91. Play with a New Water Toy
When the jellyfish arrive later this month, you and your kids may avoid Bay waters. But there are lots of other fun ways to get wet without immersing yourself in the Chesapeake.
Remember hooking up the garden sprinkler and running through it? Good for the grass and for the spirit. How about the slip-and-slide - a plastic sheet you ran the hose over, and then slid across? It was so much fun!
Kids' water toys have come a long way since these rudimentary and often homemade devices.
Check out the vast array of what we used to call squirt guns. Today's water weapons can hold half a gallon of ammunition and reach easily across the lawn. Visit any toy store to explore these soakers plus the newest sprinklers and water slides. But hurry: The selection is evaporating quickly in the summer heat.
For some older kids and adults, tubing is the only way to go boating. Today's tubes have moved far beyond the inner tubes of long ago. A round vinyl tube is reinforced with a platform on which to ride. Built-in handles provide a little safety when traveling at high speeds.
The rivers of our Bay are popular tubing areas; tubers and boaters should follow the same safety rules as water skiers. Try a boat shop or marina to buy a good tube.
And last, you just have to try a water trampoline. If one of your concerns with trampolines has been the possibility of jumping right off it onto the hard ground, your prayers have been answered. A water trampoline floats right on the water. You can jump just as high, but if you miss coming down, you'll splash into the
Find your way to other famous city homes in Way 30, Trace a Bay Writer, and Way 69, Take a Patriotic Tour.
In the country, travel to Maryland's new Benjamin Banneker Historic Park and Museum near the tiny African American community of Oella to see the land where Benjamin Banneker called his residence all his days.
Made less of are the Eastern Shore's place marks of Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass. Underground Railway conductor Tubman was born on Greenbriar Road in Cambridge and was freed from slavery near Bucktown in Dorchester County. Douglass gives these directions as the first words of narrative of his life, which began in slavery: "I was born in Tuckahoe, near Hillsborough, and about 12 miles from Easton, in Talbot County, Maryland." Road signs mark the way to both spots.
92. Savor Summer Specialties: Make Pickles
Is your summer garden producing an abundance of ripe, luscious cucumbers?
Try making some fresh, homemade pickles, a special summertime treat that can be enjoyed all year long. These scrumptious delicacies bear little resemblance to the floppy store-bought variety. One juicy crunch - be it sweet, dill or bread and butter - brings forth a taste of summer sunshine.
To get started, choose a recipe or try my favorite. Wash fresh cucumbers in cool water, carefully removing excess dirt and the small, prickly spines on the skin. Cut all the cucumbers into uniform slices. (If you meditate, hum a near-forgotten tune or chat with your kindly neighbor while you slice, you'll be done before you know it.)
Sweet and Sour Spiced Cucumber Pickles (for 20 pounds of cucumbers)
Place sliced cucumbers in a large bowl and cover with 12 cups of pickling salt. Cover with a weighted lid and place in refrigerator for 12 hours. Drain. Rinse in cold water then drain again thoroughly.
Distribute cucumbers in canning jars according to directions. Now prepare the syrup:
- 1 gallon of cider vinegar
- 11 C sugar
- 2 oz. pickling spice
- 1 oz. cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp. cloves
Bring to the boil. Pour hot syrup over cucumbers in jars, seal and process according to canning instructions.
Pickling is a great way to preserve much of summer's bounty, from cucumbers to watermelon rind. So fill up a bushel basket from your own garden or a local farm stand and get busy.
93. Try for Par; Take a 'Snowman'
All day, my tee-shots have had the flight paths of boomerangs. After flying straight for a hundred yards, my little white ball takes a hard right and looks like it might land at my feet, only to settle in the deep rough, a mile away from the hole.
I hate this game.
After hacking the out of the rough, I hit a worm-burner across the fairway. I finally get on the green and miss a short triple-bogey putt. Another 8, another snowman, goes on the score card.
Maybe I need more time at the range.
I'm standing on the 18th tee. My arms are tired from 110 strokes. I am hot, sweaty and frustrated, just hoping to finish the round.
I swing, the ball soars, and lands right in the middle of the fairway. My approach is short of the green, but I loft the ball close to the pin and make my par putt. Now my round doesn't seem so bad.
The dream is alive, I'll play another day. The senior tour is only 25 years away.
No matter what your skill level, summer is a great time to hack it up and work on your golf game. In Chesapeake Country there are many options. Here are a few:
Arnold: Bay Hills Golf Club: 410/974-0669;
Crownsville: Eisenhower Golf Course: 410/222-7922;
Edgewater: South River Golf Links: 410/788-5865;
Lower Marlboro: Mellomar Par Three Golf Course and Driving Range: 410/286-8212;
Owings: Twin Shields Golf Club: 410/257-7800;
Severna Park: Severna Park Golf and Sports Center: 410/647-8618.
94. Slip a Shock into Your Picnic
Picnics are the backbone of Chesapeake summers. Whether the menu calls for fried chicken, potato salad and baked beans or crabcakes, fries and slaw, dessert is a must.
This year have a little fun with your guests. For dessert, make Mississippi Dirt with Worms. Here's what you'll need:
- A colorful flowerpot
- One large package of chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed
- 1 C sugar
- 1 stick butter or margarine, softened
- 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 12 oz. nondairy whipped topping
- 2 small packages instant vanilla or chocolate pudding
- 3 C milk
- Gummy worms (preferably red and brown ones)
Mix sugar, butter or margarine, cream cheese and nondairy whipped topping. Set aside. In another bowl, combine pudding with milk.
Now comes the fun part.
In the flowerpot, layer one-third cup of crushed cookies, one-half cup of cream cheese mixture, some gummy worms and one-half cup of pudding mixture. Continue until all the ingredients are gone.
When the first guest dips into those chocolatey, creamy layers and pulls out long, stringy worms, have a camera handy to capture the shocked look on your guests' faces.
95. NJFK: On a Rainy Day, Play with Clay
In Chesapeake Country, bright sunshine and azure blue skies invite you to come outside and have fun. But some days Mother Nature showers us with her nourishment of rain, rain, rain. On those days, it's fun to have a plan tucked away.
Making Magic Clay is a simple treat and gets the creative juices flowing.
Mix two cups salt and 2/3 cup water in a saucepan, place over low heat and stir constantly (three to four minutes) until mixture is thoroughly heated. Remove from heat and immediately add one cup cornstarch and 1/2 cup cold water. Mix. It should have the consistency of stiff dough. (If it is too sticky, you may return to heat for about a minute or two.) Knead to a smooth and pliable mass.
Voila, you've made Magic Clay. If desired, divide up your Magic Clay and add food coloring or tempera paint to make different colors.
Now create. Model whatever your heart desires. From dinosaurs to bowls, tea cups to hearts, the possibilities are endless. Leave it uncovered, and it will dry at room temperature in about 36 hours. When dry, you can paint your sculpture.
This recipe makes about 1 3/4 pounds of Magic Clay. The mixture will keep indefinitely when stored in a tight container or wrapped in plastic.
So if the rain puts a damper on your summer plans, try a little indoor adventure. Create a masterpiece from beginning to end.
96. Get Lost!
And be home in time for supper.
Afoot or afloat, airborne or undersea, on wheels, on the Moon or with your head in the stars, there's a map that can help you get there and back again.
For local waters, I like to make use of both the ADC Chesapeake Bay chart book or the Maryland Cruising Guide. They've put in commonly used magnetic bearings to get you from place to place. The float free channels are, at least in theory, marked on the Maryland Cruising Guide and well-known fishing spots are, at least in theory, indicated in the ADC chartbook. I always keep the largest scale NOAA charts closest to hand. You just can't beat them for detail.
Whatever you chose, bear in mind that while the old copies are cool and fun and useful for some purposes, the newest ones are much better for keeping you off the rocks.
For local terrestrial navigation I've been using the Delorme Maryland Delaware Atlas & Gazetteer, and the pertinent ADC county maps.
Good companion tools are a compass, a GPS, and a small bottle of Uncle Rashid's Magic Flying Carpet Restorer And Ratchetty Sprocket Lube.
All of these items are mostly available at your finer map emporia.
97. Share a Tidbit with the One You Love
Summer is slower, and Bay Country offers lovely places to savor a special tidbit while enjoying a beautiful view. Why not take time to enjoy your loved one's company over a sunset cocktail on a dock bar? Don't bring the kids.
For sensual dining, sip a frozen margarita, order finger-food appetizers (like the crab dip at Surfside Seven in Edgewater) and feed it to each other. Try the portabello mushrooms with a glass of wine at Pirates Cove in Galesville. Happy Harbor promises hot steamed clams and really cold beer.
Hold hands and talk to each other like you haven't in a while. Remember why you fell in love.
98. Pet a Lab
A lot of Bay time is spend debating what's the best breed of dog hereabouts. Even James Michener got into the debate in Chesapeake. Experience forces us to agree that, for working and loving, even a Chesapeake Bay retriever can't beat a Labrador retriever. So the next time you see one of those big, amiable black, yellow or chocolate Labs, say hello.
(If you're near the water, expect to get drenched. He's probably just come in from a swim and is sure to shake all over you.)
He'd probably like a pat, too - but ask his owner first. (Even this accommodating breed has been known to have bad actors.)
99. Take a Day Trip to the Ocean
Even if you can't afford a week's condo rental on the boardwalk in Ocean City, you can spend a day there. It's only a little more than two hours driving time, traffic permitting, from Annapolis to the ocean. The Ocean City government is trying to take care of one major problem for day-trippers: parking of your vehicle. Opening soon is the West Ocean City Park & Ride, right off Route 50 between the western end of the Harry Kelley Bridge and Golf Course Road. Tourists or locals, you'll be able to park their vehicles and catch an Ocean City bus, which will drop you off right at the boardwalk.
The 710-space parking lot is open 24 hours. The shuttle bus schedule has not yet been announced and will be determined by actual use. The parking is free! The bus will cost $1 per person, but this fee is good for travel through a 24-hour period. The shuttle runs to the downtown transit street at 2nd St., where you can hit the boardwalk or beach, or catch another bus to other locations.
While at the lot, users will be able to enjoy a unique view of Assawoman Bay and its wetlands from a wrap-around boardwalk while waiting for the bus. There will be an office of the Transportation Division on site.
Easy side trips from the parking lot include the Shanty Town and Ocean City Outlets shopping areas. And if you've always wanted to bicycle to Assateaque Island, you can park your car and take off along Route 611 from the new lot.
Don't let the summer pass by without enjoying the smells and sounds of the ocean surf. Pack a cooler, a beach chair, and a good book. Remember your sunscreen. And take a kid along. Children need the ocean, and you'll have more fun.
Information? The Town of Ocean City: 410/723-8609 www.town.ocean-city.md.us./park&ride.html
NJFK: Climb a Tree
If you like climbing and you like trees, then you must love climbing trees. I do.
Climbing trees is especially fun on a hot summer day. The lush green leaves block you from the sun and make a great hideout. If you are lucky, you may find a bird's nest or some unusual insects.
Perched high in a tree, you get a bird's eye view. If you climb high enough, you can look out over everything. Sometimes the wind can cause the tree to sway; I close my eyes and imagine I'm flying.
Tree climbing is a good skill to have if you are picking apples and don't have a ladder nearby. Climbing up through the middle of the tree gives you a chance to grab the apples that no one else can reach. Be careful not to go out on small weak limbs that can't hold your weight; they might break.
Everyone has a favorite tree they like to climb. Mine is an old weeping willow on the beach. I've spent many hours playing, swinging and climbing all over that tree. Always make sure you have permission to climb on trees that are not yours.
If you don't have a favorite tree, maybe you can find one this summer. A spot in a good sturdy tree is the perfect place to spend a relaxing summer afternoon.
101. Sit on the Dock of the Bay
Sit on the dock of the Bay. If it's too much work to find a dock, you'll do fine on a deck or in a deck chair. Watch the tide roll away. You know the rest.
