WONDERFUL SATURDAY - POPE'S CREEK -

On Saturday I traveled with daughter Joan and Grandson Richard to Southern Maryland to visit Vicki, our daughter, sister, and grand daughter, respectively. It was my first visit to the home that she shares with her husband Paul and their three dogs.

I am so sorry that I didn't take pictures. I was so facinated by the dogs that I completely forgot about pictures. Simon, Shelby, and Sir Stanley are Mastiff's - generally weighing about 250 each and Stanley is just a pup and expected to grow even larger. These are truly the gentle giants of the dog world. They would be lap dogs if you let them.

After the visit, we all piled into the cars and headed to Pope's Creek and Gilligans for an afternoon of crab picking and eating!

We arrived about 2 and the parking lot was full. We wondered if there would be room for us. Good thing Vicki had made a reservation.

On the left is grand daughter Vicki and talking with her hands is daughter Joan as they walk to the restrurant.

This is Gilligans on the water. In addition to the main building, there is an outdoor Tiki Bar, lots and lots of sandy beach, a pier, bandstand, and lots of play area for kids.

A view of the Potomac River from the sandy beach.

Saturday was a beautiful day weather wise and lots of boats were on the river. The Nice Bridge across the Potomac could be seen in the distance. I tried to get a picture of it but it was just to far for the camera.

A platter of those beautiful Chesapeake Bay Blue Crabs! It has been years since I have had crabs as sweet and as heavy as these. Crabs are one of my favorite things about summer. A true treasure of Maryland.

Grandson Richard getting ready to dissect this lovely creature.

There were also platters of shrimp, hush puppies and fritters. Yummies for the tummy!

We ate and ate until I thought I would need a derick to get me out of the chair. Gilligans was packed to the rafters. It was noisy with talk and laughter. Everyone was having such a wonderful time in a pleasant way. What a joy it was to be there with good company and a wonderful pleasing crowd.

We left around 4 in the after noon since it is about a 2-2 1/2 hour drive. However we had one more stop to make - the ice cream parlor! After all, what is a day of treats without ice cream?

Daughter Joan ordering an ice cream sunday with cherries and whipped cream after all of those crabs and shrimp!

Show off!!!!

Since I was not driving I couldn't get some of the pictures that I would have liked to share with you. We passed several tobacco fields. As you know, at one time Southern Maryland crops were largely tobacco. Since the cigarette as gone out of fashion, so have the tobacco farms of Maryland gone out of business. However, one of the interesting things about tobacco plants, in addition to their beautiful very large leaves, is their beautiful pink blossoms. We saw only two fields in our travels, but one field was in bloom, so beautiful, so deadly!

The finally of the day was this scene as we came around the Washington Beltway. The sun was shining on the golden stature of Gaberial atop of the Morman Temple.

Picture taken thru the windshield. Hope you have enjoyed this recount of my Saturday. It was a wonderful family day. So often we don't have the time for family. Our family is very small and it is so important to be together. I hope you remember to tell your family how much you love them and need to be with them.

Enjoy the coolness of these few days as we enter August and keep your thoughts positive until we meet again.

Doris