Fun afternoon in Frederick

July 14 – Bill was on duty today so once I made Sunday breakfast, we loaded some laundry in the truck and headed to Ferry Hill.  I dropped him off and headed across the Potomac to Shepherdstown.  First I went by the post office to pick up a couple of priority mail envelopes and boxes but they keep those valuable items in the locked area.  Crap!  Then I looked for the hardware store listed on Google but it’s now a dance studio.  Another crap!  The laundromat was still there though.  I put 2 loads in and went to the Food Lion next door and it was done when I got back to but it back in my bags and brought it home to put in the dryer.  Takes longer to dry but it’s free!

 

 

On the way home I spotted a different raspberry spot and it was loaded so I left to pick Bill up about 30 minutes early so I could park and pick.  I parked at lock 38 and as I walked past the old house there was a nice patch of blackberries.  I stopped and picked about 2 cups and then on the other side of the house I started on the raspberries and made my way up the road until I ran out of time.  I did pretty well.  I could have stayed longer as Bill and Jack hadn’t begun to close up Ferry Hill and then let more visitors in.  I was not a happy camper as I was hot and sweaty and it was sweltering in Ferry Hill.  Bill put the cash register closing on me and I ended up doing that and closing the windows and shutting off the fans and lights while Bill and Jack yakked with visitors.

 

 

Francis Scott Key Monument

Finally we left for home and I showered and changed to head to Frederick to the baseball game.  It was a Minor League High A game of the Frederick Keys (Baltimore) and Caroline Mudcats (Cleveland).  On the way we stopped at the Mount Olivet Cemetery to visit the grave and monument of Francis Scott Key, author of the words of The Star Spangled Banner.  He was an attorney who boarded a British sloop during the War of 1812 to negotiate the release of a physician outside of Ft. McHenry in Baltimore.  He was on the boat during the vicious 25 hour battle and was surprised to see the flag still flying the next morning over Ft. McHenry and penned the words.  There are 4 verses but no one knows the other 3.  Sadly, school children today are not even taught the first verse.  Oh how we digress.

 

We didn’t realize the baseball complex was along the same road so we just zipped over and Bill had plenty of time to watch the warming up and talked to some players on the Mudcats and get autographs.  It was so hot out and the game was a 6 pm.  Our seats were really in a good location behind the dugout but in the sun.  We ended up sitting higher in the stands in the shade.  The Mudcats won so Bill was happy.

 

Our drive home was uneventful and I forgot to count deer.