Fort Garrison - Stevenson, MD

© (2007) Photographs by Vicki Polin


I've passed the sign to the fort a zillion time. Today I figured I'd go down the road to see it. It just seemed strange that it's on a suburban street next to some nice homes. I expected a fort to be in the middle of no where on top of a hill.

Not So Pretty - December 24, 2007

© (2007) Photographs by Vicki Polin

It was one of the first sunny days where I had time to go out and take pictures. I was in the middle of no where when I pulled over to take some shots. Once I was done I looked up and noticed a car going by. In it was an angry parent looking forward holding the steering wheel with one had and smacking his kid with the other in the back seat.

Then as I went along I notices some huge birds coming out of the sky. They were vultures coming down to eat a deer that looks like it died in a car accident... After that I went my safe little pond. Figured I'd find some beauty there.

Day After The First Snow - 12/06/2007

© (2007) Photographs by Vicki Polin

The following pictures were taken in honor of a friend who's going through chemotherapy. It was a picture perfect day. We had a snow storm yesterday and today the sun was shining brightly. My friend is a photographer who I know would have gone out today if he was able. I went out for him.

Driving Around On A Stormy Day - November 22, 2007

© (2007) Photographs by Vicki Polin

Amish Country Pennsylvania - November, 2007

© (2007) photographs by Vicki Polin

Driving around the countryside in late November.

Few Hours Before Shabbos - Fall, 2007

Sweet Home Chicago

Weekend trip back home.

Cross Country and Western Run

I took these pictures on the way to the Post Office.

Sparks and Beyond (Sparks, MD)

© (2007) Photographs by Vicki Polin
Music by Peter Himmelman - Whispering Days

Backroads to the Mall

© (2007) photographs by Vicki Polin

I thought it was going to be a bright sunny day. Instead it ended up being pretty cloudy.

A Friday Afternoon Before Shabbat

© (2007) Photographs by Vicki Polin

Mount Washington Arboretum - Fall, 2007

© (2007) Photographs by Vicki Polin

It was a beautiful day. On my way to the post office I stopped to take these pictures at the Mount Washington Arboretum.

Colors of Fall (2007)

© (2007) Photographs by Vicki Polin

I was running on errands and noticed the trees near a local pond. I couldn't resist taking pictures of them.

Around The High Holidays (2007)

© (2007) photographs by Vicki Polin

This group of pictures were taken right before, during and after the high holidays. Most of them were taken in either Baltimore county.

Intercourse, PA - Photographs by Vicki Polin

© (2007) Victoria Polin


I was driving through Amish country and spent time near Intercourse, PA.

Shabbat Shalom

© (2007) Photographs by Vicki Polin

The following photographs were taken between Hunt Valley, Gettysburg, Fredrick and beyond Hagerstown before and after shabbos. (August, 2007)

K'mo Tefillah - Photographs By Vicki Polin

© (2007) Photographs by Vicki Polin



K'mo Tefillah - Like a Dance

I've been asked by several people what was wrong with the duck in several of the photographs towards the end of this video. I was told that the ducks wings are broken and that is part of the reason it lives in this protected area.

Hava-Nagilah - Photographs by Vicki Polin

© (2007) Photographs by Victoria Polin


The pictures were taken towards in middle of August, 2007

Shalom Aleichem - Photographs by Vicki Polin

© (2007) Photographs by Victoria Polin



Shalom Alechem
Shalom alechem, malachei ha-shareit malachei elyon, mi-melech malchei ha-melachim
Ha-Kadosh Baruch Hu.
Bo'achem le-shalom, malachei ha-shalom malachei elyon, mi-melech malchei ha-melachim
Ha-Kadosh Baruch Hu.
Barchuni le-shalom malachei ha-shalom, malachei elyon, mi-melech malchei ha-melachim
Ha-Kadosh Baruch Hu.

Tzeit'chem le-shalom, malachei ha-shalom malachei elyon, mi-melech malchei ha-melachim
Ha-Kadosh Baruch Hu. English Translation

__________________________________
English Translation
Peace upon you, ministering angels, messengers of the Most High, of the Supreme King of Kings, the Holy One, blessed be He.

Come in peace, messengers of peace, messengers of the Most High, of the Supreme King of Kings, the Holy One, blessed be He.

Bless me with peace, messengers of peace, messengers of the Most High,
of the Supreme King of Kings, the Holy One, blessed be He.

May your departure be in peace, messengers of peace, messengers of the Most High, of the Supreme King of Kings, the Holy One, blessed be He.

Olam Ha-Ba

I remembered where I saw a camel in acornfield and decided to go out there once again.
"Grave Run Rd." The road goes from Falls Rd. past the Maryland/Pennsylvania boarder. Not to far away from the end of the road is a little town calledLineboro, MD. It's located right on the Mason Dixon Line (which divided the north and the south during the civil war).

A Rainy Sunday Afternoon

© (2007) Photographs by Vicki Polin

Taking A Break

I was dealing with a great deal of paperwork and needed to escape. It was a cloudy day and the sun began to come out. All of the photo's were taken within 35 - 40 minutes from Baltimore.

Summer Flowers in Maryland - By Victoria Polin

© (2007) photographs by Vicki Polin

I took a break from work and went to the Mt. Washington Arboretum.

Long Way Home

© (2007) Photographs by Vicki Polin

I had to go on errands. The sun was still up when I was done so I decided to take the long way home.

Quick Trip To Washington DC

© (2007) photographs by Vicki Polin

Off The Derech - The Camel of Baltimore County

© (2007) Photographs by Vicki Polin

This was the first time I saw a camel just outside a cornfield.

Back Roads To Hunt Valley - Photographs by Victoria Polin

© (2007) Photographs by Vicki Polin

I started off on Tufton Rd. in Baltimore county and then just kept making turns down country roads.

Shalom - Photographs by Victoria Polin

© (2007) photographs by Vicki Polin

Driving in Southern Pennsylvania - July, 2007

© (2007) Photographs by Vicki Polin
While I was driving around I was thinking about how everyone is trying to out do each other in how frum they can be.  For some reason this song kept playing in my head as I thought about how everyone seems to enjoy putting themselves in boxes.

Gettysburg and Beyond

© (2007) Photographs by Vicki Polin

The following photographs were taking on a trip to Gettysburg, PA.

Thank you to a friend - by Vicki Polin

© (2007) photographs by Vicki Polin

A friend of mine translated the words to this song for me. She told me it's a very old very popular Yiddish song called "A small Succah."

A Jew sits in a small succah and cries for his child who has gone to war...He cries out to his father in heaven..."Father, It's enough already!"

First Day of Summer - 2007

© (2007) Photographs by Vicki Polin

The Pond in June - Pikesville, MD

© (2007) Photographs by Vicki Polin

Back roads to Gettysburg, PA

The following photographs were taken during a few trips taking the back roads from Baltimore, MD to Gettysburg, PA.

Memorial Day Weekend - 2007

© (2007) Vicki Polin

The Birds - Memorial Day, 2007

© (2007) Photographs by Vicki Polin

Hatikva

The Hope
As long as deep in the heart,
The soul of a Jew yearns,
And forward to the East
To Zion, an eye looks

Our hope will not be lost,
The hope of two thousand years,
To be a free nation in our land,
The land of Zion and Jerusalem.


Hatikva
Kol od balevav p'nimah
Nefesh Yehudi homiyah
Ulfa'atey mizrach kadimah
Ayin l'tzion tzofiyah
Od lo avdah tikvatenu
Hatikvah bat shnot alpayim
L'hiyot am chofshi b'artzenu
Eretz Tzion v'Yerushalayim

On The Road Again

These photographs were taken in April, 2007

Pre-Pesach Photographs and Prayer

Passover Prayer On Behalf of Abused and Neglected Children
(2007) Author Unknown

The prayer below was written for protective parents and their loved ones, child abuse advocates, and all who care about children to recite at their passover seder. A spring onion is added to the seder plate, or placed on the table as a symbol.

The Passover Seder is a time to celebrate our freedom and remember those who still struggle for the freedoms they deserve. Freedom from tyranny, violence, and oppression is a core value for us as our ancestors have known slavery, and our heart goes out to the enslaved and the imprisoned of any race, culture or creed. Tonight we remember a group of individuals often forgotten, trapped by a kind of slavery so cruel, that society often looks the other way---children (including adult survivors of child abuse) enslaved in lives of abuse.

Today I remember ____________ (fill in name of a child or children you know trapped in lives of abuse. or substitute... "these children.") Though many of us have tried to free them, the Pharaohs in our generation have blocked our efforts or looked the other way. Our hearts ache knowing the pain these children live with day after day. They are not forgotten. With this prayer we share our commitment to find a way to liberate them from their lives of exploitation and tyranny.

This spring onion on the Seder plate is our symbol for these children and their plight. The shape of the onion reminds us of the whips used on slaves to keep them subjugated. The tears we shed from the onion remind us of the silent tears of these children waiting for rescue. The newness of the onion reminds us of the promise of hope, that one day these children can grow healthy and free from the tyranny they are living with today.

We pray for the wisdom to find an effective path to liberate these children. We pray for the courage to stand up to the Pharaoh's of our generation and speak the truth of what we know. We pray for the strength and fortitude to keep on fighting for their freedom.

May these children (including adult survivors) soon know the sweetness of freedom from violence and oppression and share Passover Seders and other celebrations of freedom, safely, with loved ones next year!

Amen.

The Birds - March, 2007

Driving to the store

My ride to the grocery store should only take a few minutes. For some reason it seems to take me much longer. I keep making the wrong turns and end up out in the middle of no where taking pictures.

Running On Errands - Early March, 2007

(Early March, 2007) It was a beautiful day, not a cloud in the sky. I had to run on tons of errands. When ever I got stopped in traffic I decided to take a picture. I also stopped if I saw something and there was no cars behind me.

© (2007) Photographs by Vicki Polin

Iced Bush

I was driving around doing errands when I noticed there were icicles on a bush. I think this is the first time since I moved to Baltimore that I saw icicles.

© (2007) photographs by Vicki Polin

Last Days of February - 2007

On Frozen Pond

The following photographs were taken during the last week of February, 2007.

© (2007) Vicki Polin

Rosewood Center - Owings Mill, MD

There's been many times I've passed by the Rosewood Center driving down Garrison Forest Rd.

I've always been curious about it. It saddened me a great deal thinking about individuals who must have lived in this state ran institution through the years -- especially knowing a little bit about the history of most state ran facilities for those who needed specialized care.

Tonight I decided to Google the history of the center. This is what I found:

Rosewood Center was established in 1888 as the Asylum and Training School for the Feeble Minded (Chapter 183, Acts of 1888). From 1912 to 1961, it was known as Rosewood State Training School. In 1961, the school became the Rosewood State Hospital. When the departments of health and mental hygiene merged in 1969, the hospital was renamed the Rosewood Center. Rosewood Center provides for the care, education, training, and rehabilitation of mentally retarded persons from all parts of the state.

• Disabled center's closure debated
• A Forgotten Scandal in Baltimore’s High Society - Crooked lawyers sprang inmates from an asylum to make them slaves.
• By Jesse Bering
  
  

A Sunny Sunday Afternoon - February 18, 2007

It was a sunny Sunday afternoon. A photography friend and I deciding to go out into Baltimore County to capture what was left of the snow storm that hit earlier this week. The snow just sparkled in the sun. We went down a very rural road and found two deers standing still -- just watching us as we watched them.

© (2007) Photographs by Vicki Polin

Shabbos is Coming - February 16, 2007

Mt. Washington Arboretum - Baltimore, MD

© (2007) Photographs by Vicki Polin
Music by Peter Himmelman - "Whispering Days"

The day before the snow storm I decided to record the colors of winter. The photographs were taken at a very small Arboretum in Baltimore that's located just off of Cross Country Blvd.

Photographs Of Days Past

© (2007) Photographs by Victoria Polin

Baltimore basically shut down today due to a major winter storm. Being from Chicago I have to say there really wasn't much snow, yet the ice is another story. I never remembered having ice storms in Illinois like they have here.

I'm stuck inside and figured it was a good day to pick out a few of my newest favorite photographs and post them here.

Mr. Ed's resides on a horse farm for abused and neglected horses in Glen Rock, PA. His photo was taken a few months ago. The nature scenes were taken on Monday. I was surprised at how much color the Mt. Washington Arboretum had in February.

Sunday Drive In The Country Before A Major Snow Storm

I knew there was a major snow storm heading to Maryland this week. I figured it was a good time to take a road trip before we would all be home bound. Maryland isn't really prepared for a major storm like they were predicting.

Running on Errands - Winter Wonderland - Photographs by Victoria Polin

I was running on errands in the late afternoon. It snowed much earlier in the day and later turned into was a bright sunny day.

I was driving down one road and the sun's brilliance shined on the golden brown brush. Later an hour later the sun was setting when I drove past this frozen creek. I figured it would only take a few seconds to capture the moment.

© (2007) Photographs by Vicki Polin

Sparks and Beyond (Sparks, MD)

© (2007) Photographs by Vicki Polin


The following photographs were taken in early January, 2006. Most of the pictures were taken near Sparks, MD and beyond.

It's February. I'm really missing the colors of fall

© (2006) Photographs by Vicki Polin

It's February and it finally feels like winter in Baltimore. I believe it's supposed to be below zero tonight and also tomorrow. I was thinking of trying to shoot so pictures tomorrow.

I was just going through some of the photographs I took back in October and am really missing how green and colorful things were. The following photos were taken some where in northern Maryland.

I wish I could find the mill again. It was extremely old and I found it amazing that it was still standing.

The cows below just kept posing for me and a photographer friend. They seemed to be sad when we left to go back to the car.

Last Call Before Baltimore

(© 2007) Photos by Vicki Polin

Farm at Greenspring and Park Heights in Baltimore County

Winter Came At The Pond - January 26, 2007

(© 2007) Photos by Vicki Polin

Yochanan Levenson Segal or is it Jonathan Livington Segull?

(© 2007) Photos by Vicki Polin

Pre-shabbat photos on the frozen pond

(© 2007) Photos by Vicki Polin

Snow At The Pond - Sunday, January 21, 2007

Today's weather was a lot different then Friday. On my way home I decided to stop at the pond. It was already getting to dark to take photos yet these two didn't come out so bad.

© (2007) photos by Vicki Polin

The Pond - January 19, 2007

I had extra time before candle lighting last Friday. The pond is only a few minutes away from where I live. It had been a beautiful sunny day and figured I had time so I went out to the pond.

I never saw so many different types of birds in one place. It was almost as if they were gathering for shabbat.

© (2007) photos by Vicki Polin

Gary The Friendly Goose - January 19, 2007

© (2007) photos by Vicki Polin

The strangest thing happened the other day when I stopped at a local pond to take some photos. As soon as I got out of my car I was greeted by the following goose. He followed me around every where I went. The funny thing was that every time I would aim the camera at something besides him, he would honk at me. At one point I thought he wanted to see my camera so I extended my hand with the camera.

Swan Lake - January, 2007

I was driving down a road with a friend out somewhere I think in Hartford County, MD. We came upon a small lake with two swans swimming. The photo's didn't come out that clear, yet I still like them.

© (2007) photographs by Vicki Polin

Sparks and the NCR Trail - January, 2007

There's this wonderful hiking, biking, jogging trail just outside of Baltimore known as the NCR Trail. The following photos are right near the Sparks entrance. The trail on what was once the old North Central Railroad tracks. It goes from just north of Baltimore, MA to York, PA.

Don't forget to click on each photograph to make them larger.

© (2007) photos by Vicki Polin