TSPGH: Randyland

Why did it take Dear Husband and I almost a decade to visit the iconic Randyland?

Thankfully dear friend C.M. came to visit, so we all went together.

Randyland is the brain child of Randy Gilson and his partner, Mac McDermott, Yinzers who started turning their house on the Northside and the lots, walls, and fences around it into a rainbow-hued wonderland of brightly painted found and re-purposed objects in 1995.

The only time this outdoor art installation has been closed was in 2019, when fans raised enough money to send the couple on their dream vacation, and in 2019, when Mac died of prostate cancer.

Entrance is free. Signs point toward local landmarks or say "welcome" in a variety of languages.

Randy(land) encourages visitors to take care of themselves, each other, and the world.

It was Mayor’s Award for Public Art in 2019.

RandyLand only "<3s hearts" / No Brains / Thinking / Only Stuff / Recycling / Finds / Repurpose SELF

There's a sandpit with toys and chairs if families want to come enjoy the outside.

Brains: Over Rated Not Reliable / Must be driven / Not Automatic / Beware Brains Break Very Often

Unsurprisingly, it's a popular destination for the selfie and Instagram set.

Here I was trying to capture the cacophony of crystal chandeliers on the pergola.

Pink flamingos. 'Nuff said.

Wall of mirrors.

Mannequins

We arrived at dusk on a Saturday evening and basically had the place to ourselves as the sun set. 

We stuffed some dollar bills in the "karma slot" and thanked Randy on our way out.

He was in his workshop, cooking up something else exuberant and playful.

That's so Pittsburgh.

Friday and Saturday in Oakland, Maryland

"American Pride" off Boy Scout Road

On Friday morning we saw the California crew off and then drove over to Oakland in my new car. First stop: the Garrett County Museum of Transportation. Downstairs they have "things with wheels," while upstairs is everything from boats to ski mobiles, as well as a history of the dam and the lake.

"Gangster" car from the 1930s

This 1952 Roadster feels 20-30 years older in its design.

Right front: Cub Scout Derby car; left side: multiple WWII-era toys made of rubber, which we found surprising given the rationing and requisitioning of rubber for the war effort.

Above: Craig Abrahamson was a wood carver, then he had a hand injury, but rather than do formal physical therapy, he carved this life-sized motorcycle instead.

Below: a miniature wooden motorcycle.

Upstairs we learned that Deep Creek was dammed in 1925 to generate hydroelectricity. This created a 12-mile-long mountain lake with 65 miles of shoreline that is, arguably, more successful than the power plant. Outdoor recreation here includes the water (boating, fishing, swimming, kayaking, rafting, etc.) and the land (skiing, hiking, camping, birding, etc.). There have been a number of camps (United Methodist, Boy Scouts) and businesses, such as Deep Creek Lodge (below) and the Cabin Lodge (where we bought our French fries and ice cream yesterday!).

Above: Deer Park Water was originally bottled here for the B&O Railroad to serve on its trains.

Below: The museum was hosting a traveling exhibit from the Smithsonian Museum on revitalizing rural communities; as part of that, there was an "Old and New Game," which involved matching pictures of older and newer versions of the same technologies that I thought would make a great Brownie Scout activity, and I'm also contemplating how I could turn it into a teaching activity as well.

We ate lunch at 206 Alder, a bistro & bar, and attempted to visit the Garrett County Historical Society Museum, but it was inexplicably closed, so we moved on to the third museum in downtown Oakland, the B&O Railroad Museum.

Like the Transportation Museum across the street, the B&O Railroad Museum is a semi-professional affair with a mish-mash of exhibits and labels, some of which are still printed on simple computer paper. I wanted badly to turn lose a historian friend of mine, who would surely whip things into shape. The building is the third to stand on that spot; railroad president John Work Garrett ensured that the westernmost county in Maryland (named for him!) had a beautiful train station in Oakland; construction began in 1884, the same year he died. That's a 1920 locomotive next to the fountain out front--it blows "steam"! Left is the "Cincinnatian," and below are photos about eating on the train.

"Nothing Could be Finer Than Dinner in the Diner.."

The oddest thing we found at the railroad museum was a couple of scrapbooks that belonged to one of the elderly docents, whose son had purchased them for him secondhand. They contain newspaper clippings from the 1920s and are badly in need of conservation. My mother and I were fascinated by these pages about the time a leaky steam pipe caused an explosion in the basement of a Cleveland Clinic building where old x-ray film was being stored, sending poisonous gas through the ductwork that killed 124 people throughout the hospital (May 15, 1929)--neither she nor I had heard of it before!

In the late afternoon we drove 15 minutes over to the Deep Creek State Park, where we threw a Nerf football around in the water before lying out in the sun on the small sandy beach to dry off. Back at the cabin it was leftovers for dinner while watching Wicked, and then one last sit in the hot tub before bed. Saturday morning we packed and packed and then returned to Oakland for their year-round Saturday farmers market. We loaded up on fresh produce--including peaches that required a 10-15 minute wait in line--and enjoyed cheeseburgers while sitting in the shade of a tree on the banks of the Upper Youghiogheny River.

In the background you can see the cupola of the B&O Railroad Museum.

And that's it! We drove home, unpacked, did laundry, lazed about, and reconciled with Rosamunda. It was a wonderful vacation, but it's time to answer emails and get back to work/

Thursday adventures on sea and land

Thursday the plan was to explore the outdoor activities Deep Creek Lake has to offer. The morning was again cool (70s F) and overcast, which meant that it was uncomfortable to swim, but there was little traffic on the lake for either the wave runner (1-hour rental) or the pontoon boat (concurrent 3-hour rental). Without an anchor on the boat or live bait, the fishing was disappointing, but it was wonderful to be out on the water without roasting or burning. We saw a couple of great blue herons and turkey buzzards. One of things we noticed that  makes Deep Creek different from Lake Anna or Lake Wylie is that the houses are set back farther from the water's edge, with launches that have to be pulled up during the winter rather than the "party houses" with permanent docks elsewhere. We used up the last of the deli meat for wraps and then completed lunch with ice cream and fresh, HOT fries on the shore under a sun that had finally found its way from behind the clouds. Back at the cabin it was quiet / nap time.

Then we retraced our steps to the Circle R Ranch for our rescheduled 1-hour trail ride. After helmets were given out again and horses re-assigned, we lined up to mount. It was a gorgeous sunny and warm afternoon for a sedate walk over the hills and through the fields and forests of the farm. In addition to the sound of unseen vehicular traffic, we heard a plane, bird calls, insects, a stream, wind in the trees, and horse sounds (clip-clop, snorts, and farts!). I saw monarch butterflies, cabbage moths, and a groundhog.

Nate on Chance, Chanté on Nellie

Joe on Gidget

Kate on Hot Shot

Michael on Shy Girl

Kristen on Bailey

Dinner was curry packets and naan, then games for the last night with everyone at the cabin. The parents won a game of "Cut Throat" pool; "Sushi Go" is easy to play but hard to master; and "Deep Sea Adventure" was not the hit it was expected to be, because of how hard it was to master the mechanics of game play. We also finished the race car puzzle (photo not available due to it being taken apart too soon). The hot tub was the right way to end the night.

Friday: museums in Oakland