Patterson Park: The Miracle Pond
In the fall of 1998, local nature photographer, Middleton Evans, ventured to Patterson Park's Boat Lake to investigate a tip that wild Wood Ducks had taken up residence. Sure enough, several pairs were spotted amidst a flotilla of mallards. With great fortune, the woodies readily accepted handouts of bread from park-goers, so close-up photography would be a snap. That fall and early winter, Evans returned to the lake time and again making compelling portraits and dramatic action shots. The lake's magnetic pull would only diminish when winter's deep freeze forced all ducks to head south for open water. With hundreds of slides to edit that winter, a new book project was born.
The following summer offered up a wonderful surprise... baby woodies milling about the dense reeds. Over the next three years, Evans documented numerous aspects of the Wood Duck's life cycle—a dream come true. Other waterbirds thrived at the pond, providing magical moments for the camera just like the woodies. The project expanded when migrating Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers dropped in for a drink. Patterson's abundant songbirds and attendant raptors were photographed for several years. Nearly seventy species were discovered, an astonishing total for an urban park.
Nature was flourishing in a park not managed for wildlife, but neatly manicured for sports and recreation. More and more people are coming to enjoy recent renovations and programs, but few are tuned in to nature's bounty lurking in the shadows. The Miracle Pond will tell this vivid story of nature's abundance and Baltimore's restored city jewel. This oversized coffee table book features nearly four hundred photographs of the city's beloved park. If you would like to be notified of the book's publication, please contact us.
Hometown Baltimore
Well into its third decade of downtown renewal, Baltimore has fully emerged as a destination city with no shortage of tastes, sounds and beauty to tantalize guests throughout the seasons. There is plenty of press on new hotels and restaurants, museum expansions, bustling downtown ballparks and luxurious waterfront townhomes.
Against this glitzy backdrop is another story—the persistent charms of a city that retains a high percentage of its native sons and daughters. Baltimore is quilted from 233 distinct neighborhoods that provide a deep sense of community that is lacking in modern suburban America. The city is equally blessed with numerous institutions dedicated to the invigoration of mind, body and soul. Mix in a thriving arts community, rich sporting traditions, countless architectural gems, great recreation and proximity to pastoral countryside and the Chesapeake Bay, and you have a great American city.
Local photographer Middleton Evans, a 1982 graduate of McDonogh School, knows this older Baltimore well, having grown up in Homeland. For Hometown Baltimore, he combines a lifetime of living in Baltimore, twenty years of photographing the city and a passion for creating inspiring photographs that celebrate the human spirit and honor God's magnificent creation. This multi-faceted collection of 350 photographs captures the heart and soul of Baltimore for a lifetime of enjoyable viewing.
