Anniversary Monday - Deale, Maryland

Celebrated our 10 year Anniversary!  We broke out the good stuff!

Random Sunday

Herrington Harbor North Members Party - Deale, Maryland

Thank you Paul and Lisa for inviting us to the Herrington Harbour North Members Party!
They shared their awesome friends with us! We enjoyed the band, food, beverages, most of all the great laughs with by fellow boaters!

Our lives are enriched daily by all the great friendships we are making along the waterways! So fun meeting people you 'click' with and also share the same lifestyles with!  We are so enjoying our time with the Clan MacLeod!

Garmin's New Dinghy - Deale, Maryland

Garmin's new dinghy is rigged with his two nicknames on it!  He's ready to go!

We spent the day smoking ribs then enjoyed a great evening with Paul and Lisa (Celtic Dream),  along with Ann and Michael (Traveling Soul) from the Live Aboard Facebook Group on our boat.  Many hilarious stories were shared! We are so fortunate to meet and spend time with such great people! (I forgot to take a photo).

Canning Day - Deale, Maryland

Today started out with a 'great' idea. I've been smoking salsa and refrigerating it to give to new friends.  I decided to smoke a large amount and can it so it wouldn't take up refrigerator space and I would have a nice supply to share along the waterways.  I had no idea how a quick thought would turn into a large production......After learning so much today, my galley became a "canning factory"!

Who knew?!

During heat processing, mason jars filled with food and fitted with two-piece metal closures are heated, destroying harmful microorganisms that cause food spoilage and creating an airtight seal that prevents contamination during storage. Precise processing techniques, times and temperatures are determined by the acidity of the food being preserved.

Home canning is an excellent way to preserve garden produce and share it with family and friends, but it can be risky or even deadly if not done correctly and safely.

Botulism is a rare, but serious illness caused by a germ called Clostridium botulinum. The germ is found in soil and can survive, grow, and produce toxin in a sealed jar of food. This toxin can affect your nerves, paralyze you, and even cause death. Even taking a small taste of food containing this toxin can be deadly.

Home-canned vegetables are the most common cause of botulism outbreaks in the United States. From 1996 to 2008, there were 116 outbreaks of foodborne botulism reported to CDC. Of the 48 outbreaks that were caused by home-prepared foods, 18 outbreaks, or 38%, were from home-canned vegetables. These outbreaks often occur because home canners did not follow canning instructions, did not use pressure canners, ignored signs of food spoilage, and were unaware of the risk of botulism from improperly preserving vegetables.

Soooo...what started out as a 'simple' idea became quite a production.  So glad this 'city girl' did her research so she' doesn't "kill" fellow live aboards!

Also, smoked some meatballs to add to spaghetti and to reheat in BBQ sauce for future appetizers.

Storms rolled in and were quite impressive.

Garmin snored through it all.

Random Wednesday - Deale, Maryland

Hermione-LaFayette visits Annapolis, Maryland

We were fortunate to see the L'Hermione today in Annapolis!

http://hermione2015.com/voyage2015/

We finally got to see our new dinghy in person after a very long 5 + week wait.  It should be rigged and on our boat this weekend!

The weather was miserably HOT today...notice the Real Feel temp...

Somehow, Charlie always finds a Cold Stone Ice Cream Shop!

Today's transportation was a rented, lovely Nissan

We were invited to join Paul and Lisa, from Facebook Live Aboard Group, for dinner aboard their beautiful vessel.  Paul cooked us his famous Firehouse spaghetti!  It was fantastic!  We enjoyed a great evening visiting with these new friends!

Paul and Lisa gifted us his Bagpipe CD and a lovely bottle of red from his favorite Winery up north!

They are both licensed captains and are also members of AGLCA. Paul and Charlie share a common firefighter connection.

http://cgtwines.com/

Deale, Maryland - Day 10

Spent the day dealing with online and phone schedules of pre-planning logistics for returning to Fort Worth to handle 'real life'.... dealing with renewing Drivers Licenses, doctors appointments, dental appointments, flight schedules, pre-determining where we may be for next September, etc., etc., etc...........that took a lot of  phone calls and too much time, scheduling, re-scheduling...  Through that "static" I managed to make a wonderful dinner! Cell phones cooperated for me to enjoy a phone conversation with my Awesome Mom and Charlie to talk to his #1 sister!!

Grilled Shrimp Salad. (Notice, that although we live aboard, my loving husband still finds ways to buy me weekly fresh flowers like he's done for the past ten years, since we met. Well, there were a few weeks along this journey that they were not available...but that does NOT count!)

Life is good.  Absolutely a beautiful late afternoon view!

Deale, Maryland - Day 9

Another enjoyable day on the Chesapeake.  We wanted to get some window screens made for when we are in Canada and the Bahamas.  Problem is every place had at least a three week wait to get them made.  So, Charlie spent $79 for materials and handcrafted our screens himself!  Only took about 5 hours and save us at least $600!

We saw a Cownose Ray swimming near our boat. I thought it was two sharks! I wasn't able to take a photo but here's a stock photo:

Who knew?!

Cownose Rays swim near the surface of the water flapping their ‘wings’ like a bird. As they swim, the tips of their fins break the surface and can look like shark fins.

They can weigh as much as 50 pounds.

Its squared, indented snout resembles a cow’s nose.

They live in schools near the surface of shallow waters and visit the Chesapeake Bay from May to October.

They eat mollusks such as oysters, hard clams and soft-shelled clams.

They are sometimes called a “doublehead” because of the indentation around its snout.

Captain John Smith, in 1608, was stung so severely by one that he and his crew thought he was going to die.  That site is still known today as “Stingray Point” in Deltaville, MD where we were at port prior.

I spent the day smoking some beef for chopped beef sandwiches along with beef sausage and andouille sausage for future meals.

Storm rolled in and was quickly gone.

Garmin pulling nightwatch duty.