In the Big House

Today, I attended my first gubernatorial press conference, at the State House in Annapolis. Here is a photo I took of Governor (and former Baltimore mayor) Martin O'Malley speaking with reporters in attendance:



Beginning with the third issue of Smile, Hon, You're in Baltimore!, and throughout O'Malley's tenure as mayor, I would send copies of each new edition to his office at City Hall. And to my surprise, he actually sent me several brief thank-you notes in return.

"The Cronkite Chili Steak"

"[Walter Cronkite] liked the crowd at McGarvey's and talking about sailing. People treated him just as another sailor, and I was proud of that," Ashford said. "He really was hard to get to sit still for very long. He had lots of energy and wanted to either be sailing or out in boatyards looking at boats."

He recounts the often-told tale about the broadcaster's menu dilemma, when he wasn't sure whether he wanted a steak or a bowl of chili, so he ordered both.

"He dumped the chili on the steak, and for a while we had the Cronkite chili steak on the menu. Only one person ever ordered it, so we quietly dropped it," he said, laughing.