Baltimore

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To make a long story short ...

A cousin I had never met

My mom's half-sister Mary Jane married Albert McMunn.  I had met Uncle Albert and Aunt Mary Jane at my wedding.  I hadn't met them prior to that and did not see them again after.  We lived in different parts of the country and just didn't have the opportunity.  Albert and Mary Jane had several children, one of whom is Brock.  I had never met Brock until this trip.

After doing family tree research, I knew about Brock and the other cousins.  Through connections to various relatives on Facebook, I found him and made a connection.  Brock attended the United States Naval Academy and graduated in 1972.  They have led quite a life.  Among other facts, they lived in Japan for many years.  Brock and his wife Carol recently moved into housing right on the Academy campus so when I realized how close we were going to be to them, I reached out.

Brock and Carol were very happy to meet and visit with us.  We met at their home and got to see the gorgeous furniture and other collectibles they brought back from Japan.  Brock even offered to give us a tour of the USNA.  While it is open to the public, having a personal guide was spectacular.  He knows so much of the history and, in face, Carol used to give tours!

One of their children, Shauna, lives in NJ just across the border from Philadelphia.  That's a story for another page.

Photos

We sure miss yard- and house-work

Our daughter Breanna and her husband Kyle live outside Baltimore in a town called Linthicum Heights.  That's only a few minutes drive from our campground.  At this time, Breanna is pregnant and they both work full-time.  That combination makes it difficult for them to get major yardwork projects done.  That's where we come in.

We spent the majority of our days at their house finishing up some projects.  One very major project was digging out a walkway next to their driveway and installing large pavers.  Did I mention that this is in the middle of a very hot summer?  And did I mention that the ground around that area is a lot of clay?  What do you get when you have very dry clay?  Something resembling concrete.  We chipped.  We dug.  We used a pick-axe.  We rested.  We hydrated.  We repeated.  Holy cow.  Quite the workout, but we got it done.

Then we had to move the dirt.  We had been piling it up on some tarps in the driveway but it became quite an eyesore.  Sure, they could have paid someone to come get it but we decided to fill in some raised flower beds and make some new ones.

Having a baby on the way also means getting the baby's room ready.  The four of us spent some time finishing some hallway and room painting so Breanna could move her home office space into the guest bedroom.

Do we miss doing this type of work?  Actually, we do.  We both loved working around the house, when we had one, and love being outside.  The clay ground was a bit much but we sure enjoyed being able to help Breanna and Kyle.