Maryland and Back

 Joe and I took a  lovely vacation down to the St. Michaels area of Maryland, right at the top of the Chesapeake Bay. We had never been down that far south, so it was a nice adventure. I can tell you that a 7 hour drive on the way there feels much different than a 7 hour drive on the way home! For some reason it felt twice as long on the way back!

Maryland has a few things that New York does not have. 1. I have never seen so many dragonflies in my life. They were everywhere. Even buzzing around in the parking lots.
2. Maryland is extremely flat. I was happy to get back to NY with some hills and landscape that is a bit more to look at. 3. You can't really do any serious house-lusting because all of the homes that are on the water, are at the end of a 400 yard driveway. We ended up turning down a few of these because they seriously look like roads, and then had to U-turn our way outta there before being spotted.
4. Seafood is still expensive here. But we tried to take advantage and enjoyed soft shell crab, crab cakes, mussels, and Fish tacos. Our vacations are mostly about eating. The restaurants got progressively better the longer we were there. The best meal was at a pizza place in St. Michaels called Ava's. Best Bolognese I've ever had, and they had a cupcake of the day, which to me, is a really good thing.
5. Everyone was extremely friendly! The heat does crazy things to people in NY. Makes them mean and nasty. Maryland has had some seriously hot weather, but everyone was very happy and friendly.

We stayed at the cutest inn which is well known for being a popular wedding location. The Oaks Waterfront Inn was settled right on the water and really had a nice presence. The staff was helpful in providing us with suggestions and they put out complimentary wine, beer, and cookies every evening.
The breakfasts in the morning were pretty good too. We didn't take advantage of the bikes or the canoes, but had a nice time just sitting and enjoying the dock.
We checked out St. Michaels, took the ferry to Oxford, enjoyed a wine tasting at the St. Michaels winery and then stumbled next door to the St. Michaels Brewery. We brought home some "Oakey Dokey" Chardonnay. Really really good!

We took a nice sailboat road on Captain Wade's SkipJack- the oldest SkipJack in the nation. Learned all about some environmental issues on the bay, learned about oyster fishing and enjoyed Wade's stories. A man in his 70s, he was a real character and is very passionate about this 125 year old boat.
The boat ride was in the evening and the sunset was amazing!

We took a drive to Annapolis- a sweet little town nestled on the bay. The shops were great. I have to thank Barbara Lewis for the recommendation for Annapolis Pottery! Great store, and I brought home a cool Chips/dip bowl and a new tumbler.  I also got a pair of earrings from ReSource- a cute little store selling repurposed goods and they had some jewelry by one of my favorite Etsian's, Foundling.

all in all, a great and relaxing trip. The change of scenery was beautiful! I recommend this vacation spot to anyone that wants to enjoy the bay, the seafood, the people, the weather and wants to relax.