Druid Lake, Baltimore

We went for an ill-fated walk around Druid Lake in the middle of Baltimore, Maryland. It started out just fine except for the view of the lake which was unusual. At least where we started, there was no water and plenty of fences and construction equipment. This was not the ill-fated part of our walk.

We're not even in a drought!

Right by the lake is a statue of William Wallace, the Scottish warrior made famous in Mel Gibson's Braveheart. The statue was originally give to the park by William Wallace Spence in 1893, so the gift was definitely not inspired by the movie.

William Wallace

Walking clockwise around the lake we spotted two carvings from dead trees, though one was hard to photograph due to fences. The artist clearly chose appropriate subjects for carving in wood: The Druid and The Green Man.

The Green Man looking the other way

The Druid pondering a dry lake

As we went further, we discovered the lake (which is a reservoir for Baltimore) does have water. The nearby buildings make a modest skyline.

The wet park of Druid Lake

Construction on the lake

Further on, we discovered the Chinese Pagoda, a nice open-air pavilion that served as a trolley stop back when it was built in 1865. No trolleys run in the park anymore.

Chinese Pagoda

We got closer to the building that looks like it was on fire but the smoke was coming from some distance behind it. This was not the ill-fated part of our walk.

Smokin'!

We took a break but the kids did not want to smile for the camera.

Here under protest

At the far side of the lake from where we parked, we had a nice downhill view of Route 83 and the Jones Falls valley.

Bridges!

At the southeast corner of the park is the Moorish Tower (also known as the Turkish Tour) that has interesting club-shaped windows. The tower was not open for climbing, which was too bad because the top probably has some very good views of the park and the city. This was not the ill-fated part of our walk.

Moorish/Turkish Tower

The lake looked a lot better from the south side. Having the park in the background makes it seem less urban.

Druid Lake

People drink this water, don't poop in it!

We were curious about the tower in the middle of the lake but could find no information on it.

Tower in the lake

Shortly after spotting the tower, we made it to the ill-fated part of our walk. As we were three-quarters of the way around the lake, we discovered the construction included the walking path around the lake. The fenced-off work area went all the way to the busy road below, so we had to turn around and go back. It was not a popular decision.

On the way back, we spotted the Sun Dial Pavilion, though we did not see any sun dials in the neighborhood.

Sun Dial Pavilion

We also saw a George Washington memorial that unfortunately was defaced. 

George Washington monument

We made it back to our starting point, leaving William Wallace on guard.

Back of Wallace

Druid Park also has a historic mansion, which the kids do not want to visit, and the Baltimore Zoo, which the kids do want to visit. We are sure to come back sooner or later, once or twice.

Exploring the Neighborhood During the Pandemic

Thanks to the Coronavirus Pandemic, we have been going for lots of walks in our neighborhood. It sure seems like a nice suburban...suburb. I mean, look at this sidewalk graffiti!

What great neighbors!

But then it happened. We took a walk into the woods and made some discoveries.

The woods...nothing creepy or awful ever happens there, right?

Having just heard a podcast reading of H. P. Lovecraft's The Colour Out of Space, I was less than enthused to find skunk cabbages littering our path. In the story, a stone crashes from the sky and something from beyond our friendly earth gets into the ground. All the vegetation and the animals (including the human animals) start going...wrong. Skunk cabbages in the story grow to unusual sizes and in unusual shapes. In our woods, they have that "innocent look" about them, but the smell is something out of an eldritch nightmare. I know, because my kids made me smell them. In fact, they had walked here before, so maybe they are already under the malign influence of otherworldly horrors.

Is there such a thing as innocent-looking skunk cabbages?

They said they were taking me to "the Black Lagoon," of Creature from... fame, but this body of water was clearly too small to hide a fish man.

More like a Black Puddle

My children were quick to inform me that the true lagoon lies farther into the woods. And they led me on.

Looking down at...

...the lagoon!

We took a long time throwing stones in, which seemed like a bad idea in case he was napping under the water. If the Covid-19 virus has taught me anything, it's that nobody likes their afternoon nap interrupted. Maybe the Creature had gone for a walk.

We walked away, discovering a trickle that feeds into the lagoon. The water looks pretty terrible, especially with a skunk cabbage growing in it.

Water so evil it unties shoes!

Our walk continued to another area with classic Lovecraftian features--the remains of an ancient and abandoned civilization. We saw a small brick ruin and approached carefully.

Hard to distinguish from the woods

Nature covering up for a human (or non-human) mistake?

Nothing to see here

Just up the hill is an abandoned roadway with neglected power lines.

Above the ground power lines, clearly from ages past

The houses were gone. Only concrete foundations with bits of plumbing and electrical connections were left.

The footprint of a home?

The trees taking over for the power lines

Another abandoned concrete pad

A nearby parking lot had only one trash can and one barrier. The emptiness was reclaimed by the vegetation. At least there weren't any skunk cabbages.

Nature abhorred this vacuum

We ventured deeper into the woods.

The bright sunshine ruins the creepiness

We found some more ruins and a last source of water. If only it had been potable water.

More concrete detritus

Maybe this is safer than Black Lagoon water?

We made it home alive and were more enthusiastic than ever about sheltering in place!

Canal Walk, Indianapolis

On the final day of Gen Con, the convention closed at 4 p.m. That is, the convention center closed at 4 so everyone who didn't have official business had little to do inside. Since my shuttle to the hotel was scheduled for 7 p.m., I decided to see some of the city. The most interesting feature posted on the helpful little maps downtown is the canal. It wasn't far away so I went for a canal walk.

The Indianapolis Canal Walk

By the NCAA Hall of Champions

View of a Marriott Hotel

The canal was built as part of the early 1800s canal craze sparked by the Erie Canal. The plan for the Indiana Central Canal was to connect the Ohio River to the Wabash and Erie Canal, a distance just under 300 miles. A financial crisis in the 1830s wiped out the funding for the canal, so only parts of it were completed. The Indianapolis part of the canal (about eight miles) eventually became the property of the city. A 1980s project rebuilt the downtown portion of the canal, making a pleasant walking path.

Walkers enjoying a getaway from downtown

Reminds me of Venice

Side view of that Marriott building

Walking isn't the only mode of transport on and around the canal. A boat rental agency has paddle boats, canoes, and kayaks.

Ship merchant

A fountain people went around but not in

Another rental agency rents foot-powered cars, almost like Fred Flintstone!

Foot-mobiles

In action

The walk also includes various works of art. Underneath one bridge is a delightful mural.

Cool and refreshing on one side...

...hot and exciting on the other

A few museums line the canal, providing some more impressive works.

The Eiteljorg Museum

Outside the Indiana State Museum

Indiana Steam Clock (also outside the State Museum)

In the canal is a three-part work of art called the Vessel series. It was made by William Dennisuk in collaboration with the Herron School of Art and Design. Dennis says, "The project draws attention to our relationship with water, and stands as a metaphor for how we might interact with the extended environment. The open-frame structures, together with their reflections, tend to intermingle and mesh with their wider surroundings; suggesting an inter-dependent and more collaborative partnership with our environment." [quoted from signs on the canal walk]

The first part is Pulse, which "refers to the rhythmic fluctuations we find in nature and in ourselves; the recurrence of vibrations, undulations, waves and the simple beat of the heart." [also from the canal walk]

Pulse

The second part is Valence, referring "to the relative capacity of a person or thing to unite, to react with, or affect another in a special way, as by attraction or the facilitation of a function or activity." [from the canal walk]

Valence

Spin is the final part, referring "to a fundamental movement that can be found in nature and ourselves; the spinning planet and angular momentum of elementary particles, the winding of fibers, throwing clay or the dance of the whirling dervish." [from canal walk]

Spin

The canal walk is a very pleasant place to spend a few hours on a sunny day!

Another fountain

Another patriotic bit