Full Circle

The boys sitting on the bow of Workyn Remote III

It only made sense to finish the summer the same way we started the summer. On Memorial Day we spent a great day floating on the Potomac River with our friends, The Mills. How could we resist an invitation to boat down to Cobb Island, MD to enjoy luncheon at Captain John’s Seafood on Labor Day? We packed our bag and headed down to our old stomping grounds of Woodbridge, VA where the Mills’ house their awesome boat.

Don preparing to serve as First Mate.

Today’s destination was Cobb Island, MD. This small community is about 45 mile south of Washington, D.C. in Charles County. There is a seafood restaurant and market, well-known to the maritime set, named Captain John’s.

Captain John’s Restaurant

After the deluges from Saturday night, which rained upon but didn’t damper my fun at my friend’s Stacey & Sue’s Semi-Annual Labor Day Bash, I decided to check the Doppler radar this morning for the Potomac River. Consulting nautical charts, my horoscope and tea leaves left me with the impression that it was a 50/50 probability of rain at some point today.

Eat my wake!

By the time we hit the water the sun was shining brightly and it was probably one of the warmest days so far of the summer. We were all enjoying the sunshine and the spray of the water as Jamie flew downriver. Kim pointed out the landmarks: Neabsco Creek, Aquia Harbor, The 301 Bridge, Colonial Beach, etc. The perspective you get from out on the water gives you a new look at things you thought you were familiar with. Perspective is cool.

Little boys on the boat

Big boys on the boat

It was fun talking with the kids about how their new school year is going, their teachers, classes, baseball and dance. Don & Jamie discussed a business plan for a new endeavor Don is considering: The Evacuation Plan. Suffice it to say it is another post for another time (& someone else’s blog because I don’t want to get letters).

Bridge near Capt John’s marina

Kayak near Neale Sound

Fire Boat

When we were seated at the restaurant Don immediately provoked the waitress by trying to order oysters on the half shell. She advised him that it wasn’t yet oyster season and he countered with, “It’s September 1st. A month with an R in it”. I suspected she and the rest of the kitchen staff spat in his food. The big boys & girls amused themselves by coloring while the little boys attempted to play Keno & place off track betting wagers.

The high school boys – coloring.

Don & I enjoyed some very fresh seafood (not oysters), J.R. ordered chicken fingers and was told the truck didn’t bring them today. He then ordered a meatball sub and apparently the truck didn’t bring that either (apparently the truck driver was taking his Labor Day holiday seriously by not performing any labor). He did, however, walk out of there with enough hush puppies to last until next Labor Day. Once everyone was stuffed to the gills, we waddled out of there and back to the boat.

Shoving off

Sailboats

What SUP?

Skipjack

The after lunch plan was to head to this bay where the beach is loaded with fossilized shark’s teeth and let the kids swim. We headed up river and Captain Jamie did not like the cloud pattern he was seeing ahead of us. Doppler radar was once again called into play and a storm was straight ahead of us. Our current position was in direct sunlight but you could see the blackening of the sky and where the rain was falling toward the east. It seems the storm was moving quickly from west to east. Jamie’s seafaring ways and excellent navigational skills made him decide to just leisurely circle where we were and let the storm pass ahead of us. (By now I am counting life jackets and hearing the theme from Gilligan’s Island playing in my head) Jamie’s kids are shouting for him to turn around and go in 6 different directions. His steely countenance inspired confidence in us (except Don, who was reaching for the bottle of Jack Daniels he had purchased on Cobb Island). Actually, we stayed in the sun the whole time & never so much as got a drop of rain on us. The sure sign that Captain Jamie was our savior on the water was the rainbow that appeared low across the river. I knew then that we would be singing sea shanties to honor him once we made it back to shore (& consumed sufficient quantities of rum).

God letting us know that Jamie was The Man.

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