Cumberland (Day one)

 I slept in today. Beds are hard to come by when you’re bumming around, especially the kind that I’m allowed to occupy for as long as I can bear. Relishing the luxury.

I wandered off to explore the ReStore sale. Habitat for Humanity had for some reason come to possess the assets of a recently shut down bank. I didn’t know what I might buy there, I can hardly get a desk back to California, but it was neat to walk through. Everything was open and the old executive offices were beautiful, back when a bank meant something in a small town.

Downtown 

One of the pleasant surprises of this town was learning that I have family closeby. My cousin Tori and her husband Caleb purchased some land in West Virginia, not far from Cumberland. I let them know I was going to be in town and they scooped me up for lunch. They’ve been enjoying their time out here and the kids and relishing the amount of land at the their disposal, especially the oldest. They took me back to West Virginia (as soon as we crossed the border the kids started to sing Country Roads) to see their place. It’s really lovely. A house on a hill surrounded by old trees that are all starting to change color.

Family

They dropped me back off downtown and I explored Washington Street. Washington is the main drag out of downtown Cumberland and historically where the city’s upper crust made their homes. If you ran a tire plant in 1930, this is where you lived. The houses are gorgeous with elaborate brickwork, woodwork, and stained glass. The homeowners are keeping up the houses and they all look to be in tip top shape. 

Courthouse

Back down the hill and I went out in search of dinner and a drink. Armed with my latest book (on project Azorian in which the CIA decided to play claw machine with a sunken Soviet sub) the goal was to grab a beer from every bar that was open that night. I came close. As 9 pm rolled around my bed called to me and I listened. Time for a good nights sleep.

The local synagogue