Memorial Weekend 2015

May 23 -25, 2015

Back to the Glebe --- Just a short 16-mile hop from the St. Mary's to this great spot we had found on our way to DC.  Anchored in nearly the same spot, it was just a bit busier than in early May.  Tubers, wave runners, fishermen -- all out enjoying the official beginning of summer!

We dropped the dinghy in and explored the area a little.  Of the two marinas shown on the chart, only one, Lewisetta, was still in business.  Not a lot going on there, but nice little "store" and small campground.  Garry's anxious to put the fishing pole to use, so got information on Maryland/Virginia fishing licenses.  He got to talking with a returning fisherman and before we knew it, Billy was driving us to the nearby (but too far to walk) sports store!!  Fishing license in hand, he's ready to hook the BIG ONE!!

             Flying "Dad's flag" in memory of Garry's dad Bill

               who served in Germany in WWII

               and lost his battle with Alzheimers at age 75.

             Love you and miss you ..............

With stiffening south winds and forecast for 3+ footers by Wednesday, we decided to move on.  22 miles later we dropped the hook in Mill Creek.  This one was recommended by our friends Bill and Lisa on "Changing Course" and definitely goes on our favorite list.  Protected from any direction, room for many boats, though we shared it with just 2 other sailboats.  

By Tuesday noon, we were safely docked at Dozier's Regatta Point Marina, where we'll be for the next couple of months.  

Down the Potomac

May 19-22, 2015  Horseshoe Bend Anchorage

From Canoe Neck Creek, we headed on down the Potomac to anchor in the St Mary's river.  A week since we left DC, it was time to fill the fresh water tank and pump out.  Fortunately, there was a strategically located small marina along the way.  Good thing we had plenty of time ---- due to technical difficulties (the marina's not ours), a fifteen minute pump out took 2 HOURS!  Good thing it was only a short 26-mile trip!

We were securely anchored in Horseshoe Bend by 2:30 on a lovely sunny afternoon.  Once the dingy was deployed, we headed to shore to explore.

You can't really call St. Mary's a town, even though there is a post office.  It is home to St. Mary's college, a beautiful campus housing about 2000 students.  Situated right on Horseshoe Bend you find the boathouse and docks supporting the college water sports ---- sailing, rowing, etc.  A great place to tie up the dink  for a walk through the campus.

After a tour of the Student Center with coffee shop, cafeteria and free Wifi, it was back to the dinghy.




"Nearly Perfect", the only other boat in this large beautiful anchorage, was flying a "Looper" flag, so we stopped by to introduce ourselves.  Jack and Pattie are on there way north,  and will be making their way through the Georgian Bay and Great Lakes this summer.  Next thing you know, we're sharing our Great Lakes knowledge over a bottle of wine!

They were off early the next morning, so we had the anchorage to ourselves.  I took advantage of a latte and wifi to catch up the blog, while Garry did some guy chores aboard.  After reconnecting for lunch in the cafeteria, time for  a walk.




St. Mary's City was Maryland's capital before it was moved to Annapolis.  The old statehouse and some of the other buildings have been reconstructed on the site, while others are in varying degrees of the process.

A reproduction of the Maryland Dove, a wooden sailing vessel is also docked on the property.


Thursday we woke to the sound of a steady rain that would continue throughout the day.  Great day to sleep in, read a book and bake a batch of chocolate chip cookies!



Our plan was to head out on Friday, but stiff winds had the Potomac all riled up --- all plans are in pencil!

Where's Waterford???

An alternate path took us through a new part of the campus, then back to the boathouse.












                                                             
This was a lovely, if quiet, spot to drop the hook and chill!

A Leisurely Pace

May 15-18, 2015

Canoe Neck Creek Anchorage

Anchor up and moving on down the Potomac by 9 am on a sunny, breezy morning.  The wind picked up as the day went on until we had 20 kts -- on the nose of course.  With thunder storms in the overnight forecast, we decided to make it a long day to Canoe Neck Creek which provided good all around protection.  What a lovely spot!  After a long day, cocktails and sunset never felt so good.

Day 2 - Time to explore!  We took the dinghy out into St. Clements Bay and around the corner to a small marina at Colton's Point to fuel up and take a nice walk.  Thought we'd have a burger and a beer at the only bar in the tiny town -- found no food, but had a beer and a nice chat with "George" the owner.  He gave us directions to a nearby restaurant on the water.  So we hiked back to the dingy and headed for Morris Point for a late lunch.  

What a great tip ---- Morris Pt. was practically in sight of our anchorage!  The calamari and shrimp were great, but the best part was meeting BJ and Lori Moore who joined us later aboard Waterford for a delightful afternoon.

It's all about the people you meet along the way ....................

With the temperature approaching 90, we even got our first dip of the summer -- so refreshing!

After overnight thunderstorms, Garry pumped the water out of the dinghy and we took a little cruise over to Breton Bay.  By the time we got back, the sky was threatening again, so we put her back up and covered, ready to leave in the morning.  A lovely stay in this quiet anchorage.

Parting Ways

May 12 - 14

After our whirlwind Washington visit, Day Dreams set out on Monday on their summer adventure north to Quebec and New England.  Our paths diverge here as Garry and I will spend the month of June visiting family in Michigan, Illinois and Seattle, WA and then the rest of the summer exploring the Chesapeake (all those places we missed on the way south last fall).  We stayed an extra day in DC doing chores like laundry, cleaning and provisioning for a couple of weeks of anchoring before we leave the boat for a month.








So on Tuesday we left the helicopters and tour boats of DC behind and headed down the Potomac.

First stop was just a short hop (just 13 miles) back down the Potomac at Mount Vernon.  Anchored across the river from the dock to avoid the tour boat traffic, we had a beautiful view of the historic mansion.  We finished lunch and deployed the dinghy for a little recon mission.








The dock attendant gave us the scoop on tying up and getting tickets to tour the mansion, museum, education center and the working colonial farm.  Information in hand, we'll come back tomorrow and spend the whole day.









Wednesday the wind picked up and we weren't comfortable leaving the boat unattended, so took a down day just reading, etc.  No schedule to follow..............

Thursday dawned sunny and calm - the perfect day to spend touring this lovely property.

Like the Capitol, the cupola atop the mansion was under renovation.  Carriages would pull up to this front entrance bringing a constant stream of visitors.






There were numerous outbuildings on either side of the main house for all of the activities needed to maintain the home --- stables, smokehouse, storage, spinning/weaving, blacksmith, and quarters for the labor force, both slaves and free men.

The plantation was very self sufficient -- not only with crops like wheat and hemp and herds of both cattle and sheep, but also with 2 large gardens which produced the fruits and vegetables needed for the table.

Perusing one of the vegetable gardens.
I think my silver pony tail would have fit
right in the hairstyles of the time!

After lunch with George in the Mt. Vernon Inn, we cruised through the extensive education center and exhibits.  We stopped to visit the tomb where both George and Martha are buried on our way to the "colonial farm".









Though George was a soldier, statesman and ultimately the first president of United States, he considered himself first and foremost, a farmer.  While still farming with oxen and mules, he utilized crop rotation and fertilization well ahead of his time.

After a very full day, it was time to head back to Waterford anchored across the way.

Doing DC!!

May 4 - 12, 2015

We are docked at Capital Yacht Club in the heart of DC.  Although they are under construction, even the temporary facilities (bathroom, shower, laundry) are very good.  We have a great view of the Washington Monument with a few cranes mixed in!

Decisions, decisions.............

And right next door, a great fish market that supplied us with more than one night's dinner. 

Our bikes took us almost everywhere except the National Zoo (a metro ride).  Here is the list of all the sights we took in:

Of the 42 most visited US National Monuments:

      #1   Lincoln Memorial

        3   Vietnam Veterans Memorial

        4   National World War II Memorial
        6   Korean War Memorial
        7   Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial
        8   FDR Memorial
        9   Thomas Jefferson Memorial
       21   Arlington House (Custis Mansion)
       26   Washington Monument

But that's not all:

      Arlington National Cemetery
            Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and changing of the guard
            JFK grave site, Eternal Flame
      US Marine Memorial
      The National Mall
             70th Anniversary of VE Day, World War II Air Show
      National Bureau of Engraving and Printing
      US Capitol
      The Library of Congress
      The Supreme Court
      White House
      Smithsonian
            National Air and Space Museum
            National Museum of Natural History
            National Zoo
      National Gallery of Art
      US Botanical Gardens
      Ford's Theater
      National Archives

I would challenge anyone to pack in as much as we did in one week.  And there were still places we  didn't see.  I'll let the pictures tell the story ............




                                                     






                       Washington Monument





       
Lincoln Monument

 Jefferson Monument
        View from the top of
               Washington Monument

Martin Luther King Jr. Monument

















                     The National World War II Memorial
                          where each state is recognized by a pillar
                          surrounding a fountain.


     


     
         

This group of World War II veterans arrived by Honor Flight from Peoria, IL (near our
      home town)for the 70th anniversary of VE Day,the end of the war in Europe.

Fighter group

To celebrate, 56 vintage airplanes
did a "fly by" over the National Mall

Bomber

T


The black and white stripes identified them as Allied Forces to the Allied anti-aircraft units --- to avoid being shot down by mistake.












Arlington National Cemetery was definitely a highlight of our trip.  Gazing across the sea of headstones marking the graves of those who have died to preserve our freedom is a sobering experience indeed.









We arrived just as a group of school kids from Charlevoix, MI laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  The ceremony concluded with the bugler playing Taps -- heart-rending!

And the Changing of the Guard..............
    The tomb is attended 24 hours a day,
    365 days a year, no matter the weather,
    changing every half hour.









Near Arlington is the US Marine Memorial --

Korean War Memorial

Not just military history, but current, working government sites.....................

This was as close as we could get to the White House ---- didn't have an invitation, so we lunched at the Obama's favorite Mexican restaurant instead.

The Capitol Rotunda

Imagine sitting down with a good book here in the Library of Congress reading room.

Or staging a protest outside the Supreme Court

Add to all of that, the museums, galleries and gardens .................

The Wright Brothers flying machine at the Air and Space Museum






And my personal fav -- the Museum of Natural History

The Hope Diamond  ---- do I have a birthday coming up?????














                   The beautiful Botanical Garden




No trip would be complete without a visit to the
                   National Zoo






Buddha?????











Since I'm partial to turtles,
thought I'd end with this old guy

 What a week!  Boating and biking was definitely the way to go.  Everything was bike'able except the Zoo, which was only a Metro ride away.  Memories of this trip will be with us for a very long time.

Wrapping up April

April 17 - May 3, 2015

Moving steadily north, we opted for the Virginia Cut instead of the Dismal Swamp route that we'd taken on the way south.

Monster azaleas in Southport

Indigo Plantation in Southport was the first of a series of one night stops at a combination of anchorages and marinas, before arriving at Atlantic Yacht Harbor for a couple of nights.  There, Doug's nephew John was kind enough to provide transportation for provisioning followed by dinner with his fiancee Cameron and her boys.

Signs of spring -- Ospreys tending their nest.

Eagle watches us go by.

Then it was on through Norfolk and across the bay to anchor in the Hampton River.  Intending to anchor only 2 nights, a third was added as we waited for favorable winds to going into the Chesapeake.  The anchorage was lovely and handy to the city dock where we could take advantage of  their bathroom/shower facilities and easily enjoy the town.








On the way out, we met this big guy "Up close and personal"!!


Aircraft carrier #77, the Bush






We arrived in Deltaville, Virginia before noon on Wednesday, April 29 for 3 days. While Day Dreams was completing an insurance survey and some maintenance items, we biked to West Marine and the fish market.  Fortunately there was a courtesy car available for the grocery run, since rain had once again moved in.  We capped off the stay with cocktails and pizza aboard Day Dreams.






Just 2 anchorages now on our way to Washington DC.  The first, the Glebe, was just beautiful at sunset.

Full moon rising over Day Dreams

The second, Deep Point, just a good place to pull off in striking distance of DC.  We pulled out at 7am on Monday May 4, not a cloud in the sky -- the perfect bridge day for our arrival.  Docked side by side at 3:40 pm ready to "DO DC"!!!