Here's a new mystery photo.
And here is yesterday's full picture. gawdess and karin were on the right track. It is a kitchen implement and it is the screen in the door of Marianne's coffee warmer. (We also cook other food in it too). For the record I used zoom to get the effect instead of cropping.
Today Chris and I went to Antietam Battlefield at Sharpsburg, MD. Chris became interested in the Civil War several years ago when it was covered in his school. He has been to Gettysburg several times, but this first time for both of us to visit Antietam. The battle here between McClellan's and Lee's Armies was the bloodiest one-day battle in US history, with about 23,000 killed, wounded or missing. Six generals were killed (3 on each side). We listened to one of the Park Rangers talk about the battle at the visitor center with a view of much of the battlefield through the windows. The battlefield is still much the same as it was in 1862. Monuments to both Union and Confederate units and individuals appear across the battlefield (above are the Maryland and New York state monuments). Cannons also dot the landscape and the Park Service has restored many of the fences to be as they were in 1862. The battle began at dawn in a cornfield at the northern end of the battle field and continued along a road in the middle that became known as "bloody lane".
This battle was a turning point in the war, as it was a Union victory that gave Lincoln the impetus to issue the Emancipation Proclamation and it prevented Lee from moving further north into Pennsylvania and possibly cutting off Washington from the northern states. The lower bridge over Antietam Creek (also known as Burnside's bridge) was the site of the afternoon battle, resulting in many more casualties. The next day Lee's army retreated across the Potomac River into Virginia and the war continued on for two more years. (Notice that Chris has been bitten by the photo bug too!) 
Today we broke the cycle of Wii, Uno, Sorry, Yahtzee, and Monopoly. We loaded the boys and their bikes in the van and headed to Carroll Creek in downtown Frederick and strolled along both sides of the creek in the business district. Along the way, I spotted the little bird above. To better understand what his bird is, see my posts of March 3 and February 15. We then drove to the lake in Baker Park. The lake is popular place for ducks, mostly mallards, but with a few other birds for variety. One family with a toddler was feeding the ducks and this little one got his snack and was being chased by a larger one. 
Chris later slowly herded the ducks back towards the water.
Both boys rode heir bikes around the lake. Here's Michael across the lake from us.
There are also Canada geese around the lake - in fact Maryland has a large, year-round population of these big birds. None of the water fowl are afraid of the humans, but they did scurry when a large dog (leashed) wandered by.
Afterwards, we went back downtown to have dinner at The Green Turtle, a sports bar and grill by the creek. Then back home to finish off the day with another round of Yahtzee and Wii (and a late posting of some of today's pics). More photos will be on Marianne's blog before long. 
Our bonica rose bush just keeps on blooming with these small pink flowers. Each stem has 4 to 6 blooms and after the petals drop I prune the dead ones and soon there are new stems and more flowers.
My Sony Walkman was popular back in the 80's (this one still works). A cassette held about 12 songs. Below is my grandson's iPod - smaller, lighter and holds hundreds of songs. Aren't modern digital electronics wonderful?
We have one Black-eyed Susan in a small flower bed around our mailbox. Its bright blooms have now opened wide. It is also the Maryland state flower.
We finished the puzzle (thanks big "e") last night. Below are some details that are clues to the mystery and the booklet that comes with the puzzle. Also see Marianne's post. 
The dining room table (there's the furniture theme) has become the game board. As in years past, these two have enjoyed games and puzzles with their Mommaw. At 13 and 16 they still do. After a late pancake breakfast, it was Uno, Sorry and then this puzzle. The puzzle comes with a mystery story and after completing the puzzle; you try to solve the mystery based on clues in the puzzle. So far, we know it involves jewelry and a coffee shop.
While discussing various topics with our 16 year old grandson and waiting for the usual apperance of Marianne's humming bird, I took a few shots out the window. Marianne has a delightful way of discussing any topic with our grandkids. Sixteen is still a tough time to deal with all of the changes of growing up and becoming independent, but she gave him the understanding that he would get through okay. (The humming bird never showed for its late afternoon snack).
Today we made the 540 mile round trip to southern Virginia to get 2 of our grandsons for a visit (Their Dad meet us halfway from South Carolina). We have been doing this exchange for a while now. At first, it was stuffed animals, hot wheels and legos. Now it is bicycles, playstation, Wii, ipods (and a few clothes) that fill up our van.
This old barn near the compost facility is well preserved and has an interesting pattern of brick work to allow ventilation.
Zoey climbed on the arm of the sofa while I was at the other end this afternoon. A little flash led to the red eyes.
The strip along the fence of the farmer's field doesn't get planted, so the weeds grow well when we have rain. Yesterday I tackled about half the strip. Behind the shed, some of the weeds are 6 feet tall and I went after them today. Made progress but still some more to go.
We have four of these hibiscus bushes in our yard. The blooms are about 4 inches across.
I was trying to beat the rain and finish cutting the grass this afternoon, but didn't. The wet grass and the uncut portion make for an interesting edge in the green.
This farm implement company is on the road into Frederick that I take often. When I moved here, farms surrounded it. Now there is housing behind and beside it and shopping center, gas stations, Blockbuster, Wal-Mart, etc across the road. Below is the back end of a spreader similar to the one in my post on July 1-st.
You don't want to follow too closely when it is working!
Up until about 15 years ago, I played in the company softball league - a few very good players, some average and the rest of us. We had a couple of hours of fun, got a little exercise and enjoyed a couple of beers after work. The blue hat and can holder (for soda these days) I still use for working in the yard (and painting). The glove has been stashed away in the basement, except for a few times playing catch with the older grandsons.
Just happened to have my camera when this bit of white fluff appeared in the sky.
The exterior of a shopping center "up the road a piece" is being slowly remodeled. The old roof over the covered walkway has been covered by blue tarps most of this spring. Slowly, new colors are replacing the blue. The yellow is being covered by white so I don't know what the final color scheme will be.
I did not see the friend on the lily until I viewed the image on my computer.
Winston was not really ready to leave today. He wanted to watch "Winnie the Pooh" again. But he settled in with his juice for the ride home. We had a grand time with my youngest daughter and her family and miss them already.
Winston delighted us this 4-th of July weekend with his happy approach to most everything. He especially responded to Marianne. She taught him the "itsy, bitsy spider" song, which he had down pretty well. He also learned some new phrases like "cool beans".
He discovered our collection of Disney tapes and took out Bambi. It is one of his favorite movies.
Our youngest grandson (along with his parents) are visiting for the weekend. He will be 2 in August, but is talking up a storm and picking up new words quickly. He is a delight to have around. Photography and blogging is taking a backseat for a few days.
When we went out yesterday, Marianne saw some dead looking stuff in one of our cherry trees. Today I took a closer look and found this robin on a nest.
The wheat has been harvested and now the straw is being baled. This baler (red machine behind the tractor) throws the bales into the wagon and as the wagon gets full, occasionally one bounces over the side. While one farmer is baling, another has begun applying "natural" fertilizer. While I was waiting for the spreader to get closer, there was a grinding noise and he stopped to investigate. Apparently something broke, as he drove tractor and spreader back toward the barns.
