PhotoHunt - Trick or treat bags

How many Halloween treats do you think this bag will hold?

Maybe a couple of small bugs for the spider at our door.

And here are the bags of treats for our visitors!

Sky Watch Friday - October 22 skies

We have had lots of "sky action" the past week (see Dewdrop's blog for the meteorological info). Here are some views from October 22; first 2 in the morning and last 3 at sunset.

Window Views - Halloween windows

Halloween apparition in our window

Ghosts and spiders at the door

and on the windows

Windows and door of haunted house at Colorfest

My World Tuesday - Fall colors

Pasture and horses low on the mountian

Catoctin Mountain is one of the prominent geological features of Frederick County. The mountain is a ridge across the county from the Pennsylvania border into Virginia. Much of the land on the mountain is parkland: Frederick City Forest, two state parks and a national park. Sunday I drove up to Gambrill State Park looking for fall color in the trees. Many of the leaves were blown away by the storms that came through over the weekend, but still a beautiful fall afternoon. Here are a few images from the mountain.

Color beyond the pond

Fish hatchery and mountain

Up a narrow road

Deer by the road

City of Frederick and surrounding towns and farms

Odd Shots - A pair from Colorfest

I spotted thes two oddities at Colorfest in nearby Thurmont. I did not try the fried Snickers and I had enough cash so I did not use this mobile bank.

To see more Odd Shots, start at Katney's Kaboodle and follow the links.

PhotoHunt - Tied up in traffic

This intersection is the I-70 exit at Market Street, Frederick's main street through downtown. I ran some errands Friday to the south side of town and got tied up in traffic on the way home. Home is a right turn and go through town (3.5 miles); or straight and on I-70, then US 15 to by-pass the city streets. On Friday afternoons it is a toss up as to which is faster. It took about 30 minutes to get to my next stop ( a little beyond home) to pickup some groceries. I am glad I am no longer commuting 50 miles home on Friday afternoons!

Sky Watch Friday - Contrails

Contrails and wires, March 22, 2009

This week I decided to focus on contrails rather than other sky features. We live under the flight path of planes leaving Baltimore to points west and by the time they fly over, the outbound planes are high enough to create contrails. (Inbound flights are too low.) On Tuesday I spotted a contrail with the unusual (at least for me) condition of casting a shadow on the clouds above it. So I went back through my archives for more contrails and selected two taken in March, one in May and the last two this month. There is a companion image of the last one on Lew's Pics.

Bird, sky and contrail, March 27, 2009

Contrail and cloud, May 23, 2009

Contrails and moon, October 11, 2009

Contrail to the sun, October 20, 2009

Window Views - Colorfest windows & a door

View through the front doors at Rose Hill Manor

I took the above shot from inside Rose Hill Manor during the Fall Festival there. The windows below were found during the Colorfest in Thurmont.

Pumpkins in the window, cold beer and crab cakes inside

Bank windows

Reflections at the glass and mirrow shop

My World Tuesday - Catoctin Colorfest

On the 11-th I went to the Catoctin Colorfest in Thurmont, MD. This town of 6,000 residents, nestled on the edge of Catoctin Mountain, hosts about 150,000 people over a two-day festival every October. Around 350 artists, photographers, potters, woodworkers, jewelers, food vendors, etc attend to show and sell their handmade items. The center of town is closed to vehicle traffic and free shuttle buses are provided. Parking is provided at schools and businesses outside the festival area. Local churches, Scouts, fire department and businesses support the festival. The Colorfest Organization supports local community activities with proceeds from the festival. Some local residents also hold their yard sales on this weekend. I captured some of the color of the festival to share here.

I was told the crowd was larger on Saturday.

Only a few of the many food places.

There is a small light on top of the post.

I don't see hand made brooms anywhere else.

Odd Shots - Lonely bike

At the fall festival I attended, this was the only two-wheeled vehicle present. It looked odd by itself among all the older red farm tractors. The Maryland International Harvester Collectors club was also present in force at the festival.

To see more Odd Shots, start at Katney's Kaboodle and follow the links.

PhotoHunt - Old farm engines

One cylinder engine

I found these at the Rose Hill Manor fall festival two weeks ago.

Titan tractor

Rumley tractor

Sky Watch Friday - Dark clouds

Tuesday our skies darkened with the approach of rain clouds and predictions of four days of rain. The sun appeared large and dramatic through the clouds. So far the rain has been gentle, but steady. These shots were taken shortly after 6:00 PM.