July 21, 2006


Well here we are again…still having a great time and enjoying the cruising lifestyle. In our last update we were in Deltaville, VA. It’s a very small town with limited things to do ashore, but it was a nice spot to stop and relax. Jackson Creek (in Deltaville) is extremely protected with a lot of modest homes along its shores. We needed to go to the grocery store for provisions so we found a place to leave our dinghy and walked about 1½ miles to the store. We found the very small local market, walked in and started to shop, when one of the clerks came up and asked why we didn’t call them for a ride and then commented that they would be happy to take us back to the marina when we were finished. I can just see that happening in Long Beach!!

We had heard a lot of people talking about how great Solomon’s Island was supposed to be. So we decided to make a run up to the Patuxent River and visit Solomon’s Island. It really is a neat place. It has a number of marinas and a lot of space to anchor. We chose to anchor in a very quiet spot in the back of the creek and decided to stay for a couple of days. Before arriving here, though, we had stopped at Reedsville for just an overnighter; so we had traveled for two days and felt like this would be a good place to stay for awhile. There wasn’t much to the town itself but there was a market, liquor store, West Marine plus a lot of gift shops, restaurants and watering holes to enjoy. We ended up staying for four days before heading on.

Since we hadn’t been over to the eastern side of the Chesapeake Bay yet, we headed up further and across the bay (the Bay at this point is about 5 miles across) to Cambridge, MD. It’s very different on the eastern banks of the Bay. Much more rural in most cases, and it seemed a little more laid back. We anchored in a tiny basin right in the middle of town. Walking around in this little town was very easy. Everything was close by. The weather god’s were talking about a lot of rain and thunderstorms coming through for the next few days so we called the Cambridge Yacht Club, which had a small marina, and asked if we could rent a slip for a couple of days. It turned out that it was one of the best stops we had made for quite a while. The first night that we were there, we went up to their very nice clubhouse to have a drink at the bar. While sitting there, we were talking to several of their friendly members and just having a great time. During our conversations, one of the guys we were talking to asked if we had a car. We said no, and he said he would drop one off for us to use in the morning and that we could just keep it until we left. WOW!! What a great thing to have happen, and what a thoughtful gesture on his part. He said that someone had done this for him while he was cruising, and he knew how much of a help it could be. He was sure right. We were there for six days of rain and some very violent thunderstorms, and having some transportation really made the time pleasant for us because we could get off of the boat and go somewhere. Also, Elaine was talking to one of the ladies at the club about somewhere to get a pedicure. The next morning the phone rang and this woman told Elaine that she would pick her up at 10:00 and take her to her nail salon. We couldn’t believe how this club had taken us in and made us feel so welcome. That is one of the reasons that we feel yachting organizations are important to this sport. We really needed to tear ourselves away when leaving the dock. We had had a great time with some exceptionally nice people, and we’ll definitely return in the future.

We left Cambridge on the 29th of June and were on our way to meet some very old friends of ours (from Ventura boating days) on the 1st of July at their home in Annapolis, MD. We decided to stop for a couple of nights in a little area called Broad Creek. What a beautiful area. While we were anchored there, we got a call from our friends in Annapolis, Terry and Nan, and they told us that we were all invited to one of their friends’ home (Greg & Susie) for the weekend at St. Michaels, MD. So, on the 1st we moved a short distance over to Greg and Susie’s and tied up Diamond Girl at the dock in front their beautiful home. We had “old home week” with Terry and Nan, and made some really great new friends too. Greg steamed a bushel of Maryland crabs, about 70 of them, to feed 9 people on the 3rd of July. What a feed…what a wonderful weekend!!

The next day we left and traveled to Annapolis to our friends’ home (Terry & Nan) on the Luce Creek. We tied up at the dock behind their beautiful home and stayed for four delightful days. We not only saw everything we possibly could in Annapolis, including the Naval Academy (incredible), but we also saw and visited with their 3 wonderful daughters and their families. It really was a fabulous stay.

Now we are headed to Washington, DC where we are going to meet up with our daughter, Michelle, and her family for a week-long visit. We can’t wait!! It has been 7 months since we have seen Michelle, Scott and our 3 older granddaughters. It’s going to be “really cozy” aboard Diamond Girl, but we can manage. It will be an absolute blast!!

Anyway….as always we miss our friends and family so keep sending us emails. We always look forward to hearing from you.