Voyage 2023: Chapter 3

28 Sep 2023, Temp for last trip of 2023, 38 46.368 N/ 076 33.66 W

Last Sail of the Season is going to be three or four weeks ... or is it? Our plan was a leisurely sail to Annapolis, and the Eastern Bay and maybe Solomon's and places South. Today we headed out around 1030, heading for the Inner Harbor. The trip was uneventful except Annapolis was full. Mattie didn't remind me that Sailboat Show was about to begin. So we decided to head for Weems Creek. It was a bit full also, but we found space at the head of the creek. This was the first time for Jule in the Weems, and it may be the last. It's my fault for expecting something better than a liveaboard anchorage, a sad dinghy dock, and a broken washdown pump. We were going to turn back and go back go SWHM but weather said 'not yet'. Se we stayed a couple of days, went to town via the 'dinghy' dock, stayed a couple of hours, then returned. We ordered a new pump on Saturday, and went to virtual church on Sunday, and the next day we returned to the marina. A medical problem cropped up while at SWHM, so we finished the trip there. It was nothing serious. Many weeks later, we winterized Jule for a winter in the slip.

2 Nov 2023, Remembering & Making Memories, 39 00.4 N/ 077 57.3 W

Before Jule III, Ann and I would often celebrate our anniversary at the Ashby Inn in Paris, VA. We would eat a delicious meal and a fabulous room, both of which we could not afford. But the memories were so sweet. During most of our cruising years, we were on the water on our anniverary, so there was no Ashby, but the memories were always there, especially after Ann's passing.

Last year, I asked Ann's niece, Karen, if she would accompany me to a lunch at the Ashby on my wedding anniversary. I shared my memories and we made new memories walking through Paris and taking a tour of the inn. This year, I discovered that they were not offering lunch on the 2nd. We discussed our options; we could go on the 2nd for dinner, we could go on the 3rd for lunch, or we could just visit, walk and talk.

We picked option 3. We left Fairfax, stopped at a Texas Roadhouse lunch, and arrived in Paris around 1230. We spent an hour or so visiting, walking, talking, and remembering. On our way back home, we stopped at Riverbend Park to see how the Potomac was doing. Next year would be Ann's and my 50th and they will be serving lunch!