A small world is very strange

We are waiting out 20 knot winds currently stirring up the waters that lay between First Light and St. Michaels, which worked out really well as it gave us a chance to take the Dink down the river a bit to visit the Calvert's Maritime Museum. That they have a free Dink Dock nestled in among the historical boats tied up in their little bay suggested it would be an interesting place actually full of “maritime” stuff. 

Within steps of getting out of the Dink one of the employee / volunteers stopped to give us directions. He asked where we were from, so we explained how we are working on getting First Light to St. Louis. He smiled and asked where we lived in the city as he went to school at a college called Parks across the river in Cahokia. I was a bit taken aback and asked him to repeat that several times, Parks college in Cahokia IL? He gave me a puzzled look while assuring me that he had gotten both his A&P license as well as a degree in Engineering at that school. The puzzled look turned into a big smile when I explained that I had spent 8 years flying out of Parks while employed as the Director of Operations for St. Louis University's (of which Park's college is a part) corporate flight department. Deb and Grandson Eldest walked away to buy our passes while John and I exchanged stories. He had been at the school years before I had worked there, but the coincidence was still kind of remarkable. He has been a long time resident of this area and, though officially retired, still works in a simulator at Pax River on something that has to do with F-16s. Part of his job at the museum is keeping a traditional oyster boat floating, of which he gave us a tour. Before we wandered off John volunteered that, should we need anyone to look at First Light while she is up on the hard, he would be happy to check in on her. Sometimes things unfold in remarkable ways.

After a final handshake with a new friend, we climbed up into a lighthouse that was once out in the Bay and had been relocated to the museum. This one was round like a cake with two layers of living space topped by a single, massive lens for a candle. After climbing back down the narrow, twisting staircases, we started to explore the rest of the facility. Around their little bay are several buildings full of maritime information and displays. In one of the buildings volunteers build and assemble boats using traditional assembly methods, though they do use modern tools. As luck would have it, they work on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The shop was a busy place when we visited and the shop foreman gave us a tour. After that, we wandered through the rest of the displays spending several hours. It was certainly a place worth the visit.

With the next weather break we will be heading across the Bay, one more step toward getting First Light settled in for the winter. It feels like we are doing okay...but don't tell anyone I said that. After this summer I still have a habit of looking over my shoulder to see what might be sneaking up on us now.

The Drum Point Lighthouse

The lantern in the lighthouse. It has a couple red glass panels in the windows
to make the light appear to flash red as it turns

The red reflections on the floor from the red window panels

Part of the living quarters in the lighthouse

The Patient Small Craft Guild is building this replica tender for the lighthouse

These patterns are laid on the floor to shape the ribs and spars

Some the forms used to curve the wood

The plans used to build the tender

One of the tools used to design the curves in the wood

The anchorage in the Solomons. One of the prettiest and secure places we've ever anchored.