Sep 16-18. Belle Isle State Park

  We had a great time at Belle Isle State Park on the Rappahannock River with Kay's two stateside sisters and their spouses.  The house we were staying in included 4 bicycles, 2 canoes, and 2 crab traps.  It also had puzzles, games and an extensive library, which we didn't need as the weather couldn't have been better-- sunny and pleasantly warm in the daytime and pleasantly cool at night.  Since we had enough bicycles for the 6 of us counting ours, we went on several bicycle rides together on the park roads and trails, visiting little beaches and overlooks by the water, saw an eagle's nest and checked out the exhibit at the visitor center. 

We put out the crab traps baited with chicken necks purchased at the camp store and eagerly checked the traps a couple times a day. 

We had great meals, visited a beach on the Chesapeake side of the peninsula, and had great seafood for lunch at a local restaurant/pool hall. The poor person who waited on us was very busy as her servers hadn't shown up for work, so Jim kept volunteering to bus tables or wash dishes.

   We went to a winery on a night with live music.  The two of us enjoyed the chance to dance which we don't  do very often. There we met an interesting person who served on an aircraft carrier in the mid-90's.  This was the first one to allow women to serve on board ship and what was sad, 41 of them were pregnant by the time their duty was done. He also met Vanna White when she did her show on the carrier and he unexpectedly ended up holding her baby.     

   One morning just after sunrise, the two of us   went for a 3-mile canoe ride.  We saw eagles and osprey and what was amazing, at one point had a number of porpoises swimming around us which was very special for midwesterners. The two of us also went swimming in the river/estuary.  

   The last evening, we packed a lunch and headed for a dock in another part of the park where we watched the beautiful sunset.