Log 152; Day 419; July 14, 2009; Anchorage Marina

This is a shot out the back of our boat at Anchorage Marina. Those buildings in the distance, are right downtown Baltimore, and the inner harbor

This shot is looking at the walking and jogging path that goes right in front of the marina. Most of the day, and especially in the morning, this is a very busy place. This brick walk will take you all the way to the Inner Harbor...about an hour walk.

These next few shots are of Canton...a suburb of Baltimore...and about 2 blocks from the boat

They have a square here with lots of shops and restuarants

This is where we went for lunch with Darrell and Donna on their last day on the boat

The tops of this church can be seen from the Inner Harbor

The next few pictures are of our dinghy tour of the Inner Harbor

This is a dinghy just like ours...without the rubber floats around it

Some of the older part of Inner Harbor

And then the new

This is an old area they are fixing up...right near Fells Point

This is heading out to the Chesapeake. Lots more comercial

Darrell and Donna...leaving the boat...heading home

Lots of hugs...we had a great time

I think Darrell's smile says it all...

Log 152
Day 419
Tuesday, July 14, 2009

7:45 AM EDT
Location: Anchorage Marina, Baltimore, MD
Weather: 68, with light North winds...forecasted to be 85 and sunny today

Another pretty morning in Baltimore. Bright sun, and not a cloud in the sky. Lots of folks out walking and jogging this morning. A great day in Anchorage Marina.

Yesterday...we enjoyed a relaxing morning with Darrell and Donna, on their last day on the boat. Everyone took their time getting up, and having breakfast, and we were just kind of lazy. About 10, the girls decided to take a walk into Canton, which is a community very close to the boat. Like many areas in this part of the country, they have small communities, with their own ethnic charm. You can see from the pictures what Canton looks like. After a short time of exploring, the girls came back to the boat and Darrell and I went back with them for lunch. We ate at a great spot, and had a good walk as well. Back at the boat, we took a long dinghy ride of Baltimore Inner Harbor. (Anchorage Marina is not right downtown, like Inner Harbor Marina is, but it is close enough to dinghy to, and very close to many things). I never get tired of taking dinghy tours, especially in this area. There is so much to see, and always something going on. It’s also fun to share the tours with friends. Back at the boat again, Darrell and Donna both freshened up, and got ready for the airport shuttle which came at about 4. Deb and I walked with them up to the road, and hugged them good-bye. We hoped they had as good a time as we did. They are great people; fun to be with; and excellent boat guests.

Today...we have a lot to do. First on the list is for Deb to go shopping (we probably won’t be close to a store for a week or so), and I need to wash the boat. When we were in Annapolis, one of the fenders was rubbing against the side of the boat, and left some dirt and grime I could not wash off, so I also want to take advantage of these floating docks, to wax a couple of spots on the side of the hull. Sometime before lunch, we will head out to a new marina, called Maryland Yacht Club. We plan to spend a few days there to take advantage of an excellent rate ($1 per foot, per night) that they offer Loopers. This area can get very expensive from a slip perspective. In both Annapolis and St. Michaels we paid $3.50 per foot, per night, so we need to scale back for a few days to cut back on expenses while we are on the Chesapeake. We checked this marina out a couple of weeks ago, and, although there is not much there, we plan to use the time to get the boat back in shape after the last couple of weeks dealing with fridge issues, and having guests aboard. We also, love going new places, and checking out new marinas, so this will be fun for both of us.

Speaking of fridge issues...I feel I need to write a fridge epilog. When we first had the issues with the fridge, I felt it would just take time to get the smell out, and get back to normal. Deb, on the other hand, felt the fridge had been damaged beyond repair, and, as much as she hated to spend the money, she felt we needed a new fridge. To her credit, she tried everything she could to get the smell out. She tried coffee; charcoal; news paper; wiping it out EVERYDAY with bleach, or ammonia, or vanilla, and other ideas that folks emailed us about, and she could find on the internet. She did not stop trying, but in the end, we bit the bullet, and got a new one. When they hauled out the old one, and set it on the dock, they turned it over because it was defrosting, and some liquids were coming out. It smelled awful, and the repairmen were not looking forward to putting in their truck and driving back to the shop. Then...one of the guys came back in the boat, and told Deb “good thing you didn’t keep that old one...it’s got maggots inside it, and it would never smelled better”. Enough said.

Well, it’s 8:30 now, and time to get going. We’re looking forward to a great day.

I’ll keep you posted.

Bob