Rock Hall, MD

The plan for the day on Sunday, September 29 was to cruise across the Chesapeake Bay to Rock Hall on the Eastern Shore.  Originally, Lynn and Cathy were going to go to the big farmer’s market in Baltimore that several people had recommended.  But given that Cathy is as big a news junky as Lynn and Jonny, we all ended up watching some of the Sunday morning news shows unstead.  After all it’s not everyday that the president is facing an impeachment inquiry!

After lunch on board we headed out for our three hour cruise across the bay. As we left Baltimore we saw this typical juxtaposition of boats on the bay.  

It was a beautiful sunny day with little wind so our crossing was smooth and uneventful, just how we like it.  We arrived at Rock Hall Landing Marina where a very friendly dock master helped us to tie up. We’ve been seeing a lot of these traditional Chesapeake Bay deadrise boats that watermen use to catch crabs, fish and oysters.

We walked into the little town to explore.  However, because it was Sunday, most places were closed.

Lynn had learned that a local music venue was hosting a late afternoon jazz concert.  We happened to walk by it during intermission and walked in to check it out. We were somewhat surprised to see the small crowd all looking older than us. It was a very informal setting but no one invited us in so we just moved on.

We returned to Zendo for cocktails before heading out to dinner at Waterman’s Restaurant, the best in town and the only one open!  We had yet another seafood dinner on their porch with a beautiful sunset in the background.

Baltimore, MD

We left our lovely anchorage on Friday, September 20 at 10 a.m. on a beautiful summer-like day. Jonny went on a long paddleboard ride all around Worton Creek before we left.  After an uneventful four hour cruise we entered Baltimore Harbor, where there were some pretty impressive ships,  and we arrived at Anchorage Marina. 

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!

Worton Creek Anchorage

On Thursday, September 19, Jonny started the day with a long bike ride across the huge bridge that spans the C & O Canal and explored the other half of Chesapeake City.  In the meantime, Lynn engaged in her own more modest exercise routine.  When he returned we walked into town once last time. 

We eventually stopped at an attractive historic building that was once a bank and is now an interesting jewelery store. Lynn found a ring she really liked that Jonny decided would be a great present for her upcoming birthday. Since he didn’t have his wallet with him, we returned to Zendo for lunch. Afterwards, he returned to the store for the gift but held out giving it to her until her actual birthday.

By 1:30 it was time to shove off to take advantage of the ebbing tide and passing a number of cool-looking tugboats.  We had a beautiful cruise on the bay with little boat traffic. 

The day was sunny with temperatures in the 70’s - perfect!   Our destination was an anchorage on the Eastern Shore. We decided to try a new one on Worton Creek just south of Still Pond where we had anchored on a previous voyage. It was a beautiful spot, quiet, peaceful and green with only two other far flung boats in sight.

We celebrated with a drink and nibbles on the aft deck and later ate the ravioli we had purchased at Corlino’s Italian Market near Philly.  Internet reception was poor so we spent a relaxing evening just listening to music. 

Chesapeake City, MD

We left Philadelphia early on Wednesday, September 18 to take advantage of the tides and current.  It was a cool and calm day as we left our wonderful seven day stay in Philly. We were heading out for a six hour cruise to Chesapeake City, MD.  It was a peaceful, uneventful cruise. There was little boat traffic other than some massive freighters.

The current was with us for the first part of the morning and we zipped along at nine knots.  But when the current switched as we entered the C&D Canal we slowed down to a pokey 5 knots.

We arrived at the Chesapeake City Town Dock at 1 pm and tied up in a very pretty setting with only one other boat at the dock, a big catamaran. The price is right, a free dock with only a $15 charge for electricity. The only caveat is a 24 hour limit on docking which was no problem for us. 

We usually stay at nearby Delaware City Marina but Jonny had stayed here on his trip north and thought Lynn would like the little town.  Chesapeake City was originally known as the Village of Bohemia or Bohemia Manor. Its name changed when the C & D Canal was built in 1829. It is tiny, really just a village, with only 693 residents. It was separated into north and south when the canal was built. The two sections were connected by a drawbridge which was destroyed by a freighter in 1942.  A huge bridge was built to replace it, large enough for supertankers to pass underneath. When this happened, it staunched the flow of traffic into town so business declined considerably.

It is now a sleepy little town with some lovely colorful homes, many of which are B & Bs.  We walked around to get a feel for the town but didn’t stop anywhere. 

Back at Zendo, Lynn worked on the blog from Philly  - a rather long one due to the length of our visit.  With the excessive dining over the past week we were happy to settle for a big salad for dinner.  We watched a couple of episodes of Ken Burns’ excellent new series on country music.  As we tumbled into bed, we confirmed that we would definitely stay in this sweet spot again. 

Philadelphia, PA

A pleasant five hour cruise brought us up the Delaware River on Wednesday, September 11 to the Pier 3 Marina in Philadelphia where we had stayed the last time we brought Zendo here.

We would be staying for five days to visit with Stephanie and to see additional friends and family. Stephanie came aboard when she got out of work and we had a casual dinner of leftover curry while discussing the plans for our stay.

The next day, while Stephanie was at work, we walked all over Philly, so historical and interesting with lots of wonderful neighborhoods.

We had lunch at a great falafel restaurant called Goldie’s that she had recommended to us. It had amazing tahini milkshakes. The place is one of several restaurants owned by Michael Solomonov who also owns Zahav (more about that later). There was a line going out the door of this little hole in the wall place. The food was delicious!  We followed lunch with a visit to the Mutter Museaum, a most unique and rather macabre collection of medical artifacts. Founded by a local doctor with an incredible collection of anatomical specimens and medical instruments, it was very interesting but not for the faint of heart.  When we left the museum, we passed a cute little cinema that was playing Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, a movie we’d been wanting to see.  So beause we are footloose and fancy free, we bought tickets and spent the rest of the afternoon watching a very enjoyable show.  It was sprinkling a little when we left but we were very close to Stephanie’s apartment near Rittenhouse Square so we grabbed some takeout and met her at her apartment where we had an early dinner. Lynn was intent on getting back to Zendo in time to watch the Democratic debates which we did.

On Friday we walked to Reading Terminal Market for lunch and split the great pulled pork sandwich that comes with broccoli raab (one of Lynn’s favorites) at a lunch counter there.  Lynn wanted to get a new jacket so we went to a flagship Macy’s where she found one that was perfect.  Macy’s has an amazing atrium with the Wanamaker Grand Court Organ, the largest fully functioning organ in the world! It was breathtaking! Unfortunately we didn’t get to hear it being played.

Later that evening, we met Stephanie and Nicky Brayer at a favorite restaurant of Stephanie’s called Res Ipsa where we shared the tasting menu, a wonderful collection of Italian dishes. It was great seeing Nicky who is working on his MBA at Penn. He lives right around the corner from Stephanie on a charming cobblestoned street or mews on which no cars are allowed. He brought us by to see his comfortable home.

Now that the weekend had arrived, Stephanie was free to spend all day with us and the first thing she did was to take us to see where she is now working. Still with Aramark, she was just promoted to a general manager role in a different line of business. She is now running the entire food service program at  LaSalle University where she has a staff of almost 300 people! She is enjoying her new challenge and we are very proud of her.

Afterwards we drove through an absolutely charming area called Chestnut Hill where we had lunch at a lovely restaurant called Cake.  We had to get back to Zendo by mid afternoon because Lynn’s cousin Taylor Lynn and her family were coming for a visit.  Taylor and Stu are the parents of Evie, an adorable toddler and a new baby boy named Otto (after Taylor’s grandfather and Lynn’s favorite uncle) who was born in May.  We had a wonderful visit with them. Taylor and Stu are delightful and their kids are a joy.

But Saturday wasn’t over yet because later that evening our little threesome met a bunch of Jonny’s cousins at yet another Italian restaurant for dinner. After a little mix-up with locations (the restaurant had two locations across the street from each other), we finally connected and had a lively dinner outside. Steve Katzen and his wife, Ann, Steve’s sister Abby and her husband Rich, and their nephew Jeremy who lives in Philly were all there.  Steven and Abby live in Connecticut but were in Philly to pick up Abby’s daughter’s dog for whom they are pet sitting while she is on vacation.  So we had a 

totally fun-filled evening. They were staying very close to Zendo so we visited their “digs “ afterwards and had some local ice cream. It was a late night!

Sunday was another big day. We took six of Stephanie’s friends out on Zendo for the afternoon.  They had a blast and so did we as we cruised up the Delaware River.  We dropped anchor at one point and the kids went swimming and paddle boarding. It was a beautiful day and everyone really enjoyed themselves.  This looks like it’s going to be a tradition as we did the same thing last year which is absolutely fine with us!

But wait, the day wasn’t over. After we returned to dock, we got a ride with Stephanie back to Rittenhouse Square where we met another of Jonny’s cousins, this time it was Emma Bergman who also  lives in Philly. We saw her last time we were in town and she rode her bike to meet us at a cute restaurant near Stephanie where we had a drink and a light bite and caught up on each other’s lives.

We spent Monday in a much more relaxed mode.  Stephanie was back at work and so we took it easy, our daytime outing was to walk to beautiful  Rittenhouse Square to pick up some prescriptions and to get our annual flu shots.

The evening activity was a very special one as Stephanie’s boss had scored us reservations at Zahav, winner of the 2019 James Beard Award for Best Restaurant!  It takes months to get a reservation but we had one for 5:00. What a fantastic meal it was, an amazing combination of Israeli tapas-style items, each one more flavorful than the last. We chose the special chef’s tasting menu with an incredible roast lamb as the crowning touch.  It was quite an experience - very special, indeed!

Tuesday was our last day in Philly and we spent most of it outdoors.  Jonny got up early to drive Stephanie to work so we could have her car for the day.  We took it, along with a picnic lunch, to the lovely Bartram Gardens, an historic garden in Philly.  The garden was the home of John Bartram and his son William who were instrumental in the study of botany in America.  In fact, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and others like them were frequent guests at the beautiful stone homestead there. We strolled the riverfront property on a perfect weather day.

Later we stopped at an Italian market that Emma had recommended. We bought some goodies for that evening and some for Zendo’s pantry. We picked up Stephanie from work and brought her home where we ate leftovers from our various dinners. It was our last night with our little girl with whom we had such a wonderful week.  Lucky Lynn will see her in just a few weeks when they are going to Phoenix together - story to follow!