We left Solomon’s after an amazing dinner at the Dry Dock restaurant – a table on the upstairs deck, seafood for dinner, key lime pie for dessert, perfect weather.  Celebrating 38 years together.  We had a marvelous two weeks at Zahniser’s, with our children and grandchildren joining us from Alexandria and long-distance participation in that gathering from our Chicago gang  (thanks to the mail and electronics).

   

We said our good-byes and thanks to the staff earlier in the day.  They are top notch – courteous, accommodating, and all first-rate at what they do.  We we have stopped at Zahniser’s for the past 11 years when in the Chesapeake and hope to continue for many more.

We had a 72-mile day of washing-machine-type seas on our way to Carter Creek and Dead and Bones Cove, another of our most-favorite anchorages.  Passing The Tides Inn, we anchored close to the same spot where we were in 2008.  Little has changed – the homes are magnificent, the residents passing by in their boats (I “love” the evening cocktail cruisers in their Duffy’s) so welcoming, and the entertainment is provided by herons fishing, deer getting a drink by the water’s edge, and plenty of birds (I wish I knew more about bird calls).  Mother Nature and serenity.  

   

Peace and quiet, and a rainy afternoon that allowed me to polish the brass oil lamp we’ve had for over 30 years.  Funny, that’s exactly what I did in this same spot 11 years ago.  Lunch at The Tides would have been nice, but with the rainy conditions it didn’t make much sense to try to dinghy over there, and taking a dock there overnight is astoundingly expensive – close to $200 per night to tie up.

We lifted anchor on Monday morning and headed to Urbanna, a major port for the tobacco trade in the mid-1700’s and home to one of the oldest roads in America, the last remaining Scottish Factor (general) Store in America, and John Mitchell’s Map of the British and French Dominions in North America, used to negotiate the Treaty of Paris which ended the Revolutionary War.   We’ll leave Urbanna tomorrow (the 11th) and head to Deltaville, where we’ll reconnect with cruising buddies we met in Marathon, who just happen to be back in the area getting work done on their boat.  Next week, friends from New Bern will drive up to spend a couple of days with us, then we’ll continue on south towards home.