Fairies
and fireflies...
I've heard several people say that of all the fifty states, Maryland is the most like England. And if you didn't already know, I love England. That being said...
The first time I flew over Maryland I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Thick groves of trees as far as I could see. I was nineteen and it was my first time on an airplane. I was with my brother John, we were flying out to be with Jennifer and Nick. We were all going to work at the Markoff's summer camp for the summer. I was going to receive training as a lifeguard and swimming instructor as soon as the plane touched down. And that's what happened. Mary had arranged for me to be picked up and taken to Roanoke, VA with the rest of the pool staff that needed certification. It was so strange to be in a car of strangers headed to a place I'd never been on the opposite side of the country. It was good though, and nice to have such an adventure.
Roanoke was cold. We had to swim all the different swimming strokes in an outside pool. It was June, but it felt like late fall. There I was trying to act like I knew what I was doing, all the while freaking out because I had no idea that the breaststroke, backstroke, butterfly, crawl etc... even existed. I knew only one stroke and that was "swim." I've always loved swimming, I spent my summers swimming in my grandma and grandpa's pool. I beat my dad in a race when I was 12 (He probably let me win) but ever since then, I felt like I was good at it.
After a week of swimming my guts out we drove back to Maryland. I arrived at the Markoff's and was greeted by the lady of the house, the infamous Mary. She showed me where the food was and as always made me feel like part of the family.
I was to sleep in the Markoff's basement with Jennifer, and Anjie. It was great! I have so many fond memories of my time living in a basement in Maryland. I remember being introduced to amazing music, our nations history, Chief would take us to the Naval Academy shows, and D.C. had it all.
But... my favorite memories were the nights that we would turn Eric Clapton's "Unplugged" on and eat outside on Chief and Mary's deck. The sun would fade and soon it would be pitch black. That is the part I loved. I would sit on the glider and stare out at the trees that surrounded the house. That's when the most magical thing would occur. Little flashes of light would light up the trees. Twinkles here and there. The darker it got outside the more flashes I could see. It reminded me of a picture I had seen of a dark stadium during the Olympics, all you could see were the flashing of cameras. It's hard to believe that my most memorable moments in Maryland came absolutely free.
And so began my love for fireflies. I usually pretend they're fairies, I bet most girls do.
James in the "forbidden shed."
Elizabeth in the "forbidden shed."
Camille and James sucking on Dora's head.
Elizabeth asking if she could eat a rotten apple off the ground, just not in so many words.
Camille and Caroline in the "forbidden shed." They didn't seem to pay much attention to the "forbidden" part.
Finger painting.
Caroline with her blue hands.
Camille and her blue hands.
James and his blue hands.
And last but not least, Elizabeth and her blue hands.
Caroline.
Elizabeth. 
James.
Camille.
