The 28th day of the 11th month of the year of the OP

We woke up to 33 degree weather this morning. Bright and cool here in South Carolina, fortunately with no ice or snow. And that's a good thing with no problems getting around. But a bad thing in as much no chance for neat snow/ice photo ops.

So back to the archives.

The bottom photo is an image showing just the forces of nature when a large body of water, such as the Chesapeake Bay, freezes. Normally this beach is placid and full of swimmers, well at least in the summer. When the bay freezes over large chunks of ice move with the tides/current and form a bulldozing effect around the edges of the bay. It is really quite a huge site to see. All the ice berg like formations moving from the upper reaches of the Susquehanna River south. This view is directly out from Betterton beach, MD over what at one time was the dock portrayed in the top photo.

Betterton Beach, Maryland was at one time, in the thirties, forties, and fifties, of the 1900's, a summer destination for day trippers and vacationers from Baltimore and other points around the Chesapeake. The top photo is a copy of Betterton from an old postcard of the 1950's. There was a dance hall on the end of the dock which we teenagers would frequent, but never get into any trouble.

Back then, transportation around the bay was primarily by water and large cruise ships took vacationers from Virginia Beach north to Havre De Grace and most points in between. The second photo is an archival shot of the docks at Light and Pratt Street in Baltimore where the cruise ships can be seen at port.

Thousands would debark for days or week long vacations at such spots as Betterton and Tolchester Beach. Some can be seen on the third photo down, embarking from Tolchester, where we as kids would spend hours wandering around the old amusement park.

We would take my boat and water ski from Rock Hall all the way to Tolchester, some seven miles, spend the day and then ski back. It's a wonder we didn't kill ourselves in that little 14' boat. But teenagers are invincible, don't ya know?