Boats & Birds

Yesterday we had a delightful day with friends. It was the last day of January, the middle of winter, and the temperature rose into the 60s. It was a day to savor the beautiful weather.

Our friends have scheduled a trip next year on the still to be completed Mississippi Queen. It is being built in the Chesapeake Shipbuilding yard in Salisbury, MD. Yesterday we joined them on an excursion to the Eastern Shore to see this boat under construction. If you have never toured a shipbuilding yard you have missed a fascinating experience. We donned our hard hats and followed Tony, the construction foreman, for a tour of the boat.

We learned about insulation and wires and potable water. The number of details that go into building a large passenger boat are overwhelming, and far more interesting than I expected.

There was dust, noise, wires, and timber everywhere. Construction workers were busy on every level. From the back deck we could see The Glory, the boat we are scheduled to cruise on in 2013.

It really was a fascinating, tour.

After lunch we went to the Ward Wildfowl Art Museum. This place is dedicated to wood carvings of birds, mostly duck decoys. I was totally blown away by the beautiful sculptures we saw. They were breathtaking. These hand-carved wooden sculptures looked so lifelike, just like birds in flight. If you have opportunity you really should stop and see this place. I loved it!

I love enjoying unusual special days with friends.