Ice on the Bay

I got in late Sunday evening, and with Monday offering some time away from the conference, I took the opportunity to adjust to the eastern time zone with a "morning constitutional" through the residential part of Annapolis.

Much of Annapolis, at least close to the historic district, still maintains the historical charm of earlier days. Even though many of the buildings are undergoing reconstruction, thankfully they're not being transmogrified into modern aberrations.

Quaint streets of Clapboard Houses

It's Snow Big Deal

By the time I got back to the hotel, the weather had taken a turn for the... well, the colder anyway. Earlier in the week I had been pruning roses and cleaning up the magnolia petals from the front lawn in California, now I was plunged back into the thick of winter.

The Tuesday morning constitutional took me down West street toward Church Circle and State Circle. The weather had cleared enough to leave only wisps of white in an otherwise clear but chilly blue sky.

Church Circle

Bare Poles at Harbour

Boats at harbor near Harbour Square break the historic skyline of Main street. In the distance can be seen the dome of the Maryland State House (near the right edge.)

While out and about, I strolled past St. Johns College, here enshrouded in snow.

St. Johns

Stately College

Unlike much of the rest of historic Annapolis, the St. Johns grounds remain spacious and stately, perched neatly atop a low rise.

The colorful flag of Maryland, one of the few that clearly shows traditional heraldic elements ("Quarterly: 1 and 4 paly of six Or and sable, a bend counterchanged; 2 and 3 quarterly argent and gules, a cross bottony counterchanged.") is to be seen everywhere in Annapolis, but nowhere less so than on State Circle, around the Maryland State House.

Heraldic Ensign

Maryland State House

Before the White House, before Washington DC, before there even was a United States, this building was a legislative capital, and is still in use today. Dating back to 1772, it was the capital of the infant United States for a little less than a year, starting in November 1783, and was central to many of the events of the day: George Washington resigning his commission, the ratification of the Treaty of Paris, the Annapolis convention....

The chilly Wednesday air keeps a snowman comfortably firm, sitting on a pier at the end of Market street.

Snowman on the Bay

Nikko's Temptation

I'll have to confess to a weakness for sushi, and Nikko on Main street is a great place to indulge a craving. Chef and owner Tony puts his creative energies to excellent use, combining traditional Japanese ingredients and aesthetics with a haute-French cuisine flare... I only wish I had thought to get out my camera for his really inspired presentations. Shown here are the Phoenix roll (top left), Nikko roll (middle), Hamachi (front left) and Unagi (right.) And they taste as good as they look.

Tony and his girlfriend/assistant take a moment to pose for the camera. They're as friendly and personable as their dishes are good! ;-)

Chef Photo-op

Astronaut Remembered

Annapolis is also home to the Naval Academy, and the town remembers one of the Academy's graduates, Shuttle Astronaut William McCool, who perished in the Columbia accident a week before.

Literally every Nook and Cranny of Annapolis seems to have history bound with it. Here, a little building marks the site of an archeological dig that explored the everyday past of Annapolis.

History in every Corner

Rebuilding

Despite the fact that Annapolis has such a long history, much of it is undergoing rennovation. As it happens, West street was being torn up and resurfaced; many other parts of Annapolis were similarly lined with the reflective orange barricades...

One final shot of the State House, taken Thursday evening on my way to dinner. George Washington stood here, and Thomas Jefferson, and... hmmm....

Twilight Dome