Our Annual Visit to Maryland

It's that time of year when we invade Maryland to visit some of our favorite people.

One of the last flights we'll take on Southwest Airlines before they become just like all the other airlines.

I love going to the east coast. Maryland is beautiful. When you drive on the highway, you almost feel like you're in the middle of nowhere but no! Behind all these gorgeous trees is civilization.

I think I have a million of these pictures but driving over the Severn River is a pleasure. It's so peaceful looking. 

One of the cool things about visiting here is that this guy is always waiting to greet us! Haggis is so fun.

Dinner the first night with the family. Us with Aunt MaryAnn. She looks fabulous!

Every time we go and visit, Courtney has something new and fun for us to do. She is a great ambassador for her city. This year we went to the Maryland Seafood Festival and had some delicious food and a great time.

John and Emily enjoying the food from Jimmy's Famous Seafood and the company. The plate of crabs is what Courtney got. She's the master crab cracker and she didn't even use a mallet!

Me, Maeve and Courtney hanging out at the festival enjoying the food, the company and the day.

This is the Sandy Point Shoal Lighthouse. It was bBuilt in 1883 at the mouth of the Magothy River to mark the dangerous Sandy Point Shoal.

This is the Bay Bridge that goes over Chesapeake Bay. The view is from Sand Point Park. It was so pretty out there and we couldn't have had better weather.

Afterwards, we took Haggis for a swim at the beach.

I could sit out here all day and just enjoy this view from the beach in their neighborhood.

John and Emily. Whenever we come to town, Emily always joins us. I love hanging out with all these guys!

A beautiful sunset on the Severn River.

We had some time on our last day so we drove around some. This is a view of the Naval Academy from across the river.

In downtown Annapolis by the harbor, they have this cool statue. It's the Kunta Kinte - Alex Haley Memorial. It commemorates the arrival of Kunta Kinte in 1767. There's a plaque here as well. It's Alex Haley sharing his heritage with the children, suggesting that we should all do the same. I like it!

A lovely view of the Annapolis Harbor. There was a guy there with a net that looks like what you'd use to clean your pool and he was catching crabs with it. Sitting here was so peaceful.

At noon at the US Naval Academy, they have what's called the Noon Meal Formation. "This tradition started in 1905 to keep track of midshipmen, and it’s an evolution of the way in which troops were mustered, or assembled for roll call, during the Civil War. Today’s version is more for pageantry than practicality, but it is just as important. Midshipmen assemble into the six battalions comprising the Brigade. Outfitted in full uniform, some aim long swords toward the ground. They all stand at attention as each battalion announces its presence. With a loud and strong, "1st Battalion all present or accounted for," the opening line inspires a series of coordinated, crisp motions. The other battalions follow suit, all announcing their presence in the same manner, with the same motions, to the delight of the crowd. Once this ceremony is complete, the USNA band (or the Drum and Bugle Corps) breaks into the Naval Academy’s jaunty anthem and fight song, “Anchors Aweigh,” and then the powerful Marines’ Hymn, “The Halls of Montezuma.”." Because of the construction going on in front of Bancroft Hall, they had to improvise but it was still very cool.

While we were on the campus, we stopped at the chapel. In the basement is where the crypt of John Paul Jones is.

The inside of the chapel at the Naval Academy is lovely. 

We met up for lunch with Aunt MaryAnn and went to this quirky little place called Chick and Ruth's Delly. It's an institution in downtown Annapolis.

They are bi-partisan here. In the Governor's booth, they have a side for each party.

The restaurant opened 1965. All the items on the menu are named for political people. I got a cesar salad named for Steny Hoyer, a US Representative for Maryland. The other thing this place is famous for are the shakes. They have one called the Colossal that is a 6lb shake for $35. If you can finish it along with a 1 1/2 pound sandwich and do it in an hour, your photo goes up on the wall. They also have other milkshakes (less than 6 pounds) that would be a meal in themselves. The one that sounded interesting to me was a strawberry shake in a mason jar that was topped with a donut with vanilla icing and sprinkles.

It was a short trip but we always enjoy seeing the family. It's always a great time!