A Weekend in August

Bodkin & Bear Creeks
Cheshire Crab & Hard Yacht Cafe
August 6th & 7th


Cheshire Crab

This week was a mishmash of unplanned boating.  We didn't have any plans, other than to stay on the boat for the weekend.  Saturday morning I went to the Farmer's Market in Fells and shortly thereafter received a call from Buddy that we were going on Samantha's Dancer for lunch at the Cheshire Crab in the Bodkin.  When I got there, the engines were running and everyone was standing on the dock ready to pull off the lines.  No time to unload the goodies from the market, so I just climbed aboard and off we went.  It was then that I got a good look at the crew.  Five men and me.  Oh, sounds good, right?  Until they started talking.  The entire trip was boys talking engine parts and bathroom humor.  Perfect. 

Buddy & Doug enjoy the ride



Lexi missed us!

 The weather wasn't fantastic, a little overcast and pretty choppy on the bay, but we barely felt it on  Samantha's Dancer.  There weren't that many boats out for a Saturday afternoon.  We had no trouble docking and walked up the hill next to the huge yellow & white structure and into the restaurant.  It was crowded with several private parties - both adult and child parties.  They have a great deck, both covered and uncovered tables, but this day we decided to dine in the air conditioning.  They had $50 and $70/dozen crabs.  We went with the $70 and they were meaty and good, but not hot.  Most likely reheats, which was a disappointment. One thing that never disappoints there though are the shoestring onion rings - a favorite.  They boys tried to "fix" the tv, made lots of noise, drank a few pitchers of beer, gave the waitress a hard time, made a mess and then left...  But it was all good and everyone had fun and no one got hurt. 


Key Bridge



The weather on Sunday started out better.  We were going with the All In to the Hard Yacht Cafe.  You never know who will be a part of Kevin's crew, so I was pleasantly surprised to see such a nice group for the day, and especially that it wasn't over-crowded.  We enjoyed a nice cruise out to the bridge (my husband likes to say that he's been under that bridge many more times than he's been over it, but growing up in Pasadena, I can't say that's true for me), around Ft. Carroll and in to Bear Creek. 


Rick (he's single ladies!)

We tied up at one of the long docks out in front of the restaurant and headed in.  Once again, we opted for inside dining.  The Hard Yacht hosts an eclectic ambiance, mostly beachy with some sport added in.  It kind of looks like they add on whenever they run out of space with the little rooms, decks, shacks, and what have you.  It's cozy and they usually have music but on this day the musician didn't show up.  The food is delicious.  The crabs were good and local and the beer cold.  I finished up a little early and went back to walk the dog.  I headed straight for the pastel adirondack chairs out on the lawn, where I took the opportunity have a sit and just may have drifted off for a few...  A beautiful thing. 

Hard Yacht Cafe decor



We headed to white rocks for a swim, but as soon as we anchored we saw lightning in the distance.  We decided to make a run for it to get back to shore and we ALMOST made it (almost being the key word).  As we were in position to dock it started pouring.  Captain Kevin did a great job of getting us in the slip in the middle of the storm.   We sat on the boat until the rain subsided, where we sang along with the music and took turns trying on the cowboy hat and Kevin and Crystal indulged in the new summer hit - alcohol infused whipped cream. 


Jill looking good!



Crazy Kevin & Crystal

What a way to end the weekend!