Our first stop today was a museum in Maryland, we had the joy of parking right outside, where we paid for a couple of hours of parking with coins. Most parking offers payment via an App which requires a phone which we don’t have.
On entry to the Walter Art Museum, a school tour was in progress, and reception advised visiting other floors first where it would be a little quieter. We had an informative conversation to a conservator who was showing us repair work with stained glass. The museum was impressive, it really is a place you could have easily spent an entire day in, and we only saw a fraction of the building full of treasures from across the globe. There was mention of the Peabody library so we wanted to fit this in too. In the store, I enquired if the library was close and one of the guides walked us through back-corridors to an exit where the library was just over the road. Winner.
This street we stepped into had a huge monument to President Washington, where you had the option of seeing views from the top via an internal spiral staircase, much like the Monument in London. Nearby was a beautiful church and of course the Peabody Library which was closed but we were able to take a peek as guest of the lovely person on the door (Mr Platt) who sneaked us in to take photos. He is a retired fire fighter, and now works part time at the library. That same day we were hearing on the news that hundreds of firefighters were turning out to a funeral of a firefighter and the roads around us would be a procession, whilst other fire houses out of state were covering so everyone could attend. The same day there was also a shooting at school in our area. All this at the same time where a man-hunt is also underway for a mass-shooting of 18 victims in Maine. It feels like the whole world is off-balance at the moment, and this is quite sobering.
Our travels today took us over a hydro-bridge into our next state, Delaware which I have got to say is a beautiful state and full of opulence. Giant houses, with gated driveways leading all the way into Wilmington which then give way to a city scape. We stopped at another library, and then had a late pizza lunch before booking into the hotel nearby.
Just a little note on the item below. This is a Sperm Whale Tooth and Ink - Japan early 19th Century. It is of Daruma, the First Zen Buddhist Patriarch. So the story goes, that Daruma is the monk credited with founding Zen Buddhism in Japan. This netsuke (toggle) may be referencing a story whereby Daruma, frustrated with himself because he kept falling asleep while meditating, cut off his own eyelids and threw them on ground. The eyelids eventually grew into tea trees. It is the size of a large marble.
