October 26-29                   Baltimore, Maryland

We decided to return to Baltimore for a few days and visit with our good friends, Andrea and George.  They would be coming from Fort Worth to see George’s son, a physician at Johns Hopkins University and Medical Center. We expected to meet them on October 28 but the threat of rain prompted us to leave early. Although there was considerable cloudiness, the day was warm and the wind was negligible.  We made a quick trip and were again fortunate to have a slip at the Inner Harbor. 

We needed to do some re-stocking so we decided to walk to the Cross Street Market, about five blocks from the harbor in the historic Federal Hill area.  Occupying a long building that covers the area between two main streets, the Cross Street Market had a diverse display of individual stalls with meats, produce, vegetables, fruits, flowers, and sundry items. There were also a number of places serving cooked foods, to take out or eat there.  The prices were much better than the Food Fresh store on the opposite side of the harbor and the food appeared to be fresher. Our bags were heavy and we opted to ride the free bus back to the marina.  David steamed the mussels and made a delicious stock from the broth for cippino.  He added fresh fish and shrimp to the mussels, stirred them into the broth, and within minutes, we had an outstanding seafood meal that would rival anything in the city.

On Thursday, Andrea and George came to visit.  Andrea is always a delight and we were pleased to see George for the first time in many years.  After a tour of the boat, we went to Phillips Seafood Restaurant, a popular place on the waterfront.  We were seated outside and had the opportunity to enjoy the pleasant weather as well as the company of two long-time friends. George regaled us with stories from his medical practice years. After lunch, George graciously asked us to go with them in their car for a short tour of the Fells Point and Canton area.  We were surprised to see the large number of cobblestone streets and lovely old buildings in those areas.  As elsewhere in Baltimore, we saw no graffiti or litter.  Impressive! 

After the departure of our guests, I walked several blocks into the Federal Hill area to a delightful bookstore, The Book Escape.  It was a warren of small rooms filled with new, old, and rare books in mostly unpainted wooden shelves from floor to ceiling.  A small reading area furnished with a fireplace, old chairs and sofas seemed like a perfect place to spend some time.  After browsing the shelves, I found several books that needed to go home with me—one that I plan to give to Dave for Christmas and another on the Cone sisters whose remarkable art collection form the nucleus of the Impressionist galleries of the Baltimore Art Museum.

We had a problem with one of the air-conditioners and were told that a repairperson could come on Friday; this meant that we would stay a day longer than planned in Baltimore.  This gave us an opportunity to call Timberly, the daughter of our neighbor,  and invite her and her family to visit us on the boat.  They came that evening and their precocious daughter, Jocelyn, a seven-year old “monkey,” who climbed into and out of the bunk beds with amazing agility, charmed and entertained us.  Jocelyn had painted whiskers on her face in preparation for the Halloween weekend.