Eastern shore

This past weekend I went camping with some friends out on Assateague, a barrier island off the coast of Maryland. It's a beautiful place with a unique ecosystem - the centerpiece of which is the herd of feral ponies that roam the island. It was a beautiful, sunny weekend (as my sunburned shoulders and feet (of all places!) will readily attest).

Sunset colors over Sinepuxent Bay

The beach illuminated by the very bright Blue Moon

Some of the ponies roaming the beach

Sandcastle time

The marsh on the bay side of the Island

Sunset on night two

Storms over the bay on the second night

The See of Baltimore

Last Sunday, I took the train up to Baltimore for the afternoon. My thesis at Catholic University involves developing a design for a museum of American Catholicism. My site is currently in rural St. Mary's City, Maryland, the first place in the Colonies where Catholics were free to settle. It's beautiful, but it is far from DC and is quite remote. It was suggested to me during my final review for the semester that I consider a more urban site, given the largely urban nature of American Catholicism as a whole.

To that end, a visit to Baltimore was in order. Baltimore is the oldest diocese in the United States. Its first bishop, John Carroll, was a cousin to Charles Carroll of Carrollton, the only Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence. During the 19th Century, Baltimore - like many American cities - swelled with Catholic immigrants from Europe, lending various layers of character to its many unique neighborhoods. In all, I am growing more convinced that an urban site for this museum makes more sense.

Below are a few photos of the magnificent old Cathedral of the Assumption, the first Cathedral in the United States. I thought it interesting that it was built in the Neoclassical style that was so often used for government buildings and Protestant churches. It was quite beautiful.