A great place to go on a hot day is the National Aquarium in Baltimore.  They have a huge ray tank (If you look closely you will see some people scuba diving in it). As well as a large tank with sharks and other fish that forms a circle around you as you walk down through it.  If you plan on going more than once (and there is so much to see you probably want to)  you can join the aquarium and visit as many times as you want in a year for free!

Here are a couple of the smaller rays in the ray exhibit.

This is a really big eel in the shark tank.

They have lots of colorful tropical fish in the many tanks.

As well as non-colorful ones.  This one is a Jack.

The upper level has a snack bar with a great view of the inner harbor.  You can rent paddle boats and float in the harbor.

Right across from the aquarium are a lot of restaurants and other places to see including Hard Rock Cafe and Phillips Seafood.

More kinds of plastics can now be recycled in Montgomery County

Now you can recycle your "clamshell" packaging like you get on the salad bar or berries are packaged in. You can also recycle plastic cups, tubs, and lids.  In short, anything that is #1 plastic (also called PET). Find out more and see pictures of exactly what I'm talking about at the Montgomery County trash blog.

Also, if your trash service is done by the county, the upcoming fourth of July holiday means everyone who's scheduled pickup is Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday will be picked up one day late.

Go Pick Blueberries

 What better way to spend a morning than picking fresh blueberries.  I went to Butler's Orchard on Saturday and did some berry picking.  When you get there and park they have a staging area where you wait for a tractor then get on a wagon for a ride to the berry fields.  Tractors come frequently and hold a lot of people so the line moves fast.

 

At the field, they direct you to some fresh bushes loaded with ripe blueberries. Pick all you want (and sample a few too). When you finish, hop on the wagon back and pay for the berries.

 

Who goes blue berry picking you might ask?  Lots of kids of all ages, from 2 to teenager.  Also some couples and a few older people (who pick the most berries, they must be making jam).

What should you bring?

•  Buckets, or other containers for blueberries (you can buy them there if you forget).
• A hat and sunscreen.  There isn't any shade in the fields
• Water.  It gets hot out there.

What else is there to do?  If blueberries aren't enough reason to go, they also have other things you can pick.  Check their website for what is in season.  When I was there they also had black raspberries and sugar snap peas (I picked some of them too).

They also have a playground for the kids as well as several long slides built on the side of a hill.  Plan on spending the morning.

Where is it?
22200 Davis Mill Road • Germantown MD 20876.  check their directions page for how to get there.

Bethesda has a sinkhole

Sinkholes are cool, as long as there isn't any property damage and no one gets hurt.  Lot 31, on the corner of Bethesda Avenue and Woodmont Avenue is closed because they are going to build a new apartment building there.  It is the perfect spot for a sinkhole and I am glad that there now is one there.  Even better, there are railroad tracks running right through the center of it.  The Capital Crescent Trail runs along an old railroad line, but based on the location I think this must have been a siding, not the main line. It was covered up when they built the parking lot.

As part of the construction, they also have re-routed the trail, though not by much.  It now runs along the inside of the parking lot instead of the outside.

All the other Maryland cities must be jealous that they don't have a sink hole like Bethesda, MD has.

Hot air ballon at De chantal

As I was driving by St Jane de Chantal school this morning I saw them blowing up a big Re/Max balloon up on the field next to the school and all the school kids were out watching it.