Car ride into Annapolis
AJAYA'S CRUISE
Phil & Nikki Hoskins
Sun 5 Jul 2009 19:12
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Today (3rd July) we were kindly driven into
Annapolis by one of our neighbours on the dock (we've stopped
calling it a pontoon now). They take their daughter into town for
dinghy racing most days. We had a fun day out, visiting an Amish market
- those fascinating people who wear old fashioned clothing in the
style of the Dutch settlers in the 1800s and drive round in the black horse
drawn traps. The men grow beards in the style of Abe Lincoln and wear
braces. They are very recognisable in the community although,
disappointingly there were no horses or traps to be seen on the day. They
hold a community market in an out of town shopping centre where they sell their
home made produce. Fantastic stuff - we could have spent $100s buying up lots of
tasty goodies. Phil's main interest was the rice cake machine that
blasted out fresh rice cakes with a loud bang every 30 seconds hurling them
against the protective screen. It was interesting seeing
people amble past looking around just as another rice cake was
jettisoned at some force against the perspex screen making them jump. We
think the little Amish girl thought it quite funny too as she then proceeded to
try and sell a large bag of them for $2.99. Certainly more interesting
than the doughnut makers we used to stare at in the
fairgrounds when we were young.
Annapolis was charming, with wonderful old
clapperboard houses and an interesting waterfront with a large Naval
Academy situated on the point. We drove past the spot where Kunta Kinte was
sold as a slave on which the series Roots was based.
Progress can be slow in a car around
Annapolis so we look forward to taking the boat up there for a few days and
meeting up with some good friends who also had the sense to go sailing in a
catamaran.
It was in the car trip back that the subject of
snakes arose - Nikki asked if there were any snakes in Maryland to which the
reply was - "there's actually one on your dock!!". Damn, we thought we'd left
the blasted water snakes behind in the Intracoastal! What's more, it was
muted that this particular snake for some unknown reason took a liking for one
of the boats previously moored on Club House Dock . The Captain's wife had
such a fear of this slippery critter that her husband bought her a machete and a
snake hunters hat (?). Now, whenever we walk off the dock to go ashore we are
eyeing up the reed beds and rocks to see any sign of Mr Sssnake. Well, we
haven't seen it yet so hopefully its moved on to pastures or reed
beds new.
 View across the sailing academy -
Annapolis
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