Summers' Past Series - Maryland's Eastern Shore

Looking back in my archives over the past decade at various outings taken in the Eastern United States,

I thought it only appropriate to take you along on a new series called Summers' Past Series. 

Let's travel to the quaint coastal towns of St. Michael's and Chincoteague along the Eastern Shore,

to the most captivating island of Nantucket, off of the coast of Cape Cod in Massachusetts,

to the seaside villages of Bar Harbor and Stonington in Down East Maine, and finally,

to several lakeside villages near Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in beautiful Michigan.

Looking back at the beautiful Sunset across Kent Narrows, Kent Island, Eastern Shore, Maryland

Plein Air Artist and a Seascape, Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, St. Michael's, Eastern Shore, Maryland

Assateague Ponies grazing in the Salt Marshes, Assateague Island National Seashore, Eastern Shore, Maryland

Looking back at the Assateague Ponies in the Salt Marshes from a distance, Assateague Island National Seashore, Eastern Shore, Maryland

I hope you enjoyed this journey back to the Eastern Shore of Maryland taken over a two day period. As I traveled from the Chesapeake Bay to the east side of Maryland's Eastern Shore, I stopped at Kent Island, St. Michael's, where you can find the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, and finally to the beautiful Assateague National Seashore with its stunning salt marsh views featuring the beautiful Assateague Ponies. I might add that it was nice to have Lightroom to bring these images out of the shadows which isn't something I had at hand when I originally posted these images. Hence, the last image is new to you as I was able to work on it to bring it out of the shadows of darkness. It is beautiful. Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend everyone. ENJOY!

St. Michaels, Maryland

Beautiful St. Michael's! If you ever have a chance to visit the Eastern Shore of Maryland, you must plan a stop in St. Michael's. The itinerary I planned for my Eastern Shore trip was the perfect mix of small town charm, bird and pony watching, beach walking and lots of photo taking. One of my main stops the day after arriving on the Eastern Shore was in St. Michael's where I spent several hours walking around the town checking out the shops and grabbing a bite to eat. Michael's is situated a short drive south of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge on the Eastern Shore, just across from Annapolis.

The best part of visiting this small town is how nicely it plays host to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum which is situated right in the middle of town within walking distance of the shops and eateries. The museum houses tons of beautiful exhibits depicting the history behind the bay area mariners and fishermen. While visiting St. Michael's, I soon became aware that the town was playing host to the Plein Air Arts Festival which drew open air artists from throughout the United States to display their wares for the week. It was such a treat to watch the artists in action painting the landscape. The water images were taken while I visited the maritime museum that afternoon. It's a great museum, but is all a beautiful place to visit too. I especially have a fondness for the beautiful Chesapeake Bay Lighthouse, which is a somewhat famous lighthouse often depicted on Eastern Shore tourism websites.

Here's the breakdown for the wintery mix received here in northern Kentucky so far this week. We received six inches of snow Monday, a quarter inch of freezing rain Tuesday evening leaving all things out of doors covered with a frozen glow and today we received two tenths of an inch of snow. Winter Storm Nika really packed a punch. Oh, boy are we having fun! ENJOY!

Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, St. Michael's, Maryland

Driving east towards the coast on a sunny Sunday a few weeks ago, I made my way to the Eastern Shore of Maryland stopping over in Kent Narrows at a hotel to spend the night. I awoke the next morning eager to head out to my first destination of the day, to visit the beautiful, quaint seaside town of St. Michael's, Maryland. Not only did I want to walk about exploring this adorable little town I'd seen so many photos of in tourist pubs, but I also wanted to pay a visit to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum.

It was a gorgeous sunny day with beautiful blue skies, although rather hot and humid. Walking around the museum grounds, I encountered displays of all sorts of maritime artifacts and equipment housed in various buildings. I also snapped a few images of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum's octagonal lighthouse which I'll share in another post. Off to one side of the museum grounds was a large building filled with artifacts. As I neared this particular building, I discovered an artist painting a landscape. I soon learned that St. Michaels was hosting an arts festival for Plein Air artists from around the United States and perhaps abroad later in the week. Luckily I was able to snap a few images of the artist intently painting her landscape with the beautiful harbor and grounds surrounding her. This is one of my favorite images from my trip. I so love the composition with it's surreal look and feel as the artist stands painting the blue skies, the fluffy white clouds and the boat moored in the harbor. I took several angles of this same image, but found I loved this one most because it shows the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum placard on the building.

After talking to the artist for a few minutes, while at the same time encountering a tourist who just happened to be from Louisville, I continued touring the museum and snapping more images. If I were to tell you how many times I have daydreamed about visiting St. Michaels, you surely wouldn't believe me. It is true though, as I have longed to visit this seaside town for many, many years. I promise to show you images of the town in another post very soon. Before I left the museum, I snapped this image of a lone sailboat moored in the bay near Waterman's Wharf. What is it about lone sailboats sitting idly out in the harbor that tugs at my heart. Perhaps its a deep longing to set sail and venture out into the bay, albeit very, very early of a morning when the fog is hanging close to the water's edge, or perhaps to view a beautiful sunset as I make my way back to the dock. A lone sailboat can conjure up such glorious thoughts.

Speaking of Waterman's Wharf, I fell in love with this beautiful old wharf with its clapboard boathouse and rusting metal roof. As I stood looking over at it and snapping photos, I wondered just what stories it could tell. I'll bet it has many stories of cold, blustery winter days, and of course, there are those stormy nights with the wind howling into the wee hours. Surely, there's a story or two of many a day spent watching the fisherman hauling in their catch, many a boat dropping anchor at day's end, and no doubt, many, many sailboats setting sail for the harbor to spend the day enjoying the cool bay breezes. As I walked towards the little town of St. Michael's, I knew much history was staying behind at the museum. Perhaps I'll visit again one day, but for now Assateague Island was calling me. So off I went for a quick trip into St. Michael's and then on to my next destination for the day. I truly loved everything about the Eastern Shore. It was a beautiful place to spend some time this summer. Have a fantastic weekend whether you are on the coast or on a mountain top or at the lake or in the big city. ENJOY!