5/10 Solomons Island

Rain, Rain go away!!  The sound of the heavy rain on the deck woke us this morning.  There has been rain every day at least part of the day.

But it hasn't stopped us from having adventures.  We are at Solomons Island, Maryland.  This is a very protected area.  We are at Calvert Marina and it is huge.  It is a large boat yard as well as a marina.  This marina, is on the site of the former United States Naval Amphibious Training Base, where 65,000 navy, army and marines, were trained to go ashore in battle.  For example, they trained for invading the beaches of Normandy.  The base was active from 1942 to 1945.

The morning was dreary and rainy, it finally let up a little and John and I headed up the road to the Annmarie Sculpture Garden and Arts Center.  What a serene and contemplative place!  It is named for the benefactor's wife who had died before they could develop the land.  While there are indoor exhibits, most of the art is among the trees on a path.  Many of the pieces were from the Hirshhorn Museum of the Smithsonian and the National Gallery, but they also had a good sized permanent collection.  Even the entrance was amazing.  The Gateway frames the fence and is done in ceramic.

The piece that impressed me the most, stands in the circle before the arts center.  It was commissioned as the first piece to memorialize the work of the oyster tongers on the Chesapeake.  It is done in bronze and granite.  The water flows off the mud in the tongs and off the back rack as if the tonger were working on the water.

A Tribute to the Oyster Tonger, A Chesapeake Waterman by Antonio Tobias Mendez 1994

After paying the admission to walk the path through the woods and fields to view the sculptures, I particularly enjoyed the sign at the beginning of the path.  And yes, I did have my Annmarie sticker on.

From April to September they have a special exhibit of Fairies in the Garden.  Hidden among the trees and shrubs were 55 Fairy and Gnome Homes. 

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  John had a favorite, Deer Crossing.

After lunch, we borrowed the courtesy car from the marina and went to the Calvert Marine Museum.  It was an informative take in.  Part aquarium, part natural history, and part maritime history of the region, the museum told how the water affected the economics of the region. 

 The Drum Point Light was right next door.  So got a up close picture.

Finally, the sun came out right before dinner, so we dropped the dinghy in the water and tooled around Solomons harbor.   We tied up to a dock and had a fabulous tapas dinner.  Boating out to dinner is a lot of fun.