But hey, whenever you have a chance to get close to the seashore it's gotta be a great time. Our home for this visit was to be the Wyndham Hotel and fortunately for us it was right on the beach. Remember from the last post we talked about the Neptune Festival and the Sand Sculpture Contest we hoped to see? Well, it was in full swing when we got there so we'll be able to show you pictures of all of the major entries. First, though, I thought we'd take a look at a few other things we saw when we finally had a chance to look around. I have to say, I was a bit envious of Linda because I had to attend meetings a good bit of the time while she got to roam around the beach a bit more. But - I think I caught up with her so we'll have some interesting things to see. The location of our hotel was great and it was a reminder of the 
enormous ocean-going commerce that is such a vital part of this area. One of the things we will not get to see on this trip but which we have visited previously - and which I strongly encourage you to see - is the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. It is a remarkable engineering feat and 
one that was still under construction when I was stationed here so long ago. But - that requires some explanation. The first part of this amazing thoroughfare was the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. That structure was started in 1949 and completed in 1952. A parallel bridge was completed in 1973. But wait!!! - (Remember those TV commercials that tell you "That's not all, you get a Ginsu knife too!!) While that bridge construction was going on they were also digging tunnels to connect the distances not reached by the bridges. It was the tunnel part that was going on when I was here as a guest of the U.S. Navy. The picture above, on the left, shows one of the bridge spans that are absolutely awesome. The picture on the right is even more startling. It shows one of the artificial islands where a section of the tunnel rises from the floor of the bay to cross a section of the bridge. Absolutely amazing. While we are talking about this extraordinary area of our wonderful country let me put in a plug for my favorite author. If you've been with us for a while you will remember that I consider James A. Michener to be one of the best writers of all time. (Personal preference!!) Well, one of his masterpieces was 
"Chesapeake" which chronicled the development of the Maryland Eastern Shore. The book gives us an opportunity to experience the geographic, zoological and human evolution of that environment in a way that few historians can emulate. Check it out!! OK, I realize I got 
significantly off track and I'll try to get it back together. We checked into the hotel, checked out the view and started looking around for places to visit. Fortunately (or unfortunately) there are about a zillion places to visit here but we won't be able to see them all. I had hoped to take you to some of the historic lighthouses that line this section of the Atlantic coast but it became clear that we were going to run out of time before we got to do all of that. So, we'll focus on a few things that are a little closer. One of the first we'll take a look at is a place that has a very specific and personal meaning to Linda and me. It is "Buff's Garden" located just a few blocks down from our hotel. The garden is a tribute to those whose lives have been touched by breast cancer and, as most of you know, that includes us too. We'll go there and see what a small group of folks has accomplished but I just realized that this post has run on a bit longer than planned. So... we'll pause for a brief rest-break and let you put your walking shoes on; then we'll head South for a few blocks and take a look at this remarkable community jewel. Come on back quickly, OK? See ya.
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