WOW!!! Another week has gone by. As usual, it was terribly busy.

Friday October 1st 2010

Woke up this morning to more rain!! Time to blow this joint!!! We called our local Enterprise, arranged for a car, and couldn’t pack it fast enough. We were soon on our way, surprised to find that we were close to PAX, the local naval air station. It took about an hour and a half to get to the Bethesda Marriott, where we quickly made ourselves at home. First on the schedule…laundry! They had two washers and two dryers; well, make that one good dryer and one broken dryer. But, they were free!! It took all evening to do our 4 loads.

Saturday October 2nd 2010

We were up bright and early, and had breakfast at “The Original Pancake House”. It was delicious!!! They had a huge menu, including about 12 different crepes. Dave was in seventh heaven! Plus, it is a beautiful sunny day!!

After gorging ourselves, we made our way to Austin and Cindy’s apartment, where we were introduced to “Tiger”, the newest Kooky Monster. She is adorable, and was a little overwhelmed with new people, since in addition to the four of us, Cindy’s parents, Jim and Jelan were there as well. Once we had gotten our puppy time, we all left for Annapolis, leaving Austin with a quiet house to sleep in, now that he is working nights at the Marriott. We even took the puppy with us, to ensure that he would be able to sleep.

Once we were parked in Annapolis, we met up with Cindy, Jim and Jelan, then had lunch at a sidewalk restaurant. Then, off for some window shopping. No trip to Annapolis would be complete without ice cream. So, we found a great shop and indulged!! Fortunately, they had my favorite, Rum Raisin. Mmmmm! After a few more shops, and a few more purchases, we headed back to Silver Spring.

By this time, it was 5:00!! Time for some drinks and appetizers. We met up again at “Austin’s Grill” in the Silver Spring center, which allowed Austin a little more sleep, then met up with him at “Mama Lucia’s”, about a block from their home, for dinner. Afterwards, we raced back to the Marriott, where we watched the last 7 minutes of the Husky game against USC. What a game!! It ended the same way it ended last year: a last second field goal by the Huskies for the win!!! WOOF!

Sunday October 3rd 2010

This morning it was back to clouds and cool weather. We decided to brighten it by returning to the Pancake House for breakfast. Another round of good food was had by all, then we moved MaryLynne and Ted from the Marriott, to the Hilton, where they will stay for the remainder of their time here in DC. We did make one more stop to see Tiger, but she was super tired and not interested in company.

Time to head back to the boat! Half way there, the rain started in again, which made moving back on board a little difficult. And, it was definitely time to break out the heater! We went up to the restaurant for a late night snack, and learned that Friday night had been as bad as Thursday, high winds and all.

Monday October 4th 2010

It was soooo cold this morning!! After a little repacking, we hit the road and headed for Galesville for the Whitby Rendevouz. We arrived just in time for the social hour, and a dinner of ham, beans, and pot luck. There were about 50 people there, but only 12 boats. Seventeen boats were expected, so we were not the only ones whose boat could not make the destination.

After the first session, we headed to Annapolis, where we stayed with Mark and Joelle Whitson. Mark was in the Husky Band with Dave, back in the ‘70’s. He played Bass drum. He read about our adventures in the Husky alum newsletter, “The Lyre”, and invited us to come visit. Little did he know that only a few days later, we’d take him up on it. They were great hosts! We spent 3 nights in their beautiful home, and had a great time catching up on the last 30 years.

Tuesday October 5th & Wednesday October 6th 2010

We spent these two days at the rendezvous, attending classes in diesel engines, paint, projects, sewing, first aid, etc. In between, it seemed like all we did was eat!! We did have time to just chat with the other boat owners, and take a look at the boats that were there. We came away with all kinds of ideas and new friendships! Certainly a worthwhile gathering! And, though I know I’m prejudiced, I think we have the best interior, of all the boats we saw. It made me realize what great condition it’s in, for its age.

Each night we would return to Mark and Joelle’s, and reminisce a little more. They will be chartering a sailboat in Croatia in July, and asked if we would join them. We’ll have to give it some serious thought. Sure looks like a beautiful country!!

Thursday October 7th 2010

Another beautiful day! We headed into downtown Annapolis for the Boat Show, one of the biggest in the country! One of the first persons we saw, was Mike Lochatell, our boat broker. We agreed to meet up with him a little later, to share a Pain Killer, that most delicious rum drink, we learned to appreciate while in the BVI.

We had a limited amount of time, so we avoided going aboard the many new sailboats. Instead, we perused the booths of the many merchants that were there, trying not to spend too much money!!

We also enjoyed our lunch and Pain Killers with Mike. He is a great friend and super broker, and it was great to see him again. If you should ever need a broker, he is the owner of Discovery Yachts in Seattle.

After the boat show, we drove to Baltimore, Maryland, to see our old college pal, Avi, and his wife,Noris. After all these years, it was great to see their home, and catch up on events in our lives. Avi is a fisherman in Alaska, who owns his very own set net site. He fishes there in June and July, whenever the fish run occurs, then ships home a lot of the salmon, to smoke and sell in Maryland. It has been a nice profitable business for him. His wife, Noris, and daughter, Celia, join him in Alaska and help with the fish harvest.

We spent the night in their lovely home, and were joined on our bed by their cats, Onyx and Chinook.

Friday October 8th 2010

Time to go home! To the boat!! We woke to a beautiful sunny day, and were soon on our way back to Point Look Out. When we arrived, it looked so different! NO RAIN!!! It made unpacking the car, so much easier!

After opening up the boat, we headed back up the road to WALMART, where we loaded up on food for our next voyage. We also bought a few more warm clothes, to ensure that the weather will be hot on our trip down the coast. Then, once again it was time to do the laundry. We loaded up the washers, then headed to the restaurant for some drinks and appetizers. While the clothes were drying, we watched the Phillies and the Cubs play baseball. I’ve never seen a game where so many players got hit by pitches!! The Phillies came back to win by a score of 7 to 4.

Saturday October 9th 2010

Another beautiful day!! We headed back into the nearest town, Lexington Park, and picked up a few more things at Walmart that were forgotten, then returned our rental car.

Back at the boat, we both turned to the many chores that needed doing. For Dave, changing the oil and filters, and repairing the on deck wash down, etc., and for me, lots of wood polishing, vacuuming, washing windows, etc. It was so nice out and felt good to open up all the ports and let the clean air in.

Now, we are listening to the Husky game via computer. The game is about to start, and we are hopeful that they will beat Arizona State. It is 10:15pm, so we will be trying to stay awake!!

Our love and best wishes to you all!!

Love & Hugs,

The Admiral