Archive for February, 2009

Growing Up in Calvert in the 1950's Part 1

Saturday, February 21st, 2009

Most of my childhood was spent in a little map dot called Bowens, MD. It doesn’t show up on most maps but it will pop up on Google maps.  To say that the county was rural back then is a total understatement. Our current population is a little over 90,000; in the ’50’s it was around 13,000. Finding friends was a real mission. Finding something to occupy your time was even harder. It wasn’t so bad when school was in session but the summers were brutal when you were too young to get a part-time job.

Everyone has a first memory. Mine was when I stepped on a stick with my bare foot and the stick quickly slithered away. My first run-in with the an American Black Snake.

That incident cured me of going barefoot through tall grass. At least it was only a black snake and not the dreaded “copperhead.”

A copperhead sighting was big news back then and the poor snake’s size and ferocity were usually grossly exagerrated. This, unfortunately, led to the accepted practice when encountering any snake of retrieving a trusty hoe or shovel and chopping the creature’s head off.  Fortunately for my initial reptilian encounter, both the snake and I lived to tell the tale. I do remember the snake being at least 6 inches in diameter and at least ten feet long!!!

If you like great fried chicken, you’ll enjoy my next post about the best chicken I ever tasted.

Brooke

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From Banker to Builder to Baritone

Sunday, February 15th, 2009

Don Parsons, our Director of Land and Business Development doesn’t mind switching gears. Having spent over 20 years in the world of banking and finance, Don didn’t flinch when offered the challenge of a new career in the residential construction and development business back in 2004. As one of our primary bankers, we had developed a strong relationship with Don over the years. Brooke and Don also served together for a number of years on the Board of Directors of Calvert Memorial Hospital in Prince Frederick.

But there’s another side to Don that really gets under our skin. That’s because he knows the tunes of a million songs and even worse, he knows the lyrics, too! And yeah, he’s also got a pretty good voice to go with the package. So you’re maybe humming a show tune, an old rock ballad or even a Christmas carol and next thing you know here’s Don with the words and vocals. You can’t lose face, so you join him in a duet  and now the whole world knows you can’t carry a tune!

So I strongly suggest when you see Don at the model, go easy on the tunes unless you’ve got a decent repertoire and some good pipes. Or better yet, ask HIM to give you a few bars of his favorite show tune!

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Kaine Homes Snuggles Up and Reads

Tuesday, February 10th, 2009

Ann Kaine shares a story with the kids

Several representatives of Kaine Homes participated in Barstow Elementary School’s first SNUGGLE UP AND READ event on Friday, January 30, 2009. SNUGGLE UP AND READ was sponsored by the Barstow Elementary PTA and is aimed at introducing elementary school children to the wonder of reading in an enjoyable and comfortable setting.

More than 50 elementary school students came to the Barstow gymnasium donning their pajamas and carrying pillows, blankets and sleeping bags. They sat in wonder as community volunteers read to them from assorted children’s books by authors from Judith Viorst to Dr. Seuss. Brooke and Ann Kaine of Kaine Homes were among the readers. They were joined by other notable Calvert County volunteers such as Sheriff Mike Evans, Commissioner Linda Kelley, Board of Education member Bill Chamber and United Way Director Kelly Chambers among many others.

The event was a rousing success and a second event is in the planning stages for the second quarter of 2009.

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I wish my Dad drove a pick-up

Sunday, February 8th, 2009

Growing up in Calvert County in the 1950s was a lonely experience if your dad drove red Cadillacs. My friends’ dads were mostly tobacco farmers who drove around in pick-up trucks and some even had the ultimate status item, the rear view window shotgun rack. There was just no way to fit one of those in a white-on-red convertible Cadillac, although the rear tail-fins on that beauty could be quite lethal.

Not having my own half-acre of tobacco to grow, I remember helping the neighbor kids pick up “ground leaves.” OK, so what are ground leaves? Simply put, these are the leaves from the bottom of the tobacco plant that fall on the ground during it’s growth cycle. We’d go around after the plants were cut down, pick up these downed leaves and spear about a dozen of them on little wire rods. They would then be hung up to dry in the barn along with the rest of the crop. Come the late winter and spring, the dried leaves would be bundled up with the main crop and sold at the local tobacco markets.

Looking back, the ground leaf game was probably the “starter kit” for breaking the kids into the tobacco farming business.

Farming was a big deal in Calvert in the 1950s and tobacco was the king of the crops. All that’s gone now as the plant is now justifiably condemned as a terrible health hazard. Back then, it was how a lot of families got by.

In an upcoming post, I’ll give you my bystander’s view of the world of tobacco in a small rural county in Southern Maryland in the 1950s.

Brooke

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