"Come-heres" and "From-heres"

As all of the second-years at the Cooperstown Graduate Program are on our summer internships across the country, we have been keeping a blog relating our experiences in the museum world. Check it out at cgpmuseummatters.wordpress.com, and check out my recent post on the blog here.

Edmee S. Takes Third

This was the second weekend of the log canoe racing season, this time in Chestertown, Maryland on the Chester River. I missed Saturday’s race to attend a bridal shower and bachelorette party in Philadelphia, but electrical storms in the morning meant that I only missed one race for the weekend.

I showed up bright and early to Camp Edmee, a rafting of several boats anchored overnight in the river. With a 10 a.m. race start, we started readying Edmee S. around 9 a.m. Honestly, it was one of the most beautiful days I have seen on the water so far. The sun was shining, wind was blowing (for most of the race), and the heat was not oppressive.

I spent most of the race riding the second board (sliding up and down to offer counter balance to the sails), but also spent the downwind legs as extra weight on the boomkin (end of the boat), and bailed when too much water came over the gunwales. And after a great day on the water, we crossed the line fourth, with an adjusted time that placed us in third for the race. And at the awards ceremony, I got to go up an accept the third-place plate as I was one of the first team members to make it to shore in time for the ceremony.

If you want to read more about log canoe racing, check out blogcanoe.com.

From the Mouths of Babes

Today’s day at Kids Club was themed “Chesapeake Birds,” so we spent time bird-watching and learning about waterfowling before making our own birds out of foam, feathers, and pipe cleaners.

While we were discussing what we already knew about birds in the morning, one little boy raised his hand and proudly informed Martha that, “Eagles eat fairies.” Oh, priceless youth.

A Philadelphia 4th

Ever since I started going to camp at the young age of 8, I have lived for the summer. As a camper and later a staff member, the summers were always a magical time, and in fact many of my best friends are still my camp friends. And right in the midst of this magical time comes a whole holiday dedicated to spending time with friends and family and watching fireworks…incredible! So this was a big year: my first 4^th of July away from my best friend Andrea since we were 17.

Since I knew I couldn’t make it back to Buffalo for the holiday, I made plans to visit my other best friend, Allyssa, in Philadelphia. Just a short two hour drive away, I headed up on Saturday morning to celebrate the 4^th in arguably the birthplace of America. And while I did miss being with friends and family in Western New York, Philadelphia is definitely a great place to experience a holiday in a large city!

In the afternoon we headed to Chinatown for a street festival. It’s always great to wander around and be immersed in Chinese again, and with everyone on the street it was like a small taste of last year. After a most delicious milk tea, Allyssa, Andrea Fugazot, Sarah Chabal, and I headed to Super Scooper, an all-you-can-eat ice cream fundraiser on Penn’s Ladning. For five dollars you got a spoon and access to a tent full of tables serving all kinds of delicious flavors. Plus, all the proceeds go to battle childhood cancer.

We made a delicious Mexican feast for dinner, but unfortunately missed the fireworks due to confusion with the schedule. The next morning totally made up for it though: at Party on the Parkway, we saw a REAL LIVE STRONGMAN COMPETITION. I don’t think I can fully express how excited I was to watch 400-pound men pull a truck 100 feet in 30 seconds. Call me crazy, but that is real entertainment and talent!

Afterwards, I headed back down to Maryland to a picnic with my friend John’s family. I learned last year that while nothing will ever replace my own family, when away from home it is still nice to spend a holiday with a friend’s family. Also, being my first Maryland picnic, I learned to pick my very first blue crab. Because as John said, the only people who have crabs picked for them are babies under the age of 2.

Part of my internship for the summer involves serving as the Assistant Instructor for the Summer Kids Club, four week-long morning camps for kids ages 4 to 5 and 6 to 7. Each day is themed around a different aspect of Chesapeake Bay life and/or culture, and allows us to take advantages of the museum’s many resources in a kid-friendly manner. In short, I spend my mornings playing with kids.

Today was themed “Showboating on the Chesapeake,” as we attempted to explore an aspect of traditional recreational life on the Bay, culminating in a puppet show performance for parents at the end of the morning. We acted out a story about pollution on the Chesapeake, in which the superhero, Chesapeake Champion teaches various members of society about how to be better stewards of the environment.

If you want to see something that will just melt your heart, watch 6 and 7 year olds put on a puppet show. Each child made a character or prop or was on “stage crew” and painted the proscenium and made a sign. As Martha, the other teacher, read the story, our puppeteers held up their puppets or strutted their signs across the stage.

Were there missed cues because puppeteers weren’t listening or had to go to the bathroom mid-performance? Of course. Was the stage decorated in an uncoordinated blur of tempera paint? Absolutely! Could you actually tell what the tractor was if you just looked at it? Certainly not! But there is just something about such a hodge-podge effort that screams adorability to both parents and passerby.

I Shot the Cannon

When living in a new town, persistence makes friends. When living in a new town on the water, persistence makes new friends with boats.

Maura and I have joined the St. Michaels Wednesday Night Race committee, which runs the sailboat races. So every Wednesday at 4:50 after work we meet on the museum’s docks to set up the course, run, and time three sailboat races. (This week they let me fire the cannon to indicate when the first boat in each class had crossed the finish line.)

It has been a great way to learn about sailing, and spend an evening a week on the water. But more than anything, it has been a great way to make friends. With the luxury of an extended wait time between starting the races and boats finishing the course, we have abundant time for socializing and snacking. And when, like this week, your motor breaks down after the end of the last race and you have to wait for another boat to come tow you into shore, you have even more time to enjoy each other’s company!

Seriously, Wednesday nights are perhaps the best night of my week!

Best or Worst Idea Ever?

This spring as I was getting excited about my summer on the Eastern Shore, I spent a great deal of procrastination time researching St. Michaels and the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. In that, nothing intrigued me more than log canoe sailing.

Picture this: smallish, narrow boat. Two ridiculously tall masts. A stupidly large amount of sail. And people dangling off of springboards on the side of the boat in order to keep the whole thing from tipping over. In short, an incredible boating experience!

As excited as I was about seeing log canoe racing (which is only done in this part of the Chesapeake Bay), I had read that it was nearly impossible to get onto a crew as there is so much tradition…some people have been racing on the same boats for decades! I expected to just be a spectator, which was fine.

After making friends in the sailing community, though, I found my way onto the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum’s boat, Edmee S. Last weekend I devoted a whole weekend to helping sand and varnish Edmee, to get her ready for this weekend’s races. And boy, was it worth it!

Though the huge amount of bruising on my legs from a weekend of racing might make it seem a little crazy, I’ve found my new random sport of choice. I’ll never look at sailing the same again!