As I'm writing, the Ravens and Broncos are playing in the rain. The Ravens came to Baltimore the same year I did: 1996. Twenty-two years (and two Lombardi trophies later), the Ravens are an immutable part of Charm City. And in an ironic twist, I'm still here--albeit temporarily. Baltimore is hosting the International City/County Managers' Association (ICMA) conference. I'll be attending over the next two days.
A week ago, we were settling into our campsite at Mt. Desert Island, Maine. During our stay in Maine, we traveled north to Lubec, the easternmost town in the continental United States. Our route to Laramie will cause us to miss the northernmost point in Minnesota, but we shouldn't have any trouble finding our way to the far west of Point Cape Alva, Washington.
I have a photo of Becky at the geographical center of North American (in eastern Montana). The center of CONUS is in Lebanon, Kansas. I suppose that makes us geography geeks... or people who like odd roadside attractions.
Back to Maine, we had a great time and the weather was perfect. We gamely tried the local specialty of lobster. Becky is a native Marylander and I tend to agree with her: Blue crabs are the better culinary crustacean. Crab cakes (better yet, rockfish with crab imperial) and freshly-picked silver queen corn are a better plate, at least for my money.
Rural Maine was charming; urban Maine, not so much. Both at the campsite and in our rambling, we found few people willing to make simple eye contact and impart a traditional "Hello" or "Good Morning." This stands in stark contrast to other regions. And let's side aside, for the sake of discussion, the vast legion of humans who wander aimlessly looking at cell phones, utterly oblivious to anything (or anyone) in the immediate vicinity. Doing a quick shopping run to Target today, I watched three phone watchers nearly collide, only to take different tracks. We were once mightily impressed with robots that could navigate obstacles. We seem to have created people with the same sensory ability and motor skills.
Showing posts with label sabbatical. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sabbatical. Show all posts
Sunday, September 23, 2018
Friday, September 14, 2018
Personal: Sabbatical Week 1
I left my position as the County Administrator for Caroline County when my contract ended (September 9). I'll talk more about my (our) decision to take a sabbatical in another post, but wanted to describe some of the highlights of our first week.
Because our home sold a bit earlier than expected, we needed a short-term rental. This simultaneously made the moving process easier and harder. Our initial thought was to go with an AirBnB for the month, but the price and distance were daunting. Becky tracked down a landlord willing to to a one-month rental. I'll fast forward through the painful process of emptying our home of seven years, compressing all of our worldly possessions into a 10x20 storage locker, a 16' utility trailer, and a Nissan Titan pickup..., and, of course, the odds and ends necessary to exist in our short-term rental fondly nicknamed, "The Estate."
My final few weeks of work were highly compressed between tying up the loose ends of projects, saying my goodbyes to friends and colleagues, and getting ready to "break camp" from The Estate. Naturally, our final weekend in Maryland was rainy. This wasn't a mist, drizzle, or light sprinkler. It was somewhere between shower and rolling down the window at the Dunkin Donuts drive through to get a bucket of water to the face.
Our last meal in Caroline County was brunch at Turnbridge Point. Turnbridge has served some of the consistently best meals I've eaten. Chef Steve turns out wonderful pastries, but he and Rob close the B&B occasionally to host a brunch. The tickets sell like a classic rock band's farewell tour. The theme for our September 9 brunch was fittingly, "Maryland." Unfortunately, we had to have everything packed and ready for the road.
Despite delays due to selling Becky's Mini Countryman and the process of getting new cell phones, we managed to get everything done. We were on the road for our first "post-Caroline" stop, Emmaus, Pennsylvania. Our daughter, son-in-law, and three grandchildren live in Emmaus. Naturally, the rain continued, perfect for yard work and corral repairs.
A good definition of a bad day is one where stepping on a nail in a corral full of horse manure isn't the worst thing to happen. No, the worst thing to happen that day was having the water heater burst and dewatering a basement with a shop vac while standing in my socks (and a Band-Aid).
We extended our stay a day to help the kids. To make our schedule, we headed north landing in Vestal, New York for the evening. The accommodations in Vestal were fine, save our finding the one hotel in the northeast still charging for Wi-Fi. While that was an inconvenience, it was considerably better than our experience the following night in Montpelier, Vermont. Without naming any names, our room in Montpelier smelled like damp hopelessness. The only thing missing from the door was crime scene tape.
As I write, we've stumbled to Bangor, Maine. It's a quick stop here before heading to a campground on Mt. Desert Island. I'm almost nervous to say anything because today has been nice. The rain stopped. We went to the top of Mt. Washington and enjoyed some remarkable views. And thus far, nothing is wrong with the hotel. Perhaps if I save this post very quietly and close my laptop, the Fates will grant us a reprieve for a night?
Ken
Because our home sold a bit earlier than expected, we needed a short-term rental. This simultaneously made the moving process easier and harder. Our initial thought was to go with an AirBnB for the month, but the price and distance were daunting. Becky tracked down a landlord willing to to a one-month rental. I'll fast forward through the painful process of emptying our home of seven years, compressing all of our worldly possessions into a 10x20 storage locker, a 16' utility trailer, and a Nissan Titan pickup..., and, of course, the odds and ends necessary to exist in our short-term rental fondly nicknamed, "The Estate."
My final few weeks of work were highly compressed between tying up the loose ends of projects, saying my goodbyes to friends and colleagues, and getting ready to "break camp" from The Estate. Naturally, our final weekend in Maryland was rainy. This wasn't a mist, drizzle, or light sprinkler. It was somewhere between shower and rolling down the window at the Dunkin Donuts drive through to get a bucket of water to the face.
Our last meal in Caroline County was brunch at Turnbridge Point. Turnbridge has served some of the consistently best meals I've eaten. Chef Steve turns out wonderful pastries, but he and Rob close the B&B occasionally to host a brunch. The tickets sell like a classic rock band's farewell tour. The theme for our September 9 brunch was fittingly, "Maryland." Unfortunately, we had to have everything packed and ready for the road.
Despite delays due to selling Becky's Mini Countryman and the process of getting new cell phones, we managed to get everything done. We were on the road for our first "post-Caroline" stop, Emmaus, Pennsylvania. Our daughter, son-in-law, and three grandchildren live in Emmaus. Naturally, the rain continued, perfect for yard work and corral repairs.
A good definition of a bad day is one where stepping on a nail in a corral full of horse manure isn't the worst thing to happen. No, the worst thing to happen that day was having the water heater burst and dewatering a basement with a shop vac while standing in my socks (and a Band-Aid).
We extended our stay a day to help the kids. To make our schedule, we headed north landing in Vestal, New York for the evening. The accommodations in Vestal were fine, save our finding the one hotel in the northeast still charging for Wi-Fi. While that was an inconvenience, it was considerably better than our experience the following night in Montpelier, Vermont. Without naming any names, our room in Montpelier smelled like damp hopelessness. The only thing missing from the door was crime scene tape.
As I write, we've stumbled to Bangor, Maine. It's a quick stop here before heading to a campground on Mt. Desert Island. I'm almost nervous to say anything because today has been nice. The rain stopped. We went to the top of Mt. Washington and enjoyed some remarkable views. And thus far, nothing is wrong with the hotel. Perhaps if I save this post very quietly and close my laptop, the Fates will grant us a reprieve for a night?
Ken
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