High Winds, High Water

Sunday (May 8) was a blustery and boring day and Monday was a busy day. On Sunday morning, bundled up, we left the shelter of our boat to use the extremely nice shower facilities in the marina clubhouse. Needless to say, we enjoyed the warm water probably more than was necessary to get clean. The 20 knot wind quickly dissipated our feeling of warmth as we walked back to Mantra, and we chose to remain inside the rest of the day. It was so dreary that even Peter couldn't rouse himself to accomplish much other than order more parts online and make some calculations. Scrabble was probably the highlight of the day. There started to be mumblings of mutiny!

Luckily, on Monday morning, we awoke to clear azure skies and sunlight streaming in through the portholes and hatches. Even though there was still a chilly northeast wind, I was cheered by the brightness down below and jumped right in to cleaning the rest of the headliners, the walls, the bookshelves and every other surface while Peter continued doing electrical rewiring in the galley. The pantry locker had to be emptied to facilitate this, and the only neat and organized area other than our cabin disappeared as the countertops became covered with food supplies and the table with more tools. 

Peter unloading the pantry locker and looking at the wiring

"This mess is so big and so deep and so tall..."

We realized that "this mess is so big and so deep and so tall...." that there was no place to prepare lunch or to eat it. We were forced to go out. Adjacent to the boatyard is a wonderful restaurant called Capsize with great views and delicious food. After lunch, we returned to our work. There was progress on projects but no progress on finding any clear horizontal surfaces, so we had chips and dip for dinner. We did manage to store some items that had been on the floor in the aft cabin so I was able to start cleaning that room.

Sherri and Peter at Capsize; Mantra on the far right on the docks

We took another break as the sun was setting and went for a short walk along the waterfront of the Tred Avon River. By the Bellevue-Oxford Ferry dock, we discovered an art installation entitled Rising Water. Standing on poles in the grassy area were miniature houses with chimneys (which we thought at first were bird houses). A local artist, Robert Walker, created and erected the them to symbolize the effect of rising waters in the Chesapeake Bay region, where already people are facing the prospect of raising their homes as water levels are predicted to rise more than two feet by 2050. 

Rising Water art installation

Sunset on the banks of the Tred Avon

As we walked to the Oxford Market for lunch today (still nowhere to eat onboard), it was impossible to miss the rising water levels. Both yesterday and today, some docks were underwater at high tide, providing a strange sight of boats tied to pilings with no way to access them from land. Water from the storm drains, meant to take excess rain water from the land to the streams and rivers, had filled with backed up brackish water in the open-top culverts beside the streets. In some places, whole sections of roadway were underwater. Sea level rise is clearly not a future problem.

Flooded streets on a sunny day

Docks submerged at high tide

I finished all the cleaning I could do this morning. (The nav table is unapproachable!) Now I am enjoying the views and the sunshine, writing this post and editing photos while simultaneously doing four loads of laundry in the marina's facilities. 

We are still waiting for the wind to abate so that the rigger can go up the mast and inspect everything and install new sheaves and other items. After that, we will be able to put all the sails back on the spars, a major step toward departure. 

The Nor'easter Has Settled In

As predicted, there was heavy rain overnight and the wind has been up to 30 knots today. There are no boats on the water today; even the watermen's craft never left the dock. There was a break of a few hours in the precipitation if not the wind earlier today, so I was able to walk around town and purchase my daily Diet Coke. I always see lots of cottontail rabbits. I am sure that they outnumber the human population.

Young cottontail on the dock

Meanwhile, back at the boat, Peter, who installed a new electric flushing mechanism on the toilet yesterday, had detected a small leak and also determined that the joker valve was not working properly, so he spent many hours today removing and disassembling the toilet and starting from scratch. He is, of course, a genius, and it all seems to work perfectly now.

Peter looking at the upside down toilet

I did a bit of cleaning today, and each day I prepare three good meals. In my abundant spare time, I read, do puzzles and study Spanish online. Tomorrow I think I will get out my current embroidery project. 

Peter and I are now huddled inside, playing Scrabble, with the space heater on intermittently. He is such a wonderful husband; he woke up before I did today and started it up in our cabin! We only use it for short periods of time, being ever conscious of the batteries since it runs off the inverter. We tend to be conservationists in terms of our usage of water and energy at home, but on the boat, particularly when we are not docked (which is most of the time), we are even more so, always aware that the water and fuel tanks hold large but finite amounts of liquid and the solar panels cannot supply all our needs. Living on a boat is a great way to learn about voltage and amps and other electrical terms. 

The outside temperature is 50 degrees F, and it doesn't feel much warmer below deck because the space heater has been off for a while. It's time to boil water for our hot water bottle and snuggle into bed with a book.

This is what it looks like from the dock

Exploring Oxford Some More

The skies continue to be overcast and there has been light drizzle throughout the day. Heavy rain, up to 2 inches, is expected during the night and will continue through the weekend. The wind gust forecast is now 30 knots, and boats traveling on the Chesapeake Bay are seeking shelter. A few have arrived on the docks here today. 

Mantra on the dock under gray skies at Oxford Boatyard

Leaving Peter to work on Mantra, I set out for a walk around Oxford. Today, the Oxford Museum was open. (Like the library, it is staffed by volunteers, so only opens four days a week.) Although small, it presents all types of artifacts and great narratives on the history of this small town. For your enjoyment (and my memory), I will provide a bit of information about Oxford, which is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. 

Oxford Museum in the center of town

Located on the eastern shore of the Chesapeake Bay, Oxford has been inhabited by European settlers since around 1660. Of course, the area was the home of indigenous people of the Choptank tribe for centuries before this. Tobacco was the staple of the early colonists' economy; the first recorded sale (of 1500 barrels) was recorded in 1669. The Maryland General Assembly designated Oxford a seaport in 1683, and the plan for the town was laid out and lots were sold in 1684. In 1694, Oxford and Annapolis (then Anne Arundel) were designated as the only ports of entry for Maryland. By then, the town was surrounded by wealth-generating tobacco plantations and soon developed as an international shipping destination. 

There were many free Blacks in early Oxford, but there is also documentation of ships unloading enslaved people from Senegal to this port in the 1770's. However, many probably arrived before then as slavery on the plantations was essential to the agrarian economy.

Between the end of the American Revolution and the end of the Civil War, Oxford suffered from trade loss, business bankruptcies and a severe decrease in population as maritime trade all but ceased and wheat replaced tobacco as the major crop. By 1783, the population was 98 and cattle could be found grazing in the streets. In the 1870's, a new railroad line to the town as well as improved methods of canning and packing opened national markets for oysters from the Chesapeake, and Oxford revived with houses being built and businesses being established at a rapid pace. Tourists from major east coast cities traveled by rail or ship to enjoy a break from urban life. The population grew to over 1200. However, by the 1920's, the oyster beds had been exhausted, the packing houses closed, and bankruptcy again became common. By 1940, the population was 846, consisting mostly of remaining watermen and their families.

Mural of watermen on the side of the grocery store

Boatbuilding has been a continuing industry in Oxford since the 1600's, but the emphasis shifted from working boats to recreational craft in the 1920's. In 1931, 124 boats, captained and crewed by watermen, competed in the first sailing race, and the first sailing club was established. During the Depression and WWII, recreational sailing was minimal, but in the 1950's, tourism and leisure activities again became a central part of Oxford's culture and economy. 

Unique red tin clad building constructed in 1894 as the Oddfellows Hall for African Americans

For much of its history, Oxford's population was mixed race, with African Americans respresenting about half the population. Then gentrification occurred. Oxford's old houses became weekend vacation homes for wealthy people from the Washington, DC, area. The COVID-19 pandemic allowed many of these to become full-time residents because of virtual work. The population in 2020 was 651. Over 90% of the population is White/Caucasian and less than 1% is African American. It is a town for wealthy white retirees; the median age is 61, and only 10% of the 300+ households have children under the age of 18. 

The pace of life is slow. People obviously lavish attention on their gardens and the fine details of their homes (or hire someone to do so). Everyone to whom I have spoken (and everyone in the shops and on the street seems to have plenty of time to talk) has been friendly and eager to share information about their town. I like it here, but I do not think I could move to a place with such a lack of multiculturalism. 

More historic houses in Oxford

Hundreds of pink tulips in front of gorgeous home

Azaleas, pansies and other flowers found in many front gardens

Irises, another popular choice

Before returning to the boat, I stopped in the town's new and used book store, where the proprietor was happy to talk to me about her hometown. People are worried that the imminent storm will result in great petal loss in their spring gardens. She assured me that gardening is taken seriously here, sometimes taken to the level of competitive sport.

Meanwhile, back at the boat, Peter works and works. Today he is re-routing water lines, doing something with electricity (that represents the extent of my understanding), and installing an electric flushing mechanism on the toilet. (For those of you have been on board in the past, if you return, you will no longer need to pump!) After preparing him a nutritious, warm and attractive lunch, I had to leave. Not only are there tools everywhere, but he was getting ready to take up the floorboards to access lines. There has been limited availability of places to sit; now, moving about the saloon and cabins is a challenge. I am sitting in the marina's clubhouse, where it is warm and cozy. It's about 60 degrees outside, which means that it's about 60 degrees down below on Mantra. I have suggested that it may soon be time to get out the space heater. The temperature is going to be in the mid-40's the next three nights! I have already made use of the hot water bottle at bedtime.

The navigation table used for tools and installation instructions

The toilet, pipes and wiring undergoing work

The aft cabin also used for tools and parts

The dining table doubling as a workbench; the master cabin (through the door) clean and tidy under stuff stacked there by Peter

The clean and organized galley, the only place untouched by tools and projects

The rain is supposed to begin in earnest in about an hour, so I will add some photos and post this. 

Back to Boating

Mantra is back in the water. She was supposed to splash two weeks ago, but, alas, that did not happen, mostly due to high winds. I arrived in Washington, DC, early on the morning of April 23, where Peter, who had gone ahead of me to start preparing our boat for sailing, picked me up. We spent a great weekend in Washington, staying with our good friend Lori. It became apparent that there had not been full disclosure about the amount of work that needed to be done before we could sail. Since Mantra was still on the hard and would not be in the water until the middle of the week of April 25, I opted to stay in Washington and delight myself with the inexhaustible offerings of museums, monuments, concerts and gardens and enjoy a longer visit with Lori.

Sherri and Peter at the National Arboretum, where the azaleas were amazing

Sherri and Peter at a restaurant in Georgetown

Trendy folk musicians at the Millinneum Stage

Sherri at the Yayoi Kusama exhibit at the Hirshhorn

Sherri on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial

Sherri with the Presidential dog Fala at the FDR Memorial

Peter returned the next weekend, and we spent two busy days at the Museum of African American History and the Museum of the American Indian and attended concerts at the Millinneum Stage at the Kennedy Center on Saturday and the National Gallery of Art on Sunday. 

Chamber musicians on the Millinneum Stage

On Monday morning, we drove to Oxford Boat Yard in Maryland, where Peter got back to work on his long list of tasks and I started cleaning and organizing below deck. There is always some mold on the head liner when we return after having left Mantra for a while, but this is the worse case I have encountered. In addition, since the boat had some work done on her in our absence, she was not always closed up, so dust and pollen had accumulated on every surface, whether horizontal or vertical. I spent all of Monday afternoon and most of Tuesday morning just cleaning the galley. Yesterday, I attacked the dirt and mold in our cabin. There are a lot of nooks and crannies, and I may be getting too old to be climbing on top of lockers to lie on my back in cramped spaces to stretch to remote corners! 

Meanwhile, Peter has been working on various projects including the engine, the rigging, the toilet, the water systems and the navigation systems. A rigger is scheduled to go up the mast and inspect and replace parts as needed, hopefully earlier than later next week, when the wind has settled. The weather here has been mostly cloudy, and it is only going to get more dismal. Right now, a sheet of opaque silver-gray cloud, like an endless roll of cotton batting, reaches from horizon to horizon, obscuring the sun and the blue sky above. We are expecting heavy winds (15-20 knots with gusts up to 25) and rain this weekend so we will need to batten down the hatches. Thankfully, new deck hatches were installed this spring, so for the first time, we will not need to deploy old towels over tables and countertops and beds to protect them. 

Unlike Deltaville, Virginia, where we have left the boat before, Oxford is a charming little town filled with   18th and 19th century wooden houses and lovely gardens, so it is pleasant to take a walk every day. There is a cozy little library run by volunteers and a quaint grocery store that is not adequately stocked for full provisioning (but we made a run to a supermarket on Monday evening before returning the rental car on Tuesday morning). However, it has fountain Diet Cokes, so I am truly appreciative! We do not bother to run the freezer on our boat, so there is no ice for drinks. It is a small tradeoff for being able to travel to so many wonderful places in our second home. 

Home in Oxford with the old carriage step in front

Charming little house in Oxford

Garden in front of the Robert Morris Inn

House with beautiful shade tree

Home on the water with typical white fence

Yet another lovely house and garden

And another!

There is no need to ask for a definite date for beginning to travel, as I have learned over the years. I am hoping for the third week in May.  

Done Sailing for the Season, Back in Washington

On Thursday (July 29), Peter and I packed two suitcases apiece (one of his contains only tools) and personal bags and worked on getting everything ready for hauling out the boat on Friday. Among the jobs were getting all the lines off the deck to keep them cleaner (my task) and pulling the two outboard motors out of the forepeak so that Peter could get them ready for storage until next spring. On Friday (July 30), we got up at 6 a.m. to do final tasks. I needed to launder all the sheets and towels we had been using as well as a load of our clothes, and Peter had to shut down systems and do other jobs. The boatyard was ready to get started around 9:30. We cast off the lines and motored over to the travel lift. I dogged down all the hatches and closed all the durades while Peter coiled lines and got other things on deck ready. And then Mantra was lifted out of her natural habitat, the water, and put up on tripod stands on the hard. Forlornly, she rests on the land, longing, I am sure, for the open sea. 

Mantra on the hard

While the boatyard people were getting here secured on land, Peter and I went out to lunch at Capsize Restaurant nextdoor to the marina. Then, I finished laundry before joining Peter on the boat far above the ground, to drain the water tanks, secure the protective tarp and do final preparations for abandoning her in Maryland. Peter will be back on the fall to work on hatches and deck repairs and many other items.

Then we drove to Washington, D.C., arriving at 8 p.m. at Lori's house, where she had prepared a delicious dinner for us of a squash casserole and a colorful salad with produce from her garden. 

This morning, we slept in and enjoyed breakfast and conversation with Lori before departing around 10 a.m. for downtown. We caught a bus to the Renwick Gallery, a jewel among the Smithsonian museums. On the first floor is exhibited the works of the four winning artists of the Renwick Invitational 2020: Forces of Nature. The first installation was composed of hundreds of suspended rows of squares of cotton dyed with indigo in subtly different values. The artist, Rowland Ricketts, grows and processed his own indigo in Indiana, having apprenticed with Japanese growers and dyers, and then creates his art installations in collaboration with others.

The second artist, Laren Fenterstock, also exhibited a single piece entitled The Totality of Time Lusters the Dark. Stylizied clouds and a glistening comet with a tail stretching to the end of the piece are suspended over a garden comprised of ponds among grasses and other plants, all in shades of black. Encrusted in crystals, glass and obsidian, the room-size piece of art is glittering and ominous. 

The Totality of Time Lusters the Dark

The third gallery contains a stunning series of four trees--a magnolia, a cherry, a winter plum and a wisteria--glass sculptures by artist Debora Moore. Colorful, luminous, peaceful and amazing in their fine detail, they awed us with their beauty, and we circled among them for some time. 

Magnolia bloom in glass

Magnoia tree

Plums

Wisteria

The works in the final installation, by Tim Horn, takes inspiration from seventeenth century jewelry patterns, baroque decoration, and patterns found in nature, such as those made by lichen and coral. While some of the works are crafted from bronze and glass, others are made of crystallized rock sugar over frameworks of metal and wood. One of these is a ornate chandelier while another is a carriage modeled after one found in the home of Alma Spreckels, the wealthy wife of a man who made his fortune in the sugar industry. 

Gorgonian

Crystallized sugar carriage

After being wowed by the art on the first floor, we visited the second floor of the Renwick to enjoy the contemporary crafts on display there. I have seen these works during previous visits, but they are well worth viewing again. Peter was particularly impressed with The Bureau of Bureaucracy, a large piece exhibiting superb carpentry skills as well as whimsy and satire. 

Janet Echelman's 1.8 Renwick

The weather in Washington today was magnificent, warm and sunny but not hot. There are many, many more tourists than there were just a couple weeks ago but it still did not seem crowded. I don't think the tour bus industry is in full swing. We walked past majestic federal buildings and the White House and encountered a memorial sculpture for the Boy Scouts of America. We walked along the Mall to the Sculpture Garden of the National Gallery of Art, where we had a satisfying lunch at the cafe there. 

Peter at the Monument to the Boy Scouts of America

Peter was interested in going to the Rodin sculpture garden, but I assured him that it did not exist in Washington. He was sure that it did, and I finally realized that he was remembering the Rodin sculptures in the Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden, so we walked across the Mall and strolled around there, admiring not only Rodin's Burghers of Calais, Walking Man and Balzac as well as work by other modern sculptors such as Henry Moore and Jean Arp. 

Peter and The Burghers of Calias

We caught a bus back to Glover Park and returned to Lori's, where she and her "friend" German were preparing a dinner of pisto (Spanish vegetable stew), rice and salmon. It was nice becoming better acquainted with him over a fine meal.

More museums tomorrow!

Back in Oxford after the Beach and another Sojourn in Washington

Except for Matthew, who is trapped in England, and my brother-in-law Rich, who is trapped by his work as an oral surgeon, everyone in the Rodgers family was at the beach in Ocean City, Maryland: my dad and his 5 children and 4 spouses; 9 out of 10 grandchildren plus 3 spouses and 1 boyfriend in that generation; and all 8 of Dad's great-grandchildren. Joining us, as usual, was my good friend Lori and her 2 children plus 3 of their friends, and, for a couple days, Lori's boyfriend and 2 of his children. We were very fortunate to have consistently great weather all week, and we enjoyed lots of time on the beach, kayaking on the bay, dinner out one night, an evening of putt-putt golf, a pirate ship ride for the little kids and their parents and grandparents one morning, and lots of good food. On Thursday of beach week, Terry and Karen came with us to Oxford and we spent a few hours sailing on Mantra. 

The whole gang

The putt-putt golfers

My brother Terry and his wife Karen on Mantra

Terry at the helm

Zofi becoming a mermaid

Katya, Peter and I returned to the boat on Saturday, July 24, and took advantage of having three people to take down the mainsail and the sail cover and put up the enormous shade tarp that extends from the bow to the pilot house. It keeps the boat cooler and stops the rain from leaking in through the failing deck hatches, but it's like a tomb down below. Katya declared that her definition of a boat is: a lot of work! 

Peter and I were unable to take down the headsail on Sunday (July 25) morning because of gusty wind, so Katya and I were able to get an early start to Washington, D.C. Our first destination was the National Arboretum. Katya was interested in seeing the National Bonsai and Penjing exhibit. The museum is currently closed due to COVID-19, but there was plenty to admire in the gardens. We also visited the Herb Garden and the meadow with the Capitol Columns. These 22 sandstone Corinthian columns once graced the east portico of the U.S. Capitol, from 1828 to 1958. The columns were removed when an addition to the east side of the building was added in the mid-20th century.

Penjing garden with figurine

Katya admiring bonsai

Bonsai forest

Bonsai with stripped bark

The Capitol Columns

Katya in the Herb Garden of the National Arboretum

We planned to spend most of the day at the Museum of Natural History, perhaps our favorite Smithsonian. However, when we approached it after having had lunch in Penn Quarter, we found a line from 14th Street to the central entrance on the Mall side (about two blocks) and an equally long line on Constitution Avenue. We estimated that we would spend at least an hour waiting to get in, so we sadly walked away and decided to visit the National Gallery of Art instead. Katya roamed around in no orderly fashion while I took up where I had left off a couple weeks ago and visited the galleries of the eastern side of the main building in proper order. By 4 p.m., our legs and feet were tired and our minds really did not want to absorb anything else, so we drove to Lori's house in the Glover Park neighborhood. 

Katya by the fountain in the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden

Lori fixed a great dinner for her daughter Elizabeth, her friend Zofi, Katya, me and herself. Elizabeth had discovered a venue where art and technology are merged, and the five of us had tickets for the 9:00 entrance to Artechouse, a place that features a themed, interactive experience. Inspired by the cherry blossom festival, the visuals evoke scenes of Tokyo now and 100 years from now, and imagines the impacts of climate change and pollution and the roles of AI. Through movement within the various galleries, the audience could produce change, including blossoming trees and flocks of butterflies, bringing hope to what were otherwise colorful, magnetic yet disturbing scenes. We stayed for an hour immersing ourselves in the experience.

Butterflies in response to Sherri's movement

Trashed Tokyo with emerging cherry trees

Katya creating movement in a pan with her hand

A place to create chime-like music with hand movements

Cherry trees and butterflies in the main exhibit

Unfortunately, the Smithsonian is just in the process of re-opening. Many of the museums, such as Air and Space and the Hirshhorn, are still closed, and those that are open are on a reduced schedule. None of them is open seven days a week as usual. Unfortunately, the Natural History is not open on Mondays and Tuesdays, so Katya and I had to make another choice. The building of the National Botanic Gardens is closed due to the pandemic, but the outside areas are open, so we went there first before it became too hot. As we made our way to the Freer Gallery, we also explored various small but colorful and delightful Smithsonian gardens including the Mary Livingston Ripley Garden, the Kathrine Dulin Folger Rose Garden, the Moongate Garden and the Enid A. Haupt Garden outside the Castle. 

Katya and Sherri at the National Botanic Gardens

Mother of thousands plant

Coneflowers

Crimson pitcher plants

At the Freer, we discovered many interesting things about Asian and Middle Eastern art through the pieces on display; learned about the life, styles and techniques of the Japanese artist Horusai; admired atmospheric landscape and portrait paintings by Whistler and Dewing and other turn of the previous century American artists; and delighted in the bold interior design and display of Freer's Asian vases and other ceramics in the Peacock Room designed by Whistler. 

Katya and I had lunch downtown and then took the bus back to Lori's. Katya had received a text notification that her flight at 5:25 p.m. was delayed an hour, which only gave her 10 minutes to make a connection in Charlotte. Luckily, I was able to change her routing and get her home via Dallas/Ft. Worth on a flight leaving at 5 p.m. and I still had enough time to drive her to Washington National airport by 4 p.m. 

That evening, Lori and I were joined by Mary (whom I had never met), who is visiting with her daughter Zofi (whom I have know for several years) from Vietnam. With champagne, cheese and crackers and a salad using delicious ingredients from Lori's garden, we passed several hours in lively conversation. They are both single and dating, so there was plenty of "girl" talk.

The next morning, I drove to Annapolis so that the body shop that will be repairing the damage to Peter's car could take photos and make and estimate for the insurance company. We will leave the car at this shop when we depart the east coast next Tuesday by plane, and Peter will pick it up when he returns in late September or early October to spend a month working on the boat. 

Peter has been sick for the last couple of days with a sinus infection, so he probably was not as productive as usual during the two days I was gallivanting around Washington. Several family members have post-vacation colds and illnesses and he is among the afflicted. Although it is unlikely COVID, he is getting a test tomorrow. 

He continues to work on the autopilot and other projects. Yesterday, I sewed the gaping seams in the cushions for the navigation table seat, a task that should have been done long ago. This morning, wind conditions allowed us to remove the genoa (headsail) and that and the main are now stored in the boatyard's sail loft. I have washed the cushion covers for the pilot house seats and will be doing some minor sewing repairs later today. 

Our short summer of sailing has winded down. On Friday, Mantra will be hauled to spend another fall and winter on the hard. Next year we have plans to cover hundreds of miles of water and explore new places, including Maine, Nova Scotia and possibly Greenland, Iceland, Scotland, England, the Atlantic coasts of France, Spain and Portugal and finally the Med.