From MD, With Love.

Let's talk about Maryland. That tiny little Mid-Atlantic state nestled snugly in between West Virginia and Virginia and Pennsylvania and Delaware and the District.

Maryland, my Maryland! It's a place I've called home my whole life, even during those college years when it was just a pit stop in between semesters. Since moving back from New York, I've been rediscovering all the things that make it a wonderful state. What makes it so special? Here are my top five favorites:

1) Crabs! Crabs! Crabs! Blue Crabs. Jimmy Crabs. Sook Crabs. Sally Crabs. Sponge Crabs. Soft Shell Crabs. Shall I continue? You get the picture. You want crabs? We gottem. You can boil 'em. You can steam 'em. You can cake 'em. Just please, for the love of all that is good in the world, EAT THEM. In my mind there's nothing more quintessentially Maryland than picking crabs apart on a hot summer day by the water. Even better if that water is the Severn River on the Eastern shore...

2) The Eastern Shore! Be still my heart! Heaven is a place on earth! (Barbados aside, of course). The history and allure of the Chesapeake is alive and well on the Eastern shore. Places like St. Michael's and Ocean City bring the charm, and if you venture even further south you can see the beauty of the wild horses on Assateague Island (it's on the bucket list!). But, by far, the city with the most charm is Maryland's State capital, Annapolis. It's one of my favorite places, any season of the year. This year I'm hoping to make it to the Annapolis Christmas Lights Boat Parade. Annapolis-- I could go on forever: the Yard at the Naval Academy, the cobblestones leading up to St. Anne's church, the smell of the Severn, and the screech of seagulls, and the familiar smells wafting from Storm Brother's Ice Cream Parlor and Middleton Tavern. Promise me you'll visit as soon as you can.

3) I love Maryland's location! We live just ten minutes from the District, with wonderful places to shop and eat in Georgetown. Ten minutes south will land you in Virginia (and even though Maryland's below the Mason Dixon line, there's still a friendly rivalry with those old Virginia folk, God love 'em). Two hours north leads to Philly (and Alisa!), or Lancaster (and Becky!). New Jersey's shores are within driving distance, and I know from many a trip, that Manhattan is just a half day's drive to the north. The Mid-Atlantic region. It's a wonder of a place.

4) The natural beauty of Maryland. Boy, do I love it! Maybe it's part of the beauty of this whole region, but I adore our four distinct seasons: the quiet, snowy evenings. The rainy springtime days. The humidity of July. The windy, glorious autumn. I love our Maryland woods and creeks and rivers, and the close proximity to the shores of the Atlantic. I love our wimpy little ski slopes and winding forest trails. I love our farms up county and our sandy beaches farther south. I even love our over-population of deer.

5) But, let's be honest--I love Maryland most of all because of the quiet suburb on the edge of the Potomac River, that leads to the winding driveway, that rises up to the house on the hill, with the noise and the chatter of pets and siblings and friends and family. It's all these things that make Maryland home. And, can't that be said for wherever we're living? It's not the buildings and farms and oceans so much as it is the people that make a place feel like home. At least, I've always found it to be that way. Merryland, indeed.

Photo from here.