We are in Annapolis, MD. What a zoo of boats and people! A friend of ours (I’m looking at you, Ian) told us Annapolis is like Newport, RI on steroids. Yup. I was far too exhausted when we arrived yesterday to enjoy the people watching, but perhaps after a good night’s sleep I’ll appreciate it more today. Pictures can’t really capture the craziness, but the top part of the picture in this post is taken from the Harbor Master’s office looking toward the town dock at Kunte Kinte- Alex Haley Park, with restaurants on the far side where one can dock to eat. The lower picture is our anchorage last night, at the far end of Spa Creek and away from the fray. This end reminds me more of Back Channel at our mooring back home in the peak of summer; it’s more my speed. However, it is a very historic town and I look forward to touring some of it over the next couple of days.
I want, and need, to be in a town every once in a while, though I prefer smaller towns (Annapolis is a bit much). Okay, I need to be in a town at least every 1-2 weeks. An isolationist I am not. I need interaction with people, even if it’s a 1-minute conversation with the barista at a coffee shop. It’s in the small towns we’ve visited that I’ve had some lovely conversations with local people. There’s a lot of pride of place in small towns, and folks want you to learn about their lives past and present, the contributions their communities have made. That’s a prime reason I enjoy traveling; it reminds me how much all humans have in common. I’ve been able to have these expderiences in Scituate and Cuttyhunk, MA; Block Island, RI; Mystic, New London and East New Haven, CT; Shelter Island and Port Jefferson, NY; Atlantic Highlands and Cape May, NJ; Havre de Grace, Rock Hall, and Chestertown, MD.
Between all those stops have been the quiet, remote anchorages where sometimes we were able to dinghy ashore to stretch our legs, while other times we could only sit on board and observe nature all around us and relax (unless we had to do boat chores or fix something). I very much enjoy those days, too. I used to hike a lot in college and just after, but I didn’t make time for it as I got older. So now I get to reconnect with nature, but from the water (and once we’re in the Caribbean it will be under the water too!).
I sat in the hammock last night here at anchor in Annapolis, reading unitl there wasn’t enough light, listening to the splash of boats going by and the sound of conversations in the nearby park and on nearby boats. I watched the sun set and the stars come out. I listened to the noise slowly abate as it got later. Not too bad for a big city.
At some point I will post a map that pins all the places we’ve been on this trip, but I’m going to have to wait until I have time to sit in a coffee shop with WiFi for a couple of hours. Maybe next week 😉
Life on Lady 