Cute Kid Pix August 2026

More photos that didn't make their own post...

We went downtown to Washington just before the Fourth of July weekend and saw a bit of the Great American State Fair festivities without actually going into any venues indoors or outdoors. We went to see the National Museum of African American History and Culture (part of the Smithsonian museums that we are working our way through). That will get its own post later, but we did see some cool stuff downtown.

Washington Monument

A mobile museum

A concert stage by the Metro entrance

Following a subway system on social media seems pathetic

We celebrated the Fourth at home with an American Flag pancake for breakfast and a cookout for dinner.

Pretty big flippin' problem

Obviously the back of the flag

Plate of meat with corn cakes and white wine

A few days later, I went geocaching at Montpelier Mansion, a house dating back to the War for Independence. George Washington visited several times!

By the back door

I went geocaching Frederick, Maryland, where Francis Scott Key is buried. It was fun for a cemetery!

Francis Scott Key Memorial

World War II Memorial

Nearby, on the campus of the Maryland School for the Deaf is the Hessian Barracks. The building dates back to the War for Independence. Captured Hessian mercenaries were imprisoned here. The building went through various other uses over the years. Right by the interpretive signs is "The Great Baby Waker," a cannon that burst in 1844 and killed its gunner. 

Hessian Barracks

Don't wake the baby!

Mother Seton Shrine Grounds 2025

While visiting the Basilica and Museum at The National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, I explored the grounds a bit while my wife sensibly stayed indoors and toured the museum exhibits. Unfortunately we visited just after the snows of February 2026 so a lot of things were less accessible than they should have been.

The snowy basilica

When Elizabeth Seton and her companions came to Emmitsburg in 1809, they moved into the Stone House. This was the first home of her newly founded order, the Sisters of Charity of Saint Joseph's (also known as the Daughters of Charity). It was originally a farm house and the group rather quickly outgrew it. The building was not open to visitors on our visit.

The Stone House

A nearby fountain features a statue of Mother Seton with some children, along with quotes from her in the pavement. At least, I was told there were quotes by and about her in the pavement. Not much was visible. On the up side, I did walk on water to get there...frozen water.

The fountain

Several bells used in the area are on display. The Academy Bell was used by Saint Joseph's Academy to summon students (both boarding and day pupils) to classes, masses, and leisure activities all the way up to 1945. The "Dinky" Bell came from a train that brought students, sisters, visitors, livestock, and supplies to Emmitsburg for the congregation. The Seminary Bell was used by the Daughters of Charity for prayer time, meal time, and study time. The bells were all rung in 1963 for Mother Seton's beatification. 

Historic bells

The White House is the first school building set up in 1810 for Saint Joseph's Academy, where the sisters taught. The interior is still decorated with 19th century furnishings, though I was not able to go in. The building is quite large and in great shape.

The White House

The front door

Nearby is the entrance to Saint Joseph's Cemetery where many of the sisters were buried. Mother Seton herself was buried here before her remains were moved to the Basilica. When they selected the site, the area was heavily wooded. Seton's sister-in-law Harriett picked out an oak tree where she wanted to be buried. Sadly, she died four months later. Her wishes were followed. After Mother Seton's death, her son William authorized the building of the Mortuary Chapel in the heart of the cemetery.

Cemetery entrance

Mortuary Chapel

The graves of the sisters

I definitely want to go back at some point and see the insides of the various outer buildings.

Geocaching November 2025

The month started with the first Monday morning coffee cache. Later that day, I found Pee Time, Snack Time, Drink Time, Gas Time at a gas station and I finally took credit for the Zero to Ten Challenge Cache from Pennsylvania, having finished the last requirement on Halloween. Later in the week I found MD Cluedo 10 of 10, and a bunch of Cache Across Maryland caches from 2023--CAM 2023 - Fran Uhler Natural Area, CAM 2023 - Bonus: Birdwatcher, and CAM 2023 - Bonus: Trainspotter. The last three were along a trail along a railroad track next to Bowie State University, making for a fun hike with the occasional commuter train whizzing by.

Finding some info for the CAM caches on campus

The obelisk had an eternal flame on top!

Cool fraternity coat of arms

In the Fran Uhler Natural Area

Trail maintenance ended with the end of the big power lines

After the next Monday morning coffee, I found the mystery Playfair Geography, the multi Guilford Quarry Cemetery, and the regular Take A Dip. That week the local library hosted one of the GIFF events, which is the Geocaching International Film Festival. Geocachers make short films and submit them to The Powers That Be, who select twenty or so to be presented in November. I took my eleven-year old and he enjoyed it. We loved the commercial about the bison tube opening device. I have no links to offer but I am sure it will show up online (there's a bunch of previous years' festivals here). 

Another classic hiding spot

Stage one of the cemetery cache

One of the ladies from the Monday morning coffee hosted a Community Celebration Event (a bunch of geocachers were given them to celebrate the 25th anniversary of geocaching). It was near the oldest cache in Maryland, Jusef's Cache, so I found that after a fun time with other cachers.

Jusef's was by some railroad tracks

Cache and cacher

The rocky outcropping

The train tunnel again

Remains of a dam across the Patapsco River

The next day I took credit for Circle BWI Once, a mystery cache that involves biking around the airport. CBSN, another Monday Morning Coffee fellow, was the second to sign. I was amazed at what good shape the twenty-year old log was in!

I signed much further down

After another Monday Morning Coffee Event, I spent Tuesday qualifying for a treasure hunt involving dog-friendly caches (at least, they have the "dog-friendly" attribute). In about an hour, I found AT THE END..., Have a Blast..., The Gold and Black Cache..., Red Top..., The Leopard..., Near the End..., Blue Top - White Bottom..., The Small Rock Cache..., and You Can't See It From Here. A different cache owner hid the last one, so no ellipses there. 

I went over to Virginia for my brother's doctor appointment and squeezed in a bunch of caches. Colvin Run Mill Virtual is near the historic Colvin Run Mill. Also in the area, I found CCT 7 Day Streak, CCT Earthcache Classification Non-Challenge, and Backyard Stash, originally hidden in January 2001!

The Run runs through the tunnel back on the left

Backyard Stash is the 3rd oldest in Virginia!

On a recycling run to my county's landfill, I went the extra mile (or two) to find Bon Secours Labyrinth, a multi-cache that is part of a labyrinth series.

The labyrinth and me

Observing the Chicken Fanatics is near a Chick-fil-A northeast of Baltimore. We were in the neighborhood for a homeschool production of The Sound of Music and made a stop for a treat afterward.

My wife and I did some caching in Charles County after visiting the relics of Saint Therese of Lisieux. The area has some sort of zombie fan bigger than me--we found Zombie Land-B3, Zombie Land-B4, Zombie Land-D3, Zombie Land-I3, Zombie Land-O4, and Zombie Land-Z3. There are a lot of other caches in the series (they are all simple trivia puzzles based on zombie media), so I may come back to get more.

Near one of the caches--an appropriate spot

O4 got busted when I pulled it from its spot, I made a replacement

After the final Coffee Event, my family headed out to the eastern shore of Maryland and found some caches and celebrated Thanksgiving there too! Brrr Bear was in Kent County, a spot I need for a challenge cache. We also drove south and picked up Rallod in Somerset County outside a Dollar Store (the kids commented on how many other Dollar Stores we passed on the way). We stayed in Cambridge (Dorchester County), which is the heartland of Harriet Tubman's activities on the Underground Railroad (she was also born here). 

In Salisbury, I found the earthcache Sugaring the Marble about the erosion that is happening to a marble memorial of the town's World War II casualties.

By the memorial

The Beacon of Hope is a virtual cache in front of Dorchester County Courthouse. In 2022, a statue of Harriet Tubman was permanently installed in celebration of her 200th birthday.

Beacon of Hope and me

Also in Cambridge, I found Cambridge GRM #1 and Movie Time Fun in a shopping mall parking lot.

On Thanksgiving Day, I went on a big journey to get more counties and more types. I drove across Dover Bridge into Caroline County. The original swing bridge was replaced in 2018 by an overpass bridge. The cache is named Dover Bridge. 

The old road

Two bridges

Then I drove across Talbot County to the Chesapeake Bay shore for Before the Bridge virtual cache and CAM 2023 Claiborne Landing regular cache. Before the Bay Bridge, ferries came to this spot taking people back and forth from the Eastern and Western shores.

No bridge or wharf

View looking the other way

I drove to the bottom of Talbot County to Bill Burton Fishing Pier State Park for an earthcache, a CAM mystery cache, and a CAM regular cache. These CAM (Cache Across Maryland) are actually 2025 CAM caches, the first time I've found one the same year as the release of the cache. Of course, the idea was to finish finding CAM caches before the summer picnic, so I am late.

The earthcache is about erosion!

Not a safe trail

I also found two Adventure Labs for a mural series and a church series in Cambridge. The bonus caches for the Adventure Labs were Chelsea the Church Mouse Lab Adventure Bonus and Adventure Lab Bonus - Finding Freedom. The last find for the month was The Great Marsh, in a park near our rental house.

The month ended with 72 finds and a grand total of 2212. Can I break the 2300 barrier in December?

Geocaching March 2025

The month start with some spotty caching here and there. I am not back into the full swing of things yet after the death of my son.

My first set of caches was during my daughter's robotics competition. I dropped her off early and took an hour to find some caches at nearby John Downs Memorial Park. The Wishing Bench is in a formal garden from back in the day when the land was a summer home. The bench is still there and is supposed to grant wishes if you sit quietly and wish hard.

The wishing bench

The pic with me wishing

Also in the park are Lying Downs on the Job, Downs and Outs, and Ups and Downs. They are scattered around the park, making for some nice walks.

Beach part of the caching

Busted with a bowtie

Outside the park was LSLS #1 Blair Loves Books, a geocache part of the Lake Shore Love Series. I only found this first one.

Later, I returned to the Warriors and Brothers In Arms trail with Tunnel Rat and Dorie Miller. Nearby Glendale's Finest is an easy find behind a fire station.

The "tunnel" in Tunnel Rat

Pointe du Hoc is another WBIA find the next day. The day after was Pi Day (3/14) and I found a round-containered Use Your Head. 

On the second weekend of my daughter's robotic competition, I was close enough to DC to sneak in and find Masonic - Scottish Rite Temple, a wherigo cache that told stories about the Masonic Temple in the nation's capital. 

Locus of the cache

An earthcache took me to Meridian Hill Park to find a statue called "Serenity." Serene But Weathered Carrara Marble describes the deterioration of the statue from vandalism and the elements.

Seen better days

Just outside the park I found a fun container for Slow Going, a traditional cache.

I few days later I picked up two cemetery caches: Chapel Hill - Waterloo and Old Salem Church and Cemetery. 

Chapel Hill Cemetery, on a hill as described

Old Salem Church

Sneak Attack was a tricky find near the church--I needed a photo from a previous finder. 

Notables in Forest Glen Cemetery is part of a series of multicaches focusing on famous people buried in the DC area. It was easy to solve. On the way to the final cache I found Carolina Wren and after the find Can You Hear Me Now #2. 

Reston Rocks is an earthcache next to a lake in Reston, Virginia. The rocky outcropping is unlikely and provides a little info on the ancient history of the area.

A nice lake

Rocks!

I avenged a DNF (Did Not Find) at Check Me Out... by a roadside. Also nearby, I discovered Among the Rocks and Mints-Mints-Mints.... 

Carol 103 west was an easy find during my youngest's orchestra rehearsal. The next day I had CCT - 50 Events - Challenge Cache Trail done.

We went for a kayaking adventure in Annapolis and I was able to get a picture for the Ego Alley virtual cache.

Me not in the water

On a trip to Brookside Gardens, I took a picture for the Welcome to Brookside Gardens virtual cache and the Brookside Gardens Labyrinth multi-cache. I also completed all the stages for the local Adventure Lab but couldn't make it to the bonus cache that day.

For the virtual

At the labyrinth

I finished the month filling another calendar day with a mystery/unknown cache, CCT - 3 Continents, which requires the cacher to have found geocaches on three different continents. We honeymooned in Middle Earth, I mean, New Zealand, so I had credit for Oceana in addition to North America and Europe.

I end the month with 34 finds and a grand total of 1757.