Spies on the Bay

The Chesapeake Bay is an easy drive from Washington and that's where we headed today.

There are a number of nice spots, among them Tilghman Island, which is home to one of the best inns around the bay: Black Walnut Point Inn. Built in 1845 and located on a 58 acre bird sanctuary, this estate's seclusion lured Russian spies, hosted the CIA, and the First Gulf War was planned in its sunroom. The pic is of the view out of its porch.

It's a few miles out from St Michaels, a quaint town whose motto is: "The town that fooled the British." Presumably, in 1813, the town dimmed its lights and hung lanterns in nearby woods to draw fire of Cockburn's British fleet away from the town and thus save it. The French in me finds that story very cute :)