Places

Cabin John Regional Park

This summer, Ligia and I visited Cabin John Regional Park here in Potomac, MD. It’s a lesser known park, and it doesn’t really get as many visitors as it deserves, but it’s a pretty beautiful place. To discover that beauty, you need to get off the beaten path, as is the case with many things in life.

We did get off the beaten path when we visited it, so much so that we got lost, and getting back onto the path was an adventure in itself. At least we got some good photos out of it.

This tree almost looks like someone with their legs in the air.

There was a nice little brook running through the forest, and some of its riverbed was exposed. Not only did we find beautiful pebbles, but we also found some great sand patterns.

The light reflected beautifully off the water’s surface.

Lichen grew abundantly on a fallen tree trunk.

We also found thick moss, colored a deep green, growing on another fallen tree trunk.

After almost two hours of wandering the forest, we were relieved to find the path once more.

Places

A second trip to the National Seminary at Forest Glen

A little more than a week ago, I wrote about the National Seminary at Forest Glen, here in the DC suburbs, and also posted some photos I took there this summer. I promised I’d post the rest of the photos, which I took in the summer of 2005, and I held true to that promise.

I can safely say I have no more photos to post from the site, since it’s being redeveloped as I write this, and will soon look different. The old buildings will stand no more, but will be replaced by their modern counterparts, which will supposedly look and feel the same. We’ll see how that turns out… So, you may call these photos “limited edition”. I can’t get you any more. Enjoy them, and visit the site sometime next year if you’re able. You may or may not recognize the spots in the photos, depending on how extensive the redevelopment will be.

To help you understand the layout of the site, I’ve posted a map of the grounds below. I also invite you to visit the National Seminary website (which may or may not be up for long — that’s where I got the map). The site has photos of bygone times, showing you how the grounds and buildings looked when they were actually in use. It’s very interesting stuff, and my advice is to spend one of these chilly autumn evenings curled up with your laptop on the sofa, reading through it.

Map of the National Seminary at Forest Glen

The Kappa Windmill, from the main courtyard

Rambling walkway between the Zeta Swiss Chalet and the Music Hall

In the forest, looking at the Beta Castle

Places

The National Seminary at Forest Glen

Just posted photos taken this summer at the National Seminary at Forest Glen, a historic site located in the suburbs of DC.

The history of the place is a pretty interesting read. After being bought in the 1730’s as a much larger property, parts of it were sold off, and finally, what is now known as National Seminary was sold to John and Vesta Cassedy in 1894. They set out to transform it into a girls’ finishing school. In 1916, the school was sold to Dr. James E. Ament after Vesta Cassedy died. John Cassedy then married a recent graduate of the school and lost interest in running it. In 1937, during the Great Depression, with the school’s student population foundering, it was sold to Roy Tasco Davis, who set out to transform it into National Park College, a place where academics and practical skills. He didn’t have much time to do this, because the property caught the eye of an Army general, who invoked the War Powers Act, condemned the property, annexed it to Walter Reed Hospital, and used it as a place where wounded soldiers could recover.

When the Army tired of the property, they let it go to ruin. They wanted to completely tear down the buildings, but local residents objected and managed to get the site designated as a historical landmark in the 1970s. Finally, a deal was made in 2005 to get the entire site redeveloped, the old buildings restored or rebuilt, and luxury condominiums built there. From what I understand, a development company bought the property, under the solemn promise to stick to the historical character and look of the site as they rebuild there. The site is now under construction, and many of the old buildings, too dilapidated to stand up, will be torn down and reconstructed.

Ligia and I visited it this summer (2006) and last summer (2005), and photographed the various buildings. It was also a great place to eat raspberries and mulberries. I still need to post the photos taken last summer, but I’ll do it soon.

(Added 10/19/06: here they are!)