National Night Out

Tuesday night was National Night Out Against Crime which is a chance for communities to come together against crime and drugs.
This national event has gone on for 25 years, but I have never attended. It think it is great when national events can happen at the local level.
Eldersburg was host for the event for the first time this year. I few other places in Carroll also held National Night Out events.
The Freedom Area Citizens Council and Carroll County Sheriff's Department put the event together which was a good attempt for the first time.
Eldersburg is home to many commuters. The two high schools, Century and Liberty have been picking up honors lately.
The event at Carrolltown Center brought out a lot of people together. Many county groups like Carroll Hospital Center, Sykesville Fire Department, Carroll County Sheriff Department, Lions Club and many others.
Many of the groups offered free items like pens, note pads and candy along with information. The younger crowd enjoyed the moon bounce, yo yo man and fire safety trailer.
It was a great event as folks had fun and were able to learn something also.

Jellyfish

The ads were on television and there was advertising around the Inner Harbor for a Baltimore Waterfront Invasion. Also known as the Jellies Invasion.
It seemed like an interesting exhibit to see during our visit. It's fun to watch them move through the water.
It was also interesting to note that the book I was reading over the weekend was `Medusa'. It is the latest from Clive Cussler (one of my favorite authors) and involves jellyfish.
The jellyfish come in different size and colors. I was used to seeing them in the Chesapeake Bay. The seas nettles hurt when you come in contact with them.
There were many people in the exhibit, but not the crowd like in other parts of the aquarium. So I was able to shoot some nice images of the jellies.

National Aquarium

Saturday saw us make a second trip to Baltimore in a week.
The focus of this journey was the National Aquarium. This was my first trip to the aquarium. I had visited one in North Carolina on a rainy day during a fishing trip.
We enjoyed the aquarium which was a family trip. There was one bad item about the trip. The place was packed as was the Inner Harbor.
The reason was that half of Boston was in town. The Red Sox was playing (no, make that sweeping) the Orioles. We saw a boat in the harbor flying a Boston flag. So they came by land and sea. I know that tourist are good for the local economy which was fine with me.
The aquarium is home to about 10,500 specimens, so I was looking forward to the trip. I am used to setting in a boat trying to get fish to bite. It was good to look at them eye to eye.
It's hard to shoot in the aquarium as the light changes from display to display. I love to shoot natural light and I knew flash and glass are not a good mix.
Some of the exhibits I couldn't get to see due to the crowd. But I was happy with the results of my shooting. I also know what to look for on a return trip.
It seems like the family liked the dolphin show and 4D movie. Both were good, but I think I liked the jellyfish best.
As I have said before, don't forget to take your camera.