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.

 

Baltimore, MD

September 12, 2020 - September 21, 2020

Saturday was the beginning of the college football season.  Even though the Big Ten (Penn State is our favorite college football team) season had not started it was fun watching the football games that were broadcast that day.  Then Sunday was the first Baltimore Ravens game.  Although it was unusual seeing empty stands at the stadium the game was great to watch.  The Ravens won against Cleveland 38 - 6.  While I’m watching football I usually sew a bit.  Since we will be staying in Baltimore for the winter I have made a few cool weather items.

This blouse will be a staple in my fall wardrobe
and by adding one of the cardigans I made last summer
 I can wear it throughout the winter.

Stripes are one of my favorite fabric patterns.  
This cardigan will be very useful as the temperature drops.

I was drawn to the fall colors in this blouse fabric. 

 

Believe it or not, we took three trips to Annapolis this past week and didn't have a single doctor's appointment! We just did some errands and had lunch at some of our favorite Annapolis restaurants. 

Bob has been working diligently refinishing the teak toe rails. I help whenever I can, mainly vacuuming up the dust from sanding.  He should be finished the whole starboard side by the end of the weekend.  Fortunately we have a string of sunny days in the forecast.

I remade the cushions for the stern life lines.  The ones I made a year ago were already worn out.  We used pipe insulation as the cushion material inside the fabric tube which did not wear well.  This time we inserted a small pool noodle into a larger fabric tube.  Hopefully. these will hold up better.

This is the only sewing boat project
I have done this season.

We have been enjoying the cool nights and warm sunny days this week.  Now that it has cooled off I’m back to walking in the morning.  I always feel energized after a brisk walk.  Unfortunately, most of the runners/walkers on the promenade don’t wear masks and with my mask on they can’t even see that I am giving them dirty looks :).   

The boat ladies were finally able to go on an outing together on Thursday.  We visited the Baltimore Museum of Art and ate lunch at Gertrude’s Restaurant which is located in the museum’s sculpture garden. We had to make reservations and the museum was very strict about the number of people allowed in any of the numerous galleries.  Of course, masks were required. It was fun to get out and do something together.

Our “Biden for president 2020” flag arrived and I hauled it up on the mast halyard.

 My mom worked for every one of Biden’s campaigns
until she died.  She would be so happy to see this flag. 

There is no mistaking the political preferences
of the captain and first mate of Rainy Days.

Another weekend of football games brought the Ravens their second win of the season.  They beat the Texans 33-16.   

Stay safe, wear a mask, practice social distancing, and wash your hands!

Thank you for reading my blog.

 

Baltimore, MD

 September 4, 2020 - September 12, 2020

The weather for the Labor Day weekend was perfect.  The bright sun and cool breeze reminded me of the weather in the Bahamas this winter.  Unfortunately, Baltimore Harbor doesn’t have the turquoise crystal clear water we enjoyed in the Bahamas.  My birthday (September 7th) was on Labor Day this year. We didn’t do anything special as I wanted to have steamed crabs for my birthday treat and the restaurants nearby either weren’t open or only had crabs for take-out.  We decided to postpone my birthday meal until we could get to Cantler’s in Annapolis.  The D dock group had a get together in the evening which is always fun. The birthday cupcakes I shared with everyone were a big hit. All of my children and all of my sisters wished me a happy birthday and I had lots of FB birthday wishes, too.

On Tuesday we made a trip to the outlets in Queenstown which is past the Bay Bridge.  Our favorite shop there is the Columbia Outlet. There I found some great shirts for the upcoming fall weather. I, also, visited the Chico’s outlet and found a cute pair of cropped pants.  The Fisherman’s Inn was on our way back to Annapolis and we decided to eat at the Crab Deck only to find out that they only had medium size crabs.  Since picking mediums isn’t much fun I ordered a soft shell crab sandwich.  Lunch was quite good, especially the carrot cake we had for dessert.

 I didn’t get to have hard shell crabs, but this
 soft shell crab sandwich was a delicious substitute.

When we are not traveling to Annapolis I sew or tackle some other projects.  This week I completed a top and refreshed my pattern weights by adding ribbon. Bob had ordered some extra large washers for me and I wound them with ribbon, too.

The rainbow colors of the ribbon I used
greatly improved the look of my pattern weights.

Bob had an appointment with the surgeon to figure out what should be done about his cyst.  Great news, the surgeon suggested just watching the cyst to see if it goes away on its own.  The antibiotics must have reduced the swelling making the cyst less of a health issue.  I opted out of having steamed crabs for lunch so we stopped at Carroll’s Creek Cafe for lunch where I had one of their famous crab cakes. Bob had the soft shell crab special which looked delicious, too.

This large plump crab cake was great.

 I happened to mention that it was my birthday celebration lunch when we ordered dessert and the waiter brought the apple tart with a lighted candle.

What a thoughtful waiter!

On Friday we made a third trip to Annapolis thinking we would finally get to Cantler’s for some steamed crabs.  For some reason that idea had lost its appeal and we had pizza and salad at Italian Market instead before doing our grocery shopping. When we got bak to the Marina several packages had arrived. One of the packages contained our “Black Lives Matter” buttons.

I wholeheartedly support this movement.

We got a couple of small boat projects done on Saturday.  Believe it or not they turned out to be easy and quick.  It took us all of 15 minutes to replace a rusted out hole cover on the sink and tighten the nut on the faucet.  

It was a snap to tighten the nut on the hole cover from underneath the sink.

I usually do laundry on Friday or Saturday but decided to put it off at least a day. Somehow it gets easier and easier to postpone chores now that I’m 69.

Stay safe, wear a mask, social distance, and wash your hands often.  We can get through this pandemic if we all cooperate.

Thanks for reading my blog.

Baltimore, Maryland

 August 10, 2020 - September 3, 2020

I have taken a break from writing my blog mainly because our life here in Baltimore during the pandemic is less than exciting, to say the least.  The days are mostly consumed with such mundane tasks that I haven’t been inspired to write.

In the past three weeks since my last blog post Bob and I have been catching up on our doctor’s appointments and exploring some health issues.  With doctor visits and tests we have been driving to Annapolis twice a week.  We make the outing more fun by eating at one of our favorite restaurants for lunch.  All have outside seating which makes us feel safe although we eat inside at Italian Market, our favorite Italian Restaurant.  The outside seating at Carroll’s Creek Cafe, where we get excellent seafood, looks out over the Annapolis Harbor and skyline.The Thai Restaurant we frequent, Lemon Grass, has a quaint outside seating area.  The pandemic has kept us from eating out except when we have lunch in Annapolis so it’s a real treat. 

I was able to spend one weekend with my daughter and her husband in Johnstown, PA.  We participated in a virtual wine tasting sponsored by the Johnstown Symphony Orchestra (my daughter is the executive director).  We attended a huge farmer's market, had lunch at a beautiful resort (outside, of course) and relaxed together.  It was wonderful to see them and have a change of scenery. 

Bob has been working on some small boat projects each day that we are on the boat, but neither of us feel the urgency to complete all of the projects on his list as we have in past summers since we will be staying in Baltimore for the winter and not taking one of our long cruising trips.  I have been doing some sewing, adding some cool weather clothing to my wardrobe.  We haven’t experienced a northern winter for four years and I have limited cold weather clothing.

The weather has been hot with periodic thunder storms.  Last week the storm spawned a tornado that passed northeast of us.  The pool is open here in the marina, but I just don’t feel safe going there.  I miss swimming.  One highlight of the week is having lunch with my lady boating friends.  Most of us are live-a-boards like Bob and I. There are usually between six and eight of us that get together at the tables by the pool for a BYO lunch get together.  

I’ve taken a few photos which I will share below.

On one of my frequent walks
I captured this photo, I call it
"Reflections of Baltimore".

This immature night heron visited our boat one morning.
I'm sure Lola would like to meet him.

Bob and I have both been doing a lot of cooking.
 Lola is eyeing this warm apple pie.

Bob made some delicious oyster
stew today. Such a great treat!

I know it seems like this pandemic will never end but keep wearing your mask and practicing social distancing.  Stay safe!

Thank you for reading my blog.

Summer in Baltimore

August 2, 2020 - August 9, 2020 

 It was a quiet week on s/v Rainy days. 

 On Monday we took a trip to Annapolis, mostly for Bob’s doctor appointment in the afternoon. We also had pizza lunch at Italian Market which as always was delicious. We stopped at a farm market for our weeks worth of fruits and vegetables and at Giant for the rest of our grocery needs. It turned out to be a very long day and the rain started before we got back to Baltimore. After stowing all of the groceries we started happy hour and finished up the left over pizza (yum).

 Hurricane Isaias was in full swing when we woke up on Tuesday. Thankfully the rain and high winds was short-lived and by 2:00 pm the skies were clear. Taking advantage of the break in the weather we finished the job of replacing the stanchion on the starboard side of the boat and restrung the life lines. It’s always nice to have the boat back together after a project like this. Bob had started some crock pot lasagna in the morning and we ate the delicious meal in the early afternoon. 

 The WiFi here at Anchorage is sadly unreliable causing lots of frustration. So on Wednesday we had a Gig-Stream antennae and modem installed. We are very pleased with the service so far. 

 Thursday started with another trip to Annapolis to do some errands, have lunch at Lemon Grass Too (which was delicious), and have my cracked wisdom tooth pulled by an oral surgeon (fun times). I opted for novocaine instead of anesthesia. After the area was completely numb it took the surgeon about five minutes to extract the tooth. Needless to say removing a wisdom tooth is still a stressful experience and even though the pain was well controlled with Ibuprofen I was wiped out for the rest of the day. 

One afternoon I captured this photo 
walking up to the lounge after a short rain fall.
Rainbows always seem to give me hope.

 The big event of Friday was having lunch with the group of lady live aboard cruisers. We always make sure we can eat outside at the restaurant we choose and this time we had lunch outside by the pool of the Perdy Hotel in Fell’s Point. It is an elegant and expensive hotel with beautiful courtyards and gathering spaces. Since I was still eating only soft foods I had an order of fries (not very nutritious,, but delicious). 

Saturday morning started with a CATastrophe. I was in the cabin fixing breakfast and Bob was in the cockpit watching Lola. When I brought the breakfast out to the cockpit I noticed that Lola was not within eyesight so I walked around the boat and the dock to see if I could find her. We started clapping and calling her and every once in awhile we would hear her little cry. We couldn’t figure out where it was coming from until Lola’s voice got stronger. We finally located her laying on top of one of the floats under the dock. Nothing we did for the next hour helped to coax her off the float. Finally, we called the dock master to remove one of the planks in the dock and Lola scampered out. She ran int to cabin where she got a bath under protest. We were all exhausted after that experience. 

 Wear your mask, social distance and stay safe! 

 Thank you for reading my blog.

Baltimore, MD to Bethany Beach, DE

July 17, 2020 - August 1, 2020

On Friday I went to lunch with three other lady live aboard boaters I have been friends with for several years.  It’s great to have some girl time and catch up on each other’s lives.  We ate at Atwater, a bread and sandwich shop in Canton.  The manner in which this restaurant handled Covid-19 was to provide outdoor tables for carry out orders.  That worked for us!

I spent time the following week getting caught up on boat chores, boat projects, and preparing for my trip to Bethany Beach. I also took my sewing machine to Glory Bees for it’s yearly maintenance and my completed quilt top to be quilted.  Surprisingly, the machine would be done in a week, but the quilt will take eight weeks!

 Each summer Becky (my sister) and I get together with all of her four daughters, husbands and grandchildren and two of my daughters, husbands and one grand daughter to enjoy the sun, surf, and fun at Bethany Beach. This year we were somewhat reluctant to get together, but decided since each of the participants had been diligent about following all of the suggested protocols for the coronavirus since the beginning of the outbreak we would be safe as long as we continued the protocols and stayed away from shops and restaurants. Laurie and Nancy, my two other sisters, did not come to Bethany because of covid concerns and we missed having all of us together.

Jessica and Joe picked me up for the trip to the beach at 7:30 am on Saturday, July 25.  The traffic was lighter than we expected so we decided to stop in Rehoboth for cheese steaks at “Gus and Gus’s” on the boardwalk.  They have the best cheese steaks in the world and it’s a place Jessica remembers from her childhood.  We got to Bethany Beach around 2:00 pm only to find that the house would not be ready until 4:00 pm.  We parked in the shade in back of the house and napped a bit and later took a walk down to the ocean.  Thankfully, everyone was required to wear a mask on the boardwalk and the main streets and almost everyone complied.  We returned to the house just as the cleaners were finishing and started unpacking and settling in.  It wasn’t long until everyone was there.  What a joyful reunion! the fifteen adults and nine children fit comfortably in the eleven bedroom (each with a bathroom) house.  I always provide dinner on the first night and ordered pizza and salad from Grottos.  

Rain was predicted for several of the days that week, but we only had a big thunder storm one night and a drizzling rain on Friday.  The weather was hot most days and the ocean was calm enough for lots of swimming.  My granddaughter, Lili, overcame her fear of going all the way in the ocean during the week!  The grand children were all in and out of the ocean (supervised of course), building sand castles, and digging holes all day.  Each night a different family provided a delicious meal and the adults did puzzles and played games until late at night.  What a great week.  We have already booked our week for next year! 

The following pictures were taken on our last evening in Bethany.  Unfortunately my daughter Jessica and her husband Joe were not there and my camera died before I could get back to the house to get a photo of them.  

Here I am with my granddaughter Lilli,
My daughter, Rachel and Juan.

Al with his four daughters -
Allison, Amelia, Jennifer, and Wendy
  

The Hartle family + Wendy-
Allison, Ryan, Ronan, Muave

The Pavlanko family-
Vladimere, Jennifer,
Bella, Mateo, Luca

The Contreras family -
Jorge, Ofelia, Amelia,
Rosa, Alfredo, Maxi

We couldn't keep the children out of the water!

Wrangling the group for our annual group photo

The tide waits for no one.

We cleaned up the house and left for home at 10:00 am.  The good byes were tearful and we all suffered family separation sadness when we leave.

Wear a mask, social distance, and stay safe! Thank you for reading my blog

Galesville, MD to Baltimore, MD

July 3, 2020 - July 16, 2020

I made it back to Galesville on Friday afternoon after a long, but uneventful drive home from Tennessee.  It was the fourth of July weekend and since we were in Galesville not much was going on and we spent the weekend relaxing, reading and doing a few boat chores.  Our transmission was supposed to be installed on Monday morning, but apparently it had not arrived at the yacht yard on Thursday as expected.  As it turned out it wasn’t installed until Wednesday which pushed our trip back to Baltimore to Thursday.  

Even though the transmission shifting was a little stiff and probably meant replacing the transmission cable at some point we left for Baltimore on Thursday morning.  It was a great day out on the water.  When the bay is playing nice it is one of the best places for boating.  We arrived at our slip in Anchorage Marina in mid afternoon.  Roy, one of our boat neighbors, helped us dock and it went smoothly.  Finally, we were at our summer destination!  

Now the boat projects begin - some big ones and some small ones. Mostly I’m the assistant and Bob is the foreman on these projects. Here is a list of the ones I can remember:

• replaced the plastic fittings with bronze fittings on the intake hose for the air conditioner. I really don’t like plumbing projects! 
• hooked up a new inlet hose to the strainer for the air conditioner
• cleaned the duck poo out of the dinghy (twice), hauled it out of the water, cleaned the bottom, and stowed the dinghy on the bow
• tried to remove the bent stanchion we are replacing, but couldn’t.  It is now being treated with PB Blaster to loosen it
• pulled the mattress out of the quarter berth to assess the level of the platform (turned out it was level and Bob will not have to reinforce the frame)

I also attended some doctor’s appointments.  I visited my primary care doctor to have her inspect a lump on my left thigh.  She recommended that I have an ultra sound, which I did a couple days later (still waiting to talk to my doctor about the results).  I went to my dentist for a cleaning and advice about what to do for my chipped wisdom tooth (I will have it extracted in a couple of weeks).

It is great to have my sewing machine back on board and I have been using it to make masks and complete some garments I had cut out before we left for the Bahamas.  It’s been a busy two weeks!

I've enjoyed using my Olympus shockproof and waterproof camera, too.  Here are some photos taken from the stern of s/v Rainy Days:

a beautiful sunset

The colors reflected in the water
were more vibrant than the colors in the sky.

I was captivated by the reflection of
the boats in the calm water.

Take care and wear a mask and social distance! We all have to do our part to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Thank you for reading my blog.