(Tuesday entry posted Wednesday because we ran out of time and energy Tuesday night before we could get to wifi location!)

Tuesday was another beautiful day here in Annapolis. Due to the wind whipping up the water a bit, we stayed in the creeks instead of venturing out to the Severn River, but it worked out great as we spent the day doing drills to improve our techniques. There were one or two we weren’t lovin’…..but several that were really helpful or just downright fun!

We started the day with a group shot -- as you can see there are about 30+ of us plus coxswains and coaches. A really great group.

Leaving the boathouse in either direction requires passing under several bridges and on our first outing of the morning we hit a concrete piling on one of the bridges. Oops-sie! Even the experts make mistakes now and then. But no worries, boat and rowers were fine and we continued on. In spite of this little mishap, our cox Dave is excellent; he was a former coach at St. John’s College here in Annapolis. Our coach Jimmy --seen here giving his always valuable instructions from the launch --is women’s varsity crew coach at WVU.

We also had a session today on rigging. Attached is our photo showing how intently we are listening and learning!

So far I have only two complaints. The A/C in our dorm rooms just doesn’t work. We sleep with the windows open at night -- which is quite pleasant actually, since the humidity has been low and a nice breeze blowing. The dorm, Bancroft Hall is amazing. It is the largest dorm in the world, housing all 4000 midshipman in 1800 rooms and over 4 miles of corridors. We’ve only lost one rower so far but we figure she’ll find her way out in time for the last row of the session. The building façade in the photo is the main entrance to the dorm, but actually first opens into Memorial Hall. Memorial Hall “honors all graduates who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country while wearing the cloth of their nation.” It is a beautiful and fitting tribute to these special men and women.

My other complaint is the food. Not great. I expected a little more from the Academy. Six of us opted for restaurant seafood dinner out tonight and it was a good decision as the cafeteria dinner was fish sticks. Oh yum. Now I’m usually pretty happy if someone else is cooking and doing the dishes, but I haven’t been able to get behind the meals so far this week. Oh well, maybe tomorrow will be better.

The days are going by too fast! Honestly it seems like all we do is eat, walk and row -- multiple times each day and in the blink of an eye the day is over and we fall into bed exhausted. It is so much fun and we are so glad to be here although we miss you guys and hope your week is going well!

Lynne & Karen