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.