BOAT TRAFFIC

Since the markers in the Bay mean nothing to the speeders, perhaps this would work: Time to hook up a photo speed gun on the water way and then post the boat numbers to DNR.
Every time they break the no wake limit they get mailed a ticket like the red light cams.
Go ahead speed we need the cash.

ROUTE #90 BRIDGE

When you’re driving across this bridge you are so busy watching traffic that you don’t have time to look at the scenery. Here is the golf course and Isle of Wight Wild Life Management area. Our photographer is Jane Thamas, UMCES.
Going across the wooded area on our way to the hospital in Berlin there was a very big, dead deer on the divider. That had to be a shock to someone. We returned via Coastal Highway.
Wildlife is short one bunny on the pond. We hadn’t seen any fox in a while so we thought he had left for a less populated area. That fox…guess it was the fox, left nothing but bunny fur.

COME FLY WITH ME

This time Jane Thomas is flying south, looking towards the route #54 bridge. If you could zoom in you would see something developing in those flats. I can’t help but wonder what will happen with a very high tide. Follow the Fenwich Ditch to Montego Bay.
We used to think we had an inordinate amount of boat traffic going past the houses on Harbour Drive, now we know why. There was so much boat traffic going through the Ditch over Memorial Weekend that is was difficult for people to get their boats off the lifts.

HIGH FLYER
Jane Thomas took this photo May 24, 2006. You’re looking at Walkers Pond in Montego Bay, Ocean City, Maryland. The Fenwick ditch divides Assawoman Bay from Little Assawoman Bay. When you pass Route #54 bridge the boating looks pretty tricky. I’ve been told that many years ago boats could navigate all the way to the Indian River Inlet.
A word about our photographer: She received her Bachelor of Science (Ecology, Marine Biology) from the University of Queensland, Australia. We are fortunate to have her at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Studies.
Check out their website by cut and paste http://www.ian.umces.edu. I love their slogan!

A Birds Eye Yiew

We have some of the most amazing aerial photos to show to you taken just this past Monday by Jane Thomas, UMCES. Ms. Thomas is a researcher as well as a fantastic photographer. How did we get so lucky; thank you, Maryland Coastal Bays and our Dr.Jesien.
Until I saw these pictures I never realized how populated this barrier island has become, nor did I realize how many canals there are.
When you look at our piles of sand from the air they look much bigger. Notice too, the island off of Oyster and the berm on the Bahia side.

THE ABSOLUTE TRUTH…Gulls Revenge
Lavern and Bob were sitting on their porch that overlooks the pond. Now that more of the island has been exposed all sort of birds congregate there. This day there was one that Lavern did not expect to see. She said, “Bob I haven’t been drinking, but there is a florescent, pink bird on the island; it’s too small to be a flamingo…plus that they wouldn’t fly here. Bob looked, and sure enough there was a pink, big seagull. Some sick person had spray painted it.
Lavern and Bob aren’t the only people who have seen this poor creature, doing its’ best to clean itself. What sickie would do such a thing?
Daphne has heard that all the gulls are getting together for revenge….the guy with the spray can better wear a wide brim hat and plastic clothing for the rest of his life.
Daphne

Daphne, your pond queen, felt familiar footsteps going around the pond. It was such a pleasure to see Jasper Johnson again. He and Brian Williams reinstalled the fountains in the pond. The two end fountains are not hooked up to the electric because only the middle fountain had new electric lines. Have no fear; those other two fountains will work. I can’t wait to see if the lights come on tonight! Jasper says he will be back next week to do more work on the aerator lines. They will go all the way across the pond.
Some people have noticed an odor from the pond. The grass grows and the grass dies and the nutrients are recycled. The odor is from decomposition, but nothing we have to be concerned about. It certainly won’t discourage our wildlife. If you walked into a marsh today you would smell stagnant water. Maybe we should think of it as part of the charm of living so close to nature. Since I have no sense of smell, I would suspect the odor is strongest near the corner opposite the road? Where wind washes the dead grass up on the shore and houses provide a buffer from the wind in the opposite direction? Here's a picture of the decomposing grass as well as pollen. The pond collected more pollen this year than I have ever seen. Imagine if it had stll been airborne instead of the pond collecting it? People would really suffer...Hey another reason to love our pond.
There are two weed whackers in the pump-house. The one from MBCA has metal blades….so be careful. The other one Jasper brought down, has nylon line. It looks like a lawn mower. I can’t wait to see someone using it….never saw one like that before.

HA! HA!

Vera lost her mojo, but not Daphne, the Pond Queen. I’ve had two comments in the Blog. This person wants moi to be a “secret shopper”…I can make $900 a month…imagine that! Can’t you just see this little killifish sashaying in the stores trying to be a secret?
I keep telling you…make no mistake about it….but no…you are allowing some man to hit golf balls into my pond. You can’t see them today because of all the pollen on the shoreline; nevertheless, balls are all over the place. I shudder to think that one could break a light in the fountain when they are reinstalled. He must get those balls free someplace because he never picks them up. I hope our man that cuts the grass doesn’t get one in his blades because it would act as a projectile and could hurt someone. You wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to your sassy little Daphne now, would you?

WAY COOL? NO!!

This boat went flying up the bay; first one guy jumped overboard….the boat never stopped….then the other guy jumped over. The boat just kept going. The boat stayed a sizeable distance away, which made the guys swim a good distance if they wanted that ride back with the drink that accompanied it. That water is COLD!! Were they all drinking? Duh! What is this some kind of rite of passage ritual?
The second picture shows the guy in the water....look on the right hand side.

CHEERS TO THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL OF OCEAN CITY

With the help of Terry McGean, our Vera went before these people last night and explained why we had 10 truckloads of sand sitting in the park instead of it being a shoreline for the pond. She brought with her the above before and after pictures, but make no mistake about it…..YOU are the reason the Council voted unanimously to have Public Works spread that sand. You have demonstrated, by your continuing involvement, and hard work, that this pond is worthy of the Town’s support. Give yourself a pat on the back!
About that after photo: Look at how clear we now have that water. Let's keep it that way!

THE PHRAG WHACKERS

It was cold and overcast, just the kind of day you need for sneaking up on those phrags and whacking them down. The three Friends filled two big trashcans before they ran out of gasoline.
Make no mistake about it…this is hard work; a task not easily completed alone. Just a little spot more of phrag cutting on Harbour Drive and we can watch the good grass grow.

IT'S PHRAG WHACKING TIME AROUND THE POND!

Yes, we do have a pretty pond….even the phrags look pretty at dusk, but make no mistake about it; if we don’t keep them trimmed they will be 8 ft. tall again. Remember when you couldn’t see the pond? This is the time to trim them back…all the way to the dirt. Presently they are green and easy to cut; when the weather gets warmer they will become woody and hard to cut. To help us, MBCA has purchased a gas-powered weed-wacker, which may be borrowed. Because it was expensive, we will need to sign it out and return it on the day it was borrowed. We still haven’t figured out the logistics on this, but we will. We can spread the word by “grapevine” if need be.
Most people have kept the phrags from spreading, for those that are still there; perhaps there is a reason. Health? Regardless of the reason, for the health of the pond we must be good FRIENDS and cut them down. If everyone would just do a little extra we could eradicate them.
Growing among the phrags is some very good grass and the bayberry bushes. We need to let them live! In other words….watch what you cut….just the phrags, please.
Our Dr. Jesien from Maryland Coastal Bays was visiting the pond the other day and told Terry McGean, the Town Engineer, that our water really looked good. Well, your Daphne, the pond queen, could have told them that! Good grief, all you have to do is watch all those hungry birds that hang out around the pond. It’s mealtime all the time. I have to be really careful not to be lunch.

Sunsets
This past weekend in Montego Bay, Maryland was pure joy with magnificent weather, culminated with this beautiful sunset.

The photos are by Carl Schauerman.