and by monday i meant tuesday

Driving to and from the Maryland/DC area was exhausting.  Mark drove nearly a total of 22 hours roundtrip (I drove a measly 2 hours)....my husband loves me.  We got home Monday afternoon and collapsed (why was I so tired?!?! LOL).

Anyway, those were the bookends of the trip but the middle was really fun and great.  Here's what we learned while driving to the east coast: Maryland is way prettier than IL, Pennsylvania would be gorgeous in the fall, and that Indiana and Ohio have nothing redeeming to offer.  Don't visit these states.  ;P

**Side note: Once we got to MD I was horrified to discover that my little point and shoot camera was out of batteries so the pictures we took were very limited.  :( Dispair and horror!!  I definitely learned my lesson: always bring the charger.  Pictures were taken by Mark with his cell phone.

We were in MD for a wedding but other than wedding responsibilities all we did was eat.   LOL so here is our eating journal...we arrived Friday afternoon in time for the wedding rehearsal and dinner.  This was the first wedding I would participate since my own and I have to say it was a bit weird.  I totally appreciated all the planning and manpower required now because I had been clueless before my own wedding.  The rehearsal dinner was at Smokey Glen Farm where they do "Fridays on the Farm" in the summer time which is an all-you-can-eat (AYCE) BBQ feast on Friday nights.  I mean, the place is literally a farm with rolling hills and a huge barn.  The AYCE buffet includes: steamed crabs, steamed shrimp, BBQ chicken, BBQ ribs, corn, baked beans, mac and cheese, hot dogs, salad bar, cole slaw, potato salad, bread, 4 different pies, and unlimited non-alcoholic drinks!  PHEW!  It was a sight to behold.  We packed our plates and literally ate inside a big wooden barn...it was really fun.



Saturday we slept in and had time to grab lunch before the evening wedding.  After consulting a friend who grew up in the area we headed towards Addie's for lunch.  The restaurant is in a converted home and it's definitely a must-eat for lunch if you're in the area.  Peeking at the dinner prices we felt that the lunch was definitely worth it compared to dinner prices.  The restaurant has a changing menu based on the season and what the local farms are growing....love that.  It's how eating should be done - local and fresh.  We LOVED the soft-shell crab sandwich (which was a special that day) and the Prince Edward Island Mussels (which were part of their regular menu).  Prince Edward Island!!  I love Anne of Green Gables.....but I digress.  For dessert we had a rhubarb tart with buttermilk ice cream that was DE-licious.  Love the tart rhubarb with the sweet and creamy ice cream.... smacking lips.  I thought that the un-sung hero of the lunch was the BREAD.  I'm a certified carbo-holic and I love a good piece of bread and this place had such a perfect baguette that we had 3 baskets worth.  Augh, crusty and soft, flavorful and chewy, spread some delicious butter and sop up the broth from the mussels with it and you're in HEAVEN.  Heaven I say!!  Augh, eat there...take me with you too.

Maryland/DC Part 2 on Thursday...