One of the greatest rewards of home ownership is the ability to create spaces which truly reflect our personal style through the way we choose to decorate them. So what happens when you are a military family who relocates every few years and has to turn temporary quarters into a place that feels like home?

Sometimes all it takes is a “Wow!” from a visitor to see anew the beauty we enjoy here in Southern Maryland. Our area, even in this ho-hum economy, is becoming a destination for enthusiastic travelers. (Hint: Become a year-round tourist here and enjoy.)

Ever since Chris McDaniel was a boy, he said he was fascinated with how things worked and he liked putting things together, like Lego. Now, at 20 years old, he’s got a mechanical engineering career mapped out-and it’s all been paid for by the U.S. Navy.

As Southern Marylanders settle into fall with crisp air and the light of the harvest moon enveloping them, the area’s many pumpkin farms beckon families to come pick a pumpkin, enjoy a hayride, weave through a corn maze and celebrate the season.

When the weather turns crisp and before winter sets in consider going to Point Lookout State Park in St. Mary’s County for fresh air, bird watching from a canoe, a local history lesson, casting a line for a fish fry, or hiking and biking on quiet woodland trails.

A vacation full of nature walks, swimming pools, spa services and plenty of relaxation is just a short drive away. But before you start packing your bags, these peaceful sanctuaries are not for you; instead, these homes away from home are designed for that special four-legged friend in your life.

You can measure the military’s economic impact on Southern Maryland by the numbers, and mighty impressive numbers they are: 35,000 employees and contractors at three bases and a Coast Guard station, an annual payroll near $1 billion, a total boost of several billion dollars, including the indirect benefits. But numbers can be numbing, especially when they get into the billions. To understand what the armed forces mean to the prosperity and psyche of the region, you need to look at the commercial development along Route 235 in St. Mary’s County near Patuxent River Naval Air Station (known to all as Pax River).

Carrots thicker than coke cans. Tomatoes the size of softballs. Cantaloupes the size of basketballs. Yellow heirloom tomatoes, white and lavender eggplants, chocolate peppers and local honey-these are just a sampling of the treasures that can be unearthed at Southern Maryland’s roadside produce stands. While you may need to hit the grocery store to find out-of-season fruits and vegetables, you’ll find a wide variety of seasonal produce at roadside stands. Okra: yes. Lima beans: sure. Figs: if you’re lucky. Peaches, apples and melons: yes, yes and yes.

It’s 8:15 on a Wednesday night in late August and every table at Jerry’s Place in Prince Frederick is filled. On weekends the wait could be an hour at this simple seafood restaurant. (No reservations taken.) What’s the attraction? The highway view? Not. Prices? Competitive. Food? Fantastic.

Today as the U.S. Navy prepares for the upcoming Centennial of Naval Aviation, which will begin in January 2011, the story of how Southern Maryland’s once fertile farmlands and homesteads gave rise to Naval Air Station Patuxent River-the nation’s primary center for naval air technology research, development, testing, evaluation and support, as well as the site of the preeminent Navy Test Pilot School-is one in which we can all take pride.