Maryland's central location means that we see not only a large number of regular summer, winter and year-round resident birds, but we are right in the Atlantic Flyway...the major eastern bird migration route. The Chesapeake Bay, it's tributaries, the abundant salt and freshwater marshes are home not only to lots of waterfowl, but Bald Eagles and Osprey too.

Maryland is well-known for it's seafood. Summer is the season for hot steamed crabs, cooked our way with lots of spicey seasoning, and cold beer; or perhaps a dozen clams, steamed or on the half-shell. Winter means oysters! Whether steamed, padded, in a stew or just on the half-shell, they are a local favorite. Fall and winter also mean Rockfish. The rockfish, also called Striped Bass, is one of the best-tasting fish around. A 5-year moratorium has been lifted and wild rock can again be found in local restaurants and markets. Unlike the local crabs, clams and oysters, rock do not spend their entire life in the Bay. They are spawned in the tidal areas but then return to the Atlantic to grow to adulthood. It is many years before they return to the Bay to spawn.

We live just outside of Baltimore City, Maryland. Baltimore City and Baltimore County are somewhat unique in that they are two separate poilitical, economical and functional entities. They have separate governments, separate tax bases and separate personalities.

Baltimore is a city which treasures its past while looking to the future. The Washington Monument, located in the Mount Vernon neighborhood, was actually the first one built. It is surrounded by the Walters Art Gallery, the Peabody Institute and many other restored buildings dating back to the 18th Century. One of the buildings was the home of Napoleon Bonaparte's. Located not far from the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, it is now the center of the city's arts comunity.

Twenty-five years ago, Baltimore was in the process of revitalizing its downtown. As part of this process, the Inner Harbor developement plan was implemented. Once home to the wharves where fruit and vegetables were offloaded from ships, it is now Harbor Place, the National Aquarium, the Maryland Science Center, Camden Yards and a number of hotels, restaurants and other attractions. Designed by the same people who developed Faneuil Hall in Boston, it is a mecca for tourists now and the two Pavillions of Harbor Place contain shops offering all the best that Baltimore and Maryland have to offer. Docked nearby is the Constellation, the second oldest commissioned ship of the US Navy. The Inner Harbor is also the home base of The Pride Of Baltimore II, an example of the swift clipper ships that once sailed here. It was built the same way the old ones were and is the second of it's name, the first having sunk during a storm. The mast from the first Pride sits in Rash Field as a monument to those who lost their lives when the Pride went down.

Baltimore's ties to the sea are also seen in Fells Point, a one-time conclave of ship-builders, sailors and the industries that supported them. It is home to one of the city's famous ethnic neighborhoods, this one Polish. It is also now in the midst of a major redevelopement, with many of the old warehouses being converted to apartments and shops and many of the tiny houses being bought by what are sometimes called "Yuppies" This is not exactly good news to many of the older residents who have seen their property values rise and well known establishments replaced by coffee bars. Many families have lived there for generations and still speak with thick accents from the old country. Speaking of bars, they, too, are in abundance in Fells Point. Nights and weekends, parking is at a premium.

The photographs above were scanned from postcards.