Why Rock Hall?

Gee……Rock Hall……where to begin?

My route to Rock Hall was determined by boats…pure and simple. I worked for Getaway Sailing, a company owned by a Johnstown resident who kept his boats in Rock Hall. That’s how I showed up here late one night…. totally lost.

Over the years and many experiences later, I’m still here. Have I ever felt I was born here or was an old timer here? Never. My family hasn’t been here 200 years so I’m not from here but, it doesn’t keep me from adopting an attitude of belonging.

Belonging means that you work hard, respect what you should respect, honor basic civility, question what you should question and pepper it all with a good dose of humor.

Let’s put it this way. Everyone is welcome here. The world’s oldest pick up is right at home next to a spanking new Hum-Vee at the Shore Stop pumps. Tractors pull up regularly and there was a time when you might see Chester, a well known Chesapeake Bay retriever sitting on the tractor seat with his Elmer Fudd hat on waiting for his master to finish breakfast.

If you are visiting, kick back and soak it all in but, if you find that when you left Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York or Amsterdam, you left your sense of humor laying on the kitchen counter, turn around, go home and get it.

I remember one hot day last summer when I was in line to pay for my cup of tea. There was a long line at the register and there was a problem turning on one of the gas pumps. The “gentleman” came roaring in and really gave the polite young man behind the register a real dressing down using every name in the book just because the pump wasn’t working. The poor guy behind the counter handled him beautifully and when he had left, everyone in line was perfectly quiet and just looked at one another, wide eyed….as though we had just witnessed an encounter with an angry Martian. I mean……come on……it’s a problem with a gas pump, not the end of the world.

This is the land of the quirky. I have pulled up to the gas pump late at night to the sight shown above, found myself standing in a short line at the bank in my bare feet and no one noticed let alone cared, and have serendipitously gotten my flu shot at Jack’s garage (owned by Dickey) while paying for my brake job. It’s all okay. It’s Rock Hall.

Morse of course....

I'm always tickled to see how many of my customers share their passion for sailing with their four legged friends. Dotty and Has Royer just bought an absolutely pristine Island Packet from me and we are also in the process of selling their equally pristine Pearson.
When boats change hands we all become "new best friends" because of the many details involved in these transactions. It's not uncommon for us to speak every day, several times a day, till the deal is done. It doesn't end there, either. I want to make sure things are going as planned and there are no questions or frustrations so........we really get to know each other!
Last evening when Dotty and I were discussing one thing or another, our conversation turned to Morse....a great big orange tabby with an engaging smile who happens to love boating and people. So...here's Morse lounging on his favorite place.....the dodger.