Finding A Zone, from the Watt's notes.

Sustained above 40mph, gusts over 60mph, Fay made sure we had plenty to keep an eye on...both rising tides and surf.
Raking Maryland's coast, 7/10/2020.

   Motivational speaker Brian Tracy had said, "the comfort zone is the great enemy of courage and confidence." I believe that, but when there is no comfort zone anxiety sets in. No safety net. Nothing to fall back on. It is especially true in this day and age. The delusion of comfort is hard fought for. Personally, I'll take just about any zone. Last week LWatt and I had family in town. Humidity was the word of the day...just about every day. Hard to find a zone when the comfort melts away. With humidity comes an active storm front, and our fourth named storm of this year's hurricane season, Tropical Storm Fay. Carving up the coast from the Carolina's, Fay dropped nearly a half a foot of rain on the area last Friday. Many were forced to deal with flooding including Target who was not comfortable at all spending most of his weekend on clean-up detail. The headaches of housing restoration took him out of his zone. Thus T-Man, being unable to hook up with us this week, left LWatt and I to go solo. The 47th Street break was pretty cut up; mostly chopped leftovers from Fay. Maybe a waist high here and there, but the sand bar and draining tide took away the power.

Slow mushie- last ride of the the evening. 47th Street, 7/16/2020.

Mostly lefts, not jumping on 'em quick meant losing out. Furthermore, those that I caught didn't last. Fast death, meant any zone was pretty near elusive. I made the mistake of thinking about "just one more," and that dampened my last ride. We take what we can get on our once a week soiree. Last ride done, we packed up and headed on out.
   With a humid dusk settling around us, we cruised down to the Quality Inn on 17th Street. Well, at least to me it's always been on 17th... technically 16th, but it takes up the entire block...and their newest restaurant Coastal Salt, is literally on 16th and the Boards. A walk-up for anyone walking the boardwalk, Coastal Salt was a bit crowded this evening. However, to their credit they were observing the distancing protocol of the day. We ended up on a corner of the bar by ourselves, kept separated from our bartender by a service counter. Ordering our drinks was a relatively uneventful task and from start to finish, occurred in a decent amount of time. LWatt's Grapefruit Crush was tasty, and I was served a Dogfish Head in a can since they had no beer on tap. Yet the glass was frosty cold, so that was noteworthy. We placed orders for the Seafood Nachos, tortilla chips with shrimp, crab, melted cheese, cilantro, guacamole, pico, and sliced jalapenos, as well as Coastal Crack Wings, chicken wings dredged in a mix of Old Bay, BBQ rub, and Buffalo sauce.

Forty-five minutes later we were still waiting for our food. The few flat-screens (all on the perimeter, none at the bar) did little to keep our attention. The music was barely audible. When the chow finally came out we were not surprised. The ample shrimp and crab were tender and had a very good taste, however the chips came out in pieces and the cheese was only warm. The wings also had good flavor, but were small and cold. There were plenty of carrot and celery sticks though. My second beer came out without a second glass. We had to push our bartender to check on the food, while the rest of the wait staff hustled in and out from the back kitchen picking up orders (a result of the lean workforce). Perhaps had she done so earlier instead of trading shots with other patrons, our food and our experience would have rated much higher. Instead, without improvement, cheap lighting and cold food has lead to an unlikely chance that our Quest will ever return...with or without the T-Man.

THE RATINGS-
Beer: C-
Seafood Nachos: B-
Coastal Crack Wings: C-
Atmosphere: C-
Value: C-
Overall Score = 1.95

Anxiety Propriety, from the Watt's notes.

Chasing down a late drop-in frontside. 47th Street break, 7/2/2020.

"I cannot rest, I cannot stay, 
I cannot linger anywhere." 
- J. Marley

   Fake news. The media and the internet are full of it. Checking the surf report...near flat conditions. Feeling disappointed and expecting to spend more time wading around than surfing, Target surprised me as he announce that there was plenty of surf with a somewhat crowded lineup. For the second session in a row, the surf conditions were opposite of what the online surf report was saying. The Weather Channel did not do much better, reporting percent humidity into the mid-80's. The evening started out pretty humid. But upon arriving at the beach, the southeast winds made the shore conditions much more bearable. Water was firmly planted in the mid-70's as waves were crashing about 25 - 30 yards offshore with a nice thigh to waist high point break to 'em.  Paddling out, the lineup had a few rippin' it, about a half dozen or so. As soon as I got into position I was on my first waist high right-hander. What a way to take away the anxieties of the day.With about a ten minute lull between sets, waves were coming in two and three at a time. Still feeling the rust of a late start, I caught a few, missed a few. Regardless, the whole scene made for a stoked surf day. Proof of the fact was the sun beginning it's drop towards the horizon as we saddled up to head out towards the evening's grub hub.
   Speaking of fake news and the anxieties of the day, it has become an exercise in social behavior (and distancing - yes, pun) as to the effect that today's media has had on us all. It seems as if they dictate the propriety concerning what is and what is not safe. Nowhere has this become more apparent than how we, the Crew, must carefully discuss and choose our next foodie destination. And, the anxiety in making this choice is palpable.

Avoiding eating anywhere inside, making sure the exterior dining area is clean, that the establishment emphasizes the use of masks as necessary, getting in and out quickly while still enjoying the experience, and of course, the distancing aspect. Respect is key, regardless of how we may personally feel about the restrictions. Safety is in the knowing, and this evening we chose a previously visited locale that we knew had outdoor seating with a view, Ropewalk on 82nd and bayside. Upon entrance, masks were required until we were seated...and to quite a view as the sun was disappearing across the bay. This was definitely a highlight of the night. Cell phones were out clicking away as we ordered our drinks and attempted double duty in assembling our order.

 The first and most unusual that caught our attention, the Crab Cake Egg Rolls, crispy egg rolls stuffed with crab and chili aioli. Next, the house Hickory Smoked BBQ Wings, followed by the Reda Rockfish Tacos- beer battered Rockfish with shredded cheese and lettuce, tomatoes, and a chipotle horseradish sauce. As my beer was served, the Target found out that his standard Miller Lite was not available. Miller Lite! Not available! Not that one "settles" for a  Stella, but it just wasn't his first choice. As a matter of fact, their beer selection was quite limited due to the reduced seating capacity. And i know we were on sand, but plastic cups never win points with us.

However, our waitress did a nice job. The food was very prompt in being served...an indication of the push for fast turns of clientele. Our wings were the best of the three, but only warm as they were probably waiting for the others. The tacos had small portions of Rockfish "sticks," making the tacos more filler than fish. The biggest letdown was the egg rolls. Very fishy taste denoting old, frozen, and/or artificial crabmeat. Great idea, poor execution. Questionable food quality was a concerning sign of limited supply, and a careless kitchen staff. Then our bill came. I take back what I said earlier about the eggrolls. The Biggest letdown- our biggest anxiety, was the tab. Prices like that deserve stellar food. Ropewalk did not match. Sorry, but regardless of the current viral climate, the propriety of a restaurant is to provide good food in a safe dining environment. No one aspect should suffer as a result of the other. Ropewalk was established in Baltimore, in 1995. They know better. Our Quest continues...

THE RATINGS-

Beer: C-

Crab Cake Egg Roll: C

Hickory Smoked BBQ Wings: B-

Reda Rockfish Tacos: C

Atmosphere: B

Value: D+ (the + was for service)
Overall Score = 2.13