A tale of two boating trips

On Saturday, it was a beautiful day here - 75 degrees and sunny with little wind - a perfect day for our first kayaking trip of the season. It was my first time out in my new boat - a red Loon Classic 100 from LL Bean (my only other attempt to use it last August was disastrous; it was way too windy and wavy), but Saturday's trip was pretty good.


We went to the southern part of Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Dorchester County, Md., south of Cambridge, and did about a 3-mile round-trip on the Blackwater River. The tide was going out when we got there, and was a little swift. By the time we were well into the marshy areas, the water depth was very low in some spots (and it was very muddy). We kept trying offshoots to hook up with the main river, but each ended up being impassable, so we had to end up retracing the same path back.

Here's a short video from the swampy area:

At Blackwater, bald eagles are everywhere; we saw a few on the drive in, but not while kayaking. I saw at least one water snake (the trail marker sign tells you that you will not come across any VENOMOUS snakes; how reassuring) and fish, turtles and herons.


Mike loved this spot; I kind of prefer the river that I wrote about in a previous post, but we also have plenty of more locations to check out. Next up are a few in Delaware.

Row, row, rowing a boat in NYC

In late March, we went on an overnight visit to New York City to see a play and catch the sights. Friday, March 27, turned out to be a wonderful spring day, nearly 65 degrees and sunny. We spent most of the afternoon in Central Park, entering near 72nd Street and Central Park West where John Lennon's Strawberry Fields are.

We were headed for the picturesque Bow Bridge, which has been in numerous movies. As we walked along The Lake, we saw a lot of people out in rowboats - and Mike decided, let's go do that! We went to the Boathouse and learned it was only $12 an hour to rent a boat, and off we went.

I never expected to be out in a lake in the middle of New York City in a rowboat, but I'm glad we stumbled upon it. It was so relaxing and fun, and it's so pretty in the park and neat to see all the tall buildings in the distance.

Here's a short video clip from the area around the bridge:

Such concentration!

The turtles were also out sunning themselves!

Exploring more of the park is definitely on my list for next time - but remind me to wear shoes that are comfortable, not the ones that I like. I could barely walk by the time we got back to the hotel!

Spring and winter days at the beach

The beach at 56th Street in Ocean
City, Md., on April 8

Yesterday I had the day off, and though it wasn't very warm, I decided that I just needed to see the ocean. Sometimes, just stopping for a few minutes and walking through the sand and watching the waves roll in is the most relaxing thing you can do to refresh your mind (and it's only a half hour away).

It was 52 degrees, but when the sun wasn't behind a cloud and the breeze slowed down, it actually wasn't that bad. I didn't wear shoes for walking on the beach, since I also planned to go shopping, but once I got there and saw how nice it was, I carried my shoes and walked in my socks.

When late May rolls around, it gets too busy to go to Ocean City easily. April and September/October are the best time to enjoy the beach with fewer (or no) crowds. April can be cool or summer-like. In April 2006, I took this photo of Chalupa on the 15th, and it was 85 degrees.

I also stopped at Bethany and Rehoboth on my way to the Outlets. Rehoboth completed a Main Street revitalization project in the last few years, and it made the downtown main drag really nice looking. I'm going to go back and check it out again when more stores are open.

Here are a few scenes from winter at the beach. Ocean City hosts a Winterfest of Lights from November to January each year, with a massive light display you can take a train ride through and a second display you can see driving through the Inlet parking lot.

At the Inlet, I took this photo with my phone last December. It was such a peaceful scene one Friday night; there was a full moon, and the waves were crashing against the pier behind the seahorse display (the photo doesn't do it justice).

I've always wanted to see snow falling at the beach, but in my 12 years here I haven't done that yet. It doesn't snow that often, or that much. One year I was able to find some left over a few days after it snowed.

I'll wait for next year for the next snow. I'm ready for 80 degrees now.

A trip back in time

Back in the day, like millions of other teenage girls, I was a huge fan of the original boy band, New Kids on the Block. As a 14- and 15-year-old, I was happy to watch their videos and any TV appearance I could tune into. I never dreamed of being able to go to a concert.

So here it is, 20 years later. They've reunited with some new songs and gone on a tour also playing the old favorites. But now it's not cool to care, right?

I had seen them on "Today" last year and heard their song "Summertime." Otherwise, I wasn't paying that much attention until I read that they would be in concert on my birthday at Penn State, 30 miles from where I grew up. How could I not go?

So, to celebrate turning 34, an old friend and I hung out and relived memories of our 14-year-old selves.

And it was a blast! The whole show was built on nostalgia, and they are still great performers. If anything, I think they were better than they would have been live back in '89 and '90. I read that Joe has been on Broadway, and it shows in his stage showmanship; he does a really good solo medley. Jordan's still able to hit the high notes in all the popular songs. It seemed like they were having a good time on stage, too, and they were all gracious for welcoming them back.

Here's some highlights: