We leave around 9 am. From not knowing whether to visit the Naval Academy early or go to Chick and Ruth’s for breakfast to watch the patriots swearing the Pledge of Allegiance (something which happens every morning apparently) he ends up doing neither.
It’s a lovely day again, just right for yet another session of motoring to St Michaels. I have never sailed so little! We arrive in the bay during mid afternoon, and once we are sure that the anchor has settled, we take the dinghy and go ashore to explore.
On our way in we notice that there are union jacks all around the marina – something we have not seen elsewhere. I wonder why?
Photos: Entering the harbour at St Michaels
There is a maritime museum, quite a few restaurants and bars and a wonderful couple of old buildings, one of which has a figure head from a boat which was once displayed at a the Naval Academy in Annapolis. It is supposed to be good luck if you fondle her rather large, prominent twin assets so Mike and Terry follow in the steps of many young naval cadets and do just that!
Photos: Boys will be boys
The main street here is Talbot Street and most of the shops and restaurants are found here. We wander along this relatively busy road up to the end of the ‘built up area’ although this is hardly what I would call built up. We do go in some of the shops but to be honest, it’s all a bit samey and dare I say it, staid. I would have to be desperate to buy any clothes here - they are expensive but cater to a taste that is about 30 years older than mine. Having seen the sale signs in some of the windows, Mike presumed that his wallet could take a hit and is relieved when I leave shops grimacing at what I have found inside.
Photos: Talbot Street, St Michaels
However, ice cream is ice cream and we stop for a large one one the way, laughingly called a single scoop. It’s that half litre thing again, although nowhere have I had a waffle cone of the type that Victoria and I had in Padanarum. That one is still in my memory as ‘simply the best’!
Photos: Ice cream – just the ticket
Ignoring the content of the shops, the town is very pretty. I am surprised to find everything once again looking so like New England. I really hadn’t expected that this far south. Although there are some brick buildings, most of the houses are clapboard with the occasional shingle one thrown in for good measure.
Almost at the end of the town strip we cross the road to retrace our steps and find Big Al’s, a diner, with a huge smoker outside. They do their own salmon, pork, turkey etc and offer lunch and dinner. It smells wonderful and we decide to go back tomorrow as Terry wants spare ribs having been unable to get them in Baltimore’s Hard Rock Cafe.
We do a bit of shopping at the Acme supermarket and the Village Shoppe, a nice deli which would be nicer if it wasn’t trying to sound oldie worldie with the extra ‘pe’ at the end of it’s name. Yuk. Mind you they do sell wonderful Stilton cheese which delights Mike.
Although not funny as such, I can’t help but give a schoolboy snigger when I see the signs for the undertaker’s business alongside a road sign saying ‘Dead End’. I have such bad taste!
Photo: The pretty harbourside houses
In the evening we are presented with a beautiful sunset, and although it sets behind the land, the colours across the water as it descends are magnificent.
Photo: Another beauty
There are four huge half-pound crab cakes that we bought from Chick and Al’s for me to cook for dinner tonight. Given that the lump meat crab is only held together with a sort of seasoned mousse, cooking them could be interesting. We were told that they should be cooked in the oven but given that I won’t use the oven, they have to be pan fried instead.
I gingerly open the first container and experimentally turn it over and plop it onto a plate. It turns out beautifully after a couple of taps on the bottom, although it does start to collapse a bit after the warmth of the galley gets to it. Ann puts the container back over it and I shove them all back in the fridge while I wait for the water to boil for our instant mashed potato – you can’t beat Idaho instant!!
I manage to get all four into our big frying pan but when I try to turn them the fall apart although I am able to squidge them together each time so they sort of resemble their former shape.
We sit inside to eat because it’s too bloody cold outside, as it has been for weeks now. The crab cakes are delicious although they give the appearance of having a cow pat on your plate and the mash, as always, is sublime. Accompanied by a good film while we eat and a helping of Terry’s almond M n Ms, I acknowledge that sometimes I am very easy to please although I think Mike would disagree.
Position: 38 deg 47 min N, 76 deg 12 min W
Distance so far: 2636 miles
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