Our drive from Atlantic City was not too bad as the weather cleared somewhat after a short time on the road. Instead of going back on the Atlantic City Expressway, we took SR 40 and cut diagonally across that southern part of NJ, till we hit I-295, then on to I-95 and continued south. Stopped at a service area in Delaware to pick up maps and info and on into Maryland, where we did a similar stop.
As we neared Baltimore, traffic defnitely picked up; probably because it was Friday afternoon and the weekenders were starting to get on the move. With a good road map and Streets & Trips with the GPS on the computer, we navigated off I-95 onto I-695, which is the beltway around Baltimore and eventually turned off on SR-10. I had phoned Patricia to find out which was the best road south from I-695 as we had three choices (SR-173, SR-10 or R2). We continued down this road, in beautiful green turning colours, countryside. Then onto SR607 for a few miles and then finally onto SR100 and onto Bayside Beach Road, where Patricia met us to guide us to her place.
What a wonderful happy, hugging, re-union! Patricia looks fabulous and her home on 3 1/2 acres of Maryland countryside is quite a beautiful setting. She had had some flooding due to the recent rains so weren't sure if the weight of the bus would allow us to park by her house, where the power/water/sewer connections are. We made it tho', a bit of tight manouver from the roadway across her front law, but we are safely parked and the bus isn't sinking!! Mind you, if it rains, we may be here for the duration!!
And Charlie...what can I say. He now lives with Patricia's brother, who lives next door and they more or less share custody. Patricia lets him out during the day while her brother is at work. So, Patricia got him out and at first he barked at me then came closer and then he went crazy...he still has those long long long legs and still full of P 'n V! Then, over to the bus and here it seemed was more familiar territory for him. We think he could still smell Angus as he went right up on the couch, and then bounced off all the furniture. In other words, he hasn't changed!!
We had an easy dinner at Patricia's (I had had the crockpot on while we travelled), so with other donations, we visited over dinner and tried to catch up on the events of the past couple of years. It was an early night tho' and we were off to bed around 9:30.
Saturday a.m., Patricia graciously offered her washer/dryer and I took full advantage to catch up...try to stay on top of it weekly so it doesn't pile up tooo much. Then did a quick vacuum, floor wash, window wipe etc etc so we could relax in a relatively clean environment. Met Patricia's brother Bill and you can certainly tell they are related..striking family resemblance.
Then, Patricia and Bill took us on a drive through some of the Maryland countryside; we visited two parks, firstly Fort Smallwood (I may have the names wrong..short memory) and Downs Park. Both on Chesapeake Bay and just gloriously beautiful spots. Lots of people along the shoreline fishing for Striped Bass and "blues"???
After dropping Bill back at home, we drove down to a restaurant on the water, only minutes from Patricia's for lunch on the patio and in the sunshine before coming back to have some quiet time. Dinner will be a lot later tonight as we didn't have lunch until after 2:00 p.m., so time to relax before "happy hour".
It is so good to see Patricia and now, having been to her home and seen some of the area, can envision it when we are talking on the phone or e-mailing. With luck, we'll see her in Two Springs sometime this season so lots more time to catch up.
So, will sign off for now from a gloriously sunny afternoon in Maryland. Till next time....
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