There had been a shop called, for some reason, Catch-Can about a mile up Connecticut Avenue from our house, which Edie used to frequent infrequently. I was never really in the store, but I think it specialized in what I would call women’s dressy casual (emphasis more on the casual than the dressy) clothes. Several years ago, it closed, and the owner left DC and move to Chestertown MD, in the northern portion of what is known as the Eastern Shore of Maryland, and opened another shop called, for some reason (and probably not the same reason), the Bohemian Trading Shop. Edie recently got a notice that the owner was retiring and closing that shop as well, and thought we should go to their going out of business sale and accomplish two things at once: (1) maybe buy something, and (2) see the store before it closed.

Chestertown is about and hour and three quarters from here, and we got a rather late start, leaving the house about 11:30. The drive takes you out Route 50 past Annapolis, and over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.

Digression: We had not crossed the Bay Bridge since before the pandemic, and I must admit to have been very confused. There used to be toll booths, where you paid for your passage. Now, of course, you can use EZ-Pass, and I expected to see the toll booths with separate EZ-Pass lanes. But there aren’t any toll booths. You just keep going. And I didn’t see any obvious EZ-Pass cameras that you went under, although I did see some EZ-Pass signs that I paid no attention to. So, how does this work? Did they capture my EZ-Pass, or am I going to get a bill based on my license plate, or what? I admit to confusion.

Any way, you cross the bridge (always fun) and stay on Route 50 across Kent Island, but when you get to the fork in the road, you don’t go to the right like you are going to the beaches, but you turn left and head north. Between that fork and Chestertown (probably about 20 miles), you pass one other half-way sizeable town, Centerville, which I admit I knew nothing about. It’s the county seat of Queen Anne’s County and has been around for well over 200 years. We saw some nice houses, and as we passed the main square and Court House, and we thought (i.e., I thought) about stopping for lunch, because it was lunch time, about 1 p.m.

I looked at Yelp and saw there were a number of restaurants with good ratings, and when we passed the Alibi Gastropub, I pulled over. Here we are in this small town, and the Alibi, with a 4.6 Yelp rating, has quite a menu. We didn’t stop, and went on to Chestertown (15 miles more), but I do want to comment on the Alibi’s menu, which included wild boar meatballs (how have I gone through 82 years without ever having wild boar meatballs?), and a BLT with an added treat of pork belly (another meal I have foregone all my life). Yes, it had other things as well, and the next time I am in Centerville, that’s where I will go, but not yesterday.

OK, on to Chestertown. I must admit that the stop at Bohemian Trading was pretty much a bust, and that Chestertown, a very scenic, old town (population about 5,000) on the Chester River, deserved much more time than we had to give it. It was first settled in the 18th century, has a very nice upscale business section and more old houses than any city in Maryland other than Annapolis. If you Google it and see how many historically recognized homes and commercial buildings are there, you will be surprised. But it was 1:30 before we got there, and 2:30 before we finished our lunch, so we only had time to stop at Bohemian Traders and, of course, the local used bookshop, which is large, well stocked, attractive,  well lighted, friendly, and not cheap. But certainly worthwhile visiting and patronizing.

But what I really want to tell you about is the restaurant we chose for lunch – the Watershed. In an old-looking downtown building, it is sleek and modern inside. It has an exceptionally friendly young staff, and is clearly a place for evening “fine dining”. Edie had an ahi tuna salad, with six or seven slices of perfectly seared fresh tuna over a delicate green salad. And I had perhaps the best “frittata” I have ever had, although it could have been easily called a quiche. A perfect mix of eggs, two cheeses, potatoes, herbs, and a little chorizo. Served with the same salad and a just-right dressing. And, yes, there was no wild boar on the menu. But on the other hand, there was pasta with rabbit. And they have bison on the dinner menu.

The other thing about Chestertown? As you can see, they do not charge you $2.50 an hour to park.