minute, that can’t be right!) and the doctor assuring me that I must continue walking, I headed for home on foot.





*(Darryl, I hope I spelled your name correctly. Let me know and I can make a correction, if needed.)


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For race fans...



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The clock tower at Centerway Square...



Headed for the Centerway Walking Bridge...



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I’ll be vacationing for a few weeks and may not be posting, or like last time, I may go ahead and blog about the Maryland-Washington D.C. area. One of the stops I’m going to insist on is the new Wegmans supermarket in Columbia MD. It has a parking garage, escalators for humans and and for carts, and truffles at $999.99 per pound!



We have a terrific Wegmans here in Corning NY. Not just a grocery store, Wegmans is truly a social event. Guys, when do we get truffles or escalators?!

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Corning may be a small town (less than 12,000 residents), but Big Flats, just east of Corning is even smaller (less than 7,700+... I wouldn’t have thought that many). Anyways, Big Flats is known for, among other things, TAG’S. Tag’s may look small, but the concert field has the capacity for 6,000 viewers.

Their summer 2012 schedule looks like this...
July 6 ~ Styx, REO Speedwagon and Ted Nugent
July 22 ~ Gavin DeGraw
July 27 ~ Joe Cocker and Huey Lewis
Sept. 1 ~ Bob Dylan
Sept. 9 ~ Lynyrd Skynyrd and ZZ Top

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An early spring walk on Corning's north side

It’s been such a mild winter here in Corning NY, yet I’ve taken fewer walks than ever. Luckily, while vacationing in the Baltimore/D.C. area last month, I got back in the mood and the habit of walking.

Today’s photos were all taken Monday as I strolled through a small part of Corning’s northside. The northside is level ground. Corning’s southside, on the other hand, is mostly uphill -- or downhill, depending on which way you’re headed.

The Benjamin Patterson Inn with this authentic log cabin, built circa 1855...



Rear view of North Baptist Church around the corner from the Inn.









Remember, if you click on a photo, you’ll get an enlarged version and be better able to see the details that led me to take each picture. Here I noticed the fake deer browsing in an empty garden, yet after a closer look, I spotted the sneakers.






Seeds waiting to be blown here and there, where they will then burrow their way into the soil...



St. Patrick’s Day is closer than you think...



These two little cuties like to bark at whatever moves. They’re finally taking a break.



When are you coming to Corning?

A vacation glimpse of Maryland and DC

Although this is a picture blog about Corning NY, I’d like to share photos I took on a recent two-week visit in Baltimore, Maryland, Washington D.C. and points in between.

I tried to stay true to the types of photos I normally post, so while you might see a few from well-known tourist attractions, most will be focused on less-appreciated scenes.

If you like to try out new foods like I do, head on over to my food blog, Step By Step In The Kitchen for a look at food establishments I visited in that tri-state area. Tri-state because my trip included a stop at Arlington National Cemetery which is in Virginia.

Twenty-two photos ~ more than I usually include. And, this was trimmed down from many more, to the ones I liked the best.

The opening photo was taken in a sculpture garden outside Hirshhorn Museum within the complex of Smithsonian buildings. Yes, that’s me peeking out from behind the seated figures.


Remember, you can click on photos to enlarge them.





I arrived on a Sunday, to stay with family, and on Monday was out for my usual walk.



I passed a fellow on my way out and saw him again as I was walking home. He carried a book, so I asked if there was a library nearby. There was and on my second day, I headed in that direction. If I had kept going to the end of this block, I would have been there, but didn’t make it until another day.


We drove to Annapolis and sauntered up and down streets, passing the Maryland State House and visiting shops in the Market Place Shopping Center.




How many times did we ride the Metro? Three or four, I think. This was my first time ever. I liked it... the sights and sounds, the people. Really quite easy to figure out after the first couple of rides.


One Metro line takes you straight to the Smithsonian exit. Our first trip, we concentrated on the Museum of Natural History.


Our nation’s Capitol Building...


Something to read on the Metro...


A glimpse of the Castle, an information center for the Smithsonian; also includes bits and pieces from each Smithsonian building.


A sculpture garden in front of the National Gallery of Art included this one-dimension house, that seemed to move as you moved by it.


9th Street and Constitution Avenue...


Baltimore’s Inner Harbor...







Arlington National Cemetary. Medal of Honor recipient...




The only homeless (I assume) person I saw...


Another walk near the house...


At the base of Capitol Hill and off to the side was the United States Botanic Garden. The current feature was a three-week orchid exhibit. Amazing, breathtaking form and color. This indoor exhibit was placed in conjunction with already existing live plants such as these side-by-side kumquat and coconut trees.


Outside the garden, before we ascended up to and around the Capitol building, this bird serenaded visitors.