Amsterdam June 2016

Amsterdam in the Summer....well, almost

Using various modes of transport, we arrived at our regular Airbnb in the Pijp area of Amsterdam. We had rented a car to get to SFO, taken the Airtrain from the rental drop-off to the terminal, flown on the new KLM Boeing Dreamliner, taken the train to RAI train station and lastly and rode the tram to the Pijp. We were at our home away from home. It had been 21 hours since we left Pismo Beach.

The first place we visited after getting settled into our Airbnb was a walk to Sarphatipark. It's a block away from Meredith and Elliot's place and ours. When it's sunny, every body gets out there to soak up the sun.  

One of the first things we did with Isla was to visit the Kinder Bourderei, a neighborhood place where they keep farm animals (or as Isla calls them "amolos". This time, she was far less afraid of them and even wanted to pet the big eared rabbits.

We took walks all around the farm, including the wooden bridge - which she wasn't all to sure about/

To our surprise, the burro made its familial call of "Ee-ohh". Really, we're city people! How are we to know that they really sounded out like that! 

The following day Diane and I took a bike ride along the Amstel River. The first place we took in was a public garden where people are given small plots of lands to have a garden and a small cottage to spend the weekend. Quite lovely.

All these pretty gardens with tiny houses for weekend retreats.

We then ended up at a favorite of ours, a spot along the Amstel at what's called "De Oude Kerk". We ended up having lunch at a cafe along one of the tributaries of the Amstel.

My favorite Dutch snack - crocketts. Not all that healthy but it sure tastes good.

The ride back to Amsterdam was on the west side of the Amstel. It offered a picturesque view of the quintecential Dutch windmill.

Back at Meredith's and Elliot's, it's always fun to watch kids being dropped off at the school in the morning. It is a parade of parents dropping off their kids on bikes.

The bakfiets is the equivalent of a Dutch SUV. It's used to carry kids, deliver packages or carry other types of cargo.

Isla feeding the ducks at Sarphatipark. 

Watching Isla jumping on the trampoline is always a  lot of fun.

By chance, on the way back from Sarfatipark, we ran into Kit, a friend she's known most of her short life.

Diane bought chalk sticks for Isla. So chalking it up on the sidewalk in front of the flat was a great place to use it. 

 

 

2016 - Chesapeake Cruise

The 2016 Chesapeake Cruise

This year's Chesapeake cruise was a little earlier and a little shorter than usual because Diane and I are going on an extended trip to Amsterdam and Africa. So Wes and I decided to do our annual cruise in May.

The cruise began at Wes' home in Port Deposit hashing out the news of nearly a year's worth of life that had gone by since our last cruise. Needless to say, a glass of scotch was in order.

The next morning we drove to Havre de Grace, where Wes keeps the boat and loaded all the groceries aboard. We topped off the fuel tank and soon were underway.

With dark looming clouds in the horizon, we opted to duck in to the mouth of the Sassafras River and anchor for the evening. The rain was light, but it did blow very hard for a while. Yet later that evening, the weather cleared up and things calmed down. 

By morning, however, the weather had once again changed. As we attempted to get out into the bay, we were met by northerlies of 20+ knots, gusting to over 40 knots. We did as any mariner with common sense would do, we turned around and motored back up the river to a comfortable spot several miles up near the village of Georgetown. 

In the late afternoon, from our peaceful anchorage we watched lots of wildlife including a pair of bald eagles flying overhead, one swooping down and catching a fish with its talons. We also spotted a fox on a deserted beach, cormorant and vultures flying overhead.

What a difference a day makes. The following day, we had a beautiful motorsail to the historic town of Chestertown, which lies up the Chester River.

The town's geese enjoying the view of our sailboat anchored out. 

Once considered one of Maryland's main port towns, Chestertown was founded in the early 1700's. It is a very pleasant historical town with classic architecture and a liberal arts college, named after George Washington. It's one of the oldest colleges in the nation.

Enjoying a glass of beer at the local watering hole.

A very graceful looking Skipjack sailing vessel in Chestertown.

 
We stayed in Chestertown for two nights, enjoying JR's bar the next evening too. But after our two day stay, we were ready to head out again. We followed the meandering turns of the Chester River down to the bay and turned northward.

By evening, we were anchored in Worton Creek. A curious set of events occurred as we anchored. At our first anchoring, no sooner had we started to relax when a boat came by and asked us to move because he felt we were too close to his mooring buoys. We obliged and moved to an another nearby area where two other sailboats were anchored. No sooner had we anchored there, when the skipper of the boat nearest us, hailed us and stated that he was uncomfortable with how close we were to him (we weren't that close at all). He asked us to move or else he would feel compelled to move. We didn't move.

After a relaxing morning that was warm and sunny, and after having a big bowl of muesli, yogurt and berries with a couple of cups of strong coffee, we were ready to head out again. This time we motored north towards the Elk River. Our destination was Chesapeake City.

Although we did everything right, sometimes things can still go wrong. We ran aground right on our approach into the harbor, where there should have been ten feet of depth. Fortunately, with an upcoming tide, all we had to do was open a bottle of wine and wait.

We were going to take the dinghy ashore in the morning, but it was raining. The forecast was rain for the next three days. We pulled up anchor and were on our way. 

That evening, after a long day of motoring and sailing, we made it back into port at Havre de Grace. After getting home, we went out to dinner to a local restaurant and had clams and chicken for dinner. The server we had was a young, friendly gal who had just graduated with a degree in accounting. Not typical of the denizens of Port Deposit.

Dinner the next night was at home, where we feasted on a pork loin, corn on the cob and a big salad accompanied by a bottle of Bordeaux.

 

Wes' Cabernet Sauvignon vines.