Monday, November 09, 2009

Our Town

We live in a very special place. In sharp contrast to Washington DC a mere 40 minutes away, we're a little more laid back here on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay. Our town has a rich history, and a unique geography to match. Two bodies of water snake their way into town dividing it up into 3 peninsulas. The two "main" parts of town are divided by Spa Creek. On one shore you have Annapolis proper. Historic, distinguished, brick and column, home to the Naval Academy and the Capital of Maryland. On the other side, the neighborhood of Eastport. It's still the city of Annapolis, mind you, until about 10 years ago when some folks at a local watering hole pondered the ramifications of road work closing the bridge over Spa Creek, decided to secede. And thus formed the Maritime Republic of Eastport.


It's still part of Annapolis legally, but in spirit it's a nation all its own. We have our own flag, our own motto, and a governing body with really important representatives like the Minister of Propaganda, the Minister of Mixology, and Blimp Master. Yeah, you get the idea. :)

I say "we" liberally, we're not technically in Eastport, we're over on the other, other side. But we're closer to the Eastport side of town, so folks around here throw their allegiance to the Maritime Republic. And that's why we gathered out on the shores of Spa Creek this weekend to cheer on our team in the Annual Tug-O-War across the creek.



The rope is more than 1/3 of a mile long and stretches from the Annapolis proper side across the water to the Maritime Republic of Eastport. The entire harbor is shut down, waterfront roads are closed, people take to the streets with their beers, dogs, and kids (in that order)... and the competition begins.




(a view across to enemy territory)


For the record -- Eastport won! And here's a quote from our local newpaper:
"They are the oppressors and we are the liberators," said Travaglini, part of MRE's revolutionary council. "We picked the method of the battle. We are a peaceful people and this is our sport of choice. We do not raise our kids to play baseball or football. When our kids are old enough, they get a piece of rope and they go out in the backyard to learn to tug."

Good times! And aside from live music by Zach's favorite band (The Eastport Oyster Boys) -- the event raises lots of money for local charities. And they hold other fun events throughout the year like the .05K run that takes 35 seconds to complete. That's my kind of marathon! These are my people.

9 comments:

Tonya Gunn said...

Thanks for sharing a bit about where you dock. I am so intrigued by your life.
Warm wishes.

Joy said...

.05k marathon. That cracks me up! It sounds like a fun place to live. I think Paul could get on board with the lack of traditional sports. :)

kate said...

SO much fun! We're trying to scheme our big east coast road trip (that won't happen until spring, but still) and I think you've sealed the deal that your town is most definitely going to be circled on our map!

Simple Mama said...

What a blast! I would totally love to see that some day. :) Thanks for sharing a bit about where you live.

wholarmor said...

Sounds so neat! Do you ever sail to the West coast?

Anonymous said...

That is amazing and such a fun little gig, tee hee. I also live about 45 minutes from DC but away from the coast. I love to visit though...we are beach babes ;-)

Jamie :)

gardenmama said...

lol the newspaper quote was too funny!
I love the lack of traditional sports : )

Dim Sum, Bagels, and Crawfish said...

We have a special fondness for Annapolis. My husband went to the Academy and my sister and brother-in-law went to St. John's at the same time...lots of good memories for all of us there. Hoping we may eventually get to station there for a bit. I'll have to show this post to my husband. He'll get a kick out of it!

boatbaby said...

Kate - bring it on! Come for a visit and we'll have the guest cabin waiting for you.

wholarmor - no west coast trip... yet! We've only explored east coast, Keys, Bahamas/ Jumentos, and Cuba.

aforestfrolic - isn't fun to be close to DC yet a world away?

Thank you gardenmama - we like that too!

DimSUm - how cool! You guys have been everywhere!

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