Annapolis Oct. 8

We are still at our wonderful mooring spot and continue to enjoy being here. We have had visits from friends which we so enjoyed.
Also several Sheldrake Yacht Club members checked in as well. The weather is still holding hot and sunny, yesterday was dreadfully hot but staying on the boat wasn't too bad. We went to the boat show on Thursday, a friend was able to obtain VIP tickets so we didn't have to join the crowds over the weekend. Of course, having such easy access to all the vendors and boats resulted in more money spent then we had anticipated. One of the, hopefully, most useful items is a filtration system for our water tanks that is "supposed" to increase the ability to drink of our tanks without gagging. I'm keeping my fingers crossed on that one. Also new shoes, snorkel stuff for Bill, and other sundry items. I went on a few boats but wasn't really interested since they were so spic and spanned up. I am beginning to really enjoy the clutter of 'Interim' especially since I can now find almost anything I want that has been stowed. Bill, unfortunately continues to have difficulty locating things. We tore his spaces apart to try to find sensors that he bought before we left to no avail. They are probably on his work table back home!!
Bill has also made several bus trips to get the parts and supplies he has needed. With a friends recomendation we found a small pub that also provides food during happy hour all for the price of a beer (yes, I did drink one) and we walked out paying a total of $7.00 for dinner.
On Sat. we went to a gam ( for nonsailors: a group gets together for various purposes) sponsored by an organization called Seven Seas Cruising Association. This gam took place on land- tents up and everything with breakfast, a lunch and a dinner. Of course when I signed up I missed the part to pay for lunch and dinner but we had other plans for later in the day. The breakfast/registration started at 7:30 so you can imagine who was one of the first to arrive!!
Heard some interesting speakers, a doctor who was fabulous, making practical recommendations for medical supplies to have on hand and a women specialist in eliminating boat odors. But the best was meeting many couples who were at the beginning of their voyages. Bill and I, with all the water time we've had, were humbled by the goals and experiences from so many others. From 10 year plans to circumnavigate the globe to Europe, Fiji, and on and on it was inspiring. I was inspired to realize that wasn't going to happen to us. But we hope to meet up with some of these people as we travel down south.
And when will that start? We are about ready to go, Patrick a young friend of ours has been here since Sat. night. Bill has been helping him study for his plumber's exam to get licensed which he will take next Sat. So he traveled here for some more tutoring. It also turns out that he has been helping Bill with some boat projects, with his car we made an extensive provisioning trip and I got to go to Michaels' where I found a needlepoint project. Since Bill is waiting for parts that will be here tomorrow morning Pat will stay over til Tuesday morning and then we will drop the mooring and begin our journey towards Norfolk, Va where the ICW starts. We heard the cool , autumn air will arrive in a few days and we are all looking forward to that.

Sorry for the length of this blog but getting online has been sporadic.