Tuesday - June 14, 2011

We decided to go and visit Baltimore this morning. About 20 minutes from the marina so we left about 9 and set the Baltimore Orioles ballpark Camden Yards as our destination. Neat ball park built on the old style of ballparks. Unfortunately the Orioles were out of town, otherwise we would have taken in a game. Outside the ballpark they have all the retired numbers of their great Baltimore players – Cal Ripkin, Eddie Murray, etc.
We walked over to the Baltimore Visitors centre which was right on the inner harbor. They have fixed up the harbor so that it is a treat to walk around it. In the Centre we received a recommendation for the American Visionary Museum – a museum devoted to artists who have not quite made it but their works are very good and avant garde. So we went and visited the museum and found it quite interesting. It is hard to describe the museum other than to repeat what is in the Official Guide to Baltimore – “ The national museum and education centre for outstanding original works of art created by intuitive, self taught artists”. Fascinating! There are a lot of other things we didn’t see in Baltimore that would draw us back. Another City, I would return to for a visit.







This is art!










The Inner Harbor

Monday - June 13, 2011

Today we traveled over to Arlington Cemetery with our friends from Q's End. A beautiful place although I learned it had regular grave sites as well as the white ones we are most familiar with. We visited the grave sites of President John F Kennedy, Jacqueline Kennedy and tow of their children, one who was stillborn and the other who died a short time after his birth. We also visited Robert Kennedy's grave site and the site of the Unknown Soldier. Apparently, they have determined the identity of the soldier who died in WW2, but his family wanted him to remain where he was with tow other unknown soldiers. The site is guarded 24/7/365 by present day servicemen and the duty is a highly sought after and only the best obtain the duty. They have to march back and forth continually in front the tomb, although I understand they are relieved every 1/2 hour. I wondered how long they could take the heat or in the winter the cold in carrying out their duties.



Kennedy Gravesite











After Arlington, we went down to Alexandria for lunch and do a little window shopping. At least Brenda and Linda did the window shopping. Tom and I waited for them in a local bar.

After Alexandria we traveled to the home of George Washington at Mount Vernon. This place is not a National Park, which surprised me. The group that owns it however has done a magnificent job keeping taking care of the home and grounds with several displays detailing the life of Washington and a museum with artifacts. I always thought that Washington was simply the general who led the troops that defeated the British and then because of that he became the first president of the the Untied States. He was a little more than that. After the war, he purposely resigned from the Army because his duty was done. He had no desire to become President. However, he was requested to accept the office as the politicians of the time could not determine who would be better. Many of the things he accomplished in office set the precedent for future presidents. His heart was not really in politics however but in agriculture. He experimented in growing crops and animals and seemed to be way ahead of this time. This apparently was his true love.

Sunday - June 12, 2011

The Capital, I think the Senate is on hte left and the House of Representatives on the right but I could be wrong.



Brenda wanted to see the National Botanical Garden which was right beside the capital so we decided to go over there first thing in the morning. It was again going to be a hot day so we thought that it would be best to visit it in the early part of the day. We walked over and passed in front of the capital. The gardens both outside and inside the tropical area were just beautiful. Unfortunately, it got quite hot very quickly and Brenda wanted to get inside a building. We walked down Independence Avenue and decided to go into the National Museum of the American Indian (part of the Smithsonian) which also included displays on the Inuit and the Metis,and those from and Central America. It also included a display by West Coast carvers that I believe were from Canada. At first I equated America to just the US but in the context of the entire Americas, it should represent Natives from all areas.

I was a fascinating display and we could easily have spent another day looking around. Each display area was devoted to a specific tribe and they had a consulting group from the tribe detailing what the theme of the display should be and what message they wanted to impart to the visitors - history, the present and the future. However pictures were forbidden in the museum, so you will have to see it for yourselves.

We ate lunch in the museum and the food was the type of food that the Natives ate. There were several kiosks so you could find different things from the different areas of the Americas. Of course for those with more pedestrian tastes, you could get a sandwich or a burger. The food was delicious. Apparently, this restaurant was one of the most popular in the Smithsonian.

After the Museum, we jumped on the the Trolley again since the tickets we bought were good for two days and caught a ride back to the hotel. One thing we have learned, is the transportation system is very good in Washington between the subway, the buses and the Circulator Bus which travels a route around the central part of the City. Cost is $1 per trip. Another thing I learned is that most of the streets that have states names run from the center of the city through to the Capital Beltway which is IS 495 and goes around the City. Once you reach the Beltway, look for a street with a state name - Pennsylvania, New York etc and you will run into the Beltway. The City seems well laid out.

Saturday - June 11, 2011

Got up this morning and we drove to Washington. Brenda got us a deal at the Hilton which is about a block from the White House. It took us about an hour from the Yacht Basin. It is very hot - well into the 90's and for you Canadians that about 35 C. Once we got there, we had to wait for a bit to check in, so we went for a walk over the White House and then down to the Mall. By the time we had finished that walk, we heard from the hotel that our room was ready so we went back and checked in. After lunch we took a trolley tour around town which took about three hours but it gave us a good insight into the City and the sights. We passed by all the important monuments - Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson, etc. the Capital, Canadian Embassy, Smithsonian. The Smithsonian is so huge that we could take a couple of weeks to see it all. The trolley tour was similar to those we took in Savannah and St. Augustne. Lots of stuff to see, so little time, will have to come back. It was also Pride Weekend in Washington and as we walked back to the hotel, we saw this coming along the street: . They looked like they were having fun but I am not sure how comfortable some of them were. Of course it was a hot, hot day.




Of course Canada gets recognized:

Too bad these idiots don't know that Canada supplies 20% of the US oil requirements, far more than Saudi Arabia and the other mid-east dictatorships, and that it is just as clean as shipping oil from the middle east after all is factored in.









In the evening we got to dinner with our friends from Q's End who we had not seen since St Augustine.




The White House




The Supreme Court








The Lincoln Memorial

Friday - June 10, 2011

Today we rented a car because tomorrow we are going into Washington. Brenda has found a good weekend rate at a hotel about 2 blocks from the White House, so we will go in for a couple of days. After renting the car we went to Westmarine in Annapolis and browsed for a bit and did some food shopping. Went to a unique little restaurantfor lunch right beside Westmarine called Grumpy's. Funny little place but great food. The rest of the day we spent shopping for food and jsut going around Annapolis, although we did not get down to the harbor. Went to dinner here at the Maryland Yacht Club and had a good dinner with Greg and Barb.

Thursday - June 9, 2011

Lat 38 19 23; Long 76 18 00; Fuel 188 gal; eng 851.24

We left the Solomons about 9:15 headed for Baltimore and the Maryland Yacht Club. It was a pretty straight run up the Bay, the wind and seas were calm and we arrived about 4:30. We received a phone a call as we were coming into the Club asking where we were. They were closing up but would have someone to assist us. Didn't show and we got into the slips ourselves - no problem. It was a long run.

Our next slip neighbors are Barb and Greg from Goncruzn III. We hadn't seen them since Fort Myers in Florida when we had dinner with them. This is their home port and in fact they told us that it would be easier coming in here to travel to Washington then going up the Potomac. They invited us to dinner and we spent a good time catching up, They went to the Bahamas and had a great time. I think we will have to go over there next time we go south. Too many people are saying it is a great place.

Wednesday - June 8, 2011

Brenda decided we should stay another day at Solomans. She wanted to see the museum so off we went before it got too hot. Temperatures were estimated to get to around 100 today. The museum was one of those nuggets you sometimes find in these little places. It had a complete history of the area going back to prehistoric times since there are cliffs along the Chesapeake where many fossils and skeletons have been excavated. Their interactive history program was extremely good explaining each epoch in the history of the earth. The museum then illustrated the various life in the Bay and the Bay's impact on those living here from the Patuxent Indians to the arrival of the Europeans to the present day. Illustrations of fishing boats and industry that flourished and still flourishes in the Bay and the Patuxent River. All in all an excellent museum, well worth the 3 hours we spent there.

When we came back to the boat these two ducks obviously found it too hot out on the water as they were resting in the shade beside the path to the marina. They didn't move when we came by.