Today's Pic: We Got Crabs!

Finally!

There's a real shortage of Blue Crabs this year and almost no one is selling them.
Three years ago, when we last visited the Chesapeake, big crabs were abundant and we could buy a dozen steamed for $25.00.

Locally famous Crab House, Cantler's, has Crab. They're $95 per doz, large... $75 for medium.

We called our buddy, Josh, and the three of us drove to the other side of the Severn River and found Cantler's.

That's another story in itself.

Expensive as they were, they tasted even better. A few beers, a mess of crabs, and a lot of fun.
After digging through a dozen of these critters, you need a shower.
Cantler's does offer an outdoor wash-down sink with soap and towels for cleanup.
We used it.

Good stuff... Really good stuff and a good time.
Eating a dozen crabs is an adventure.


Cheers,

Istaboa

Todays Pics: Dinkin' to Downtown

We've been pushing water out of our way for pretty much 2 months now and I've become kinda wooly over that time.
So, like I do wherever we are and I need a haircut; I Google, "The best men's haircut", and use the  Zip Code of the town we're tied up in.
Yelp produced the most reviews and the highest rated was Capistrano's Barber Shop in Downtown Annapolis.
It's almost impossible to find a place to park a car in Downtown so — off I go in the dink; across the Severn River, into Spa Creek, down Ego Alley, and tie it up at the Downtown dingy dock.

Downtown Annapolis as I've said before... is very old and well preserved. And, overrun by tourist this time of year.

These places were frequented by our country's founding fathers... In my mind, I can see George Washington and Ben Franklin walking up Compromise St. and stopping at Middleton's for a brew or two.

Cut from the Middleton Tavern web site.

Middleton Tavern was host to a galaxy of the nation's most revered leaders during the period following the American Revolution. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin were numbered among its prominent patrons.

More history here... History
Did you know Annapolis was the temporary Capital of the United States of America in 1783?

I ask Siri, directions to Capistrano's, and she gave me the scenic route... but she took me right to it.

An old school Barbershop.

And now, I'm not quite so shaggy... Neat place and the young barber proudly gave me the old school barbershop treatment. Hot lather on the neck and some manly smelling stuff that slicked my hair down. I walked out looking fresh and smellin' like I did when I was a kid after a 'Pre-Beatles' hair cut at Helm's barbershop in West Memphis. No bubble gum though.

Then I got back into the dink and blew it all away.

Nice haircut.... My big adventure for the day... It was fun.

Cheers,

Istaboa

Today's Pics

We've been admiring this old sailboat since arriving. It's just down the dock a way, we walk past it everyday.
The craftsmanship!
I would hate to be responsible for it's upkeep, but someone has kept it sweet.

Old school

It's a beauty for sure, I got a few more shots...

 Old hardware

It's been a while since I've paid attention to sailboats, but I think she's a ketch rig... though she could be a schooner. I bet some sailboater out there will inform me.

Wooden masts and booms... you don't see that much anymore.

Wooden cleats ... no self-tailing winches here.

She's for sale.

Would love to hear the stories this old boat could tell.

Ahhh... it's a rain day. Just another excuse to be lazy.


Adios,

Istaboa

Today's Pic

Annapolis — Chesapeake Harbor Marina... Home for a while.

It seems the thing we enjoy most is to cruise around until we find a place where we like to be...  then stay for a while and become acquainted.

We were adding up all the places we've called home last night; we've done this for many years, many times, and been many places.

Orange Beach, AL, Pensacola, Panama City, Apalachicola, Burnt Store, Fort Myers, Naples, Marathon, Key West, Key Largo, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach, Jupiter, Stuart, (Think we've covered the state of Florida?) Elbow Cay, Compass Cay, Gloucester Point.
We could go on...
We've lived several months in all of these port cities/islands and usually longer, we've always found the best in them.
That's the most fascinating part of this 'cruising around in a boat' thing.  Try to find the best—in every place you stop—in the time you have there. Everywhere we've stayed has great music, arts, food, parks, and folks... it's always there, you just have to look past where the crowds gather.
Sometimes you just have to be there and that's good enough. Think Compass Cay.

The last time we were up here in the Chesapeake, it was so damn hot we turned and ran back to the southern part of the bay and tied up at Gloucester Point, VA just because it was less expensive. We flew back to Memphis. When it cooled off we returned and cruised around that area and made great friends. We stayed there for several months too... and we really liked it.

Now, home for a while appears to be Annapolis. The weather's been unbelievable for August, the marina's nice and reasonably priced, the locals are very friendly, many really nice boats around, the food's great, and... most importantly... we like it here, we like it a lot.

This year, as we look up north, the weather's not that good... as we look back south, the weather's not too good down there either. It's been a very hot/wet year both down south and up north. Oddly enough, we've managed to be in-between it all for our whole trip. This is probably the best summer we can remember while living aboard. The weather's been weird this year for sure, but we're not complaining, let it stay weird till we head back south. No blows, please.

I guess the best thing about remaining tied up at one place is... we allow ourselves to be lazy.
Sleep late in the mornings, not running means we don't salt up the boat then have to wash her down at the end of every day, no worrying about the weather and seas, no thoughts about where we'll be tomorrow.

For a while, we'll allow ourselves to be and reap the fruits of our indolence.

In short... life's good. Despite all the chaos that's going on around us, our life's good and we hope it stays that way. It seems like everyday something tries to muddle our existence, but for now we're keeping the crazy away and we're good.

Sorry, is that selfish? ... Sorry.

We hope life's good in your world also, we really do.

Speaking of good...
Our friends, Craig and Tracy, have just made the commitment and acquired their first live-aboard boat. They've been working toward this for a long time and they're excited about this next chapter of life. Their immediate plan is to live-aboard in Ft Lauderdale.
Craig's a very talented, capable, and hardworking Marine Electronics guy... They'll do well.

Okay...  I know...  most come here for the pictures...

Home's where Istaboa is.

Now, I'm closing this laptop and going back to sleep.
(I've edited since)

Cheers,

Istaboa

Today's Pics

Nice day on the Bay...

When we take the boys out for a walk, we're fortunate to have a really nice view of the bridge as the light warms up.

Today's Pic

Is an old one.

Radar in Chattanooga 

Just a boy

I have a dream

Growing up in our time, in Memphis, and our situation...  this speech means a lot to us...
Wish you would click over and read for a moment...
Many won't, but maybe you will.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King,_Jr.#March_on_Washington.2C_1963

It's short.

adios,

istaboa

The Details

It's a rainy day in Annapolis, which gives me time to process some of the images I've captured. I started working on a few from the Naval Academy and was blown away by the intricate details that popped up on my screen.
They just don't make stuff like this anymore and if they did, it would be done on a 3D printer.

The Chapel is an amazing place... look at those pipes!

What drives all this.

The Naval Academy Chapel organ dates back to 1908. The Hutchins Organ Company of Boston, MA built the original instrument. In 1940, the Moeller Organ Company of Hagerstown, MD was contracted to build a larger instrument to support music in the newly enlarged chapel. Through the years, the organ has undergone several enhancements and renovations. Most of these enrichments to the instrument have been made possible through generous gifts of individuals and classes. The current instrument, comprised of both pipe and digital voices, totals 268 ranks and is controlled by two consoles.

As you walk around the campus you'll notice attention to detail everywhere you look. 

We never noticed the faces and the dolphin in the wake of this monument to the Submariners until I enlarged this photo.

The Academy is truly a national treasure and if you're ever in the area... spend some time here. It's worth it.

Thanks for checkin' on us.

Have a happy weekend.

Cheers,

Istaboa

Today's Pic

An old building in Eastport had this very cool mural painted on it's wall. Flaking off, but still nice.
A very bizarre encounter ensued as I used my phone to collect this visual... very bizarre, yet comical.
Had something to do with tourists, taxes, and politics. I didn't quite catch the whole rant, we ignored the fellows.

The malcontents caught up with us later down the street at the restaurant and... while one was trying to sell his boat broker services to me, the other was in Mel's and Josh's faces continuing his rant about politics and taxes. We had just finished our food and drinks so we, once again, ignored them and walked away.
People can be so strange sometimes... so angry with completely harmless strangers.

Never the less, we're still diggin' Annapolis.

Today's Pic

Boats On The Bay

The Chesapeake Bay has many fine boats floating around. We've passed by and shared marinas with some great vessels.

For You Elvis Fans

Old and new...

Enjoy.


Reblogged from Doonesbury

Today's Pic

The Bay Bridge

In Review: The Sassafras River

The day we decided to abort our plan to cruise New England, we quickly went to work on a Plan B.

Plan B started out by exploring the Sassafras River. We'd read it was a very pretty, serene little river and it turned out to be so.

Reminded us of the Tennessee River in many ways, just a little more quiet.

Especially this boat... looks like a hell-of-a business opportunity for someone at Pickwick Lake.

'Smoke On The Water' 

would motor out and drop a hook, attract the locals by filling the air with BBQ smoke, then sell to the weekenders.
Nice boat... good idea.

When we eased up the river, the sky was overcast and it's greyness leeched the shores of almost any color. On the way back out to the Chesapeake, the Sassafras gave us a glimpse of a few of it's more vivid sights.

Though there were many boats taking advantage of the pretty anchorages on the river... this one little red sailboat caught my eye. All alone in a quiet cove on a calm morning.
More zen stuff.

And those appropriately eye-catching homes I posted about a few days ago?

Just a couple of little places we admired as we were heading out to the Bay.

Looks old... bet it is.

Not New England, but not bad... but not New England... not this year anyway.

The Sassafras was a nice, relaxing place to visit, we'll do it again.

Cheers,

Istaboa

Today's Pic

Leaving Georgetown Yacht Basin's yard.
Lot's of sailboats, especially Catamarans, come here for extensive work. 

Return to Annapolis

Chesapeake Harbor Marina... Kinda like the Bluffs in Jupiter. We're surrounded by 3 story condo buildings. Lot's of interesting boats here and we're told the restaurant is good.

Bout to go find out.

Cheers,

Istaboa

Good story...

short read, no pics.
Empathy Test

Today's Pic

Another, over the bow shot,

We'll have fond memories of GYB. Very nice folks.

Today's Pic

Capital Tease?

With the State House up the street.

Thinkin' bout heading back to Annapolis.

Cheers,

Istaboa

Today's Pic

'Mary', such a pretty boat.

We first laid eyes on this boat when we tied up here in Georgetown... just a few slips over... loved the colors and from the looks of her gunnels she's probably very seaworthy in a Chesapeake sort of way... sent a pic to all our friends named Mary.
Wonder if that's Mary at the wheel? She seems very capable.
Update: She's the local water taxi on busy weekends.

Adios,

Istaboa

ps - Got the dink running... water in fuel will stop 'em every time,

Today's Pics

Mud and Dar have really enjoyed their new found freedom. During the week, pups can run unleashed pretty much anywhere around this little marina and not be in danger of anything more deadly than a goose.

I like this blurry shot of little Mud.

Crazy-Ass Muddy Waters enjoys just being his crazy-ass little self and Radar is seemingly pretty happy too.
We know they were tired of the hectic Annapolis lifestyle, not to mention the one-nighters we've been doing for the last while.

Radar's thinkin', life is good.

Radar's hair is slowly growing back .... we like his new do.

We're still trying to figure out what's next on our new itinerary. We weren't anticipating the turnaround and we've got some time to kill.
We dropped the dink in the water today in order to enjoy the many anchorages to be had around here... Cranked up, much to our surprise, but then died. Old fuel is the culprit... though clogged injectors could also be a problem. We so rarely use the dink anymore.
Hope Georgetown Marina has a good Yamaha mechanic... surely they do.

The pups are certainly happy about our decision to abort the trip north and we're getting over the disappointment of it also. There's still much to do and places to experience. 

Have a good weekend and thanks for checking on us.

Cheers,

Istaboa

Georgetown Harbor

Though we've yet to walk up to the Kitty Knight House for drinks or dinner, it does appear to have a great bar where one could sit and enjoy a cocktail while watching some magnificent sunsets. The outdoor deck looks west and high over the harbor.

There were quite a few folks doing just that.

Then...  what we were all waiting for.
The Full Monty-Sunset at Georgetown Harbor.
Nice, huh?

Cheers,

Istaboa

Today's Pics

Istaboa

She stands out in a crowd.

Me and the boys went for a sunset walk, had another Zen moment... this time I took the camera.

I got a lot of nice shots of the sun setting into the Sassafras River.

This place is really pretty cool. Old school Chesapeake.

Today's Pics

You never know what you'll see on the Chesapeake. Lots of military R&D in this area.

Stealth Boats?

They came screaming by at very high speeds — probably 60+ knots.

Even saw a drone fly overhead...

Couldn't get to my camera quick enough... 

So I copped a pic.

Wonder if they got our picture?  

Kinda like the boatpics.com helicopter only faster.

Georgetown, Maryland

At the end of the day...

 Cut from Marinalife.com

Vibrant Small Town Boating Hub

The remote yet vibrant small town boating hub of Georgetown, Maryland, is eight miles past the confluence of the Upper Chesapeake Bay and the serpentine Sassafras River. Once a thriving port that was a base of continental supplies during the Revolution, the British, led by Admiral George Cockburn, decided to come on up during the War of 1812 and torch the town.

At least, that was the plan until they ran into Catherine “Kitty” Knight, a well connected niece of a Maryland Assembly member renowned for her beauty and determination. By the time the British troops climbed the hill to the last few houses in Georgetown, the village below was a bonfire. Most of the residents had fled. Not Kitty Knight. She refused to leave her bedridden neighbor. Admiral Cockburn was about to set fire to the house when Kitty Knight confronted him. He warned her to leave. She refused, saying, “If you burn this house, you burn me with it.” Struck by her bravery and her beauty, he spared that house and the one next to it.

The Kitty Knight House is now a restaurant and pub. Just up the hill from where we're tied up.

We've not explored the area yet, but our favorite discovery so far? —  as the sun goes down it's so quiet, just taking the boys out for their evening walk was a zen-like experience.

The skies looked kinda spooky at sunset, but the day ended much better than it started.
We think we'll enjoy the peace and quiet for a few days. Maybe drop the dink in the water and explore the Sassafras River... lot's of pretty places to photograph and the weather forecast shows to be sunny and mild.

August on the Chesapeake?
In 2010, when we were last here, it was 104°

Start smellin' roses.

Cheers,

Istaboa

One last thing.