It’s been awhile since I’ve written – let me get you up to
date.
After Debi returned from her 2 days in ATL, we departed
sleepy Reedville last Sunday. A four
hour trip led to a one-night stop in a nowhere kind of place – but it did have
a pool for the hot afternoon. We left
early the following morning in order to travel with the tide rising behind us
(pushing us up the river) – we were out
on the Potomac by the time the sun popped over the horizon at 5:45. Beautiful.
Before 8 a.m. we were in our next location – a surprisingly
enjoyable Colonial Beach, within miles of the Potomac shore birth homes of
Washington, Monroe and Robert E. Lee.
It’s an old-fashioned weekend or summer home town; modest cottages aged
50-100+, presumably for those in the D.C. area (about two hours away by
car). The marina had a first in terms of
amenities – the owner loaned us his golf cart, which was just perfect to get to
every point of interest in the community.
A couple of good restaurants - including one that was as good as almost
anything we would find in Atlanta, one beach bar that was closing when we sat
down for a drink at 9:30 p.m., and some beautiful Potomac shore homes. One of those homes was owned by Alexander
Graham Bell and is now a B&B. We
played the “we own a B&B too” card to score a tour.
The day after arriving in Colonial Beach, Emily’s
boyfriend’s (Drew’s) parents, Mike and Gina, arrived for three days. They totally fell into the boat groove and
have already asked about possibilities for a return visit. They were also of great assistance by having
a rental car, which we used to buy a new TV (old one blew up in some sort of
electrical malfunction, along with the DVD player) and some boat supplies. They also assisted with the complex
installation into the wall, with cabinetry framing, etc. Mike was also kind enough to lose both bocce
ball games to me.
After a 5 hour trip to Occoquan, we visited and dined in the
quaint historic downtown, a very colonial style 6 blocks or so. Our guests left the next morning. They must have seen the weather forecast,
because the 112 heat index afternoon was followed by a severe storm that night
– you probably saw the news – 9 deaths so far.
We lost power for the rest of the night and slept outside (on the
flybridge) where it was slightly cooler and where we had a great view for the
incredible lightening show.
We left this morning – they still had now power. Today was special – cruising down the Potomac
into D.C. Passing Mt. Vernon on our
port, coming around a bend and seeing the Capitol building and then the
Washington Monument. Then passing Old
Town Alexandria, then National Airport (right under the flight path as you
might know – planes right overhead), and finally to our marina. Although I’ve spent a lot of time (including
a year of residence) in this city, I had never seen it from the water – a whole
new perspective. We are one half mile
from the National Mall (pretty close to the Monument). Tonight we are just hiding inside – it’s too
darn hot for exploring the city.
Not much in the way of pictures. My brand new Sony camera broke before I could
take a real picture. But here are the
folding bikes that travel with us on the boat.
Hope you are all staying cool – wherever you may be.
-----A few more pics added at the end of Jim's notes below. These are from Colonial Beach
and during the cruise up Potomac to Occuquan.-----
-----A few more pics added at the end of Jim's notes below. These are from Colonial Beach
and during the cruise up Potomac to Occuquan.-----
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