Mile Zero

A day off of work is just the excuse I needed to drive over to Solomons yesterday. Calvert Marina seemed to be as good a place as any to spend a few minutes to take in the views. This is a very familiar place and a favorite haunt, you may recall, of the Plein Air artists. I've driven around the marina numerous times in the past, and there were still a few new finds.

After driving around the maintenance buildings and seeing some of the boats in the yard, I noticed a small building. I'm not sure what purpose it once served, but it's been forgotten and nature is working to claim it for its own.

There is a tremendous number of boats in and around the marina. Many still reside at their slips, others await maintenance, others are in storage mode. How long have they been waiting for their turn at a new adventure I wondered? Has it been just a few days since they stretched their legs, or weeks, or maybe even months or longer?

Since I too had owned boats, I wondered about the owners too. What were the dreams that launched the purchase of these vessels. Some of these boats are quite large and capable of long voyages. Did the sailor's desires and goals become realized, or sidelined? Did the realities of life jump up and get in the way? I wonder if the trip is about to begin. Have the treks already been taken, with stories already stored in wonder filled memories?

It's fun to think about these things and ponder your own status in life, maybe dream of your own quest.  What's adventure you seek? What form does your ship take - athletics, travel, art?

What ever it may be I hope you too find the Phunest Place on earth... You can start at Mile Zero right at Calvert Marina...

Take a look below..

Till next time,

Blessings,

Brian

Crisp and Contrasts

Holly showing some nice color

The crisp 51F air this morning brought a definite chill to my fingers, and I was early enough that only a few people were out taking in the sights. Though few, typical to Solomons, everyone was friendly and nearly all shared a "hello" or "good morning" as we passed. I still contend Solomons is a wonderful place, and an amazing ambiance for being tucked in to the hustle and bustle of the rest of the tri-county area.

Iris?

Fall is certainly in the air, though the trees are fighting against complete baldness that surely will come soon. I was surprised to find a number of blooms still hanging on and bringing color to the browns and grays that are becoming more prevalent.

Crystal Moll painted this scene in September, not much has changed

During the Solomons Plein Air Festival the yard at Harbor Island Marina played unexpected host to a painter taking in the lines of an old work boat being restored. Equally surprising is that the boat was still there. I guess the work required was greater than originally anticipated! She'll be beautiful once again soon though.







Walking through the marina, I was reminded again of the interesting names boats often have. While some take on the name of a favorite lady or matron, others speak to bravery and bravado. Some are just comical. The location of the boat's home port is often painted on the stern as well, and makes it fun to see how far some boaters have journeyed.

"Audacious"

This is the only tug I've noticed on the island. It's not very large, but from the side view two large engines are very noticeable.















Change on Solomons seems to come slowly, but there is new construction occurring on one of the waterfront lots. Two very worn old buildings are gone, and I'm sure the new will be grander. Yet, there are still some locations holding on. I loved the contrast of this shop against the backdrop of some more recent dwellings. The row boat needs a home, it's got wonderful lines and you can just sense it longing for someone to take it out and pull her through the water.

The bottom line for me, on this day, is that Solomons still has plenty to see during this fall season and cooler temperatures. It's clear though that some are starting to call it over for the season.

 



Till next time,

Blessings,

Brian

Buccaneers

Most of you locals know that Solomons Island is definitely a sailing center along the east coast. You may not have known that the 2015 Buccaneer Nationals just took place from the 1st to 3rd of October.

The fleet had a strong and gusty breeze for their finals this week, and thanks to a friend I heard about this just before the conclusion and caught at least a few photos.

The remnants of a N'or Easter caused the course to run across the Patuxent River. The windward mark was set just off the Solomons Riverwalk and the other very near the western side of the river. It was a bit of a stretch for my lens, but let's take a look.

As I mentioned, it was quite gusty and there were several capsizes in the short time I watched.

 I also noticed right away that there were several small power boats monitoring the course and coming over to verify the sailors were okay and had everything under control.

Everyone recovered and got back underway.



The next photo below shows how the gusts can play with the fleet - look at the angle of the heel on the right boat.

Committee boat - anyone know what those flags mean?

Sailing along nicely

Coming to the windward mark

This is where it got interesting..

the two boats 5223 and 5256 were very close at the top mark. Heading downwind, the skippers had different approaches. 5223 stayed with just a jib and sailed more directly to the downwind mark, while 5256 set the spinnaker but took a wider set downwind.

Spinnaker set!

more of the fleet

dropping the kite

jib up and ready to jibe (turn)

Jibe finished heading to the mark

Now it got more interesting. Both boats end up at the mark at nearly the very same time.. RACE ON!

As soon as the red boat made the mark, it split and turned away from its competitor - a classic move.

Now I have to admit that I didn't see the outcome. The weather was quite miserable to just stand out there a continue to watch, but it was sure fun while I was there.

For more information on these 500LB, 18 ft. long boats take a look at the Buccaneer 18 site. They look like tons of fun. There is a fleet established on Solomons. So, I'm sure the Southern Maryland Sailing Association could fill you in as well.

Until next time,

Blessings,
Brian

Jeepers

Last week Solomons Island hosted a number of Plein Air artists and I noted their sense of community. On that same “community” theme, the inaugural Tiki Trek & Jeep Show event sponsored by Patriotic JeepsSupporting Public Safety (PJSPS) and the Tiki Bar was held yesterday. There were tons of jeeps on view vying for prizes in several categories, but the bigger picture was again one of community.

The non-profit PJSPS connects creates events for jeeps with the express intent of raising money for Public Safety organizations.  Yesterday’s event was raising funds for the Calvert Advanced Life Support Team.

I had a chance to talk to a few of the folks at the event and found them very willing to talk about their community. The SOMD Jeepers were well represented. This is a FaceBook based club for jeep enthusiasts that has no hierarchy and no dues. I spoke to one (of the 1400+ members) and gathered a few good comments that speak to the code these folks live by. A few other clubs were out too – Pasadena and Chesapeake were two that I noted.

The guy I spoke to was confident that should he ever break down on the side of the road there would be other jeepers there in a heartbeat to lend a hand. It felt like the musketeers in a way – One for All and All for One. Another story was of, well I’ll call it an intervention. It’s always a good idea to have a designated driver, or a plan to get home when you may have indulged a little too much. The tale is of a club member that shouldn’t be driving home, so his buddy hitched up a trailer and went and not only picked up his friend, but also towed his rig home as well.  NOW THAT’S COOL!!

Many of the jeeps had names and or emblems on them that were fantastic. A few had custom plates as well. A husband and wife team had two jeeps – Jekyll and Hyde. How awesome is that!

There were plenty of Wranglers of all varieties – most prevalent were the Rubicons. There were Saharas and Willy’s, and a couple old Cherokees. The WJ (newer Cherokee) really caught my attention – it was the only one in the crowd and I admired its uniqueness. There were even a Liberty and a Patriot – though I’m not as much of a fan. Prince Frederick Jeep even brought down a new Renegade. If you want to see some heavily modified rigs and talk running boards, lights and winches this was the place to be today.

lining up for Grill Sargent BBQ

 The gloomy day didn’t dampen the spirits of this crowd, there was a country duo playing near the front of the Tiki Bar, and Grill Sargent BBQ was serving up some good grub to a hungry crowd.

I have to admit, if you couldn’t tell already, that I’ve wanted a Jeep for years, but it never seemed like the right fit for our needs. This event and the sense of community has me considering it yet again – and Deb’s already given the green light provided the motorcycles go…  hmm, guess I need to do some thinking.

Lots of photos of the amazing rigs:

Liberty and Justice .... get it?

Really liked this Cherokee

Supercharged!

one of the brighter colors on display

This is just one corner of the lot filled with jeeps!

Leonidas - Spartan warrior King!

This one had great paint!

They had a drone taking pics!

Fab name

Great comparison

"Old School"

Community at its best, and supporting local Public Safety Organization.

Is it really a Jeep if there's no MUD?