St. Michaels Maryland

If I were asked to sum St. Michaels, Maryland in a word, I'd be hard put to do just that. St. Michaels, Maryland tucked on the shore of Talbot County is a place that one can't help but fall in love with.

The moment I passed the sign on Talbot Street that said Welcome to St. Michaels I knew I was in for a special time, and the little town that has been dubbed as having been 'The Town That Fooled the British', didn't disappoint me.

What did I find? I felt like I was stepping back in time, felt like I was walking into a Norman Rockwell picture perfect postcard.

The first thing you see when you enter St. Michaels, is the lack of......Not only is St. Michaels about what it is, its about what it isn't. Its not cluttered for starters, you don't walk down the street finding a 7-11, McDonalds, Starbucks, or Royal Farms.

You find a community that the people care about their town, you find the streets swept, no trash, friendly people, stores that have customer service that makes you feel welcome, even if you don't buy anything. I went into a store looking for a sweatshirt, and 20 to 30 minutes later I walked out after having talked with the gal who was running the store about photography. You come as a stranger and leave feeling like you were not only welcome, but you want to come back. Not just because you spend your money or time there, but because the people were truly caring, kind, and proud of their town, their town's history.

While the winter months there may not be as much to do, the shops are open, the residents walk their dogs, will stop and talk to you. I walked the length of the museum, and felt such a presence of history, from the old stone church, to the screw pile light house, each and every building has been so well maintained. In the summer time they have gardens that show you the crops that were grown, at the time.

The entrance to the Maritime Museum is the draw bridge that once connected Tilghman Island to land, the bridge having been replaced reminds, once again, of the pride and heritage of the area. Leaving St. Michaels to tour the lowlands between the Eastern Bay and the Choptank River, provides stunning scenery and views from both sides of the street. Not walking distance from St. Michaels, but definitely worth the drive.

As I passed through St. Michaels both going in and leaving the town, I wondered how it got the nickname as The Town that Fooled the British, and up on reading I found that what they did to preserve the town during the Revolutionary War, the first recorded military blackout. Not only saving the town, but also preventing loss of life. The settlers had moved all the livestock, women and children, as well as valuables out of town, they then lined the trees away from the town and darkened the town. Only one house was hit, now known as Cannonball house, no other damage was sustained.

You may find a Bank of America on the Talbot Street in the heart of downtown St. Michaels, however it truly didn't and doesn't look like any Bank of America that I've seen, and had it not had the sign on it, and the one drive through window, you would have probably passed it not knowing it was a bank. Preserving the look and feel of the old world charm is important.

Many of the homes have been turned into bed and breakfasts, or hotels, even as you drive up the coast, there are a lot of waterside hotels, inns, and bed and breakfast places.

Another thing you won't find in St. Michaels is a Pet Smart, but you will find, Gabby's Pet Depot, and someone who loves to talk animals, I shared some of my photos of pets that I have taken and once again, felt like I had found a place that I felt welcome.

My first introduction to St. Michaels came to me when I read a novel written by John Grisham, The Testament, and I fell in love with St. Michaels from what he wrote. I always wondered if I was expecting too much from the mental image in my mind, and I can truly say I was not disappointed, when St. Michaels lived up to everything I imagined, and more.

My first visit was a week and a half ago, and I find myself longing to go back...

Saving Essex Skypark

Nestled in Baltimore County in Essex, Maryland is a gem, that the county wants to take away, a gem that needs to be preserved. I'm talking about the Essex County SkyPark.

I've been in Maryland for 20 years, and just myself recently learned of this SkyPark. Its a small airport, where pilots work on their own planes, build their own planes, fly in and out. These people have a passion for what they do, and to close this place would be devastating. These people have built their own hangars, something that they can no longer do because the county says they can't.

Many of the planes that are at the SkyPark are 'antiques', many of them date from the 1960s and EARLIER. Along with those collectible planes are several that have been built by hand. Every year these pilots have to have their planes go through an annual inspection.

What does a non pilot get when they show up at the SkyPark?

A Warm Welcome, history, conversation, and the feeling like you've know the person a lot longer than the time you spent with them. And its also not uncommon that these pilots will take the time to take you or others up in the air for a ride. An Awesome breath taking ride at that. You are made to feel like family. Kids are likely to remember their visit to the SkyPark for the rest of their life. As they will have a memory of what may very well have been their first ride in an airplane.

So what does Baltimore county claim they want to do? They want an 'exit plan' for the airport to be closed in five years. But that goes against the 'royal clause' that was in a will that stated that the SkyPark was to remain an airport as long as there were pilots there. The SkyPark has been there for decades, it has been reported that it was created in 1943.

To take this gem away from these pilots, is the unthinkable mistake. The royalty clause when they sold the air park to the county is something the county wants to ignore. The county says that they want to plant trees to replace those that have died, or to replant trees that have been cut down other places. However, they are ignoring the clause that the Shapiro family stated that it would be an airport as long as there pilots and planes there.

The disastrous results of closing this gem would be that the pilots, many on fixed incomes would have no reasonable place to store their planes, to fly out of, as well as those who rely on the SkyPark for income. There are no other small airports in Baltimore County. There are no alternatives for these people, who are more than pilots, they are mechanics, the planes they work on are collectibles. Until recently they even built their own hangers. They give their time to something that is more than a hobby and because some politician is worried about trees they deem it necessary to take the SkyPark away from them.

But as bad as that seems, they wanted to dig a drainage ditch to save the trees, because of the rain and the weather we have had the ground has not dried out, now we all know that trees can not live if they are sitting in a puddle of water. But the county would not let them dig a ditch not more than a few fit deep maybe by a foot wide to save the trees and help the environment. But yet they county claims they want to take the SkyPark to enhance the environment? Something isn't making sense with this.

Baltimore County if they gave the SkyPark a long lease, and made accommodations to the pilots and their planes, there could be some possibility for expansion of the SkyPark. If they would allow the pilots to 'lease' the land that their hangar is on, as well as the building, as the last hangar that went up belongs to the county, could possibly open the door for insurance. However the county seems intent on taking and not doing much giving in return. For example, the county took a year off the 5 year lease because it took a year to negotiate the lease, so they included the negotiation period in the lease. The mentality of the government.

Essex SkyPark is more than an airport, its a piece of history that needs to preserved. And if the government stopped looking at money and possibly selling their souls out for money they would realize that the wishes of the previous owners needs to be respected, and honor the royal clause that the land will remain an airport as long as there are pilots there.

And as of today Jan 28, 2012 I can vouch that there are both pilots and planes there.