A brief getaway

Char and I took a mini-vacation to the Eastern Shore of Maryland a few days ago. Although our plan was to leave Friday morning, on the spur-of-the-moment we left Thursday evening and drove to the Annapolis area. This left us with only a little over an hour driving on Friday morning to reach our destination, giving us, basically, a full day there.

Our base while on the Eastern Shore was the Wades Point Inn, five miles west of St. Michaels. The inn, built in 1819, is a beautiful old mansion that sits right on the edge of the Chesapeake Bay.

We spent most of Friday exploring Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. On Saturday, I checked out several historical sights, including the birthplaces of Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass, while Char relaxed by the harbor at St. Michaels. Sunday we took an almost three-hour cruise on the Chesapeake Bay aboard the Rebecca T. Ruark, the oldest skipjack in the United States. Sunday evening we went to a small nightclub, the Night Cat, in Easton, to listen to two young ladies perform.

The weather was nice, enabling us to get in some outdoor activities and enjoy our short getaway.

At Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, I spotted this small male Chickweed Geometer moth. If you click on this photo to enlarge it, you'll see that his antennae are "feathery." This is what determines that it's a male. A geometer moth is one of thousands of moths in the family that comes from inchworm caterpillars. The name "geometer" ultimately derives from the term "earth measurer," which is, in effect, how the inchworm got its name -- appearing to measure the earth as it moves.

This was the third time we've stayed at Wades Point Inn. The inn is located on 72 acres, which are available for guests to explore. There is a small wetlands area, a pond, walking trails, and, of course, the Chesapeake Bay just outside the door!

Char relaxes in a hammock at the Wades Point Inn with the Chesapeake Bay in the background.

Here I am at the wheel of the Rebecca T. Ruark, the oldest skipjack in the United States. It was built in 1886. The "National Historic Landmark" sign refers to the boat, not to me. Skipjacks are the last working sailboats in the country. At one time there were hundreds of skipjacks "oystering" in the Chesapeake Bay. There are only about 40 remaining, with about half of those in the tourist trade, such as this one.