May 17-19                              Havre de Grace, Maryland

With a flexible time schedule, we decided to engage someone to polish the upper part of the boat.  The hull had been polished last year but we were concerned about the rest of the boat.  It was clear that oxidation had occurred and most of the shine had disappeared.  This was a problem that could not be ignored.  As oxidation increases, repair becomes more intensive and expensive.  A contact with the marina produced positive results.  Linda and Joe were recommended, inspected the boat, and gave us a reasonable estimate.  We would have to stay in Havre de Grace for two additional days but that was not a problem.

Linda and Joe arrived early on Friday and went to work.  A 58’ boat with a fly bridge and aft deck has many surfaces to clean and polish.  It would be a big job. David and I decided this would be a good time to leave and explore the town on our bicycles.  Riding south from the marina, we came to a lovely park with a promenade on the river.  The evening was cool and pleasant and many families were picnicking and cooking out. We rode through some of the adjacent neighborhoods and admired the lovely homes surrounded by blooming azaleas, rhododendrons, and iris.  Havre de Grace has been fortunate to retain many of its historic homes.

Saturday was overcast and cool.  It was a great day for Linda and Joe to polish the boat.  Again we left them to walk into town.  Lunch was at Laurrapin, a local restaurant that looked as if it had recently been decorated by the TV show Restaurants Impossible.  It had new wooden floors, terracotta walls, and many lovely details that made it special.  David ordered fried eggplant that came with a light marinara sauce, olive tapenade, goat cheese, and spinach garnish.  He loved it.  My mussels in a wine and butter sauce were delicious.

We explored several antique shops but found nothing special until we went into one that was totally disorganized and dirty.  With stacks of vintage Playboy magazines on tables and in boxes and a multitude of books scattered on shelves and the floor, it was difficult to find the few treasures almost hidden by the clutter.  To my amazement, I saw a beautiful white marble fireplace mantle that must have come from a mansion, a magnificent brass bed in perfect condition, and an elaborate antique wrought iron bed.  The owner must be independently wealthy because he obviously cared nothing about displaying to advantage anything in his shop and paid almost no attention to customers.

The local library was having a book sale.  David returned to the boat and I spent time perusing the stacks of books at the sale.  For five dollars, I bought five great books in excellent condition, an interesting cookbook with recipes from the 1950’s by Craig Claiborne, food critic of the New York Times, a novel by Eudora Welty, whose stories of the South are always filled with regional nuances, a history of the six ruling queens of England, and Bill Bryson’s history of the English language. Bryson’s books always combine personal observation and humor with history. The final book was on Beretta guns and I bought it as a gift for Blake, who proudly owns a shotgun made by that renowned Italian manufacturer.

 Dinner was light fare on the boat.  I cooked the polish sausage bought at the Baltimore deli, added sauerkraut, apples, and a little cinnamon for a delicious meal.  Chocolate pudding with shortbread cookies was dessert.

Due to predictions, we had showers on Saturday night that lasted sporadically until after eleven on Sunday morning.  As soon as they stopped, Laura and Joe were at the boat ready to begin the polishing.  David and I stayed inside and watched the Sunday news programs, read The Washington Post, and completed small projects.  We were eager to resume our journey and were hopeful the polishing project would be completed today.  Laura and Joe did not disappoint us.  When they finished at three o’clock, the exterior of the boat once again was shiny.  We were pleased with their work.

Using the marina courtesy van, we went to the small grocery store to replenish our supplies.  With the van, we could buy heavy items we could not carry on our bikes.  After unloading our bags and viewing the large assortment of food in the pantry, refrigerator, and freezer, we opted to go out for dinner!  David was eager to experience Price’s Seafood, the small crab house, a favorite of locals, about a mile walk from the marina.  It was clean, attractive, and offered a limited menu with crabs, clams, and fish.  I had wonderful sautéed soft shell crabs and David ordered steamed crabs.  He received eight Blue crabs covered in Old Bay Seasoning and he attacked them with the accompanying mallet.  He ate all of them.  Shells and crab covered the table and his shirt.  His chin was orange from the seasoning.  It was a lot of work but he loved it!

On our leisurely walk back to the boat, we again admired the charming downtown and the lovely homes.  One brightly painted turquoise and pink house displayed a sidewalk in front covered with “truisms” written in colored chalk.  It reminded me of the new installation of truisms in LED lights by Jenny Holzer at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. The bikes were loaded onto the boat and we performed preliminary tasks to help us leave early on Monday morning.