Good times! Tues, 5/20/25

 

The rest of our week together -- Nannie and me -- was a blend of walking, going and doing, mixed with unpacking and hanging artwork on the walls, eating out, watching Netflix after dinner, and on Saturday, the 17th, we had a girly guest for a sleepover!  Giggles and fun.

Many mornings we walked to the pier and boardwalk, happy to be Out and About, admiring flowers, savoring a sweet roll at The Bakist, watching birds, and petting dogs (that would be Nannie).  The Chesapeake Bay did not disappoint.

And look!  It must be summertime -- this is the first time we'd seen the chalkboard info filled in.  The small beaches on either side of the pier are open to the public, but in summer residents obtaining a summer pass beforehand would get in free; nonresidents would have to pay.

Hitting the farmers market is a must on Saturday mornings -- so nice to see a vibrant market in North Beach.  While it's still early in the season for abundant produce, we saw enough to satisfy us, with a crazy-big head of broccoli, green beans, and so on.  Nannie would be cooking tonight for the family.

We ambled through Sunrise Garden,

with its lovely koi pond and lotus blooms.

Ahhh, Sunday morning after the Saturday night sleepover.  This is Amelia, above, Nannie's 6-year-old great-granddaughter.  She's donned one of Nannie's decorative flags and is wearing it as a cape:  Super Girl!  But wait, what about a hat?  And a mask?  

No problem!

One afternoon Nannie and I visited the above railway museum, learning much about the train that operated from 1900 to 1935 running 27+ miles from Washington DC to Chesapeake Beach, Maryland (abutting North Beach).  It was part of a plan to create a resort town with railroad service.  I'd say it worked, but, so sorry, the railway closed due to the increased use of autos.

A cute replica (toy).

They have one actual rail car, "the Dolores," on site.

I usually crop vehicles out of my pics because they distract, but I left these in to showcase the huge mural across from the museum.  We enjoyed our stop here.

All up and down the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay are scenes like these, above and below.  Marinas and harbors and boats of all kinds, everywhere.

This one took us by surprise -- we found it accidentally, and it was just a stone's throw from the railway museum.  And why not?  It utilizes the old rail line!  The trail (boardwalk) is almost two miles along Fishing Creek, offering views of wildlife and lots of birding.  It's bike and wheelchair accessible, a valuable asset to the community, and a short drive from Nannie's.

Boardwalk on the left.  Old fallen-apart boardwalk at right, but closer to town it's doable, crabbing boats tie up there.

At left is an occupied Osprey nest (see the white head sticking up?), lots of Red-winged blackbirds, top right, and a Northern Cardinal (redbird), bottom right.  Plus, ducks and cormorants.  We also saw a turtle, probably a Red-eared slider, but it tucked in its head, so its identity will have to remain a mystery.

Checking out the old pilings below, leftover stumps from the railway bridge over Fishing Creek.  We weren't plagued with biting insects, either.

So quiet, so peaceful, so enjoyable.

Great company, too.

Facing North Beach, Maryland

and a most fantastic sky!

My week was over on Tuesday, the 20th, and Nannie drove me to Baltimore to catch my afternoon flight to Sacramento.  I was so happy to spend the week with my sister and get to know her new digs, even a little bit.  Really loved our time together, Nannie -- let's do it again, soon!  How about September?  Jimmy and I will be embarking on an OAT trip to Türkiye on September 13th, and North Beach could be a short stopover.  Woohoo, win-win!

Annapolis, 5/16/25

 

Spending a week with my sister, Nannie, at her new home in a new town and a new state (North Beach, Maryland, on Chesapeake Bay), suited both of us to a tee.  We're not people who sit around much, though in-between outings we happily parked our booties in her living room easy chairs.  North Beach is very walkable, to the P.O., a coffee shop, farmers market, and so on ... plus a terrific pier and half-mile boardwalk along the bay.  And walk we did!  Most days the weather was fine, albeit more humid than I'm used to.

One day we drove to Annapolis, about an hour north, where we explored the historic area, including the capitol building.  Raise your hand if you knew that Annapolis was Maryland's state capital.  School groups were also touring, probably end-of-year field trips, studying up on their history.  No problem for us.

Nannie worked at the Louisiana State Capitol her entire career,

so the photo is a requisite!

The building is impressive.

Always learning!

On the left is the Senate chamber; on the right is

 the House of Delegates.  Nicely done.

Nannie, schmoozing with Mark Twain.

And here she's checking George Washington's speech.

After thoroughly exploring the state house, we walked a block or two to venerable St Anne's Episcopal Church.  It's impressive, but not overly ornate.  Founded in 1692, the first two churches burned to the ground, and the third and present church was built in 1858.  We may have said a prayer or two ....

We inquired at the Visitor Center about a favorite lunch spot.  One lady said she really liked eating at Chick and Ruth's Deli, within walking distance and on the way to the harbor.  (They were really helpful, supplying maps and assorted pamphlets.)  Well, we said, let's give the deli a try.  As you see above, it's certainly a colorful place!  Let me tell you, we split a crab-cake-and-shrimp-salad-on-rye-bread club sandwich.  The Best Ever!

We continued walking toward the harbor and decided a harbor cruise would be a neat addition to our day.  Above is the Harbor Queen, our ship for 40 minutes.  The narration provided us with details about what we were seeing.  We motored past part of the US Naval Academy.  Wind in our faces kept us kind of cool; out of the wind, the sun felt hot.  It was lovely being on the water.

I don't remember what these gray boats were called,

but we saw a slew of them lined up.

Lots of small white sails dotted the bay.  Also in the picture is a huge radio tower, one of three remaining out of 18 (I think) at Greenbury Point in Anne Arundel County across from the academy.  The US Navy (NSS Annapolis) operated these local landmarks.

Having fun!

Speaking of having fun, we had a blast tootling around Annapolis, neither of us had ever been.  BTW, wind plays havoc with a perfect hair-do!  I think this was Friday, and -- lucky us --we had a few more days to see whatz cookin' in and around North Beach, Maryland.

Woohoo, hello, Nannie!

 

I don't believe I've ever flown with Southwest Airlines till this week, and it was an interesting experience, with their open seating -- you can't reserve a seat in advance.  Queuing up to board involves orderly lines using A (first) and B (second) and five-number increments.  For my first flight to Kansas City (never been there, either), I was issued ticket B50, so I figured I'd end up by the bathrooms at the back of the plane.  Nope, an aisle seat at Row 9 was available.  Perfect.  The second flight to Baltimore had me at B4, and I snagged an aisle seat in Row 2, wow!  I prefer a window seat, but this was fine.  Where to, you wonder?  A visit to see my sister, Nannie, who moved to North Beach, Maryland in March.

It's my job, you see, to make sure my little sister is okay.  We've been peas in a pod since she was born, seven years after me.  Moving from her long-time hometown of Watson, Louisiana (she lived there for 45 years!) to this new place in Maryland meant lots of changes for her, and I needed to check it all out.  Even Jimmy said, "when are you going to see your sister?"  OK, how about now?

I arrived Tuesday evening (the 13th) in the rain -- Nannie and her grandson, Joe, were there to pick me up.  Nannie moved to North Beach to be near him and his family -- wife and two kids.  Good people.

Roughly an hour later, we arrived in North Beach, on Chesapeake Bay.  She bought a cute home not far from "the kids" and is settling in.  This is a small community with easy walking distances to the beach, the PO, and etc.

We were up early Wednesday and out walking, to the Bakist for coffee and croissant, the boardwalk and pier.  Still cloudy and a bit foggy, humid, but not hot, it was pleasant to be Out and About.

One of two Osprey platforms on either side of the pier.  This bird appears to be uncertain whether to build a nest or is in the process.  The other platform had two Ospreys working on a nest.  Notice the water and sky are the same gray hue.

Looking back on the waterfront homes in North Beach.

We decided to tour the lighthouse this afternoon since it was open on Wednesdays.  Cove Point is south of North Beach, maybe 45 minutes, on the Chesapeake Bay, which is America's largest estuary, measuring 185 miles in length, with a width varying from three to twenty-two miles.  Cove Point is located at one of its narrowest points.  Approximately five miles across the bay is Dorchester County, on Maryland's Eastern Shore.

Forty feet high, the brick tower is topped by an octagonal lantern holding a fourth order Fresnel lens.  The lighthouse exterior was covered with "shotcrete" in 1953.  The residence housed both the keeper and his assistant and is now used as a rental.  Be fun to spend a weekend here!  Look at that sky!

I knelt on the ground for this one!

We didn't climb to the top -- the stairs were off limits.

Thunderstorms were predicted for later in the day, but we were spared.  That's a big ol' barge out on the bay, motoring south.  Wonderful cloud pattern.

Nice outing to the lighthouse.

Lunch at a Thai place in Solomans was a good choice, too.

Next, we wanted to explore nearby Calvert Cliffs, but "you can't get there from here."  We ended up driving on a parkway, past a sign that read "no admittance" and past the visitor gate where we hesitated, but no one was around to stop us.  So, Nannie continued driving until we saw the above sign and that's when we realized we were on a nuclear power plant base.  Oops -- time to turn around, Nannie!

We'd been advised to "try to stay out of trouble," and already we were asking for it!

Nannie found a spot to turn around and we got the heck outa there.  But we never did find a way to get to Calvert Cliffs.  I'll be here a week ....

Something different -- Saturday, 5/3/25

 

Age makes the miracles easier to see 

By Anne Lamott  (from Jan 2024)

Every so often, even in heartbreaking times, the soul hears something so true out of the corner of its ear that it perks up, looking around like a meerkat for the source. Mine did this when, decades ago, I read a quote of Albert Einstein’s: “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as if nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”

There are the obvious miracles all around us — love, nature, music, art. We drunks who somehow got sober call this the central miracle of our lives. Some of you have children you were told you couldn’t have. Some of you were sent home to die, years ago. And have you ever seen a grain of sand under a high-powered microscope? It looks like a jewelry store.

But what do we do with the seemingly unmiraculous? For instance, former president Donald Trump is a bit of a stretch for me. How do we see the miracle in the madness of the months since Jan. 6, 2021? Well, we saw that democracy held. It might have gone either way. We here in the colonies rejoiced, in our quiet and fretful ways.

My spirits are regularly flattened by the hardships of the world, of our country and of the people I love, so I find myself turning to the saints: Molly Ivins, for example. Decades ago, she said, “Freedom fighters don’t always win, but they are always right.” When I heard her say this at a benefit for the ACLU, my soul leaped up off its chair.

I spend a lot of time looking out the window. Age has given me this time and intention. I didn’t have so much of either when I was younger. My brain went much faster. There was so much to do, so much need and striving, and I had my trusty clipboard. Now I study the coral-colored abutilon buds right outside our window, little cups that hold the rainwater. Hummingbirds swing by all day to drink, and so it is a treat both for the eyes and for the spirit, for the bird and for the flower.

One of the blessings of age is that most of us get along with ourselves better than when we were young. It is stunning to accept yourself: I am always going to have a womanly butt and now I appreciate it: It’s a nice seat cushion. When my son was young, I hired a teenage girl to help around the house and one day she was folding laundry. She held up a pair of the nice roomy underwear I prefer and said, with wonder, “Do they even make bigger underwear?” That was 25 years and 10 pounds ago — and yes, honey, they do. I’ll show you where to buy them someday.

It’s a miracle that Earth exists at all, let alone is populated by humans who came up with antibiotics and Oreos, let alone Scandinavian detective shows. I love this joint a lot of the time. Even our modest local mountain looks majestic to me. Just today I saw beautiful slants of ground near the base that appeared lighter than the main portion, below the fog. They looked as if an artist chiseled them out of the rock, like doors. They said, “Come on over. We will let you in.” That is how I got sober in 1986: People said, “Come on over. We will let you in.” Today the moist sky looked like the inside of an abalone shell.

That we are no one else but our very own selves is a miracle. About one hundred million sperm were released each time your parents made love, and one dogged little guy made you into exactly you, the exact being who woke up again today. Our eyes open, our ears open and, if they don’t work that well, we have devices to help them hear better. Our hearts are beating. Our lungs are bellowing in and out, our diaphragms rising. The muscles release and contract and get us up again. Sometimes we need others to help us. Both are amazing, the strength to rise or the loving help.

One of the hardest aspects of getting old is that time races by like a slot car. I guess everything speeds up when it’s going downhill but still, it’s unnerving. On my grandson’s ninth birthday, I said jovially, “I thought you were six or something.” He said, “I live here! How can you think I’m six?” Then he rolled his eyes and patted me gently. Poor darling Nana.

Age has helped most of us care less about our outsides. Of course, I wish we had known about sunscreen in the ’60s out here underneath the California sun. My inside person is of no particular age and finds the person in the mirror confusing, a computerized version of what young adorable me will look like as an older person. So twice a year I go to Sephora and announce that I’d like to buy a miracle, and wonderfully, they always have the exact right thing. I use it for a month, and then I put it in the bottom drawer with the other miracles.

The miracle brain pills are in a different drawer, with the kerchiefs. Friends swear they work, but nope, a month later my mind is still perforated like a pie crust poked with a fork and memory slowly leaks out. So into the drawer they go while I walk around the house trying to remember what I was trying to remember.

I like to think that they have organized a nice book club for the kerchiefs and the other bottles of brain pills.

I can still walk the flatter trails of our mountain, where the streams have begun to fill with rainwater, though not enough to actually flow yet. The peace of nature wears down the fear and hatred that arise in me on bad days, until I remember at some point that all we can do is the next right thing. I often remind myself of something the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. said that helps me focus: “Don’t let them get you to hate them.” When they do, I lose me, I lose my center and my goodness, which will be needed for the hard work ahead of being older and saving democracy. There’s an incredible reflective herringbone design in the stream of rock and shadow and rock and shadow. I breathe in the cool air. My soul settles.

*****

My friend, Sue, sent this to me a while back.  I liked it so much, I decided to share it with you.  Perhaps you can identify with Anne's words, or at least some of them!  Hope you enjoyed her musings.