February 15, 2007
A Wondrous Sight
Today after showing one of our listings, a home for sale in Chestertown, MD, we came across
huge flocks of Snow Geese (Chen caerulescens).
huge flocks of Snow Geese (Chen caerulescens). Unlike the ubiquitous Canada Geese, the shy Snow Geese are relatively unknown. They arrive on the Eastern Shore in fewer numbers and flock together in a small area as opposed to their cousins who call every empty field, lot or body of water their home.
Snow Geese prefer to spend their time in large fields, Avoiding the creeks, coves and rivers near the Chesapeake Bay. This particular flock numbered at least 2,000 birds, who either settle down in a dense mass of feathered bodies or spend a good part of an hour freewheeling in the air like a dog circling and circling a likely spot on the ground before settling in for a nap.
And the result is spectacular. Sub flocks of hundreds of Snow Geese fly by in a waving grey mass. Then they suddenly change direction all at once, much like fighter planes in a dogfight and the whole mass turns into a brilliant white. One more abrupt change of direction reveals a third fascinating display of white wings with contrasting black tips.
Eventually the Snow Geese fly beyond our sight leaving us to say that we can’t think of a nicer reason to move to the Eastern Shore of Maryland. “Sailboats racing on the bay, wild geese covering the horizon, a plate of steamed crabs and a wonderful sense of Colonial America … all combine to add a new dimension to your life and enhance your own Chesapeake Lifestyle!”
Palladianism, a philosophy of design based on the writings and work of Andreas Palladio, an Italian architect of the 16th century who tried to recreate the style and proportions of the buildings of ancient Rome. Georgian homes are refined and symmetrical with paired chimneys and a decorative crown over the front door. Doors and windows were aligned vertically and horizontally in strict symmetry and never paned. Most feature an orderly row of five windows across the second story. The front doors were usually paneled and surrounded by twin columns and capped with a decorative crown and glass transom. Later versions added dormers and decorative features. 
r near the major American seaports. Look for a more stylistic design, often with attached wings of dependencies, that were curved or polygonal projections two or more rooms deep. Federal homes sport symmetrical facades with central entranceways and foyers. Sitting rooms and bedrooms lead off from these halls. An equal number of windows flank each side of the door and the windows tend to have small panes, owing to the difficulty of making large glass sheets at the time. The windows are usually equipped with shutters. Federal roofs, sometimes shielded behind balustrades, are either hipped (sloped on all four sides) or central or side gabled (straight slope from ridge to eave). Facades are fairly smooth, only broken up by small porches. Cornices usually sport decorations, often tooth-like shapes called dentils. Notable features changes were fan lights over the door, more elaborate details around the doors and windows and Palladian windows.
notable feature was a large entry (portico) dominating the façade, usually an elaborate porch supported with columns. Early Classical Revival houses usually had one story wings on each side, in the style of the Italian Renaissance Palladium concept (three part plan).