September 28 – 29, 2012
anchorage at Spa Creek ~ dinghy dock just right of center
Our first two days in Annapolis were spent doing chores and getting parts.
On day one, Wendy (Anything Goes) and I decided to do a “ladies only” trip to the grocery store. The store was about a mile and half away, and we were looking forward to taking Annapolis’ free eCruisers shuttle service. However, once we were ashore, we discovered the shuttle would be out of service for the next hour. Therefore, we decided to walk to the grocery store, and then we would call the shuttle for our return trip when we had all of our bags full of groceries.
Once we were done shopping, Wendy made the call to eCruisers, only to find out they weren’t servicing our area for the rest of the day. Well, we wished we’d known that information sooner! We stood in the store parking lot with our carts full of groceries trying to decide what our next step would be. Fortunately, there was a city bus stop just a short distance from us, so we lugged our heavy bags over to the bus stop bench.
We scrounged up $1.60 in exact change for each of us, and rode the city bus back to the center of downtown Annapolis. Once off the bus, we walked another short distance where we could catch the city’s free Circulator Trolley that would put us closer to the dinghy dock. We boarded the trolley with all of our bags and collapsed on the seat.
As we rode along, we enjoyed each other’s company and shared many stories. We were so engrossed in conversation that we didn’t notice where the trolley had taken us. The bus driver had to interrupt us and ask if we were getting off the bus. That’s when we noticed we were at the Naval Academy’s football stadium, as well as the last two people on the bus. We were both puzzled. Was this not the bus to downtown Annapolis? Nope! It was the stadium shuttle. Oops! After the bus driver took a short break, he returned us to downtown where we could catch the regular trolley that we had needed to begin with. About four hours after we had begun our shopping journey, we finally showed up for our poor starving families. Ever since that day, we continue to be the receiving end of jokes by our other halves. It was definitely an adventure to laugh about!
The following day was dedicated to laundry and errands. While Wendy and I, along with most of the kids, went to the local laundromat, the dads went on a hunt for boat parts. The guys, with 6 1/2 year old year old Olivia in tow, walked for miles and miles only to be mostly unsuccesssful in finding what they needed. They finally threw in the towel and found the rest of us at the laundromat. Together, we all made the trek back to the dinghy dock with loads of clean clothes. By the time we returned to the boat, we were exhausted and ready for an early bedtime.
sunset on Spa Creek
