Growing Tobacco

[oakeshott]

Great stories, oakeshott. It sounds like you had some great experiences.

I have an aunt who moved down to Virginia after marrying a naval officer from the American naval base that was once located here.

I believe she's located in tobacco country - Washington county, if I recall. My dad visited her in the 70s and told me about visiting the tobacco barns.

I'd still like to get down there one of those days. I'd go tomorrow if it wasn't so damn expensive to get off this rock.

The farm was in Southern Maryland. Charles County, specifically. I don't think anyone grows it anymore and the farm we had is now a subdivision with McMansions on it...including one built on the bones of my childhood dog. I nearly wept when I took my wife to see it.

Btw, my dad took a bus trip up to Newfoundland years and years ago and he loved it there. We envy you.

[delamain]

The farm was in Southern Maryland. Charles County, specifically. I don't think anyone grows it anymore and the farm we had is now a subdivision with McMansions on it...including one built on the bones of my childhood dog. I nearly wept when I took my wife to see it.

Btw, my dad took a bus trip up to Newfoundland years and years ago and he loved it there. We envy you.

I'm sorry to hear that. The memories remain, I suppose. So much has been lost with the changes of the last 20-30 years; I'm certain that we are worse off in many respects.

Sprawl is becoming a huge problem up here, too. When arable land is swallowed up by tacky developments, we suffer in the long run. There's no replacing good farmland - it is a tragedy of shortsightedness. It's already rare enough as it is in Newfoundland - most of the ground isn't fit for anything but moss and stunted conifers.

It's nice country up here, but the grass is always greener on the other side. Living in the city, a lot of the benefits of Newfoundland are lost. I'd be willing to trade places with you all.

I'm hoping to get back to the land a little in the near future so maybe I will get to appreciate the natural blessings we have up here a bit more. Still, I look forward to touring the South and other pockets of the rural United States in years to come.