“It’s Awesome out Here!”

On the border of Howard and Baltimore counties, just outside Ellicott City there is a truly bucolic spot where Ilchester Road and Bonnie Branch Road intersect. In this spot, three hills form a small ravine along the banks of the Patapsco River. I don’t posses the writing skills to adequately describe it so I’ll just quote Erin. “It’s awesome out here.”

I met Erin as she was policing the roadside on this rainy afternoon. As I drove by I noticed this young woman working in the rain and not even wearing a hat. Something in my convoluted head told me to stop. I did a u-turn and circled back.

After introducing myself and telling her about the blog she allowed me to take her picture. For someone who was standing in the rain, picking up other peoples litter, she was refreshingly upbeat.

“It’s awesome out here,” she said. That may at first seem odd. It was cold enough to require a jacket and it was raining.

But it wasn’t raining hard. Looking around I noticed that rain had created a mist between the hills. New spring growth was everywhere. The air even tasted good.

Erin was right. It was awesome out there.