I had Mom fly into Dulles Airport rather than BWI because the latter does not offer direct flights from Sacramento. Her flight was delayed a bit but it wasn't a problem. Norma enjoyed waiting in the cell phone lot, which she said was very nice.

We stopped for dinner at a nice restaurant in Virginia with outdoor seating so Daphne could join us. I forget the name of the place. Norma and I had tasty "mocktails" which are non-alcoholic drinks that looks like fancy alcoholic drinks. I call them overpriced fruit juice.

Rather than head back to Savage, we drove to Garrett County to spend time with Norma's family. We took the scenic route through West Virginia. We passed numerous wind turbines.

We arrived at Hazel's house after dark. She had some nice flowers blooming in her house. We later moved them outside.

We drove out to Mountain Fresh Farmers Market in Oakland, Maryland. Here, Laah, Norma's youngest sister, was selling plants.

We ate gelato.
While Laah was busy working, Norma took everyone else, including Laah's kids, for a walk on the Oakland Heritage Trail. This follows the Little Youghiogheny River.
This one-mile trail is owned and maintained by the Mayor and Town Council of Oakland. This trail showcases important landmarks such as the 1884 B&O Train Station, the Oakland Hotel Gas Cave, and the Washington Spring.
- from sign on trail titled "Welcome to the Oakland Heritage Trail"
The kids got their feet wet in the river.
We passed the Oakland Hotel Gas Cave and Washington Spring. Near these landmarks, we stopped at a bench to pose for a photo.
Various things were blooming along the trail such as dogwood flowers.

Norma and I typically help out Hazel with chores when we visit. I worked with Hazel pulling weeds in her raised garden bed. Then we planted potatoes.
Later, I cleaned out the roof gutters. Her landlady had a new gutter guard installed, but it is a poor design so twigs rest on top of the guard. I found the best way to clean things out is with a broom while standing on the roof. Fortunately for me, it isn't steep.

Norma made a dish to take to the potluck that night. Every Memorial Day weekend, there is a get-together at the campsite owned by Norma's middle sister, Joyce, and her husband, Jimmy. We made sure to attend.

In the below snapshot, Jimmy's brother-in-law, Jason, purchased an old cargo parachute which they hung to help keep things dry during a rain. It did indeed rain that night and, while the parachute was not waterproof, it at least deflected the water to the edge. This was just enough to keep us dry and comfortable.

We had a pretty easy day.

In the morning, Mom went to church with Hazel. It was Mom's first time at a Mennonite church.

Norma and I paid a visit to WalMart. Then we planted tomatoes in Hazel's garden.

Going back and forth between the house and the garage disturbed a chipping sparrow which built its nest right next to a busy walkway.
In its nest were several recently hatched babies.
Somewhere, I can't remember where, I saw tulip poplar flowers in bloom. Back in Savage, they were past their prime. But here in Garrett County, it tends to be about ten degrees cooler. So things bloom later.
We all ate dinner at Perkins. It was my first time there. It is chain but there is only one in Maryland. It is similar to Denny's. I found the food quite good.

After dinner, we stopped by Laah and Scott's house. Their son was tending to a lamb which was tied up for grooming.
Laah gave us a tour of her greenhouse. This is where she grows things to sell at the farmers market.
I got a chance to see some broiler chickens. They grew very large over a short period of time. Their legs were not even strong enough to support their weight. Very sad.

Dark skies rolled in and then a torrential downpour commenced. Visibility was poor but we managed to make it back to Hazel's house safely. This isn't the kind of weather my mom is used to.

I installed plant hangers so plants that had been growing indoors could be moved outside. Norma and I hung three flower baskets.

They were calling for heavy rain near Savage so Mom, Norma, Daphne, and I started driving home with the intent to beat the downpour. But it never happened.

After such a long drive, we went for a walk in Savage. Then Norma made dinner which we ate on our deck.

I took Mom to the Robinson Nature Center. Despite what the website said, the building was closed for organized kid's activities. So instead, we just walked the trails. Unfortunately, dogs are not allowed so Daphne had to stay home.

We saw the Simpsonville Mill ruins.
By 1852, the town of Simpsonville surrounded the mill with homes, shops, supporting industries, and a school.
During the early 20th century, the Iglehardt family continued to operate the mill for grinding grain, pressing cider, and sawing lumber, however the economic landscape was shifting. Railways and westward expansion had opened, shifting grain operations west.
In 1934, the Iglehardt family was forced to sell the mill due to economic hardship brought on by the Great Depression. Simpsonville slowly converted from a mill town into farmland.
- from trail sign titled "A Location that Provides...Simpsonville Village"
Mom and I saw some interesting fungi that sort of reminded me of wood ear mushroom, except this was white.
I spotted a box turtle on the trail.
We had some nice views of the Middle Patuxent River which has a reputation for being fairly clean.

Near the water, we saw some mountain laurel flowers in bloom.
Quite a few kids were walking the trails, led by nature center staff and chaperones. They were pretty loud but that is to be expected. Maybe some of them will be inspired to go into a field of work where they can help protect the environment.

I took Mom and Daphne to Savage Mill. Daphne is a regular there, and many of the vendors know her. Leslie at Jules and Kate is probably Daphne's favorite because she is so generous with treats.

Mom got pizza rolls from Dive Bar and Grille while I got a sandwich from Roggenart. We ate in the outdoor area by Roggenart so Daphne could join us.

Our final activity was a stroll at Laurel Riverfront Park. Here, we had a nice view of the Patuxent River.
I led Mom and Daphne to the dam ruins. Below, she is trying to get Daphne to look at the camera while looking at the camera herself. Daphne is not the best model.
A massive dam built in 1850 controlled the Patuxent River's flow in order to supply water to the Laurel Cotton Mill.
According to newspaper reports in 1855, the dam measured 222 feet wide and was 27 feet tall. A canal on the south bank, called the mill race, ran about 600 feet and directed water into the mill.
- from The Historical Marker Database - Laurel Harnessed the River to Power the Cotton Mill

We returned back to the car via historic Main Street Laurel.

Today was the day that Norma had been preparing for for the several months. It was the inaugural Savage Farmers Market. She had a team of several dedicated volunteers to help with this historic event. I wasn't "officially" a volunteer but I was helping as needed.

Norma got a call from one of the volunteers that was supposed to cut weeds along the sidewalk where the vendors would be set up. This is the responsibility of the county but they often just mow and don't bother to trim or spray weeds growing through the cracks. The volunteer's weed whacker quit working. Norma was going to give her ours but I am hestitant to loan mechanized equipment to people I don't know well. So instead, I said I would cut the weeds. An hour later, it was done.

Returning home, I figured I'd do weed whacking at my house. But then it stopped working. One of the trimmer lines was sharply bent and when I pushed it into place, it didn't protrude out the other end. Instead, the line went into the machine so I wasn't able to see it. I ended up taking things apart to get it working. It took a few tries but in the end, it was fine.

Mom and I rested up for the big event.

The Savage Farmers Market lasted from 1530 to 1930. Rain was predicted. But customers and vendors showed up as if clear skies were forecast.

Various VIPs spoke, including our county councilperson, Christiana Rigby.

Some of my co-workers showed up: Unique, Toby, and Doug with his family.

What was my contribution? I was the giant bubble guy. I brought both a small and large wand. The small wand makes bubbles fairly consistently. The large wand makes bigger bubbles but not as reliably. So I stuck with the small wand for most of the event. The long poles of the large wand are good for catching wind and putting the bubbles above the heads of the kids...and I wasn't expecting many. After all, this was a farmers market...not Savage Fest. But plenty of kids showed up in the latter half of the event. They love popping bubbles. I didn't bother to set up an exclusion zone to give me space to work so it got a little wild with kids using things other than their hands to pop. One girl swung the leafy end of a carrot. Another kid threw a large mushroom at the bubble but it ended up hitting me in the head. Some kids used pointy sticks. I had to be the grown-up and tell them to only use their hands.

You can find additional bubbles photos from this event at Bubbles - Inaugural Savage Farmers Market.

Mom took care of Daphne during the event. Daphne is good with people but not other dogs. She sometimes lunged at passing dogs and Mom had to hold on tight to her leash. Mom was impressed with Daphne's strength. I said that is the husky in her. Not sure I would want Mom to hold onto Daphne in the future if there is a good chance other dogs will be present.

Overall, the event was a big success. If we had better weather, I think it would have been perfect.

I took Mom and Daphne for a walk on the Patuxent Branch Trail in Savage. I was hoping to find something interesting to show her like a snake or beech blight aphids but I had no such luck. But at least she had lots of natural, rain forest-like greenery...something she doesn't get in Sacramento.

Mom and I drove out to historic Annapolis. If parking on the street, you'll need the ParkMobile app. That is your only option. I often try to resist technology but at a certain point, I have to give in. This was that point.

We had lunch at the Choptank. She doesn't eat much so we split a delicious crabcake. One of my co-workers says their crabcakes are the best. It was a lovely day so we sat outside and had a waterfront view of Ego Alley.

At the Naval Academy, we saw a blue jay.
Unfortunately, we never made it to the main part of the academy because Mom didn't have any photo identification on her. But that was fine. There were plenty of other things to see in Annapolis, like the mural at the bottom of this page which depicts things that make Annapolis special: watermen, wildlife, and rowing.

I signed us up for a tour of the Maryland State House.
The beautiful Maryland State House is the oldest state capitol in continuous legislative use and is the only state house ever to have served as the nation's capitol. The Continental Congress met in the Old Senate Chamber from November 26, 1783 to August 13, 1784. During that time, George Washington came before Congress to resign his commission as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army and the Treaty of Paris was ratified, marking the official end of the Revolutionary War.
The State House is where the Maryland General Assembly convenes for three months each year, and the elected leadership of the state - the governor, lieutenant governor, speaker of the House of Delegates and president of the Senate - all have their offices here.
- from Maryland State Archives - Maryland State House

Our tour guide wore period costume. It was a fantastic tour that really taught us a lot and held our interest. Mom and I were the only ones so it ended up being a private tour!

In one of rooms hung several paintings of people deemed significant in Maryland history. One of them was Savage's own Commodore Joshua Barney, painted by Robert Templeton.

Back at home, I mowed the yard. But first I had to repair the mower. The blade wouldn't turn. I watched various YouTube videos until I found a solution. Fortunately, the fix was easy. I'm guessing it might have been low on oil. The mower is about 14 years old...younger than my car and Norma's car. I feel blessed that all three still run.

Our good friends and neighbors, Don and Sara, came over for dinner. They gave us a lovely stone citronella candle which they picked up at the Arbutus Farmers Market. Our back yard has a reputation for being buggy and Norma likes to entertain on our deck so this was an ideal gift.

I took Mom, Norma, and Daphne for a walk on the Savage Mill Trail. Norma walked down while the rest of us drove. We met near the Bollman Truss Bridge.
We walked on the trail and saw the whitewater area, sometimes referred to as Savage Falls.
Here's Mom, Daphne, and I with the falls behind.
At the end of the trail, I pointed out to Mom the stone foundation of the train bridge that once connected Wincopin to the Savage Mill Trail. Norma and I described the efforts that the town has made to have new pedestrian bridges built to connect the trails.

I drove Mom out to Eastport in Annapolis. Here, we ate the catfish platter and sweet potato waffle fries at Davis' Pub. I highly recommend this meal.

After lunch, we made our way to the Annapolis Maritime Museum where we learned about the waterman culture in Eastport. Then, we did the Heritage Cruise aboard the Wilma Lee skipjack.
One of only a few remaining Chesapeake Bay Skipjacks, the Wilma Lee is a member of the last commercial sailing fleet in the United States as it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Wilma Lee was built in Wingate, Maryland, in 1940 by the well-known boat builder Bronza Parks. It is one of the younger boats in the extant fleet. Over the years, over 1,000 of these boats had sailed the oyster-laden waters along the Maryland, Virginia and Carolina shores, though today few are still used for oyster dredging.
- from Annapolis Maritime Museum and Park - History of Wilma Lee

We sailed from Back Creek to an area near the mouth of Spa Creek. Then, they turned off the engine and I got to help hoist the main sail. I thought about how these sails were once made of canvas...perhaps made at Savage Mill. Here's Mom admiring the main sail.
Looking north, we saw Greenbury Point and the three radio towers.
As naval aviation was under development, so was another pivotal early 20th century invention, the radio. The Navy was a very early adopter of wireless communication, and the outbreak of World War I necessitated an alternative to the transatlantic telegraph. The massive radio complex at Greenbury Point across the river from the Naval Academy filled this need. The three towers remaining today help us discuss the birth of radio, and the incredibly rapid evolution of wireless communications in the Navy.
- from U.S. Naval Academy - Object 39: Greenbury Point Radio Towers

That evening, we stopped by the home of our neighbors Dale and Liz. They were having an informal get-together to celebrate the graduation of Nick. Nick is a kid they took into their home when he had nowhere else to go. Since then, he has become an integral part of the community, helping out at various Savage events.

Savage Fest always takes place on the first Saturday in June.
Originating in Savage Days festivities from the 1920s, Savage Fest conveys the charm and vibrancy of the small town of Savage, Maryland. The celebration takes place on Baldwin Common with live music, dance performances, pony rides, a petting zoo, games, crafts, vendors, food and more.
- from Savage Community Association - Savage Fest

This is an all-day event and with Mom visiting, I wasn't too keen on making bubbles for so long. But I did make extra solution for the Savage Farmers Market so I figured I'd participate in the festival for at least a couple of hours.

The night before, I shortened the loop on one of my large wands to help make the bubbles form more reliably without popping so soon. On the morning of, I set up an exclusion zone and tested things out. Perfect! For photos, check out Bubbles - Savage Fest 2024.

Josh (Katie's son) helped make bubbles using the small wand. Before I left, I turned things over to him.

Josh and I ceased making bubbles while the Kangaroo Kids performed their jumprope routines.
Joyce and her kids showed up. But Norma and me were pretty busy with the festival so we didn't get much chance to interact with them.

I took Mom back to the Annapolis area. I looked for other activities in places as far away as Frederick but it seemed the stuff that appealed to us the most was in or near Annapolis. I guess we like our local history.

We did a garden and history tour at Historic London Town.
Over three hundred years ago, the colonial tobacco port town of London was bustling with activity as ships carrying trade goods stopped at the site of an active ferry crossing… and then it all but disappeared. Discover the once "lost town" for yourself through William Brown House (c.1760), a National Historic Landmark, and reconstructed colonial buildings.
- from Chesapeake Crossroads - Historic London Town

The garden tour was interesting but a little short at only 30 minutes. A botanist showed us the various plants, focusing on those in bloom.

The history tour of the town was very good. An archaeologist took us to the various reconstructed buildings such as Lord Mayor's Tenement.
Our guide emphasized the importance of tobacco in the new Maryland colony. This is also something I focus on in the Savage historic walking tours I lead. Here's Mom with a tobacco plant.
A different guide showed us the William Brown House.
Built around 1760 as an upscale tavern, the William Brown House became Anne Arundel County’s almshouse in 1828. In fact, its history as an almshouse probably saved the structure. Shortly after the almshouse closed in 1965, the building opened as a museum and historic site.
- from MidAtlantic Day Trips - Discover Historic London Town - Maryland's Lost Colonial City

Mom and I returned to Savage Fest. We had enough time to purchase steak sandwiches from the food truck vendors. I chatted a bit with my neighbors and then we helped get things cleaned up. Here's Norma with Josh (bubble apprentice) and Heather.
I collected all my bubble-making supplies. I'm sure Josh helped keep the kids entertained.

Mom expressed interest in purchasing locally made gifts for friends. So I took her to the Baltimore Farmers Market. I hadn't been there in several years.

One great thing about urban farmers markets and community gardens is that they are often put in places where development can't take place such as under power lines or below a highway. The latter is the case for this farmers market.
This place gets very crowded so we made sure to visit shortly after it opened. There were lots of vendors selling a wide variety of edibles. I purchased cookies, "Jewish jerky," and delicious Peruvian empenadas. Mom bought a handmade bag made by a local artist depicting native insects.

I don't have a palate for mushrooms but if you do, this is the place to find them.
Visiting early was definitely smart. We were able to get in and out quickly without having to deal with traffic or parking. It would have been nice to bring Daphne but dogs are not allowed.

Norma's good friend, Allison, came over. I helped them pick sour cherries from the tree in our backyard. Norma and I haven't been very successful at growing a lot of fruit but this is one thing that has done well.

Norma made an egg dish for lunch using eggs from our chickens.

After eating, Norma, Allison, April (Allison's dog), Daphne, Mom, and I went for a walk at Wincopin. Here, we saw some interesting mushrooms growing on a decaying log.
I'm always looking for snakes and usually I am disappointed because I don't find any. But today I hit the jackpot. I got to see one that I rarely find...a copperhead. Maryland only has two venomous snakes and this is one of them. In our area of the state, this is the only one.
If you look closely, you'll notice a honeybee resting on the snake. Perhaps it thinks nobody will mess with a copperhead and the snake isn't interested in a bee so she is safe.
I found the woody remains of a tulip poplar flower.
We turned around at the Middle Patuxent River. From left to right is Allison, April, Mom, Daphne, and Norma.

After our Wincopin walk, Norma didn't have much time before Jenn came over. But being the great hostess she is, Norma whipped up another home-cooked meal lickety split, using local ingredients.

We had a delightful evening enjoying Jenn's company out on our deck. See cover photo.

I had to get to work early for the first day of a week-long class. So Norma took Mom to the airport.

Driving to Dulles in the afternoon on a workday is no small feat. But she did it. I made sure to buy her flowers. She deserved it.

Cousin Cindy picked up Mom in Sacramento and then took her home.

I am grateful that Mom was able to spend so much time with us. It has been too long since her last visit.

I am especially glad that Mom got to meet Daphne. They got along very well.

I kept Mom busy with lots of activities, most of which I thought up at the last minute. Her visit involved lots of walking, often two to four miles a day. This was largely because Norma was very busy with the Savage Farmers Market and Savage Fest so she didn't always have time to take Daphne for walks and Daphne wasn't always allowed to go where I took Mom.

Norma and I look forward to Mom's next visit and to flying out to see her in Sacramento.