Travel: Alex Champion's Week 3 pt. 1

This week I decided to present pictures of my recent travels. First, my daily commutes. Unlike most of the employees of the Legacy of Slavery Research in Maryland research project and indeed much of the Maryland State Archives’ staff, I live in Annapolis. This decision was based on my girlfriend and me’s transportation needs. We only have one car between us—hers, I loathe commuting, and she may need the vehicle for future employment. My 2.2 mile walk is hardly arduous, is very scenic, and gives me time to reflect on the future and the past. While some people get their best ideas in the shower, I am like famous golfer Calvin Peete (or so I learned from his oral history interview) who psyches himself up while he drove before a match.

The dot is an arbitrary starting point near the crab dock: So many boat slips

View on the ground: The invisible Google Maps dot is 100 yards forward

These succulent looking pine cones come from broad, waxy leafed trees that dot the lawns on my walk

I initially identified these trees as "Spiny Tennis Ball Fruit Trees"

Painful though the truth, and these fruits, may be--they're just chestnut trees

When ripe they crack open like a baseball without stitches

Rival teams play nicely around here, unlike in Minnesota or Wisconsin

Historical marker on the Spa Creek Bridge
Summary: Lafayette Slept Here

Looking NW from the bridge

Looking up Duke of Gloucester. Perhaps to clear up confusion for tourists using old maps,
street signs helpfully declare its name changed from "Southwest St." in 1697.

Tastefully designed nuicance devices against skateboarders at St. Mary's High School.
Why on Earth boarders would risk their necks on the uneven brick sidewalks is beyond me.

Church Circle

House of Delgates office building

An aesthetically appropriate public parking ramp, or "garage"

A heron

It flees when it feels my shadow from the bridge

The Maryland State Archives

The map that greets visitors (See MSA Week 1 for the story behind it)