OK, we start off this blog entry for the last three months with some pictures that actually should have been in the previous blog. This is the entrance arch to
Augustoberfest, sort of like Oktoberfest, only in August, and in Hagerstown, not Germany.
This is a band that played at Augustoberfest. Sorry, I don't remember the name. I was hoping for some industrial strength polka music, but alas, they sang most of their songs in English, including songs by groups like the Beach Boys.
This was the other green leafy vine with blue berries on it that I was talking about in my last blog entry. As near as I can tell, these are wild grapes.
These guys are wasps like the other ones, only they were almost completely black. I think it's interesting to have such phenotypical variation just between parking lots at the same park!
I have no idea what the critter was that left this shell behind. The pupa is long since gone.
The next day I ran into a few geocachers who were meeting up at the Hagerstown Fairgrounds. They went their way, I went after another geocache.
This is an ordinary rock, right?
No, not quite.
A few days later, I spotted another gaggle of geocachers hanging around.
They were all waiting here, a short distance away from
Krumpe's Do-Nuts. The goal was to have everybody show up there at exactly 09:09:09 p.m. on 09/09/2009 for the "
09-09-09 @ 09:09:09 PM Flashmob!" Event cache.
Yes, Krumpe's was open!
They were busy making donuts!
And selling donuts!
There were donuts at the flash mob event!
And there was milk!
A picture of the flash mob. The crowd was there for 9 minutes and 99 seconds and then left just as quickly as it had shown up.
From there, I went to hunt a couple other nearby caches. There was one near this tavern. I met two ladies there who knew all about the cache. One of them decided to come over and help me find the cache. The other cache I did not find--however, I did have to explain geocaching to a police officer! The police were called by a couple of guys who were working late, who had spotted a couple of geocachers looking for the cache. But rather than explain what they were doing once they were busted, they just acted weird and then went away. So the guys who were working there called the cops. They explained to me that their shop had been broken into recently. If the geocachers couldn't come up with a plausible explanation for why they were digging around in the planter at 10:00 p.m., they should have just explained themselves. Leaving those guys with no reasonable explanation after they confronted them was not good!
This is what I had for dinner the next day! It's three hot dogs, Hormel chili (not the best, but it's what was available), Bush's baked beans, and sauerkraut. And ketchup and mustard. I didn't have relish and onions handy, or I probably would have put them on, too. I didn't want the buns, so I decided just to eat it on a plate. Besides, it's tough to fit all of that on a little hot dog bun!
Just a burned up power supply circuit board. It failed under warranty.
NewEgg.com gave me a hassle free RMA! Fortunately, the power supply didn't take the motherboard (of my grandfather's computer) with it when it failed.
We gathered together with family the following weekend to celebrate my father's birthday. This is his cake.
We also celebrated the birthday of my first cousin, once removed, Luke. This is his cake.
These are his presents, mostly! My father might have one in there somewhere . . . .
There was more food that we ate.
And flowers that we did not.
This is my other first cousin, once removed, Elizabeth. She was pooped!
A few days after the picnic, I woke up to find this fairy ring in the yard.
Most were mushrooms like this one.
But there was this one that was also part of the ring. It actually showed up by itself first. Another interesting phenotypical variation! Was it genetic? Epigenetic? Who knows!
Next up was Poolesville Day!
The Welsh family was once again kind enough to invite me to their cookout.
There are classic cars on display at Poolesville Day. This car (a Pontiac Bonneville) is great. It's long, flat, and wide. In a word, huge.
There are also classic muscle cars there, like this Ford Mustang.
There are choppers, too.
Some have elaborate artwork on them.
And then there was this bike.
There is more to Poolesville Day than just motorcycles and cars. The event also celebrates the agricultural heritage of Poolesville. This guy wouldn't stay still, so the picture is a bit blurry.
There is a vendor who brings parrots to the event each year. Parrots are not native to Poolesville . . . .
People bring their dogs, too. If you look closely at this one, you can see it has green spots on it. Why does the dog have green spots on it? Who knows.
Weiner dogs are best!
This is Lily Welsh. She wasn't quite sure what to make of the camera.
A minor structural collapse at the end of Poolesville Day.
After everything was over, I made one final stop at Poolesville Town Hall. Can you guess why?
Oh yes, there was a geocache. Even though I
completed enough of the MML series to get the geocoin a while ago, I will still grab the remaining caches when I can!
I didn't take many pictures in October. This one makes it to the blog.
And this one. And that's it!
Moving on to November, here is the choir and orchestra assembled to perform Handel's Messiah at
Hood College.
There's a harpsichord! Who doesn't like harpsichords! Well there are probably some people. But I am not one of them!
And there's a pipe organ! Seriously, what more do you want?
Here is a closer look at the folks on the left side of the choir.
Here is a look at the right side. There are members of other choirs who take part in the performance in addition to the Hood Choir.
I was playing with my camera's zoom feature again. I was sitting pretty far back. The lighting messed with the white balance in my camera again. Anyway, here is one of the soloists.
And a closer look at some of the members of the choir, singing right along.
Last, here is the table at the home of my aunt and uncle, who once again graciously invited my parents and me to their home on Thanksgiving. The food is always great!
My eyes were bloodshot one day. So I took a picture. Then I messed with it. Freaky looking, huh?
