down to southern Maryland

Yesterday, we drove down to southern Maryland so that Kate could visit St. Mary's College, where she graduated 20 years ago.  It had changed dramatically, as she discovered.  Along the way, we stopped to see a friend of mine who lives in Lusby.  We went down to the shore, near her house, and gathered fossil shells.  The beach is littered with little drill shells which are fossils, and mussel shells, presumably from more current times. 

We then went out to lunch in a gourmet grocery store.  It's surprising to find such a store in southern Maryland, but the area is really growing and becoming much more urban.  This store is wonderful!  I've not found anything around here to even come close.  The baked goods are fabulous.  They have a huge salad bar and hot food bar, as well as deli and sandwiches.  If there were a store like this near where I live, I would never cook at all!

From Lusby, we went over the big bridge at Solomon's Island and on to St. Mary's College.  Kate knew it would be different after 20 years, but she was still surprised at how many buildings had been added.  We walked around campus a bit, but it was very hot and humid, so we were glad to pop in and out of air-conditioned buildings.  No kids on campus, but many buildings were open, so we could peek inside.  We also went into a museum about the early settlement there.  They have been doing an archeological dig there for many years.  Interesting bits of history.  Without the kids, I would have stayed longer and read all the info.

We then drove down to Point Lookout - the tip of the peninsula to look at the lighthouse.  The lighthouse was a disappointment, as it is just a house with a light tower attached.  However, we got a real thrill in the park, as a bald eagle flew up from the roadside into a tree right in front of us!  What a sight!  I've never seen one in the wild that was that close.  He/she sat there for quite some time, watching us watching him.  On our way back out of the park, he was there again.  Must have been something really good to eat in the grass along the road and all the cars (maybe 3 altogether) were disturbing his meal.

Our final stop was Calvert Cliffs Park.  The cliffs are full of fossils, and we were hoping to find some sharks' teeth.  However, walking on the beach below the cliffs is banned now.   The last time I was there (maybe 30 years ago) you could still go right up to the cliffs.  They are clay and very unstable, so we could see why the area was off limits.  We didn't find any interesting shells/fossils, although Kate took some interesting photos.  The walk from the parking lot to the beach was 1.8 miles - further than I remembered.  With temperatures pushing 100 F and humidity almost as high, it was a long tiring walk.  More exercise than I have been getting lately.  I slept very well last night!