Our vacation 2008 Part 2

Saturday July 26, 2008
I guess the boy’s room was okay except for the continually running toilet. The girl’s room however was NOT! Because I always wear my shoes my feet never touched the floor before going to bed. I sat on the bed and slipped my feet out of my Birkenstocks and under the covers. Cassie and Ariel slept in one bed and because Ariel sleeps like a banshee she woke Cassie up constantly. I slept with Hannah. Everything was fine until I heard something fall around five in the morning. I opened my eyes and saw that Hannah’s hand was above her head at the top of the bed and her binkie was no where to be found. I knew that meant the she dropped it behind the bed. I stepped off of the bed to see it I could find it and discovered that the floor was wet! Well, just before we went to bed Ariel told me that she could not get the toilet to flush. Ugh! All I could imagine was that the toilet had backed up recently and had flooded the floor. I was completely grossed out and couldn’t fall back to sleep. I tried, but I kept thinking that Hannah would wake up and want her binkie and then I would have to step on that disgusting floor again trying desperately to find it in the dark and that was before I thought about her pacifier sitting on the floor.

At six o’clock I finally got up and took a shower. Bob knocked on the door shortly after I got out of the shower. All of the boys were up and dressed. All of the girls were still sleeping. I made everyone get up and get ready, being sure to tell them to wash their feet in the tub and put their shoes on before stepping out onto the carpet. I found Hannah’s binkie resting on one of the bars of the headboard, so it did not have to be thrown out.

We went across the street to Shoney’s for breakfast. The waitress accidentally delivered Jacob some bacon so Michael spent the rest of the meal teasing me, pretending that he was eating bacon. Ha ha, Michael.

We finished breakfast and were on our way. We stopped at a rest stop in Virginia and one of the guides suggested a particular route and gave us a map that showed all the to Harwood. Then we stopped at Taco Bell for lunch.

We got to Maryland around 6:30 and had another hour to Harwood. The GPS did not bring us to the right house. Bob pulled up to the house and I said, “This is the wrong address.” It is difficult sometimes to recognize a house from a photo. We drove down the street looking for the address but the house numbers were getting higher and higher. We turned around in the cul-de-sac and went back. There was a hidden driveway and there was the house.


Earlier in the trip I had called the owner to tell him that we were almost there and he had opened up the house and turned a couple of lights on for us. As soon as Bob pulled into the driveway and shut the truck off the kids immediately ran up to the door yelling that the house was beautiful. What a relief for me. It is not easy finding and renting a vacation home on-line that will please the family. Is it big enough, too big, does it have decent furnishings, is it too fancy for kids, is there enough to do in the area? These are just a few of the questions I have to ask myself while looking at the pictures and reading the description. The owner did say that it was 12 miles from Annapolis, but I misread it and thought it was in Annapolis. Those are twelve long miles on curvy, hilly roads and there is nothing in the immediate area. That was evident as we were approaching the house. I was anticipating moans and groans, so when instead I heard sounds of delight, I was relieved. It is beautiful. The home was built in the 1920’s. The owner, Mark, told me that it had burned down and was rebuilt using some of the original bricks that had been brought over on ship from England in the 1700’s. So it was unclear to me if the house was rebuilt in the 20’s or originally built in the 20’s. I think it was rebuilt. The furnishings are a little too traditional for my tastes, but I can appreciate the beauty of them. There is a library with a piano that Michael enjoys playing. Ariel’s room is next that. Between her room and small sitting room with a fireplace is the downstairs bathroom. Of course, seeing as how it is summer, we will not be using the fireplace. In the sitting room is the door to the basement. When we were driving through the neighborhood to the house we were talking about basements and Matthew really, really, really wanted to stay in a house with one. When we arrived it was not obvious that the house had one. He started crying from his disappointment. Imagine how excited he was when he discovered that there was one. He and Bob quickly descended into the darkness and just as quickly reemerged. Then we took the key and told Matthew that he was not allowed to go back down. He was happy, he had finally been in a basement. Beside the sitting room is the formal dining room and then the kitchen with a small hallway, and then finally a breakfast room with a small table that probably seats three. It has a bench instead of chairs. Then there is the upstairs. Our bedroom is a long room that has the bed on one end facing the wall, it has a bed wall behind it. That is what Bob called it. I have never seen one before, but he has. Behind the bed wall is a sitting area with a desk and a small couch, past that is a lounge chair that is opposite the large open bathroom that has a water closet. Past our bedroom is the upstairs bathroom, then the laundry area, one bedroom that is Cassie’s room, and then the boys room that, like our room, has a small sitting area with a daybed and a television. Their room has three beds and a desk.

After unloading the truck and trailer, bob unhitched the trailer and we headed to the nearest grocery store. It was in an unsavory neighborhood and I was a little nervous until I saw a cop in the store, working. We got KFC for dinner and then settled in for the night.