Saturday in Annapolis -- in which old places are made new again
Yesterday deserves a little celebration.
The week was a long one for me and Jhonny. We were trying to move my belongings every day after work, and everyone knows how stressful moving can be. On top of that, it seemed like every day some additional drama would hit the fan, and we would try our best to deal with it using our already depleted resources. I would declare that we were successful, by the grace of God, but we were also tired and in need of rest. Yesterday we got it.
While I waited for Jhonny to complete his triathlon training I worked on unpacking, organizing and "making tough decisions" (delicate term for throwing away crap that I just moved). When he was finished we met up, ate lunch, packed up our two dogs and got ready for some fun with little to no pre-planning.
The bench reads "In Memory of Daniel C. Roper, 1995-1995." We were startled by this extremely short lifespan, and used the iPhone to look up his name. We found this poem, written by his mother. Absolutely tragic. How does a person recover, we wondered. Maybe one never does. It was a sobering moment, but it also made us even more thankful for the moment we were experiencing just then, and all the blessings we have been allowed to keep for our whole lifetimes. You never know how long somebody will be yours, and we are all just on loan to one another anyway.
Spent some time enjoying the small beach in front of the small bench.
Jhonny said it smelled like fish, which of course any beach often does. The smell truly seems like home to me, perhaps because of how many beaches I've visited in my life, and because I've lived so close to one beach or another for the majority of my days. Perks of being a Navy brat?
Eventually we decided to move on, but not before dreaming a little bit about owning a condo like those surrounding us. We watched a nice lady setting up her patio with wine glasses and bottles to choose from. Jhonny was hoping she would notices us and invite us in, but alas, she seemed selfishly distracted by the gorgeous view just beyond her private dock. Maybe next time...
Remember that free parking I mentioned earlier? Yeah, well, Jhonny found some. And it was in a super convenient location, to boot! We were just down the street from the City Dock area of Annapolis, parallel to the Naval Academy, and we didn't get towed or anything! Jhonny has impressed me one million times with his ability to find free street parking and claim it, in the midst of every busy city we've ever visited together. I assured him that his parking skills are the only reason I am marrying him. He said he'll take it.
Immediately upon disembarking from the car, we heard the sounds of partying happening over a mysterious stone fence. Jhonny tried to climb over, but was halted by the accusing eyes of a self-righteous elementary-aged girl, who seemed to recognize that we were uninvited guests. Oh well, no harm done.
We moved downtown and made a snap decision to board a tour boat. I lived in the Annapolis area for 8 years, and spent countless days and nights strolling around downtown, but I'd never enjoyed the view from one of the most important Annapolitan vantage points -- the water.
The boat offered snacks and "adult imbibements", as well as a very silly/jolly captain who coined the previously quoted phrase. All in all, it was a perfect ride with a non-annoying breeze and warm sunshine.
I think we left at possibly the most beautiful time of day, and enjoyed the very earliest part of sunset from the water. Maybe it was touristy, but I love love loved it.
We finished off the evening by visiting Buddy's Crabs and Ribs. I had often passed by in my many years as a resident of The Area, but had never actually paid a visit to the place, so again I had a brand new experience in a very familiar town. Joy! The food was good, the atmosphere was fun, and Jhonny ate a ton of ribs and huge crab arms (which I think are actually called "King Crab Legs" or something).
Walking back to our car (which had not even been towed!!), we happened upon a delicious summer night party of neighbors projecting a movie onto the side of a townhouse. The State House gleamed in the background, and we declared the Summer the best season ever.
The week was a long one for me and Jhonny. We were trying to move my belongings every day after work, and everyone knows how stressful moving can be. On top of that, it seemed like every day some additional drama would hit the fan, and we would try our best to deal with it using our already depleted resources. I would declare that we were successful, by the grace of God, but we were also tired and in need of rest. Yesterday we got it.
While I waited for Jhonny to complete his triathlon training I worked on unpacking, organizing and "making tough decisions" (delicate term for throwing away crap that I just moved). When he was finished we met up, ate lunch, packed up our two dogs and got ready for some fun with little to no pre-planning.
Our original intent was to visit New York City yesterday, but that was before this week happened. The lovely pups came with us and wound up staying with Jhonny's little brother.
We headed to Annapolis to see what we could find, and if those findings might include free parking.
First stop: neighborhood in Eastport. Landing place: a park bench overlooking someone's private dock.
The bench reads "In Memory of Daniel C. Roper, 1995-1995." We were startled by this extremely short lifespan, and used the iPhone to look up his name. We found this poem, written by his mother. Absolutely tragic. How does a person recover, we wondered. Maybe one never does. It was a sobering moment, but it also made us even more thankful for the moment we were experiencing just then, and all the blessings we have been allowed to keep for our whole lifetimes. You never know how long somebody will be yours, and we are all just on loan to one another anyway.
Spent some time enjoying the small beach in front of the small bench.
Jhonny said it smelled like fish, which of course any beach often does. The smell truly seems like home to me, perhaps because of how many beaches I've visited in my life, and because I've lived so close to one beach or another for the majority of my days. Perks of being a Navy brat?
Eventually we decided to move on, but not before dreaming a little bit about owning a condo like those surrounding us. We watched a nice lady setting up her patio with wine glasses and bottles to choose from. Jhonny was hoping she would notices us and invite us in, but alas, she seemed selfishly distracted by the gorgeous view just beyond her private dock. Maybe next time...
Remember that free parking I mentioned earlier? Yeah, well, Jhonny found some. And it was in a super convenient location, to boot! We were just down the street from the City Dock area of Annapolis, parallel to the Naval Academy, and we didn't get towed or anything! Jhonny has impressed me one million times with his ability to find free street parking and claim it, in the midst of every busy city we've ever visited together. I assured him that his parking skills are the only reason I am marrying him. He said he'll take it.
Immediately upon disembarking from the car, we heard the sounds of partying happening over a mysterious stone fence. Jhonny tried to climb over, but was halted by the accusing eyes of a self-righteous elementary-aged girl, who seemed to recognize that we were uninvited guests. Oh well, no harm done.
We moved downtown and made a snap decision to board a tour boat. I lived in the Annapolis area for 8 years, and spent countless days and nights strolling around downtown, but I'd never enjoyed the view from one of the most important Annapolitan vantage points -- the water.
The boat offered snacks and "adult imbibements", as well as a very silly/jolly captain who coined the previously quoted phrase. All in all, it was a perfect ride with a non-annoying breeze and warm sunshine.
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| Sailboat on the Severn |
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| Naval Adacademy Bridge |
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| Chesapeake Bay Bridge |
We finished off the evening by visiting Buddy's Crabs and Ribs. I had often passed by in my many years as a resident of The Area, but had never actually paid a visit to the place, so again I had a brand new experience in a very familiar town. Joy! The food was good, the atmosphere was fun, and Jhonny ate a ton of ribs and huge crab arms (which I think are actually called "King Crab Legs" or something).
Walking back to our car (which had not even been towed!!), we happened upon a delicious summer night party of neighbors projecting a movie onto the side of a townhouse. The State House gleamed in the background, and we declared the Summer the best season ever.
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