Delayed

Well, we are now into October and we are still preparing to leave. Rob finished up his last project of  flushing the generator and engine's sea water cooling system with Barnacle Buster and changing the zincs. 

Rob's man cave

My sister suggested having Thanksgiving dinner with my kids before we left since we were planning on leaving  mid-October. The only available time we had was the first weekend, as the boat was being hauled out the first week in October and we were going on a road trip to Cleveland the following weekend.  So on October 3rd we had a full Thanksgiving dinner with Brenda, Florian, Heather, David and Chris.

It happened to be a beautiful afternoon and we were able to have dinner outside. We had turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, corn, carrots and gravy, everything was delicious. After dinner some of us took a nap 😴,  while the rest us played washers.  

Sharon, Heather, David, Brenda, & Florian

Rob sound asleep

David and Florian

Heather

After the huge dinner and some games, we had a piece of homemade 😋 apple pie, specially made by Heather including the crust. We sat by the fire 🔥 and enjoyed family time together.

Tasted just like my Mom's

Heather by the fire

David and Chris

Our last day at Herrington Harbour South (HHS) was Sunday, October 4th.  We really appreciated all the assistance we received from HHS' staff, particularly Amy, HHS' office manager and Tyler, the dockmaster. Herrington Harbour has been our favorite marina hands down.  

We have not been watching sport, but the Ravens and Redskins were playing 😳 so Rob hung our House Divided flag. Lance and Nicole joined us and we had an absolutely beautiful 😍 day to move the boat to Herrington Harbour North after a short Bay cruise. 

House divided

The boat was scheduled to be hauled for soda blasting and new barrier coat and bottom paint. The time frame was two weeks. Osprey Marine was performing the work. Herrington hauled her out and had her blocked on Monday, October 5th. 

Tuesday, we met Rob's parents (Richard and Jean) and Nick for lunch to celebrate dad's 80th birthday.  We had planned to go back to Carson's Creekside, but Richard noticed they were closed on Tuesdays and we had to quickly come up with plan B. They were driving from PA and we were driving from North Beach.  We chose Michael's Cafe in Timonium. They had really good cream of crab soup. We would definitely eat here again. 

Richard, Rob, & Jean

Wellll (hands on hips), it turned out we had blisters on the bottom, which means we have a water penetration issue. To determine how much water damage, they needed to perform profile testing. Profile testing consists of grinding through each layer to determine the extent of water penetration. First the barrier coat, then gelcoat, then laminate down to the fiberglass.  

Of course, the worst case scenario occurred and they have to remove the gelcoat and laminate and then rebuild before applying a barrier coat and bottom paint. The estimated timeframe for completion is the middle of November! And if you think it's time consuming, all that grinding, sanding, laminating and painting comes with a hefty price tag!  We needed to prepare the boat to possibly be moved inside a bay which meant we needed to remove the canvas and lower the mast... again. 

The Julian's have been gracious enough to let us stay with them since the boat has been hauled. We can't thank them enough for their hospitality.  We were fortunate to be around to celebrate Nicole's birthday. We started the birthday celebration with cocktails at 1936. The new restaurant located in the Rod N Reel's parking garage. 

Rob, Sharon, Birthday girl Nicole, & Lance

After cocktails we had homemade shrimp and steak fried rice cooked by Chef Lance, very yummy. Then we sang Happy Birthday and had homemade birthday cake with ice cream. The cake was made by baker Giovanna.

 

Chef Lance

Sharon, Lance, Gemma, Giovanna, Rosella, Nicole

Birthday Cake made by Baker G 

In the meantime, Rob's son Nick was going to Owatonna, MN for eight months of training for his new job. We decided that since the boat was out of the water, we would ride with him part of the way. The decision we needed to make was: do we drive with him to Cleveland or to Chicago? We decided that since he was staying with a friend in Chicago and we had already been there twice, we would only go as far as Cleveland. 

We left the Julian's Friday afternoon October 9th to go spend the evening with Brenda and Florian.  We were meeting Nick on Saturday morning at 10:30.  Staying at Brenda and Florian's allowed us to enjoy cocktails, sleep in a little later and have breakfast.  

Chocolate martini 

Saturday morning, October 10th, our road trip to Cleveland, OH began. We had gorgeous weather and the ride was delightful. It was nice to see all the changing leaves. It took us about five hours to arrive at the Hilton Cleveland Downtown. We had a room with 2 queen beds on the 24th floor which gave us an awesome view of Lake Erie and the city.  

 

Our view

The three us went exploring the downtown area and chose Johnny's Downtown, an Italian restaurant, for dinner. The three of us were not impressed with the service or the food. 

Veal Parmesan 

The hotel 🏨 was directly across from FirstEnergy Stadium, home of the Cleveland Browns. After dinner we went back to the hotel to have a cocktail at Bar 32, Hilton's rooftop bar.  As we were on the elevator, there were a few very large young men who turned out to be Indianapolis Colts players. The Colts were staying in the hotel for the next day's game against the Browns. 

Sharon & Nick

Rob is afraid of heights

Sunday morning Nick left us to continue his journey to Chicago. We said our goodbyes and wished him well. 

Nick coming in for a hug

Dad & son goodbye hug

We explored the city for the afternoon.  We walked through Voinvitch Bicentennial Park, around FirstEnergy Stadium, and through the Flats. We watched a swing bridge open for the American Courage to pass through. 

Welcome to Cleveland

FirstEnergy Stadium

The Browns were playing a home game and it was exciting to see all the fans.  The local bars were packed, especially outside.  For dinner we chose a less happening restaurant called Lindey's Lake House Flats. When I say less happening, I just meant not a ton of people.  The restaurant had garage doors so we felt like we were outside.  The bar had sliding plexiglass dividers in between patrons for added safety. We enjoyed street corn (grilled corn off the cob, cotija cheese, chipotle and lime crema with parmesan crisps) and French onion soup with a brioche crouton.

Random Browns fans

Monday we had tickets to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame which I had purchased in advance. We had to arrive 1/2 hour before entrance time in order to have our temperature taken, the so-called new norm. The doors opened at 11, the staff controlled each person entering to ensure social distance.

There are seven levels and upon entering you are directed to the lower level.  The lower level is the main exhibit hall. There were videos, posters, instruments, outfits; so much to see and listen to.  We were able to learn about the roots of rock from Blues, Bluegrass, Country, Folk, Gospel, and R & B.  One section was dedicated to Elvis Presley.

We saw guitar after guitar 🎸 including Jimi Hendrix, Sheryl Crow, Van Halen, Keith Richards, and Joan Jett.  We also got to see Paul Stanley's guitar that was made with cut pieces of mirrors that were inlaid by hand to reflect stage lighting to look like a disco ball. 

1967 Gibson Flying V used by Jimi Hendrix 

Used by Sheryl Crow
not Sharon Crow

Eddie Van Halen

Keith Richards guitar

1965 Epiphone Olympic Special
 used by Joan Jett 

Paul Stanley of Kiss 💋 

If you have never been to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, I highly recommend it. We will definitely go again if we're ever in Cleveland. 

After the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame we did some more exploring. We saw the Free Stamp, the Fountain of Eternal Life, the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument, and then dinner at Lago East Bank. We tried the pizza bianca, meatball with polenta and the Wagyu beef carpaccio. 

Huge FREE Stamp

Fountain of Eternal Life

Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument

Wagyu Carpaccio 

We enjoyed our time and the sights in Cleveland.

Old cigarette machine

Walking the hotel in pj's and shower cap

Tuesday we flew back to Maryland and reality. We stopped to check the status of the boat 🚢 on our way back to the Julian's.  We were happy to hear 👂 the terrible grinding noise as work was being performed.  The grinding noise is unnerving when first heard. 

The first stage of removing the laminate is completed. The next step is to move the boat into the bay and begin the laminating and fairing process.  They will ensure the hull is dry, by using propane heat if necessary. Then sand and fill holes to prep for laminate to be applied.  

Ka'Why Knot being power washed

Our time frame for completion from October 20th is three weeks which will put our departure around mid-November.  Last year we left October 11th and we were in jeans until Jacksonville. As much as we hate to say good-bye, we're ready to get back on the water and head to a warmer climate.

Stay tuned for hull update and our departure date.

Getting Ready

Our chillin and grillin time is coming to an end as now we have family and friends to visit with and work to be done before our departure.

On September 3rd we met my sister and brother-in-law at Harvest Thyme in Davidsonville.  The week before Pat and Mary Healy took us to Harvest Thyme and we enjoyed our dinner so much we thought Brenda and Florian would also like it. Both times we went we had the B.A.M Meatball for Two, very good.  It is always fun spending time with my sister and brother-in-law.

Rob, Sharon, Brenda, & Florian

As you know the marina did not do fireworks on the 4th of July and postponed them to Saturday, September 5th.  In addition to fireworks, Herrington provided lunch, catered by Smokehouse Grill.  Lunch included either a pulled pork or chicken sandwich along with coleslaw, chips, cookies, brownies, and a cold refreshing soft drink or water.  

Our group decided since lunch was being provided, we would do a light evening dinner prior to watching the fireworks.  Our light dinner was an amazing charcuterie board with cheeses, meats, whipped feta, fruit, marinated mushrooms, and so much more.  

We started our evening with a chocolate cake shooter, so yummy and tasted just like a piece of chocolate cake!

Lance, Sharon, Christopher, Nicole, Rob, & Christin

Recipe:

• 1 ounce hazelnut liqueur (Frangelico), ½ ounce vodka, 1 lemon, cut into wedges, and white sugar

In a shot glass, combine 1 part hazelnut liqueur and 1 part vodka. Coat a wedge of lemon with sugar. Suck the lemon wedge, and with the juice still in your mouth, drink the shot.

Our evening ended with Herrington Fireworks

Rob, Lance, and Nick went on a fishing trip on the Lucky Duck courtesy of Rob's friend, Bob, on the 8th of September.  The weather was absolutely perfect. They caught striped bass also known as rockfish, bluefish, and Spanish mackerel. 

After the fishing trip I met the guys at Ketch 22 for a cocktail (they really did not need another one).  While at Ketch, Nick's friend Nicole came to visit.  

Nicole, Nick, & Sharon

A day spent at the pool with the crew.

The week of September 15th we began the project of lowering the mast.  Lowering the mast will allow us to go under more bridges without having to wait for an opening.  As some bridges open on the hour and 1/2 hour only.  In order to lower the mast we had to take down all the canvas including the bimini and fold the metal support structure.  

We took advantage of the canvas being down and applied a coat of varnish to the top side railing.  We took the bimini to Chesapeake Beach Laundromat to clean and then sprayed it down with a waterproofing solution and Rob cleaned each panel.

The temperature is starting to drop and we were missing the warm weather already (at least I am).  Our first time turning on the heat and guess what, it was not blowing hot air, not even warm air. This made me remember we had no air conditioning in July (not sure how I forgot about that) considering it was 90 degrees with 100% humidity.  Luckily, it was for a night and Rob was able to troubleshoot the issue and fix the problem.  We also were able to borrow a portable air conditioning unit from Bernie Cowger.  Back to the heat, the reverse valve is stuck. Thank God it is stuck in the air conditioning mode. We determined it was much cheaper to purchase an electric heater than replacing the air conditioning unit.

Next project, Rob re-torqued the head bolts and adjusted the valves on the generator while I sanded, taped, and varnished wood.

On September 18th we celebrated David's 30th birthday, Rob and I met him at Carson's Creekside Restaurant located in Middle River, MD.  It was a nice enough day and we were able to sit outside on the deck.  The cream of crab soup and crab cake was delicious.

David does not like me taking his picture

More projects, just little ones such as cleaning the strainers, changing the oil and filters, flushing heat exchangers with Barnacle Buster, replacing zincs, several coats of varnish, organizing the garage, inventorying, ordering supplies, etc. 

We ended the month enjoying Oktoberfest dinner with Florian and Brenda at The Old Stein Inn.  We sat in the Biergarten. It was a little different due to covid. They had no seats at the bar and the high top tables had been replaced by tables socially distanced. We shared the Bavarian soft pretzel and potato pancakes for an appetizer, the applesauce served with the pancakes had a little too much cinnamon. Brenda and I enjoyed the Jager schnitzel, while Florian and Rob had Schnitzel Cordon Bleu with a radish salad and an Oktoberfest salad.  Brenda and I could not leave without sampling dessert, she had hazelnut torte and I had the apple strudel.  

I have to say the summer spent at Herrington Harbour South has been a lot of fun.  We had our normal crew, which was Rob, Sharon, Lance, Nicole, Giovanna, Rosella, and Gemma but this year our crew expanded to include Bernie, Jackie, Marti Ann, Jamie, Holly and Reardyn for weeknight cookouts.  Our weekend crew included the normal crew plus John, Christopher, and Christin with special appearances by Billy, Madeline, Terry and Sheila. The meals we had were always very delicious, thanks to the amazing chefs in our group.  

Looking forward to the next adventure. Stay Tuned!