Continued… When the tour concluded, Eric and Keith announced they were hungry. They went to a nearby restaurant called The Deadrise, which was over at the marina. The food was good and the portions were huge. Keith, who was not … Continue reading →
Tag Archives | trawlers
Celebrating Independence Day at Historic Fort Monroe — Part 1
On Friday, July 4, Eric started the day by doing an inventory of spare parts we had onboard. He created a list of spare parts that we need to stock up on. Karen had told us that Fort Monroe was … Continue reading →
July 11-13 Anniversary Weekend
“Don’t make space for stuff, make space for life.” -Courtney Carver
We decided to check out southeastern Pennsylvania for our anniversary this year. We had a gift certificate for the Inn at Whitewing Farm near Kennett Square, so we booked two nights. The inn sits on thirteen acres of a farm that originated in the 1700s. Much of the original farm is now Longwood Gardens. The gardens were developed by the DePont family starting in 1906. Today it’s one of the world’s premier horticultural display gardens.
On our way to the inn we did a little shopping in Lancaster and Kennett Square. Kennett Square is only 15 miles from Wilmington, DE and 25 miles to Philadelphia. This area of Pennsylvania is known as the Brandtwine Valley. It is a gorgeous area filled with beautiful homes and farms.
Kenneth Square
Lancaster has a large Amish community and it’s fun to see the buggies. Even more fun to see them working the fields with horse drawn farm equipment.
The inn has 10 romantic guest rooms and suites. We stayed in the Fat’s Wallow room in the pond house. It was a wonderful choice. We were able to sit by the pond and enjoy our morning coffee and cocktails in the evening.
It also was nice because it’s separated from the rest of the property and was very quick and relaxing.
Our room
Looking across the pond towards the rest of the property.
The owners live in the main house and serve a wonderful breakfast in the hay barn.
We celebrated our 44th anniversary at the Antica Restaurant.
It was the top recommendation from the inn’s owner and it didn’t disappoint. Stan had the pan roasted salmon with basil pesto farro, caramelized cauliflower, broccoli rabe and lemon gremolata. I had the crab & lobster ravioli sautéed with sweet peas and truffle brandy cream sauce. Both were spectacular.
Views after dinner.
This used to be a hay barn…hard to believe.
Our breakfasts were so large and so delicious we didn’t need to have lunch. Fresh fruit, pastries, coffee and a very generous entrée…I’m not a fan of large breakfasts, but this was fantastic.
We spent a whole day at Longwood Gardens and still didn’t see the whole thing. What an impressive place. Longwood Gardens spans 1,100 acres. It includes various gardens, woodlands, and meadows, as well as the conservatory and fountain displays. Each season brings beautiful changes to the garden. Over 500 volunteers and a staff of 70 keep the gardens in pristine condition.
The Italian Water Garden
Looking over the Topiary Garden
The entrance to the east conservatory.
Part of the east conservatory.
Part of the west conservatory.
The waterlily court
The Main Fountain Garden offers 12-minute fountain performances at various times throughout the day, with additional 30-minute spectacular shows on Friday and Saturday evenings. We were lucky to catch one of the performances while we were in the gardens.
Our second night we had another great meal at Sovana Bistro. It was hard to choose what to have for dinner, but we chose salmon and ravioli again this evening. Both were the special of the evening.
On our way home on Sunday we chased covered bridges. I’ll put those in another blog post. We stopped at a fun place along the Pequea Creek called Sickman’s Mill. They offer people a chance to float down the river with a pick up serve. It reminded us of places in New Braunfels. We chose to just sit and relax by the creek while enjoying a little Jimmie Juice.
Sickman’s Mill has been used for a number of things since 1752 including distilling, saw milling, and flour milling. Through its many owners and purposes, the mill has changed and evolved.
Repairs and Errands in Norfolk, Virginia
Sunrise on Tuesday, July 1 On Tuesday morning, Eric went back to the hydraulic store in Portsmouth to exchange the fittings. He found fittings with angles that would work better in the space we had. Upon return, he finished installing … Continue reading →
Visiting Portsmouth, Virginia
Dawn on Monday, June 30 This morning, Eric went to a hydraulic service center near downtown Norfolk to buy the proper size fittings for the new transfer pump. Eric wasn’t happy with the selection, so he went to another store … Continue reading →
Fort Nisqually
More than a century before the smoke-spewing copper smelter at Point Ruston influenced Tacoma-born Frank Herbert’s penning of his epic novel Dune, the area supported the first European trading post in the Puget Sound. About 15 miles to the south, the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1832 established Fort Nisqually, which became an important fur-trading post…
Boat Repairs, Tidewater Comicon, and Dinner with Cruiser Friends
Sunday, June 29 — View of the channel from the bridge taken during a morning walk. Kosmos is in the marina to the right, in the first row long the channel. Statue near the bridge This morning, Eric was feeling … Continue reading →
Trifecta Helicopter Tour
We often fly close to Mt. Rainier when travelling in and out of Sea Tac airport, and love getting a close-up look of the iconic volcano. For an even better view, Jennifer took James on a surprise helicopter tour of the three major mountains in the area: Mt. Rainier, Mt. Adams and Mt. St. Helens….
Touring Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA
Saturday, June 28, 2025 — We moved Kosmos to her assigned slip first thing in the morning, when the current was less strong. Eric was able to back in with no problem. Then went through the whole process of situating … Continue reading →
June 29-July 2 Hattie’s Visit
“My granddaughter, you are my heart and soul, a piece of me that shines brighter every day.” – Unknown
After our lake vacation Hattie came to the boat for a visit. We had a great time together. She is so smart and entertaining. I truly love our one on one time with our grandchildren. We try to find special things to do when they are with us, but they seem the happiest when they just hang out on the boat. Playing and exploring. The weather was a bit warm, so we tried to do things in the morning or on the water. Spending time on our little boat was the best…she loves the water.
