The Wayback Machine is a collection of articles dealing with the history of Aberdeen, MD. While you may have heard of Aberdeen Proving Ground, there was much, much more to the town and the area before the government became its neighbor.
The Aberdeen Historic Markers Series tracked down the roadside markers erected, for the most part, by the Maryland Historical Trust and explained the significance of the person, place or event commemorated by the signs. One of the most surprising facts I came across was that The Bush Declaration not only predates the Declaration of Independence, but they share similar wording. Another interesting historical fact is that the wooden siding from the third-oldest Methodist church in the United State now adorns an insurance office.
The Havre de Grace Historic Markers Series
explored the markers which noted the history of the town by the Chesapeake Bay which was burned by the British not once, but twice.
During the Revolutionary War, Generals Lafayette and Rochambeau passed through on the way to Yorktown, and had Lafayette not stayed at a local sheriff's nearby home, where a traitor was hanged, his dispirited troops may have deserted and the war been lost. But, that's just my speculation. Havre de Grace was directly involved in the War of 1812, when the town was burned the second time. The British troops then marched on to Baltimore, and, voila, we have The Star Spangled Banner.
While I'm on the topic of local history, I've also written about a so-called sailor whose hand-carved coffin used to swing from chains, the last one-room schoolhouse in Harford County and a forgotten cemetery which was rediscovered when a business park was being constructed.
But, rest assured, I'm no one trick pony. On the contemporary side of things, I've had a chuckle over stinkbugs, examined the pagan origins of Easter, shared how a local couple became engaged with the help of a hot air balloon pilot, and interviewed the mother of Cal Ripken, Jr. If you're interested in a modestly-priced wine, I've written about that, too.
Throw in a few dozen weekly Frugal Family columns, plus coverage of community events and fundraisers, and my journalism skills are quite well rounded.
In fact, I don't let the facts get in my way. I can also spin stories out of whole cloth. Regional tales are my specialty. As an English major with a concentration in creative writing, emphasis creative, I've written countless short stories and have the requisite novel in the drawer in search of a publisher.
Cutty's Ark spends an eventful year in a small, Chesapeake Bay marina with the absolutely, perfectly normal live-aboards who can't quite seem to get out of their own way. Even if they aren't exactly laughing at themselves, at least we can laugh along with them.
And, back when, before there was a digital world, I was published in good, old-fashioned print. With actual ink. There's nothing quite like holding your work in your hands, seeing your name in physical print, and knowing that elsewhere, strangers are doing the same.
"Coastal Living" published several of my pieces highlighting some fun and funky goings-on in and around Ocean City, MD.
"Playboy" even saw fit to publish my Letter to the Editor when a chef raised my hackles over the real way to steam a blue crab Maryland-style. (It's beer and Old Bay. Period.)
