Drive-by Views

It seems as though I’m doing quite a bit of driving these days, what with the weekday Baltimore commute. The first few trips were all about paying attention to the directions. After that I could relax and become more aware of my surroundings as I drove. One unexpected sight became the start of a rather entertaining Facebook thread:

Why is there an abandoned backyard grill in the median on Route 175? Odd place for a cookout.

Somewhere, there's an abandoned Plymouth on someone's patio and their grill is missing. Imagine how confused they are right now.

We saw that yesterday!

You’ve got to grill when the spirit hits you!

Police are grilling suspects right now.

Thanks for the fyi on the BBQ!

I saw that grill today myself. Its legs were detached and so it is stuck there.

Wait - - so you mean it won’t be able to walk away?

Not unless an EMT stopped by and fixed it up!

I am blessed with many witty friends.

How would you just happen to drive by and eject a barbecue grill on Route 175 while driving? No one’s car windows are big enough to roll down and then chuck the thing out. And, then - - why?

Twitter told me there’s an even more fascinating sight I didn’t see on 95 South, in a spot I pass almost daily.

In case anyone in Maryland wants to start a carnival, there is a teacups ride abandoned on the side of 95-S, before the exit for Columbia.

What? A teacup ride? Seriously? I needed to know more.

Which side of the road? The right-hand side as you are driving south from Baltimore to Columbia?

Correct. Southbound, right hand side, just before exit 38 for Columbia. Folded up, similar to this.

Friends, I never saw it. Did you? I’d love to know that story.

Back to Route 175. It looks to me as though whatever is growing in the median strip this year is different. Rather than the usual scraggly suburban lawn grass we are used to, it appears to a mixture of grasses, some of them flowering. Perhaps it’s an intentional assortment of native plants that will look good even as they get longer and help absorb rainwater and reduce runoff?

Am I hoping too hard here? 

If you work for the country and know exactly who I should reach out to, I’d appreciate direction. I sent an email but haven’t heard back yet. How often do they get letters saying, “I love the media strip?” 

I promise I won’t ask them about the barbecue grill.