First Leg: Nannie's till 9/13/25

 

Easy peasy is how I'd describe this.  On Tuesday, the 9th, our Southwest flight from Sac to Baltimore was on time and smooth, and Nannie was at the airport to pick us up.  Jimmy and I have three solid days to spend in North Beach, Maryland, with my sister.  Oh boy, we three always have a good time!

Although the initial forecast was for fine weather, we awoke to showers Wednesday morning.  No matter.  We visited and futzed around, with Nannie showing Jimmy around her house and yard.  When the rain quit, we donned light jackets and set out on foot for the pier and boardwalk.  Our first stop was Sunrise Garden (park), and the koi pond, above.  We didn't tarry, light drizzle chased us home.

Next up we drove to the Railway Museum that she and I visited in May, but we managed to get there at lunchtime and it was closed. Oh well, maybe tomorrow.  Meanwhile, we had a short conversation with the conductor, above.

Condos on the Chesapeake.

The sun was shining as we walked along the boardwalk behind the Rod 'n Reel Resort, yonder Bay mirroring the color of the sky.  We checked out the herons, and tiny jellyfish swimming on the incoming tide.

And a nice lady volunteered to take our photo.

Purty flowers at the band pavilion.

Who is this guy?

Nannie, what ARE you doing?

Thursday we walked to the Nature Center and Overlook Park.  What a gorgeous day, too!  Albeit warm and humid, we could see/feel a taste of autumn in the air.

Loved seeing butterflies, the Common Buckeye and Monarchs!  Look, we found a little box turtle, and we spied a number of crabs in the shallow water.  Yum yum!

After dinner on Wednesday night we drove the short distance to visit Nannie's grandson, Joe, and his family:  Wife, Catherine, six-year-old Amelia and twelve-year-old Henry.  The next set of nonsense pics began when Amelia broached Pop-pop Jimmy about "where his hair went."  He came back with dialog that had the rest of us in stitches.  Then Amelia came out with "the wig."  If laughter is good for the soul, ours are in tip-top condition -- take a look:

"Miss Sassy-pants,"

who started the whole thing. 

That is a dog next to Jimmy, not a horse!

We laughed ourselves silly along about here.

Lookin' good, Nannie!

(with Amelia and Archie)

Next came Henry, sashaying out with the wig on!

And, finally, Catherine, donned the wig.

OMG, we laughed till our sides split.

We left their house, still snickering, and returned to Nannie's.  We'd had such a full, fun day, we didn't stay up too long.  Giggles erupted even when my head hit the pillow.

Friday was a quiet sort of day.  We knew we wanted to walk the railway boardwalk and we hoped to see the museum, both of which we achieved, although, as usual, it was mighty warm by the time we got out of the house.  This is such a nice town, very walkable, with boardwalks, nature reserves and walkways, just right for those of us who enjoy the outdoors.

Gulls congregated and wheeled overhead in ever-widening circles, and we couldn't figure out why.  As you see, the boardwalk wasn't crowded.  Lots of little fishies below us, a few crabs and jellyfish; otherwise, all was calm in the noonday sun.

We were fortunate to see Baldy flying above us, actually two of them.  I pointed and clicked the camera shutter numerous times (couldn't see it in the bright sun), and managed to get the pic above.  Zoomed in a lot, but there it is:  A Bald Eagle!

Visors suck sometimes.

The old train station, now the Railway Museum, erected in 1898-1899, was inducted onto the National Register of Historic Places on September 11, 1980.  It's considered a "significant example of rural railroad architecture and a testament to the area's transportation and commercial history."  It's full of neat things to see and read about, as well as an interesting short movie.  A bite to eat at CBQ next door filled us up and then, home.  So ended our day, Out and About.

Joe and Catherine and the kids brought fresh-caught Chesapeake Bay crabs for dinner Friday evening, which we ate at the table outside (delicious, but very messy).  I wanted to get a group photo of all of us to end this post, but, par for the course, I forgot.  Darn it.

Wonderful, short visit, Nannie.  Much love to you.  Tomorrow, Saturday, the 13th, she will drop us off at Dulles Internat'l Airport for our long, nonstop flight to Istanbul.  See you on the other side of the world.

June wrap-up, 2025

It's been a few years since we pedaled the Squaw Valley Bike Path.  Wednesday, the 25th, we brought the bikes up to the high country.  After parking at the junction of Hwy 89 and Squaw Valley Rd (our usual spot up in these parts), we covered both sides of the magnificent valley you see below, ending at Olympic Village.  Certainly, this is one of the most beautiful alpine valleys in the Sierras.

Your eyes are naturally drawn to the lush meadow in the foreground, surrounded by those majestic peaks.  We were thrilled to see patches of snow at higher elevations.  Isn't this a spectacular sight?

Lots going on at the Village.  A shindig of sorts was in full progress outdoors, with vendors and booths, speakers and sign-up sheets.  This weekend is the Western States Endurance Run, the world's oldest 100-mile trail race, which takes place annually the last full weekend in June.  It begins here in Olympic Village (through the Sierra Nevada Mtns) and ends in Auburn, California.  All I can say is "more power to them."  Running 100 miles -- whew!  I can't imagine ... I don't even like to drive 100 miles!

See the yellow x in the photo above?  Right above that x is the aerial tram heading up to High Camp at 8200'.  Can you spot it?  Enlarge the pic.

We backtracked, crossed Hwy 89 and commenced riding the Truckee River Bike Trail, a ride we always enjoy, even if it is very popular (think: crowded).  It appears the river's water level is high, no doubt due to snow melt.  It's still early in the season.

And, yes, because it's early summer, that water has to be COLD, yet we saw several rafts floating downstream with the current.  Wild Roses bloomed along the entire trail (above), lending a pleasantly sweet scent overall.

Lots of other wildflowers adorned the trail:  Top left, wrapping around:  Blue Flax, Brewer's Lupine, Penstamon, Buckwheat, and Scarlet Gilia.

Never saw this before.  As we neared the dam between Lake Tahoe and the Truckee River, three long black tubes shot water into the river, while the filled white bags held it back.  Hmmmm, not sure why, unless it's to concentrate the water for river rafting?

Here's the other end of the black tubes, with water coming straight off the lake/dam (spillway).  Interesting.  We spied several whopper-sized fish, probably rainbow trout, swimming in the shallows.

Summer snow!  The Cottonwoods were filling the air with billions of white "cotton" seed fluff.  You didn't dare look up with your mouth open!

Mama Merganser had claimed a rock in the middle of the shallows near the bridge shadow, with junior resting beside her.  Cottonwood snow was everywhere!

Lake Tahoe was placid today and the usual eye-catching blue!  But you know this lake (any lake) can turn violent in a sudden T-storm, as evidenced here last week.

I hadn't seen a Western Tanager in a long time.

Happy to see this guy!

Looking north from the bridge near the car.  We only put in 20 miles today, which was just what we wanted.  Besides, we broke up the riding by stopping in Olympic Village and the dam, and then we parked 'em and sat on a picnic table at lake's edge, simply enjoying the shade and being present. 

* * * * *

A few days before our bike ride, we pointed the Subaru in the other direction and drove down to Davis, CA, to visit my cousin, Judy.  She's moving away and we wanted to visit before she left.  Lunch was at a restaurant near the railroad tracks and -- lucky us -- two Amtrak trains zipped in, stopped briefly and were on their way again.  Next, Judy drove us to the historic UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden.  It was a "bit warm" to be walking, but we managed.  Even better was walking along 640-acre Putah Creek Riparian Reserve beneath the cooling Redwood trees.

Here we are, with Putah Creek behind us,

and resting in the shade.

I looked up the translation:  The Forest Gnome's Birthday Party

She brought along this copy of a children's book written/illustrated by Sigrid Nyqvist in 1929 (but not published till 1983 by her daughter, Brita).  Sigrid Nyqvist would be our grandfather's sister (our great-aunt).  Gosh, almost a hundred years ago.  (Judy's Mom bought this book online before she passed away.)  Written but not published for over 50 years.  Wowzers, there's hope, then, for me to publish my own children's picture books!  Thanks, Judy, for the visit and bringing this special little book.

So, that's our month.  Plenty of other things, like visits to Matt and Jen and Evie, here and at their place, neighborhood walks, a Hand and Foot game, doctors' appts (ho-hum) etc.  I will say that this has been a truly nice June, weather-wise, and we're most appreciative.  Sizzling summer is on its way, we know, but so far we've been spared.

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!