Frickin' State Historic Markers and Burger Chefs and ....

Are you noticing a theme here? Although I was able to grab several categories that are next to impossible to find on the West Coast while on vacation in D.C. I was very frustrated by some of the waymarks that I was trying to find. I mean, do I really want to look for a Dunkin' Donuts while on vacation? I think not.

Of course, I've already bitched about my Toynbee tiles experience, but the State Historic Marker categories were almost as bad. Although I find the markers interesting, I really have no desire to hunt them down. I'm more interested in seeing historic places, not signs about them. Anyhow - I figured that I could take care of the Maryland, Virginia and Delaware categories on this trip and the Virginia one was quite easy. You can't spit in Virginia without hitting a historic marker. But in Maryland we had problems. The signs weren't as prolific and someone had gone through and posted the majority of them. I ended up having to settle with just a visit to a sign that I knew had been waymarked.


In Delaware I staked out a very cool sign that I saw located next to a lighthouse that I wanted to waymark. No one had posted it so I felt safe just having the one waymark to post for that category. I mean, how many waymarkers are going to be in Lewes, Delaware? At least one other it seems. Today when I went to post my waymark I learned that in the interim between when I originally checked the category and today someone else posted it. So for Delaware I ended up with just a visit as well in the SHM category. I would have waymarked backup markers if I had seen any, but there weren't that many markers in this tiny little state.


Other frustrations: checking out 3 different supposed Burger Chef locations to find all of the buildings demolished; checking 3 different Lustron home locations before finally finding one that hadn't been demolished; almost losing my tollhouse waymark; not taking the correct photos and therefore losing my Civil Defense Shelter sign waymark. There were many more, but now I'm just boring you.


My outlook on waymarking has definitely changed. In the past I might have dragged my family around looking for those blasted historic markers, but there's no way in hell I'm going to spend my well deserved vacation waymarking signs when there are endless 17th century buildings, and world class sculpture and incredible architecture to be seen. Although I'm still a grid hound, I'm not so compulsive about it and it has definitely made waymarking more fun for all involved.


The photo above is of the historic Chesapeake & Ohio canal and lock 19, one of 74 along the 185 mile canal. And yes, it was already waymarked along with most of the other remaining locks along the canal. :o/

Waymarking injury

Yesterday morning we were killing time in Tacoma while my son was at orchestra rehearsal so we wandered over to the Stadium-Seminary National Historic District to waymark some of the contributing buildings within the district. This primarily residential district has over 175 contributing structures, so there's plenty there to photograph. I figured we'd waymark all of the "primary" and "pivotal" contributors along Yakima Avenue (33), or at least a get a few blocks done before we got too cold and headed over to the coffee shop to warm up.


We made it about 5 of the eight blocks when my feet went out from under me and I found myself skidding down the sidewalk on my side. There was ice over the top of a mossy spot on the sidewalk and that combined with the slope just took me down. Had I been paying attention to where I was going rather than gawking at all of the beautiful old Victorian architecture I probably would have seen the slick spot. Luckily my camera and gps were fine and other than a nasty scrape along the heel of my hand nothing was injured but my pride.

Troy, who was listening to NPR in the car while I walked down the block to photograph a particularly interesting turreted house, was disappointed to have missed the fall because he couldn't make fun of me.

The photo above is of the Charles Tucker Residence, a quaint Victorian on N. Yakima Avenue built in 1890. I haven't got around to waymarking it yet, but when I do it will be in the "NRHP Contributing Buildings" category.