Annmarie Gardens & Sculpture Park

Calvert Cliffs & St. Mary's

Solomons Island

Continuing our epicurean tour of the Bay, our first stop in Solomons Island was Stoney’s Kingfisher for superior crab cakes, awesome Kobe burgers and blackened rockfish gyros. We toured the Calvert Marine Museum and Drum Point Lighthouse, a “screw pile” structure similar to Fowey Light in Biscayne Bay. A woman who gave birth to her first child while living in the house (decades prior, of course) spearheaded efforts to move the lighthouse from its original location to the museum site. We later joined Solomons Island Yacht Club members for happy hour and met lots of really nice folks, several of whom travel to FL, winter there, and/or have visited Stuart Corinthian YC. Their club is completing a major renovation to add space and modernize the kitchen. It’s beautiful.

Thursday morning we rented a car and toured Historic St. Mary’s City, MD’s first state capital in 1676. At the 17^th Century plantation home of Godiah Shea and his family, a “hired hand” explained the tobacco-growing and crop rotation process of the times. A hike toward Calvert Cliffs – where a wealth of Miocene-era fossils has been found – took us through woods filled with mountain laurel, tulip poplars and hollies as well as streams and pretty vistas.

Friday found Terry and Jon returning the rental car after dropping Judi and Margaret at Annmarie Gardens and Sculpture Park. This was our favorite excursion of the trip! Specially commissioned pieces, some on loan from artists, and others acquired from the Hirshorn Museum dot the wooded paths. A profusion of Glenn Dale azaleas in riotous colors brighten the borders. Inside, a pastel exhibit offered dozens of wonderful pieces. That evening, John and Monica Simpson, SIYC members, joined us for drinks and a number of other members came out to tour the boat and reminisce about prior encounters with Huckins, either in the Navy or with pleasure craft.

Every once in a while during ones travels, you meet special people and the SIYC members certainly meet that criteria! Thanks to all SIYC members for helping make our stay such a pleasure!

Crisfield, MD

At Somers Cove Marina, we were fortunate to meet part-time dockmaster Bucky Daisey. Bucky was originally from Chincoteague but met and married a Crisfield girl and as the saying goes, according to Bucky, if you marry a Crisfield girl, you either learn to love Crisfield or get a divorce and move away. He's still here after 45 years. Bucky was our chauffeur to and from Food Lion, tour guide, chamber of commerce rep and most importantly, liaison between Jon and the local dentist. He wouldn't take any compensation from us but was willing to accept donations to his church.

While in port today, we had the opportunity to make a few minor repairs. The wind was blowing too strongly to make the ferry journey to Tangier Island today. We'll plan to visit upon our return.

Wachapreague, Flounder Capital of the World

Mr. Austin Cox & the Story of Soft Shell Crabs

Today we were honored to meet Mr. Austin Cox, 90 year old mechanical engineer, 5th generation Waterman (crabber), son of the world's oldest working Waterman (93 at his death), and D-Day Survivor. Sgt. Cox landed on Omaha Beach June 6, 1944 with the 29th Division of the 115th Infantry Regiment. He was 24 at the time, the oldest man in his platoon, and platoon leader. Mr. Cox was among 10 veterans chosen to attend the 65th anniversary commemoration held at La Cambe, France last year.

Mr. Cox also shared with us the story of soft shell crabs. He maintains a traditional soft shell crab shanty at the Crisfield Museum where he shares his knowledge of crabbing to more than 900 school children every year during molting season, April thru June. Soft shell crabbing is far more labor intensive than crabbing for hard shells. We were able to see first-hand, crabs in various states of molting. The crabs have to be manned 24-7, moved from pen to pen as the molting process progresses. Once the crab backs out of his shell, he is defenseless and subject to attack by other crabs. We discovered that the crabs are cleaned during processing and even though the crab is whole, you don't eat any of the gross parts. We were so impressed that we actually each ate a soft shell crab as an appetizer. Verdict: good but not remarkable, to our taste.

Onancock