The state I live in

This refers to the actual geographical state I live in, not the kind of psychological state I live in.

So, this state is Maryland and there’s been a lot of recent banter (read as ‘social media chit-chat’) about what makes this state great (read as ‘awesome’).

Anyway, this is the list of stuff that Marylanders say they love /are proud about Maryland…

1. Crabs. That is the kind that you can eat, not the STD kind. They love their crabs here and rightly so. I love ’em too.

Delicious

2. Old Bay Spice. This goes on pretty much anything you want, including crabs, and definitely on chicken wings. Spicy.

3. The Ravens and the Orioles. Now I know who/what these are (football and baseball), and I have been chased round a PTA barbeque by Poe, the Ravens’ mascot.

4. Jousting. Jousting is the sport of Maryland. Really?! Is it?! Come on now, since when does any jousting actually happen apart from at the Renaissance Festival, which this year was mostly about over-zealous Medieval boobage and bad mock-English accents.

What fun to poke each other’s eyes out!

4. Lacrosse. Sigh. I see bumper stickers about parents whose child is the Lacrosse Captain/Top Scorer/Winner/Shower Jockey etc on the back of cars. Don’t get the lacrosse thing. Hockey – yes. Lacrosse – what?

5. History. Like that Annapolis and Baltimore were both, at one time or another, the capital of the USA. That’s a lovely bit of historical know-how and I love both these cities, so hooorah!

6. Cal Ripken Jr. So, I’ve seen this name and I’ve seen kids and adults alike wearing football(?) jerseys with his name on, and I’m kind of guessing he was like the Kevin Keegan of his time. Like some great player and a top bloke at that…. WRONG! I Googled him. He was a baseball player (oops, sorry Marylanders) and was nicknamed the Iron Man. He is best remembered for breaking Lou Gehrig’s record for consecutive games played, a record that had stood for 56 years and many deemed unbreakable. Ripken surpassed the mark on September 6, 1995, by playing his 2,131st consecutive game. And he was born in Maryland, of course.

What a happy chappy 🙂

7. Weather/seasons. Maryland has every season, and sometimes within one week. This is so true. One minute I’m in my Daisy Dukes in March and then there’s a bloody gurt snow storm and it’s back on with the thermal socks. It’s cray-cray, as they say here.

8. North/south. Folk here feel they are both northern and southern. That’s because of that Mason Dixon Line divide. See, I have been reading my history.

Yeah, I hear ya

9. You’re near to Washington DC. True, one feels like Michelle and Barak are practically neighbours.

10. Marylanders like the Maryland flag. To be fair, I dig California’s with the bear and South Carolina’s with the cool crescent moon thing and the palm tree, but the Maryland one I understand and recognise, and I am eternally grateful that I never had to draw it in school.

It’s very official

This is kinda cool

Oooh, yeah

11. The Bay Bridge. Which, for me, is like the scariest bridge in the world. EVER. STILL.

It makes my feet go all wobbly

12. Hairpsray (the musical). It’s all about Baltimore and Baltimore is all about Hairspray.

Washington / Washington DC

I have a confession to make. Hanging on my wall is my 2014 calendar. It is of Washington – glorious, fabulous pictures of Washington. Goodness, thought I, these are places we must go to.

But why no pictures of the White House, no Georgetown, no Capitol Building, no Washington Memorial, no Abraham Lincoln memorial steps, no Forrest Gump and Jenny in the Reflecting Pool moment….?

‘Is that not a calendar with pictures of Washington STATE, not Washington DC?’ remarked my husband…..

See, it’s lovely!

Um, yes. What a plonker! 😉