The Kalmar Nyckel

The Delaware tall ship,  Kalmar Nyckel, was returning to the dock at Historic New Castle and we were lucky enough to be there.  It was under power, not sail, when we saw it but it goes to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, New London, Connecticut, Long Island, and Solomons Island, Maryland. 

We watched as the crew backed it up to the dock.  The captain was a lady as were several other crew members.  Nice. 

We were just out walking along the shoreline before the Kalmar Nyckel showed up. Love this cairne built from the rocks dropped to protect the shoreline. 

And then we looked up and saw this (below).  Woo hoo.  So we went to the dock for a closer look. 

And we walked around the restaurants and shops, peering down neat allyways.

Another good day. 

River Dancer in the Mahon, Simon & Leipsic Rivers

We trailered River Dancer to Port Mahon, not far from Dover, Delaware.  Port Mahon, as the name suggests, used to be a working port.  A fish factory sat along the shore of the Delaware Bay near the mouth of the Mahon River.  There also used to be a lighthouse because of the "Joe Flogger" shoals in the bay right off the shore.  It used to be a busy place with oyster shucking and fish cleaning shacks up and down the shoreline. 

We put in without much trouble other than that River Dancer floated over top of the domed light on the trailer pole on the port side and cracked it.  I watched helplessly as two plastic pieces making up the dome light cover cracked and dropped into the water.  It's always something.  

We went up the Mahon River and saw marsh, marsh and marsh.  Not that I'm hating on marshes.  I love how they clean the water and all the wildlife that they support.  I marvel at how much is there that we can't even see as we float by.

When we got as far as we dared go, as the Mahon River narrowed and got more shallow we came about and went back out to the bay, then north to the mouth of the Leipsic River.  We skipped the Simon River which sits between the Mahon and Leipsic until on our way back.  The bay was pretty quiet and smooth.  It was almost high tide when we went out. 

Once in Leipsic we motored by the docked boats and Sambo's, the only restaurant/bar in town.  And of course, you'd be crazy to have a place on the water in a small town like this and not be a crab shack too. Sambo's is named for Samuel "Sambo" Burrows.  It is a hole-in-the wall but great neighborhood seasonal pub.  I wish it was open all winter.  I think it would be fun to drop in in the morning for coffee and breakfast and back in the evening for a drink and sandwich.  Even though Leipsic is kind of out in the middle of the marshland and bordering the Bombay National Wildlife Refuge, people find it.  Sambo's has a map of the world with pushpins stuck in it to mark home ports of clientele from over the years. 

A view of Sambo's from the River Dancer

Another view from the water of Sambo's.

Sambo's

Then back out we went to the bay then up the Simon River and back out to Port Mahon. Uneventful, quiet.  A good day.  We aren't sure what river will be next.  Or maybe we will try out the Delaware-Chesapeake Canal. 

River Dancer in Lewes and the Broadkill River

Friends visited from Maryland and we took them out on the River Dancer. The plan was to put in at the boat landing in Lewes then float towards Milton on the Broadkill River. We wanted to give the tide time to come back in a bit so Leslie and I did a little shopping in Lewes while Dave and Larry put the boat in and moved it to the city dock to await our boarding.  We were princesses for a moment. 

The River Dancer looks so small at the dock.  We used to have a 30 foot Bayliner, the Jada-An , and it sat a lot higher in the water.  But I'm not complaining.  The River Dancer can get into a lot smaller, shallower waterways than the Jada-An.  

Once we boarded we headed north then west up the Broadkill River to Milton. The Broadkill is 13.3 miles long and flows into Delaware Bay.  The Broadkill once saw ship building but now has a footpath alongside called the Governor's Walk in Milton and downstream a bit is a a Nature Conservancy preserve. An annual canoe and kayak race go down the Broadkill each year.  

OK, I don't know what this is other than antennas and cameras. It is near the mouth
 of the Broadkill River bordering Prime Hook NWR. 

Lots of marshlands.  

And now in Milton.  Then back to Lewes to pull the boat and go home to sit on the deck and have dinner and drinks.

A good time. 

So far we've done the Mispillion River twice, the Lewes-Rehobeth Canal and into Rehobeth Bay and the Indian River, and now the Broadkill River to Milton and back. Next may be the Leipsic. 

Historic New Castle

On our way back from a doctor's visit in Wilmington a while back we stopped in historic New Castle which we just love.  What a little treasure of an area along the Delaware.  And hey, William Penn is thought to have landed there way back when.  But what about the indiginous folks who lived there even before that?  I always try to imagine what it may have looked like to them.  Or even further back before people. 

This time visiting historic New Castle we tried lunch at a different pub.  So far so good.  Two pubs.  Too fun.  

Then we walked about. 

This time we found a Sea Witching Tree.  We love the whole sea witch thing.  We loved the Sea Witch Parade in Rehobeth Beach around Halloween which is what led us to the contra marching bands and the Mummer's Parade in Philly on New Years.  I love pulling threads that lead from one adventure to another. 

I think we will copy this idea and I'll use some of our drift wood and found items to do some sea witching around our back yard and trees.  Could be fun.  Let's use some creative energy. 

A merchant prints their opinion of Covid on their door.  

I love me some good alleyways. This one is nice 
and vintage. 

One of the homes in the area.  I love me some nice porches.  
The upstairs one is a definite bonus.

And below are some somewhat boring views of the Delaware River in the vicinity where William Penn is thought to have landed. Friends who have piloted a Dupont family yacht all over the world in years past said the Delaware River is maybe the most boring boat trip they've ever had as far as scenery.   We will eventually do it and even if it isn't scenic, we will appreciate it as it will add to our knowledge and experience of the area.  

Looking towards the Delaware Bridge from Delaware to New Jersey. 

Philly

We love Philly.  We were there last week for the Harry Potter event and to visit the Eastern State Penitentiary. 

We have fond memories of Philly.  We love the Mummer's Parade on New Years Day.  We want to go again. We did it a few years ago when it was 5 degrees and windy and it was still fun.  We also love Philly's art museums and the City Hall courtyard Kris Kringle Mart and let's not forget the gluhvein in December.  

So we went to Philly with our daughter and son-in-law to attend the Harry Potter event as a celebration for our daughter's birthday.  We needed no convincing to join them.  What's not to like in a birthday celebration or a trip to Philly?  

Our daughter also wanted to tour the Eastern State Penitentiary.  Like me, she has diverse interests.  Philly is a nice, walkable city so we walked from the Harry Potter event to the penitentiary and back.  We had lunch at Jack's Firehouse Pub right across the street from Eastern State Penitentiary.  It was a fun place with decent service, food, and drink.  Atmosphere is A+.  

Though we visited the Harry Potter event first, I'll start with the penitentiary.  It presented awesome photo opportunities.  We love old buildings, peeling paint, old brick and metal and cement, imagining past events and lives lived.  This old building held a lot of suffering.  

I recall Bryan Stevenson's quotes originating from his Alabama African American prisoner justice work and the resulting book and documentary, Just Mercy : 

"Each of us is more than the worst thing we've ever done."

"The true measure of our character is how we treat the poor, the disfavored, the accused, the incarcerated and the condemned. " 

"The opposite of poverty is not wealth.  The opposite of poverty is justice."

The last quote tells a lot about prisons, I think.  It's poor people, the marginalized people, overwhelmingly, who end up in prison.  

So even though I loved the old building, I took the time to bear witness to the old bones of this structure and reflect also on the human bones it held by force inside.

This was the medical wing of the hospital.  I lead with it to honor
Bryan Stevenson's work to be merciful and I hope this medical wing
employed staff who were in fact merciful and not predatory.

This room was staged to show what a cell might have looked like
on a good day.  The door on the far side led to an outdoor walking area. 

Below are pictures of what the cells mostly look like today. 

And here are some pictures of the hallways and other views of the grounds. 

Eastern State Penitentiary was built like a large spider with the heart in the center 
legs spread out housing cell blocks with skylights.

Eastern State Penitentiary was meant to be the first true penitentiary, going to the root of the word to penitence. Hmmmm.... 

So on to Harry Potter.

I love a good dome ceiling but it has nothing to do with Harry Potter except
it's in the building where the Harry Potter event is hosted.  But I bet we could come 
up with a good Harry Potter connection if we gave it some thought. 

Here's Andrea in Hagrid's hovel.

My favorite part of the Harry Potter event was seeing several of the costumes as well as the projection of movie views on opposite walls in some parts of the event.  The attempt was to make you feel like you were there.  It didn't quite succeed but I appreciated the effort and effect. 

The end.