Geocaching July 2024

The month started a little late due to illness. On the third, I found three caches by the Mall in Columbia. What's in a Name? is a mystery cache that took me to one part of the parking lot. I avenged an early Did Not Find in a different parking lot. Stairway to Heaven has probably the best camouflage I have ever seen for a cache, no wonder I didn't find it without some hints from the cache owner. My final find was by the same CO but not as difficult to discover. Useless Vanity was easy to find on a quiet Wednesday morning before the mall opened.

An empty mall parking lot

On the Fourth, we went on a hike by Liberty Reservoir. The park has a lot of trails with a lot of caches. One set is called Ravens Trail, with caches for each letter--R, A, V, E, N, and S. Each cache has a number which is used to find the final mystery cache. Unfortunately, my family was tapped out by the time we found S, so I'll have to go back and make the final find later on.

View of the Reservoir

Unenthusiastic cachers

The day after, I went to Catonsville and found I Choo Choo Choose You, a mystery cache based on a Simpsons episode. Also in the area, I discovered Bring A Book, Grab A Cache, If It Quacks Like A Duck....., and Shortcut. The bring a book was a Little Free Library with a nice hide.

End of the line

Little free library!

During another visit to Virginia, I found CCT - Negative Attributes, one of a challenge trail that requires finders to get a set of negative attributes. Also, nearby is the Liberty Cemetery at the Pines, a cache hidden in the back of a park that has a cemetery from the early 1900s. The area had a strong African American community that was disbursed in the 1960s when the county took over the land to build a school (that never got built). I also found Changes in Longitude Challenge 100 Degrees for which I easily qualified (with 180 degrees of longitudinal distance between my most distant caches). 

Not much to see in the cemetery

Back in Maryland, I found SideTracked - Savage, part of a series near railroads or stations. It was a quick find and near to the Monday morning coffee group.

After making a haul at the Baltimore Book Thing, I found Korok Seed Series #2 which was not far away. The log was too wet to sign, so I took a photo of the lid.

Pic of a seed on the lid

On another trip to Virginia, I found NoVAGO Moviepallooza: Snakes on a Plane, which has a puzzle and not a snake inside the final find (whew!). I may look for the rest of the series. Also, I picked up a lamppost cache with a twist at Get in the Zone, which had a cemetery cache hidden away behind the shopping center, Sworn Allegiance.

Cemetery

To fill another mystery day, I snatched Old National Pike Mile Marker 11 Revisited, part of a series on the old National Road in Maryland. 

Creek by the Old National Pike

By another waterway is A Tribute to Slow Turtle which was an easy find, though I did not get a picture. Also lacking pictures are Shalakanar Eats #2, Beltway Plaza, and Stand for the Right. On this excursion, I went to IKEA to buy a mattress and there was a cache there called I Kollect European Accessories. I traded a doubloon for a book lover pin, which I think was a great trade.

Traded items

My son had a camp at Towson University, so I found some caches on campus. The most anticipated one for me was Tiger Tracks, a web cam cache. Such caches have been discontinued, so only the few that are still around are still findable. The picture came out not as well as I'd have liked to...it was a dismal day and the construction may have added dust and grim to the window through which the camera was looking.

Time to wash up!

Also on campus I found Glen's pits, Rising Up To The Top, and TUgis2014, which had a special visitor.

Looking at it right!

Not a student

I drove down to Cathedral of Mary Our Queen, just south of campus which had two caches nearby. I dropped the fish lure travel bug Holiday Bell Travel Bug In the Ivy, a ammo-can cache right by the church. Not much further away is Northern Parkway Treasures, which had a precipitous drop down a path to the cache. Still, it was a fun find.

The next day we visited the Enoch Pratt Free Library in downtown Baltimore. The multicache there (conveniently named Enoch Pratt Library) involves a micro-container outside the library that directs the cacher inside the library to one of the information desks. A lot of previous finders skipped the first stage (even the cache owner admits in the hint that if Stage 1 is gone, just go in and ask about the geocache), so I followed suit. After asking two or three librarians, I made my way to the right desk where the delighted librarian gave me the box from behind her desk. I love a library cache!

Old time bookmobile

Back in Towson, I discovered Wally's Watching which is by a former Walmart (now it is just an empty storefront). I also found Holey Moly and Fox Sighting in the area. Then I searched out four related caches: Dumbledore or Gandalf #1, #2, #3, and #4. Each cache write-up has a bunch of quotes that are from one or the other wizard. Getting the answers right give the actual locations of the caches. Each cache has a code word for the final mystery cache, which I found the next day.

The next day was my biggest day of caching yet--I found 20 caches. In addition to the Dumbledore or Gandalf - Bonus, I found the earthcache Sedimentation and Armor of Long Quarter Branch, the mystery cache I Make a Call to Order, and the regular caches Private Parking, Here's Your Sign, College Haze, Wong Cache, Looking for Lincoln #3, Hotel GR, Beaver Dam Road GR, 110, An Irish Pub, About Time, Raise the Flag, Really Entertaining Idea II, Don't Hit Me!, Green Box @ Timonium Crossings SC, One for the Master, Tippy Top, and The New Top of the World. 

At the earthcache

Not so impressive Dumbledore/Gandalf finale

These flags need some wind!

View from the tippy top

After that epic day, the next day I only found one cache--A Halloween Mission.

The day after, we flew to California, which will have its own geocaching post...

Book Review: Hidden History of Howard County by Nathan S. Davis and Wayne S. Davis

Hidden History of Howard County by Nathan S. Davis and Wayne S. Davis

Located in central Maryland, the Howard County area was settled as land grants for British colonists expanded from the Chesapeake Bay. Many people were farmers but the local natural resources inspired many mills along the Patuxent and Patapsco Rivers and many quarries scattered over the landscape. A main rail line was built between Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, with spurs going west along the rivers providing a way to ship goods economically. Being south of the Mason Dixon line, the area was home to many enslaved African Americans, some of whom were freed and did not leave the area for a variety of reasons. After the American Civil War, businesses still boomed into the twentieth century. A big change for Howard County happened in the 1960s when a planned community (Columbia) was established right in the middle of the county, causing a lot of economic and cultural shifts.

The authors live in Guilford, one of the neighborhoods of Columbia (it was originally its own town before the corporation started developing areas in the 1960s). Their focus is mostly on Guilford, painting it in a very positive light, as opposed to towns like Savage, which was a mill town with all the good and bad that comes with that, and Columbia, which bulldozed a lot of historical sites for highways, new industry, and residences. Even with their bias, the book has a lot of interesting information and anecdotes that locals (like me) will find enjoyable.

The is not written in an academic style but does have tons of footnotes (so it is well researched) and provides an appendix where readers get tips on how to do their own research in local and state resources.

Mildly recommended--you probably have to live here (or have lived here) to appreciate it.

Game Review: Pizza Pizza Yum Yum by Button Shy Games

Pizza Pizza Yum Yum designed by Lance Schricke and published by Button Shy Games

This two-player cooperative game has players crafting pizzas and menus to satisfy customers. The game is a micro-game with only eighteen cards, a rules book, and a little wallet barely bigger than the cards. The eighteen cards are dual use--they show a quarter of a pizza (with two toppings on it) and a half of a menu order (with two toppings on it too).

Sample cards (bottom two are the backs of the cards)

The game is played in three round. In each round, the deck is shuffled and six cards are dealt to each player. The remaining six cards are set aside and will not be part of the round. Players look at the cards and have to figure out a good scheme for laying down the cards to maximize scores. Players put down one card at a time. Those cards are played simultaneously. The first card is played face-up to a player's own pizza; the second is played face-up to the other player's pizza. The third card is played face-down to the player's own pizza as half of the menu order; the fourth card is played face-down to the other player's pizza as the second half of the menu order. The fifth card is played face-up to the player's own pizza; the sixth card is played face-up to the other players pizza.

After all the cards are played, the menu cards are flipped and the pizzas are scored. For every topping that is on its menu cards, a pizza scores one point. If there are duplicate ingredients on the menu cards, that ingredient on the pizza scores multiple times. The two pizzas are totaled separately and the players earn the points from whichever pie has the lower score. 

Sample pizza and menu

In the above pizza and menu, the pineapples score two point for each on the pizza, so six points. One point per mushroom and one per pepperoni, so three and two points respectively. Six plus three plus two is eleven, a pretty good score for one pie. If the other pie scored eleven points (a tie!), the team gets eleven points for the round. If the other scored higher, the team gets eleven points (since eleven is the lower score). If the other scored lower, the team gets the score for the other pie.

Then the cards are collected and shuffled, ready to start the next round. After three rounds, the three scores are added to see how well the team did. The rule book provides a scale for success.

The game plays very quickly, even if someone has Analysis Paralysis. Figuring out how to cooperate is not too tricky. There's enough variety in the cards to have different outcomes. That being said, my wife and I have been pretty consistent in scoring eight points per pizza, though we did get some better pies sometimes. The rounds go so fast, it's hard to get too invested in "if I had only done X" thinking. 

Recommended--this is a fun, two-player co-operative game, of which there are not many.

Book Review: Daredevil: Back in Black Vol. 2 by C. Soule et al.

Daredevil: Back in Black Volume 2: Supersonic written by Charles Soule and art by Matteo Buffagni, Goran Sudzuka, and Vanesa R. Del Rey

Elektra comes hunting for Daredevil with an outlandish claim--her child has gone missing and she thinks Daredevil is behind the mystery. Daredevil knows nothing about Elektra having a child though the age she is claiming would make it possible that he's the father. The situation is tough to sort out when the aggrieved party is throwing knives and punches as quickly and as skillfully as possible. In the next story, Matt travels incognito to Macau and participates in a Texas Hold'em tournament, though it's more of a way to get in to a high-security hotel to get highly valuable information. Spider-man has come along for the job, providing his usual banter and advice (especially about having a "black supersuit" period). In the third story, the deaf hero Echo goes to a concert where all the fans go nuts...because they are being controlled by Klaw, a former human who is now living sound and trying to convert all of Manhattan into people like him. Echo gets Daredevil to help with the situation.

All three stories are interesting but the Macau one is the best written and most entertaining. The others are good, but not as good. Soule does a great job with Matt's character and his abilities, including his lack of abilities. If you thought, "How can a blind guy play poker?", you are not alone. They make it interesting and manage to get a little character nuance out of the situation. The Elektra story is less convincing but the art is really good, with a noir-ish use of minimal colors and high contrasts. The music story tries to throw in a lot of visuals that represent the music but it makes the images more chaotic. The effort was good but the results were underwhelming.

Recommended overall.

Movie Review: The Beekeeper (2024)

The Beekeeper (2024) directed by David Ayer

This movie starts with a harrowing sequence of a retired black lady getting all of her savings stolen by a cyberfraud company that preys on people like her. Unfortunately for the company, Adam Clay (Jason Statham) lives next door and is friends with the old lady. In despair she shoots herself, sending Adam on a revenge spree that climbs the corporate ladder all the way to the top. The lady's daughter (Emmy Raver-Lampman) is an FBI agent, so she is working the crime from a more legally restrained angle, also getting up to the top but at least one step behind Clay. Clay used to be a federal employee. He was in the "Beekeepers," an extra-elite and extra-secret unit that most of the FBI and CIA don't know about. He is very effective at what he does, and what he does is very violent and very effective.

The movie is an entertaining action romp. Some of the logic does not quite connect in many places. But the old-fashioned theme of justice winning out is satisfying, as is Statham's ability to fight out in the open or in tight situations. The movie is not going to win any Oscars but it clear is not interested in doing that. It's a rip-roaring time and plays well to Statham's strong, silent, violent type.

Recommended.

Cute Kid Pix July 2024

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

Our church had their Vacation Bible Camp with a birthday theme. I was there as a volunteer leading a different group than my son's. I only got pictures of him on the final day, with the carnival and dance performances.

Knocking down a pyramid of cans

Action shot

Ring toss

My daughter volunteers

Coin toss

Coin in the air

Crafts and things from VBC

We went to Baltimore's Book Thing, a free book exchange in the city. People donate books they don't want anymore and people come browse through the books and take ones they want. It is very popular and only happens one weekend each month. I grabbed some theology and mythology/folklore. I tried to check out the sci fi section but someone was squatting there. It was a lot of fun, except for parking!

The line into the Book Thing

I managed to sneak off to the Guinness Open Gate Brewery while everyone else was off on other adventures. I sampled some new brews--Smoked Woods (a smoked brown ale, 6.3% ABV), English Summer Ale (English Golden Ale, 4.5%ABV), and Hefeweizen (Weissbier, 5.1% ABV). The Hefe was a little too light for my taste and the summer ale seemed like a watered-down IPA, which is not my favorite style of beer. So I ordered a full Smoking Wood which has a nice, toasted flavor from smoking the malt. 

Smoking Woods, English Summer Ale, Hefeweizen

Lunch is a well-balanced meal

In Baltimore proper, we visited Graffiti Alley, a short street where graffiti is legal. So there is a lot of it!

Parking by the alley

More art outside the alley

Walking into the alley

Blue man group?

Covering a previous mural?

Candle holder?

Where is your head?

Around the corner from the alley is Mobtown Ballroom and Cafe. The building has a bar serving breakfast items. It also has a stage and a large, nice dance floor. Maybe we will come back some evening to enjoy the Ballroom part of the venue.

Mobtown Ballroom and Cafe

The stage

Tables that probably are on the sides at night

The bar

Our snack

We drove over to Enoch Pratt Free Library, which is an amazing and large library in the heart of Baltimore. We had fun exploring.

Library exterior

Inside the lobby

More of the lobby

A model of the bookmobile

The evening before we walked along the Patuxent River and enjoyed a playground.

Working together

While my youngest was at a bass camp in Towson, I went to World of Beer in nearby Owings Mills for lunch one of the days. This location was special to me because right next door is the local branch of the Baltimore County Library (which is a different system from the Enoch Pratt Library which is Baltimore City). I ordered a flight of beers and the BBQ chicken flatbread.

The meal

Beers

From left to right, the beers were Mean Old Tom Nitro from Maine Brewing Company (6.5% ABV), a classic stout not as smoky as a Guinness Stout but still quite delightful; Guilford Hall Belgian Golden Ale (8.5% ABV)which was smooth but not as flavorful as brews from Belgium; Lexington Bourbon Barrel Ale (8.2% ABV), which looks like a red but has a strong, strong bourbon flavor (which I liked a lot); Kona Big Wave (4.4% ABV), an American blonde from Hawaii that had a mild grapefruit flavor, not the overpowering (and unlikeable) flavor of an IPA, but actually refreshing. My favorite was the stout, though the bourbon ale was a close second.