SPRING WEEKEND

Today is such a gloomy, rainy, Monday. Glad we had a brilliant sunny weekend to remember. All sorts of springtime fun was afoot on Saturday. Took Scout and Nigel to Oxford Day. Mike likes to call Oxford, "Mayberry for millionaires." It is charming and if you long for sailboats and picket fences, it's just the thing.

The dogs enjoyed the parade except for the drums. Poor Scout does not like drums. At all.

The way we should all feel on a sunny Saturday in spring.

Poor doggers were exhausted, and asleep before we left the parking lot.

Dropped the pooped dogs at home. Ate the first Trappe Lions barbecued chicken of the season, and popped down to St. Michaels for Wine Fest.

Glorious bloomers everywhere.

My guy at the St. Michaels Brewery.

Guess who rode 22 miles on her bike on Sunday? This girl. Took the bikes down to Dorchester County, parked at a public boat ramp and pedaled the 11 miles to Hooper's Island and back. Oh the sights you see, when you're on two wheels instead of four!

Thought this looked like a sad sea serpent, washed ashore. I did want to bring it home, but it was about 8 feet long, and it was all I could do to haul my own washed up carcass that distance.

Mike loved this house we spied from the top of the Hooper's Island bridge. It looked as if it was crouching there, bracing for the next hurricane.

Watched Papa Osprey scoop up a fish and deliver it to this chimney nest.

Hope you had sunny weather and a chance to get outside and enjoy! XO.

BRIDGE QUEST

Twelve days until Christmas. I should be doing Christmas-y things. All day. Until I'm done. But the sun (finally), and my girl, and our cameras beckoned. We'll just ride down to Dorchester County for a little while we said. Ha! We had in mind finding the rickety old bridge that Mr. C. and I happened across earlier this fall. Couldn't remember exactly where it was but I was confident I could find it. And we did, but only after going all the way to the end of Hooper's Island, which also happens to be the end of the earth, for those of you not familiar.
Found some treasures along the way. We were delighted by this little chocolate box of a church...

Unfortunately, the hurricane took down a couple of very large trees. The cemetery was damaged but the church was spared.

Saw this pair of old sea dogs cats sitting on a boat. Love their expressions. The one on the right looks as though he's been in a scrap or two. In a couple of the pics, he was squinting his right eye which made him look for all the world like Popeye. 

Saw plenty of geese, of course, lots of intriguing dilapidated buildings, and endless marsh.

A little paint? A few throw pillows?

And finally, just as my girl was concluding the bridge in question was, in fact, a figment of her mother's imagination...The Bestpitch Ferry Road Bridge over the Transquaking River.

If you're a paddler, this has been named one of the ten best paddling rivers within a day's drive of Baltimore. Also, a bird lover's paradise. Also, to my eyes very rickety, and once we had driven across in my trusty Black Pearl, and I had walked back across to take pictures, I wasn't feeling very happy about it's ability to support us. All's well that ends well, however, and we are home safe and sound.
I promised in my last post to focus on joy this Christmas. Today's joys: My beautiful girl. Home for the Holidays, and ready for marshy adventures with her Mama. Plenty of tasty leftovers for tonight's dinner, so no cooking.  A glass of wine, after an afternoon in the chilly December air.
As always, wishing you JOY. XO.