Just another day on the Bay

Daniel went the conventional route and caught a rockfish, while Shawn had to be a contrarian and haul up a horseshoe crab!

Company's Coming...

... so I gotta go out and find the fish before they get here!

Happy Silver Anniversary...

... to Dann & Lisa Wollet.

Twenty-five years ago today, I put on a yellow floppy hat and witnessed my best friend marry her one true love. At 18, I couldn't think of anything more romantic than driving off into the sunset in a borrowed diesel Chevette -- stopping along the way for three days in Gatlinburg -- to live in a trailer outside a military base with my enlisted sailor husband. Looking back, I know that given the same circumstances, I wouldn't have made it to my paper anniversary, let alone my silver!

Congratulations and love and best wishes for the next 25 years!

Maggie Moo's

Sarah's first *real* job, scooping ice cream at Maggie Moo's in Jackson. It's across the parking lot from the Wendy's where I had MY first real job several years ago!

M-m-m-m-m-milton!

F-f-f-f-f-f-freddy!

What do you get....

.... when you cross two big boys with Blue Moon (or Batman or whatever they call it!) ice cream smiles with an indulgent Aunt & Uncle????

A big blue mess!

Fishing at the Faist Farm Pond

Change your lure, catch a fish!

Fred, learning to catch fish with a cane pole and a nightcrawler -- no fancy spinning reel or artificial bait for him!

My favorite shot of the day.

Not to be outdone by his brother, Milty tries his hand at fishing.... with a little help from Uncle Andy!

Shawn & Dann & Dutch

These guys are grinning because they just blew out the center of a paper target with a .45 caliber pistol. The poor target didn't stand a chance!

Scenes from Ham Jam IV

Still crazy after all these years!

After being serenaded on the (almost) eve of their 25th wedding anniversary, Dann & Lisa strike a familiar pose.

Lisa's pond...

... has much more wildlife than mine!

Kellie Wollet, High School Graduate

The Central Michigan University-bound freshman mugs with brother Kris (top) and some of her friends and family (bottom) at her open house/Summer Flip Flop Party (otherwise known as Ham Jam IV)!

Who needs Wal-Mart?

When you've got Meijers? All of the choices without any of the (liberal) guilt!

Wet Puppy Kiss

The Theme for Summer

Get used to it --- you're going to see a lot of pictures like this, this summer!

Hometown Hero

Shawn and Crockett pose by the road sign announcing our little town of Arnold. If you blink, you'll miss it!

Shawn's Fishing Spot

Every fisherman has a "spot" he swears by. While I won't give you the exact GPS coordinates, I'm sure you can tell from the pictures I've posted, that Shawn gravitates toward one place more than others. My only complaint is that I need a bigger freezer!

Get out of my way!

Shawn's become a wizard at using the auto timer on the camera -- he knows exactly where to place it, where he should sit, and how to hold his catch for maximum effect. The only thing he hasn't figured out is how to keep an enthusiastic Chessie out of his shot!

Morning High Tide

When I got up to take Crockett out this morning, I was surprised by a VERY high tide. We don't usually get water this high without a strong rain.

Shawn said something about the strong north winds and the upcoming spring equinox as contributing factors -- you can check out his blog for a more technical explanation of our weather/tide patterns. Whatever the cause, Crockett was happy to have more water to splash in!

I'm posting pictures of our dock/boat ramp from the community beach, the parking lot at the park, the boat ramp, and looking up Forest Drive from our driveway. It's a good thing it didn't rain last night!

See Rock City

When we were out and about last weekend, we stopped by our favorite consignment shop in Glen Burnie to hunt for treasures. Shawn couldn't resist bringing this little guy home!

Chesapeake Maritime Museum, St. Michaels

While I was at work today, Shawn took the kids over to St. Michaels on the Eastern Shore. They stopped by the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum while they were there. Based on the pictures they brought back, I'm sorry I missed it.

The museum has a wonderful assortment of skipjacks and other boats used by Chesapeake Bay watermen for fishing, crabbing, and oystering. Some are indoors, others are tied up outside at the dock. All are fully accessible, and going aboard and exploring is encouraged. Ella got to test her climbing skills on one of the boats!

All of the exhibits are hands-on, so it's a great place to take kids who might not otherwise be interested in local history. They even have an exhibit on Crockett's ancestors, though there are no live dogs on the premises for people to play with!

Shawn was so impressed he bought a family membership. This allows us and our guests free entrance to the museum, plus overnight docking at their pier -- not a small thing, given that dock space in St. Michaels goes for a premium!

I'm looking forward to getting over there (and maybe even spending the night) at some point this summer. In the meantime, I'll have to live vicariously through their photos.

The kids flew back to Knoxville on the late flight tonight. We had a great time, and look forward to their next visit.

Dianne