Weekend in Annapolis, take 2

OK, let's try this again.

Karen arrived in Annapolis on Thursday at about noon, having flown into Baltimore-Washington airport. Her shuttle delivered her right to the marina, and we were so excited to welcome her aboard. She was happy to see us, and to have her first intro to Blue Heron, but she was especially happy to see the dogs and confirm that Bailey did in fact make it back onto the boat after her overboard adventure in Deltaville.

Our original plan for her visit was to stay 2 days in Annapolis and then cruise up to Baltimore for 2 more days. But the weather on the Bay was iffy, and our docking spot on the harbor was so enjoyable, so we decided to spend the whole weekend in Annapolis. It's such a fun and lively town that wasn't really a hardship.

We did a lot of walking, which isn't hard to do as it is such a compact town. It seems so small, it's hard to believe it's the state capital and one of the original capitals of he United States, although the beautiful statehouse building is a dominant feature. We walked around the Naval Academy of course, and were able to watch one of their dress parades of the full brigade of Midshipmen. Very impressive. There was also an in-water sailboat show in the main marina, which created a lot of activity in town.

Saturday was chilly but calm, so we took a cruise up the Severn River past Annapolis. It's a beautiful river lined with bluffs and pretty homes. Near the top of the river it opens into Round Bay, which is 2 miles across and reminded us of any number of inland lakes in Wisconsin and Michigan that we have known over the years. There are numerous smaller tributaries to explore, and we decided that you could have a boat on the Severn River and never feel the need to venture out into the Chesapeake.

Much of our activity centered around eating, which seems to be a hallmark of the Wolf family. Crab, crab and more crab, and all of it delicious. One of our favorite spots -- we returned for a second lunch -- was Chick & Ruth's Delly (that's how they spell it), recommended by friend Scott Humphrey, who grew up in Annapolis. It's a real dive, with great food and famous milkshakes. Always crowded.

On Saturday night as we were walking up Main Street to dinner, (what else?), we noticed lots of young people milling about dressed in 1920s style clothing -- bow ties, cardigans, suspenders and fancy hats. Craig asked about it and we learned that the 30th annual Annapolis Cup had been played Saturday, a formal croquet match between the Naval Academy and St. John's College in Annapolis. St. John's won, as they have done for 25 of the past 30 years. The Middies must be too busy to practice or something. Later, Karen investigated to learn more about this, and discovered all kinds of fascinating tidbits, such as the fact that the Middies team always dresses in official U.S. Croquet Association "croquet whites," while the Johnnies have a different creative uniform each year that is not revealed until they march onto the field. The teams warm up every year by playing the Ginger Cove Croquet Team from the Ginger Cove retirement community. The public is invited to the match and a rollicking good time is had by all. We were sorry we missed it -- maybe next year! I know many of you are probably dying to learn more about this classic event, so here is a link to their site: www.sjca.edu/events/AN/croquet.shtml. Glendalians, I think there may be an opportunity for Annapolis Cup West -- maybe in Floral Park? Just don't do it until we get home!

Karen left on Monday afternoon and we left soon after to get back to Solomons, MD before dark. About halfway there the Bay turned very rough and we experienced 6-8 ft seas for several hours. The boat handled it beautifully but her crew wasn't comfortable, especially the four-legged members. It was a long haul for the poor dogs, and all of us were plenty grateful to arrive in the calm harbor at Solomons just before dark. Today was beautiful and warm, but there are still brisk winds on the Bay. So we decided to stay in port another day, do laundry and other boat chores, which was a good decision. We had a really nice day here in this charming little town, and hope to head back to Deltaville tomorrow.

Given my blogging issues today, I'm not going to try pictures. If we get to Deltaville early enough tomorrow, I'll try an all-picture posting!