At Laurel Manor House Bed and Breakfast we’ve spent much of the past five months on home improvements, including driveway and parking lot resealing, rebuilding and replacing one of the smaller roof spires that had rotted, and adding a fresh coat of paint on the house exterior. One silver-lining of the drought we’ve been experiencing was that we were able to get these projects accomplished with no weather delays. It’s August now and our row of crape myrtles are in full bloom in vibrant contrast to the withering lawn. After more than a month with little rain, the clouds finally burst above our town last night and Dave and I joined our fellow Laurelites in celebration. With more rain in the
forecast for tonight, I’m hoping this will be the start of a new wetter weather pattern. This late summer transition time to autumn brings to mind memories of back-to-school excitement, even though our younger daughter had her last back-to-school season more than a dozen years ago. In Maryland, we celebrate this season with Shop Maryland Tax-Free Week, August 11- 17, a time when shoppers do not to pay the usual 6% sales tax on clothing and shoes under $100. Click on this link for details:
https://www.marylandtaxes.gov/divisions/comp/Shop_Maryland_Tax-free_Week/Tax-Free-Week-Faqs.pdf
Speaking of “back-to-school”, classes at University of Maryland start on August 26.
Family weekend will be September 21 and Homecoming on October 19.
At UMBC classes start on August 28; Homecoming and Family Weekend, October 25 – 27. It’s time to make your reservations for overnight accommodations if you’re traveling to the area for any of these events.
If you’re hoping to add some entertainment to your calendar before year’s end, here are some festivals to get excited about: The Maryland Renaissance Festival runs for nine weekends, beginning August 24. https://rennfest.com/
Music festivals at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia include Sad Summer and the All Things Go. Other concerts on Merriweather’s calendar include All Time Low, Dierks Bentley, Imagine Dragons, Lake Street Dive, Mitski, and Vance Joy—check here to see who’s playing when: https://merriweathermusic.com/ Laurel Manor House Bed and Breakfast is just ten miles south of Merriweather’s concert venue.
With an end in sight to summer’s intense heat, it’s a great time to plan a visit to any of the Smithsonian museums in Washington, D.C., see the monuments, visit Fort McHenry in Baltimore, or stroll Ego Alley in Annapolis. Laurel Manor House Bed and Breakfast is a quiet get-away, convenient to all three of these cities.