I grew up on the Little Magothy River, catching frogs along the shore and blue crabs in the channel. As Master and Commander of a small yellow paddleboat, I spent endless afternoons exploring wild, uncharted territory, claiming sandbars as my own, and boldly venturing almost (but not quite) out of range of the dinner bell.

Sunday, we launched at the little beach where my toes first learned to fear crabs, then headed toward the channel, where my dad spent countless hours instructing me in the fine art of chicken-neckin'. It was a cool thing, to see 10 new friends venture out into the same waters that have inspired me since childhood.

Paddling through the channel, we passed by several kids with bare feet and fishing poles, busy making their own memories. They waved and smiled, shouting excitedly about the one THIS BIG that just got away.

Around the corner, at the Cape St. Claire Community Beach (commonly called the Main Beach, so as to avoid confusion with various emergency backup beaches), families with laughing, splashing kids dotted the sand. We pulled ashore for a short rest, admiring the view from Dobbins Island to Baltimore Light.

On the trip back, I couldn't help but think that this is what Sundays were made for...taking a break, enjoying our world, and being thankful for what we have. Then, somewhere in the distance, I was sure I heard a dinner bell ring. Must've been coming from Cathy's house! Making new friends along the way is definitely a bonus. It's gonna be a great summer.


~ Christy
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It was just too hot to dodge sailboats, so our exploration of Back Creek was happily ditched as we paddled out toward the Severn River. What started out as one of the first nasty Heat Advisory days of the summer quickly turned into a breezy, wonderful, perfect Sunday afternoon.

To our delight, Ed from Annapolis Canoe & Kayak came along and taught us many useful techniques, such as how to use a bilge pump as a Super Soaker. Anyone within a 25 foot radius quickly learned to appreciate the advantages of this versatile piece of safety equipment.

The six of us paddled east along the shore, catching a little surf as the waves from passing boats rolled underneath. After an hour of sea breeze and sun, the sandy beaches beconed us to come ashore. Kayaks safely beached, we explored a nearby cove, and combed the beach for lost treasure. And Aye, what treasure we found! One muskrat, one horseshoe crab, a piece of sea glass, and a small boy.

The horseshoe crab was coaxed back into existence with a few splashes of water, and sent along its merry way. The sea glass found its way to my pocket, and the rest were simply observed in their natural habitat, splashing about in the cove.

After a refreshing swim, we paddled back to our launch site on Back Creek, which conveniently was across from Davis' Pub. Again, the shore beconed, and we finished off the afternoon with some frosty beverages and great burgers.


~ Christy
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