July 10, 2006 -- Decision Made. Skylark has Landed.

We intended to retrace our steps all the way back to the Toronto area, we really did! But we found it was getting to be drudgery to push on every day, and we were tired of it. So when we arrived in Solomons, we checked out the marina and haul-out facilities, found them to our liking, called the trucking company, and made arrangements to load Skylark on a truck here. Confirming our decision, we discovered that the Erie Canal is shut down indefinitely, because of major damage from flooding during the aftermath of Alberto. We were fortunately not earlier on our schedule and trapped inside the canal, as some boats were.

Since the truck can not pick us up for four weeks, we have time to visit a number of friends in the area. Rob (Cliff's brother) and Molly, who live in the Washington DC area an hour and a half away, have kindly loaned us a car to use -- an unimaginable luxury for cruisers -- and we are happily docked in a hotel marina with a lovely pool, tennis court, and other amenities while we wait. We expect this time will pass very quickly as we do some boat jobs and visit friends.

Preparing the boat for trucking involves removing the mast and wrapping it and the rigging in a way that will prevent damage to either, then having the boat hauled, detaching all the detachable stuff on the deck and stowing it inside, pressure washing the hull and waxing the topsides and stainless. Most of the work has to be done on the last day or so before the truck arrives. Having done it once at the other end, we know it is a big job.

Last week we drove to Charlottesville, VA, to visit John and Susie Gainer. John and Cliff shared an apartment in Buffalo over forty years ago. He has recently retired from his professorship at U of V and is now developing a new drug which has been shown effective in saving lives of trauma victims by speeding up oxygen delivery of the blood to vital organs. Getting approval from FDA is a long, slow, tortuous process, and we wish him godspeed in this huge undertaking.

Our friends Tony and Bente on Side By Side finally made it to Washington DC, so we drove in to the city to see them. Washington is a great walking city, and their marina is right downtown, so we enjoyed lunch and a stroll to the National Art Gallery. It is a two-or three-day trip by boat up the Potomac River to get to DC, so it is much easier for us to go by car.

Last weekend, Rob and his 8-year old twins joined us for a cruise to Piney Point, up a little river near the mouth of the Potomac, where friends have a summer cottage. We were able to tie up at a neighbor's dock after bumping our way in through the shallow water. Ray and Betty Jo treated us to some famous southern hospitality with a wonderful steak BBQ and a big pancake breakfast, then sent us home with a dozen steamed crabs, which we enjoyed for our anniversary dinner the next night. The twins found the trip a bit tedious, relieved by the occasional spotting of a dolphin and the entertainment of their DVD player, but sleeping on the boat was the highlight of their trip!

Later today we will drive south to Norfolk for a visit with Will and Charleen (Top Cat) and Lynne and Lois (Spice Island Lady), all ex-Venezuelan cruisers. We are looking forward to seeing them again, and driving through this scenic part of the country, on good highways, through beautiful green farmland and pretty, old towns with colonial buildings.

We are still having a good time -- but we are counting down the days until we will be home and settled again. We have not yet found moorage in the Vancouver area for Skylark, but we're following up leads and believe something will turn up. Stay tuned!