Observations, Editorials and Resolutions

Some things just do not fit into the daily event blogs so here is a collection of a few of my favorite things:

Living Will:

Last night my sisters and I were sitting in the den and I said, “I never want to live in a vegetative state, dependent on some machine and fluids from a bottle to keep me alive. That would be no quality of life at all…if that ever happens, just pull the plug.”

So they got up, unplugged the computer and threw out my wine.
These are my sisters Sandi and Lisa…




Knitting Thoughts:

Being a knitter allows me to experience so many wonderful feelings:

Finding a new yarn shop.



Several of you asked to see pictures of Maxwell in the sweater that I knit for him. Isn’t he just the cutest little guy ever!!



As a result of being a Lolligag crew member, Terry has rediscovered knitting with the Wallaby by designer Carol Anderson as her specialty item.



While visiting us in Washington DC, our granddaughter Madeline allowed me to teach her to knit. Being a grandparent is full of so many wonderful times and feelings but watching Madeline knit has to be one of my proudest moments.










My Cathy



This is my former boss Cathy who now works for the City of Chicago with the O'Hare Airport Expansion Project. I always knew that she was meant for higher and loftier things!

A new boat for Bob:

As we were coming up through the Carolinas, we found the perfect boat for our friends Bob and Maryann. I am pretty sure it is a Sabre…




Finger Update:

I find it truly amazing that my finger has healed as well as it has. When I remember how the first ER doctor in Mobile did not think that there was any chance of saving the finger tip, I am ever so grateful that we returned to Indiana for surgery at the Indiana Hand Center. If one looks very closely at my finger, one can see that it is slightly deformed but at least it is there and functioning. I would say that I have about 95% feeling in the finger, 100% mobility and I am very very lucky indeed!



Editorial:


One of the first things a resident of Chicago learns is that you are either a Cubs fan or a Sox fan. In our household (boathold?), we are one of each. I am the Cubs fan and silly Captain Mark is a Sox Fan. This year may prove to be apocalyptic in that the World Series may just be a Chicago Cross Town Classic. GO CUBS!!







Resolution:

I have always thought the New Year begins in September instead of January because for me this is when everything in my life was fresh and new as the school year began. So with that thought in mind, I am resolving to lose 25 pounds by next March. My goal is to lose 13 pounds by 12.31.08 and the remaining 12 pounds by 3.1.09. In order to accomplish this goal while still living on the boat, I have started running. Running is probably a very loose term for what I am actually doing, but hey, I am trying. I have an online coach who is guiding and advising me and Mr Loaf accompanies me as I run. My job is to lose the weight, your job is to keep me on track – be brutal as I will need all the incentive that you can provide.

Dodging a Bullet

“What do you do when a bad storm comes up?” This is the one question that we are asked the most about our trip and the answer is a really easy one…we seek shelter as quickly as we can. I must clarify that statement by saying that Captain Mark is extremely conservative when it comes to traveling in inclement weather. If it looks like bad weather, we don’t travel. We have three weather reporting systems on board the Lolligag so we feel that we are able to receive the most current weather reports at any given time thus allowing us to make prudent judgments and wise decisions.

HOWEVER, weather is a cagey thing and does not always play fairly or by the rules. This is exactly what happened on the day of our departure from Olverson’s on our way north to DC. The day started off sunny, bright and warm as we departed and headed to the Potomac River. Looking at the waterway, it was kind of hard to tell when we left the actual Chesapeake Bay and entered the Potomac River, as the Potomac is five miles wide at the estuary. We were both very excited to be traveling again after our week’s rest at Olverson’s. Knowing that at our rate of speed (7 kts) we would not be able to reach DC in one day, we had planned to anchor out about half way to DC at Port Tobacco River.

After a couple of hours, we received a weather bulletin of a severe thunderstorm headed our direction. Watching the intensity of the storm and its path, Captain Mark quickly switched travel gears and plans to find a safe harbor in which to ride out the storm. I called Colonial Beach Marina and found that we could stay there for the evening. Just as I made the reservation, the Coast Guard announced that all craft should immediately seek shelter. We were within sight of Colonial Beach and the storms clouds were very quickly advancing. Without sounding too dramatic (but it was) we made it into Colonial Beach with about twenty minutes to spare before the full brunt of the storm hit. The wind and rain were as fierce as anything that I have ever seen on Lake Michigan. As most of you know, I love storms. The worse the storm, the more I like it and this truly was my kind of storm. Like most violent storms, this one lasted less than an hour before the skies cleared, the sun was back out and it was more humid than before. We were very lucky as we learned the next day several vessels were sunk within the waters of the Chesapeake during this storm. I will be the last person to pass judgment on another boater’s decisions but I will say that I trust Captain Mark’s boating instincts implicitly.

Hours on the water: 4.5
Nautical miles traveled: 32
Number of bridges to be opened: 0
Time spent waiting at bridge: 0
Next Destination: Washington, DC
What we're listening to: Finished Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick
What we watched: The storm
Lesson for the day: ALWAYS trust your captain
Obligatory knitting report: Hats & Scarves for the Wunder Kids

A Week at Olverson’s Lodge Creek Marina

One of the most interesting and surprising things that we have learned while doing this trip is that expensive, exclusive and highfaluting does NOT equate to clean, courteous or desirable. In fact, in more than a couple of places just the opposite has been the case. One of the most expensive marinas we stayed at had the dirtiest rest room/showers and the rudest staff, so go figure.


We learned of Olverson’s Lodge Creek Marina from our friends Mike and Linda of Steele’n Time as this is their home marina. They told us that it was not fancy but that we would be welcomed in true Southern style, that the facilities were clean and that everyone at the marina would be helpful and friendly. We found this to be absolutely the case the minute we arrived and this was a good thing too, because we planned to stay here for a week before heading to DC. We wanted to catch our breath, relax in the pool and to see some of the sights in and around the Richmond, Virginia area.




It was wonderful to catch up with Linda and Mike. They took us to the most charming restaurant located in a converted filling station in the middle of no where rural Virginia, so you know it had to be a great place or it would never have stayed in business because it really is located in the middle of no where. No kidding, the name of the place is Good Eats – how cool is that?!? True to its reputation, the blackened prime rib was to die for and the place was packed.

On another day Mike took us to Richmond and showed us all around this charming Southern city. Being the capital of Virginia, it is filled with elegant old homes, historical buildings and lovely row houses. We were totally taken by Monument Boulevard. Running the length of the magnificently gardened boulevard are statues honoring Southern heroes.

Robert E Lee


Jeb Stuart


Matthew Fontaine Maury


Jefferson Davis


The last momument to be added is that of Arthur Ashe who was indeed also a Southern hero. I found this to be most admirable as testament to how far we have come in both our civic pride and our ability to recognize true heroes.



Hours on the water: 6.5
Nautical miles traveled: 48.5
Number of bridges to be opened: 0
Time spent waiting at bridge: 0
Next Destination: Port Tobacco River Anchorage
What we're listening to: Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick
What we watched: More Jellyfish than I care to ever see again
Lesson for the day: More expensive does not mean better
Obligatory knitting report: Hats & scarves for the Wunder Kids

Stratford Hall Plantation

After more than a couple of days lounging in the pool, we set out to see Robert E Lee’s birthplace, Stratford Hall Plantation, a short distance from Olverson’s. I will confess that my knowledge of Mr Lee was Yankee minimal prior to embarking on the Lolligag Adventure. However, as we have visited and traveled in the South, we have acquired a new and very profound admiration for Mr Lee. He was an honorable Southern Gentleman in the truest definition of the term. He was forever conflicted by the suffering and heartache of the Civil War.



Stratford Hall, his very early childhood home was grand in style and the grounds magnificent. However truth be told, Robert only lived at Stratford Hall for less than four years. His father, Light Horse Harry Lee, a renowned Revolutionary War hero and close friend to George Washington could not afford to maintain the plantation and was made to leave the grounds in disgrace. The family moved to Alexandria where Robert and his siblings grew up in a series of relative’s houses. Robert was eleven when the family received news of Light Horse Harry Lee’s death. Historian Gary W. Gallagher wrote, "Harry Lee had not been able to exercise self-control or take care of his family and so he abandoned them." However, in Lee of Virginia it is noted that Harry Lee "was very seriously injured by a mob in Baltimore while attempting to defend the house of a friend. Later he made a voyage to the West Indies seeking restoration for his shattered health. On his way home ... he died..." Either way, Robert and his siblings learned a very hard life lesson at a very early age.

Robert was educated at the Alexandria Academy where he was a top student excelling in mathematics. He entered the United States Military Academy in 1825 and became the first cadet to achieve the rank of sergeant at the end of his first year. When Lee graduated in 1829 he was at the head of his class in artillery and tactics. In addition, he shared the distinction with five other cadets of having received no demerits during the four-year course of instruction. Overall, he ranked second in his class of 46.









Today the house and grounds are maintained by private funds and have been restored to their original grandeur. The gardens are lovely and they too have been planted to reflect the landscape that was indicative of Lee’s childhood.

Delightful Days at Dozier's

As we left Norfolk Harbor, we were able to see Fort Monroe which is completely surrounded by a moat. The six-sided stone fort is the only one of its kind left in the United States and today is still an active Army post.



The lighthouses on the Chesapeake are much older and very unique compared to the lighthouse on the Great Lakes. The Old Point Comfort Lighthouse at Hampton Roads has been in continuous use since 1802. Just a little farther out into the Bay, is the Thimble Shoals Lighthouse. Even though these lighthouses are located in relative close proximity to each other they are distinctly different while serving the same purpose.



Again today it was really hot and I so wanted to jump into the water of the Chesapeake. However the Jellyfish population has exploded and they were in the water everywhere I looked. Given the choice between sweating and being miserable OR sweating and being in pain from Jellyfish stings, I opted to stay on board the Lolligag and hose myself down with the outside shower on the stern of the boat.

For most of the day we had the Chesapeake to ourselves which was wonderful as it allowed my imagination to run wild and to be filled with all of the history, scandals, love stories and life saving heroics/events that have played out upon these waters. To think that Pocahontas and John Rolfe probably sailed exactly where I am or that after being murdered William McGuire may have been tossed in the water at this very spot or that on a romantic summer evening cruise under a brilliant full moon, two lovers may have agreed to spend the rest of their lives together…

Our destination for the weekend is Dozier’s Regatta Point Yacht Club in Deltaville, Virginia. And as it turned out, we had a marvelous time at Dozier’s during our stay. The name Dozier is extremely familiar to anyone within the boating community as Dozier’s Waterway Guides are The Cruising Authority. Their marina also had everything a cruiser could possibly want: A POOL; A Mercedes loaner car; A POOL; friendly staff and clean shower facilities and did I mention A POOL.
However, I must admit that while I truly enjoyed lolling about in the pool and riding in a Mercedes for only the second time in my life, the event that I enjoyed the most was the harbor get together that was held Saturday evening. It is always so nice to have an event that pulls everyone in a marina together to share cruising stories; as well as ideas and long term live aboard agendas. This event also gave me the opportunity to make my favorite Sweet Potato Queen item: Miss Lexie’s Pineapple Casserole. Needless to say, it was a hit. Jill can be very proud in that when I am asked for the recipe I ALWAYS tell everyone that they must purchase her book, The Sweet Potato Queen’s Big Ass Financial Planner and Cookbook, in order to obtain the recipe.

Hours on the water: 7
Nautical miles traveled: 46
Number of bridges to be opened: 0
Time spent waiting at bridge: 0
Next Destination: Olverson’s Lodge Creek Marina
What we're listening to: Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick
What we watched: The way the swimming pool water sloshed
Lesson for the day: It is always so nice to meet our fellow mariners
Obligatory knitting report: Mittens for the Wunder Kids

Warships Returning to Norfolk

After exiting Norfolk Harbor we spotted on the distant horizon two Warships returning from the Atlantic. We watched in awe as the ships came closer to us. I am not sure if these ships had been out for a long period of time or were just returning from routine maneuvers, but the romantic in me wanted to think that they were returning to port after a long time at sea. With this thought in mind, I could not help but get a little weepy as I thought of the men and women returning to the ones they love.














There is a statue in Norfolk that I think very dramatically reflects the homecoming of sailors and thus is aptly named The Homecoming. All day long I thought of the men and women returning from sea to reunions with their families and loved ones. While I would like to think that the majority of these reunions were full of happy tears and laughter, my heart went out to the sailors who had no one to greet them but walked proudly even if heartbroken past the reuniting families.

Warships in Norfolk

Remember when we were between Florida and Georgia and I wanted Captain Mark to turn around in front of the submarine base to return to the restricted waters so that I could see a Warship AND he refused to do so...Well, now is my turn to see Warships. The following are Warships in Norfolk Harbor.

















Of course along with Warships come security. While it may look like these guys were coming after us, and they were very close to us, I think they were practicing maneuvers or maybe just showing off...











However, I do know that this guy was taking pictures of us...



And of course, you knew that there had to be some tribute The Blue Angels.