Mostly cloudy with gusty winds

When we are on the boat, we are much more aware of the current weather and the forecasts because they dictate what we can do and whether and in what direction we can travel. Right now, we still have maintenance to finish, so we wouldn't be sailing anyway, but all the other pleasure crafts, other than a couple out for a day sail, are still staying put. The watermen have returned to their trade despite the windy conditions. 

We have gotten into the habit of taking a walk each evening around sunset. Yesterday evening, there was another beautiful golden orange sky. As we walk, we also look at the flora, pondering the types. The app PictureThis is a great help to us. We found a beautiful tree covered in hanging clusters of white flowers, which we identified as black locust, which is endemic to only a few small areas of North America, mainly the Appalachian Mountains and the Ozarks, so it is not native here. 

Sunset with leaves blowing in the wind

Black locust tree by the water at sunset

Today, Peter worked some more on rewiring and finished rerouting some water pipes along the bulkhead to be able to prime the seawater wash-down hose on the bow for cleaning the anchor. I'm sure he did other things too, but I do not fully understand everything he does. He is just busy, busy, busy.

Meanwhile, I took my daily walk (weather permitting) through town. I admired some irises different than any I have seen before, ones that were not in bloom just a couple days ago. Also, I stopped in Treasure Chest, a lovely shop featuring high quality local artwork and artisan crafts. With no demands on my time, I stopped to talk with the owner, Joan, who makes exceptionally fine jewelry, discovering that she and her husband used to live aboard their boat, which they brought from Chicago through the Great Lakes and the Erie Canal to the East Coast to explore the Intracoastal Waterway. Then I went to the Oxford Market, where the  owner now recognizes me as the lady who comes every day around noon to purchase a fountain Diet Coke.

White and purple iris variety

Salmon, white, purple and orange variety of iris

Having finished my thorough cleaning down below and waiting for slightly warmer weather without a chill northeast wind to clean the decks and lines (because I always get myself wet when let loose with a hose), I occupied myself reading, studying Spanish and working on embroidery. At sunset, we set out to walk along the waterfront. The clouds were low in the sky and the sunset was not spectacular but did present muted shades of lavender. Peter decided we should eat out, so we stopped in the historic Robert Morris Inn for dinner. 

Mantra in the late afternoon light