THEN AND NOW: Turkey Point Lighthouse, MD

When living in Chestertown, MD, I was fifty miles from the Turkey point State park where the Turkey Point lighthouse has stood since 1833. It takes a walk of about two miles through woodlands and fields once used for farming. Is is actually a pleasant walk and not too strenuous. I have made this trip a few times to view the Chesapeake from an elevated bluff upon which this tower still sits.

This light is only 35 feet tall, but it is built on a one hundred-foot bluff. Thus it is one of the highest lights on the bay, 129 feet above mean high water. It was built from the same plans as that of Concord Point Lighthouse in Havre De Grace, only the stairs to the lantern are different. The stair treads at Turkey Point are made of cast iron, while they are stone in Concord Point.

Although Turkey Point had a number of lady keepers, Fannie Salter was the one most frequently written about. Her tenure extended from the death of her husband in 1925 to her retirement in 1947. At the time of her husband’s death the lighthouse service did not allow women to be full-time keepers. It took a petitioning of and grant from President Calvin Coolidge to obtain her appointment. Until the light was electrified in 1942, Ms. Salter carried oil to the lantern four times each night and rang the fog bell by hand on many nights when the automatic mechanism became inoperative.

The image on the bottom is one I made in the late 90's and not much has changed there since. The copy of the old postcard on top is a different matter. The card is from the 1940's and makes mention of Frannie Salter still being there. The inscription on the card reads;

“Week ago Sunday, we had a launch ride down river ( ) to this point, which is just where it goes into the bay also where the Susquehanna joins it on to Harve de Grace, MD. This light has a woman keeper on a bluff up from the bay. Pretty comfortable looking."

There is no indication as to who wrote the card but the place looks much as it did in the early years. I have two friends who had relatives who either worked at the light or farmed the surrounding farm and who confirm the authenticity of this scene.

The 28th day of the 11th month of the year of the OP

We woke up to 33 degree weather this morning. Bright and cool here in South Carolina, fortunately with no ice or snow. And that's a good thing with no problems getting around. But a bad thing in as much no chance for neat snow/ice photo ops.

So back to the archives.

The bottom photo is an image showing just the forces of nature when a large body of water, such as the Chesapeake Bay, freezes. Normally this beach is placid and full of swimmers, well at least in the summer. When the bay freezes over large chunks of ice move with the tides/current and form a bulldozing effect around the edges of the bay. It is really quite a huge site to see. All the ice berg like formations moving from the upper reaches of the Susquehanna River south. This view is directly out from Betterton beach, MD over what at one time was the dock portrayed in the top photo.

Betterton Beach, Maryland was at one time, in the thirties, forties, and fifties, of the 1900's, a summer destination for day trippers and vacationers from Baltimore and other points around the Chesapeake. The top photo is a copy of Betterton from an old postcard of the 1950's. There was a dance hall on the end of the dock which we teenagers would frequent, but never get into any trouble.

Back then, transportation around the bay was primarily by water and large cruise ships took vacationers from Virginia Beach north to Havre De Grace and most points in between. The second photo is an archival shot of the docks at Light and Pratt Street in Baltimore where the cruise ships can be seen at port.

Thousands would debark for days or week long vacations at such spots as Betterton and Tolchester Beach. Some can be seen on the third photo down, embarking from Tolchester, where we as kids would spend hours wandering around the old amusement park.

We would take my boat and water ski from Rock Hall all the way to Tolchester, some seven miles, spend the day and then ski back. It's a wonder we didn't kill ourselves in that little 14' boat. But teenagers are invincible, don't ya know?

BLACK FRIDAY 2009 Or the 27th day of the 11th month

The turkey has gobbled his last gobble!

Naps were taken!

Leftovers are waiting for this afternoon's delight.

I am sure there will be football to be had on the telly somewhere!

I went on the Riverwalk for what turned into a "Wild goose chase".

I was told and saw the pictures of a family of five otters who have taken up residence on the upper stretch of the river at the northern end of the Riverwalk. Of course, I thought that the mere fact of my presence would make them materialize. Not so and we all know nothing in life is easy. So I will have to go back every day until they show or I get bored with that particular walk.

In the meantime, I have to appreciate my Wild goose, who was right where the otters should have been. Maybe the goose ate the otters? Don't think so but could be the other way around.

Happy post turkey day!

The 25th day of the 11th month of the year of the OP

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

I photographed this bird in Maryland a few years back, and yes it is a wild turkey which did not at that time make it to the oven.

I recall the first wild turkey I ever saw. It was during college a hundred eighty years ago in central Pennsylvania.

I was actually hunting for them, with a turkey call, shotgun, camo, the whole nine yards.

The first day out in the woods I actually called up a young bird or "Jake" as they are called. Missed him completely. Had no idea what I was doing or even what a turkey even sounded like, but I kept scratching the box used to imitate the critters. As I recall I even had a fleeting glimpse of a bobcat. Neat! Only one of those I have ever seen in the wild.

The second day out I called and called, using the sexiest turkey talk I could muster. I talked to one bird halfway up the side of a mountain for over an hour....he never moved.

So, like any decent deer stalker I donned my coonskin cap (camo) and started to sneak up the mountain ---calling intermittently. Cautiously from rock to rock, tree to tree, I went. I discovered in the mountains of Pennsylvania, if you jump quietly from rock to rock you make no noise underfoot. You just have to check the wind to make sure your scent doesn't go in the direction of the critter being snuck up upon, and go slow so your motion is not detected.

Finally, within about thirty yards of the other calling bird I thought --- I've got this guy beat and a shot at a sizable gobbler was just ahead. Get out the cranberry sauce. Poking my head around a tree.....my coonskin covered head remember. Great camo!

And there before me was a turkey covered in hunter's orange calling his head off. I had been talking and stalking another hunter and he me for over an hour and half.

I slowly slunk away, leaving no evidence of my presence, inexperience, or humiliation, and went to the super market to complete my Thanksgiving hunt!

I have had much better luck with these critters after putting the gun down and taking up the camera. But my deer stalker days had taught me just how to get close to my subjects and there is really more to it than just going into the woods and pretending to be a bushel of apples.

The 24th day of the 11th month of the year of the OP

BARNS AND OTHER ORGANIZED PIECES OF WOOD.

On my last trip north, I decided to shot some on the northern Maryland and southern Pennsylvania border.

I was looking for something rural and unique to those areas where buildings were built with field stone and of course wood.

The bottom photo is a simple old and falling apart "Corn Crib". For the uninitiated this is where the farmer would store the ears of corn for the season. Drawing upon the crop as needed throughout the long winters. It was open enough to allow drying after harvest and rain or snow storms.

The next photo up from the bottom is just a corner where as a small child, one could hide, and conjure all kinds of games. Often a cottontail rabbit could be found in the tall grasses between and alongside the barns. If I ran too fast between these structures, my feet would tangle in the long grasses and a fall would be imminent.

The next is just a red Pennsylvania barn. Unfortunately the color is just a bit off, but that's the way they painted it. The stone wall around the outside reminds me of the one on which I walked at my grandparents farm in southern PA. That story is an earlier entry on the blog.

Finally, at the top is an old covered bridge in Chads Ford, Pa. I am not really sure why I am so found of these structures and you generally don't have the room to photograph them correctly, but they are symbols of things gone by.

The 22nd day of the 11th month of the year of the OP

BELLA AND CHESSIE

Both dogs belong to my Son and Daughter-in-law!

One's a big dog.........The chocolate Lab!----Chessie

The other doesn't understand that he will never grow up to be a big dog...........but thinks he will.

The other is called Bella.........a male dog with a female name............WHO KNEW?

21st day of the 11th month of the year of the OP

ANOTHER DAY OF FISHING WHERE ALL I CAUGHT WAS THE MONEY SHOT

I went fishing with my next door neighbor yesterday and we caught nothing, but thankyou, thankyou Phillip.

Absolutely nothing on Lake Murray where there are all kinds of fish.

Shows to go ya, just how good we are!

Temperatures were in the seventies, very light breeze, all the colors in the trees which are now turning down here in South Carolina.

I am certainly glad our daily bread doesn't depend upon our angling abilities. We saw a number of large mouth bass, and some of pretty good size but they were obviously not thrilled by our offerings.

I did get the "Money Shot" of this great blue heron.

We were pulling into a small cove where the wind was nil, the water flat, and all kinds of signs which simply said "FISH".

Sure, lotsa fish but no bites. The heron was standing like a statue in the back of the cove and as my neighbor took the boat slowly to the back, I knew the bird would take flight. These birds look awkward at best most of the time, but you can get some pretty artistic shots of them depending upon weather, light, and location.

A flight shot, for me, has always been hard to get and keep the eye sharp. We did it yesterday and here's the proof. I didn't even have to crop the image, getting him in the right one third of the frame. Must be getting better. Thanks Mr. long legs of the water's edge.