Winter in Annapolis #1

 December 21, 2020 - December 28, 2020

The big story this week of course is Christmas! We had all of our decorations up so our final preparation was grocery shopping.  We had decided on ham, au gratin potatoes, walnuts, greens and gorgonzola salad, cranberry sauce, and creamed spinach (just for me as Bob is not a spinach fan).  We had to wait in a line outside the grocery store before we could enter.  The store posted an employee at the door to carefully count those entering and exiting in order to limit the number of shoppers in the store.  We purchased the necessary items for our meal and brought them back to the boat to store until needed.

On Christmas Eve Day Bob made the cranberry sauce and I baked a pumpkin pie and combined all of the ingredients for the slow cooker au gratin potatoes. I was a bit skeptical of how the potatoes would turn out, but we didn’t have room in our oven for both the ham and the potatoes.  Traditionally, Bob and I had opened one present on Christmas Eve, but since we have moved on to the boat we have not exchanged gifts.  Actually, if we want something now we buy it for ourselves  and don’t wait for a holiday to receive the item (typical old people behavior I guess). My daughter Jessica FaceTimed me in the evening and we shared our Christmas happenings. They were having snow in Johnstown while all we got was lots of rain.

On christmas morning I baked a cheese quiche for our breakfast, relaxed, and then started in on the dinner preparations. 

I made the quiche without any meat and
just used gruyere cheese. It was
 probably the best I ever made!

I had already turned the crock pot on so we mentally scheduled when to start each of the other food items.  At 1:30 everything was ready.

Everything was great except the potatoes.
I was disappointed in the flavor,
too much garlic I think.

After dinner we finished the champagne we had with dinner and watched a random NFL football game and relaxed.  I got a Face Time call from my daughter Rachel and wished each other a Merry Christmas and chatted for awhile. Grace texted me Christmas wishes, too.

During Christmas weekend I spent some time looking over some photos from previous Christmas celebrations.

My children with each set of
grandparents long, long ago.

Christmas day when my children are older.

The weekend was normal, but with a great number of visitors downtown in Annapolis enjoying the decorations and nice weather.  On Sunday we watched the Ravens beat the NY Giants 27 - 13.  I cut out the last of the squares I need to finish Karl’s quilt and will finish sewing all of the pieces together in the next couple of weeks. 

Our next big event will be New Year’s.  I wonder how that will go during the pandemic.

Stay safe and healthy.

Thank you for reading my blog

Late Fall in Annapolis #3

 December 7, 2020 - December 20, 2020

The days since my last blog post have been less than exciting.  Instead of listing all of my activities each day I decided to give you an overall list of how things are going here in Annapolis.  First off, the weather has gone from warm (mid to upper 40’s and one day 60) to very cold (upper 20’s to low 30’s) and back again, twice.  I do enjoy the warmer weather, but it seems so unnatural to be walking around without a heavy jacket in December.  Most days have been consumed with mundane tasks (grocery shopping, laundry, cleaning, and cooking) and a couple of boat projects.  One day we replaced the discharge hose for the deck drain on the starboard side of the boat - plumbing tasks are not my favorite and always take much longer than expected. I have also made progress on my son’s quilt.

The holiday spirit is alive and well in Annapolis and the decorations around town are the best part of the season. I have photographed some outstanding decorations on my morning walks.

The lighted wreath on the stern of Rainy Days
 twinkles even in the sunlight

Decorations go from traditional colonial...

to glitzy.

The flower vendor offers beautiful bouquets to 
passersby on Church Circle.

The trees in the yard of St. Ann's Church are wrapped
with lights and decorated with lighted snowflakes.

A display of unique stars caught my eye.

Swags of greenery festooned with
red velvet bows are everywhere.

Nancy Hammond, a local artist, has
decorated her gallery with her own  work.

The view looking down West Street toward Church Circle

The view down Main Street to the City Dock

The Restaurant "Red Red Wine"
 changed its name for the season.

A unique window display 

Another outstanding window display

All of the boats around City Dock are decorated, too.

The Christmas lights are outstanding, too.

Lights sparkle all night at City Dock and around town.

Remember wear your mask, social distance and wash your hands.  

Thank you for reading my blog

Late Fall in Annapolis, MD #2

 November 30, 2020 - December 6, 2020

The weather is getting colder every day.  Happily the sun is usually strong enough to help the oil filled radiator warm up the cockpit nicely.  Sitting in the cockpit in the afternoon helps me cope with staying on the boat so much as it gives me the feeling of being outside.  I’m still able to walk most mornings and will continue that habit unless it is bitterly cold.  

We have finally found the leak in our water system that was causing the water pump to run every hour or so even if we were’t using water.  Bob got a suggestion from one of his blog followers that changing the hose clamps to smaller clamps would provide a better seal.  So we changed the clamps on the hot water heater hose and we haven’t had the leak problem since.  

I’ve been working on the quilt I am making for my son, Karl.  He is a marine (not on active duty, but once a marine always a marine, right) so I chose a star pattern for the quilt and patriotic fabrics.  I’m sure I’ll be working on it for most of the winter.

I have to make 61 of the red squares and 60 of the blue and white squares.
 They will be sewn together to make strips of 11 squares
 and then the strips will be sewn together.  

 

On Wednesday we tackled a giant project - reorganizing the storage locker. 

Here's what it looked like before we started.

After three hours of lugging containers down, sorting and reorganizing their contents, and replacing them in the locker we wound up with a car full of garbage and Good Will donations.  We didn’t make much of a dent in our accumulated stuff, but at least we know what we have in the locker.  We are considering pairing down the contents more by selling off some items.

 It doesn’t look much different, does it?

On Thursday morning Bob couldn’t find his coat.  In all probability he left it at Italian Market yesterday.  Oh darn, that means we will have to go back today to have lunch. That afternoon we drove to Homestead Gardens to purchase some Christmas lights for the boat. Back at the boat we strung them inside the cockpit.

The blue and green combination is called Caribbean.

Later in the week I made bows from Christmas ribbon and used them to decorate the cabin.

  

The bows, fairy lights and Christmas music
give a festive air to the cabin.

We usually stay close to the boat on the weekends mostly because so many people come to downtown Annapolis.  After I walk in the morning and we fix our lunch we settle down to listen to or watch college football on Saturday (Penn State beat Rutgers 27-7) and NFL football on Sunday.  We have been trying to improve our television reception, but it looks like the only way to fix it is have someone go up the mast and fix whatever is wrong.  We will have to hire someone because, believe me, neither of us are going up the mast!

In my next blog I’ll take some pictures of the wonderful Christmas decorations around town.

Stay safe and thank you for reading my blog

Late Fall in Annapolis, MD

 November 9, 2020 - November 29, 2020

The weather has been magnificent - sunny, warm, and dry.  I’ve been able to walk every morning along the historic and beautiful streets of Annapolis and Eastport (just across the Spa Creek draw bridge).  On Monday we decided to take advantage of Margarita Monday (1/2 price margaritas) and went to Mexican Cafe for lunch.  When we lived in Baltimore we weren’t able to enjoy Mexican Cafe’s margaritas because of the long drive home.  The meal started off with chips and salsa, margaritas, and water.  We both tried new dishes - I had the tostadas and Bob had enchiladas.  Both meals were very good and we topped it off with fried ice-cream for dessert.  Needless to say we won’t be doing this very often as the combination of food and libations made for a very lazy afternoon and evening.  

We started our lunch off right!

On Tuesday we drove to Anchorage Marina in Baltimore to retrieve some items from our dock box and secure the box with a lock.  On our way home we stopped at the storage unit to drop off most of the retrieved items and pick up what I needed to complete Rachel’s quilt.  After lunch at Italian Market we returned to the boat.  I received a call that Rachel’s quilt was ready for me to pick up and made plans to drive to Fallston on Wednesday.

As predicted the rain started during the night and Wednesday morning was wet and cool.  As we drove to Fallston to pick up the quilt the rain became heavy reducing visibility.  I was very pleased with the quilting done by Glory Bee’s and I should have time to finish the binding before I leave for Oak Park.

I did finish Rachel’s quilt, but I did not take it to Oak Park, IL.  The surge in covid-19 cases and the recommendations from Dr. Fauci, other reputable doctors and civic leaders convinced me that traveling for the Thanksgiving holiday was too risky.  I was supposed to spend five days with Rachel, Juan, and Lili and then drive to Johnstown, PA to visit my daughter, Jessica and her husband Joe.  Our plan was to have Thanksgiving dinner with my sister Becky in Pittsburgh.  I cancelled all of those plans. Since then I have been sad and disappointed, but have tried to make the best of the situation.  Bob and I have also stopped eating at restaurants even with outside seating and are curtailing our outings to only essentials (food, doctors, CVS, and laundry). 

Bob and I enjoyed a simple but delicious Thanksgiving dinner on board the boat.

A scaled down but delicious Thanksgiving dinner!

Since not much is going on here I thought I would highlight some of the unique features of downtown Annapolis.

Annapolis is the home of the Naval academy and in the evenings if I’m outside in the cockpit I can here the bugle sounding the end of the day.  The cadets are frequently seen around town in their crisp uniforms.  At the end of city dock is the Kunta Kinte / Alex Haley memorial which features a bronze statue of Alex Haley reading to African American children (also in bronze) seated on the pavement around him.  There are numerous bronze plaques around the dock documenting the history of slavery in the area.  Walking up the hill on Main Street there are restaurants and shops lining the sidewalk.  Most of these are local businesses, but some chain restaurants have encroached upon the area.  Main Street ends at Church Circle where the St. Ann’s Episcopal Church is located.  West Street is one of the exits leading away from church circle, which is the arts district with numerous art galleries, a theater, and several unique shops and eateries. Just off West Street is Maryland Hall which is the hub of the performing arts in Annapolis. Of course during the pandemic there are no performances.  At West Street and Washington Street is the entrance to the Old Fourth Ward which historically has been called the Harlem of Annapolis.  From what I have read from the 20’s to 50’s this neighborhood in Annapolis was alive with entertainment venues, clubs, and restaurants where both black and white Annapolitans enjoyed  music, dancing, food and, drink.  All of the features I have mentioned are within walking distance from our boat making walking around Annapolis enjoyable even if we don’t go inside any of the buildings.  

That’s all for now.  Stay safe and follow the covid-19 protocols for your area.

Thank you for reading my blog.

Annapolis, MD for the winter

November 2, 2020 - November 8, 2020

Sometime during the night, Bob woke me up so I could help him with the dock lines.  The wind had increased during the night (gusts to 35 mph) and our stern dock line came loose.  We struggled to pull the boat close enough to the dock for Bob to get off the boat and retie the line while I stayed aboard to tighten the line when it was properly attached to the piling.  We decided to check on the bow lines as well and discovered that one of them had come untied.  After fixing that line we retreated to the warm cabin having been chilled by the high northerly wind.  As we say, “It’s always something on a boat.”

In the morning we rechecked the lines and tied the dinghy (which is on the bow) down more securely. The wind was still whipping around the boat and the temperature was in the low 40’s.  We quickly realized that we needed to supplement our wardrobes with some warmer clothes if we were to survive the Maryland winter. We rented a car to drive to Baltimore and retrieve our Prius from the marina garage.  Since we purchased a parking pass from the city of Annapolis we can park near our boat.  We stopped at Italian Market for lunch, stopped at our storage locker to get one of our oil filled radiators, and did a few more errands before returning to the boat. It’s super to be close to our favorite Annapolis places again.

Tuesday was sunny with lighter winds making it warmer. Putting the oil filled radiator in the cock pit warmed it up nicely.  Lola is loving the freedom of being in the cock pit all day where she can watch birds, people, and dogs all around the boat.  After doing some errands we retired to the cockpit to drink a new cocktail Bob concocted (mint patty martini - delicious) and listen to the election news.  Bob continued to man the bar and I made various snacks.  The vote counts were not very promising by bed time.

For the next couple of days (Wednesday - Friday) we listened to election news on the CNN Sirius XM channel most of the day.  Every morning the weather was wonderful and I took a long walk around Eastport and Annapolis through the lovely neighborhoods and along the water. Walking here is much more enjoyable than in Baltimore.  Annapolis has mandated wearing a mask on the street and inside buildings as well as posted one way signs for the sidewalks. I feel much safer from the virus here.

These "one way" signs help to make my
morning walk safer from cover-19.

I am still waiting for the quilt I pieced for Rachel (my second daughter) to be quilted.  On Thursday I called Glory Bee’s and they informed me that the backing fabric needed to be altered in order to be the correct size. I made the hour drive to make the correction right away.  The quilt should be done by the end of next week - fingers crossed. It will be difficult to complete the quilt before I drive out to Oak Park before Thanksgiving.

On one of my walks I took some photos of several iconic Annapolis buildings.

The spire of St. Mary's Catholic Church
which is on Duke of Gloucester Street.

St. Ann's Episcopal Church is located on Church Circle,
and is the oldest church  in Annapolis.

The State House dome presides over State Circle.

The Govenor's Mansion is near the State House on State Circle.

Wear a mask and stay safe!

Thank you for reading my blog.

From Baltimore to Annapolis

 October 22, 2020 - November 1, 2020

During our last week in Baltimore we tried to complete many of the tasks we would not be able to complete in Annapolis.  Since the City Dock Marina doesn’t have a facility like the boater’s lounge at Anchorage Marina I spent several afternoons in the lounge cutting out the strips I needed to create the quilt I want to complete for my son, Karl, during the winter. I figured having a quilt to work on when the weather is nasty this winter will be a blessing.  I, also, cut out a dress and a couple of winter tops.  Bob started to prepare the stern teak toe rail for refinishing, but with so much rain in the forecast he realized it would be impossible to complete the job before we left for Annapolis.  

We attended a final get together of all of our boating friends on Thursday night (10/22).  We discussed our plans for the winter.  Some of our friends were leaving for New Bern, NC and others were planning to spend most of the winter in Florida.  With the pandemic uncertainties no one was planning to cross the gulf stream to the Bahamas.  From what we have heard the usual annual migration of cruisers down the ICW to warmer weather has been light this year.  We will miss our friends, but will keep in touch throughout the winter.  We will have a reunion party in May, no doubt.

On the health front, Bob finally got the report from his urologist.  It was good and bad news.  Bob does have cancer, but it is small and easily treated.  He will have a consult with his doctor to review his options for treatment next week.  

We changed our plans, due to weather concerns of course, and left for Annapolis on Saturday (10/31). We had a pleasant though chilly trip.  The big landmarks we passed were the “Star Spangled Banner” buoy just east of the Key Bridge.  The buoy marks the spot where Francis Scott Key wrote our national anthem. You can read the story of the buoy at this web site.Star Spangled buoy The Bay Bridge was our next big landmark.  It is such an impressive structure especially when seen from the water.  We arrived in Annapolis by 2:30 and settled in.  Bob did an amazing job of docking the boat in a narrow slip with the stern in.  I was pretty good with the lines, too.  Since it was Halloween we sat in the cock pit and observed the various people going by, some in costume.  The craziest group was four witches paddling by on stand up paddle boards.  Although having the boat at City Dock with the stern next to the dock is almost like living in a fish bowl it is very amusing watching the passers by both on foot and in automobiles.

Sunday was restful with breakfast at Starbucks.  We were hoping to go to City Dock Cafe, but it is closed until further notice (boo hoo).  We made it back to the boat before the down pour and I made Pizza for lunch.  We listened to the Ravens vs. Steelers game which was a real thriller but the Steelers won 28 - 24.  

In Annapolis everyone is required to wear a mask on the street and inside buildings which makes us feel safer than if Baltimore.  Stay safe and follow all of the recommended Covid protocols.

Thank you for reading my blog.

Still in Baltimore

October 5, 2020 - October 21, 2020

Last week (10/5 - 10/11) was a jumble of boat projects and doctor’s appointments. We worked on refinishing the port/forward teak toe rail. We completed it on Friday. We also attached the stainless anchor guards Bob had fabricated by Cato Marine in Annapolis.  We already had a guard on the front of the bow, but last travel season the anchor made some gouges on the sides of the bow.  The new anchor guards should prevent that from happening again. Bob also added a ring to the anchor to help position the anchor correctly when it is pulled up onto the rollers and an anchor bail to prevent the anchor from jumping off it’s roller in heavy seas.  Of course we always try to avoid heavy seas, but the weather has a mind of it’s own and doesn’t always follow the predictions  on our weather ap.  

Our trips to Annapolis included a CT scan on Tuesday and a cystoscopy on Friday. Both of these tests showed that my kidneys, bladder, etc. were all normal.  Thank goodness.  On Friday we also completed the important task of depositing our ballots into the mailbox at the Annapolis Post Office.  We don’t trust the USPS in Baltimore to be efficient.  

We mailed our ballots in Annapolis.
I tracked the ballots and as of 10/21
both our votes have been counted!

On Saturday I resumed my walking in the morning and in the afternoon we turned on the college football games.  None of the games interested us so I sewed and Bob caught up on the v-blogs he follows.  Sunday, after my walk, I made pizza that was ready just as the Ravens game started.  The Ravens beat the Cincinnati Bengals 27 - 3.  

We had no doctor appointments to go to this week (10/12 - 10/18).  The rain that started on  Sunday evening continued throughout the day on Monday so we decided to do our Annapolis errands that day.  Tuesday was still overcast which kept us from working on the final section of the teak toe rail, but on Wednesday we started with the initial sanding of the most worn areas.  We also applied the first coat of Cetol to the worn areas only.  Thursday, before my lunch with my boat lady friends, we taped, sanded, cleaned and applied the first overall coat of Cetaol to the rear/port section of the toe rail.  Only four more coats to go and the whole project will be completed.

In preparation for moving the boat to Annapolis we hired a diver to clean off the boat’s bottom and propeller and to check the zincs.  We made a trip to Annapolis to have lunch and get a few errands done.  The cool weather caused us to get some more of our cold weather clothes from our storage locker. When we returned to the boat the diver was just finishing cleaning the bottom of our boat and our dog neighbors were in a frenzy over the bubbles and movement around the boat.  

The weekend, again, was taken up with weekly boat chores and football games.  I did get a little sewing done as well. The Ravens beat the Eagles 30-28 in a game with an exciting ending!

Monday morning (10/19) was Bob’s biopsy. Since he was instructed to rest and take it easy the rest of the day that’s exactly what we did.  The results will come later in the week.

Both off us have been cooking some new dishes lately.  Bob made a stellar lobster chowder one day and pork chops with a blueberry, pear, and apricot glaze over egg noodles (delicious) on another. 

We have had a lot of large jellyfish in the harbor this fall.
  The salinity of the water is high because of the dry summer.

The coronavirus is still very much with us as evidenced by the infection numbers.

Please be responsible and wear a mask, social distance, avoid crowds, and wash your hands frequently.  

Thank you for reading my blog.

 

Still in Baltimore, MD

September 22, 2020 - October 4, 2020

Tuesday started off with a trip to Annapolis for my yearly check-up with my primary care physician.  While eating lunch at Carroll’s Creek Cafe we discussed the possibility of moving the boat to a slip at the City Dock in Annapolis.  We both agreed that the change would do us good as we were not looking forward to a long winter in Baltimore.  There is just so much more we can do safely in Annapolis and the change of scenery will do us good.  After lunch I had my yearly mammogram.  Fun day!  We ran a few errands and I participated in the weekly zoom meeting with my three sisters on the way home.  These meetings have helped us stay in touch even though we haven’t been able to visit each other.  

On Wednesday I cleaned and did the laundry as well as baking a yummy apple crisp.  We have been getting farm fresh fruits and vegetables from Diehl’s Market in Annapolis.  It’s been a great year for white corn and peaches.  Now the apples are being harvested and we are enjoying them.  The market will stay open until Halloween.

My oldest daughter’s birthday was on Friday, September, 25 and she invited me to spend the weekend with her and her husband.  I left early on Friday morning and arrived in Johnstown in time to take Jessica out to lunch and do a little shopping at TJMaxx.  We ate at an outdoor restaurant.  That evening we ate a spectacular dinner at a nearby inn.  The inn was famous for it’s mushroom soup and we all definitely agreed that it was the best mushroom soup we had ever eaten.  The rest of the meal was delicious, too. On Saturday morning we drove to Pittsburg to visit my sister, Becky, and her husband, Al.  It was a great visit.  Back in Johnstown on Sunday we relaxed and I made pizza for dinner. 

I got back to the boat on Monday around noon.  I like visiting with my family, but it is always great to get back home.  Bob has been working diligently on refinishing the teak toe rail on the starboard side of the boat, but the rainy weather stalled his efforts.  He finally finished the job on Thursday morning.  Now on to the port side toe rail.

Bob waits to remove the tape until the Cetol
dries completely. Doesn't it look great!

I photographed the unrefinished port side of the
toe rail to show you the great improvement.

I had an appointment with a urologist on Wednesday afternoon which resulted in having to to schedule a CT scan and a cystoscopy for next week.  Since it was almost happy hour we decided to have Margaritas, chips, salsa and queso dip at the Mexican Cafe.

The Mexican Cafe is famous for it's Margaritas.
We have to limit ourselves to just one!

On Thursday Bob went to Prince George’s Trap and Skeet Center to shoot sporting clays while I gathered at the water front tables at the marina with my boat lady friends for lunch.  We always have such interesting discussions.

We had a big crowd this past Thursday.

I enjoyed sewing and watching football on the weekend.  College ball on Saturday and NFL on Sunday.  The Ravens played the Washington Football team and won 31 -17. 

How do you like the mermaid leggings I sewed on Saturday?

Stay safe, wear a mask, observe social distancing, and wash your hands.  The outbreak of the coronavirus at the White House should make us all realize the pandemic is still raging and we need to follow safe practices. 

Thank you for following my blog.