Summer in Baltimore

—Blogpost written by Bob 

Friday, September 4

The morning featured a beautiful clear sky and a cooler temperature (upper 70's).  There was a slight breeze out of the north northwest.  We ate breakfast (pancakes) onboard while sitting in the cockpit.

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Our local news provides all the coronavirus statistics from across the state (Maryland).  They list the number of cases reported, deaths, and positivity rates, all by county.  The positivity rates currently range from about 2% to 5%.

Lola watches a bug near the
companionway slide and
provides a cover shot
for this blog.

The afternoon was hot and humid and I got very little done in the way of boat projects.

I think this bird sitting on our boat is
an immature night heron. Later
in life, their colors change
 to light gray and black.

The tornado experienced last night in Maryland cut a swath of destruction 100 yards wide by 6 miles long in Edgewater, near Annapolis.  A 12,000-pound sailboat (about 28 feet long) was blown from a lift on the South River onto the nearby dock.  (It is very rare to have tornados in this area of the country.)

Saturday, September 5

The outside temperature was very cool in the morning (upper 60's) and the sky was clear.  It seemed like October had arrived.  After a light breakfast on board, I got right to work on lightly sanding the chimney base and adding another coat of Cetol (the second coat of at least five coats).

Since September has an "R" in it (an old guideline for when oysters are available), I decided to make oyster stew.  I make it the old fashioned way with onions and milk, of course.  However, I also use one diced potato and a can of corn--this makes it more like a chowder.  (We couldn't find the good OTC crackers at the grocery store and had to settle for mere soup crackers. I will search the internet for them for next time.)

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I really appreciate good wildlife photography and one of my favorite wildlife photographers is Mark Smith.  Check out his YouTube channel at this link. 

One of the many excellent photographs
of ospreys by Mark Smith.

The weather was hot again in the afternoon and my boat projects stopped dead in their tracks.

Sunday, September 6

The morning was cool and dry, like a September morning should be.

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Trump’s lying, immorality, and corruption has had an influence on me—an influence that I don’t particularly like.  I’ve been plotting to “egg” a power boat in our marina that recently displayed a Trump flag.  (In my mind, anyone who displays a Trump flag in Baltimore gets what he deserves!)  The power boat (a cheap shitty one at that, hailing from Miami) is in slip C-30 according to my recent reconnaissance on my way back from the showers.  By “egging” the boat in the beginning of a work week, the smashed eggs will have a chance to really mature by the weekend when the disdainful boat owner returns.  

I don’t want to get caught for the “egging.” The marina has surveillance cameras all over.  So, I have to do some research on the surveillance system before attempting the deed.  (A nearby boat neighbor got caught removing a Trump bumper sticker on someone's car in the garage by the surveillance cameras.)

So far, the “egging” has not gone any further than my imagination.  When I step back and view myself with an objective lens, “egging” someone's boat is a pretty immature act.  I am certainly not immature.  I am a college graduate, a mechanical engineer (as well as a licensed Professional Engineer), and was a reputable business owner for most of my life.  Why have I spent valuable time thinking about something so small and immature?  Clearly, America has become deeply divided under Trump and it has affected us all.

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I did a little bit of sanding to shape a section of toe rail (starboard bow) that had been replaced a couple years ago.  After a bit more sanding and taping, it will be the next section to refinish with Cetol.

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