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Archive for the ‘Chesapeake Bay’ Category

Groups support bid to revive native bay oysters

Two leading environmental groups voiced their support yesterday for trying to revive the Chesapeake Bay’s native oyster rather than introducing Asian oysters into the estuary.

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The parade at Patuxent Appreciation Days was lots of fun. This slide slow contains shots of people getting ready to march.

The harvest of soft shell and peeler blue crabs in Chesapeake Bay has been declared a commercial fishery failure by the U.S. Government. The federal declaration is an important step in providing economic assistance to the communities reliant upon crab production.

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Here in Calvert County we are all waiting for Hanna. Neighbors along the Bay are parking their cars on the hill next to our house anticipating flooding. Folks are chatting with neighbors on their doorsteps looking anxiously at the sky. This is our third tropical storm since 2001. We hope this one just drops some serious rain and blows over by Sunday.

Chesapeake Bay crabber Paul Kellam has advice for the teenage boys who help tend his traps every summer: You better have a backup plan. (CNN.COM)

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Amazing story of a deer was rescued a whole mile out into the water by fisherman. Pics included as well! (thebaynet.com)

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The 4th of July celebration has come and gone. A parade and a BBQ and games for the kids. A fun time was had by all. The neighborhood descended on Pat’s house. Our old location is now occupied by a new home under construction. The only disagreeable bunch this year were the purple martins who were more than a little upset all the humans had surrounded the bird house.

Old acquaintances were renewed and new friends were met.  The kids had a  blast with the three-legged run, the egg toss, and the piñata.  Some of us got some sun and stuck our toes in the Bay, others enjoyed the shade of Pat’s hideaway. That’s Pat on right, she rocks! I recognize Jean in this shot. She’s here with the Captain, Captain Buddy and his grand daughter. 

Now these two were discussing something important I’m sure. Maybe they were planning a ride in the golf cart around the beach or perhaps a trip to the Smith’s who own the old Odger’s place to pick wild flowers.

Our oldest visitor Vicki was 93! She was living in the neighborhood when she gave birth to Sue on the right. That’s my Eileen in the middle. The gals are swapping stories about Vicki’s ride on the jet ski when she was 90.

The big guys like my neighbor and I hung around the hot dog stand. There were plenty of condiments. The weather cooperated this year. The thunder and lightning happened about six hours later and it wasn’t too hot or too cold.

We all a blast celebrating our country’s birthday at Neeld Estate, in Calvert County, Maryland.

Eileen and I took in the 20th Annual Cardboard Boat Race this afternoon Saturday June 21, 2008. Proceeds to this event went to the Special Olympics.  What a turn out and great fun.

Afterward we went for a brief lunch at the Schooner’s Landing, 14 Tilghman St, Oxford, MD, 21654, 410-226-0160. We had never been to Oxford and never been to Schooner’s Landing.

We had parked our car in the small municipal parking lot next to the restaurant.  Parking in Oxford and later for us in St. Michael’s was a REAL HASSLE.  I would equate it with trying to park a car on Main Street in Disneyland. It was hot, the town was crowded, but we got in early and were seated by Lee. That’s her name. Not really sure of the spelling. Lee made the whole experience FUN and worthwhile.

We were seated in outdoor section of restaurant. Eileen ordered a crab cake salad and I ordered a cheeseburger cooked medium. Our table was across from the bar and at the table adjoining a larger multi-family group having a great time. We offered to share our table with the group when more folks arrived. It was a big family day in Oxford after all!

Eileen ordered a crab cake salad and enjoyed it. “It was OK.” I had a cheeseburger ordered medium. My cheeseburger arrived medium rare and the bun was the type that turned to mush when it hugged a tomato and juicy piece of meat so I ended up eating it with a fork. It was served with a pickle and few chips. Lunch was served in blue plastic baskets lined with paper. The wait was average to almost a bit long. I thought the cheeseburger was a bit expensive especially when I got it medium rare. Great hamburgers also need a great bun and if a lunch is going to be served in a basket and the chef is going to make mistakes it shouldn’t be $8.99.

But we really didn’t care and I later told the manager we were very pleased. That was BECAUSE waitress Lee was SUPERB. She was an ambassador for Oxford, the Eastern Shore, and made our lunch fun. She was there when we needed a waitress and wasn’t hovering over us when we didn’t want one. She also went out of her way to find a local map for us so we could find our way around. So given where we were, the crowded busy atmosphere everywhere including the restaurant, that it was lunch not dinner, and that LEE ROCKS we give our experience a 4 out of 5.

After lunch we took the ferry across the creek and drove to St. Michael’s for the afternoon. We took in the Chesapeake bay Museum at $13 a head and managed to FINALLY find a parking place near a designer coffee place later in the afternoon. We are going back to St. Michaels to try again but it was over crowded. Parking was impossible, drivers were dangerous on city streets and the absence of police to deal with it was the elephant in the room.

Give the Schooner’s Landing a shot. The manager was a good sport and the young people waiting tables REALLY care about their customers. That’s a good combination regardless of whether the chef had a bad hamburger day.

Cecil County Citizens Online community website created for and by residents of Cecil County, MD. Local news, announcements, events, classifieds and related pages by the public.

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Here’s an interesting article about Smith Island in the Chesapeake Bay with some useful information and tips on visiting Smith Island and where you can get a paddling guide for water trails for kayaks and canoe trips on the Chesapeake Bay. For more information about Smith Island to to www.paddlesmthisland.com and www.visitsmithisland.com

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Chesapeake Bay’s oysters have declined despite lavish spending to restore them, while humpback whales, sea lions, and other species have rebounded thanks to conservation efforts.

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Diamond Jim the striped bass aka rockfish is on the loose in the Chesapeake Bay and he is worth $15,000.00, which is $10,000 from Boaters World and a $5000 diamond from Smyth Jewelers.

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During the late Eocene epoch, a massive object up to three miles in diameter and moving at 12 miles per second slammed into the coastal shallows of what is now the Tidewater region of Virginia. The evidence for this event, known as the Chesapeake Bay impact crater, runs some 52 miles across…

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Looking at the AIS screen today I see that the tall ship Pride of Baltimore is over in Cambridge, MD. Seeing a tall ship is always a good thing. You can keep track of the Pride II at her website: http://www.pride2.org/index.php and you can watch her go down the Bay on your computer at the PopularWireless AIS website and at Chesbayshipping.com!

You should check out my ship watcher’s page. There is a link to the AIS map of the Chesapeake Bay and Baltimore Harbor (thanks to Chesbayshipping.com.) Please contact me if you have questions or use the AIS forum at PopularWireless.com.

Ship watching is fun. Join in!