Author: Kathleen

If you’ve read even a smidge on this blog, you know that I don’t get out much. I won’t call myself a shut in or a hermit, but I’m not far from it! I really hate to leave, but when the going gets rough I can do it. That’s not necessarily what is happening here. We’re visiting Miami for the holiday. My brother is hosting it for the first time in 10 years and this time he’s doing it from his very own house. The last time he hosted, he was living in a studio apartment with his then fiance. I was still in high school and the biggest thing I got to take on the trip with me was a new CD walkman and some new drawing supplies.

This time is a little different. In 10 years, my road trip experience has changed dramatically. I don’t spend the week before I leave going to the store for batteries and CDs/cassettes. I don’t take 5 books with me for the long road. I read fast!

The San Souci Shopping Cemetery is listed on Find a Grave. It is known as Hammett Cemetery there, though I like my name better.

I’m going to be doing a little genealogy today and I can’t wait! I think I’m getting somewhere with all those Mays ancestors. Or at least, I’m getting somewhere with the group I’m working on now. I don’t have much time today though because we’re in a dash to finish setting up our Christmas Village. That’s right we’re setting up our Christmas Village this week. The original plan was to start November 1st but we’re even running late on getting started early. The village is our biggest project at Christmas, and it’s also the one that we enjoy the most. After barely getting it up in time last year, we decided to start November 1st this year. Unfortunately, we didn’t know then that this would be our busiest year in a long time! We’ve been traveling fools for family events. Just when we get settled from one, we’re dashing to another. So now that we’re finally back in our grove from our trip to New Jersey, we’re about to jet off to Miami for Thanksgiving!

That’s right, I said Thanksgiving in Miami! How fun is that going to be? My brother has purchased his first house and he’s decided to host Thanksgiving this year. It’s been a long time since we’ve all been together for the holidays so we’re jumping on the chance!

This is a panorama view of last years village. It’s technically in 3 parts.

I am literally surrounded by history where I live. It’s one of the things that goes along with living in an area that was founded in 1634. One of the things I’m pledging to do is get more of St. Mary’s County history online and available. I’m not connected in any way with societies or organizations, so really it’s just me researching the things that interest me. Though, I’m hoping this commitment leads me to the library and historical society more often.

One of the most memorable pieces of history in my area is the cemetery in the middle of a shopping center. That’s right, we have a cemetery in the middle of a shopping center. 30 years ago, this county was a whole lot of farmland. Today it’s the land of strip malls.