The Oddest Driftwood

I’ve always wanted a ghost. Not a big terrifying apparition like in the movie Poltergeist. More like a congenial companion spirit who would float about giving the house a year-round Halloween feel and raising my boys’ neck hairs from time to time to show that science can’t explain everything. On my night stand I’ve amassed […]

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Aqua-Land & Aquafarms — A Day with Maryland Dreamers

Fall is the time of year when I like to dream big. There’s something about autumn’s crisp mornings that makes me want to plan, create and renovate. Take the change of season and mix in a pinch of guilt from spending lazy summer days on crab decks, and I’m ready to chart a productive course […]

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Booze on the Bay

Local Distilleries Spark a Cocktail Comeback Something new is stirring around the Bay. The Chesapeake watershed is overflowing with new distilleries and they’re popping up so fast that it’s hard to keep track. If you like rum and coke, a crisp martini or smooth bourbon on the rocks, you’ll love sipping your way around the […]

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Bay Walls of Fame – From Surfing Crabs to Prosthetic Limbs

When I started visiting crab decks, I’d scan dining rooms to get a feel for the general atmosphere. Then I’d get wrapped up in the menu, the seafood piled on my plate and maybe the TV screen if a decent ballgame was on. Crowd watching was often a hoot, because you never know what quirky […]

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The Day the Bay Went Dry

How Chesapeake Bootleggers Helped Quench the Nation’s Thirst Beer riots in Baltimore … federal agents attacked with bricks and a jar of mayonnaise … bottles of moonshine stashed at the bottom of oyster bushels … These are just a few snapshots of the mayhem that ensued on the Chesapeake Bay during Prohibition.   On January […]

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Tales of Piracy on the Chesapeake Bay

There’s a bit of pirate in everyone – a love of the water, a sense of adventure, and a wink of defiance about following rules. Maybe that’s why we’re drawn to stories about the swashbucklers who roamed the seas.   Movies and folklore tend to focus on pirates of the Caribbean, so most people don’t […]

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Getaway in a Glass

Take a seat at the bamboo bar, loosen up your tie, and let a tiki guru demonstrate how to transform your boat or backyard into a tropical cocktail pleasure cove.   Meeting mixologist Tom Brown at Herrington Harbor Marina would have been perfect.  That’s where he keeps his 26-foot 1979 Chrysler sloop, and we could have […]

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Crabs on Wheels

Labor Day might mark the official end of carefree summer days, but that doesn’t mean you have to throw in the towel on eating crabs. Sure, it’s time to pull on socks instead of a bathing suit and sit in a dull office cubical feeling like a crab trapped in a pot. But if you’re […]

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Beating the Winter Blues with Franks and Planks

What a wretched time of year! At our house, we’re sick of hearing weathermen’s false promises about inches of snow and receiving only rain and mud. We’re tired of looking at bare trees with no leaves – and we’re starting to get itchy for crabs. It doesn’t help that we still have months to wait […]

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