Chesapeake Bay Real Estate » Lifestyles http://blog.chesapeakelifestyles.com Keeping you up to date on Real Estate happenings on the Eastern Shore of Maryland Thu, 02 Apr 2009 20:34:12 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5.2 en hourly 1 Saint Michaels Antique and Classic Boat Festival http://blog.chesapeakelifestyles.com/saint-michaels-antique-and-classic-boat-festival/ http://blog.chesapeakelifestyles.com/saint-michaels-antique-and-classic-boat-festival/#comments Sun, 15 Jul 2007 20:46:29 +0000 Bob and Penny Hall http://blog.chesapeakelifestyles.com/archives/14  
 
"Believe me, my young friend; there is NOTHING,
absolute nothing, half so much worth doing
as simply messing about in boats."
­— Kenneth Grahame: "The Wind In The Willows"
 
What is the mystique of a wooden runabout or cruiser that causes grown men and women to seek them and cherish them with such tenacity? After all, a boat is just a boat – isn’t it?
 
For those of us old enough to remember the sleek power craft that cruised America’s rivers and lakes from the 20’s to the early 50’s, it’s nostalgia time at the annual antique boat show held at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum at Saint Michaels, Maryland. The event is sponsored by The Chesapeake Bay Chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat Society.   
 
Each year in the middle of June, antique boat owners hitch up their sleek runabouts and trailer them to St Michaels to show off their handsome boats that represent hundreds of thousands of dollars in restoration costs. Like antique car buffs, old boat enthusiasts consider the restoration process just as important as owning a rare watercraft.
 
Boats are classified as follows:
Historic: Boats built before 1919
Antique: A boat built between 1919 and 1942
Classic:   A boat built 1943 to 1968
Production or custom contemporary boats are those built 1968 to present.
 
At the festival a boat is judged by its present condition compared to what it was like in the original condition and style. Properly preserved originality is and adherence to original construction techniques and materials are most important. Two "Best of Show" awards are given, one for "Best Restored" and one for "Best Preserved." Boat categories include runabouts, skiffs, launches and outboards.
 
The displays vividly bring to life the history of the famous wooden boats and their manufacturers. – Chris Craft, Hacker Craft, Gar Wood and Century. As you walk among the fascinating classic boats, see the beauty of their lines, the richness of the wood planking and the gleam of hardware, it is easy to understand how the antique boat show brings out the “Walter Mitty” fantasy dreams in all of us.
 
For more information about classic boats, visit the Antique and Classic Boat Society website.
 
 
 
 
 
 
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A sleepy colonial village wakes up
 
On fourth Saturday of April, the town of Oxford, Maryland on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay holds its popular “Oxford Days,” celebrating the history and lifestyle of a town that is right out of a picture history book. Founded in 1694, Oxford is situated on the Tred Avon River next to the Chesapeake Bay. It was an important seaport for British goods entering the Colonies up until 1780. After the American Revolution, it reverted to a fishing village through the middle of the 20th century. Oxford is relaxed and tranquil, and it looks like a typical village in the English countryside. Most of the town and the waterfront can be seen on foot by strolling on old brick walks under the canopies of stately trees.
 
This is one of Penny’s favorite weekends. She belongs to a group of YaYa sisters who spend that weekend enjoying the festivities in Oxford, starting with the dog walk, one of several benefit events which support Breast Cancer research. The rest of the day is filled with a parade, music, colorful displays and trying to keep from over-eating the pit beef, barbecue sandwiches and crab cakes. No one can resist the cake tables as each local church competes to produce the most delicious desserts in the area. At the end of the day you may find it hard to leave the quiet charm beside the broad expanse of the Tred Avon River and suddenly realize that Oxford is a dream and a reality.
]]> http://blog.chesapeakelifestyles.com/oxford-day-on-the-eastern-shore/feed/ 0 A Wondrous Sight http://blog.chesapeakelifestyles.com/a-wondrous-sight/ http://blog.chesapeakelifestyles.com/a-wondrous-sight/#comments Thu, 15 Feb 2007 22:14:53 +0000 Bob and Penny Hall http://blog.chesapeakelifestyles.com/archives/10
Today after showing one of our listings, a home for sale in Chestertown, MD, we came across huge flocks of Snow Geese (Chen caerulescens).
 
Unlike the ubiquitous Canada Geese, the shy Snow Geese are relatively unknown. They arrive on the Eastern Shore in fewer numbers and flock together in a small area as opposed to their cousins who call every empty field, lot or body of water their home.
 
Snow Geese prefer to spend their time in large fields, Avoiding the creeks, coves and rivers near the Chesapeake Bay. This particular flock numbered at least 2,000 birds, who either settle down in a dense mass of feathered bodies or spend a good part of an hour freewheeling in the air like a dog circling and circling a likely spot on the ground before settling in for a nap.
 
And the result is spectacular. Sub flocks of hundreds of Snow Geese fly by in a waving grey mass. Then they suddenly change direction all at once, much like fighter planes in a dogfight and the whole mass turns into a brilliant white. One more abrupt change of direction reveals a third fascinating display of white wings with contrasting black tips.
 
Eventually the Snow Geese fly beyond our sight leaving us to say that we can’t think of a nicer reason to move to the Eastern Shore of Maryland. “Sailboats racing on the bay, wild geese covering the horizon, a plate of steamed crabs and a wonderful sense of Colonial America … all combine to add a new dimension to your life and enhance your own Chesapeake Lifestyle!”
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