Saturday On The Bay - Trip To Smith Island, MD

With R.'s schedule and me being in school, we don't get to go out on our boat as much as we would like.  For the past few months (he works 2 weeks on 2 weeks off each month) we have made plans to go boating only to have the weather be bad, have other commitments, etc.  Well today when we woke up the weather was cool and the water was fairly calm, so we decided this was our day.  I took along my camera and some bug spray (they are HORRIBLE again) and we were off for a day of "sporting around".

First we watched two of our neighbors a while as they worked the bay, both fishing crabpots for blue crabs.

Then we went exploring around some of the small islands and sandbars just outside Tangier.  Lots of waterfowl and seabirds out today.

Besides Tangier, there is another inhabited island in the lower Chesapeake Bay - which is Smith Island in Maryland.  It's about a half an hour away from us.  Sometimes N. goes up there with friends.  He always comes home talking about this sandwich shop they like to go to, and how good their pizza cheesesteak subs are.  Since it was getting to be about 11 o'clock, we decided to head to Smith Island to find Ruke's for lunch.

Seen on the way in...

  
We tied up at the dock and went off in search of Ruke's.  We didn't have to search long, it's fairly near the dock and across from a little visitor's center/museum.  Smith Island also has a tourism industry, and you can catch a tour boat there from Crisfield, MD too.

Ruke's is not fancy, but the food as promised, was very good! We sat on the patio.  Besides subs they also had crab cake and soft crab sandwiches; also kid favorites like chicken tenders and cheese sticks. N. got his pizza cheesesteak, while we got the regular cheesesteak, all of which were stuffed full.  Yummy!

And you can't visit Smith Island without having a piece of world famous Smith Island Cake.  Don't you wish you were here?

An Indian Summer Day on Tangier Island

INDIAN SUMMER COMES TO TANGIER

The weather today was amazing.  Last weekend temps were in the 90s and the humidity (and bugs!) were terrible.  What a difference a week makes!  Today, temperatures are in the 70s, there is a wonderful breeze, the skies are bright blue, and the bug situation has calmed considerably.  This is a wonderful day to visit Tangier!

I have decided to list one of my cameras for sale, and since it was such a pretty day, I took it out for some demonstration pictures before listing it for sale.  Here are a few that will give you an idea of what I saw out and about on our island today.

Looking over the marsh from Canton bridge toward the main section of the island.  Lots of waterfowl out and about enjoying the sunshine.

Not many tourists aboard today.  Shame, because it's been a beautiful one and about 20 degrees cooler than last week!

Another shot of our school.  Think this one will have to go on the website.

And here's what it looked like on my little dock of the Bay:

Marsh hen and a heron hanging out in the backyard.

What I Did This Weekend Was Blankety, Blankety, Blank....

What Is Up With That Title?

The quote in my title this morning was adapted from a classic one by "Mrs. Puff", the Driving School teacher on SpongeBob Squarepants.  Poor SpongeBob was trying to write an essay for her on what he learned in boat driving school in order to graduate, but had a serious case of writer's block. Mrs. Puff really wanted to get rid of SpongeBob, so she cut back the assignment from a 100 word essay to a 10 word essay. And...he still couldn't come up with anything.  Mrs. Puff tried to give him hints and tips to help him get started, all the while becoming increasingly frustrated.  Still nothing... That's when Mrs. Puff "shared" with him this helpful advice:  "What I Learned In Boating School Is Blankety, Blankety, Blank!" before passing out.   Hey, sometimes teaching is like that, LOL.

I used to love watching SpongeBob with N. when he was smaller.  It was silly yes, but it had humor we both could enjoy.  Dexter's Lab was another great cartoon from that time our whole family could watch together and enjoy.  One of the best SpongeBob episodes ever was called "Band Geeks" when SpongeBob fronted an 80's style hair band and sang the power ballad "Sweet Victory".  You can find the clip on youtube.  Trust me if you're an 80's rock fan you'll love it.

And Now, Here's A Look At Some Things That Went On At My House This Weekend:

Ideas were gathered for those thrift store silver trays:

Google Image via Pinterest
Ooh look, I have that same little blue ceramic bird!
This would look good in my utility room and one of my trays is sort of like this.
Score!

Google Image via Etsy
Would also match my utility room.  Starting to have a vision for those trays!

Google Image from accordingtokali.com

Teacher lesson plans were started:

well...thought about, but not started.  I'm not going to lie.

Flowers bloomed while bees and butterflies did their thing:

Hummingbirds came to visit once again:

Tide and clouds rolled in:

Uh Oh, where's my little dock on the bay?
Also, can you find a backyard visitor?

Windows were opened:

Sons cut grass and husbands grilled:

but neither wanted their picture taken...

                            

And Somebody Stole A Piece Of My Double Layer Lemon Pudding Pie Before I Could Take Its Picture!

I hope you enjoyed your weekend too!

Tangier Island in Photos

Tangier Island In Photos

I love photography, though I go through periods where I take very few pictures - and then others when you always see me with a camera around my neck.  Sometimes I feel like living in such a small area I have taken a picture already of everything there is to capture on Tangier Island.  But then I take out my camera, and am reminded I am wrong.  I find it very interesting how things that we see everyday and pay no attention to, can look quite interesting through the lens of a camera.

I love the Picasa picture editing and storage program that is free (FREE !) through Google.  I highly recommend it.  I have been sorting through some of my more recent albums on there and chose a few photos of mine to share to give you a peek at everyday life on our island.

And now some camera recommendations from me...

Contrary to what some camera enthusiasts and most camera shops will tell you, you do not need a huge $800 DSLR kit to take amazing digital pictures.  What you do need is a decent camera and lots of practice, practice, practice!  Take time to learn the features and special programs of your camera like sunset mode or backlight mode ---they are your friend.  Always use your flash when taking pictures of people outdoors to help remove shadows on their faces caused by the sun and objects over head in the foreground.  Just because a picture looks "bad" in the camera doesn't mean you can't fix it up to be a winner in a photo editing program like Picasa.   

None of the pictures taken above were shot with a big DSLR.  And I am also going to surprise you and say that Canon and Nikon are not my first choices for a camera, although I have had a few.  My favorite brands for digital cameras right now are Sony (my #1 pick), Panasonic Lumix, and Olympus. I've taken some great pictures with Samsung and Fuji cameras too.  I have bought and sold many cameras on ebay.  If I see a camera I want, I always check there first for a used model.  The savings can be incredible.  Many people just don't use a camera as much as they thought they would, or don't take the time to learn all the features, and so decide to sell theirs.  And, I have found most people on ebay to be pretty honest in their selling, though I have ended up with a few (very few) duds.

Camera research is the key to getting a good camera.  Check out cameras on amazon.com and read the reviews.  People also post example photos there.  Look at the camera finder portion of flickr.com.  Click a model and see example pics taken with it.  Through personal experience I have found that if most people on amazon say a model is a dud....it's a dud.  If most people say they love their camera, and you see some really good example photos posted that "real people" have produced....then go for it.

Here are links to three camera with reviews on amazon that I have owned and had very good pictures from. You can pick these up, used, fairly inexpensively on ebay.  All of these can be had for around $100 or less.  Not dirt cheap I realize, but if you are going to put $100 in a camera, much better these than what you can get new with the money.  And, the top two cameras linked are a bit like mini DSLRs, with lots of nice features.  Amazon.com sells used cameras as well, with no bidding required.  KEH.com is a good online used camera dealer too.

SONY CYBERSHOT H-20

LUMIX FZ-28

SAMSUNG HZ15W