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Category: Local Interest

Items of local interest to the four-state area (Western Md, Southern PA, Northern VA, and Eastern WV).

Local Wineries Offer Weekend Diversions

Local Wineries Offer Weekend Diversions

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September is almost upon us, ushering in the last bit of summer and hopefully giving us a glimpse of cooler temperatures and a glorious autumn season.  The kids are back in school, weekend harvest festivals will be in full swing – and what better way to celebrate than to check out some local wines! Luckily, Washington County has plenty of wineries to choose from.  From sweet to dry, there’s certainly a bottle of locally–produced  goodness for everyone to enjoy –…

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The Land of Warehouses

The Land of Warehouses

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Every time you look at the business section of a newspaper these days, you’ll see plenty of articles about economic recovery in this post-COVID world we now live in.  This “new” workplace has spawned an abundance of one specific type of industry in my local area. Warehouses. Now I’m not talking about your typical Mom & Pop trucking company with three bays and a forklift, I’m talking about mammoth complexes, sporting hundreds of shipping bays, millions of square feet of…

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Two Kids – Two Sides of a Coin

Two Kids – Two Sides of a Coin

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Well, after five days, six states, and around 2,000 road miles, we successfully dropped off both of our kids at college this past week.  One is relatively close (about a 90 minute drive), but the other is located a bone-crushing twelve-hour drive away (one way) in order for her to attend the college of her dreams (and who’s university is a sprawling mammoth of Southern charm and powerful football heritage). For our oldest, this trip and move-in process is now…

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Prepping For An Empty Nest

Prepping For An Empty Nest

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As August is now upon us, our family is preparing for a monumental event this coming week. Both of our kids will be off to college, leaving my wife and I as “empty nesters”.  The missus and I haven’t had a lot of downtime from family life since waaaaaay back in early 2001, so I’m sure it will be an adjustment for everyone. For one thing, our grocery bill will be considerably less than current standards.  We’re planning on getting…

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If It Wasn’t For Bad Luck…..

If It Wasn’t For Bad Luck…..

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The saying goes – “when life hands you lemons, you make lemonade”.  Yeah – well sometimes, it’s just a big ‘ol bag of damn lemons (that nobody asked for or wanted).  That pretty much describes my past week.  Here’s a sample of the fun and frolic I’ve been experiencing over the past few days. I was in a project meeting this past Thursday at work when my cell phone rings.  It’s my youngest daughter, and there are lots of heated…

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The Home Swimming Pool – Is This Still A Thing?

The Home Swimming Pool – Is This Still A Thing?

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As I travel to and fro on the back roads and byways of my community – you know what I DON’T see a lot of these days? Swimming pools. Above ground, in ground – whatever.  I just don’t see a lot of homes with swimming pools anymore – especially in new construction. Growing up, it seemed that friends who had a pool were to be envied.  Their house had it all.  As a kid, if only I could have stepped…

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Have You Been to the Doctor Lately? Good Luck!

Have You Been to the Doctor Lately? Good Luck!

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I’d like to think that I’m a pretty healthy person.  I try to watch what I eat, get plenty of sleep, work on getting some steps in – you know the routine.  I’m turning 54 this year, so it’s a stark realization that I’m looking forward to fewer days ahead of me than have passed behind me (unless I follow in the footsteps of my great-grandmother – who lived to be 111), so I have to pay more attention to…

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The Gender Reveal Party: I Just Don’t Get It

The Gender Reveal Party: I Just Don’t Get It

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It seems like these days, you can’t go a week on any social media platform without seeing some video clip of a young couple’s gender reveal party.  For those of you who may not be initiated, this is an event where families and friends gather at a party or celebration of a couple’s impending paternal designation, and at some point during the event – the sex of the as yet to arrive baby is revealed in some elaborate method that…

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Birthdays, Birthdays, Everywhere!

Birthdays, Birthdays, Everywhere!

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It’s a weekend of celebrations!  Our country is celebrated its 245th birthday this past weekend, and in only five short years – we’ll be heading for a banner Sestercentennial (or Quartermillenial) celebration here in the good ‘ol U.S.A (although neither of those sounds catchy emblazoned on a T-shirt).  That’s 250 years, if you haven’t guessed yet.  I wonder what sort of celebrations and events will take place in 2026?  Who knows?  I fondly remember our bicentennial (1976), a year’s worth…

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Stress? Who Has Stress?

Stress? Who Has Stress?

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I am often reminded that in my day-to-day activities, as author Erma Bombeck used to say “if life is a bowl of cherries, what am I doing in the pits?”  Our daily lives are a series of highs and lows, of calm and confusion, and how we handle the more chaotic situations – especially when various factors of stress are placed on us, is different for each of us as individuals. I’ll use myself as an example.  I’ve had a…

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