Beaufort, SC

November 17, 2017 - November 18, 2017

On Friday we arrived in Beaufort, SC at about 11:00 AM.  On our way up to the office to check in we met Victoria climbing out of her dinghy with some empty propane tanks.  We struck up a conversation and agreed to go across the bridge to Ladies Island in the courtesy car to provision and get propane together.  She was uncomfortable driving, but could help us find the Publix.  After a great lunch at Plums we reconnected with Victoria and set out to Ladies Island.  It only took a few minutes to get there and on the way Victoria shared some of her background.  She is single handing her sailboat and has been in Beaufort since last fall.  She is a writer and is in the process of editing her book on her voyage to the South Pacific.  We invited her to happy hour that evening.  Meeting people with such fascinating stories is one of the perks of this lifestyle.

That evening she shared more of her story and gave us lots of information on what to do in Beaufort.  One spot that interested me particularly was the Pat Conroy (one of my favorite authors) Literary Center.  We connected with her in a way that made me feel I had known her for much longer than a few hours.  We made a “date” to visit the farmer’s market in Port Royal the next morning.

In the morning Bob and I had breakfast at this local cafe.

We strolled back to the marina along Bay Street where many of
the historic homes have been converted to shops.

Bob made a new friend.

We met up with Victoria at the marina and even though we had a bit of a struggle getting a taxi to take us to Port Royal it was worth the effort.  The amount of local produce available was incredible and Bob and I made some interesting purchases.  One mistake, on our part, was to buy crab cakes…they looked and smelled delightful, but were not as tasty as expected.  Our fault…we broke the age old rule of never eating crab cakes outside of Maryland.  Victoria introduced us to many of her friends and we felt very welcomed by the residents.

A booth at the busy Port Royal Farmer’s Market

The crab cakes look pretty good, right?

I will definitely be keeping in touch with Victoria and hope to spend more time in Beaufort when we return from the Bahamas in the spring.

That afternoon I visited the Pat Conroy Literary center which is only two blocks from the marina.  It is small, but contains a wealth of Pat Conroy memorabilia and a docent who was extremely knowledgeable.  Pat lived in Beaufort most of his adult life and wrote numerous novels set in the low country of South Carolina.  My favorite is The Water is Wide which fictionalizes his experiences as a teacher on Daufuskie Island in a one room school house with students who had been neglected by the public school system up to that point.  As an educator myself in challenged schools with challenged students the book touched me in a deeper way than it may for a non-educator.  There was a wall of pictures documenting his first year of teaching on the island and one of the artifacts was a letter he wrote to his family after the first day of teaching on the island.  It was obvious from the tender way that the docent discussed Pat that he was an exceptional man and beloved by the Beaufort community.  One comment made was that he treated each person he met as if they were the most important person around and always asked them to tell him their story.  So the center’s theme is “Tell me a Story” and their goal is to promote reading and writing in those who visit the center and take part in their many events.  As you can tell I was thrilled with my visit.

This case holds the letter Pat wrote to his family after his first day of teaching.

One of the docents snapped this picture of me sitting a Pat’s writing desk

 in his actual writing chair. What a special moment for me.

 In the background you can see the collection of Pat’s

 father’s Air Force medals that Pat kept with him always.

 The walls of the center are covered with artifacts and artwork.  

This is a painting of the Beaufort waterfront at sunset.

After spending 10 weeks last winter in the South Carolina Low Country I gained a new appreciation for the beauty of the salt marsh with its golden sargasso grass, its water birds and sea life, and its distinctive fragrance when low tide reveals the mud flats and the tidal oysters.  I reread pat Conroy’s Prince of Tides and realized once again what a beautifully descriptive writer he is. I have downloaded two more of his novels and will read them before returning to Beaufort in the spring.

My next blog post will cover our trip through Georgia.

Thank you for reading my blog.

Southport NC to Beaufort SC

November 11, 2017 - November 17, 2017

Our last stop in North Carolina was Southport which is an historic town on the Cape Fear River. The Island across the channel is a popular beach called Long Beach or Oak Island.  When I get to Southport I know I’m in the south.  Even though it was rather chilly when we were there the colorful historic homes, graceful palm trees, and ancient live oaks just say “south” to me.  Our favorite restaurant is Fishy Fishy Cafe which (as the name implies) serves excellent seafood and top notch salads.  

You know you are in the south when you see palm trees.

Besides being a great restaurant it’s a fun place with live music
 at lunchtime and enough amusing signs to keep you smiling.

After leaving Southport the next three days were a bit harrowing with shoaling at two inlets, narrow canals, and the rock pile (a section of the ICW that required blasting through granite to complete the canal).  We had to pay close attention to all floating buoys and day marks to keep the boat from going aground.  I have to say we traversed these dicey areas very well with good communication between Bob and I about buoy locations, etc.  I felt sorry for the one boat we passed that had gone aground  at Shallotte inlet. 

These day marks are invaluable in helping us navigate the ICW without disaster.  

As you can see the cats are a lot of help with navigating.

We spent two nights anchored out and three nights in marinas this week.  I’ll never get tired of the beautiful sunsets and sunrises we observe each day.  I learned this week that deer can swim…who knew. We saw a deer swimming across the channel and climbing easily up the rocky edge.  With those skinny legs I would never think that deer could swim so fast.

Each sunset is unique.

One of the marinas we stayed for a night was Isle of Palms.  We spent the whole month of November at this marina last year waiting for our boat to go to Rockville for re-powering.  This time we came in under our own power. YAH!  Joe, one of the dock hands, remembered us from last year.  He made a comment while he was helping us dock that is so true.  He said, “The first mate - captain relationship is a real test of a marriage.”  I have to agree whole heartedly. I have been a much more competent first mate this year and Bob appreciates that.  

We passed through Charleston Harbor on our way to Beaufort on Friday.  Sometimes thinking about the history and charm of Charleston I forget it is a major port.

This huge ship dwarfed our sailboat.

Thank you for reading my blog.

My next blog will start with our visit to Beaufort SC

Winding our way through North Carolina

November 4, 2017 - November 10, 2017

Just to give you an idea of the scope of our travels, we traveled 173 statute miles from Baltimore to Norfolk in the Chesapeake Bay.  The Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) starts in Norfolk at statute mile marker one.  We travel about 40-50 statute miles a day which is approximately 6 hours of motoring (not much sailing occurs on the ICW).  

We have established a bit of a routine in that we get up with the sun and travel six hours changing helmsman every hour.  We arrive at our destination for the day at about 2pm in time for a relaxing happy hour and a dinner cooked on the grill and are finished by sundown.  The rest of the evening we spend planning our journey for the following day, reading, blogging, and relaxing.  We are definitely early to bed and early to rise.  One major difference between this trip and last year's is that Bob trusts me at the helm more. Last year he would hover at my shoulder while I was at the helm directing my every move.  In contrast, this year he goes below to work on photos and his blog or relaxes in the cockpit while I’m piloting the boat.  

Our first stop at a marina in NC was at Coinjock (MM 50) which is no more than a single extremely long bulkhead along the ICW channel where boats tie up every night bow to stern with no more than a foot between.  Coinjock is a favorite with cruisers mostly because of the restaurant which serves the best seasoned prime rib dinners we’ve ever had.  You can order 16 oz. or 32 oz.  After filling up with diesel  and taking a nice hot shower, we made our reservations for our dinner of 16 oz prime rib.  

 Dinner was delicious with sides of salad and
mashed cauliflower complimenting the prime rib perfectly.

Coinjock will always be one of our favorite stops.

Since Bob has a blog about our trip found at rainydays@blogspot.com and gives a detailed description of our travels I’m going to veer a bit from that pattern and focus more on what we are learning as we travel.

This week we started at Coinjock (MM 50) and ended the week at Wrightsville Beach, NC (MM 283).  After our stay at CoinJock we got a slip at Beaufort Docks for two nights, but anchored out the rest of the nights.

The advantage of anchoring out is that it is free, we can cook our dinner on the grill, it is quiet and peaceful, and you get to experience the most beautiful sunsets and sunrises. The one disadvantage is that you might not have cell service.

This sunset is slightly obscured by the trees, but beautiful none the less.

 The setting sun turned this neighboring boat at the anchorage to gold.

We are staying on our low carb diets to keep our weight under control and keep Bob’s type two diabetes under control.  I’ve been making some new and delicious items.  The most popular being my fruit pies.  Using almond flour for a single crust and cooking the fruit in a sauce pan has been a great success.  I’m working on perfecting quiche which makes a fabulous breakfast while under way.  I’ve made the traditional quiche Lorraine and also a ham and cheddar quiche.  Both have been delicious. Breakfast muffins are another treat for low carb diets.  I use a combination of almond and coconut flour to make muffins with blueberries or any other fruit we happen to have on hand.

Here’s my latest concoction, a strawberry cranberry pie
(I couldn’t find rhubarb but thought the cranberries would add the same tartness).
 Bob gave it an A+.

Beaufort, NC is delightful little town with a strong year round population.  The street along the water is lined with restaurants and shops that cater to the year round residents and the tourists.  The marina provides a courtesy car (the one we borrowed was a chevy lumina with 131,000 + miles on it) to drive out to the grocery stores for provisioning.

This building houses a restaurant, bar, coffee shop and the marina office.

We found out that it is always good to be prepared.  The day we left Beaufort it was cold and rainy so we donned our fowl weather gear for the first time while on the boat.  It takes up a lot of space in our limited storage but is well worth it in fowl weather.  We stayed warm and dry all day!

 Doesn’t Bob look “captainish” at the helm in his fowl weather pants?

Tell me the truth.  Does Lizzy look happy about being held like a baby?

I’ll continue learning and discovering new ideas as our trip continues and will share them in my next blog post.

Thank you for reading my blog.

On the "Road" Again

October 28, 2017-November 3, 2017

We left Anchorage Marina on Saturday morning at 8:00 AM headed for Annapolis.  The morning was chilly and windy but warmed up nicely as the day continued.  Unfortunately, we had a 20 knot head wind most of the way which made for a rocky ride.  We arrived in Annapolis Harbor at 1:00 pm grabbing a mooring buoy.  Bob grilled hotdogs for lunch and at 3:30 we tuned into the Penn State vs. Ohio State football game on our satellite radio.  The game was exciting from beginning to end with PSU in the lead from the first kick off return for a touchdown to the 4th quarter.  Ohio State was able to rally in the last quarter and win the game 39-38.  

Jessica and Joe met us at Middleton’s Tavern (right on the waterfront in Annapolis) for a Bon Voyage celebration.  After great drinks, food and fun, we headed back to the boat for the first night of our trip.  

When we woke in the morning it was cold and rainy making us promise each other to leave on our trip earlier next year.  Apparently we were lulled into thinking that the great fall weather we had in Baltimore this year might continue for awhile longer.

On Monday morning it was in the low 40’s when we woke up.  Bob lit the fireplace and I baked some low carb muffins to warm the cabin up a bit.  After showers, coffee and a shared bagel at City Dock Cafe we started our trip to Galesville at about noon. It was only a 2 hour trip, but it was windy and cold.  We were happy to motor into the West River and drop anchor in a harbor protected from the wind.

There are several landmarks that I always take note of in this portion of the trip.  First is the the “Star Spangled” buoy that marks the spot where Francis Scott Key observed the battle at Fort McHenry and wrote our national anthem.  The buoy is just slightly north west of the Key Bridge that crosses the Patapsco River. 

The buoy marks the spot where Francis Scott Key wrote
“The Star Spangled Banner.”

Next is the grand Bay Bridge which crosses the Bay from Sandy Point in Anne Arundle County to Kent Island on the Eastern Shore of the Bay.  

The Bay Bridge is a 4.3 mile double span that opened in 1952.

The final landmark is the Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse that has been guarding that shoal since 1885.

This light marks our eastward turn into the West River.

We left Galesville headed for Solomons Island to anchor out in one of our favorite spots on Mill Creek.  The weather was still cool and we were anxious to continue south to warmer weather.  In the morning we left Solomons, but when we entered the bay the wind was so strong (gusts up to 30 knts) and the waves so big that we turned around and went back to Solomons to get a slip at Zahnizer’s Marina. Several vessels near us in the bay turned back, too.  We have never turned back before, but it was definitely the right decision.  We took advantage of the stay at Zahniser's by getting showers, doing laundry, and taking the shuttle into the shopping area.  Bob reworked our travel plan to make up for the day and we got a great night sleep with the heater warming up the cabin.  

Making up for the day off we motored for 10.5 hours from first light to minutes before sunset.  We made it to the New Point Comfort Lighthouse and tucked in behind it for the night.  It’s another peaceful anchorage with beautiful scenery and wildlife.

Friday was another long and busy day.  We motored into Norfolk Harbor just after lunch.  The harbor is busy with Navy and commercial vessels.

 Navy vessels are very impressive.

The variety of color of the containers on this ship
just begged me to photograph it.

After navigating through Norfolk harbor and into the Intracoastal Waterway our challenge was making it through several opening bridges and the Great Bridge Lock and Bridge.  It was smooth going, except for a brief problem with going aground, until we got up to the lock and found out that the lock was shut down to clean off debris from the gates.  This delay set us back about 2 hours which made getting through the next opening bridge impossible.  We made the decision to tie up to the free pier just south of the Great Bridge Bridge. It turned out to be a great place to stop.

Thanks for reading my blog.

My next blog will continue our trek down the ICW and into NC.

Late Summer and Early Fall 2017

I have taken a break from my blog for a few months and now that we are on our way south again I have the urge to get back into the habit of recording our adventures.  

The last part of the summer and early fall was spent finishing up the boat projects on Bob’s list and visiting the rest of my family.  My first trip was to Chicago and South Bend where I visited my daughter Rachel, her boyfriend Juan, and his daughter Liliana in their new apartment in Oak Park, Illinois.  Oak Park is just outside the city limits of Chicago and is a quick train ride to downtown. It is a quiet, clean, walkable and safe neighborhood where Juan and Rachel can walk Lili to school everyday.  Rachel and I walked and biked around the neighborhood eating lunch out at great restaurants and visiting the large conservatory.  

Rachel is in front of one of a beautiful flowering tree in the conservatory.

The size of the koi in the pond of the
tropical section of the conservatory was impressive.

From Chicago, I took the South Shore train to South Bend for a few days to spend time with my daughter Grace and her boyfriend Ben.  They have moved into a house and are in the process of decorating it.  We shared several meals together the best of which was the one Ben prepared on my last night there.  Got to love those fried pickles!

Here is the happy couple.

I was able to spend many hours with Jessica while I was in Baltimore sewing and visiting a Fabric Mart in Pennsylvania.  She and I have created several outfits this summer.  We also spent a day visiting my sister Nancy and her husband Aldo on a Sunday afternoon.

We enjoyed Aldo’s turkey subs for a late lunch
 and spent the afternoon talking and laughing about life.
This is Nancy, Jessica, and Aldo from left to right.

Bob and I were able to share several meals with Jessica and Joe both in Baltimore and Annapolis.

We went to a taco restaurant with Jess and Joe our first night back in Baltimore.
 The food and company were outstanding.  

I was also able to attend two concerts where Jess and Joe were featured performers.

 Jess and Joe are pictured here with the additional performers at a
Baltimore Musicals performance in August.
Jess is in the center and Joe is on the far right.
 By the way Jess is wearing a dress she created for herself.

My three sisters and I all got together at Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania in early October.  We seldom get to visit with each other without our extended families around and it was great catching up with each other.  Longwood Gardens of course is magnificent and we got to see the afternoon fountain display that coordinates the “dancing” water fountains with music.  It was extraordinary.

Lunch at the Longwood Gardens Restaurant was
delicious, especially the cream of mushroom soup.

My last visit of the fall was to my dear friend Claire’s in Sarasota.  I wanted to be there to help with her transition from rehabilitation to home. Fortunately, I was there to assist her husband Fred with a visit to the emergency room and a stay in the hospital.  They are considering moving into assisted living and I toured a few places to help with the process.

Now that I'm all caught up with my last two months we were in Anchorage Marina in Baltimore, I can write about our second trip south.  My next blog post will cover our trip down the Chesapeake Bay and the first few days on the ICW (Intracoastal Water Way).

Thank you for reading my blog.

A Visit to Pittsburgh

August 13, 2017 - August 15, 2017

I left to visit my sister, Becky, early on Sunday morning and arrived in Pittsburgh at 12:30 pm.  We went out for a delicious lunch at a restaurant overlooking a forest with a river running through it.  Since we were by ourselves without the guys we decided to do some “girlie things”.  We shopped awhile and went to see The Glass Castle at a nearby movie theatre.  We had both read the book by Jeanette Walls and agreed that the movie was as poignant and moving as the book.  The acting was fabulous.  Back at the house we played Scrabble (our favorite board game), had dinner, watched a movie and went to bed.  A full day to be sure!

In the morning we drove through downtown Pittsburgh where I got a chance to admire the unique and beautiful architecture.

As you can see the architecture is amazing.

We stopped at the Strip District which is a few blocks on Smallman Street which is flanked by restaurants, markets, and kitschy shops. 

The Strip district is definitely a colorful neighborhood.

Penzeys Spice Store smelled delicious.

We were entertained by this street musician.
 

We stopped at Roland's for a delicious lunch.

We had a great day exploring the
Strip District.

We stopped for pedicures on the way home (of course). We played another round of Scrabble, chatted, ate dinner, and just enjoyed each other's company.  What a great visit!

Thank you for reading my blog.