What a difference a bay makes...

Someone slipped a mickey in our water recently. That can be the only reasonable explanation for our behavior of late. I read in the paper late last week that Oxford, Maryland was hosting their 4th of July fireworks this last Sunday. Paul had been out of town and so I didn't mention it to him until Friday and Saturday he jumped online and made reservations for us to stay at the Robert Morris Inn where we had visited for the world's best crab cakes last year when we were in Cambridge. I'm totally in love with Oxford, Paul and Matthew like it very much. It's so quiet, really just inns, one little general store, one little antique shop, one little museum, a yacht club, and the ferry to St. Michael's. My favorite spot is the huge grass-covered, huge-tree-shaded, over-looking the bay park. We had our picnic then nap on the blanket on the grass under the huge trees while gazing at the Chesapeake Bay.

The only other things there are one fabulous, adorable, yard-filled-with-flowers-picket-fenced cottage right after another and brick sidewalks.

Just one photo of the many we took while waiting for dark and the fireworks. My camera couldn't get the fireworks but they were wonderful.

Little out of order but below is an image from the Monday morning sailing lessons for the mini-yachters.

My favorite park in the world...

This tree is on the inn property, you can get some sense of how huge it is with Matt standing at the entrance to the inside which is completely cave-like...

..."inside" the tree...

...and the tree plaque.

We took the ferry over to St. Michael's so I could visit my favorite haunt and the boys could fish. I actually made some pretty good casts, it's like riding a bike. Matt, however, outdid us by catching EIGHT fish. Yes, catch and release.

The boy loves water and the beach.

A boy and his dad fishing...

...while the mom sneaks off for my yearly summer sojourn to Coco & Company, a totally wonderful antiques plus the very latest of the very best of home decor. The mix of antiques and reproductions, soaps, even shoes, jammies, jewelry-in a nutshell-a bit of everything at its best.

Here are the interior shots I snagged...

St. Michael's is also a wonderful place but very touristy, lots of shops, tourists, cars, etc. It's a good place to visit for the day but Oxford is where to go to relax.

When we pulled up at home Paul and I had the same thought, it seemed like we had been gone several days instead of a day and a half. It was nothing but perfect. We did and saw so much yet also got to relax a lot too. I'm not sure how it happened in such a short period of time, I guess it was magic, just as it felt.