Drivers, start your engines (eventually!)!!

This weekend we headed to Richmond to meet up with some NC friends for the NASCAR race, but the weather was just not cooperating!  Thankfully NASCAR postponed the race before we headed to the track Saturday night and we were able to spend the evening relaxing with our friends instead.  Then Sunday the rain stopped, the track was dried, and we saw the race!  Suck a great day with friends!

Happy 6th Boativersary!

Though the Captain is off gallivanting in Nicaragua today, the kids and I wished each other a Happy Boativersary!  6 years ago we arrived in Everett, Washington after a cross-country move and started moving aboard.  I'm not sure any of our friends and family thought it would last this long, but I think I knew from the start.  Still love our little home!

Ahoy, land-lubbers! (a.k.a. my family)

Our Illinois family finally made it out to the east coast for a brief visit!  Though only here for a few days, they managed to tour the Pentagon, tour Arlington Cemetery (with a behind-the-scenes visit with the Honor Guard!), see the peak of the cherry blossoms (and all the downtown craziness that ensues on closing weekend of the Cherry Blossom Festival), and experience a fantastic day of sailing on the Bay!  Good wind and no waves--couldn't ask for better conditions to take a few land-lubbers out!  :P

One other highlight was discovering a fun, local lodging option--the Seahorse Cottage!  Clean, artsy-quirky, and just 2 blocks from the town's boardwalk.  They loved it!  https://www.flipkey.com/north-beach-cottage-rentals/p286756/ 

The trip was too short, but I'm glad we got a little time together!

Science! TP race

These two adorable third-grade scientists asked a very boat-important question--which type of toilet paper dissolves the fastest?  They compared:
- 2-ply marine/RV "quick dissolve"
- 1-ply value (Scott)
- 2-ply value
- 2 play premium

And the winner was...

...1-ply!  Okay, that wasn't a surprise--Scott pretty much melts in a dry hand.  But, of the 2-ply entries, the value tissue dissolved the most!  It broke into much smaller pieces with gentle shaking than the marine/RV type.  Have we all been led astray???

Happy Easter!

Boat kids don't have a yard to hunt for eggs in, but the bunny gets creative around the marina!

I think they were happy!  Lots of eggs had money inside, so they are planning a big shopping trip!

Mini Spring Break Escape

With rain and gusty winds in the forecast we decided to check some more things off our "local fun" list while we're off for spring break.

Friday fun--the National Aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland.  We've been before, but not since they completed the new Blacktip Reef feature.  It's awesome!  The place was pretty crowded, but we still had a great time.  We left early in the evening and headed further north!

Saturday adventure--Philadelphia, Pennsylvania!  After spending the night near the Philly airport we headed into the city--a first visit for everyone!  We toured on foot, sticking mostly to the sites of the Independence National Historic Park--Independence Hall, Congress Hall, Christ Church burial ground, Franklin Court, Liberty Bell, and Betsy Ross's house.  It was awesome!  And I now know why capital letters are called "upper case!"  

We hit all of our "must" sites before 5 p.m. and are on our way home from a great mini trip!  

Back on the water

After 3 painful months of real winter, we finally escaped the marina yesterday!  First we had to say farewell to our dear neighbors who are heading south.  They found that the channel dredging wasn't quite what we all thought, so we waited a few hours before heading out.  On the Bay we enjoyed five hours of sweet, full-sail sailing before we completely lost the wind.  We anchored up the Little Choptank and enjoyed a spectacular sunset.

Today the wind is blowing from the south, kicking up whitecaps and rolling us a bit as we head downwind back to the marina.  It's pretty cold on the water!  The forecast for the rest of the week isn't favorable for a spring break on the water, so we are coming up with some other plans.  For now we are just happy to have made it out for a night.