A Small Drinking Village with a Sailing Problem - Spring Sailboat Show Annapolis MD

 

 

 

 

This past weekend, we took the family up to Annapolis for the Spring Sailboat Show.  This was our second trip to Annapolis and we had a great time.  It's such neat place with a great history and a real passion for sailing.  The weather was perfect, the crowds were light, and we got to spend more time exploring the downtown area.

 

As far as boats, we got to climb on a Baba 30 double-ender which happens to be on my list of top classic cruising sailboats, a very well maintained Gozzard 31 cutter (also makes the list), then the newly released and spacious Bavaria Vision 42/45s (Cruising World's Boat of the Year for 2013), several really nice Beneteaus, a crazy over-the-top luxurious Hylas 70 Raised Salon (completely ruined all my wife's expectations for a boat in the sub 40 class), a very sweet Tartan 4400, and many, many others.  This definitely got us excited about the prospect of doing a few bare boat charters on the bay in the future.  First, we want to take a few classes from the Maryland School of Seamanship and get our ASA certs so we can sail these larger boats with confidence!

 

A few other highlights for the trip included watching the "Pride of Baltimore II" as it sailed north for home, taking a ride in the bay on a cool Euro-styled Lazer, watching the high schoolers on their 420s battling to qualify for Nationals, eating at Storm Bros. Ice Cream, and watching my little girls ballet dancing as a street performer played a waltz on the viola.  We've come to really like this town and can't wait for our next trip to Annapolis - the small drinking village with a sailing problem.



Ward Family at the Beach - Part 2

Ward Family at the Beach - Part 1

Here are a few pics I took of the girls with my iPhone during our weekend trip to the beach.  They had a blast playing in the sand and splashing in the surf!  This was a quick get-away to decompress and have a little fun in the sun while the warm temperatures are still here.  These pictures were taken  near Lynnhaven Inlet just west of First Landing State Park.  The water is much calmer on the bay side.  You can see a few barges off in the distance.  A couple of guys with casting nets were demonstrating their skill at stalking schools of mullet.  Fun times!!

Fly Fishing North Fork Moormans River Charlottesville Virginia

See me?  The name's Crawdaddy!

 With the low gin clear water, the native Brookies are laying low...but they're still there.

Amber and I had a rare opportunity to get away for the weekend, so we headed west for Charlottesville and had a wonderful little get-away.  It was just a slow, stress free weekend.  Amber and I decided we need to be more intentional about taking more quality time like this.  We spent the better part of Saturday at Monticello, followed by a dinner visit with some dear relatives. 

To close out the weekend, we decided to take advantage of the weather and make the short drive to the Shenandoah National Park to check out a little trout stream I heard about.  The North Fork Moormans River is a small blue ridge mountain stream in Albemarle County, just outside of Charlottesville.  The water was extremely low but there was plenty of flora and fauna besides.  This little free stone stream is home to a small population of native brook trout, mostly in the upper reaches.  The forest was practically teeming with Swallow-Tails, lush vegetation, and various wildflowers.  We spotted a few trout but they were extremely shy and we weren't really prepared for the conditions.  Nevertheless, we enjoyed hiking and soaking in the beauty of our Heavenly Father's creation.

Little Girls Fishing with Daddy

A special day with Daddy's two very special little girls...

Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond Virginia

If you ever get the opportunity, take the family over to Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden for the day.  The garden is a beautiful place to visit with reasonable admission and plenty to see and do for all ages.  They have a butterfly exhibit, a conservatory, a splash pad for children, and 50 acres of gardens with dozens of themes.

Family Camping Trip to Pocahontas State Park