Solomons, Maryland

     Solomons, Maryland is both a village and an island, which is connected to the "mainland" by a car-length long two-lane bridge.  Most of the tourist activity is on the small, one-mile long island where we found lots of seafood restaurants, typical tourist shops and a maritime museum.  Across the Patuxent River from Solomons is the Patuxent River Naval Air Test Station, a huge facility, and so we also saw the occasional fighter jet roaring overhead as we walked into town.  Here is our first look at Solomons (the island part) from the water coming in:

                 And here it is from land, with Art standing in front of the entry to their Riverwalk area:

     I was on a mission from the moment we crossed into Maryland to eat my way through the crab population, and so that was my first order of business.  Here I am at Solomons Pier Restaurant waiting for my first plate of crab cakes:

     And after that, I had crab again for dinner (we went out with friends who have a home there), and once again the next day at Stoney's Kingfishers Seafood House.  I was finally getting my fill, but that hasn't lasted--I need to devour a few more crabs before I move on.
     Solomons is also a boater's paradise, with more sail boats than power boats.  We were  impressed by the beauty of marina after marina filled with sailboats as you can see in this shot Art took late in the day:

     There were plenty of power boats there too and I wouldn't be surprised if there were more boats than people in this area.

This is a view of our marina.

     As you turn into Solomons from the Patuxent, there are several creeks branching off from the main harbor and they are well worth discovering. And so one evening we lowered the dinghy, picked up some friends and headed off to explore:

 These little outings are called "cocktail cruises," and I am sure that is as much a reason for our smiling faces as the scenery was.  Sadly, I forgot my camera so I don't have any photos of the spectacular houses to share.

     Our next stop is Annapolis.