Taking a break....

We are going to take a break from writing on the blog for a few weeks. We'll start up again when we are back in Annapolis the first week in October. Hope everyone is well, and thanks for reading.

Dave and Molly took this picture of a bald eagle flying over sv Mary Elizabeth in the Sassafras. Beautiful...

The Sassafrass

(view of the bridge on a beautiful, sunny afternoon)

On Thursday sv Mary Elizabeth left the dock for the first time in a long time. Bill and I realized how much we miss the water!!! We had a nice ride to Georgetown, MD where Dave and Molly are. Thursday night we had a great dinner at the Kitty Knight House. Friday we hung around for most of the day. Bill and Dave did some planning with the charts for our eventual trip south via the ICW. Mary Elizabeth's mast height is 63 and a half feet, so they were devising a route that will keep us away from bridges that we won't fit under. I read Glass Castle, which is a fabulous book that I borrowed from Molly.

(Mary Elizabeth arriving in Georgetown, taken by Dave and Molly)

Friday night we went to Five Keys after a yummy dinner of steak and chicken on the grill. Dave, Frank and Bill played Yahtzee. Dave is the newly reigning champ of the Sassafrass.

(Lauren "in action" picking up the mooring)

The Sassafrass River is stunning. The trees have yet to turn, but it is certainly colder - especially at night and in the early morning. What a beautiful place.

(Dave, Bill, and Tuck)

(Another stunning sunset)

So now we are underway en route to Rock Hall. Mary Elizabeth will be hauled on Monday and have work done while we are in Florida. Tomorrow we are going to the Redskins. We'll stay in Baltimore overnight (in a hotel at the airport). We'll be back in Annapolis on Oct. 8th.

(For lots more pictures, see below)

To see all of our web albums, click here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/SVMaryElizabeth

Hi everyone. We haven't been too good about keeping up with the blog since we have arrived in Annapolis. Bill and I are enjoying our time here, seeing everyone, and catching up.

Last week we met up with Amy and Juan who are now on a boat that is based out of Annapolis. They bought a condo here (congrats guys!) and it was really nice to see them. The last time we hooked up was in St. Thomas. A lot has changed since then.

This weekend we were in Alexandria and had a fabulous dinner with Otis and Andrea. And yesterday we went to one of the most exciting Redskins games ever. They played the Saints in a back and forth game. We won, and the crowd was the loudest I have ever heard. Everyone was elated to finally have a win!

We have found a renter for our condo starting in October so Bill and I have been busy trying to sell some of our stuff. We will put some things in storage, but the majority will go to my sister Amy and her roommate Allison. They are getting their first apartment and we will able to set them up nicely. So... we have been spending our days posting things on Craigs List, selling odds and ends, and packing. We are trying to get a lot of things done before this weekend, when we will be flying to Florida for two weeks to visit Bill's family. When we get back it will be showtime! This fall has really flown by fast!!!

So, that's really all that has been going on. Bill enjoyed a nice (but rainy) birthday last week. We had plans to go the Wye River for a few days, but the weather wasn't cooperating and Bill wasn't feeling 100% (cold) so we decided to stay in Annapolis. We head to Rock Hall, MD this weekend where Mary Elizabeth will be hauled, painted, and fixed like new. Talk to everyone soon.

Bill enjoying his birthday dinner!

Beautiful Sunday afternoon in Annapolis

Yesterday we experienced what remained of Hanna. It was pretty much a non-event here in Annapolis. Bill and I saw 30 knots, which wasn't bad. The main thing that we were keeping an eye on was the level of the water. There was a surge from the rain and the water maxed at about 8 inches from the dock. Bill adjusted the lines and the fenders and we were fine.

Today we finally went downtown and ate at El Torro Bravo, a Mexican restaurant that we heard great things about which was closed for renovations the last year. After we walked around downtown Annapolis and listened to the music and browsed the street vendors. It was the first annual "Sunday in Annapolis" so many stores set up sidewalk sales, etc. It was a beautiful day, and there were lots of people and activity downtown. Unfortunately, I didn't bring my camera, so we don't have any pictures to share. Hope everyone had a great weekend.

We are waiting on a mail delivery, which should happen tomorrow. The plan is to do a few errands and chores tomorrow and leave for the Wye River on Tuesday for Bill's birthday. We are both looking forward to a little sailing on the Chesapeake and anchoring in one of our favorite spots for a few days!

Trailer Trash

Wednesday Bill and I drove up to Georgetown to meet up with Dave and Molly. The four of us decided to go camping for a few days in their incredible RV. On the way to Rehoboth Beach Delaware, we pulled into a little airport where we looked at a bunch of old and restored airplanes. Neat. We stopped at a farmstand and got a bunch of corn for dinner.

We spent the afternoon / night at a campground near Rehobeth Beach, Delaware. Camping is actually a lot like boating in the sense that people come from all over, are very friendly, etc. Molly and Dave's trailer is amazing and h-u-g-e. After a delicious dinner on the grill, we watched the sunset, walked around the campground for a bit, played a little yahtzee. We had a lot of fun!

Thursday we got up, and after stopping at some of the outlet stores, decided to go to Maryland to see another campground and so we could be nearer to the boat if the storm picked up. We went to Elkton, MD to a beautiful campground with lots of trees and a pool, etc. It was amazing. Molly cooked another delicious meal (complete with apple pie) and Dave put the TV outside so Bill could watch the Redskins lose. Camping is awesome. It was nice to be out of the marina for a few days and have a different view of the trees, farms, etc. We even saw a few deer.

Friday we got up and drove back to Dave and Molly's marina before Bill and I headed back to Annapolis to get ready for the storm. Today, Saturday, we are hanging out watching movies in the wind / rain. We saw 30 knots, but we are in a slip at the dock safe and sound.

For more pictures of our camping trip, click here.

On the water....

Hope everyone had a happy labor day weekend. Our weekend was great. The weather has been really perfect; it doesn't feel like September at all!

Yesterday Joe and Nancy took Bill and me out on their beautiful new Sea Ray. We went to the South River and explored - a trip that would have taken sv Mary Elizabeth all day. Joe even let Bill take the helm for awhile. It was fun to go so fast! Their boat is beautiful, and we really enjoyed being on the water for the day. We haven't moved out of our slip since we arrived in Annapolis, and we are getting antsy! Thanks Joe and Nancy for such a great day!!!

We tried to eat at this Mexican restaurant everyone raves about for dinner, but it was closed (Labor Day). Instead we ate at Tsunami, which is always great. We ended up taking the water taxi home.

Sunday I spent the day in Alexandria. Katie and I did an 11 mile walk from our house to Mt Vernon. We also sold a bunch of stuff in our place on Sunday. It is starting to get pretty empty in there. Sunday night we had a visit from Megan and Michelle, which was nice. And we had a visit from Dave on Saturday. It is so great to see everyone!

Today we are hoping that we get the canvas back. We really can't leave the slip with the stainless flapping and no protection from the sun, etc. I am also going to Alexandria to sell a few things and meet our renter. Hope to hear from everyone soon!