South to Annapolis Boat Show

En route from Malta to the boat, stopped over in London to catch up with good friend Val and family in Walton on Thames.  We spend our precious time together catching up, chatting away, usually over a glass of wine or three.
I charge around the plentiful shops finding bits we need on the boat, and shopping for 'unmentionables' in M&S!

Back with the boys and the first stop is Starbucks for a coffee and snacket.                                                                            

On our way south we stopped at a place called Rockhall.  There is a public dock and we stayed there for a few days getting the boat ready for the boat show.  The community is big into catching crabs and oysters, a hard way to earn a living.

Rockhall also had a great coffee shop, just a short bike ride from the boat.  The leaves are starting to turn beautiful colours here and the temperatures are falling.  

This, believe it or not, is the local library!  I went along and exchanged some books.

Jay helped us with getting the boat look it's best for the boat show and then he flew off the England to spend some time with his dad and see some friends there.                                                         

'No Rehearsal' in the Brokerage section on the Annapolis Boat show.   The weather was not too good and there was a lot of rain on some of the days, but there was a lot of interest.  On you tube there is a video called 'Annapolis Sailboat and Brokerage Show' and runs 11.32 minutes.  NR is easy to spot as we are the only cat in the brokerage section, which plays after the main show shots.

We spent most of the time at the show showing people around our boat, but now and then I managed to get off for a look around the new boats.  Great sight with all the flags flying and the usual buzz of boat show fever, grabbing a quick coffee if the queue was not to long, or a painkiller later on in the day!

Malta

In August I headed to Malta for my annual visit to see my family.  I left Daryl and Jay on the boat in Newport, Rhode Island and flew out of Boston.

My sister has moved to a farmhouse in the country and is busy reforming it into the family home.  She is working very hard trying to get most of the outside work done before the rains start later on in the year, and I must day, there was a lot of dust there in August.
I stayed at the farmhouse the first week and then rented an apartment for the second, a friend Celia, from school days in England came and joined me for that.

No visit to Malta is complete without a visit to Valletta, the narrow streets leading down to the Grand Harbour.

Dinner 'en famille' from left to right:
Celia, me Mum, Jane, Joey, Ashley and Gary

Taking Mum out for lunch in Mdina, we found a wonderful restaurant with a fabulous view over the countryside.

Myself, Jane, my sister and daughter Ashley and then Mum at the Tuesday market in Cospicua.

An evening out in the smart marina complex of Porto Tomaso in Paceville

We put the rent a car on the ferry for trip to the neighbouring island of Gozo.
Celia is photographing some of the beautiful rock formations near the bay of Xlendi.