Category Archives: Worlds Smallest

Seven Foot Knoll Lighthouse in Baltimore

Posted on by November 11, 2016

I’m still in the Florida panhandle, but catching up on some earlier sightseeing adventures. There is a lot to see here in the Florida panhandle, but I haven’t yet seen anything other than the sunsets, and a few sunrises before the time change. However, I did get to meet the famous memory expert and motivational speaker Bob Kittell. It was an amazing experience – as fantastic as are his memory tips, his motivational stories about his life are inspirational and moving. He’s one of the better motivational speakers I’ve heard. If you get the chance, go see him.

Meanwhile, I’ll continue the long-overdue chronicling of my visit with BluzDude at Darwinfish and his tour of Baltimore Harbor. The first post about our meeting and the tour of Baltimore Harbor can be found by clicking here.

Today’s post is about my favorite site in the tour of Baltimore Harbor: the Seven-foot Knoll Lighthouse. I LOVE lighthouses – and a little, squat, red lighthouse is a bit of double awesomeness. The lighthouse was constructed in 1856, marking the entrance to the Patabsco River and Baltimore Harbor.

The Seven-foot Knoll Lighthouse in Baltimore Harbor.

The Seven-foot Knoll Lighthouse in Baltimore Harbor.

They must be counting the seven feet from the floor, up. Or, I’m really much shorter than I thought. I look oddly short and squat next to the lighthouse… It must have a “short and squat” force field.

Here’s the other side… But, wait! There’s more…

A Tiny Church in Ingram and other stuff

Posted on by March 28, 2016

There is a teeny town in northeast Texas Hill Country, right next to Kerrville, called Ingram. It was the first time since being in Texas that I saw actual hills. (“Hill Country” is a misnomer… what they call hills in Texas, they don’t acknowledge as a change in elevation in California.)

Ingram is home to fewer than 2,000 people, and there’s a large gap in the population between the upper and lower income brackets. One of two things generally define the two: lots of silver jewelry from a local, quasi-famous jewelry shop, or lots of tattoos and piercings. The people weren’t as openly friendly as much of the Texas country. They stick to themselves, but many are friendly once they decide you’re okay.

Below are several photos from around town. The captions tell the story. The cute tiny church is at the end.

Indian in a truck.

Indian in the back of a truck.

Back of Indian in a truck.

Back of Indian in the back of a truck.

But, wait! There’s more…

A day at the park: Myrtle the Turtle

Posted on by September 19, 2013

Meet Myrtle the Turtle

Baby snapping turtle

Myrtle the Turtle at one inch.

She’s a baby Alligator Snapping Turtle, and her soft shell is only about one inch long. This is an extreme closeup photo – she’s only about the size of a quarter. Despite her small start, the Alligator Snapping Turtle is the largest freshwater turtle in the world. Ranger Roscoe is fascinated by her tiny little tail. (you can see it in the above photo)

We’re keeping Myrtle in a tank until her shell hardens and she gets a little bigger – and looks less like a snack. Her little shell will grow to a couple feet across. She’ll also get a big, snapping beak, and may live as long as 120 years.

A few days ago we released “The Seven Dwarfs”, But, wait! There’s more…

And I thought the last Itty Bitty Church was small.

Posted on by February 21, 2016

Hot, Cold, Hot, Cold

The current weather seems to have more temperatures than a faucet, much like some of my recent dating experiences. This past weekend it was hot and heavy at 105 degrees in southcentral Texas. At the moment, the weather is a chillingly cool 80 degrees at 9pm.

When I lived in Santa Barbara it reached 124 (or 126?) degrees one year — we beat Death Valley’s record temperature that year by a degree or two. The black top at school was melting. You couldn’t stand on it for very long because your shoes would melt, too. It was the one day we kids got to wear shorts to school.

Hmm, closing the school might have been a good idea, ya think? School Official: Nah, let ’em cook their little brains out on the blacktop on the hottest day of the last 100 years. This may explain a lot about me.

I digress.

With the current heat wave sweeping over parts of the world, I thought some of you would enjoy seeing some snow. The snow comes with a tiny church. (Quite a segue, eh?)

Faith comes in all sizes.

Wayside Church, another World's Smallest Church

Wayside Chapel in Luverne, MN, another World’s Smallest Church

This is from my trip a couple months ago to the frozen tundra that was South Dakota after the worst storm in twenty years. After completing my mission, I But, wait! There’s more…

Itty Bitty Religious Committee

Posted on by February 21, 2016

A petite prayer.

A diminutive denomination.

It may be small, but it’s cute. (That’s what he said.)

Ahem.

St Martin's Catholic Church, The World's Smallest Active Church

St Martin’s Catholic Church, The World’s Smallest Active Church

Size only matters in horseshoes and hand grenades. Wait, I think I have that wrong. Err, uhh, never mind.

Moving on…

Just as I love both extremes of the phases of the moon, the full moon and the littlest sliver that looks like a fingernail clipping, But, wait! There’s more…