I spent the second half of my trip to the U.S. in Maryland. I made sure to eat as many/much crab cakes, crab dip, crab rolls, crab soup, and crab pretzels as possible. I think I filled up on enough Maryland crab for at least six months!
Over a long weekend, two of my very close friends, Roxanne and Sue, from VB came to MD to visit. We met Sue at the airport and on our way back to Bel Air, we stopped at Fort McHenry. Fort McHenry is where Francis Scott Key was inspired during the War of 1812 to write the Star Spangled Banner. The fort is located in the Locust Point section of Baltimore. The views of were beautiful. Plus, we were able to participate in raising the humongous American flag.
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We rendezvoused with Roxanne and began our Bel Air Pub/Brewery crawl. The crawl was infused with food, beer, friends, and Maryland trivia. Starting with a stop at the Black Eyed Suzie’s (Maryland State Flower).
From there, we walked our way around the quaint town of Bel Air, stopping for tourist pictures with several hearts. The hearts are significant to Bel Air because Bel Air is the “heart” of Harford County.
The following day, we went to visit Ladew Topiary Garden. The garden ranks among the top five topiary gardens in the country. The wildflower meadow was filled with Black Eyed Susan’s. I was a little confused when we first passed the Torii. Then I realized we were at the Japanese garden. Notice the topiary Buddha. He kindof looks like a Grinch / Buddha. A great example of wabisabi. The imperfections are beautiful.
She’s a fox!
The garden still had several plants blooming. The garden was divided into distinct rooms that flowed from one to the next. We enjoyed a lovely humid day.
Check out the large chess pieces in this garden room. It might have been my second favorite after the Buddha.
The last day of their visit, we took a short road trip to Annapolis. It was an absolutely picture perfect day. The weather was delightful. We ate lunch and walked around downtown Annapolis and around the Naval Academy. It was fun to share memories and experiences with my friends and Mom! Seems like a lifetime ago!!
After Sue and Roxanne returned to VB, I had a few more days to relax and enjoy time with my Mom. We made great use of our time together. We walked the Ma & Pa Nature Trail, did a little shopping, and ran errands. Plus, my Mom had the great idea for each of us to paint a piece of pottery to commemorate our Bermuda trip. I’ll look forward to seeing our finished products after they are glazed.
It really was a wonderful trip. Spending time on holiday with my Mom in Bermuda was another trip of a lifetime. Relaxing in Bel Air and visiting with friends was perfect. I left the U.S. with my happiness bucket full. My bucket flowed over when I returned home and Dave welcomed me with a happy bouquet of flowers.
I am truly fortunate to have so much love and happiness in my life. That includes everyone reading this! Kanpai! Cheers!