Today's events

We were having breakfast this morning as usual and, as often happens, the Coleman Bridge was preparing for an opening. Two ships had been at the Naval Weapons Station all week, and both were leaving port today.
As usual, my guests jumped up from the table, got their cameras, and went to the deck to watch the event. I tried to give them as much information in advance as I could, and I told them to look at the silouette of the ship, and find the number so we could identify the specific ship that was departing the river.
As it approached us, we were able to identify the ship and to our surprise it was the USS Cole.
The Cole was the ship that was bombed in Yemen in 2000 and the even was a predecessor to the bombing of the World Trade Center September 11, 2001.
The Cole had been here on and off since it was built, but its notoriety in that tragic event made our seeing it even more interesting for us today.


This Sunday, the Watermen’s Heritage Festival is being held down on the waterfront just below me at the Watermen’s Museum. The workboat races can be enjoyed from the deck of the Presidents’ Room.
This annual festival includes displays, activities, programs, wonderful food, and other things related to the present and historic Chesapeake Bay. The festival is free and available from 11 til 5 on Sunday.