August 2010 Washington DC - Lottsburg VA - Baltimore, MD - New York #25

     Houseboat across from us in DC

Have you ever seen a corn field on board a boat???

On August 1, we very reluctantly cast off our dock lines and said goodbye to Washington, DC. Across from our slip we enjoyed such a lovely view of a well-tended flourishing and colorful garden. Don't let the flowers fool you. She has a farm behind her blooms and on this farm are tall corn stalks!

We pulled into our slip at Olverson's Marina, Lottsburg, VA, just off the Potomac River. This was our home last August and were looking forward to our return this year. What a contrast! We left the din of DC where we'd accustomed ourselves to the constant bawl of sirens and roar of jets and helicopters and find ourselves the next day in a very rural, pastoral setting where the only audible sound was the rustling of the sun-parched corn stalks. This area makes Mayberry look metropolitan. No one locks the doors to their homes, bicycles sit outside unlocked, and all the cars have their keys in the ignition. Meeting up with old friends from our visit last year and hearing tales of their year of cruising was fun. A major project ensued of removing all the windows, installing new tracks and glass. We gave the words "Open House" a new meaning because the galley and salon windows were removed to facilitate replacement.


Nowhere else in the world would it've been safe to have "Open House" 24/7 and not be concerned for the safety of ourselves and our worldly possessions but at Olverson's. We would go out for the evening never giving a thought to uninvited intruders.


While in Lottsburg, we went to a little Methodist church where the aging congregant women wear pantyhose and the men, stiffly starched collars and ties. I was catapulted back to the 1950's by their attire and the old fashioned hymn sings. Remember those? Someone yells out a page number and every single verse is sung. This continues for a good time portion of the service. The pastor even came to visit us! That was such a treat and we thoroughly enjoyed spending time with her. I don't think I can remember a pastoral call since the '40's or '50's.


Amazingly, there is an abundance of eateries in this area and we've sampled quite a few. One evening we went with a group of fellow cruisers to a small theatre out in the middle of the local countryside and were treated to an amazing production of the musical, Annie. The performers drove from nearby villages, as far away as 25 miles. The talent was outstanding and we're still overwhelmed with the performance which would've been par for a city...but as we walked out of the theatre, our olfactories were met with reminders that we were out in the country with fields and farms surrounding us.

The time came to cast off the lines and head for Baltimore. The Chesapeake was kind to us during our 2 days of travel and we were tucked into our slip at Anchorage Marina, Baltimore, without incident. On our first night there, friends Reid and Lynn whom we met 4 years ago in Charleston were across the Patapsco River on their gorgeous 92' Nordland. Dinghying across is quicker than walking/cycling/driving so they fetched us at our dock and ferried us to their boat for a delightful repast with them as well as with our mutual friends from Charleston, Norm and Jean, who were visiting. We had a most memorable evening.

        

Baltimore Harbor

The day after our Baltimore arrival we flew to the upstate of NY for a visit with Bill's family. The countryside is beautiful rural farmland on the shore of Lake Ontario. I love going there!!! The family is HUGE and so cohesive! Fresh fruits and vegetables abound as does a never-ending parade of home-baked/cooked items prepared by so many of this culinarily-adept family. His sister, Doris, was our selfless hostess and Karen, our niece, shared her family's Black Lake cottage with us.

Black Lake Mama and Baby Loons

Karen and her husband, Greg, have an entire fleet of watercraft at their waterside retreat so that was a great delight to us.

We're ending our month in NY but will be back in Baltimore for our September entry. 

 Black Lake Water Lilly

  

Till next month---

Bill and Laura

Upstate NY