Arizona on Sale

The solution of the Solomon Islands

Every October, when the weather cools and leaves turn orange, green-eyed monster pursues hanging in my closet. I grind my teeth when I see couples filter cruising through Annapolis on their way south. I'm envious as I say goodbye to friends who overwinters in the Bahamas completely disappointed that not join the annual autumn migration to warmer waters, diving holidays and cockpit naps. Yes, at the ripe age of 30, my greatest wish is to live the luxurious life of a retired hat.

This year I decided not to wallow in my own private cruise of misery. Seeing the nice weather forecast for next weekend, I told my husband, John, "Why not at least pretendwe're cruise? We to make the first step in an imaginary southern winter – let's go to the Solomon Islands. "No arguments. We packed that night and pushed him out at nine o'clock Saturday morning. The sky was clearing from the west, pushing the last remnants of storms Friday night out of sight. The smell of diesel, combined with sweet fresh air crash was happy. And although this time we have had family and friends on the dock to say goodbye, she felt like a transcendental adventure as well.

We have enjoyed a glorious, hours along a wide reach across the bay from Annapolis, and as we headed west into the Patuxent River, every fiber of my being ached to continue south to waters warm. But even a cruise to pretend they could not have reached us the next anchor of darkness, so we go two miles upriver to Solomons Island. The strong west wind that had so quickly brought us to the bay was now in the nose, uneven finish our trip in eight hours, but we enjoyed watching the not very sumptuous houses lining the north bank of the river and dreamed of a quiet night on the hook for our cruise of the season finale.

As we walked in the city, taking in the fall of the yellow and red trees that dot the shore, I could not help but remember our first visit to the Solomon Islands five years ago – almost to the present day, indeed. This time, they really went south to the Florida Keys for the winter, and the Solomon Islands was a of our first stops on the road. It had been a cold day that cross the Bay from the Choptank River, with an icy cold wind blows south face and big waves Bay, battering the whole way. We spent the night cleaning the condensation of the inside of the cab and huddling together trying to warm our hands on the small candles. Oh, yes, gladly would do it again if it meant I could spend the rest of the winter warm and friendly.

Top Back Creek, The Solomons' main street, so to speak, we saw immediately that our anchor of choice – a wide swath of open water of Nice, near the Calvert Marine Museum – Was out of the question. It is clear that it was not the only one with that point in mind, the anchorage was full. So I continued past the anchor and Calvert Marina (where a large number of trawlers still full of docks, no doubt, were of Trawler Fest, a couple of weeks earlier). After spending a little more marinas in the harbor, we found a decent anchorage Plan B, just across the creek at the Holiday Inn. It was very busy too, but we were sure we could find a place. While we were trying to figure out where I could get off the hook, which was stirred during toWindshear, a Wauquiez Centurion 40, which the captain assured us that they were welcome to compression between him and the boat with him. There was plenty of room, but was happy to share space. Good, I thought – a friendly welcome to the neighborhood.

After our anchor was firmly established and settled comfortably between a Beneteau and Wauquiez a seat hammock and a keen boxer in the cabin and got ready to start the boat's foredeck. We had splashed in no time and jumped to go see the neighborhood. . . Or perhaps I should say, you neighborhood, as there was a risk that three out of four cruise ships anchored in the Solomon Islands this weekend were from Canada — and, as I gathered from the conversations I heard from passing vessels, Canadian French.

As you tour the anchorage, which was marred by a building condos now selling a large sign, we decided to stop to thank the people in the Wauquiez for their hospitality. We met Johnny, whose name I never understood, dressed in NAPA Auto Parts shirt and shorts. He and his wife had recently retired and gradually went down to the Keys. They had come from Bohemia River near two weeks earlier and were already enjoying life in slow cruiser. "We will leave [for Deltaville] this morning," he said, "but decided to stay and take it easy one day. "

Solomon Islands has that effect on a lot of people. A small village with a population of about 1,500, is one cruise destinations in the bay Most Popular, complete with their own West Marine, grocery store and coin laundry, walking distance from the ports major sports and boat landings. There is also a spectacular maritime museum, marinas in abundance, lots of yard work and a lot of restaurants. That's not to mention the well-protected anchorages, both near the city and out in the "suburbs". And all within a few kilometers away from the bay open.

It was these well-protected anchorages and proximity to the bay called Isaac Solomon his namesake island in the first place. Recognized the potential This piece of land and in the late 1860s, purchased the small island of sand, as it was then named. (It was called the Isle of Bourne Island later Somervell and finally Sandy Island before settling in the island, like the Solomon Islands.) In its new island, Solomon built an oyster cannery, with a spring steamboat and a large fleet of oystering, and the town quickly filled in in 1870, the wooden foot bridge 550 meters was built, connecting Solomons Island with the mainland. (Yes, there is a real island. Just north of the JC Lore Oyster House, now a property of Calvert Marine Museum is a small bridge, under which water flows from the Solomon Islands in the Patuxent port. It's small, buttechnically, Solomons Island means that still exists.)

Isaac Solomon's reign on the island did not last long – she lost to creditors in Baltimore in 1875. But companies from other oysters that had arisen were quick to take over, and the city flourished both as a city oystering and shipbuilding center. By the 1930s, however, depression and declining oyster harvests as sometimes result decidedly rough. Some boat builders went out of business, while other days by going to private and charter fishing boats.

In 1942, the people of Solomon Islands got a break when the work was opened three new U.S. Navybases in the area: the Navy Mine test station at Point Patience, Patuxent Naval Air Station across the river and the Naval Training amphibians. The latter covers 125 hectares on the peninsula Dowell between Return and streams Mill, now home to the Calvert Marina and condominiums and townhouse developments. During the three years that the training base of the amphibians was opened, about 70,000 soldiers trained there, the amphibious assault learning techniques that ultimately were used on D-Day and countless islands of the Pacific. Every August, Maritime Museum pays tribute to the soldiers with their "weekend home of the invasion."

After the war, both the training base amphibians and patience Point station closed. However, the city was strong and continued his life in the water – albeit for slightly different ways. Builders of local boats are now focused heavily on recreational craft – MM Davis & Sons built 500 of its famous Cruis Along boats in their first year in the production. Charter fishing operations also attracted fishermen from far and wide, and two racing boats and yachts seized. No wonder that with so many variety of boating fun to be Salomon has become a haven for the legions of Bay cruises.

After leaving our Wauquiez neighbor Johnny, we decided it was time for dinner. When we were cruising full time, they never really had any money for dinner, but since we were justpretending a cruise on this visit, we decided to take advantage of our full-time wage and squander. We had heard good things about the restaurant Zahniser dry dock, so it is where we are heading. It was dusk, and as dinghies down Back Creek Canadian two boats passed us our Anchorage en route to a pass of the night. We've thought of them know who still had his defenses down, but were far, so let it go.

We landed in the Dinghy Dock Zahniser and proceeded to the restaurant occupies the second floor of one of the slate gray buildings on the marina expansion. We were not sure we would be able to get a table because the place was hopping and we had no reservations. But they treated us well and within minutes were given spots in the bar and drinks. The walls were decorated with Burger and flags around the world, many obviously gives the restaurant for the cruisers and visitors from distant yacht clubs. We enjoyed the relaxed nautical atmosphere. Soft lighting and a bar on ship – one pair strange, but we liked. After a while they took us to our table on the porch, with its fantastic views of the spring Zahniser and the creek beyond. Impressive. We had a lovely romantic dinner in our cold journey back to the boat, according to our day cruise would have been much nicer if we could have incurred a fine little lunch once in a while. I guess I must point to a budget restaurant the next time you cruise. Since there may not happen until we retired, we have a few years to save cash.

John and I woke up ready to explore. To the pot, Batman! We have expanded through the stream to the boat dock near the Holiday Inn, where one of our neighbors was filling drums with water. We paid our $ 2 fee docking boat and was happy in our way through the hotel parking lot to Mecca Ultimate Cruise – a mall with a grocery store, a clothing store sub, a set of Chinese food and – the piece resistance – Bingo! (Just kidding. Indeed, there is a place for bingo, but I doubt it's a venue big cruiser.) Shopping center on the next block has a marine west and a liquor store – complete cruiser's dream comes true Trifecta.

Walk south on Solomons Island Road, soon became the Calvert Marine Museum, where we stopped at the outdoor display with doors to see a couple of creatures in play, then visited the small museum, craft center which has an impressive collection of historic boats from the bay and ancient beauty of wood. He had not seen these shows the last time they were in the Islands Solomon, because he had spent the day inside the museum, trying to stay warm and dry. I feel the museum has been a warm and dry shelter many cruises over the years. The museum has extensive exhibits on the history of Solomon, the local ecology, paleontology, shipbuilding and even outboard motors. It is also home to the restored screwpile Drum Point Lighthouse and Historic Bugeye Wm. B. Tennison, built as an oyster dredge boat in 1899 and has been working since then, but now as a tour boat for the museum.

After admiring the old ships, which continued for Solomons Island Road and admired in the neighborhood. The few blocks from the museum and the "center" has an atmosphere Solomon Island Beachy – several blocks worth of Cape Cod and colonial homes line street in front of a large farm households giving a spectacular view of the river beyond. The farm of time gives way to the Riverwalk, a promenade and a park public lining the river for several blocks. Across the River Walk, the street is full of churches, restaurants and a handful of gift shops and Beachy clothes beach, most of whom are older homes. We climbed up the street to the flag of the Riverwalk, where he joined a small group of parents see their children OPTIS career in the Patuxent. South Maryland Sailing Association is located across the street from the pavilion and is a major player in the careers of the Bay, including youth programs and Screwpile annual regatta, which attracts hundreds of runners to Solomon every July for three days of racing big boat on the Patuxent.

The Riverwalk terminates in the Solomons Pier restaurant, so I jumped across the street and headed south again, and then turned left onto Charles Street and walked to get to the infamous Solomon Islands' Tiki Bar Each April, this small bar, which is nothing more than a road position, draws a crowd 10,000 people or more at their opening day game. The streets are closed and general debauchery ensues as pitchers Tiki Bar signature mai tais and other themed island drinks flow like water. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately), the bar was closed for the season, like everything else at the Tiki Village – the cigar shop gift and a barbeque – but they meander through the village to check out the Tiki Moai and the environment. A bit of Easter Island in the Patuxent.

Meanwhile, someone who apparently had sounded the alarm for warmer weather and the tourists had come a-callin ', because when we reached the main road things were jumping. Couples and families strolled along the River Walk and a band played loudly in a food court outside. It was noon, but all the people was jumping. We are still in motion, and finally we are back in the quiet residential neighborhood near the hotel and the boat. On our way to the hotel, we spied the Naughty Gull restaurant – located practically in the woods between the hotel and Spring Cove Marina – and stopped for lunch. Apart from a table of women having an early lunch, we were the only there. We had a great view of Back Creek and, within minutes of ordering, we also had our sandwiches Crab cake, which were delicious – possibly the best I ever had had.

After lunch, full and happy, we headed back to the boat to the room in the cockpit for a while. The first thing I noticed was the arrival of ships over Canada. I promise I'm not obsessed with it, but you can see them coming a mile away. And not by their standards, either. No, it is because of defenses. For some reason, almost all Canadian boats weekend we had (what seemed to us) too many defenses that hang from their decks – three, four times aside – in progress, at anchor, all the time. Maybe it's because they have to lock through a group of channels between its territorial waters and Bay who are used to leave them deployed, but I think it really is because they simply do not trust us crazy Americans do not hit them. But I am saying "….

After a while you get enough rest, we decided to explore by boat. We took our bags to shower, so, calculate what you want to clean up a bit before they retired for the night, and went in the back of the Dink Creek. The first boat we saw on the anchorage next to the creek was Sheena II small blue trawler with tons of defenses (of Ottawa… 'nough said), nets, paddles, and other miscellaneous plants hanging everywhere outside the cabin. We immediately realize our own cruise along the ICW five years ago. We traveled with Sheena II in the same pack of boats for several days if the memory serves. Unfortunately, there was nobody on board, so we kept moving.

We Navy after the Navy, separated by large houses facing the sea, but not ostentatious, many with their own docks and small beaches. With its pleasant mix of boats and houses, the landscape is still a fisherman's village feel to the same. Soon he slipped behind the bulkheaded small island at the entrance of the harbor, known locally as) (Mol, or Molly's Leg island. Built in 1972, the island is the dredge spoils of a bank that was part of the original island. Behind the island is what is often called La Angostura – the waterfront side of the main street of the Islands Solomon. We loop around the island and affect every port opening and in Mill Creek. In the far south, that buzzed by tugs assisting large ships to nearby Cove Point LNG plant and then find ourselves in a bucolic stream, lined with trees where modest homes with clear line of the shore grass and boats have spots no end to the bar.

We slow down, enjoy the scenery, and before we knew we were half a mile from the creek. There were three boats anchored near each other, so he stopped to say hello. It turned out that the ships had been traveling together for a while. C-Mreeya Drifters and Moya (from Toronto, but without defense hanging) had been together since the port of New York and Cambyration from Atlantic City, NJ LeeAnn Hobart and Chad Lawie, only 20 and 23 respectively, have been the Cambyration restoration, an old wooden beauty, while en route from Michigan to North Carolina. They were happy to meet with other boats, they said, laughing as his little black cat Sushi decided to hop on our boat for a ride. "We have more of their [the other boats] sometimes," said Hobart. "They are animals deprived of all they had to leave home. "

The three ships were hoping to make only two stops on the Bay – Deltaville, Virginia and Norfolk – but were in no hurry to leave Solomon Islands. Roman and Olha Karaim Moya Mreeyawere excited to visit the museum the next day. After chatting, we realized that the darkness was approaching, so said our goodbyes and zoom down the creek to Zahniser's.

On our first trip to the Solomon Islands I had called the Navy and asked what was the question posed as a "strange" if we could reach the land of our boat and take showers and household waste disposal. The girl in the office had laughed, I said it was a strange request at all, and explained that for a small fee that would be Welcome to use the facilities of the marina. Those who are now John and I tied the boat and wound to the office. When asked to buy a couple of showers, the teen behind of the table answered, "Only two? Hmph. I did not realize we were thatdirty. I resisted a mirror silent sarcastic and paid our nine U.S. dollars (three to six berth boat for the shower). But before we could stop cleaning, we find Zahniser Dockmaster Jim Sharkey. We started to talk about cruising in the city when he said that the figures around eight people come in a day for showers or landfill or just use the Dinghy Dock (though probably more to come and simply do not pay.) The large number of cruises each autumn in the city has any impact on the economy, he said. "When tourists stop coming into the snowbirds arrive. Then in spring, the opposite is true. "

At the time we got to the boat was almost dark, so I quickly began dinner. As we were starting to cook, have a good show. A ship entering the anchorage was too close to shore and quickly hit bottom. But instead of tranquility from working capital, the couple started screaming. Out loud. In French. For about two minutes that is all I heard. Then, as if nothing had happened, disappeared in the cabin. Just as he began to wonder if they were unhappy with spending the night in the end, the French army arrived in Canada. Three boats, each one comes from a different direction, arrived with the boat ashore and started to push, pull and swing off the bottom with a halyard. "Vive le Quebec free! "

After the show, we enjoyed our steak dinner and hit the sack early in anticipation of a long house, probably travel without wind. Dodge left early in the company of two other cruises. Yes, I found it depressing that the two boats sailed to the south, but also found that the cruise was about to claim my cruise satisfied impulses. And it definitely had anticipated a pleasant end to a good sailing season. So who am I to complain? Moreover, after he double-checked to see it was hanging on the line defenses of life, I saw a boat heading for the all defenses coast flight – and that kept me laughing the whole winter.

Home For Sale – Norfolk, VA – 1026 Galt Street

P-40 Warhawk USS Chenango Norfolk VA 1942 photo POSTER …

1843 Railroad map Portland, Maine, to Norfolk,VA $29.99 1843 Map, exhibiting the railway route between Baltimore & St. Louis, together with the other principal lines in the eastern, middle & western states; prepared under the direction of B. H. Latrobe, Ch. Engr. B. & O. R.R….

1861 Civil War map of Norfolk Naval Shipyard, VA $29.99 1861 Vessels destroyed at Norfolk 1861….

GIANT Wall Sticker of: Civil War map Outline map of Hampton Roads, and the vicinity of Norfolk, Va.. Museum quality GIANT Wall Sticker of an historic Civil War map from the Civil War map Collection from the Library of Congress. Authentic map that was hand drawn during or soon after the Civil War depicting important historical events and battles. Emerald Honeybee offers only the BEST in quality. Our Wall Stickers are printed by a Professional Graphics Company using a MIMAKI Eco-Solvent Printer and…

Sing Not War: The Lives of Union and Confederate Veterans in Gilded Age America (Civil War America) $20.98 After the Civil War, white Confederate and Union army veterans reentered–or struggled to reenter–the lives and communities they had left behind. In Sing Not War, James Marten explores how the nineteenth century’s “Greatest Generation” attempted to blend back into society and how their experiences were treated by non-veterans.Many soldiers, Marten reveals, had a much harder time reintegrating int…

No Home in Time $2.99 A Norfolk Master Shoemaker in 1873 looks back on the year of 1850 It was as he wrote in his diary,” The most eventful year I have ever past”Near the start of the book he states that he thinks he has committed a murder.How much can we believe the account of his life from 1850-73? It was certainly a time of great change in his small market town.No longer an island of brick in a sea of wheat ,but inc…

Classical Norfolk Furniture: 1810 – 1840 $62.95 Furniture scholars Thomas R. J. Newbern and James R. Melchor have joined forces with Turner Publishing Company to produce this fascinating look at Classical Norfolk Furniture between the years of 1810 and 1840. Featuring over 420 full-color photos, this book is a groundbreaking study of a major southern furniture group not previously studied in depth. Classical Norfolk Furniture: 1810-1840 is the …

Street & Road Map of Norfolk, Virginia VA – Printed poster size wall atlas of your home town $19.99 For most small towns, this is the first time a printed street map has been available. The street map of Norfolk, Virginia is a great gift for any collector of hometown maps & memorabilia. One will spend hours discovering their hometown with this wall map. *NOTE* Actual map is much more crisp than images above. We are constantly updating our roads and town boundaries. Actual street map may vary s…

Chevelle – Live From The Norva (DVD) $10.88 This live recording from Chevelle was filmed on May 23, 2003, at The Norva in Norfolk, VA. After successfully touring with bands