This was our first visit to Baltimore by boat. We would be staying at the Anchorage for a week while we went to Solomon’s Island for a Marine Trawlers Owners Association (MTOA) board meeting. Later in the week we would be volunteering at Trawlerfest at another marina in Baltimore. We were very happy with the Anchorage Marina which had newly renovated docks, full length finger piers, a very nice cruisers lounge and lots of sponsored activities for dock owners and cruisers.
As we were exploring the marina we ran into Liz and Steve from Shingebiss who we thought had already left for the Solomon’s. We had fun catching up with them and comparing notes on our summer cruises.
We discovered that the amazing Baltimore Aquarium was half price on Friday nights so we headed over there for a few hours of excellent exploration.
On Saturday, we went to a great farmer’s market in nearby Fell’s Point, a wonderful historic neighborhood with cobblestone streets and narrow interesting row houses. The corn on the cob we bought at the market was as good as any we got while we were in Connecticut, which is saying a lot for us Connecticut natives.
That evening we met Stephanie’s best friend, Amanda and her husband Ryan at a lively seafood restaurant called Choptank in Fell’s Point. We had a great time visiting with them. Amanda is a resident at Johns Hopkins and her husband is a pharmacist. They are both working long hours but managing to enjoy living in this fun city.
The next day we rode our bikes to a very unusual and interesting museum called the American Visionary Art Museum. This fascinating collection of works by non-mainstream artists was well worth the visit. We spent several hours there.
On the way back, Lynn got a flat tire on her bike but fortunately we were close enough to the marina so it was just a short walk back. That evening we picked up the rental car we would be using to drive to the Solomons.
We left very early on Monday morning so we would arrive at Solomon’s Island in time for the MTOA board meeting. We were excited for this visit because the meeting was being held in a lighthouse and several of the board members, including us, would be staying overnight there since the lighthouse is also an Air B&B! It was quite an amazing setting overlooking the water. The house was really a duplex where the two halves could open up each to the other side to make one big comfortable house. About eight couples stayed for either one or two nights. The local MTOA member who organized it brought food and organized breakfasts and other meals as well as a number side trips, tours, and activities that included many members of the local group.
After the board meeting, an outing was organized to the Naval Air Station Patuxent River where the highlight was spending a little time in an actual flight simulator. How cool is that!
The next day was Lynn’s birthday and Jonny presented her with the lovely ring she had chosen.
All in all, the past two days were a unique way to spend her 66th birthday! After driving back to Baltimore, Lynn chose Miss Shirley’s Cafe, a well-known Baltimore institution for a delicious lunch of Southern specialities such as shrimp and grits and fried green tomatoes, all of which were beautifully presented and delicious!
The next three days were spent working at a booth at Trawlerfest, a boating conference for trawler owners and wanna-be’s sponsored by Passagemaker magazine The goal was to recruit new members. Several local MTOA members were assigned to volunteer each day and altogether we signed up 28 new members - a record!
Each day we would ride our bikes to the conference and stop at a local (and historic) pub for a beer on the way back.
On Saturday, Lynn got to cut out early because Cathy Tisdale was flying in to spend three days on board Zendo. After Jonny broke down the booth, we went for dinner at a very good restaurant called Gia’s located in Little Italy. We left with a bottle of their homemade limoncello!
No comments:
Post a Comment