Celebrating Memorial Weekend And Beyond

On Sunday, June 26th, after leaving George Washington's birth place we drove to the northeast corner of the Great Neck Peninsula of Virginia. We were invited to a picnic by Fathom boat owners, Tab and Susan, who annually organize a Memorial Day barbecue for their family, friends and neighbors at the "Bay".

Their Bay House is on the edge of Chesapeake Bay and the celebration was held at a community park that the owners have improved over the years. They have built a picnic/party pavilion...

... and rebuilt a dock for all to enjoy.

My feeling was that our host, Tab, here with Debi...

 was at the forefront of these projects. He certainly was spearheading the cooking for the day.

We arrived about 4:00 PM to find many friends and
neighbors there...

...and
numerous grills all in the process of cooking various types of meat. The main grill appears to made from a 500 gallon oil drum seen here with their close friends and in-laws, John and Donna. 

 Tab hauls that big grill around on a flatbed trailer...

...which one time caught on fire  while he was driving it home. No blood... no foul!

 One Marine veteran arrived in his four wheeler with his Memorial flags attached. God bless him!

Being included in this celebration was a highlight for us. We met many wonderful people who made us feel very welcome and feel right at home. It was a slice of Americana at its finest. Thank you Tab and Susan!

The next day found us leaving the marina at Kilmarnock...

 in calm waters...

 as we headed north up Chesapeake Bay.

While crossing  the mouth of the Potomac River, we were hailed on the VHF radio by none other than Tab, Susan, and family. Despite a having had a long day of celebrating the day before, they wanted to get up and escort us on their Fathom part way across the Potomac.

Numerous pictures were taken of each other's boat as we steered towards Solomons, MD.

That night we anchored out in Mill Creek well up inside the waterway at Solomons.

Our next primary destination was Annapolis, MD but we fit a stop in at Tilghman Island first. 

This is another smaller town on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay. We stayed at Knapp's Narrows Marina...

... with a couple of other boats.

The marina is not far from the lift bridge on the main street in town.

It opens for almost all boat traffic whether they need it or not.

The watermen are busily taking their crab boats from one area to another so it is one of the busiest lift bridges in the country.

Because we had the time, a bike trip was in order.

We found that the Waterman's Museum was closed...

... so could only peek in the window.

Several beautiful, well kept early 1800's homes were found...

... and this replica of a lighthouse that is out in the channel.

The real lighthouse was damaged in one of the famous storms from years past and tilted on its side . The home owner recreated that for his yard version.

And then, what is a bike trip without some type of reward at the end??!!

Nautical Word For The Day: [from seatalk.info]

Dart:

1. A rotator or spinner attached to a taffrail log in order to measure the speed of a vessel through the water.

From Great Loop Jargon:

2. That sharp, pointy object that has feathers attached to it and is used in a tavern game with a cork board as a target that seems to get smaller as the consumption gets greater.