Washington DC

Yes, we made it to DC and there was so much to see and do that we suffered from overload, I think.  But it made us proud to be an American and ponder on the sacrifices so many gave for our country and our freedom.


Smithsonian Air and Space Museum - so many people there! (Lots of school tours).  We spent a 1/2 day touring this huge museum - it stayed open until 7 PM that day, so we took advantage of the extended hours.
On Friday it was wall to wall kids and a few politicians.  The only way you could tell the difference is the politicians wore suits and ties. 

Old planes...

Newer rockets...

Washington Memorial - it's huge!

Abraham Lincoln's Memorial - very impressive and really makes you think about the great statesmen that served our country!

You'd have to be a real hard butt not to be moved by this memorial.

Again, so many people there and all very reverent - people from every state and nationality and from many foreign countries.

The White House - we learned all about it in the WH Visitors Center - we walked over there also - getting our exercise (and Don got a blister!)
The White House was interesting but I was disappointed by the care (or lack of) of the lawn.  Apparently thistles and clover have equal rights with grass.  In fact much of the National Mall area had a little bit of a "worn" feel.  I know that 9/11 changed how tourism is done in DC but you'd think that by now they could have come up with a plan that didn't involve portable cement barriers that look like they were salvaged from a road construction project.  After all this place draws millions of visitors a year from all over the world.    On a more positive note, all the Smithsonian Museums were fantastic as were the memorials.

Thomas Jefferson Memorial

We stayed an extra day and biked to the Smithsonian Museum of American History.  This is the Transportation section.  I enjoyed the display of the First Ladies gowns and the inside stories of the White House over the years.  Being our age, we recognize many of the former Presidents, back to Eisenhower  and Truman.

Our marina, Capital Yacht Club, Est. in the late 1800's, was close to the National Mall and most of the memorials.  Just 1/2 block away was this unique fish market, where we got crab legs one night (delicious!) and there was always a traffic jam there in the afternoon and evening of people getting their fish.

This is Mt.Vernon, George Washington's home.  A very impressive home and farm!

George and Martha Washington's Tomb

They charge $2 a foot to tie up at the George Washington dock so we anchored and took the dingy in. 

And we're back on the water again..The osprey are making nests in all the waterway markers and just sitting there watching us go by as they remain on their eggs in the nests.

We're behind on our blog.  We're writing this while sitting in Starbucks in Annapolis, home of the U.S. Navel Academy.  That's another blog next time...

Wishing you a wonderful Memorial Day weekend - take some time to be thankful for our freedom and our Great Country!
 

Virginia continued...

Sorry this is a little late - we haven't been in a marina that had a good Internet service for the last week!  But today is the day - it is working beautifully!

Norfolk, the busy seaport - seeing many more boats, visited the Maritime Museum including the huge battleship, Wisconsin, which is in dry dock there.
We were docked a few blocks from a large shopping center with a Barnes & Noble bookstore.  Life  was also like old times again - sat in their coffee shop and read magazines.  Even bought a few!!

And we came upon this little tugboat, Theodore, Too.  We actually passed it in a river before we got to Norfolk, then saw it again at the Maritime Museum and then it docked right beside us Sunday night preparing to head back to Nova Scotia, Canada, it's home port.  It is modeled after a children's story book there and very popular with children and adults alike.  The crew was very friendly.


A cruise ship and a very large yacht were also docked near our marina - Boats everywhere!

As we were leaving Norfolk, more boats!

Many navy ships stationed here....This area, referred to as Hampton Roads, was the site of several naval battles in our country's history.

Taking leave of Norfolk and moving up the Potomac River..........
Lighthouse and cross on Piney Point, Potomac River.......
 

Beautiful homes along the Potomac River as we approached Washington D.C.

Here's Mt. Vernon, George Washington's home as seen from the Potomac River aboard Miss TeRae.
We'll plan to visit here on our way back down the Potomac returning from DC.

Our first glimpse of the Capitol, from the Potomac River... 

Traveling the lower Chesapeake Bay and up the Potomac River was interesting.  The Potomac is 8 to 10 miles wide about 3/4th of the way to DC.  Then it starts to narrow and is about a mile wide by the Lincoln Memorial.  It boats very much like a large lake rather than a river. db

More details of our Washington DC visit to come in our next blog....

Hello, Virginia!

We started the week in North Carolina, then moving up the coast we landed in Virginia Saturday!

Morehead City, NC was a good place to provision the boat, get some marine supplies and a bicycle tire tube.  (some things do wear out after use, and the salt water is hard on things!)  Lots of marine stores and big fishing boats there.

And military boats...

Beaufort, NC, a quaint historical seaport we visited after leaving Morehead City.  They have a unique English double-decker tour bus.

The building where they build wooden boats (part of the NC Maritime Museum), which we toured  and the Beaufort waterfront.  We also learned about all the shipwrecks buried in the "Graveyard of the Atlantic".  They are currently excavating the vessel, Queen Ann's Revenge, believed to be Blackbeard, the Pirate's flagship.

Watched a film on Blackbeard the Pirate.  Grand kids would have loved it.

Sunrise in the Cedar Creek,NC anchorage...

Dowry Creek Marina, where we stayed 2 nights, met some nice folks who had a birthday cake and sang for Don on his birthday.  The catamaran you see at the dock in the picture below has 3 passengers - a brother & sister & their 93 yr. old mother!  the gal said her mother has Alzheimer's and one day she commented, "The water is getting very close to the house."  Sad, but amusing. 
They were headed home to make the Dr's. appointments - interesting situation.

Leftover from Hurricane Irene (Aug. 2011) which hit the area quite hard.

After crossing the Abermarle Sound (which was some rough water) and the Pasquotank River, we entered the Dismal Swamp Canal - 23 miles long, at 5 mph.  We again took 30 minute shifts of driving.  It is a beautiful narrow canal, with gorgeous scenery along the way.

The Dismal Swamp Canal is "no wake" for it's entire distance.  Our boat was designed to go 25mph and wonders around like a drunken sailor at slow speed.  It isn't much fun to drive like that. 

In 1763 George Washington was one of the original investors in what is now the Dismal Swamp Canal.  At first it was just a ditch used to bring timber out of the swamp.  By the way, the Dismal Swamp is aptly named.  It's a haven for all kinds of wild life but dismal for man.  Later it was expanded to a canal, the hand digging mostly done by slave labor.  As a private enterprise it had many ups and downs thru it's history.  In 1929 it was purchased by the federal government. It is now operated by the U.S.Army Corps of Engineers and has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places.    

 

Reflections in the water..our view for 2 days of our journey...

                                            
                                                 Caught this turtle sunning.....

Here we are anchored by the NC Visitors Center which is about 1/3rd of the way through the canal (it services both the Highway and the Waterway).  We spent the night here along with several other boats, traveling the canal.

We're in Virginia now!  This superintendent's house needs a little TLC!

Not a project that Bruxvoort's Renovating would even tackle.

We entered the busy seaport of Norfolk,VA on Saturday afternoon.  Again many container ships (this one with 2 tugs beside it ) and many cranes, buildings and a beautiful waterfront, where we are staying at the Waterside Marina.  We continue to run into old friends and make new ones (Loopers).

That's "old friends" as in we've met them before on our cruise.

Look for more on Norfolk, Portsmouth and the Hampton Roads area next week as we plan to be here a few days....

Some of the greatest battles in the history of our country were fought in this area.

Some of our midwest friends and ralatives have asked "Why float around in a boat for a whole year?".  That's a good question and there is no easy answer.  Obviously we wanted to explore our country from the water rather than the interstate highway but the answer goes deeper than that.  When Theresa and I finally figure it all out we'll let you know.  Sorry for getting all philosohical.   But, we hope that some of you are getting a sense of our adventure from reading this blog  db.

The Carolinas - SC and NC

This blog will be a picture show - loading the pics went really well this time!

Still a few pictures of Charleston, an amazing city!

Our little cruiser in the foreground - really dwarfed by the big ship passing by.  The sailboat  "Monday Morning" is right behind us.  We kept meeting and passing Tom all the way to Bogue Sound, NC! (Charleston Maritime Center)

Historic homes wherever you turn!  We were especially impressed by the side doors on the porches (The tour guide said that was done in the days before air conditioning, so the women could relax on the cool porches in their underwear without someone walking up on them and seeing them without their full dress.)

Our former IA/TN friends, Don & Dorothy Amis came to visit (they live near Columbus, SC).  It was a great time reminiscing and enjoying Charleston with this charming couple.

Don and I go back more years together than either of us can remember.  He was already working  as an engineer at AMF when I started in 1965.

 Sunset in our anchorage, just behind Butler Island on the Waccamaw River, SC.  There were 10 boats anchored there that night, so we weren't alone.

The captain pulling up the anchor the next morning and we're off...

Enjoying beautiful Myrtle Beach for the day - it is a really long strand of gorgeous beach.  Also did some shelling here and enjoyed a little of the touristy shops and restaurants at Barefoot Landing, where we stayed in the Marina.

                                        Met a ferry boat on the waterway in North Carolina.

Passed US Marine Corp training base, Camp Lejeune, just below Morehead City, NC.  The waterway had been closed daytime hours most of the week due to practice firing maneuvers, but all was clear when we passed by this Danger Zone on Saturday.  One chart stated, "Unexploded projectiles exist in the waterways east of the ICW".  Here is one of the bunkers used in the maneuvers.

And these US Army Landing boats are just across the harbor from where we are staying at the Morehead City Yacht Basin. (Nice marina, by the way - it's a "10"!)

Well, this morning we went to a "storefront church", One Harbor Church, about 5 blocks from here -WOW - another awesome service, but totally different from last week.  Here was a very lively Praise Band with tattoos and pony tails, a casual but very meaningful worship experience! 

Theresa's been promoted to co-captain.  We make a good team.  She follows our progress on the paper charts and watches the depth gauge while I steer and keep an eye on the electronic chart plotter.  Following the ICW can get interesting in Georgia  and the Carolina's.  In this area much of the ICW passes through marsh grass swamps, ocean inlets, bays, rivers and creeks with channels running in all different directions.  We have not gotten lost - yet.   Also the variation in water levels can be a concern.  The tides run from from 4ft to 9ft. and tidal currents are very strong in some areas.  db            Catch you later......

Charleston, SC

Before we got to Charleston, we anchored out for a night in the Dawho River, where a resident alligator kept watch on us and we kept watch on him!
I think we were invading his space.

Hello from Charleston!  We are thoroughly enjoying our time here!  It is a quaint Southern city with lots of charm, historic mansions, plantations, art, music, huge boats and ship traffic and lots of history!

The highlight of Charleston spending time with our daughter, Jana and husband, Brian.  They joined us for 2 & 1/2 days of our week long stay here.  We toured the city, ate some awesome food, saw a lot of historical architecture and just had a good time together.  Here Jana and I are on a huge branch of an old oak tree on the Boone Hall Plantation.  Some of these huge old trees are over 400 years old!

 

Beautiful gardens and a beautiful mansion..several movies and TV shows were filmed here -

The Notebook, inspiration for Gone With the Wind and more.

This is a picture of the big house on the Boone Hall Plantation.  Many of the slave cabins have been restored on this plantation and are used to tell the story of slavery in the South.  About 50% of the slaves brought to our country came through Charleston.

Friday the four of us took our boat over to Fort Sumter (only accessible by boat).  This is where the first shot of the Civil War was fired (ferry boat docked in the background).

 

Then we celebrated Don's 70th with a birthday pie (he doesn't like cake) and Jana wrote a poem to honor the occasion (we'll share it with you sometime).  Thanks, Jana!
Yes. Thanks Jana.  And thank you Brian as well.  It was really great to have you guys join us for a while.

We closed out the week with a visit to the Farmer's Market Saturday morning, with the historic St. Phillips Cathedral in the background.  There are many churches here (sometimes known as the Holy City).   

Then Saturday evening we went to an awesome musical show - The Sound of Charleston - from Gospel to Gershwin.  It was held at the historical Circular Congregational Church, so we checked out the adjoining cemetery there while waiting for the music to start.  Some markers dated as far back as 1696!

John Newton who wrote "Amazing Grace" attended the Circular Congregatinal Church for several Sundays shortly after his conversion while at sea.  His inspiration to write "Amazing Grace" come from a sermon he heard here.  The musical closed with the entire cast and audience singing this hymn.  Sunday we attended services at the historic Second Presbyterian Church of Charleston (building is 202 years old).  Their guest choir was the Charleston Symphony Orchestra Gospel Chorus.  Wow!!  This is an integrated group with a half dozen token whites.  You would have to be dead to not be moved by their singing.  Made this old Dutchman want to jump up and "shout".  Definitely a high light of our stay here.  db

To be continued next week....