Timidly Starting to Wander Again

 

I've spent a fair amount of time over the past couple of months chatting with friends and family about how the pandemic has changed us.  It's been interesting.  Everyone seems to appreciate family more.  Some of my friends embraced the quiet time of social distancing and are reluctant to re-engage with a lot of social hub-bub.  Others were starved for social engagement and have spent the last few months fluttering, much like a butterfly, from activity to activity.

Where did I land?  I'm still sorting it all out, for sure.  I took up watercolor painting during the pandemic and during the 400 or so days that we stayed close to home to stay safe I produced maybe 150 paintings.  I've given scores of them away and have even sold a few dozen.  (For a peek: ArtbyMaryShelsby)  I miss my painting time, for sure, as we've visited family and have had tons of guest this summer.  But I've also been hungry for the stimulation of conversation with crafty souls and so I've been hosting and attending art groups and creative sessions.  And so as I expand and contract my social calendar, I feel like I have a full fledge case of adult-onset attention deficit disorder.  It's crazy and the days are just not long enough for both my quiet times and social times.

And then there is my time to wander.  I did do a little wandering during the pandemic but when local case number were soring, the main rule was to stay close enough to home for bathroom breaks.  I never heard of anyone catching Covid-19 in a public restroom but I didn't want to be the first one to do so.  Last weekend I visited with family in Harford County, Maryland.  Usually the drive is less than 3 hours but I had the "explore bug" and so I did it in nine.  

In the mid-1980's I took an intensive course through the University of Maryland University College on the Chesapeake Bay taught by Tom Wisner.  For the entire semester, I spent most weekend camping out of my car exploring and photographing the many dead-end roads that ended at the Bay.  There was no GPS and no internet to tell me if the the road would end with a beautiful vista or a "no trespassing" driveway.  Fortunately, gas was cheap, my body was young and my eyesight could handle dark country roads.  The lessons and stories of the Chesapeake from Tom have lasted a lifetime and I'm enjoying revisiting many of those sites with modern technology leading the way.  

The highlight of my drive was Eastern Neck Wildlife Refuge that features the Bay View Butterfly Garden.  It was 95 degrees when I got there so I was hot and tired but the the Zebra Swallowtail Butterflies were so thick that they would brush along you as you walked the trail.  I can't think of much more refreshing than being caressed by a butterfly. 

I also passed through Chesapeake City and I spent some time walking the streets of the historic downtown and admiring the beautiful front porches.  Someday I need to do a photo essay of the front porches of Delmarva.  That would be fun.

When I did my coursework on the Chesapeake, I studied and visited many of the tributaries of the bay.  I don't remember visiting the Sassafras River and so as I crossed over it at Georgetown I got out and explored.  Unfortunately, the heat was unbearable and the bright, stark sunlight was not ideal for photography.  I will return.  It is good to be on the road again.