After more than a year of weighing options, researching, and dreaming, we’ve arrived at our new home in Maryland! Well, half of us have. The vagaries of corporate life, along with packing and moving our two oldest, have kept Tim on Bainbridge Island longer than expected. But he and Alexandra will be joining us soon and Andrew is enjoying his new apartment in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle.
Will, Lily, and I have been hard at work setting up the household and we’ve done some exploring, too. And of course we’ve been dealing with all the feelings that come up with a big move. I posted this on Facebook soon after we arrived in Maryland:
As we were preparing to leave Bainbridge, I told Tim I felt like we were in a hot air balloon and were untethering ourselves rope by rope with each goodbye.
Finally, all the ropes were untied and off we went. Untethered.
That’s a very uncomfortable word for someone like me who delights in connections with people and places and loves rituals and traditions. But we’ll start tossing ropes out of the basket to see where they land and tie them down as we go.
While I was unpacking books, I came across THE SOUTHERNER’S HANDBOOK: A GUIDE TO LIVING THE GOOD LIFE by the editors of Garden & Gun. The book was a gift from one of my closest friends. Alexandra Ann and I grew up together in Minnesota, but she’s a Southern Belle at heart and found her bliss on an island off the coast of Georgia. The book celebrates all facets of Southern life, with articles called “Love Ya, Honey,” “Southern Sporting Dogs,” “Rope Swing 101,” and “Southernisms.”
Alexandra’s gift gave me the idea for a fun way to “tether” myself to my new home: I’m going to use each section of the book as a jumping-off point for getting to know Maryland and the surrounding areas. I know there’s some discussion about just how “southern” Maryland actually is, but it’s all relative and for this Minnesotan, it feels plenty Southern. And I’ll give the final say to the editors of Garden & Gun, who included Maryland twice in their Ultimate Summer Bucket List!
I’d love to hear your thoughts on any of the topics, whether you’re a Southerner yourself (or know one), have traveled in the area, or just think it’s fun to explore new places, foods, and ideas.
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