Friday, May 31, 2013

North East Maryland - our Second Home



















John's family settled in Cecil County, Maryland sometime before the Revolutionary War. The first relative we find here signed the Oath of Allegiance to the United  States in 1774.  His name was Solomon Blake.  The Blake family has had a presence here since then, and we are no different.  We purchased a home from a relative some years ago, and we currently have it rented out.  It is on the North East River where it comes into the Chesapeake Bay, just above the Susquehanna River.   And yes, the name of the town is North East, which is always a source of great confusion.

This is our house.  It was built in the 1930's as a summer cottage for people from the Philadelphia area. Over the years people started to stay in the area year around.



It's nice to be following the azalea's north. And especially since these are in our own yard.



The view from the back deck.


You can sit on the porch or by the bulkhead and watch "flotillas" of geese go by.


The house is facing West, which is always disconcerting to me, but the sunsets are beautiful.  John would have liked to stay in this hammock and watch the world go by!


This is the "back" of the house that faces the water.

Because we have a tenant in the house, we are staying at the Elk Neck State Park.  It is just down the road from our house, near the Turkey Point Lighthouse.   The Elk River comes in on the other side.  It was the Elk River that the British went up and then traveled overland to invade Philadelphia during the  Revolutionary War.


I watched a couple making a call from a pay phone booth.  How long has it been since you've seen that?



Ranger Parker came along and convinced John that he needed to buy a State of Maryland Park Pass, which he did! 



Friday, May 17, Day 25

This was the most peaceful perfect day of our trip so far.  We did practically nothing but sit in our chairs, look at this beautiful wooded area with the  Elk River in the background, and listen to absolute quiet.  John saw 9 deer come through here early in the day, and other than one Canadian honker, nothing broke the silence.   John is reading Guns, Germs and Steel, and I  and reading about the history of the Outer Banks, and  a book about Virginia Dare and the Lost Colony.  



John unwrapped our bikes and we took a ride around this very large park.


We spotted this Eastern Painted turtle on the road and I turned back to take his picture.



This is the kind of day we like to spend.  John takes a look at the Elk River, which was really calm.


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