2020 Lemonade Tour: fourth leg finished

First, can someone please explain to me how it is October already?

Secondly, can someone tell me how we are going to top our stay in Maryland?

I don’t know how we lucked out, landing this gem of a vacation rental. From morning coffee on the balcony, listening to the bugle calls from the nearby Coast Guard station, to afternoon kayak rides on the river, dips in the hot tub and evening fishing on our private dock, a piece of our hearts will be here forever. Not to mention this area: St. Mary’s City has more nature, adventure and history than we would have believed. It was one of the first permanent English colonies in America and boasts the site of the first Catholic chapel. (My heart!)

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The sweet: Every day, we watch bald eagles soar overhead. A huge heron likes to perch on our dock as well. And then of course, there is “Chunk” – the fat, furry little groundhog who comes to our lawn for breakfast. He’s kind of our mascot. We’ll miss him.

COVID: Due to all the coronavirus cases in the De Pere schools, the girls’ district has closed all buildings and is going 100 percent virtual for another week. While I feel terrible for the working parents and families with young kids who’ve had to scramble to adjust to this closure, part of me is reassured that yes, indeed, Tony and I made the right call for our family by opting for online school. Not that I was having serious doubts; more like, was dangling the promise of two months in South Carolina with Zac and Tammy too big of a carrot? No, the closure just reconfirmed in my head what I already knew in my heart. Hopefully all those affected will recover quickly and the school year can get (somewhat) back on track.

Highlights: The girls had fun swimming at Point Lookout and searching for fossilized sharks’ teeth at Calvert Cliffs State Park. Nearby Solomons Island has an awesome marine museum—prehistoric skeletons, aquarium tanks, live sea otters, cool old lighthouse. We spent an hour cruising the Patuxent River on the historic Wm. B. Tennison, which is how we got pictures of the Gov. Thomas Johnson (i.e., “Super Scary”) Bridge.

The sour-ish: This week’s lesson is for me (Laura) in expectations vs. experiences. When I’m planning our outings or setting up tours, I get a picture in my mind of exactly how I want the day to go. And if things don’t follow my exact plan, I find myself quickly getting frustrated and losing patience. During this next leg of our road trip—which will see us in Washington, D.C., Virginia and North Carolina—I know I need to relax and take the experiences as they come. Personal goal: Plan less, explore more. Say “yes” to the impromptu and going off the beaten path. Because at the end of the day, it’s about the memories made—not items checked off the “must do” list. I’m going to have you, my awesome family and friends, hold me accountable to this goal! Check back next week and I’ll let you know how I did!

Last thing: I’m putting together a newsletter distribution list for those who wish to be notified of updates to this blog. Please let me know if you would like your email address added to this list (promise it will not be used for anything else) and feel free to share our travels with other adventurous souls! Thanks for helping us share our adventures!