Country couple selling house, moving to city for simpler life

June 28, 2009 11:50 pm

— CUMBERLAND — More than nine years ago, the home rented by Bob and Adrianne “Andee” Thompson on Baltimore Pike was lost due to an electrical fire.
“This was a complete start over for us,” Andee Thompson said while walking the grounds of their 3.3-acre property on Mason Road east of Cumberland. “This has been a real healing home for us. It’s pretty. We love it.”
Nearly a decade later, the owners of The Tea Cupboard on North Centre Street in downtown Cumberland are preparing to start over again — this time, on their own terms.
The couple, both 52, realized with the passing of friend and local radio sportscaster Tom O’Rourke that time is, if not against them, then is certainly unknown. The children are grown and it would be nearly impossible for only one person to keep up with the demands the home and property have on their owners.
“If something would happen to one of us ... we don’t foresee that, but you never know,” Andee Thompson said. “(Losing) Tom O’Rourke was a wake-up call.”
Instead of spending up to 10 hours at a time mowing, tending to multiple gardens and growing grapes, peaches, pears, apples, cherries and raspberries, the Thompsons have decided to forgo their country way of life and head into town. They’ll both be closer to their regular jobs — Bob is a full-time teacher at Fort Hill High School and Andee works as a sales representative for a local radio station.
Even the 10-mile round trip commute at 30 mph can be tedious, they said. Added to the tea shop, Bob Thompson spends six months of the year working full time as the stage manager for the Cumberland Theatre. Relocating to 302 Cumberland St. — they expect to close next month — they will be able to park their vehicles and walk much of the time.
With a smaller yard and shorter commute, even when driving, they expect to have a few more free hours each week than they’ve experienced over the past nine years.
“It takes a lot of time,” Andee Thompson said of caring for the home, three outbuildings, the outdoor pool and yard, but “it’s a great place to live. It’s been wonderful for us. It didn’t seem like a lot of work until we started to run the tea shop. Now, it’s time for something different.”
The Thompsons placed their home, situated between Rocky Gap and Evitts creeks across from Union Grove Campground, on the market recenty. A virtual tour can be taken by logging on to www.visualtour.com. Plug in a maximum price range of $180,000 and search “Cumberland, MD.”
While a portion of the lawn was fenced for their two Saint Bernards, Mille, 10, and the late Winston, 4, the rest of the yard served as a gathering place for family, cast members and friends from New Venture Christian Church. The Thompsons also will be joined by their two cats, Emily and Ripley.
Life’s about choices, Andee Thompson said, and a decade ago she and Bob made the decision to rebuild their lives in rural east Cumberland. Now, it’s time to head to the city.
As if lowering the curtain at the Cumberland Theatre, Bob Thompson said it’s “time for another chapter.”
Contact Kevin Spradlin at kspradlin@times-news.com.

Photos

Adrianne “Andee” and Bob Thompson sit with their Saint Bernard Mille at their 3.3-acre property on Mason Road east of Cumberland.