U is for Under the Stars

I grew up in Harford County, Maryland. It was a rural kind of place that started to get developed in the 70s so people like my parents could move farther out from the city in search of more home for less money.

Fifty years after that first development started, parts of the area are hardly recognizable to a person like me who hasn't lived there for quite some time. Fortunately, even with all the development, there are still glimpses of the small town, rural area I knew.

For example, Main St. in Bel Air looks pretty much the same even though some of the storefronts are different. Whenever I find myself there I can picture a much younger me helping a friend sell lemons with peppermint sticks at the town's Tom Sawyer Days festival. I can look down the street to where the movie theater used to be and picture the ticket booth and main lobby, as well as the theater where I saw such classics as Young Frankenstein.

Then there are the places that are no longer in business. For me, the biggest loss is the Bel Air Drive-In. I've always been a fan of drive-in movie theaters. Before moving to Bel Air my parents would take us out on a Saturday night in our pajamas. We head to the local drive-in and spend the night sitting on the hood of the car watching whatever family-type movie was playing.

With the recent state of the world, there's been some interest in drive-ins. I don't see myself sitting in a theater anytime soon but if there was a drive-in nearby I'd certainly spend a night in my car with a big screen in front of me.

Saturday night, we had our own drive-in of sorts. My brother-in-law's new phone comes with a projector attachment. So, after dinner we got ourselves set up for a backyard movie. First came the lighting of the firepit. Then came the chairs in a formation that allowed everyone to stay warm and see the screen my nephew had brought outside. A short time later the popcorn was done and the movie of the night, "Stand By Me," was rolling.

It was a perfect night for a movie under the stars- a little like the old nights at the drive-in, but this time dogs were welcome to join in on the movie on the lawn.

Life Lesson: “Simple pleasures are best.”
― Alan Bradley, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie