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Holiday Memories at Bayfields

Some old Bayfields Christmas cards of long ago remind us of the changes to Bayfields; a greenhouse added in the 1940’s, 2 bay windows added in the 1960’s, extended porch and balcony…   

   

For ages my grandparents held a neighborhood Christmas party each year, but it’s been over 35 years since Bayfields has invited the neighbors in to see it decorated for the season. 

This year, thanks to an invite from the Galesville Holiday House Tour, Bayfields was inspired to deck the hall, the tree, the sleigh, the mantles, the bedrooms, and even our grandfather’s old Santa suit made an appearance!

 

My sister, Holly, collected greenery outside to create window swags and dozens of vases filled with fresh cut greenery.  While Mom and I decorated the tree and bedrooms, Kurt cleared the lawn of leaves and carried the ladder around.  

I had wrapped empty boxes to load up the old sleigh(yes, we still use it on snow days) and we even put the garden gnomes to work.   

We had several dozen visitors for the house tour, here below is 30 second speed tour of the house from that night.  

  
Since the house was already decorated, we hosted a dinner party for a church group caroling to the homebound the following weekend. Of course we’ll have a big family gathering here for Christmas dinner so they can also enjoy the old family home with a few new traditions. 

  

A feast, birthday wishes for Ivy, and of course, singing Christmas carols into the evening as my brother Rick plays the piano.  

 

From our house to yours, have a very merry Christmas!  
 
    
    
    
 

  

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Butterflies Love the Dog Days of Summer

Butterfly at Bayfields

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly on the Tiger Lilies at Bayfields

The lilies are extra beautiful at Bayfields this year. The butterflies are really enjoying them. May Heintz planted these flower beds of Tiger Lilies and Day Lilies here,  in the late 1940s.

We get lovely Chesapeake Bay breezes, to keep the lilies and the butterflies cool and comfortable, even in the Dog Days of Summer. Dog Days refer to the  the hot sultry weather that we have in July and August. The Romans associated the hot weather with the star Sirius. They considered Sirius to be the “Dog Star” because it is the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major (Large Dog).

Eastern Tiger Swallowtails have a dark morph in addition to the common yellow form. The black form is always female. Click here to see pictures of different kinds of Swallowtails.

Photo Credit: Keri Budd
Guitar cover of Heart’s Dog and Butterfly on my video: Mark Budd

Come travel to see us at Bayfields, a bed and breakfast on the West River, in Maryland, with a great view of the Chesapeake Bay.

~Holly

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Thankful that Wind and Water Passed Us By This Time

High water before and during Super Storm Sandy at Bayfields on the West River

High water before and during Super Storm Sandy at Bayfields on the West River

Super Storm Sandy did not cause major harm to Bayfields.  No damaging winds. The tides no more than 2 foot above normal. Wish Sandy was as kind to New Jersey and New York.

-Holly Heintz Budd

Bayfields is a bed and breakfast on the West River, in Maryland, with a great view of the Chesapeake Bay.

You can learn more, and make your reservations here.

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Bayfields Before Hurricane Sandy

Bayfields is beautiful in the fall.  I love the golden leaves in contrast with the grey water.  Today we were readying everything just in case the “Frankenstorm”  turns out to be a bad one.  It is about 7 miles from Bayfields out the mouth of the West River, and directly across the Chesapeake, to the Eastern Shore.  So if winds are directly out of the east, the shore line could take a beating.  The house, built in 1921, has been above the flood wars so far.  Enjoy the “Before Hurricane Sandy” pictures.

Bayfields in the Fall

Bayfields in the Fall

Not too windy yet. Got to get the flag down before the storm.

The shoreline of Bayfields on the West River, Saturday, before the storm.

A nice spot for a break.

Oysters for the Hurricane party

Oysters for the Hurricane party

Bayfields is a bed and breakfast on the West River, in Maryland, with a great view of the Chesapeake Bay.

-Holly Heintz Budd

You can learn more, and make your reservations here.

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Oysters at Bayfields

Oyster Floats at Bayfields

Oyster Floats at Bayfields

Many years ago, sheep grazed here at Bayfields.   More recently, my grandparents raised chickens and tended large vegetable and flower gardens. My father used a donkey cart to deliver crabs that he caught in the West River.

I grew up in this tradition, learning about farming from my grandparents, and catching crabs and fish to sell to my neighbors. Currently I am experimenting with aquaculture. I “planted” thousands of oysters in Popham Creek l. I got the oyster spat from Circle C Oyster Ranching. Rich Pelz has been doing a lot of work to breed oysters that grow quickly and are disease resistant. They are plump with thin, easy open shells. All this without GMOs!

I love Rich’s plan for growing the oysters:  For millions of years, oysters thrived on the bottom of the bay and its tributaries. Now, though, the water in the bay is so murky that the light does not reach the bottom, so there’s no longer enough food or oxygen for them there. With Rich’s plan, my oysters get to grow in bags which protect them from predators, and with floats to keep them on the surface, where all the algae and oxygen is. One oyster filters 55 gallons of water a day. So not only am I growing tasty food, I am cleaning the Chesapeake Bay too!

Oyster floats provide habitat for wildlife. In addition to this small fish called a Blenny, we find Black Fingered Mud Crab, White Fingered Mud Cab, Goby, Skilletfish, American Eel, Annelid Worm, Muscles, and Barnacles,

Oyster floats provide habitat for wildlife. In addition to this small fish called a Blenny, we find Black Fingered Mud Crab, White Fingered Mud Cab, Goby, Skilletfish, American Eel, Annelid Worm, Muscles, and Barnacles,

Black Fingered Mud Crab lives amongst the Oysters.

Washing the Oysters

Oysters on the Barbie, delicious!

So travel to see us at Bayfields Bed and Breakfast, to see our “home oyster aquiculture project” cleaning the bay.

-Holly Heintz Budd

To reserve a room at Bayfields, click here.

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