Snow + new engine = too much excitement!

If you haven't already heard, a blizzard came through these parts last weekend.  So, delivery of our new engine was delayed by an ice storm in Virginia which was immediately followed by The Blizzard of 2016.  So, we prepped Virginia Dare and accepted an offer to stay with a friend to weather the storm.

Friday afternoon when the storm arrived: the snow slid right off the tarp (folded the bimini down).

We had great homemade meals, fun times, and plenty of libations over the weekend.  It's fair to say that a fun time was had by all!

Let the storm begin!

We are the blue dot in the center.

Smoked bluefish

Swedish meatballs

Plenty of beverages

The three of us shoveled 18" on Saturday and 6" on Sunday.

Time to warm up after shoveling :)

We ate very well during The Blizzard.

A little 8 Ball, a few games of darts, a lot of fun

Warm and toasty with a roaring fire

Hearty stew

Woke up to sunshine and blue sky on Sunday morning

The pond is frozen and snowed over.

Caution, hazardous turn

Hopping bird tracks 

Birds must have been looking for food

I finished my knitting project!

We ventured out on Sunday afternoon to avoid going stir-crazy :)

Monday morning found Virginia Dare just fine!  Most of the snow blew off her.  The cockpit was bone dry.  The water in the marina wasn't solid, just a slushy mess.

This evening (Tuesday), our new Volvo Penta engine finally made it to the marina (happy dance)!  Temperatures hovered around 50 degrees today, so much of the 8-10" of snow that had fallen here had melted by this evening.

There it is, the package we've been waiting for.

And so it begins......

.....prepping for the arrival of our new engine.

David's feet -- the rest of him is in the engine room.  I can hand him tools and hold flashlights, but two of us can't fit in there.

Thankfully, I have a new knitting project!

It was 17*F this morning when we woke up and there was a skim of ice on the water.  Inside our cabin, it was a cozy 67*F :)

Frost on the dock

I know, these aren't balmy, blue water photos.  Oh well, we're just as bummed as you.

Christmas finally arrived aboard Virginia Dare

Well, our tiny box of holiday decorations was finally pulled out of the depths of the v-berth storage area (hull).  With some fishing line and a little bit of museum putty, we were able to put some festivity on board.........with a whole lot of Christmas music!

Celebrate, not just in 2012, but every year!

Freshly polished Georg Jensen ornaments on the port side

Several favorite ornaments to starboard

Glittery gold stars

"Mama in her kerchief and I in my cap....."

Tree

Partridge in a pear tree

Someone's stocking is excessively large!!

Snowman at the ready in our galley

Holiday towels in the head......have no idea where that rust spot came from!

And, it wouldn't be Christmas without our koala towel from Diana and John!

We will be anchoring out in a secluded cove for the next few days.  Merry Christmas to all of our family and friends!

Still sittin' on the dock of the bay

Well, here we sit, in the Chesapeake Bay, still troubleshooting/diagnosing our engine issue. For Thanksgiving, we spent a wonderful two weeks in Michigan and Ohio visiting family and friends of the human, canine, and feline variety.  It was really great to catch up with so many people.

So, if you must be stuck somewhere, the Bay isn't a bad place to be, especially when oysters are in season!  These aren't pretty pictures of incredibly blue Bahamian water, which is where we thought we'd be at this time this year, but they're from our 'hood for the time being.

Sunset from our cockpit

Won't take our Sparty flag down -- it's good luck!  

Took Virginia Dare out for a spin last week to test her RPMs -- it was an unseasonably warm and beautiful day!  Unfortunately, the problem persists.

This beauty left Herrington Harbour as we were heading back to our slip.

If we run errands up to Annapolis, we drive by this heart barn.  Always puts a smile on my dial!

I can hear my kids saying, "Mom, really?!"  This is fresh seagull poo floating in the marina with the clouds reflecting.  Two abstract white shapes.......I thought it was pretty cool :)

Crazy purple berries.  Beautiful color on an otherwise gray day!

New dinghy storage rack

Most seasonal sailors have hauled their boats by now.  There are hundreds in the lots here.

Someone with a sense of humor........don't panic!

Found a stand of bamboo.....

.....and a pile of rusting chain

More reflections

We're on D dock.  The old E dock is being replaced with this new one.  We've gotten to watch (and listen to) the progress ;)

Thanks for sharing your oysters, Bud!

All scrubbed and ready for today's happy hour!

Doing the dirty work on the dock

Barnacles

Oh, yum! 

We can even find Two Hearted Ale in little ol' Deale, Maryland!

I polished the seafood forks after we ate.  Have I mentioned that I LOVE to polish silver?