Long Day in the Saddle

OAFS Photo

The holiday season is upon us and it's off to Maryland to spend time with family. As you can see in the opening photo, fall is well into "almost winter" and the number of leaves in this neighborhood is impressive. Especially when you consider that when I was here four weeks ago, there were almost that many leaves on the ground which the yard crew cleaned up and hauled away.

A lot of trees here, which is one of the reasons I love it, I'm a forest kind of guy. Grew up playing in the woods and have always had a need to have trees nearby.

The drive down on Monday was semi-uneventful. No crazy people exhibiting minimal driving skills close aboard, they stayed a reasonable distance from my vehicle and glad I was of it.

Traffic wasn't bad until we hit Baltimore, twenty minute delay by the harbor tunnel but, oh well, I opted to go that way rather than down the Delmarva Peninsula of Maryland. (Think that part of Maryland east of the Chesapeake.) It's a pleasant drive but as night approached I had no real desire to challenge a deer to space on the road. Been there, done that, wasn't pretty.

Anyhoo ...

Google Maps knows two or three ways to get there from the Delaware side of the Delaware Memorial Bridge, one of which sucks really bad, one of which is simply a pain in the butt, the third, my preferred, was not among the options offered when we hit Delaware.

I don't like exploring when the mission is to go from Point A to Point B and I couldn't remember which exit led to my preferred route, the one offered elicited a "Ah, Hell No!" from me when it came up on the screen. So I stuck to I-95 down to I-895, I'm familiar with that area.

Well, bad choice as traffic was horrendous due to the inability of people to understand two simple words: "yield" and "merge." To many Americans "lane closed ahead" means stay in that lane until the last minute then cut in. Saw a lot of that on the multiple on ramps leading to the harbor tunnel.

Oh well ...

While sitting in traffic The Missus Herself pointed out a deer grazing perhaps 10 yards from the highway. The deer was watching the traffic with a look on her face that seemed to say, "what a bunch of idiots." Which wasn't far from the truth.

So we're here at our home away from home for a bit, don't expect much fiction while we're here. If it happens, it happens. Otherwise ...

Y'all get what you pay for.

Heh.