I remember coming into Maryland from Pennsylvania, but I can't tell you where the state line is or if I ever stopped believing that the landscape was one of God's most beautiful creations. To write about it right now is bringing tears to my eyes.
It was about 7 o'clock in the evening when Jay and I drove into Maryland. We had the windows down, the sun was setting and I just kept looking at him thinking, "I've got to be the luckiest girl in the world." We didn't say a thing to each other for at least 15 minutes. We didn't have to. We knew that we were right where we wanted to be. Travelling down the curvy roads and seeing the Mom and Pop stores along the street reminded me of my own childhood and driving down East Bend Rd to see my grandma and grandpa Collins. Each new hill was a new feeling of anticipation and excitement.
The sun continued to set as we arrived at Price Rd. After a quick turn to the right and up the first hill, I saw the place where so many memories had been made. And I knew right away it was going to be a very special memory for me too. The old farm house stood against the sunset, shaded by trees older than the town itself. For miles you couldn't hear a sound and for a moment the world was perfect. I remember taking in a deep breath, as if I was trying desperately to remember the sounds, the smells and the views for the rest of my life.
We were greeted by the oldest and arguably most energetic Archer boy of the house, Will. We sat for nearly an hour talking on the back porch enjoying the warm summer air. That night I went to bed so grateful for the few hours I had already spent in Darlington and met the night with eagerness for tomorrow's experiences. I remember looking out the window first thing in the morning almost in disbelief. Simply beautiful. I put my feet on the cold wooden floors, smelled the coffee and headed down to the kitchen. The house creeked and cracked. It was almost as if it were telling me stories about its past, welcoming me to sit down and stay a while.
That morning we went to see the Archer-Stump house, the old Mill and a few other priceless pieces of family history. I couldn't get over how much history was tied up into the family. And here I was to see every piece of it. That afternoon we had lunch with Gammy and Gumpy, or as I refer to them Mr. and Mrs. Archer - the grandparents. Their house sat just a few hundred yards away from the old farm house they once called home. We ate chicken salad sandwhiches, drank sweet tea and talked for a few hours. Later, Jay took me down to the old barns and the river. I never told him, but that experience made me so happy. He let me into his childhood and shared with me some of his favorite memories. Also what I never told him was that I hated him for making me walk through the thistle, the cow pasture and the weeds to get to the river. But once we were there, it was all worth it. You could hear the water gently passing over the rocks and the sun shining through the trees made the water look like a river of glitter.
My favorite part of the trip came that night when Jay's grandparent's took us to eat crabs at Price's Seafood in Havre de Grace. YOU HAVE NEVER HAD CRABS LIKE THIS!!! As we sat down at the table I noticed a plastic knife, a mallet and heavy duty brown paper as a table cloth. This place was a dive. With no napkin to set in my lap or wine list, I knew I was in for a treat! The crabs came out steaming by the dozen, covered in Old Bay seasoning (my favorite!) I watched as Jay and his grandparents took a crab from the tray, laid it on its back and went to work with their bare hands. I giggled thinking, "This has got to be a hidden camera show," but I was wrong. Grandma quickly set me straight telling me that I just had to jump in and not be afraid to get a little messy. We sat eating, laughing and getting our food all over us. Grandma had it on her glasses, grandpa had it in his lap, I had it all over my shirt and to no surprise, Jay managed to get most of it on his hands in his mouth. Funny how that works!
We were invited to stay for a few minutes at Grandma and Grandpa's after dinner. I was invited in to see the room of accomplishments. The walls were lined with Grandpa's hunting accomplishments, books that were centuries old and memory after memory of a life spent working hard - every single day.
The next morning we sat and had breakfast with Steve, Raine, Hannah and Graham. we had bacon, sausage, ham, eggs, and my new favorite dish "Fire in the Hole" or something like that. The minutes went by like seconds and before we knew it, it was time to begin our journey home. We hugged everyone good-bye and I hadn't felt that sad in a long time. I never wanted to leave this house. I had already made some of my favorite memories in less than two days and I was in disbelief that it was over. We packed the truck, waved good-bye and looked at each other thinking the same thing, "Let's just stay here forever."
The time we spent was short, but the memories will last forever.
It was about 7 o'clock in the evening when Jay and I drove into Maryland. We had the windows down, the sun was setting and I just kept looking at him thinking, "I've got to be the luckiest girl in the world." We didn't say a thing to each other for at least 15 minutes. We didn't have to. We knew that we were right where we wanted to be. Travelling down the curvy roads and seeing the Mom and Pop stores along the street reminded me of my own childhood and driving down East Bend Rd to see my grandma and grandpa Collins. Each new hill was a new feeling of anticipation and excitement.
The sun continued to set as we arrived at Price Rd. After a quick turn to the right and up the first hill, I saw the place where so many memories had been made. And I knew right away it was going to be a very special memory for me too. The old farm house stood against the sunset, shaded by trees older than the town itself. For miles you couldn't hear a sound and for a moment the world was perfect. I remember taking in a deep breath, as if I was trying desperately to remember the sounds, the smells and the views for the rest of my life.
We were greeted by the oldest and arguably most energetic Archer boy of the house, Will. We sat for nearly an hour talking on the back porch enjoying the warm summer air. That night I went to bed so grateful for the few hours I had already spent in Darlington and met the night with eagerness for tomorrow's experiences. I remember looking out the window first thing in the morning almost in disbelief. Simply beautiful. I put my feet on the cold wooden floors, smelled the coffee and headed down to the kitchen. The house creeked and cracked. It was almost as if it were telling me stories about its past, welcoming me to sit down and stay a while.
That morning we went to see the Archer-Stump house, the old Mill and a few other priceless pieces of family history. I couldn't get over how much history was tied up into the family. And here I was to see every piece of it. That afternoon we had lunch with Gammy and Gumpy, or as I refer to them Mr. and Mrs. Archer - the grandparents. Their house sat just a few hundred yards away from the old farm house they once called home. We ate chicken salad sandwhiches, drank sweet tea and talked for a few hours. Later, Jay took me down to the old barns and the river. I never told him, but that experience made me so happy. He let me into his childhood and shared with me some of his favorite memories. Also what I never told him was that I hated him for making me walk through the thistle, the cow pasture and the weeds to get to the river. But once we were there, it was all worth it. You could hear the water gently passing over the rocks and the sun shining through the trees made the water look like a river of glitter.
My favorite part of the trip came that night when Jay's grandparent's took us to eat crabs at Price's Seafood in Havre de Grace. YOU HAVE NEVER HAD CRABS LIKE THIS!!! As we sat down at the table I noticed a plastic knife, a mallet and heavy duty brown paper as a table cloth. This place was a dive. With no napkin to set in my lap or wine list, I knew I was in for a treat! The crabs came out steaming by the dozen, covered in Old Bay seasoning (my favorite!) I watched as Jay and his grandparents took a crab from the tray, laid it on its back and went to work with their bare hands. I giggled thinking, "This has got to be a hidden camera show," but I was wrong. Grandma quickly set me straight telling me that I just had to jump in and not be afraid to get a little messy. We sat eating, laughing and getting our food all over us. Grandma had it on her glasses, grandpa had it in his lap, I had it all over my shirt and to no surprise, Jay managed to get most of it on his hands in his mouth. Funny how that works!
We were invited to stay for a few minutes at Grandma and Grandpa's after dinner. I was invited in to see the room of accomplishments. The walls were lined with Grandpa's hunting accomplishments, books that were centuries old and memory after memory of a life spent working hard - every single day.
The next morning we sat and had breakfast with Steve, Raine, Hannah and Graham. we had bacon, sausage, ham, eggs, and my new favorite dish "Fire in the Hole" or something like that. The minutes went by like seconds and before we knew it, it was time to begin our journey home. We hugged everyone good-bye and I hadn't felt that sad in a long time. I never wanted to leave this house. I had already made some of my favorite memories in less than two days and I was in disbelief that it was over. We packed the truck, waved good-bye and looked at each other thinking the same thing, "Let's just stay here forever."
The time we spent was short, but the memories will last forever.
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