October 2, 2012. Artemas, PA. Cumberland.

Cumberland, Maryland,  at one time, was an important city.  Up until mid fifties when transportation got easy,  Cumberland was a prosperous city with glass factories and tire companies.  But bit by bit, the factories closed or moved away and the population drove to bigger cities to do their shopping, so Cumberland shrunk and Cumberland became poor, bit by bit.   Then the powers that be put the interstate right through the center of town, effectively cutting the city in two.  Not good.

Today, we four drove to Cumberland to buy groceries and liquor.  Rita and I started in the grocery store  while Ian and Ken went for the wine.  We shopped at Martin's.  We were both delighted with this large modern venue.  The shopping was excellent with good prices and many options.  It was as good a grocery store as any store we frequent, and amazed to find this excellent store in Cumberland.  Rita was pleased and surprised and so was I.

Ian was astonished with the variety in the liquor store, which was right down the street from the grocery store.   The store on the shelves had over fifty options in Scotch alone.  Ken bought wine for four dollars a bottle.  Ian has been in a lot of liquor stores, some run by the government and some private, but he thinks that the options available to him was greater than at any other store.  He was surprised and pleased, and in Cumberland of all things.  You just never know what you find in these places.