It was an ordinary day. Traveled with my wife, Carol, and friends Pat and Dale to Chesapeake City, Maryland to celebrate my wife Carol's birthday. Our first stop was at the Chesapeake Inn for lunch. The day was beautiful and beginning to get a bit uncomfortable due to the heat, so we decided to sit inside the restaurant rather than sit on the outside deck. Our table was directly next to the window that yielded one of the best views of the dock below us and the water traffic that continued throughout our meal on the canal in the background. Carol and I both had a lobster grilled cheese sandwich and fries while our friends, Pat had a burger and fries and Dale had a crab cake and potato. We all had drinks to wash down the remarkable food that was served. About an hour after our arrival at the restaurant we were back on the road once again, driving a block or two that took us into the nearby town known as Chesapeake City. After finding parking, which was the hardest part of the entire day, we walked the main thoroughfare thru town. The old homes that lined Main Street, reminded us of the city long ago. Small wooden porches in a variety of colors stood in front of most of the homes on the main street of the town. After a block or two, we came upon an extremely small wooden building that I remembered from past years as a gift shop. Well, a hundred years ago, Cecil Country, Maryland was the Marriage Capital of the East Coast and today is known to have "The World's Smallest Wedding Chapel". Today it provides a "One-of-a-Kind" setting for intimate marriage and renewal ceremonies affordably priced to fit even the smallest budget"..... I copied that from a brochure! The main room, or perhaps I should say the entire building, isn't more than 15 feet by 20 feet, maximum. About enough space to get the person performing the wedding, a bride and groom, and maybe a few very thin people crunched into the room...with altar...if you're lucky! Outside of the building stood a small group of people dressed in suits and gowns. They were there for the wedding that was gong to take place next inside the small Chapel. Wasn't long before the ceremony was over and everyone emptied and gave me a chance to take a look inside and snap a few photos of the Chapel. The "minister," or whomever was performing the ceremony, offered me a chance to take the photographs of the "building" before the next wedding would take place. The outside porch had a metal bench along one side while the door was about fifteen feet to the right of the bench. The door was open so I stepped inside for a few photographs before stepping back onto the porch once again. The person performing the services told me that they can handle about four to six people inside the room along with himself and the bride and groom. (And I must add...that has to be squeezing them in!) I'm not sure if the fellow whom was performing the services was a minister or perhaps a Justice of the Peace. The place was remarkable! The interior was extremely small, but decorated very nicely and reminded one of stepping into an extremely small church. I snapped a few photographs and thanked him for his time and headed down the street to catch up with the rest of my party. Interesting start to my walk around the town known as Chesapeake City. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. Click on images to enlarge them.
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