Tag Archives: #maryland

Where Did I Leave Off?

David and I have had some long-haul days since we left Point Pleasant, NJ. A full day south to Atlantic City, followed by a full day to Cape May. A New Jersey, Atlantic Ocean wrap, blessed by following seas and slow rollers. And then, surprise, the long ride up out the Cape May Canal and up the Delaware Bay, and down the Chesapeake-Delaware Canal to Chesapeake City, Maryland, was fairly uneventful. It was fast with a following tide and calm through a morning fog that burned off into an overcast afternoon. By evening we were on the community free dock in Chesapeake City, MD. We spent two nights on the that free wall. Met some lovely people and from our perch there, witnessed a lot of boat traffic on the canal and in the basin. I love that little canal town in all its quirkiness.

Once you exit the Chesapeake-Delaware Canal heading south, you are in the Chesapeake Bay. It’s not a bay in the sense you may equate with “a bay”. It’s like the way Lake Michigan is kind of a lake-ocean. The Chesapeake Bay has over 11,000 miles of shore line along six states. It’s a very big bay. Mariners take entire summers to explore the Bay’s rivers and estuaries and even then, simply could not see her entirety. We have never ventured into the two largest cities along the Chesapeake, (i.e. Baltimore and Washington, DC), but we have thoroughly enjoyed smaller communities like Annapolis, Oxford and St. Michaels. In fact, we are in St. Michaels now, enjoying a week on land at David’s sister and brother-in-laws home. IRENE is in a slip at the Chesapeake Maritime Museum in downtown St. Michaels. She looks great there all shiny after a water line cleaning while we were on our anchor in the Wye River.

IRENE and pals at the Chesapeake Maritime Museum.

I have been thinking about clearing and cleaning. I mean, we think about those things all the time when we wash the boat, clean our spaces, do laundry, unclutter and organize our environments. It expands us. It creates more space around us for getting bigger energetically. Yesterday, I went to the boat to check on her, to make sure the AC was running and pick up a few things. It felt good to be on her, largely because we left her cleared and clean. Now I am reflecting on how we (our bodies) transform our own energy, do our energetic hygiene, get unstuck like cleaning out a messy space. Expending energy to expand energy. Exercising, eating well, eating light, drinking lots of water, reading a good book, writing, appreciating the beauty of absolutely everything, forgiving the hard stuff and loving large as the Bay; these are the unlimiting things that are the bulwark of infinite gratitude. We should all be as radiant, shiny, bright, and sparkling as IRENE. So here I am, polishing up my field, expanding my energy and keeping my frequency turned up.

David is having a more difficult time being big and bright right now as he has been suffering from an enormous head and ear ache. Sometimes it’s easy to go with the flow, but sometimes, we have to go in spite of the flow. We have to grow against the flow. You see this in nature all the time; plants growing in the rivers against the current, flowers emerging between rocks, trees reborn after hurricanes, and more. Their roots hold tight. Take note people, it can be done. It has to be done because life is school and it’s not designed to be easy. So prayer warriors, send big love to David as he lays low and strong while simultaneously enjoying the puppies, appreciating the beautiful flowering trees, hearing his favorite music, eating sweet watermelon, and taking shorts walks outside in the sun and wind. Everything passes, so be present for it while it’s here. I promise, you will never be bored.

Rainbow following rain in the East Bay.
Gaia sure knows how to cleanse her field; lightening, rain, wind and some thunder for dramatic effect.

We Keep Heading North and Discovering More Beauty In This World Than We Had Ever Imagined

These American rivers are miracles. Each one is so profoundly beautiful that it’s difficult to fathom the work of the creator. What forces combined to create these beautiful waterways, shores, fauna and other elements? As we are traveling, I am also reading a book by John Sledge, “The Gulf of Mexico: A Maritime History”, and it has my captured my attention and my imagination. He is a wonderful writer and really puts the power of water, tides, currents, ebb and all into perspective.

After leaving Kent Island, MD, we headed up the Chesapeake and under the famous and humongous Bay Bridge that connects to Annapolis. The waterway was filled with ships awaiting pilots to take them down the Bay, likely to Norfolk, or up to Baltimore. We passed under the bridge and by Baltimore and all the rivers and creeks along the way.

Bay Bridge

The weather was extremely hot and humid and we decided to take advantage of the lack of wind and waves and continued moving. Ultimately, we knew that the remnants of tropical storm Claudette would be headed our way so we opted for a getting diesel and a pump out and a deep bay to anchor in and took a 7 mile detour down the Sassafras River in Georgetown, Maryland. It was beautiful and unlike any other place we’d seen yet. Incredibly green, high, high river banks and beautifully landscaped farmhouses and homes. I’m not sure what a Sassafras Tree looks like, but imagine there were many.

Along the Sassafras.

We stayed in a wide creek next to Daffodil Island and in the middle of the night it was completely dark except for the stars and moon. We left at sunrise, 7 miles back out the Sassafras to the Chesapeake and onward to the Chesapeake Delaware Canal. We stopped at the last stopping place at Chesapeake City, Maryland to wait out the inclement weather on a dock. It was LIVELY! The boats that had decided to anchor in the river basin adjacent to the marina were all getting blown so hard they were sailing on their anchors. It was quite a show with all the captains scurrying in 20-40 mile an hour gusts in pouring rain to not bang into one another and to move to safer waters or to just keep moving. One sailboat decided to go to a space on the dock which was brave and crazy and proved to be quite an ordeal for everyone on that dock just trying to lend a hand in a driving rain.

The calm before all hell broke loose.

It rained all evening and a good part of the night and today calls for big NNW winds and more rain so here we sit with a plan for an early start a couple of hours before high tide in the morning, readying ourselves for a 10 hour day~~~~~

In today’s action on the CD Canal.
Busy place here.
We are at the border between Maryland and Delaware and will be in New Jersey by the end of travel tomorrow. We have come a long way and we have a lot of territory ahead of us.

Oxford, Maryland to Kent Island, Maryland~ Back on the water with the wind and waves

Thursday, David’s sister, Kathie, brought us back to the boat with her SUV piled high with our provisions. She helped us unload and move back aboard. What a trooper xoxo

We spent Thursday night on IRENE in Oxford at Campbell’s Marina. They had done a wonderful job servicing her and gave us a thorough walk through of the work they had completed. What a different feeling when we set early yesterday morning without worrying about the engine temperature and a myriad of other little things.

Once outside Oxford and the Tred Avon River, we turned up into the Big Choptank River and we felt the dramatic impact of the south wind building up the Chesapeake. There were long rolling waves that continued to grow throughout the morning as we heading north up towards the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. After 4 hours we decided to pull into a marina to sit out the afternoon’s waves.

Underway on the Big Choptank (that’s Tilghman Island off to our starboard side https://tilghmanisland.com/)

We found a marina just off the Chesapeake in Price Creek, Queen Anne’s Marina, on Kent Island (a few miles south of the bridge). Turns out that it is “home” to a lot of incredibly friendly and kind people. From a gentleman on a sailboat who helped us safely dock on a tricky T spot, to the marina manager Tina, sweetheart of kind hearts, who gave us her car to go out to lunch, everyone is nice. Especially sweet is the handsome family that played at their boat all day, crabbing, fishing, and picnicking; four littles with the world’s calmest mama. We could learn a lot from how gently and actively she leads her pack.

Here they are, the pack of littles, Collin, Cole, Callie, Caleb, and their crabs. (IRENE in the background.)

We thought we would be taking off again this morning however; the weather forecast has other plans for us. Also, since learning yesterday that Canada will not be reopening the border until at least July 21st, we feel less in a hurry and have opted to sit out a predicted bad weather afternoon here.

Since there are quite a few commercial fishing boats in and out of the creek, we will likely spend some time to watching them and then later, we will observe the storm- heavy rain with thunder and lightening. This will be our entertainment. Other than that, we will be planning the next legs of the trip, reading and enjoying life on IRENE.

PS: Received these images of Isla via text yesterday. Gotta love her style and smile.

Good bye for now~