Letter From The Editor
Every year, at least for the last 13 years or
so, I’ve organized a Father/Son three or four-day
4
weekend trip to either some blatantly
touristy or outdoorsy spot within a days
drive, in either Virginia or a nearby state and;
sometimes, to a beach or resort area. Some
years, there were a couple of these trips
planned during the year. My wife Mary Beth
doesn’t always go, although she is always
welcome and; sometimes, it’s not possible for
both of my sons to make the trip. What with
changes in jobs and limited vacation days
credited and other plans of my sons to be with
folks much closer to their ages and interests,
it is becoming increasingly difficult to find us
all on the same page at the same time.
One place that has become especially dear
to me, my eldest son Aaron, and his Mother
for that matter, is the Baltimore area, where
we generally plan a trip around Memorial Day
about every other year. We regularly meet
up there with one of Aaron’s (and now, his
Mom’s and mine!) dearest friends Marshall
& Carmen Odell who live in the little suburb
of Pasadena. We’ve recently been haunting a
little neighborhood bar named Fifer’s there.
It’s a little hole-in-the-wall where you can
order a broad selection of local craft beer and
seafood, chilled or cooked about any way you
could imagine; all at a very fair price for the
area. As is typical near the Maryland shore,
they cover up your table with brown paper,
pour the food all over it and throw you a
couple of rolls of paper towels to mop up the
“horror” from your face, hands; and body, for
that matter. Essentially, you show up at 4 for
Happy Hour and hang on until nearly 10 when
you wander out into the night and get in the
Uber for a trip back to the hotel. All of you
really have to try this just one time. I promise
that you’ll not make it one time only.
Of course further to the northwest is the pull
of Baltimore City, the harbor and Fell’s Point
where you can enjoy any number of great
restaurants and fish camp style food. The
best Harbor eating is LP Steamers at Locust
Point, which along with the great selection of
seafood, has the added attraction of being the
first choice of the locals. You might wish to
stay away from there from late June through
the end of Baltimore’s hot summer as there’s
NO air conditioning at all.
Another great spot we’ve visited each trip
is Ellicott City, MD, which joins a registered
historical site with the quaint surroundings
of a small riverfront commercial district. Two
years ago, Ellicott City suffered a devastating
flood described as a “Thousand Year” Event
which virtually destroyed the lower two-thirds
of Main Street commerce down to the
Patapsco River.
We decided this past Memorial Day to return
to Ellicott City; mainly to see how the district
had recovered from the 2016 flood and see
how many of our favorite places to visit had
reopened as yet. We arrived there late in the
morning and walked all around; down to and
beyond the river and back up the hill through
mid afternoon, very pleased that almost all of
our favorite places were open and thriving. We
walked to the Ellicott Mills Brewing Company
to take in a few “flights” and appetizers for a
late lunch. Then; the rains came.
Yes, this was Sunday May 27, 2018 and we
were right in the middle of it all. We watched
from just 15 feet from the sidewalk outside as
the sky just opened up in sheets of hard rain.
We initially waited over a half hour for a break
in the storm, but having run out of drinks
and the last bites of food, we also ran out of
excuses. We had a lively conversation with a
neighboring table and as we were getting up
to leave, they told us they would wait until the
rain was much, much lighter. My sons and I
walked up the hill in the rain to VINO, the local
spirits vendor where I hoped to score some