Eastern Shore

June 8,2017

      At this point, about half way between Norfolk and the head of Chesapeake Bay it is much narrower and easy to go back and forth across the bay.  Most people really like the eastern shore with all of the smaller rivers and towns better than the more commercial western side.  We chose the Tred Avon River and the little town of Oxford.  It was a very early customs port on the Chesapeake and also a ship building town.  We had a nice lunch in the Robert Morris (of colonial times fame) Inn.  Part of the Inn was the original 18^th century building.  Very quiet town with lots of old colonial houses, but that seems to be the way people like it.  Kind of like the Gearhart of the eastern shore.  There was also a great wooden shipbuilding company that had some neat old boats and let you wander among them. 

Replica of customs house

Wooden scull circa 1978 for you Louis

Robert Morris Inn

found this guy in the middle of the road and had to save it

June 10-12, 201

     The next day we headed to the Cannon Beach of the eastern shore on the Wye River, St Michaels.  We docked at the city marina and 50 feet from a bar and grille with music all weekend.  Actually for a real tourist town, it was pretty  quiet two blocks off the main street.  Had Tappas for dinner Friday.  Saturday John found a golf course and I checked out all the little shops, mostly very nice and did some wine tasting.  Sunday I went to the 250 year old Episcopal Christ Church, had a latte and found a great farmers market.  The growing season here is about a month ahead of Colorado and we are enjoying local tomatoes, strawberries and peaches.  Sunday afternoon I went to the maritime museum (all of the towns have them)  This one had exhibits about oystering, crabbing  and boat building.  But the most interesting part was the 100 year history of recreation on the Chesapeake  and the conflict between the recreational boaters and the working fishermen.  Interesting bit of reality. I spent Sunday afternoon by the pool, jumping in as I got hot, since we were in a heat wave and then had another gourmet meal that evening.  The town also had some original colonial homes that weren’t destroyed in the revolutionary war.  They are proud of their reputation as the town that fooled the British which were bent on destroying it because it was a center of ship building.  They enforced a blackout in town and hung lanterns in the forest for the British to shoot their cannons at.   It was a great and very typical weekend on the Eastern shore.  We met a lot of locals who get in their boats and cruise over for the weekend.  I can see why Maggie’s parents like the place.