Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Happiness = dogs and blue crabs?



This past weekend I went home to Salisbury, Md (just outside Ocean City) to pick up my motorcycle. While I was there I did what every single man, woman, and child born and raised on the Chesapeake Bay does this time of year.

I ate steamed blue crabs at an all-you-can-eat crab house.

If you're coming to the area don't miss out on this delicious and messy tradition. Forget lobster tail and king crab. Picking blue crab is as hard core as it gets. They come out completely whole and must be cracked open with skill and patience. The guts and organs must be cleared out. The meat should be dipped in butter or vinegar and then dipped in Old Bay seasoning.

Suddenly my peanut butter and jelly sandwich sucks.

My dad, Glenn, and stepmom, Kathy, at the Red Roost crab house. It used to be a chicken shack. Yeah, that's how we roll on the Eastern Shore.








My bike was stored on my family's property in Easton, Md. Since before I was born, generations have come together in the houses that line the dirt road in the background.

We have all sorts of dogs, usually labs, running around. Here Duke barks impatiently for me to throw the ball. Ali, on the right, is older and wiser. She knows I'll throw it eventually.




Being a good Sailor isn't easy. You have to be on your toes all the time. Keeping your personal and professional level top notch can be exhausting. A remedy for that is...dogs. Don't laugh, many of the students here will agree. One of the volunteer groups I put the Navy in touch with is HART, or Homeless Animals Rescue Team. Dogs love unconditionally, and playing with them is meditation for the soul.

We'll have a story on that and other volunteer events coming up on the new 'A' School blog.

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