Another weekend, another festival (+ guests)

If you haven't picked up on it yet, they really like their festivals out here on the East Coast. And we've obviously been making it to a LOT of them since I moved, minus just a few. (Did I mention we opted out of the Renaissance Fest 2 weeks ago - jousting [state sport] match included?? )

This past weekend's festival was the St. Mary's County Oyster Festival, which also featured the National Oyster Shucking Contest on Sunday. You can click - here - for an abundant amount of information on the festival. (and more to come, from my end, if you keep reading!)

Besides there being a festival this weekend, my brother Patrick and his girlfriend Jordan came to visit - our very first visitors! And all the way from Illinois/Pennsylvania.  Since the Oyster Festival was going on at the fairgrounds in our town, all the hotels were booked by us. So they stayed about 20 minutes away in Solomon's Island. Solomon's is pretty cool - most restaurants have a deck/patio by the water and a dock to drive your boat right to the restaurant, boardwalk along the river, little shops, a marine museum,historic lighthouse, etc.

Night View of Solomon's Pier Restaurant

First, we took them out to Solomon's Pier for the drink of choice out here in Southern MD - an Orange Crush, and I'm not talking about the pop. It's a mix of vodka, fresh squeezed oranges, triple sec, and a splash of lemon-lime pop. They're pretty good! Besides the drinks, it was really nice to catch up with my brother, and Jordan.

The whole gang: Jordan, Pat, Me, Andrew                             My brother Pat aka #5, and me aka #6

** Side Note: There are SIX kids in my family. Pat & I jokingly call each other by number because of our birth order in our large family.Pat = #5, me=#6

After the Pier, we took our guests around to two more places: the Lighthouse Restaurant & Dock Bar, and Tiki Bar.

<<<<The Lighthouse was closed, but that didn't stop a photo op for the tourists!

Tiki Bar luckily was not closed, and so we walked on down the road and stopped in there. Kind of a neat bar, more popular in the summer. It is all outdoors, and has a beach by the water. Next weekend is closing weekend for all the outdoor bars on the island, and they celebrate with a big bash! (because yes, it's finally cooling off here! Highs are only in the 70s these days)

After all the fun on Friday night, we all went to meet Andrew at the Oyster Festival on Saturday for lunch. (Andrew had gotten up pretty early, and worked at the wine tent at the festival.) Before this weekend, I had never had oysters before. The closest thing (in my mind) that I've eaten that is (what I thought) would be comparable to an oyster is mussels, and I'm not a fan. So, I was hesitant to try them. You can have oysters in many different forms: raw, boiled, steamed (served on a half shell), fried, etc.  We opted for fried, and my brother was the first, brave one to take a bite...

I'm not going to say fried oyster were the best thing I've ever eaten... but they weren't too bad! Putting some spicy cocktail sauce on it definitely improved the flavor. The most challenging part of eating the oyster was being able to see the insides after the first bite. I'm not sure what the green stuff is inside... but it doesn't look appetizing lol After trying this out, we grabbed a shaded table and hung out until Andrew was done with his volunteering, and then walked around a little bit before heading out.

The back of this year's festival t-shirt. A merman riding crabs...
not you're typical t-shirt design to Midwesterners.

 



After the Oyster Festival, we took a little drive tour of Leonardtown to show our guests aroun, including a trip down to the wharf!

And Pat decided to walk out onto the kayak launch....

Next, we went to Port of Leonardtown Winery! We each tried a few samples of wine before choosing the kind we liked, and then drank outside - and had some cheese and summer sausage! There was even a guy there playing acoustic music. Zella, once again, got to join in on the fun. Andrew took her walks down by the nearby creek, and she surfaced with some muddy paws :O

Andrew found a magnifying glass in the gift
shop to help him read the menu ;)

Cheers!

After the winery we had a pretty low key night, including Mexican food, naps, and video games!
Okay, I was the only who napped - but wine will do that to ya (or maybe just me?). :)

On Sunday, before leaving, I met up with Pat and Jordan once more over on Solomon's Island for lunch. This time The Lighthouse Restaurant & Dock Bar was open! We sat inside, but windows line the whole side of the restaurant that faces the water, and we had this view....

Not a bad lunch view, right?? I made sure that Pat had his first crab dip before leaving Maryland, and the food overall was delicious!

Lunch was a great end to a fun weekend, and extra special shout out to Pat and Jordan for making the trip down - THANK YOU! It has made me even more excited for the trip Andrew and I will be making "home" (St. Louis, Mo + Mt. Carmel, Il + Gardner, Il) in just THREE weeks. Lots of new babies to meet (Sadie & Beckett!!!), nephews & nieces to play with, and friends & family to hug!