Final 2019 Adventures in Maryland

After Team WestEnders had once again persevered through the myriad perils of I-85/95, completed our harrowing journey, and triumphantly marched into our stronghold--er, base of operations...oh right, "hosts' house"--the two days of whirlwind social activities could commence. First up for me was meeting an old pal for coffee and catch-up chatting. This is always the payoff for gritting our teeth and fighting our way through traffic several times a year to visit the ancestral homeland, so to speak: spending special time not only with the extended clan, but also longtime friends who feel like family by this point. So there was java, and laughter, and stories, and an all-around lovely morning of touching base with an amiga muy buena.

Then it was back to the Hotel de Hillpeople, where I knew exactly what I'd encounter: a roomful of people camped out on sofas, locked into an intense day of sports viewing, with occasional breaks to wander a few yards over to the kitchen and grab a snack or refill a beverage. Hey, at least it was a group event, right? And of course it wasn't like everyone was just staring in silence--with the occasional yelling of approval...encouragement...disagreement...disgust...or confusion in the direction of the TV based on whatever play had just occurred. Oh, and let's not forget the mandatory analysis, spirited discussion, and rehashing of controversial moments in the contest. Yep, it was definitely a fully interactive football fest, folks!

As for myself, there's only so much gridiron action I can take. So I took a scheduled break in the late afternoon to get outside and run some laps around the neighborhood for a while. This proved to be absolutely delightful, since Maryland was being unusually hospitable to us in the waning days of December, and serving up near-60-degree weather. I enjoyed myself immensely, listening to a festive playlist through my headphones, wearing much less clothing than I'm accustomed to during our Winter sojourn, and admiring the holiday decorations along my route, with the twinkly outdoor lights just beginning to come on at dusk as I finished.

Aaaahhh...a much-needed exercise interlude...readying me for several--or "many", as it happened--more hours with the couch crowd, caught up in the entertaining Peach and Fiesta Bowl games. Actually...exhausting might be a more appropriate description, since the only one I truly cared about unfortunately kicked off at 8 p.m...and lasted until just past midnight. Holy adrenaline hangover, Batman...can't they finish before my bedtime? Sheesh...


Not surprisingly, the household denizens rose slowly the next morning, after all that excitement, noshing, staying up late, and whatnot. But there was no rest for the weary, as the Male Posse and I were due at my father's house for one more round of hanging out with the relatives. I also had an additional engagement on the agenda, as I was rendezvousing with a college girlfriend for our annual gabfest--and more of the blessed caffeinated elixer, because why not? Thus I slipped out for several pleasant hours of sipping warm joe and getting all the latest updates on each other's lives, which is always a highlight of the twice-yearly MD excursions.

When I made my way back to Dad's, I found a whole squadron of soaking wet, muddy boys (sons and nephews) who'd apparently been frolicking in the pouring rain in my absence. (Eh, my kids had checked the forecast ahead of time and planned for this by bringing an extra set of clothing, so no harm, no foul, really...) Once the young athletes had changed and dried off, the football-palooza plowed ahead unabated, with everyone gathering around yet another television screen to cheer on the Baltimore Ravens in their final regular season matchup before the playoffs.

After the obligatory cousin picture (Everyone sit down! Keep your hands to yourselves! Get the dog out of the way! Now smile! As you can see, it was only moderately successful...but we'll take what we can get from the goofy gang of adolescents...) it was time to bid farewell to the fam--at least for the cold season, anyway. We returned for one more night to the deluxe accommodations at our Northern Home Base, to fit in some final bonding before heading back to Chapel Hill. Saying goodbye and leaving is always bittersweet...we miss our loved ones during the months apart, for sure...but we always know we'll see them again before TOO much time passes. So for now, it's hasta luego, MD...back to NC...and welcome, 2020!