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Beautiful, private waterfrontestateon26acres overlooking the Miles River. Largesunny greatroom,spaciouskitchen,firstfloor owner’ssuite,hugerecreationroomplusbonus room.Private pier,waterside pool andfabulousscreened porch. Easy commute to theWestern Shore $1,895,000
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SUMMER’S END
Summer matures in August. The light turns silver, the breeze cooler. We still have sweltering days ahead, but August reminds us to embrace what remains of the season.
My kids this month will attend a day camp I attended as a child in the woods of northern Baltimore County where kids choose how to spend their days.
On your first day at camp, you make your own nature journal with cloth, cardboard, starch, paper, and string. It will dry in the sun that afternoon, and later, you will draw all three poisonous plants to avoid—sumac, ivy, and oak. In this journal, you will draw and/or write whatever you like for the rest of your time at camp. Or for the rest of your life.
On your second day, you might hike through the forest to the Gunpowder River and then swim in frigid, clear water. Then, with icy toes, you might stumble up the river bank, spy a snake or a toad along your route, and build a leprechaun house out of stones, leaves, and sticks.
After lunch, you might carve soapstone or craft a pea shooter from cuts of bamboo. Maybe you would spend a couple of hours playing on wooden swings supported by beech trees that seem as tall as skyscrapers.
Each day at camp begins and ends with Big Circle, a time when everyone at camp gathers to sing, sit with friends, and talk about the day.
How did you spend the summer days of your childhood? Bicycling to the country store for an ice cream cone? Jumping from rope swings? Drawing with sidewalk chalk?
This August, consider playing. Use these pages for inspiration to enjoy what is left of summer on the MidShore. Find a quiet spot to kayak. Make an ice cream sundae too big to eat. Have a tequila-tasting party with old school friends. Read a book or take a nap in a secret garden. Don’t dive; do a cannonball.
Sarah Ensor Editor
MONTHLY
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Jennie Burke
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Reen Waterman
Sarah Ensor
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STAGE LEFT
ART in the yard
Story by Sarah Ensor | Photos by Arden Haley
Atop a pillar at the end of a private lane
in Bozman sits a bright red pepper. It’s shiny and curled upward, almost as if it is waving a welcome. Come in, it says to visitors, I have delightful secrets.
Further down the lane, giant stalks of aqua, indigo and green asparagus nod toward one another as if confiding secrets. Just across from them, a lone purple
artichoke coolly rests atop another pillar.
Sculptures of round, luscious fruits and vegetables live in many spots all over sculptor and landscape designer Jan Kirsh’s gardens. Her sculpture is born of her landscape design work.
Inside Kirsh’s studio, which is attached to her home, she is working on a commissioned pineapple. It has to be balanced; it has to be able to drain. Four pineapples of this design will sit atop four brick
gate posts leading to a patron’s vegetable garden. The pineapples must be able to drain rainwater and melted snow, and they must be made of light material.
Sculpture is a feat of art and of engineering and in Kirsh’s studio — much like in her landscape design — she collaborates with other experts.
Across the table from the large pineapple are much smaller designs, part of a new project she is putting through research and development, 3-D printed jewelry made from her designs. She is wearing the fig pendant. The fig is shown bisected and is incredibly detailed. Crystals are clustered where seeds would be.
From large sculpture to delicate jewelry, Kirsh’s subjects are nearly all produce.
As a college student, Kirsh took a photography course and took photos of eggs. She remembers going to the grocery store at about 19 when her then-husband was in law school in Tallahassee, Fla. and asking the produce manager if she could photograph the vegetables.
“Not everybody goes to the grocery store and says, ‘Oh my God, look at those beautiful pears!’ but I do,” she said. “When I was an avid vegetable gardener, I enjoyed seeing the fruit form and loving the shapes.”
Kirsh’s gardens and sculpture inform one another.
“I’m constantly thinking about shape and texture and color and form and, you know, looking at those berries, looking at those paw paws when they’re young, I mean, it’s just … constantly texture, color, form, texture, color, form, shadow, light, reflection –there’s all that stuff that happens,” she said.
At a client’s home on the water in Oxford, Kirsh is nearing the end of a
two-year landscape design project. At the start of one work day, she was altering a hardscape. She and a stone mason squatted on a walkway to consider the stone. She asked for strips to be cut from a slab of naturally shaped Pennsylvania bluestone and for a row of Mexican river stones to be added in the gap created.
She pointed out plants that had been moved from their original location.
“I don’t want to throw away good plants,” she said. “I like reworking them or moving them to where they make sense.”
Kirsh in all of her work notices incredible detail. After tweaking the walkway design, she asked a landscaper to remove a barely visible plastic ring from a plant in
the vegetable garden. Her clients appreciate this level of attention to their gardens.
Recently, one of the owners of the Oxford home said he would like Kirsh to consider where in his garden she might place a piece of her sculpture — that is meaningful to Kirsh.
“I’m friends with my clients,” Kirsh said. “It doesn’t take long to develop a rapport, and then you care about them and their garden.”
And clients return asking Kirsh to design new gardens for their properties, to design new gardens as they move to new homes, to guide new landscapers how to care for gardens she designed, or to modify gardens she designed but have matured and should be reconsidered for
their new circumstances. Gardens are not static.
“I’s kind of fun, and it’s nice to be invited back,” Kirsh said. Her love of color, and her detailed understanding of texture, color, form, light, shadow and reflection helps her to envision breathtaking settings.
At the Oxford home, a small dipping pool off the side of the house features a small stone waterfall and is enclosed by black metal fencing. But around the pool is garden and intricate hardscape. It is in the perfect spot, not easily viewed from someone who might wander up the driveway, but a sweeping view of the river. When I say it is like a secret garden, Kirsh turns and says, “That is what the owner calls it, the secret garden.” S
TASTE BUDS
A Friendly GAtherinG PlAce
St. Michaels Crab and Steak House delivers seafood with a comfortable, welcoming flair. Eric Rosen, chef and owner, greets those who enter with a huge smile. Guests feel the love and are hooked.
Story by Amelia Blades Steward | Photos by Arden Haley
Proximity to the water and marina, with a service bar and pool for marina guests, give St. Michaels Crab and Steak House a unique setting. Guests can choose to dine in the tavern, which is the oldest part of the restaurant and said to have been an oyster shucking shed; a waterfront dining room with views of the harbor and yachts; a more informal bar deck adjacent to the bustling marina; and an area the staff call “the honeymoon,” a quieter deck area overlooking the water.
The restaurant’s charm, friendly and festive atmosphere, specialty drinks and perfectly prepared seafood and steaks inspire locals and visitors to return. Pair a bloody mary with a crisp softshell crab or tender crab cake for brunch on a Sunday
morning or enjoy a pitcher of beer with a pile of steamed hard crabs after arriving at the marina by boat.
Rosen, who started as an Army cook and then attended the Restaurant School of Philadelphia, found his way to Easton in 1984 after a friend invited him to be the chef at the restaurant Fredi’s, then Dover West, in Easton. Later, while working at Kentmorr Restaurant and Crab House, he learned the crab business. He then took a job as the general manager and chef of the St. Michaels Crabhouse and Bar, which belonged to the adjacent Town Dock Restaurant at the time. In 1994, his parents borrowed money to help him buy and renovate the restaurant, which he later renamed the St. Michaels Crab and Steak House.
For lighter fare a popular menu item is the Caesar salad topped with a generous portion of Cajun blackened salmon. The spice from the salmon’s pepper compliments the chilled crisp romaine lettuce. Guests can enjoy several signature drinks from the bar, including the St. Michaels orange crush, a fresh pineapple martini, or a vegetable-infused bloody mary.
It’s so much fun to be here. I have such great relationships with so many people — watermen, artists, entertainers, townsfolk and politicians who visit this area. There is a casual feeling and people come to relax and have fun.
“I changed the name to include ‘steak’ as we offer a variety of steak, chicken and pork entrees,” Rosen said. “Although we are known for our seafood, one of the favorite menu items is the 16-ounce bone-in, center-cut porterhouse pork chop, specially seasoned and served with butter on top.”
Seafood delicacies for both fine and casual dining range from crab cakes, soft shell crabs and crab imperial, to rockfish, salmon and flounder, as well as steamed crabs, shrimp and mussels. Everything — including appetizers — is made fresh daily.
Rosen credits his success to hard work. The venture has been a family affair with his wife of 35 years, Anne, and both daughters, Maddie and Amanda, working there over the years.
Rosen’s daughter Maddie, the restaurant’s current manager and bartender, said, “The greatest thing about this restaurant are the people who
come here. You bring a Philly guy to the Eastern Shore and look what happens. He has created a local gathering place. The loyalty of our customers has been amazing.”
S
INFUSED BLOODY MARY
The base for The Famous Bloody Mary is the restaurant’s house-infused vegetable vodka, made from bell peppers, onions, celery and carrots that have soaked in vodka for several days. The vodka is then mixed with a homemade bloody mary mix before it is served in a glass rimmed with crab seasoning. The garnish — a pepperoncini, an olive and a lemon slice — tops off this memorable concoction.
Making newfriends nevergetsold.AtLondonderry on the Tred Avon, the Eastern Shore’sonly waterfront62+ cooperativeliving community, you’renot only a homeowner,you’reaneighbor and afriend. With anew clubhouse opening this summer,therewillbeevenmoreactivities foryou to enjoy. Our communityaffords youmoretime with family and friends without the worries of home upkeep and maintenance. Call Rachel Smith at 410-820-8732tofind out howyou could be our neighbor.Liveyour life, your way!
It never fails to amaze me when I see the amount of toys my kids have collected over the years and how much my wife and I end up purging each spring to make room for the new ones. We find tricycles, princess castles, Legos and more. Each year, my wife researches the charities that would benefit the most from our donation to ensure that the toys will go to homes with children that will enjoy them. I’m sure she is not alone in wanting to be sure that her donations will do the most good. We see acts of generosity across this great nation when people donate toys, cars and clothing to give them a second life. Individuals can even give of themselves with organ and body donation. However, unlike the research my wife undertakes to find just the right organization to receive our family’s unused items, how much can we truly learn about the process of body donation?
First, we must understand that body donation and organ donation are two very different things. Organ donation is offered by organizations approved by the state, as well as prominent Universities. These organizations can take vitally-needed organs from a deceased and use them for those who are living and in need, or for medical studies. One local example is the Johns Hopkins Brain Study Program at their Bayview campus. Organ donation is, in my opinion, something that is simply nothing short of amazing. According to the United Network for Organ Sharing, there are currently over 114,000 people waiting to receive organs. Unfortunately, about 20 of those on the list lose their battle every day. Families who choose to share a gift of this magnitude in their time of grief show us all the meaning of true generosity. To learn more about organ donation, one good resource is Living Legacy at www.thellf.org
Body donation on the other hand is completely different. It typically involves waiving all rights to the body upon death and donating its whole as a cadaver, whereas organ donation is intended for the sole purpose of benefitting those in need. What is difficult to research is what happens between the time a loved one leaves the care of their family and the time cremated remains are returned. Beyond learning that body donation supports medical education and research, investigation yields little in the way of answers.
Body donation usually implies that cremated remains can be returned to the family after its involvement with the research or educational process is complete, which can often take a considerable amount of time. However, one might rightly ask, given the varied uses for donated bodies during the weeks and months of research and training, how can a family be certain that the cremated remains returned are those of their loved one? It is kind of like my son ’ s Batman tricycle. After we donated it to the charity of choice, we did not wait for it to be returned to us, we simply released it from our care and thought of it no more, leaving us with only the memories of him riding it. Some view body donation the same way.
Body donation arguably also does not provide the oversight or care that families receive from a more traditional experience. Some of the differences are merely inconvenient, such as a long wait for certified death certificates so that business matters can be addressed. Body donation offers little assistance in securing certified death certificates or advice on how many to obtain. Other differences, however, are not only matters of convenience. Response to the place of death is something that your local undertaker strives to provide as promptly as possible- often within the hour, with sufficient staff to handle the transfer no matter what obstacles are involved. Body donation programs operate with the staff on duty, so response times can be severely extended and available staff limited. This can become quite upsetting when the departed is at home. There have been reports of instances, when the family has been asked to assist with the transfer of remains to the transport vehicle because insufficient staff was provided.
Generosity and sharing are cornerstones on which our communities are built, and can be, for the recipient, life altering or even life-saving. As with all things, proper research about exactly what to expect is essential in making these irreversible end of life decisions. Occasionally, someone will approach me with questions about body donation, but step-by-step detailed information is nearly impossible to obtain. Ask the hard questions and be sure you ’ re satisfied with the answers.
Ryan Helfenbein, owner/supervising mortician and pre planning counselor at Fellows, Helfenbein & Newnam Cremation & Funeral Care, P.A., offers area residents solutions to traditional funeral and cremation service. r yan@fhnfuneralhome.com
HIGH SPIRITS
TEQUILA La bebida de lo del corazón salvaje
Story by Jennie Burke
Photos by Caroline J. Phillips
In the spring of 1993, I took a trip with six college roommates to Daytona Beach. We stayed at the Howard Johnson’s, a sky rise that towered at least six stories over the broad, hardpacked, car-lined beach. Jimmy Buffet even played one day for the mob of half-dressed college kids that crammed the concrete pool deck. Daring co-eds on plastic-slatted lounge chairs slurped shots of Cuervo off strangers’ stomachs, preceded by a lick of table salt, and survived by an acidic suck off a hard lime wedge. Some of these shots contained, inexplicably, a petrified mealworm. No wonder tequila terrified me. Until now
In the past decade, celebrity interest in tequila has elevated the infamous margarita mixer in the same way that the farm-to-table movement has glorified the humble Brussels sprout or transformed a Portobello mushroom cap into “steak” on some menus. Actor George Clooney founded the Casamigos brand in 2013. (Five years later Clooney and partners sold the company to British beverage magnate Diageo and stand to make as much as $1 billon off the sale.) Rap star Sean (P. Diddy) Combs owns DeLeon tequila. Maroon 5 crooner Adam Levine co-owns Santa Mezquela with rocker Sammy Hagar. It’s a popular spirit, and with good reason: believe it or not, real tequila tastes good.
Tequilas are produced with varieties of depth and flavor in mind. Blanco is white
tequila. It’s light and smooth and is usually mixed into a cocktail. Reposado is a honey hued, medium mellowed variety, which has been aged in oak barrels. The richest of the tequilas is the añejo variety, which ferments for a lengthy age in small whiskey or bourbon barrels. There’s even an extra añejo for those that like their tequila deep and rich as cognac.
Tequila is a variety of mezcal. Americans can think of this classification in the same way that we consider whiskey and bourbon. Bourbon is a type of whiskey. Tequila is a type of mezcal. While mezcal can be made from more than 30 varieties of the agave plant, tequila must be made by steaming the heart (the piña) of the Weber blue agave plant. Tequila has an appellation of origin
For those interested in trying a flight of tequilas, ask to sample shots of the Casamigos blanco, reposado and añejo trio. It’s a great way to experience the differences in each variety. El Jefe even has a signature tequila – a reposado with hints of honey and smoke, made especially for the restaurant by Patrón, and chosen by owner Martin Hernandez and general manager Sarah Acosta.
standard. A government agency, the Consejo Regulador del Tequila, oversees authenticity. The spirit can be produced only in the Jalisco region of Mexico and small parts of outlying states. Thanks to the cultural significance of tequila, the Valles Region of Jalisco State is on the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites.
Maryland native Sharon Strauss recently traveled to the region to taste tequilas. She equated her visit to a trip to Napa. Strauss noted that tasting tequila with different foods brings out different notes in the spirit, like chocolate and orange flavors. Stateside, Sharon prefers añejo tequilas Cava de Oro ($87.99) or Don Julio 1942 ($99.99).
If a pilgrimage to Jalisco isn’t in the cards, try heading to El Jefe Mexican Kitchen and Tequila Bar. It’s right on the border … of Rt. 50 West, in Stevensville (the parking lot abuts the highway). For those interested in trying a flight of tequilas, ask to sample shots of the Casamigos blanco, reposado and añejo trio. It’s a great way to experience the differences in each variety. El Jefe even has a signature tequila, a reposado with hints of honey and smoke, made especially for the restaurant by Patrón, and chosen by owner Martin Hernandez and general manager Sarah Acosta. Customers can try the tequila for $9 a shot, or they can buy a whole bottle and even have it engraved.
Not ready to try tequila straight up? No problem. Bartender Megan Penn will shake up a frothy signature margarita, made from an inhouse mix of fresh lime and orange and nothing else. And while the tequila isn’t made on Kent Island, the salsa is. It’s delicious, in a rich, slurpy, garlicy, spicy way. The salsa is served in a short glass bottle alongside a paper-lined, red plastic basket of crisp, warm, salty tortilla chips. No wonder everyone wants to go to Mexico, er, Stevensville.
In spite of the massive collection of authentic tequilas lining the wall behind the bar at El Jefe, Penn says that there aren’t too many takers for the cognac-like añejo sipping variety. After all, she says, “Kent Island is a pretty laid-back environment. People here are used to having their drink in a plastic cup.” Which is a step up from the Cuervo body shots of days gone by.
FOR MORE VITAL DAYS AND ROMANTIC NIGHTS
By Jennifer Robin Musiol, C-RNP,Certified in Advanced BioidenticalHormoneReplacement Therapy
Do you see declining hormone levels as anaturalpart of aging? Hormones affect your energy level, your sex life, your ability to maintain muscle and keep weight off, and your ability to think clearly Why should you have to live with adeclining body and mind? The answer is simple: Youdon’t.
From age 30 onward, testosterone begins to drop one to three percent each year in both men and women. In your 40s, you may start complaining about “feeling older.” Work productivity may decline, you spend more time on the couch and your once-effective workout doesn’tdeliver the same results. (The results in the bedroom may be declining also!)
Careful restoration of the major sex hormones, plus stress reduction, some diet changes and striving for maximal body movement, has given many the vitality they need to enjoy life. New Day Vitality Center (NDV) offers natural bioidentical hormone replacement by using slow-release pellet therapy for women and men.
“I didn’tthink Ineededit,” says NDV patient Saroya Sewell. She remembers that she limped into our office last year.“After my first insert, Ifelt avibrancy and aliveness in my body that Ihadn’tfelt for years,” says the 57-year-old. “And Ican walk fast without pain now.”
Remember when your sex drive was healthy,you felt great,slept like a baby and had more energy than you knew what to do with? Then along comes menopause and her companions: hot flashes, night sweats, irritability,weight gain, sleep disturbances and fatigue. Wouldn’titbe nice to turn back the years and regain some of thathealth and vigor?
New Day VitalityCenter’s hormone therapy is designed specifically to help you achieve the natural, healthy balance of sex hormones
your body needs to maintain optimal wellbeing. The pellet hormone delivery system actually replenishes what decreases through the aging process, using hormones with thesame molecular structure as those your body created in greater supply when you were healthy andin your prime.
“I decided to try this therapy to get ajump on andropause,” says 41-year-old Erich Jessup. “My energy is better,Isleep better and there is a difference in my muscles: more lean and less bulk.” Since starting on bioidentical hormone therapy,Jessuphas cut back on the supplements he was taking for more energy and says he has more endurance while working out.
By restoring your hormone levels, reclaiming yourvitality and thriving in ALL your relationships is possible! Call 410-793-5212 todaytoschedule your free consultation.
POSH POOL PARTY
Whether lounging away from the sun, or sneaking out for a midnight plunge, this posh poolside pad provides the perfect party place
Story by Reen Waterman | Photos by Curtis Martin
Nothing cancels backyard pool parties faster than an impending storm, but with a modern pool house, inclement weather no longer drowns out outdoor ambitions. In the same manner that the iconic Ford F-150 pickup truck debuted in 1985 (at $7,500) and has since skyrocketed to become Ford’s flagship vehicle (a living room on wheels costing upwards of $60,000) pool houses have likewise experienced a dramatic evolution in quality, design and versatility.
We enjoy an era of sophisticated, high-tech building materials, appliances and furnishings. Synthetic stone and indestructible wood-grained vinyl seamlessly marry to bring a casual elegance to poolside life.
Disappearing glass walls and screens allow for use through all seasons. Fireplaces add ambience, and fire pits call for singing songs and toasting marshmallows.
Indoor/outdoor fabrics are indestructible, plush and inviting. Stainless steel grills (previously found only in top restaurants) now sizzle away in the backyard. To add symphonic accompaniment, theater quality audio/video systems with invisible speakers complete our weatherproof grottoes.
cove are longtime boaters and nature lovers. While they relished their quiet country home, they realized much of their entertaining ended up in the back yard, and an outside bathroom would be convenient. As many homeowners ultimately realize, what begins as a desire to solve a simple problem can often mutate into something much bigger.
A project’s scope can expand as one idea cascades into another causing the finished project to be better than originally conceived. The success of a project is the result of patient teamwork, a logical process, and openness to digression along the way.
The owners now spend so much time in their pool house that they feel they could almost do away with the main house
My fondest memories of growing up on the Wye River revolve around lounging in our waterside pool. Back then, the idea of a pool house was completely alien. Today, the pool house has become the anchor of backyard life. Weather dependent decks (which used to be the dominant feature in the backyard landscape) now serve mainly to transition from inside life to pool side retreat.
The owners of this 5,500-foot home on three secluded acres on a tranquil Wye River
The owners selected Lundberg Builders as their guide. Lundberg’s team consisted of designer Bob Moreland, veteran project manager Pete Edmunds, and local landscape designer Andy Hobson of F.A. Hobson landscapers. Interior designer Carole Lindenberg, ASID, from Potomac Designs in Bethesda handled the decorating of the pool house.
Moreland said the owners wanted a pool house that seemed as natural as if it were built simultaneously with their home, could be used all year long, and would be a casual place for family and friends to huddle together to enjoy football in fall and winter. They also wanted an uninterrupted flow to the pool and an orientation to maximize river views.
The owners had a dream list of elements to be incorporated into their pool side haven. Key among these items was a wood-burning fireplace inside the pool house, a fire pit outside, and an outdoor shower. Elaborating on the intricate architectural details, Moreland said, “To match the look of the owners’ home, we painstakingly chose roofing, siding and stone
Theater quality audio/video systems with invisible speakers complete this poolside lounge. Tall cathedral ceilings, floorto-almost-ceiling windows, tongueand-groove limed oak ceiling, and a refreshing aqua paint on the walls create a feeling of being in the Caribbean. A mini kitchen adds to convenience for entertaining.
materials that would create a harmony between both structures.
“To give full access to the pool and terrace, as well as provide unobstructed views of the river, we installed a retractable La Cantina seven-foot accordion glass wall system. To complement the stone veneer on the house and pool house, we removed the coping on the terrace and pool and replaced it with interlocking stone pavers with an intricate design. Finally, we built an outdoor cedar shower, and designed a lava-rock fire pit that Andy Hobson installed.”
Unity of design and function are apparent inside the building. Tall cathedral ceilings,
floor-to-almost-ceiling windows, tongue-and-groove limed oak ceiling, and a refreshing aqua paint on the walls create a feeling of being in the Caribbean. A mini kitchen adds to convenience for entertaining.
“Completing this 630-square foot Cape Cod styled retreat took … seven to eight months, and the owners are absolutely ecstatic,” Edmunds said. “The pool house is fully conditioned, and despite having accordion glass doors, this pool house is tighter than most homes that are used year round.”
Edmunds gives credit to Hobson, who designed and installed both the hardscape and all the landscaping, which includes a
privacy screen of mature holly and magnolia trees.
“Andy brought all those in about two-thirds the size you see them, creating an instant privacy screen between the neighbor’s yard and the client’s,” Edmunds said.
A pool house can allow homeowners to spend more time with family and friends and enhance the quality of their outdoor experiences throughout the seasons.
“The owners now spend so much time in their pool house that they feel they could almost do away with the main house,” Edmunds said. “It is incredibly rewarding to get this much positive feedback for both a process and project well done.” S
ReLAXed Living
• IMMEDIATE DELIVERIES!
•2-Car Garage Townhomes Low $300’s
•Just over the Bay Bridge --enjoy aslower, more
Dream ICE CREAM
Story and photos by Caroline
J. Phillips
Nothing says summer like ice cream, and no other ice cream compares to homemade ice cream.
Made at home, it’s fresh, messy and fun. But if making it yourself seems like too much work, homemade ice cream is available within a short drive — or, with luck — a short walk.
VANDERWENDE’S FARM CREAMERY
4003 Seashore HWY - Bridgeville, DE
Vanderwende Family Creamery in Bridgeville, Del., is a third-generation farm and creamery. Their ice cream is also available in other locations, such as Katie Mae’s in Preston. Try Vanderwende’s collaboration with Fifer Orchard with their apple cider donut ice cream sundae.
SCOTTISH HIGHLAND CREAMERY
1319, 314 Tilghman St, Oxford, MD
Founded by Victor and Susan Barlow, the Scottish Highland Creamery is located on the water in Oxford. They use the “freshest, finest ingredients available” and a technique that Victor learned from growing up in Scotland. Try this season’s special flavors like “fried ice cream” and “European yogurt with pomegranate.”
JUSTINE’S ICE CREAM PARLOR
106 N Talbot St, St Michaels, MD
Long a favorite in St. Michaels, Justine’s Ice Cream parlor is home to a few seasonal, homemade flavors such as Fruity Pebbles and a mango IPA sherbet, a collaboration with Eastern Shore Brewery. Their claim to fame is their wall of milkshakes — try any concoction —like the Mint Chocolate Covered Oreo Shake.
When Jim was diagnosed with early-stage memory challenges, he and his wife, Betty,knewtheyneededaplan. They moved to Integrace Bayleigh Chase—the Mid-Shore’sonlycommunity that offered everythingtheywanted: aclose-knit neighborhood of friends and acontinuum of lifestyle options that has enabled them to remain living together,knowing that each of their uniqueneeds would be supported every step of the way
“It means alot to know the careJim needs and the active lifestyle we want areboth right here,” says Betty. “Growing old can be fun, and it’sa lot of fun here.”
Jim & Betty Hansen
Bayleigh Chase residents
Married 63 years
Enchanted Waters
Story by Katie Willis | Photos by Caroline J. Phillips
One thing about humans: we’re innovative. We seek to make life more pleasant, more exciting, and we find new ways to enjoy favorite activities, combining elements where necessary.
Take paddle board yoga, for example. Both practices were developed thousands of years ago; paddle boarding widely is thought to have originated with
Peruvian fishermen 2,000 years ago out of practical necessity, according to several stand up paddle boarding websites and online journals; and yoga, according to several online yoga-centric websites, had its first mentions in the ancient sacred text, the Rig Veda, a Hindu religious text comprising a collection of Sanskrit hymns.
Merriam-Webster defines Yoga as “a Hindu theistic
Striking a Pose and Finding Your Flow on the Chesapeake Bay
philosophy teaching the suppression of all activity of body, mind, and will in order that the self may realize its distinction from them and attain liberation;” and yoga as the “system of physical postures, breathing techniques, and sometimes meditation derived from Yoga but
often practiced independently especially in Western cultures to promote physical and emotional well-being.”
Though very old traditions from other parts of the world, both paddle boarding and yoga are popular here in modern times. Naturally, paddle boarding and yoga go together like breathing in ... and breathing out.
Karla Horton, owner of Dragonfly Paddle and Fitness, teaches Hatha Vinyasa yoga, a form of yoga that relies on a pattern or sequence of poses that flow together, and is designed to prepare the body to meditate or
become one with its environment. It’s the perfect practice to bring to the water sport of stand up paddle boarding.
“Yoga is for everyone. It’s not just for the girl that can touch her toe to the back of her head. Everyone can and should be able to do it at a pace that is comfortable to them,” Horton said. “The great thing about yoga is that it can easily be designed to accommodate different skill levels.”
Horton teaches one of the few paddle board yoga classes on the Mid-Shore — she offers private events and weekly group classes at 6 p.m. Mondays and 9:30 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays at several locations on Kent Island, including the Kent Island Yacht Club and public landings throughout Kent Island. She has taught 7- to 70-year-olds,
giving special emphasis to teaching the nonyogi, or those without extensive knowledge of the practice of yoga.
“Paddle board yoga is not as difficult as most people think. Anyone can do it regardless of their fitness ability or age,” Horton said. “The boards are large and stable and the yoga poses are modified and slowed to aid with stability.”
Sisters-in-law Jordan Tucker of Queenstown and Kelsie Tucker of Centreville recently took their first paddle board yoga class, although both had been paddle boarding previously and had taken Horton’s yoga classes.
“I feel like yoga would be a lot different on a paddle board,” Kelsie said before the class began.
Paddle board yoga is more stable than it might look and provides opportunity for exercise and connection with nature.
Jordan was excited to try something new.
“I think it’s just something different, something new to us, and we both wanted to get out there and try it,” Jordan said.
“And it’s a fun way to end our work day,” Kelsie said. “We both
work over in Annapolis, so it’s fun to come over here and meet and have some relaxation at the end of the day.”
The women said they look for outdoor exercise activities during the summer to connect with their environment, especially because
their work keeps them indoors.
“Especially in the summertime, because it’s hard to find time to get outside, especially when you’re working through the week,” Jordan said. “If you can, combine (getting outside and exercising) and get some sun or some outdoor air.”
Each class starts with light meditation; and Horton asks her participants to tune themselves into the natural world around them — the heron stalking its meal at the shoreline, one long leg at a time slowly brought up, dripping, out of the water, almost silently; the water lapping against the sides of the board; the songs of the birds gliding overhead; and even the gentle sounds of the man in waders nearby, searching for shrimp in the tall Chesapeake Bay grasses.
Once everyone in a class has become more conscious of their breathing, Horton draws them back into a series of gentle poses; “Baby Cobra,” “Cat,” “Cow,” “Sunbird,” “Chair” and “Twisted Chair.” The board underneath acts almost like Aladdin’s magic carpet — a little wobbly at times, but large enough to correct and balance oneself before falling into what would be the soft, enveloping water world below.
The class ends just as it begins, with Horton guiding class participants to a place of calm — slowing their breathing to match the serenity of the natural world around them.
As Jordan and Kelsie left their first class, both women proclaimed it “Awesome!”
“I would do it every day, if I could,” Jordan said.
S
Yoga is for everyone. It’s not just for the girl that can touch her toe to the back of her head. Everyone can and should be able to do it at a pace that is comfortable to them. The great thing about yoga is that it can easily be designed to accommodate different skill levels.
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PERFECT PADDLES
Finding Nature and Solitude on Kent County’s Waterways
Story and photos by Kate Livie
A quiet bit of water in a lush and unspoiled setting offers a paddler a sense of solitude and wonder. In Kent County, three paddles on three different waterways offer such experiences. These rivers and creeks offer an array of Chesapeake Bay watershed habitat—from coves studded with brilliant starbursts of American lotus to the deep shade of graveled-bottomed headwaters. They teem with birds, fish, muskrat and tiny jewel-like damselflies. Although each is easily accessible by
car, they are far from crowded. Each is a perfect portal to the magic of our region’s waterways and has much to offer any paddler, from a beginner just gaining equilibrium to the competitive kayaker.
FAIR TO MIDDLIN’ ON MORGAN CREEK
Although other launches are closer to the mouth of Morgan Creek, a tributary of the Chester River north of the Chester River Bridge, heading to a hidden public landing provides access to
the creek’s lovely, quiet middle waters. Put your small craft in the water at Riley’s Mill landing, which has a dirt ramp where the channel cuts close to the bank. Plan to paddle upstream, where the few houses you’ll see are glimpses of 18th century estates and are far in the distance.
Morgan Creek, especially north of the public landing, is an incredible waterway for animal watching. In the cattails, tuckahoe and hardwood marshes, paddlers might see osprey, a noisy heron rookery, river otters or bald eagles (and probably not a human).
A round trip of three miles takes about two hours. At the halfway point, the creek splits into several small runs, one which is fed by Urieville Lake.
QUIET HEADWATERS
Launching from the Kent County Shadding Reach site, where a concrete step leads to a sandy bank of the Chester River, begins a four-mile paddle. Once in the water, head north, exploring shady, cool oxbows of the Chester’s headwaters. The shallow depth of the river at this point (sometimes only a few inches deep) means no competition from motorboats or wave runners, and the water clarity is excellent, with waving underwater meadows and a gravel bottom.
Nearing Millington, the river splits, with the left branch leading to the town and the right branch (Unicorn Branch) leading to a worthwhile quick side paddle just below Unicorn Lake. After checking out the gorgeous shallows of Unicorn Branch, backtrack and continue to head upriver to Millington. Don’t miss the fun directional sign on the way, posted by an unknown local with a sense of humor, directing paddlers to Chestertown, Crumpton and Key West.
Passing below the state Route 301 bridge, enjoy the uniquely peaceful vantage point while cars rush overhead at 60 miles per hour. Millington’s Waterfront Park is the halfway mark and a good spot to pull out of the water for a stretch, a snack, and a walk into town before heading back downstream.
FULL LOTUS
The Sassafras River can be a highly traveled stretch of water, especially on summer weekends, when boaters from Georgetown Yacht Basin and local launches visit to enjoy the tidal freshwater beaches and cliff views. This is a landscape familiar to John Smith, who documented his exploration of the Sassafras in 1608 and his brushes with the local Tockwogh tribespeople. In this short paddle, which launches from the ramp of the
Launching from the Kent County Shadding Reach site begins a four-mile paddle. Once in the water, head north, exploring shady, cool oxbows of the Chester’s headwaters.
Turner’s Creek public landing, paddlers staying in the shallower reaches of the creek will enjoy a quiet paddle evocative of Smith’s descriptions.
This paddle is about slowly exploring, rather than distance, so it’s perfect for a hot day. Upon launch (watch out for the workboats—this is still one of a few local wharves still used by watermen), immediately turn upstream (to the right) to follow Turner’s Creek. Summertime visitors will be dazzled by the rare, showy display of the American Lotus, which thrives in the protected coves of the Sassafras. These native aquatic plants boast the largest blooms of any flower in North America, and most parts of the plant are edible. Turning back toward the mouth of Turner’s Creek, head west and follow the
shoreline of the Sassafras Natural Resource Management Area (will be to the left). Paddlers taking this route will pass bluffs and sandy beaches, as well as another large stand of lotus in a tidal pond a little further along. Duck in to watch eagles, herons, muskrat and frogs in a protected setting before heading back to the public landing.
Before you go: Use a mapping website or app to do research the location of the public landing. The keywords “Kent County Maryland Public Landings” directs to each of the landings featured in the paddles above.
While none of these paddles are strenuous on a calm day, wind, tide, season and average rainfall affect the conditions of any waterway. Plan ahead, check the weather, and go with the tide if possible. S
A paddle, a vessel and one of several quiet stretches of water in Kent County can provide paddlers with views of spectacular blooms, graceful wildlife and few, if any, humans.
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LURE ‘EM IN
Will White finds happiness at the delta of trade, art and family
Story by Jennie Burke | Photos by Caroline J. Phillips
Will White, 28, is the social one, chatting it up or telling stories with clients aboard his Eastonbased, Tilghman-bred Kinnamon, Shore Feels Right. Will is the one who will remember the expression of the toothless seven-year-old from Baltimore who caught a fish, before he will remember the fish.
While Will entertains, one of his brothers, Adam, 22, or Matt, 25, pilots. Owning a fishing charter seems like a dream, but with earthly rewards of an honest living and cooler full of rockfish. But this dream was hard won, and Will relied on ingenuity and family to win it.
His parents, JoAnn and Darryl, were both born and raised on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. JoAnn grew up on
her father’s farm, Eason’s, on the Oxford Road. She met Darryl, who is from Federalsburg, when she was 12.
“He was the ugliest boy I had ever seen,” JoAnn said. “And he was a townie ” Still, she told her mother she would marry him some day.
“He was just so sweet,” she said. They married after JoAnn graduated from Easton High School.
The couple raised Will, his brothers, and his sister, Sonya, 21, to appreciate the heritage of their ancestry. They could hunt by age seven. They worked at Eason’s. They set trot-lines and woke in the wee hours before work or school to hunt and fish. They tinkered on their own boats when they weren’t working on someone else’s. They tailgated
together at Buffet concerts (JoAnn is a Parrot-Head) and made Sunday pilgrimages across the bridge to watch the Redskins.
(Darryl’s sweetness is tempered by the mention of a Baltimore-based bird made famous in a Poe poem.)
Most of all, JoAnn and Darryl emphasized fun and encouraged their children to spend their hours in ways that made them happy.
Will, like his father, enjoyed art. Darryl kept his artistic talent a secret for a long time. In the early years of their marriage, JoAnn would discover him drawing or working on small-scale creative projects. When they bought a piece of land, Darryl ripped down and repurposed an old barn on the property. From the copper roof he made sculptures. From the aged wooden siding,
Inspired by life on the water, Will White relies on skill and artistry to handcraft his lures.
he made picture frames, furniture, fishing boxes and cabinets.
But Darryl made it clear that he wanted no one to know he was an artist. One day, JoAnn defiantly framed and hung a pencil drawing he had done of a Labrador retriever.
“He was really shy about it,” JoAnn said. Will remembers sneaking up on his father to watch him draw or paint.
In school, Will took every art class offered. Even so, he knew his years of studying art were limited. He had no desire to attend a four-year college.
“I just knew that wasn’t for me. I like trade. I’m hands on,” he said.
He prepared to enter the family business, farming. He studied agriculture in school and participated in FFA. But JoAnn’s father scaled back work at Eason’s during Will’s final high school years. The farm became a flower and vegetable stand. The family supported Will’s decision to take a year off to consider other career options.
He soon realized that “there was only one other thing that I liked besides art and farming: water.”
In 2009, he enrolled in a 13-month program at the Marine Mechanics Institute in Orlando, Fla. One month shy of completing the program, he saw a doctor for a routine physical. He had lost weight during his year in Orlando, separated from the family table and JoAnn’s Maryland specialties. The weight loss revealed a lump on his neck. Will told the doctor that the lump had “always been there.” Within days, he was back in Maryland, being treated at Hopkins for thyroid cancer.
Soon after finishing cancer treatment, White was hired at Judge Yacht in Denton. From there, he took a mechanic’s position at Campbell’s Boatyard. Even though he was working with his hands, on boats, around water, near family, White was still restless. His only creative outlet was to determine where he would attach gauge panels on a boat.
So, he started making fishing lures.
At first, he liked the challenge of crafting the lures. But that challenge soon became a
fascination. Will spent all of his free time in his workshop. He loved the creative process: from smelting and molding iron, to powder coating and baking, to painting lips and eyes, to hand-tying hair from a bucktail of a deer he had hunted on the family property. He finished them with a bake in a toaster oven. He gave them to family and close friends only. Like his father, Will wanted to keep his talent under wraps.
In 2013, Will earned his captain’s license. The three brothers purchased and refurbished the Kinnamon and started running charter trips. On the trips, they used the lures, and customers wanted to buy them. Other captains wanted to know what they were using because they caught fish when others weren’t catching any. But the lures weren’t for sale until now. After eight years of developing the product, Will has decided to put the lures on the market and has shipped them from Massachusetts to Florida. Recently, he sent a shipment to Australia. So far there has only been one drawback to creating the lures: everyone loves them.
“I need negative feedback, so that I can make changes,” Will said.
Will now runs Tred Avon Charters (which includes the lure sales and a deer processing butchery during hunting season) full-time. Adam continues to work at Campbell’s in Oxford, and Matt is a reservist in the Air Force. Together the brothers are equal partners in Tred Avon Charters. Sonya has left the Shore to pursue her own dream. She is completing a degree in nursing at Stevenson University.
Darryl and JoAnn’s family hope, that their children might find something to love for a living (and have a good time doing it) has come true. Two of the boys have found someone to love as well. Will is newly married, and Adam is engaged. The siblings continue to reel –new dreams to scheme and conquer into the family fold. Meanwhile, JoAnn and Darryl keep dreams of their own: regular trips to Florida, where the Redskins play on the radio, and every town reminds them of Margaritaville. S
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SHORE THOUGHTS
Growing up in Talbot County, I was hooked on the water at an early age, if you do not count that swimming lesson when the teacher finally took away the barbell float. But once I got past that, you would think I was part fish.
Summer afternoons at the swimming pool were augmented with trips in my father’s boat. Living in Easton, we had quick access to the Tred Avon, Miles and Choptank rivers and Tuckahoe Creek.
When my brothers and I were not trying to show up one another from the end of a towrope, whether on a kneeboard, skis or a wakeboard, we were out fishing.
At summer camp, there were canoes and Sunfish. This being the Eastern Shore, there was a special camp week during which you spent every morning running a trotline for crabs on the Chester River.
CATCHING THE DRIFT
By Daniel Divilio
My best friend and I did that one two years in a row — and I can still remember the smell of the salted eel we used as bait.
Cruising on boats, I always wanted to be closer to the water. I wanted to feel more like a part of the river. I wanted to feel the water move me. But I also wanted to cover much more distance than swimming would allow.
Kayaking got me closer to that feeling. At the same time, I was able to explore many of the shallower and more narrow waterways that previously we would only motor by in a boat.
I still sought to get closer.
Then I was introduced to standup paddleboarding. That has become my go-to way of finding peace and feeling like a
part of the water around me, to being one with the natural world around me.
Paddling in the shallows, I watch the turtles, crabs and fish dart around. Other outings, I head out into the channels to catch the drift and just ride the current.
Living in Kent County now, I have the Chester and Sassafras rivers, Turner’s Creek and the grand Chesapeake Bay itself all close by. I can just toss my board in the back of my aging Ford Explorer and go.
There are so many great rivers and creeks waiting to be explored on the Shore. Pick your favorite mode of transportation — be it motor, sail or paddle — and discover it all for yourself. As the Beatles once sang: “Turn off your mind, relax and float downstream.”
Photo by Erica Clough
Photo by Phillip R. Parkinson
Photo by Phillip R. Parkinson
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THROUGH THE LENS
Photo by Leslie Mann
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ABOUT THE COVER
Kelsie Tucker (cover), 25, of Centreville, is a certified public accountant working in Annapolis. Dragonfly Paddle and Fitness is owned by Karla Horton (above), a lifelong fan of yoga, health, fitness and water. She is a PaddleFit Level 2 coach, RYT200 Yoga instructor, certified ISMA personal trainer and First Degree Reiki practitioner. For more information, visit www.dragonflypaddleandfitness. com, text Horton at 443-995-5486 or email her at Karla@ dragonflypaddleandfitness.com.
