Tidewater Times June 2023

Tidewater Times

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About the Cover Photographer

Dave Grebowsky

This photo of a Canada Gosling was taken at Governor Bridge Nature Area in Bowie Maryland. It was a slow evening for seeing birds or animals, and I was calling it quits and heading out when I checked one last spot. That’s when I saw a few goslings munching on healthy green plants springing from the fertile muck. Success! The outing was worthwhile, and all can now enjoy the spirit of this spunky nestling.

Although my approach to photography is fueled by art and nature, I’m always trying new techniques and working to improve my quality and range fueled by the layers of interest in technology that led to my

day job as a network engineer. I’m usually up early in the awnings and out the door to a random location to shoot photos of whatever I find. While early on this was landscapes, I am drawn to wildlife, and birds and animals now predominate. I branched out to capture the beauty the world offers us.

You can find my work at www. djgphotographics.com and @DJGPhotographics on instagram and Facebook, and in various publications. Much appreciation to Anne Farwell and the Tidewater Times for featuring this photo. It represents the Tidewater area in its real world grit, beauty and promise.

A View from Blackwater

by Helen Chappell

Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge is one of our great local treasures. Its location in Dorchester County is an expanse of the Great Dorchester Marsh that offers the public open access to all sorts of regional wildlife. Thousands of visitors come here every year and in every season.

But the prime attraction for many serious birders is photographing the wide variety of avian life here on this wetland on the Blackwater River. It’s home to all sorts of birds and animals. But it’s

mostly the birders who come from near and far to capture some of the most intriguing shots.

Being a serious birder is serious business. A birder will follow any feathered being with telescope and camera and will go to the ends of the earth to add an especially rare species to a checklist of every bird they’ve ever seen. And they will travel all over the world, dive any ocean, climb any mountain just to catch a glimpse of one feathered animal.

I can see this passion, although

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View from Blackwater

I’m more of a hobbyist than a maven. With respect to those birders who can do this, I can’t. I’m more of a backyard birder, but I’m happy I live in a region where I can see so many wonderful avian species.

While I’d love to see my spirit animal the Harpy Eagle, who lives in the jungles of South America and can be as tall as a man, I know it’s not going to happen. I’m content with the mockingbird who lives in my magnolia and sings to me all day, the robins who feast on the worms in my backyard, the hummingbirds who come to my feeder. Every once in a while, I

View from Blackwater

go to the winter waters for a visit with the waterfowl who come in, geese and swans and sea ducks, but you’ll never see me armed with a $5,000 camera and a pair of binoculars twelve feet long, hunkered over the reeds in search of an elusive rail.

While I love Blackwater and often find a road trip through the wetlands both soothing and Zen, I’m nothing like the members of the Facebook page Blackwater NWR Photography. Their site is both beautiful and inspiring, whether for the capture of birds or the beauty of nature. Shot after shot of beautifully photographed wetland birds, from the legendary plethora of Blackwater eagles

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Step into Summer at Lizzy Dee

View from Blackwater

to the elusive wood ducks, it’s all beautiful and is a welcome respite from the usual social media. These folks are serious birders with big scopes and serious cameras, people whose heart and artistry I admire but could never hope to emulate. But just looking at their work makes my spirit soar. Besides, I would never get up before dawn or linger down there until dusk and mosquitos take over just for the light. That’s a serious commitment.

I did start to wonder, however, how the subjects of their photography felt. There seem to be some wildlife celebrities down at Blackwater who are often photographed and commented on. How does the owl on Maple Dam Road feel about having his photograph all over the

View from Blackwater

internet? How about the pair of eagles in a pine tree near Key Wallace Drive? And the herons wading through Raccoon Creek? As I tracked my interviews, I had to promise not to publish names or exact addresses. Apparently, too much celebrity can be dangerous, even for a colony of herons.

Surely, being photographed so much must make them feel like being swarmed by paparazzi. But how do they feel about being celebrities? Does the attention from humans bother them?

“Well, we don’t mind it. Unlike some species I could mention, we are the national bird,” the female eagle of the Pines told me as she weaved a used man’s short through her giant nest and soothed her almost-ready-to-fledge chicks as she did so. “So, of course, we do expect

attention and respect. And we have established quite an eagle neighborhood at Blackwater. Very exclusive. After that whole DDT thing, we never thought we’d come back. But here we are, and if people want to see us, well…” She preened her feathers a bit.

“You can’t build a nest without humans watching you,” complained a tercel osprey about 500 feet from the eagle’s nest. “You’d think they’d never seen a fish hawk before, the way they ooh and ahhhh.” He did the closest thing an osprey could do to winking. “What they really love is when Ed—that’s my eagle pal over there—and I get into it over a fish. We really put some show into it, give ’em what they come for, y’know? But don’t tell no one it’s all for show.”

Not at all for show was the elusive rail, tracked down deep in the marsh and very reluctant to even

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talk through the reeds. “I don’t want anything to do with any of you!” he told me as he ran away. I’ve always found marsh rails to be very antisocial, so I’m always surprised when anyone gets a photo of one.

Although, late at night, on the road out of Elliott’s Island, you can hear them crying and it’s like nothing you’ve ever heard before or since.

The great blue herons, on the other hand, were both friendly and forthcoming. “Oh, we’re so gorgeous! We’d pose for Vogue if they’d call us. Long legs, graceful, we’d look great in some of the new designers. And as wading birds, we’ve got these great long legs. But Architectural Digest did our rookery last season, and it was to die for!”

Less vain and less willing to be interviewed were the muskrats. “We’ve gotta keep a low profile. There used to be $5 a pelt on us, and the craze for fur has gone down, but they still got muskrat

View from Blackwater

trappers out there, y’know? So, the less they know about us, the better, know what we mean?”

Just before the sun began to set and the birders started to congregate, the mosquitos started rising up out of the marsh in a black cloud. I’ve been interviewing mosquitos since I was a little kid, so I decided I’d gotten my story and headed out of there.

But as I turned in to Key Wallace, dusk had awakened the famous great horned owl, whose hollow tree and soundless flights fascinated the birders as much as the legendary eagles.

“Oh, it’s you,” she said, yawn-

ing and preening her wing. “Don’t expect me to come out. I’ve been hiding in my nest hole all day, just hoping to avoid cameras. The eagles just adore all the attention, but I can do without it. Makes it hard to hunt for prey sometimes. I do my best work at night, when no humans are around.”

And with that, she turned her back on me and retreated into her hole, preparing for her solitary night flight.

Helen Chappell is the creator of the Sam and Hollis mystery series and the Oysterback stories, as well as The Chesapeake Book of the Dead . Under her pen names, Rebecca Baldwin and Caroline Brooks, she has published a number of historical novels.

Embracing Hawaii by Bonna

L. Nelson

…No other land could so lovingly and so beseechingly haunt me, sleeping and waking though half a lifetime, as that one has done.

~ Mark Twain

(Twain explored the Hawaiian Islands in 1866. He wrote a series of letters, articles and books and gave speeches about his four-month visit.)

Aloha! We are two ladies who have dreamed for years about traveling to the tropical paradise of Hawaii. We dreamed about the beautiful beaches, the palm trees, the volcanoes, the towering mountains, the majestic waterfalls, the brilliant blue ocean and the gentle Hawaiian people. We dreamed about the lush

landscapes, the colorful flowers, the leis, the hula, the music, the ukulele and the fresh pineapples.

Our dream came true recently. It was more than we thought possible. The breathtaking beauty of the landscape, the kind and friendly people and being embraced by the warm, rolling waters of the Pacific

Embracing Hawaii

(inside the reef) gave us what my daughter, Holly, calls an experience of a lifetime.

After multiple health challenges, pandemic-related postponements and other conflicting events, our dreams became reality. Thanks to the encouragement of our guys, who were not keen on the destination but offered to take care of granddaughter Bella and the home front, we made the travel arrangements.

We had been talking about Hawaii for years, but when it came down to actually planning the trip, we needed assistance. We really didn’t know much about the numerous islands or which to visit. I wanted to try to cruise to all of them, while Holly wanted to fly to and stay on

Embracing Hawaii

one island and perhaps visit one or two others. We are very grateful for the help of neighbor Jay Carey, who had lived and worked on one of the islands, Oahu. From Jay we learned more about our 50th state, including details about the individual islands, some history, topography, geography, culture, weather, food and must-see sights.

With additional research, we learned that the Hawaiian Islands form an archipelago in the North Pacifi c Ocean and are made up of 132 islands, atolls, reefs, shoals and banks stretching over 1,500 miles. Hawaii is generally known for its seven major inhabited islands: Oahu, Maui, Hawaii, Kauai, Molokai, Lanai and Niihau.

With Jay’s input, we decided to stay on Oahu. This island is home to majestic landscapes, plentiful resorts, world-famous beaches like Waikiki Beach, the iconic Diamond Head volcanic cone, the Hawaiian capital of Honolulu and all the amenities of the mainland. We also chose

to take a day trip by plane to the youngest and largest island, Hawaii, also known as the “Big Island,” to see volcanoes, black sand beaches and some more of our planet’s greatest natural wonders.

Next, we needed assistance with arranging the trip. After contacting several travel agencies, we chose Boscov’s Travel, located in the Boscov’s department store in Salisbury, Md. I met with Dori Mowbray, manager and travel agent at the location. Dori and I bonded instantly. She couldn’t have been more helpful and knowledgeable about our destination, having been in the travel business for years in addition to traveling to Hawaii herself.

Based on our own research and advice from Jay and Dori, we decided on a resort, the Outrigger Waikiki Beach on the Pacific, with a pool and a grand view of the entire beach, the reef and Diamond Head. Dori booked the resort, three tours that

Embracing Hawaii

we selected, the flights and airport transportation.

Ready, set, go. The big day arrived. I must admit that traveling to Hawaii from the East Coast makes for a long day. It’s not for the faint of heart. You have to be determined. It is a whopping 4,844 miles from Baltimore/ Washington Thurgood Marshall International Airport (BWI) to the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu! And Hawaii is six time zones from Maryland.

Dori booked us on a 6 a.m. United Airlines flight, so we stayed at a BWI hotel the night before. We had to be at the airport by 4 a.m. to check in. We switched planes in Houston, Texas, and arrived in Honolulu at 1:20 p.m. their time. From our 3:30 a.m. wakeup call to actually arriving at our room at the Outrigger Waikiki Beach, the total travel time was a whopping 18 hours!

I readily admit that I couldn’t have done it without Holly. I have flown to China, India, Australia, Argentina and other distant locations, but this travel took its toll on both of us. But then we spent 11 days enjoying Hawaii’s splendor and forgetting that we had a long return trip with a transfer in Denver.

Then, after a few days of jet lag, I was already pondering where I want to go next! I loathe the rush to get to the airport on time, the mostly self-check-in process that never

goes well even if you check in online ahead of time, the ever-changing TSA security checks, the waiting in line to board, being jammed into small seats with little leg room, back and leg aches and numbness, screaming babies and gulping down a cup of water and pretzels, because no sooner does the flight attendant serve those snacks than they are back to pick up your trash!

However, I know that the memories of economy flight travel challenges will fade, as happened a few days after our arrival in Hawaii. One of my dreams about Hawaii included what to do on arrival. I know from previous long trips that it is important to adjust to the time at your destination country by getting out and about and into the action. I made sure that the dream came true.

We tipped the valet for bringing

Embracing Hawaii

our luggage to our room and showing us the balcony overlooking the Pacific and the gifts of two water thermoses and linen beach bags. After freshening up a bit, we took the elevator to the lobby in hopes of getting an outside seat at the patio bar of the famous Duke’s Restaurant, where you don’t need a reservation.

The heavens rewarded us with a table on the patio by the beach and ocean. The sun was shining, palm trees swayed in the warm breeze and we were surrounded by laughter and smiles. We relished the fresh Hawaiian fish tacos with luscious pineapple chunks and Duke’s signature Mai Tai cocktails (made with aloha, fresh Hawaiian juices and two types of rum). A three-piece band serenaded the guests. We’d done it, we had arrived, we had made it! Our travel challenges were behind us. We toasted to dreams coming true. We embraced Hawaii.

On Jay’s recommendation, Holly had tried to reserve dinner at Duke’s before we departed, but they were booked for dinner for our entire stay. She did, however, reserve a breakfast date for the first week and a lunch date the second week. We were extremely lucky to be seated on the patio on our first night. It was heaven.

Who is Duke (1890–1968)? From the restaurant website: Home of Duke Kahanamoku.

Make yourself at home, where the legend Duke Kahanamoku grew up swimming, surfing, canoeing and bodysurfing. In 1929, Duke rode a monster wave for 1 ⅛ miles at Waikiki, likely the longest ride in modern times. You know that image in your mind of Waikiki Beach, the one with Diamond Head in the distance and outrigger canoes in a turquoise bay of warm water? It’s real and it’s here every day. Splash, body surf or surf, in the warm turquoise water just below Hawaii’s icon, Diamond Head – just like Duke did.

At the age of 21, Duke won his first Olympic gold medal, then went on to represent the United States in

TIDE TABLE

OXFORD, MD JUNE 2023

SHARP’S IS. LIGHT: 46 minutes before Oxford

TILGHMAN: Dogwood Harbor same as Oxford

EASTON POINT: 5 minutes after Oxford

CAMBRIDGE: 10 minutes after Oxford

CLAIBORNE: 25 minutes after Oxford

ST. MICHAELS MILES R.: 47 min. after Oxford

WYE LANDING: 1 hr. after Oxford

ANNAPOLIS: 1 hr., 29 min. after Oxford

KENT NARROWS: 1 hr., 29 min. after Oxford

CENTREVILLE LANDING: 2 hrs. after Oxford

CHESTERTOWN: 3 hrs., 44 min. after Oxford

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Embracing Hawaii

the Olympics for 20 years, winning not only gold medals but the hearts of people all over the world. He is remembered as a swimmer not just for remarkable speed, but for his grace in the water, his good humor, and his sportsmanship. (He championed surfing and taught it all over the world, starred in 28 movies as well as served his native Honolulu as a sheriff ).

We enjoyed tropical cocktails, Hawaiian beer, hard cider, fresh fi sh and local fruit during our visits to Duke’s. Our delicious breakfast buffet included banana pancakes with coconut syrup, Hawaii’s spicy Portuguese sausage, fresh local fruit

and juices and the famous Hawaiian Kona coffee. The lunch buffet

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Embracing Hawaii included a local dish of kalua pork and cabbage, fresh fi sh encrusted in macadamia nuts, teriyaki chicken, noodles, rice and fresh local vegetables and fruits.

Duke when we lounged by the pool and beach and body surfed the waves. We thought about Duke when we watched the outrigger canoes and sailboats head out beyond the reefs. And we thought about Duke as we watched surfers at the reef from our balcony, all waiting for the next big wave.

Holly mentioned at lunch that we were celebrating my birthday, and what a surprise that turned out to be. To commemorate the occasion, we were presented with their most highly prized dessert, Kimo’s Original Hula Pie. The huge slice was big enough to serve four people! We couldn’t finish the chocolate cookie crust and macadamia nut ice cream piled four inches high, drizzled with hot fudge and decorated with chopped macadamia nuts and whipped cream. Mmmmm!

We thought about Duke as we dined at Duke’s. We thought about

We embraced Hawaii and its people, food, heroes and culture. We talked excitedly about our upcoming tours to the Polynesian Cultural Center, a complete circle tour of Oahu and our fl ight over to the Big Island, one of the youngest places on Earth that grows larger every year with continuing volcanic activity. You’ll learn about those exciting adventures in upcoming tales from the Hawaii Islands. For now, I leave you dreaming about the white sand shores of Waikiki Beach, the majesty of Diamond Head and the sun glimmering on the warm, gentle turquoise sea.

Bonna L. Nelson is a Bay-area writer, columnist, photographer and world traveler. She resides in Easton with her husband, John.

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Art from Outside Ed Krell on Hoopers Island

by Michael Valliant

Artist Ed Krell gets up every morning between 3 and 4 a.m. and heads to his studio, which is an old boatbuilding shop on Hoopers Island. He starts each day by making himself available to create art. Along a wall of his studio are several large canvases stretched over found/reclaimed boards. Looking at the colors, the scenes, the shapes, you’d never guess Ed works with chalk. How and why he found chalk as a medium and how he wants to use art to create mental health awareness is a story unto itself.

Ed grew up in south Baltimore and started creating art when he was eight or nine years old. He went to exhibits at the American Visionary Art Museum and played piano.

“I was already diving into different forms of expression and art, and I thought it was really cool to be able to make something that makes someone feel some kind of way,” Ed said. “I would do these really elaborate black-and-white drawings, which were very tedious, very small. As I kept practicing over time, life kicked in and the content changed, and it got a bit more involved.”

Partially color blind, Ed stuck to black and white, working with pen and ink, sometimes needle and ink—anything he could use to create a sharp, detailed line. Ed’s father was a structural engineer, so he grew up around mechanical drawing and went into drafting through the votech program in school. But it was the art department that called to Ed, and he found ways to create, ultimately working on the yearbook and the school newspaper.

In 2004, Ed’s family left the city and moved to Taylors Island, where they had a family campground, a fishing spot.

Art from Outside therapy; at Johns Hopkins, the head of arm/hand transplant put cadaver nerves in my arm and basically re-wired my whole arm so I could have use of my thumb,” Ed said. “The use of my arm was completely gone.”

“Pretty much anytime we weren’t working or going to school, we were fishing on the Bay in this area,” he said. “Even though we lived in a concrete jungle, as a kid at 10 years old, I had an Evinrude outboard on a 16-foot boat and had a boat license.”

For a time, he stopped making art. He wasn’t around art galleries and exhibits like he was in the city, taking in what different artists were trying. In 2015, Ed suffered a severe nerve injury that took the use of his right arm.

“I went through a lot of reconstructive surgery, lots of physical

That could have been the end of the art story for a right-handed artist. But Ed picked up chalk with his left hand and started drawing on the walls, the floors, anything that was around him. Chalk was inexpensive, Ed had to sit still for long periods of time and art became a life-giving form of therapy for him.

At the same time Ed was going through this physical trauma, a close friend whom he calls “81” was dealing with mental health issues.

“I was going through all these surgeries, 81 was going through depression and mental health issues,

Art from Outside

we started using art to impact a positive change in our minds, even just the littlest bit,” Ed said. “We started throwing ideas against the

wall like spaghetti—he was a conceptual thinker, and I am a weird visionary—I kind of had a plan to make art for mental health, to actually take art and making art to inpatients in mental health facilities.”

In a way he compares to the monks who create sand mandalas only to wipe them clean to show non-attachment and impermanence, Ed would burn his canvases when he finished them. He didn’t attach value to the finished product. But 81 saw what Ed was creating and told him he needed to stop destroying his art and start selling it. People needed to see it. Ed started holding on to his artwork. Some he would give to friends.

Jon Jacobs, a retired biologist

Art from Outside

and active local musician, saw Ed’s work and encouraged him to put together an exhibit at the Dorchester Center for the Arts.

“Ed captures the feel of Hoopers Island in his work,” Jacobs said. “He is carrying on the tradition of the great impressionist artists in the way he evokes the feeling of a place in his work. That sounds like hyperbole, but I don’t think it is. Ed is on to something.”

The DCA exhibit was up for the month of July 2022 and was titled “Outside In, Featuring Ed Krell’s Story of 81.” Ed had 12 large-scale chalk-on-canvas pieces in the show and began to think about his work differently, realizing it had value for other people. It is outsider art—

Ed wasn’t formally trained, and he sees the world, and art, from a different angle.

Art from Outside and his mental health struggles. Ed is determined that his legacy will live on through art and through public art festivals, such as the Hoopers Island Chalk Festival, which was held in November 2022. The festival brought 68 cars and more than 200 people to the island. The next one will be in October of this year.

“I have talked to people in the art world who have watched me work and respect what I am creating, and I never expected that from an art world I never thought I was a part of. I think sometimes in the professional art world, people lose sight of why they create art. I make art because it takes something from inside me and allows me to show it to people.”

81 lost his battle with depression

The universe has conspired for Ed to create how and where he is. His parents moved from Taylors Island to Hoopers Island. Outside the post office there, he met Kelly Ellis Neal, who he said looked like she was having way too much fun for someone

Art from Outside

going to the post office. They talked, and Ed explained what he was doing with his art and mental health awareness. Kelly mentioned she had a building and asked if Ed would paint a mural on it. He had never painted a big outdoor mural but was game to try.

That building is the former boatbuilding shop that has been Ed’s studio for two years now. And the mural, scenes from Hoopers Island around a pair of Phoenix wings, has become a signature piece for Ed.

“Partnering with Kelly is such a big part of what is making this dream come true,” Ed said. “She is one of our biggest supporters for what we are doing and letting everyone know about it. And the support we get from the community is incredible.”

On the island, he’s also teamed up to help create a mural on the walkin cooler at Maryland Blue, which

looks like the inside of a fish tank. And one of the first pieces Ed created in his studio is in the building that was the elementary school, next to where the chalkboards are still in place.

“I made the piece with a giant rope around the outside, really nautical and it’s real Hoopers Island, but it’s also psychedelic,” Ed said. “And what I mean by psychedelic is just looking at something from many angles. It means your perspective is different. I like for someone to look at something I create and be puzzled for a minute and then start to figure it out.”

Ed creates his chalk-on-canvas pieces in layers, working daily on a piece for two weeks straight to get colors right and to include the different things he sees in a scene. Working for years in black and white and being partly colorblind, he has an appreciation and approach to color that is different from what people expect.

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Art from Outside

After a storm, Ed and his partner, Paul Ellwood (Paul is the “specialist in all things that aren’t art”), will be out in their skiff looking for boards that have washed up on the shores of the island. Ed uses plank boards to frame his canvases. He finds them to be the best salt-treated wood there is. It’s also extremely light; fresh-cut pine would weigh twice as much on the wall.

When a piece is finished, Ed sprays it with Workable Fixatif, which locks everything in place and protects the chalk.

He orders canvas by the 20-yard roll and sold an entire 20 yards of canvas in paintings last year. Once

he has materials, Ed goes off the grid. He gets into a creative flow. He has a phone to take pictures and for internet, but people contact him through Paul.

Creating art and selling it are very different things. Ed has always focused on creating. It took encouragement from friends to get him to think about selling it.

John Lewis, a writer in the art world, is one of those who helped Ed see early on what he had to offer. He pointed to people they would see walking by, and John told Ed that none of those people, no one else, can do what Ed is doing. He has a different eye, different talents, and uses different skills to create his art. Once Ed started getting that perspective in his head, people began to organically come around and find his art. One of those people was Gail Patterson.

CrackerjacksToys.com

Swingball

Patterson is opening Spiralis Gallery, a new gallery that focuses

on Afro-Caribbean art and outsider art. A focus on Maryland outsider art is a specific interest for Gail, as she is from Maryland herself. She is drawn to outsider artists because their art comes directly from their soul without the conventional structure of formal training. Gail saw that in Ed’s work.

“I first saw Ed’s work at the Dorchester Center for the Arts exhibit, and I was struck immediately by his use of color and his clouds. His clouds are my favorite part of his pieces!” Gail said. “I contacted him and visited his studio and realized he had a special gift that I am privileged to be involved with.”

Ed’s work will be included in Spiralis’ show opening in July, “Things Fall Together.” The show will be on display at Out of the Fire Restaurant in Easton for 10 weeks.

For Ed, creating art is its own goal and reward. But he does have dreams that are connected to what he creates. He hopes to be able to start a non-profit organization for art therapy so that he can work with inpatients in mental health facilities. He hopes to create awareness about mental health issues and those who struggle. He hopes to give people hope. And he wants to create a vibrant arts community on and around Hoopers Island.

What we have been doing helps to make an art community. And I have always been such an outsider that I didn’t bother dealing with

any of that stuff—I just made art and it was no big deal. I realize I undervalued some of what I do. Seeing my artwork in people’s living rooms, the support we get from the community here, it’s awesome.”

To view more of Ed’s artwork, visit spiralisgallery.com or edkrell. art .

Michael Valliant is the Assistant for Adult Education and Newcomers Ministry at Christ Church Easton. He has worked for non-profit organizations throughout Talbot County, including the Oxford Community Center, Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum and Academy Art Museum.

Easton Map and History

The County Seat of Talbot County. Established around early religious settlements and a court of law, Historic Downtown Easton is today a centerpiece of fine specialty shops, business and cultural activities, unique restaurants, and architectural fascination. Treelined streets are graced with various period structures and remarkable homes, carefully preserved or restored. Because of its historical significance, historic Easton has earned distinction as the “Colonial Capitol of the Eastern Shore” and was honored as number eight in the book

“The 100 Best Small Towns in America.” With a population of over 16,500, Easton offers the best of many worlds including access to large metropolitan areas like Baltimore, Annapolis, Washington, and Wilmington. For a walking tour and more history visit https:// tidewatertimes.com/travel-tourism/easton-maryland/.

Elevated Escapes with the Durham-Hythe Experience

by Tracey F. Johns

Imagine you and your guests feeling like royalty while staying at your own private resort—without all the scrutiny, paparazzi and fuss, of course. We’re talking about experiencing a place where someone else does all the work and maintenance to impeccable standards while you enjoy all the glory. You feel as if you have your own staff and that this property and its exquisite spaces are yours and yours alone. These are the elevated escapes

guests are raving about, and exactly what Durham-Hythe Experience owners Matt Bruce and Gerry Coates envisioned with their five vacation destinations—four waterfront estates along the Chesapeake Bay and one in the heart of Washington, D.C.

Properties include the 1691 Blake House on the Corsica River in Centreville, Md.; the 1942 DurhamHythe Estate at the convergence of Broad Creek, Balls Creek and

Blake House

Elevated Escapes

Beach Club on Piney Point Creek and the Potomac River in Piney Point, Md.; and the Blagden House in the heart of the historic Shaw neighborhood in Washington, D.C. The Beach Club is the newest property added to the vacation offerings, with each reserved via Airbnb and VRBO.

the Choptank River in Neavitt, Md.; Thorneton Point Estate on Edge Creek in Royal Oak, Md.; the

“We talk with our guests prior to their stay to learn how to engage all their senses when they arrive and to deliver a highly personalized experience,” says Coates. “Everything from the music playing as you arrive, to the scents of fresh pastries and flowers and services, are all tailored to your tastes and unique preferences. We want you to feel like these homes are your

Gerry Coates and Matt Bruce

homes, enveloping your senses, snuggling your soul, for as long as you can stay.”

Upon arrival at your unforgettable weekend, weekday or weeklong or more stay, you’ll always be greeted by pristine surroundings and services to have you feeling as if you are in your own waterfront estate or city getaway, with all the warmth and coziness of feeling like you’re in your own personalized, comfortable spaces.

Each property is packed with amenities and unique features, like a rooftop terrace and immersive art gallery at Blagden House, your own private peninsula at Thorneton Point, a formal garden and private Inn at Blake House, a four-acre lawn at Durham-Hythe Estate or your own private beach

with a gazebo and outdoor pool table at Beach Club.

Properties include expansive lawns, pool houses and pools, deep-water docks, saunas, gyms, clubhouses, access to watersports and even your very own massage facilities. Beautiful spaces abound for outdoor gatherings or to take in while bicycling quiet tree-lined lanes.

To get out on the water, you can charter a 35-foot 1959 Goudy & Stevens yacht for group excursions or a day of fishing. Each waterfront property has a collection of kayaks and SUP boards for guests wanting a more personal on-thewater experience.

“We’ve had guests who’ve seen a pod of porpoise swimming by or watched a great blue heron tak-

Elevated Escapes Thorneton Point Estate

Elevated Escapes

ing off or witnessed a bald eagle or osprey soaring overhead,” says Bruce.

For a water-to-table experience, guests can also try their hand at catching crabs by throwing a line or pot off the dock, depending on the season. It’s the perfect accoutrement to an authentic, memorable experience along the Chesapeake Bay.

Your property will be the perfect place for yard games or a day of relaxing or entertaining poolside, brackish breezes drifting across the water and landscaping, carrying the aromas of preparations for dinner being made in the kitchen by your own personal chef.

Coates and his husband, Matt

Bruce, are the curators of Durham-Hythe’s idyllic, elevated experiences, with their inspiration coming from where they first met while vacationing in Mykonos, Greece, a decade ago.

Coates was born in Washington D.C., and raised in Capitol Heights, Md. He graduated from Towson University in international business and is the proprietor of Coates Living, a D.C.-based design-build firm delivering affordable luxury, unique style and simple design.

Bruce is from London, England, and earned a doctoral degree in clinical psychology, a master’s in psychoanalysis and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from University College London. He is a George Washington University

professor of forensic psychology and serves as an expert witness during court proceedings who specializes in risk evaluation of individuals involved in the criminal justice system.

“We were staying at the same resort, and a whirlwind romance ensued,” says Bruce in a luscious British accent and soft baritone voice. “We spent the next few years fulfilling our shared passion for travel, visiting holiday rentals around the world and identifying the key elements that make a house much more than an overnight accommodation.”

Coates and Bruce married in 2015 and soon began leveraging their professional backgrounds

in construction, interior design and clinical psychology to curate the luxury vacation experiences known for consistently surpassing guest expectations and delivering unforgettable memories.

I’m lucky enough to have known Gerry since we attended Suitland High School together 40 years ago. Now, we keep up on Facebook, and over the years I’ve seen the unveiling of each beautiful property now renovated and offered as short-term rentals. It’s easy to see the unforgettable memories each property holds through the posted videos and photos from Gerry and Matt’s own gatherings with family and friends.

Each property’s high attention

Elevated Escapes

to joyful moments. Where do you find your own joy?

MB: I like any creative pursuit. From baking a cake to remodeling a home, the joy is in the end result. To me, creating experiences for people brings intense joy. The work behind everything we do at Durham-Hythe Experience takes a great deal of time, but it is so rewarding. I tend to the nuts and bolts of the process, while Gerry keeps an eye on the vision. The result is feeling like we’re giving a personal gift to each of our guests.

to detail also reminds me of the same dedication I came to know Gerry for while we were enrolled in the Talented and Gifted program in high school. Even then, he carried himself dressed in a suit, prepared for high-quality, mindful, beautiful living, all the while leading with kindness—traits he and Matt continue to lead with throughout their lives and professions.

I recently sat down with Gerry and Matt to learn more about the motivation behind launching their Durham-Hythe Experience business and the elements that make an elevated experience while staying in one of their properties.

TJ: Your properties really provide and connect people

GC: I find joy in the visual details, especially when receiving feedback from our guests. Seeing a smile on the person’s face means we have served well. I love serving as a concierge and interacting with guests before, during and after their stay, making sure everything is just right. We take the time to build a relationship with each guest and treat them as extended family. We have built an emotional connection to all our properties, so our services become emotional, joyful experiences. It’s a concept and purposeful vision for us that has come to life.

TJ: What can people expect while staying at one of your properties?

MB: I like to think of each property as a theatrical production, setting the stage for our guests. They come with the expectation of renting a home but arrive to an

immersive experience with many acts and scenes to keep them entertained.

GC: People can always expect attention to detail. Particularly with respect to cleanliness. We take the time to understand the little things, like your favorite colors, what you’re celebrating, and what music or instruments you like. And when you arrive – the music you like is already playing, fresh flowers are reflecting your favorite color. A card wishing a happy birthday is already on the table. A dog treat or bandana. A graduation card and gift with your college mascot. And that’s just as you get in the door.

Also, our grounds must be im -

maculate for these elevated experiences. This is your house while you’re here, and it will feel as if it’s your own. Gardens are in bloom and properly manicured. Each property has a unique scent— aimed to engage all the senses. Sometimes we’ll have a cake or pastries waiting, or it may be champagne, and charcuterie platters for larger groups, with a personal chef arriving later to prepare a four-course meal.

TJ: Why is offering full concierge service at your rentals important to you?

MB: It all goes back to service. It’s how we live, so our guests are an extension of us. We recognize our guests could stay anywhere,

Elevated Escapes

so we offer amenities that include a chartered yacht, personal chef and elevated welcome packages. We want to start our relationship with our guests by elevating the experience and making another place hard to even consider. We want our guests to feel like there’s no reason to go anywhere else. We want to think of everything so our guests don’t have to.

GC: We make arrangements for your experience to be exceptional, including once sending a groundskeeper to cut a bush to increase the water view from a property at the request of a guest. A guest

once asked for a zip-lock bag, so we drove two hours from D.C. to bring them one.

Each of our waterfront homes features a dining table long enough to accommodate 12 to 22 guests and is situated so that the main body of water serves as a backdrop. We also explain to every chef that catering to our guests must be an elevated experience. Food presentation and tastiness are equal partners!

We want to spoil people. Whatever the wish is our command.

To learn more about DurhamHythe Experience’s elevated escapes, visit durham-hythe.com , email vacation@durham-hythe. com or call 240-432-1919.

Tracey Johns has worked in communications, marketing and business management for more than 30 years, including non-profit leadership. Tracey’s work is focused on public and constituent relations, along with communication strategies, positioning and brand development and project management.

SUMMER FUN

Have a summertime adventure in Caroline County, MD! Explore our state parks and preserves, shop and dine in our charming small towns, and check out our fun-filled events, including the Lavender Festival at Smokey Cat Farm on June 10th! Be open for summer fun! Go to VisitCaroline.org.

Photo: Smokey Cat Lavender Farm

Caroline County – A Perspective

Caroline County is the very definition of a rural community. For more than 300 years, the county’s economy has been based on “market” agriculture.

Caroline County was created in 1773 from Dorchester and Queen Anne’s counties. The county was named for Lady Caroline Eden, the wife of Maryland’s last colonial governor, Robert Eden (1741-1784).

Denton, the county seat, was situated on a point between two ferry boat landings. Much of the business district in Denton was wiped out by the fire of 1863.

Following the Civil War, Denton’s location about fifty miles up the Choptank River from the Chesapeake Bay enabled it to become an important shipping point for agricultural products. Denton became a regular port-ofcall for Baltimore-based steamer lines in the latter half of the 19th century.

Preston was the site of three Underground Railroad stations during the 1840s and 1850s. One of those stations was operated by Harriet Tubman’s parents, Benjamin and Harriet Ross. When Tubman’s parents were exposed by a traitor, she smuggled them to safety in Wilmington, Delaware.

Linchester Mill, just east of Preston, can be traced back to 1681, and possibly as early as 1670. The mill is the last of 26 water-powered mills to operate in Caroline County and is currently being restored. The long-term goals include rebuilding the millpond, rehabilitating the mill equipment, restoring the miller’s dwelling, and opening the historic mill on a scheduled basis.

Federalsburg is located on Marshyhope Creek in the southern-most part of Caroline County. Agriculture is still a major portion of the industry in the area; however, Federalsburg is rapidly being discovered and there is a noticeable influx of people, expansion and development. Ridgely has found a niche as the “Strawberry Capital of the World.” The present streetscape, lined with stately Victorian homes, reflects the transient prosperity during the countywide canning boom (1895-1919). Hanover Foods, formerly an enterprise of Saulsbury Bros. Inc., for more than 100 years, is the last of more than 250 food processors that once operated in the Caroline County region.

Points of interest in Caroline County include the Museum of Rural Life in Denton, Adkins Arboretum near Ridgely, and the Mason-Dixon Crown Stone in Marydel. To contact the Caroline County Office of Tourism, call 410-479-0655 or visit their website at www.tourcaroline.com .

Dorchester Map and History

Dorchester County is known as the Heart of the Chesapeake. It is rich in Chesapeake Bay history, folklore and tradition. With 1,700 miles of shoreline (more than any other Maryland county), marshlands, working boats, quaint waterfront towns and villages among fertile farm fields – much still exists of what is the authentic Eastern Shore landscape and traditional way of life along the Chesapeake.

For more information about Dorchester County visit https://tidewatertimes.com/travel-tourism/dorchester/.

TIDEWATER GARDENING

by K. Marc Teffeau, Ph.D.

Moving to Summer Gardening Activities

June in the vegetable garden means transitioning from cool season crops like lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, peas and potatoes to warm season vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, summer and winter squash and green beans. We also observe the official astronomical beginning of summer with the solstice on June 21. In the Northern Hemisphere, the summer solstice is the day with the longest

period of daylight and the shortest night of the year, when the sun is at its highest position in the sky. After June 21, plants start to receive a little less light each day.

The early peas you planted in the garden should be ready for harvest along with greens like lettuce and spinach. You can replant cool season crops like snap and sugar peas starting in September for a nice fall garden. In fact, fall cole

crops such as cauliflower, broccoli and leafy greens like lettuce and kale always do better in fall in our area because they grow best in cooler temperatures.

and replant with zucchini, yellow necked squash or green beans. I always have a problem with squash vine borer in zucchini, even though I spray with an organic control like Bt or Dipel. To compensate for some borer damage, I make additional squash plantings about three weeks apart through mid-August. This year I am covering some of my raised beds with a transparent fabric, at least until the zucchini start to flower, to see if I can reduce the borer infestation.

If you have cole crops like broccoli in the spring garden, pull out the plants when they start to bolt

Harvesting summer squash at the right size is very important for the best flavor. We are all familiar with baseball bat-sized zucchinis, but they are not tasty. Zucchinis are best cut at 6 to 8 inches in

length. A zucchini that I really like is Renee’s Garden’s (reneesgarden. com) Container Zucchini Astia, a French bush variety developed especially for container growing and planting in small gardens. If you want to grow yellow squash on a trellis, try Burpee’s Rise and Shine Hybrid summer squash. You have to order seeds for these on the Burpee’s website. I have not found them in the store seed displays.

If you are growing yellow crookneck or straight neck squash, they taste best when 4 to 7 inches long. Pick when pale yellow (rather than golden) and before the skin hardens. Scalloped (pattypan) squash is best when grayish or greenish white (before it turns ivory) and still small, even silver dollar size.

Stop cutting asparagus in midor late June when the spears become thin. After the last cutting is made, fertilize by broadcasting a 10-10-10 formula at the rate of 2 lbs. per 100 sq. ft. Allow the tops to grow during summer to store food in the crowns (roots) for next spring’s crop.

Tidewater Gardening

ture. For sweetness, pick peas and corn either very early in the morning or in the evening. That’s when they contain the most sugar, especially if the day is cool and sunny. Other vegetables, such as lettuce and cucumbers, are crisper and tastier if you harvest them early in the morning, before the day’s heat has a chance to wilt and shrivel them.

A final vegetable gardening hint: for very efficient, steady feeding of vegetables, sink a large can or bucket with many holes in its sides into the soil and fill it about twothirds full of rotted manure or compost. Rain or occasional watering will keep a rich supply of nutrients seeping out to feed plants in a circle several feet wide.

now contains between 200 and 1,000 eggs ready to hatch when the temperatures are correct. Bagworms are best controlled as soon as they hatch, as the older and bigger they get, the harder they are to control with insecticides. The best “organic” control method for this pest is to hand pick and destroy the bags before June 1. Treat the bags you can’t reach with an insecticide. Early in the hatch, spraying the plant with Bt or Bacillus thuringiensis is the best control. Sold under the trade names of Dipel, Bt or Biotrol, this naturally occurring bacterium is effective for caterpillars in the early stages of growth.

June is the time to divide springand early summer-flowering perennials after the blooms fade. Instead of severing the clump in half, try jiggling the roots apart with two sharp spading forks. This takes more time but damages fewer roots than cutting the clump apart. Remove the yellowing and drying foliage from spring bulbs. Most spring-flowering bulbs can be left in the ground for the next season. Tulips, however, seem to benefit

In the insect world, bagworms are hatching to eat up your cedars and Leyland cypress. This insect scourge of cedar trees and other narrow-leafed evergreens hatches out around the first two weeks of June. If it contained a female bagworm, each little “Christmas ornament”’ hanging on your cedar tree

PE #32293 · MHBR #5448 · MHIC #94387 · EPA NAT #122843-1 · MD ESCC #42952

Tidewater Gardening

from being lifted from the soil and stored in a cool, dry location during summer. Your spring bulb plantings will also benefit from a light top dressing of bone meal or 5-10-5 fertilizer after flowering. Set out bedding plants to cover the bare spots, taking care not to disturb or damage the spring bulbs planted below.

Prune out the spent flowers of the spring-flowering perennials to maintain vigorous plant and flower production for next spring. This practice is also important for the annuals that you planted in the landscape to keep them flowering continuously. Disbud chrysanthemum flowers to secure large, beautiful blooms on straight, strong stems. To disbud, remove the small side buds that form in the angles of the leaves along the stems. This allows all food reserves to be used for one large flower rather than many smaller ones. Pruning out the spent flowers on your roses is also a good idea. Many rose cultivars have already reached their peak bloom. To ensure that they continue to bloom all summer, keep to a regular spray schedule to control blackspot and insects.

The best ways to control blackspot without chemicals are to remove last year’s infected leaves and to avoid watering the foliage when irrigating the plant. Roses

should be ready for a light application of 5-10-5 or a similar 1-2-1 ratio fertilizer now that their first blooming period is coming to an end. You can also apply a liquid fertilizer when watering to keep the plants healthy and blooming.

In late spring and summer, many ornamental woody plants have completed their spring growth and need to be shaped, headed back or thinned to control their size.

FULL SERVICE TREE COMPANY

Needle evergreens like arborvitae, junipers and yews can be pruned as soon as their growth is complete. You can cut back the new growth, allowing only a few inches to remain. This pruning will slow the plant’s growth rate and make the foliage thicker. Unless you are growing a formal hedge, don’t shear the plants into balls, triangles or squares. Not only does this result in weird, unnatural-looking plants in the landscape, it causes the tips of the cut needles to turn down and present a sickly appearance. Every time I see sheared, oddly shaped evergreens in home landscapes, I think that a bunch of

elves or gnomes live in the house. You can avoid this problem with proper landscape design and plant selection and by knowing the size a plant will reach at maturity.

If you transplanted trees, shrubs or perennials into your landscape this spring, make sure to provide adequate water so they can become established before the hot and dry months of July and August. These plants should receive a thorough soaking each week. Soak the ground; do not sprinkle it lightly. It is also helpful to make a shallow depression around plants to collect water.

Watering correctly is especially important for the container-grown plants you establish in your land-

scape. Because they have been grown in a peat/bark media in the nursery container, their root mass dries out more quickly than the heavier surrounding landscape soil. Mulch to conserve moisture, making sure that the mulch covers the top of the root ball but is not up against the plant stem. Mulching will slow evaporation of water from the root ball to the surrounding air.

You can set many houseplants outside now for the summer. Make sure that you match the plants’ light requirements and keep them out of full-sun locations until they are fully acclimated to outdoor conditions. Make sure that you check the houseplants regularly for insect problems like aphids, whitefly and scales and for spider mite feeding. If spider mites are a problem, consider spraying with a labeled horticultural oil or soap and pyrethrum mix. When putting your houseplants outside, you might try combining them with flowering annuals in container plantings.

This year, June 19–25 is National Pollinator Week, an annual celebration in support of pollinator health that was initiated and is managed by Pollinator Partnership (pollinator.org/pollinator-week). The focus of Pollinator Week is to “raise awareness for pollinators and spread the word about what we can do to protect them,” according to the Pollinator Partnership. Fourteen years ago, “the U.S. Senate’s unanimous approval and designation of a week in June as ‘National Pollinator Week’ marked a necessary step toward addressing the urgent issue of declining pollinator populations.”

The Pollinator Partnership goes on to note that “This Pollinator Week we will be emphasizing the connections between climate and pollinators. Pollinators are dying because their food and homes are disappearing, diseases have in-

creased, and rising temperatures and natural disasters are affecting their ability to survive—all of which are related to climate change. At the same time, the conservation

of pollinators and their habitats can help combat climate change by supporting healthy ecosystems, air, soil, water, and plants. Combined, these results make planet earth a safer place for us to live. These are big problems, and the efforts that are made around North America and globally during Pollinator Week can help provide real solutions for the pollinators we all love.”

Happy Gardening!!

Marc Teffeau retired as Director of Research and Regulatory Affairs at the American Nursery and Landscape Association in Washington, D.C. He now lives in Georgia with his wife, Linda.

St. Michaels Map and History

On the broad Miles River, with its picturesque tree-lined streets and beautiful harbor, St. Michaels has been a haven for boats plying the Chesapeake and its inlets since the earliest days. Here, some of the handsomest models of the Bay craft, such as canoes, bugeyes, pungys and some famous Baltimore Clippers, were designed and built. The Church, named “St. Michael’s,” was the first building erected (about 1677) and around it clustered the town that took its name.

For a walking tour and more history of the St. Michaels area visit https://tidewatertimes.com/travel-tourism/st-michaels-maryland/.

They Were an Independent Bunch

by A.M. Foley

Lower Dorchester County is known for the toughness of its old people. Many were partially descended from natives who had warily met the arriving English. Naturally, the two communities eventually mingled. Only the strong endured on the offshore islands and the hummocks pocking marshy lowlands. Some were more adaptable than others. One of their descendants was a marvel to me when I discovered he opposed applying for his Social Security. Though more than old enough and having earned it, he was averse to what he deemed a “guv’ment handout.”

He had a soulmate nearby. Social Security administrators once made remarkable efforts to pay every eligible senior. In the latter 1900s, the Cambridge office dispatched an agent to hunt a Whitelaw McCready, who wasn’t receiving his benefits. McCready was eventually found in Brookview, living below the Marshyhope Bridge on a warsurplus landing barge. He didn’t seem opposed in principal to receiving a monthly check. He just routinely threw away any mail that came from the government.

A Baltimore lady who visited McCready family relations with

Independent Bunch

her parents said, “Speaking from knowledge of my group, they were an independent bunch.” She described Whitelaw as a licensed marine engineer, farmer, fisherman and trapper. “He was the original free spirit…very typical of the people I knew.”

Cal McCready, another of the clan, had a bungalow at Henry’s Crossroads, between Vienna and Elliott Island. One preacher served the two communities at either end of the road. On his Sunday commute to Elliott, he’d stop at the crossroads to pick up a reluctant Captain McCready and an equally crusty neighbor, aptly named Fisher.

One Sunday the preacher found McCready up on his roof in work clothes. He called to him, “Cap’n, aren’t you going to church?” The captain called down, “Is it Sund’y? I been thinkin’ all day ’twas Sar’dy.”

Fisher grumbled, “He knew durnwell it’s Sund’y.”

Farther down Elliott Island Road, Nora Foxwell closed her

The CRAB CLAW RESTAURANT

general store long enough for Sunday services but otherwise served the community seven days a week. She opened before sunrise to pump watermen fuel for their workboats, stayed open all day, then sat up long after sunset with neighbors who gathered to swap “store talk.”

Nora said, “I tell people I’ll retire when I’m ninety.” Actually, she worked seven days a week until her death at ninety-five in 1997. In 1988, the University of Maryland Medical Center had sent a crew eastward to film independent rural elderly. The resulting film, “Miss Nora’s Store,” features self-reliant seniors around Dorchester County. It can be found on YouTube.

Nora had some ingenious neigh-

bors. Before most houses became encumbered with electricity, telephone lines and septic systems, they moved the modest structures around like checkers—sometimes by horsepower, sometimes by manpower.

One extended island family occupying separate houses wanted to combine the two into one. They winched them nearer and nearer until daylight failed, then quit saying, “It got dark too soon.” This became an island catchphrase, as the houses stayed for years where they were left that evening, joined by a ten-foot-long boardwalk. Eventually another neighbor, a boatbuilder, finished the job. The occasion drew such an audience that he said,

Oxford Map and History

Oxford is one of the oldest towns in Maryland. Although already settled for perhaps 20 years, Oxford marks the year 1683 as its official founding, for in that year Oxford was first named by the Maryland General Assembly as a seaport and was laid out as a town. In 1694, Oxford and a new town called Anne Arundel (now Annapolis) were selected the only ports of entry for the entire Maryland province. Until the American Revolution, Oxford enjoyed prominence as an international shipping center surrounded by wealthy tobacco plantations.

Today, Oxford is a charming tree-lined and waterbound village with a population of just over 700 and is still important in boat building and yachting. It has a protected harbor for watermen who harvest oysters, crabs, clams and fish, and for sailors from all over the Bay. For a walking tour and more history visit https://tidewatertimes. com/travel-tourism/oxford-maryland/.

Independent Bunch

“Next boat I build, I’m gonna put up a

Yet, from what I’m told, these Eastern Shore men and women of my acquaintance were softies compared to their parents. Captain Cal-

vert “Katz” Evans spoke of sailing under his father, Captain Raymond, on the buyboat Fannie Insley. Captain Raymond wasn’t mechanically inclined. He didn’t keep up with contemporaries who bought cars and converted their buyboats from sail to power. Katz advised him to at least install a donkey engine on Fannie’s deck to help hoist sail. His father ignored him until the handlabor made it impossible to compete for crew.

Captain Raymond no sooner installed a donkey engine than he ran afoul of it, becoming entangled. “Pop’s leg was cut off four inches below the knee,” Katz said. “He was waiting for a company to come down from the city and take mea-

surements to make him a leg. Uncle Albert knew Pop was rarin’ to be

back on board, so he made him a peg-leg. Man, he could move with that thing. He’d go up that deck a’flying.”

Katz lived not far from a large family with thirteen children. It fell to their oldest, a girl, to work at home, even helping her mother deliver a number of siblings. With no schooling, she worked for the shucking house. By sixteen, she had saved fare to Baltimore, where she found work cleaning doctors’ offices. She impressed them so that the doctors offered to send her to nursing school. She admitted, “I don’t know how to read or write.”

The doctors encouraged her to go to school at night and ultimately put her through nursing. She had

Independent Bunch

a long career, including nursing four members of one family lost to cancer. According to her daughter, “Mother was around seventy when that family left her enough money to live well for the rest of her life. She died at ninety-seven.”

Similarly, against all odds, Brady Dayton’s native wit carried him far. Brady was the youngest of four children orphaned in the 1890s, when both parents succumbed to tuberculosis. His three sisters were taken in by Elliott Island relatives. A childless couple took Brady in Bivalve, his mother’s ancestral home. Her brother, Will Jarrett, took Brady across the Nanticoke River.

As recorded in his diary, “We walked (I’m sure he carried me much of the way) from Elliotts north on the Vienna Road until we came to Langrall’s Island. Then through the marsh to the mouth of Cow Creek [which is] across the river from Bivalve. I remember at one place a large log had been placed across Cow Creek as a bridge. I am sure my uncle was afraid to walk the log with me in his arms, so he had me crawl ahead of him….He crawled behind me and kept his hand on me so he could grab me if I started to fall. I remember how scared I was.”

Of growing up with the waterman and his wife, Brady wrote, “We ate quite well. Plenty of oysters, fish, and crabs in summer, our own gar-

den. We raised hogs and killed them in October….In the winter, several men would buy a wild cow from the owner across the river in Dorchester marsh. They paid $25 for the cow. They would cross the river after it was cold enough for the marsh to freeze, find a herd of cattle, cut out a cow and capture her, all on foot. They would bring the animal across the river in a log canoe, kill her and divide the meat. I remember the beef was tough and stringy, but it was a relief from pork and dried beans and black-eyed peas.”

Like most teenage boys in his circumstance, Brady went to work on the water with his stepfather. It was told that Brady came in the Bivalve store from tonging one frigid day,

warmed his frost-bitten, gloveless hands at the stove, and declared: “I didn’t put the oysters in the river and I don’t intend to take any more of them out….

“The summer I was seventeen I read an article about the coal fields around Fairmount, West Virginia. I was impressed with the fact that

Independent Bunch

coal miners made as much as five dollars a day. Being strong and healthy and very ambitious, I decided that I would leave home in the Fall and head west.”

Seeing a mountain was a revelation to Brady. Black dust covered everything and everybody around coal country, including the furniture in his rented room and the boarding house landlady. Mononga Mines hired him as a mule-driver at $2 per day, hauling coal from hundreds of feet underground. One descent changed Brady’s course.

(“We had been poor people in Bivalve, but always clean.”) Brady returned to the water and joined the Navy. Shortly after he’d left Mononga, a horrific mine explosion killed 700 people.

In naval training at Portsmouth, Virginia, Brady studied hard and became an ace signalman, gaining a berth on a new armored cruiser, USS Montana . He cruised in the little-remembered U.S. involvement in Russia’s 1919 civil war. His diary records a lighthearted youth’s excursions amid warring White and Red Russians: “One meets Kurds, Tartars, Persians,

Oxford Business Association June 2023 Calendar

All Month - ‘From Colonial Past to Present, Oxford in Business’ Fri-Mon, 10 to 4. Oxford Museum, 101 S. Morris St. More info. at oxfordmuseummd.org .

6/1 or 6/21 - Bring Your Own Piece Furniture Painting Class - $65, includes 4 oz. jar of paint. 5:30-8:30 p.m. Limit of 3 participants. The Treasure Chest, 111 S. Morris St. For more info or sign up, go to www treasurechestoxford.com or call 410-924-8817.

6/3 - Big Als Gone Fishin’ Tournament - Doc’s Sunset Grill, lines in at 7 a.m., Benefits Oxford Volunteer Fire Dept.; Register at www.bigalsgonefishin.com

6/3 - Cars and Coffee - Come out and enjoy cars, coffee, and camaraderie. Sponsored by Prestige Auto Vault and Doc’s Sunset Grille. Oxford Community Center. Free; 8:30-10:30. www.oxfordcc. org ; 410-226-5409

6/3 - Strawberry Moon Ferry Cruise - to benefit OVFD Auxiliary, leaves ferry dock at 7:45 p.m. $60/pp

6/7 - Beginner Chalk Mineral Paint Class - $45, all materials provided. 5:30-8 p.m. Limit of 3 participants. The Treasure Chest, 111 S. Morris St. For more info. or sign up, go to www.treasurechestoxford.com or call 410-924-8817

6/10 - Oxford Museum Memories & Musings - Remembering When (Members Only), 5-7, St. Paul’s Church

6/11 - Pancake Breakfast – Oxford Volunteer Fire Department, 8-11 a.m.

6/12 - Sign Painting and Transfers Class - $36 - All materials provided. 5:30-7:30 p.m. The Treasure Chest, 111 S. Morris St. For more info or sign up, go to www.treasurechestoxford.com or call 410-924-8817

6/15 - A Native American Celebration of Native American History & Culture - Oxford Community Center, 5-7 p.m. Capt. William Dial and Chief Donna Wolf Mother Abbott. Presented by OCC and the Oxford Museum, with support from Talbot Arts and MD State Arts Council. RSVP at oxfordcc.org

6/16 - SILK All-in-One Chalk Paint Demo - 5:30-6:30 p.m., $10. Limit of 6 participants. The Treasure Chest, 111 S. Morris St. For more info or sign up, go to www.treasurechestoxford.com or call 410-924-8817

6/16 - Dinner and a Movie - My Big Fat Greek Wedding , preceded by dinner of Greek Salad, Moussaka & Baklava. 6 p.m., Oxford Community Center, $25. Reservations at www.oxfordcc.org or 410-226-5904.

6/17 - Rummage Sale - OVFD Auxiliary, 9-11 am. Donation drop-off on 6/16 , 8 a.m. – noon.

6/23 - Oxford Museum semi-annual meeting (Members Only) - Hanks award presentation.

6/28 - Revive Your Cabinets and Drawers Class - 5:30-7:30 p.m. $35 Limited to 4 participants The Treasure Chest, 111 S. Morris St. For more info or sign up, go to www.treasurechestoxford. com or call 410-924-8817

Check restaurant and shop websites or Facebook for current days/hours.

Independent Bunch

Kubans, Cossacks,

Bakarious and many many other races that the average American hardly knows exist.” His diary only hints at dangers encountered.

Back in the States, Brady grasped a new opportunity for enlisted men to attend officer training. To qualify for entry, the elementary schooleducated seaman swapped with college-graduated competitors: practical knowledge for their booklearning. Nights he hid in the head to further study math and science by flashlight. He attributed his ambition to his need for permission to marry his Bivalve childhood sweetheart, “a high school graduate.”

Etha Messick’s parents objected to an oysterman/sailor as a son-inlaw. Brady ultimately gained their favor, married, graduated from the Naval Academy and retired with twenty years of service as Commander Brady J. Dayton, USN. He dedicated his “retirement” to years of award-winning local, state and national public service.

Forty-some years ago, A.M. Foley swapped the Washington, D.C. business scene for a writing life on Elliott Island, Maryland. Tidewater Times kindly publishes Foley’s musings on regional history and life in general. Published works are described at www.HollandIslandBook.com .

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Reasons to Shop at your Local Farmer’s Market

From savoring produce at the peak of freshness to meeting the folks who grow your food, there are so many reasons to support your local farmers market. One of the reasons I like to shop at the market is that I then know where my food comes from. The fruits and vegetables are the freshest and tastiest available. Fruits are ripened in the

field and brought directly to you. The food is seasonal—fresh and delicious! This allows us to reconnect with the cycles of nature in our region. For instance, we can look forward to asparagus and strawberries in spring, sweet corn and tomatoes in summer and apples and pumpkins in fall.

Supporting family farmers gives

Tidewater Kitchen

them a better return for their produce and preserves our agriculture. We also nourish ourselves. Most food found at the farmers market is minimally processed (no hormones, antibiotics or genetic modification) and is picked the night before the market. All of this has a more positive effect on our health. You can find meats, cheeses and eggs from animals that have been raised without hormones and antibiotics. They aren’t living in the cramped conditions of feedlots and cages but are grazing on green grass and eating natural diets.

Few grocery clerks will give tips for cooking the food you buy,

but most farmers and artisans are passionate cooks that love to provide free advice on how to cook the foods they are selling. As a result, you will find some of the best recipes and tips in this article.

I would much rather stroll on a sunny day amid the vendors who have the most nutritious food around than roll a cart in the aisles

TALBOT

St. Michaels Farmers Market

Saturday: 8:30-11:30

206 S. Talbot St., St. Michaels

Easton’s Farmer’s Market

Saturday: 8-1

100 block N. Harrison St., Easton

DORCHESTER

Cambridge Main Street

Farmers’ Market

Thursday: 3-6 Long Wharf Park (near High and Water Streets), Cambridge

QUEEN ANNE’S

Centreville Farmers Market

Wednesday, 2 - 6, Sunday, 9-12

Centreville Plaza

Kent Island Farmers Market

Thursday: 3:30 - 7:30

830 Romancoke Rd., Stevensville

CAROLINE

Downtown Denton

Farmers Market

Saturday: 5-8

3rd and Market St., Denton

St. Luke’s Farmers Market

Tuesday: 8:30-1:30

100 S. Fifth Avenue, Denton KENT

Chestertown Farmers Market

Saturday: 8-noon

Fountain Park , Chestertown of an artificially lit grocery store. To me, shopping at the market is a pleasure! Pay them a visit! It’s a wonderful opportunity to spend time in the community while supporting local producers—meeting friends, making new ones or just

savoring a taste of the small-town life of Easton and the Shore!

At The Easton Farmer's Market you will find more than 20 vendors offering fresh fruits, organic vegetables, meats and seafood, eggs, sauces, cheeses, baked goods, flowers, plants, dog treats, rum, kombucha and handcrafted gift items. 410-822-0345.

Go see my friends Chef Mark & Pastry Chef Ailsa Salter, owners of the Robert Morris Inn, which is open year-round. At the Farmers Market, you’ll find them selling their famous Salters Chesapeake Gourmet Eastern Shore Pub Sauce. They also sell incredible soups and the most delicious baked goods. Trust me—you won’t want to miss

Tidewater Kitchen

them! You can also find them at the Salisbury Farmers Market at 1401 Camden Avenue. The Salisbury Markets runs year-round on Tuesdays from 2:30 to 6 p.m. (5:30 p.m. in winter).

Victoria Sandwich Cake

8 oz. sugar

8 oz. unsalted butter

4 eggs

8 oz. self-rising flour

1 tsp. baking powder

Filling

Raspberry or strawberry jam

3-1/2 oz. unsalted butter

5 oz. confectioners’ sugar

Splash of milk

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray two 8-inch cake tins and line with parchment.

Add cake ingredients to a mixing bowl and mix until thoroughly combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl to ensure all ingredients are incorporated. Divide batter between the two cake tins and level out.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until risen and golden brown. Place the sponges on a cooling rack for about 5 minutes, then turn out of tins and leave to cool completely.

Make the filling by beating the butter with a mixer and slowly adding the confectioners’ sugar and a splash of milk. Beat together until light and creamy.

Spread the jam on one of the

sponges, then spread the icing on top of the jam and place the other sponge on top. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar, and it’s ready to serve with a cup of tea.

In summer, substitute strawberries and whipped cream for the jam and butter icing. You will love it!

Pavlova

4 egg whites, room temperature

8 oz. sugar

1 tsp. white vinegar

1 rounded tsp. cornstarch

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Filling

Whipped cream

Strawberries, raspberries and blueberries

Preheat oven to 300°F. Whisk the egg whites in a mixing bowl.

Tidewater Kitchen

I use my KitchenAid at full speed until soft peaks form and then slowly add the sugar. Add vinegar, cornstarch and vanilla extract and whisk again. At this stage, the mixture should be thick and glossy. Have a tray ready with parchment paper. Mark out an 8-inch circle on the paper and spoon the meringue onto the paper. Make a well in the middle.

Pop into the oven for 1 hour, then turn off the heat and leave the Pavlova in the oven for 1 hour. Remove and place on a wire rack until cooled completely. Fill the Pavlova with the whipped cream and fresh berries, and enjoy. This is a perfect summer dessert.

2 to 4 Tbsp. water

Combine cookie ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix until dough comes together. Roll dough into a sausage shape and then roll in Demerara sugar. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and place in fridge for 30 minutes to set up.

Preheat oven to 325°F. Cut the dough in slices and place on a tray lined with parchment paper, leaving room between. Bake for 9 minutes, then rotate tray and bake for 3 more minutes. Remove tray from oven and allow cookies to cool.

Whisk together icing ingredients until a stiff mixture forms. Spoon or pipe icing onto cookies and top with a walnut. Allow to set, then enjoy.

Demerara Cookies

1/2 lb. unsalted butter

12 oz. all-purpose flour

3 oz. confectioners’ sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 c. Demerara sugar, for rolling

Icing

2 c. confectioners’ sugar

While you’re at the Easton market, go see my friends with yummy produce, Annie and the crew at Harris Farms, Inc. You’ll also find them at Waddell’s Corner Farm Market in Hurlock, open April through October at 6672 Cabin Creek Road, and their produce wagons at Easton Bowling Center, 101 Marlboro Avenue, and at 8289 Ocean Gateway in Easton, open June through September.

Mom Mom’s

(Sharon Harris)

Sweet Potato Biscuits

2 c. flour

1/2 c. shortening

1/2 c. sugar

Tidewater Kitchen

Tuckahoe Creek Produce: “fresh from the fields to you.” Go see my friend Barry with so many beautiful plants for the spring in addition to delicious greens. Depending on season, some of my favorites are red curly kale, lacinato (dinosaur) kale, arugula, onions and garlic, just to name a few.

3 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. mashed sweet potatoes

Preheat oven to 350°F. Sift dry ingredients and work in shortening. Mix in sweet potatoes. Knead into a soft dough and roll out to ½ inch thickness. Cut out biscuits and bake for 12–15 minutes, until golden brown.

Strawberry Jam (Mrs. Remsberg)

4 c. strawberries

5 c. sugar

1 Tbsp. vinegar

Mix all together and heat on medium-high heat until mixture boils. Boil for 15 minutes.

Set aside in a glass container. The next day, put in jars. Make one recipe at a time. Note: I put in jars while hot and seal.

Kalamata Aioli

1/2 cup pitted and drained kalamata olives

2 c. mayonnaise

3 Tbsp. roasted garlic puree

2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

Puree kalamata olives in food processor. Scrape down sides and puree again. Transfer to clean mixing bowl, add remaining ingredients and blend together.

Kale & Spinach Salad

1 avocado, halved

2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon

Tidewater Kitchen

1 15-oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/4 c. roasted pumpkin seeds

1 package feta cheese, crumbled

juice, divided

1/2 tsp. Himalayan salt

1/2 bunch red curly kale, stems removed and discarded, leaves coarsely chopped

½ bunch spinach, cut chiffonade

Scoop the flesh of one avocado half into a bowl. Add 1 Tbsp. lemon juice and 1/4 tsp. salt, and mash everything together. Add the kale and spinach and massage by hand with the avocado mash until the greens are well blended. Place the mixture on a serving plate.

Remove the flesh of the remaining avocado half from its skin and chop into bite-size chunks. Place in the bowl that contained the kale, then add the chickpeas and feta.

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In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, remaining 1 Tbsp. of lemon juice, remaining 1/4 tsp. salt and pepper. Drizzle over the chickpeas, feta and avocado, then toss to combine. Pile on top of the kale-avocado mash, and top with the roasted pumpkin seeds or any favorite seed.

A longtime resident of Oxford, Pamela Meredith, formerly Denver’s NBC Channel 9 Children’s Chef, has taught both adult and children’s cooking classes. She currently resides in Easton.

Terra String Quartet Returns to Chesapeake Chamber Music Festival

by Anna Snow

On June 15, 16 and 17, Chesapeake Chamber Music Festival audiences will discover the awardwinning Terra String Quartet performing Beethoven’s F-major Quartet, with its second movement inspired by Romeo and Juliet’s tomb scene. They will delight in the “symphonic” sound of César Franck’s Piano Quintet in F minor, a work that expresses Franck’s un -

fulfilled love for his young composition student, Augusta Holmès. And, on closing night, they will experience Britten’s second String Quartet, a work considered one of the most important string quartets of the 20th century.

The Terra String Quartet is a vibrant young international ensemble based in New York City. Chamber music audiences will re -

Pictured left to right are members of the Terra String Quartet: Harriet Langley, violin; Amelia Dietrich, violin; Ramón Carrero-Martínez, viola; and Audrey Chen, cello. (Photo by Ishan Thakore)

Chamber Music programs to tell a unique tale about the people, places and ideas behind great works of the past and masterpieces of the present.

member them as one of the fi nalists of the 2022 Chesapeake International Chamber Music Competition at the Ebenezer Theater in Easton, Md. They went on to win the Gold Medal and the Grand Prize of the 2022 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition at the University of Notre Dame.

The group comprises graduates of The Juilliard School’s prestigious Honors Chamber Music Program, The New England Conservatory, Harvard University and the Manhattan School of Music. Their name is a nod to their multicultural origins—together, this foursome represents five continents and speaks six languages.

Praised for their “remarkable maturity and musicality” and “superb ensemble playing” (Hyde Park Herald, Chicago), these four musicians are committed, through their unique individuality as artists, to infusing the string quartet repertoire with equal parts passion, vitality and humor. They craft

Commenting on their performances at the Festival, the Quartet stated, “We are excited to share works by Beethoven, Britten and Franck with everyone! Beethoven’s quartet is a joy to explore. The Britten quartet looks back in time both far, with elements borrowed from Baroque and Neoclassical structures, and near, having been written in the shadow of World War II. It is a privilege to explore the unique language of each composer paying tribute to their artistic forefathers and making sense of their surroundings.”

TSQ has performed at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and at Alice Tully Hall as part of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts’ “Wednesdays at One” series. They also participated in the Four Seasons Chamber Music Festival’s Winter Workshop in North Carolina, where they performed with renowned pianist Robert Mc-

Chamber Music

Donald, also featured during the Festival July 9–11. Their mentors and coaches include Ara Gregorian and Hye-Jin Kim, also featured in the Festival, as well as Catherine Cho, the Festival co-Artistic Director.

TSQ is a member of Le Dimore del Quartetto in Italy, a creative cultural enterprise that supports international young chamber music ensembles at the beginning of their career, and is the first quartet to have been chosen to participate in the Four Seasons Chamber Music Festival’s Professional Fellowship Program at East Carolina University. They will compete in the Melbourne International Chamber

Music Competition in July and will perform at the Emilia Romagna Festival (Italy) in August.

When these accomplished musicians are not making music, they engage in hobbies as varied as power walking and tea appreciation (Harriet Langley, violin), cooking and interior design (Amelia Dietrich, violin), chess and salsa dancing (Ramón Carrero-Martínez, viola) and drawing and making greeting cards (Audrey Chen, cello). They will touch your heart, as many discovered at their Competition performance.

Details on the 2023 Chesapeake Chamber Music Festival can be found at chesapeakemusic.org.

CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL 2023

Ebenezer Theater, Easton, Maryland

JUNE 9–17

CULTURAL CROSSINGS

This six-concert series features internationallyrenowned musicians performing works from Haydn and Mozart to Brahms, Dvořák, Britten and Wiancko. For further details, and to purchase tickets, please visit ChesapeakeMusic.org

Holland’s Island

by Louis C. Wainwright

Transcribed, edited and with notes by James Dawson from an old manuscript he found

One of the charming spots which I was permitted to visit was Holland’s Island and among the healthy, honest, and gracious plain people whom I have met, few surpassed those who dwelt on that little gem of the Chesapeake. The days which I spent there stand cardinal in memory, and the hospitality that the people extended me cannot be easily forgotten.

To gild refined gold, as it were, I may say that the surprise of finding such a winsome place among the islands of old Chesapeake Bay, whose resources, attraction, and people I thought I fairly knew, lend the island the added charm which youth finds in adventure.

The island, which is not large, lay just south of Bloodsworth Island at whose people the watermen laughingly fling a jest.

None ever jested about Holland’s Island.

Toward the middle of the rare little island the bay encroached on one shore and the sound on the other, so that it seemed to have a wasplike, slender waist, such as the girls of the 1880s sought to obtain by tight lacing.

With few exceptions the men “followed the water” and the popu-

lation was industrious, intelligent, and thrifty, with the added grace of hospitality. They chose the island as a dwelling place from no necessity, but because of its kindly climate and its convenient situation for their occupation.

They built attractive, commodious houses, tilled its parcels of easily cultivated land, built a comely church and a suitable school house.

There were a few large trees here and there, and the notable fig trees rattled against the buildings.

Having no wells, they caught rain water in large cisterns, and their ample tables were notable, indeed.

Holland's Island

Not easily may I forget Captain Jesse Parks and the supper at his house. A finely appearing man and middle aged, he conversed easily and entertained with generality and native dignity.

Among many entrees roasted wild ducks and homegrown sweet potatoes constituted the keel dishes, or main service.

Cap’n Jesse carved ducks as a veteran, having inserted the fork firmly into the duck’s breast, he lifted it slightly above the dish, and with a really sharp carving knife he severed the various parts from the duck’s body and dropped them in place on the dish, severing a part at every sweep of the knife. Butlers and chefs might have learned of him.

It is worthy of mention that I saw no jail in the place, heard of no criminals and learned of no drinking houses.

I saw a few folk that were poor, one or two who were not swift of intellect, but speaking generally, the people were prosperous, genial, and happy. They had a resident minister, merchant, and school teacher. Church services were well attended and the pastoral work well done. In the Bahamas I once visited an island, small and with a somewhat similar quality of inhabitants.

Sometime about 1880-’84, as I have been told, the first horse, or rather pony, was disembarked on

Holland’s Island, and proved a novelty to both horse and people. The Rev. J.A.B. Wilson, who was at the time Presiding Elder of that district, and father of Clarence True Wilson, the noted temperance worker, is said to have been instrumental in introducing the pony, having procured it for Cap’n “Bill Arter” Parks, as Captain William Arthur Parks was generally called.

As the story was told, the pony was not in favor of sea voyages and stoutly resisted transportation. Having arrived, he proved equally opposed to any disembarkation. It required much ingenuity to effect his change of residence.

Furthermore the pony, upon landing, refused to budge in a strange land. They said that he “balked.” Someone suggested to persuade him by kindling a fire under him, which was done by lighting a small bundle of fodder.

The pony side-stepped the fire, lay down, and began to nibble the other end of the bundle.

The author of the tale may have added zest to the narrative by certain improvisations; I but tell the tale as ’twas told to me.

Cap’n Bill Arter Parks, whom I mentioned, was one of the luminaries of the island, and were a chief to have been elected, I think the choice would have fallen on him, unless a successful rival might have loomed in Mr. Diggs, a merchant, a fine, cultured man from Baltimore, who for

Holland's Island

reasons of health had resorted to the island, and who for employment as much as for income had set up a store and drove a very good trade.

Cap’n Bill Arter was a large, strong man, upright, industrious and thrifty. As far as I was able to observe, my judgement was that he owned a large part of the island and kept it in good order, but his chief business was with oysters, both as a dredger and as a dealer.

He had the trimmest, prettiest canoe in those parts which he used as a run-a-bout, so to speak.

Neither the islands nor the shores of the mainland had such a pretty canoe drawn up on their

sands. Perhaps it was twenty feet long, and was trimmed and paneled with walnut.

When he went ashore he did not need to lower sail, but folding the sail about the mast he lifted mast and sail together from the canoe which he then dragged up on the sand. Such was his mode of landing.

There were a few large trees upon the island as I have said, and quite a number of large fig trees which were fruitful, and were able to endure the winters on the island. On the mainland over against Deals Island there were fig bushes, but no trees as large as those on Holland Island.

In St. Mary’s County, about opposite to Holland’s Island, there are

large fig trees. These added an almost semi-tropic touch to the region.

There was also, at one of the homes, a pomegranate bush in bloom - the only one I had seen in bloom, but whether this fine fruit would flourish there I do not know.

I doubt that pomegranate could endure the island winters if left out and exposed. I think some other southern plants or fruits might have flourished; but the oyster markets were the interest of all who lived on the island.

On the sound-side of the island the water was not so deep, and there were quite extensive feeding grounds for ducks, geese and even swans, which assembled in such numbers that the people called their

crowds floating on the water “rafts.” Perch also abounded and crabs were at their best. There was a drain ditch across Cap’n Parks’s land, a tide ditch up which the great blue claws oared their way from the bay in stem-winder fashion, and almost in single file.

Did one desire soft crabs or deviled crabs, all that was needful was to use a dip net.

I mention these things for a very special reason. Perhaps it was in 1884 or 1885 that I visited the attractive place.

I am now told (1941) that the island is slowly sinking and all that may there be found is a government station for observation, yet in the ’80s the little island was a pearl of

Holland's Island

the Chesapeake. Geology mentions the subsistence of islands, peninsulas and even continents.

Reading of them does not bring the fact near. Also there are on our coasts places known as “old orchards,” shallow depths where once fruit trees flourished; that was in generations past. But to have an island, where boyhood had bounded with the joy of adventure, slowly settle away before your very eyes, is quite an experience.

The little island was a charming spot and crammed with things pleasant for food, crammed with edibles luxurious. Think of it! Wild duck, perch, rock, trout, wild geese, clams, oysters, figs, berries, sweet and white potatoes, crabs, melons, cantaloupes – all for the trouble of merely going for them – no “cash,” but only “carry.”

In New York I was once ill. The hotel doctor told me that I had come up from some small town to an overstocked city, and the extravagant menus of the hotel had enticed me

beyond prudence. I told him he was little aware of the products of our land. We lived on luxuries because they were indigenous to the region, and we were too poor to seek other markets for commonplace, coarse foods; we had soft crabs, fowls, terrapin; we did not have sauerkraut and Boston beans; that they had nothing on their hotel tables that were not common place with us except brook trout, and these I caught abundantly, in Pike’s County, every summer.

In fact we were too poor to indulge in sauerkraut and Boston’s cultural beans, which had to be bought, so that we settled down to shad, oysters, fowls and crabs or lobster because they grew on the place – nor was it much of a hyperbole, at that.

And splashing oars, bulging sails, and moonlight on the waves, with their gold of phosphoresce rippling toward the shore!

I could say much and at length, but shall content me with mention of the Sunday service and the speaker, for it was worthy of note.

The day was superb, the attendance on divine service was large;

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in large proportion the people were sincere Christians, and some were convincingly Godly…

Holland's Island home was among the fairest on Deals Island, and his income was that of one very “well-to-do.” He carried cargoes to Baltimore and brought back shipments for the merchants and many others, and never confused his articles nor made mistakes in purchase or delivery, and yet he could neither read nor write. His native talents were of a high business order, the opportunity to attend school was lacking in his childhood, and in later years he had not had time.

He is a fortunate parson who starts life with excellent natural gifts. One of the thriftiest and most influential people on the Island was a bay captain. His family were schooled and among the finest, his

Old Joshua Thomas was not “larned,” save in experience and the Scripture, in Christian things and things of the Spirit; but in his day he was a power in the land.

The man who spoke on Holland’s

Island that Sunday was a smaller edition of the old parson “Joshwy.” His outward or material possessions were few: within he had treasures of gold. To see and hear him was a worthwhile experience.

When he arose in the pulpit I saw a plain sober-minded man, simply attired. About him appeared nothing flippant or dandiacal, nothing dapper or egotistic; he was, indeed, if measured by worldly standards, somewhat Pauline – his presence was mean and his speech contemptible from the standpoint of grammar, but they were, for all, “weighty and powerful.”

His native gifts were superior and

to them were added spiritual graces. Plainly but not shabbily clad, plain but august in appearance, humble but noble in bearing, he stood up to take charge of the service.

He could not read, but holding the open hymn book he said, “Let us praise God by singing the hymn,

“O for a thousand tongues to sing

“My great Redeemer’s praise, “The glories of my God and King, “The triumphs of his grace…”

The old preacher needed no introduction; the people knew him and he knew them.

He arose, and calmly surveying his audience he announced the purport of his discourse.

Having done that he repeated several verses of the Scripture that contained his text, in order that the full content might be presented and its right bearing apprehended. Then he gravely paused that the Scripture should stand alone and without alloy of human words or opinions, but should sink into the ears of his listeners, pure and unmixed. The old man’s material gifts for elocution and homiletics would have imparted somewhat the professional rhetoricians.

His text and discourse pertained to the Christian’s great campaign in a holy war, and how he should deport himself “as a good soldier of Jesus Christ,” following Him as the great Captain of Salvation…

Holland's Island

“This grand land of ours, land of homes an’ a free people, a land that is so near like what Moses said of the Promised Land, all a-flowin’ with milk an’ honey, a land of water brooks, an’ full of treasure hid in the hills – was yo’ ever a soljah tryin’ to keep this land free? Ef so, yo’ kin understand something of being a good soljah in the service of the Lord…”

The old preacher’s face glowed as he spoke, his voice, unconsciously, rang with authority.

It seemed that Elijah stood and was again giving command. “Forward march!” and we imbued with his spirit were enthusiastically marching with him.

His eyes glowed as litten furnaces, his voice was round and almost musical as he gave command, and we bowed to his authority because we felt his words were true.

His language was that of watermen in general.

“Let us see! Was any of yo’ ever in the army, trying to save yo’ houses for yo’ chillun, an’ their chillun yet to be born?

“Soljahs,” again he cried, “good soljahs! Have we caught its meaning? Have we put it into life? What is it to be a good soljah?…

“Some twenty seven years a gone I was a soljah; I know what it means to carry a musket; I know the thrill when the army bands play and the drums roll, an how yo’ ketch a-fire

an’ go marchin’ to the music; yes, an I heve seen the glitterin’ swords an hev heard them clashin’ in the fray as the cavalries crashed in their dreadful rush. It seems like it was only yestiddy, as I tell it. I hev heard muskets a-rattlin’ an’ cannons roarin’ doom’ an’ too, I hev seen the bleedin’ soljahs borne on stretchers, an’ hev felt the spat of bullets, an’ felt the sickenin’ pain of a ball as I rolled in the mud, sufferin’ for a great cause. I know such things an’ every good soljah knows them. Friends I am drawin’ only a pictur.

“It’s the pictur of a good soljah in earnest conflict, campaignin’ in a holy war.

“There they go, what’s left of them, marchin’ with their scars, or empty sleeves, or wooden legs – the soljahs what could endure hardness to keep liberty an’ home an’ give us this kentry.

“O Christian men shall we do less? Shall we fail to be overcomes? Remember what this good book promises to the faithful, ‘An they shall walk with me in white?’ Think of it!

“Yo’ see your callin’, brethren, to be true men, to be yearnest men, brave men.

“The wurl is no friend to God; though you strive to be as harmless as doves, and to bring glad tidings of forgiveness of sin and eternal life the wurl likes not the terms of the message nor the messengers of

the Lord Jesus. The wurl crucified the best friend man has had, an’ rejected the only Lord an’ Savior. It does not know its best interests, an’ keeps right on rejectin’ him, But, yo’ and me is soljahs.

“Our weepuns is no carnal swords. The clear Word of God is our sword; to save men is our cause; an’, an’ the Lord himself is our Cap’n of salvation; an’ he is calling; to us all this very day. Shall we not hear when he says, ‘Put on the whole armor of God.’

“There may be inconveniences an’ trouble, but we is lookin’ for glad victory, an’ mus be ready when he calls,

“Be ye good soljahs, For’d march!”

Such was the old preachers dis-

course in substance, no doubt that he was “in yearnest,” as he said.

Many were the pleasures enjoyed at Holland’s Island, and the happy memories of that visit linger as the magnolia odors lingers on a Southern night. Pleasurable and eminent among them is the remembrance of that old preacher – or was he a prophet?

They say the Island is being slowly submerged; to outlive an island is an uncanny experience.

Note: For reasons of space, Wainwright’s rousing 1,300-word recreation of the old preacher’s sermon has been greatly abridged. The old preacher said that he had been in the army some 27 years previously,

Fun Jigsaw Puzzles

Fine Custom Framing

Holland's Island

and assuming that war he fought in was the Civil War, this would date this sermon to about 1890.

Rev. Joshua Thomas brought religion to the area in the early 1800s and was known far and wide as “The Parson of the Islands.” By the late 1800s, there were rousing Methodist camp meetings held on Holland’s, Deal’s and other islands, and excursion boats brought in people from Baltimore and other places to attend the meetings, which often lasted several days.

Wikipedia states that Holland’s Island in Dorchester County, Maryland, was 160 acres in 1915 and was down to 80 acres in 2005. At its

peak in the late 1880s, the population was 360, and it had 70 homes, several stores, a church, a school and a post office. The population was 0 in 1930, and the last house collapsed in 2010. Obviously, the land area is much less now [2023].

Louis Wainwright died in 1945 and did not outlive Holland’s Island, which is still sinking but has not yet sunk below the waves.

For more about Holland’s Island, see Foley, Rue and Mukherjee: Holland’s Island: Lost Atlantis of the Chesapeake , Dogwood Ridge Books, 2015

Just (3) three miles west of downtown Easton, MD in a small neighborhood you will find this lovely home and gorgeous yard just waiting for a new family to enjoy as much as the current owners have. A little over 2,000 sq. ft, this homes boasts a first floor primary suite with two or three additional bedrooms and a full bath on the second floor. The backyard is fully fenced with a pool and gorgeous landscaping. Two car detached garage with plenty of parking and storage for your “toys”. About (8) miles to St. Michaels and only (5) miles to the public boat ramp at Newcomb. Make plans to see this home today! $868,000

James Dawson is the owner of Unicorn Bookshop in Trappe.

Tilghman’s Island

“Great Choptank Island” was granted to Seth Foster in 1659. Thereafter it was known as Foster’s Island, and remained so through a succession of owners until Matthew Tilghman of Claiborne inherited it in 1741. He and his heirs owned the island for over a century and it has been Tilghman’s Island ever since, though the northern village and the island’s postal designation are simply “Tilghman.”

For its first 175 years, the island was a family farm, supplying grains, vegetables, fruit, cattle, pigs and timber. Although the owners rarely were in residence, many slaves were: an 1817 census listed 104. The last Tilghman owner, General Tench Tilghman (not Washington’s aide-de-camp), removed the slaves in the 1830s and began selling off lots. In 1849, he sold his remaining interests to James Seth, who continued the development.

The island’s central location in the middle Bay is ideally suited for watermen harvesting the Bay in all seasons. The years before the Civil War saw the influx of the first families we know today. A second wave arrived after the War, attracted by the advent of oyster dredging in the 1870s. Hundreds of dredgers and tongers operated out of Tilghman’s Island, their catches sent to the cities by schooners. Boat building, too, was an important industry.

The boom continued into the 1890s, spurred by the arrival of steamboat service, which opened vast new markets for Bay seafood. Islanders quickly capitalized on the opportunity as several seafood buyers set up shucking and canning operations on pilings at the edge of the shoal of Dogwood Cove. The discarded oyster shells eventually became an island with seafood packing houses, hundreds of workers, a store, and even a post office.

The steamboats also brought visitors who came to hunt, fish, relax and escape the summer heat of the cities. Some families stayed all summer in one of the guest houses that sprang up in the villages of Tilghman, Avalon, Fairbank and Bar Neck. Although known for their independence, Tilghman’s Islanders enjoy showing visitors how to pick a crab, shuck an oyster or find a good fishing spot.

In the twentieth century, Islanders pursued these vocations in farming, on the water, and in the thriving seafood processing industry. The “Tilghman Brand” was known throughout the eastern United States, but as the Bay’s bounty diminished, so did the number of water-related jobs. Still, three of the few remaining Bay skipjacks (sailing dredgeboats) can be seen here, as well as two working harbors with scores of power workboats.

Queen Anne’s County

The history of Queen Anne’s County dates back to the earliest Colonial settlements in Maryland. Small hamlets began appearing in the northern portion of the county in the 1600s. Early communities grew up around transportation routes, the rivers and streams, and then roads and eventually railroads. Small towns were centers of economic and social activity and evolved over the years from thriving centers of tobacco trade to communities boosted by the railroad boom.

Queenstown was the original county seat when Queen Anne’s County was created in 1706, but that designation was passed on to Centreville in 1782. It’s location was important during the 18th century, because it is near a creek that, during that time, could be navigated by tradesmen. A hub for shipping and receiving, Queenstown was attacked by English troops during the War of 1812.

Construction of the Federal-style courthouse in Centreville began in 1791 and is the oldest courthouse in continuous use in the state of Maryland. Today, Centreville is the largest town in Queen Anne’s County. With its relaxed lifestyle and tree-lined streets, it is a classic example of small town America.

The Stevensville Historic District, also known as Historic Stevensville, is a national historic district in downtown Stevensville, Queen Anne’s County. It contains roughly 100 historic structures, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is located primarily along East Main Street, a portion of Love Point Road, and a former section of Cockey Lane.

The Chesapeake Heritage and Visitor Center in Chester at Kent Narrows provides and overview of the Chesapeake region’s heritage, resources and culture. The Chesapeake Heritage and Visitor Center serves as Queen Anne’s County’s official welcome center.

Queen Anne’s County is also home to the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center (formerly Horsehead Wetland Center), located in Grasonville. The CBEC is a 500-acre preserve just 15 minutes from the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. Over 200 species of birds have been recorded in the area.

Embraced by miles of scenic Chesapeake Bay waterways and graced with acres of pastoral rural landscape, Queen Anne’s County offers a relaxing environment for visitors and locals alike. For more information about Queen Anne’s County, visit www.qac.org .

Kent County and Chestertown at a Glance

Kent County is a treasury of early American history. Its principal towns and back roads abound with beautiful old homes and historic landmarks.

The area was first explored by Captain John Smith in 1608. Kent County was founded in 1642 and named for the shire in England that was the home of many of Kent’s earliest colonists. When the first legislature assembled in 1649, Kent County was one of two counties in the colony, thus making it the oldest on the Eastern Shore. It extended from Kent Island to the present boundary.

The first settlement, New Yarmouth, thrived for a time and, until the founding of Chestertown, was the area’s economic, social and religious center.

Chestertown, the county seat, was founded in 1706 and served as a port of entry during colonial times. A town rich in history, its attractions include a blend of past and present. Its brick sidewalks and attractive antiques stores, restaurants and inns beckon all to wander through the historic district and enjoy homes and places with architecture ranging from the Georgian mansions of wealthy colonial merchants to the elaborate style of the Victorian era.

Second largest district of restored 18th-century homes in Maryland, Chestertown is also home to Washington College, the nation’s tenth oldest liberal arts college, founded in 1782. Washington College was also the only college that was given permission by George Washington for the use of his name, as well as given a personal donation of money.

The beauty of the Eastern Shore and its waterways, the opportunity for boating and recreation, the tranquility of a rural setting and the ambiance of living history offer both visitors and residents a variety of pleasing experiences. A wealth of events and local entertainment make a visit to Chestertown special at any time of the year.

For more information about events and attractions in Kent County, contact the Kent County Visitor Center at 410-778-0416, visit www. kentcounty.com or e-mail tourism@kentcounty.com . For information about the Historical Society of Kent County, call 410-778-3499 or visit www.kentcountyhistory.org/geddes.php . For information specific to Chestertown visit www.chestertown.com .

Changes: Notes for a Book

Overtime - On Being 80

For men only: must be 60 or older to purchase (ID required)

by Roger Vaughan

Overtime

A term borrowed from football (and other sports), Overtime designates an extra period of play for games ending in a tie after having been played for four “quarters.” Both teams are exhausted. Both have figured out each other’s game plans, and every play takes considerable extra effort.

As applied to aging, the fourth quarter commences when people (men, in this case) turn 60, which is not much of a problem if you’ve had moderately good luck and have also taken decent care of yourself. Sixty is the new 50, we are led to believe. The 70s (not quite the new 60s) can be more difficult. Old injuries can attract arthritis. Trusted habits can turn on you. But when Overtime begins, the 80s are what will get you, no matter how proud your genes are, no matter how strong your maintenance program has been. The 80s are not the new anything. They are just new: confounding, challenging. Discussing the 80s should help inspire you to make the most of the fourth quarter.

♣ The two-minute warning

Another football term that has a good chance of announcing itself in your 80s. Self-explanatory.

♣ The old car analogy

Aging human bodies are like old cars. The tires get bare, the shocks become stiff, dents accumulate, the paint gets chipped and loses its luster. One just hopes the fuel pump keeps working, because our dealer has gone out of business. Have some pride: how many cars are still chugging along after 80 hard years on the road?

♣ The new me

After spending a couple years dealing with various changes that have occurred in our lives, like forgetting a dinner date with a friend, having a bad fall, or realizing we can’t smell the curry simmering on the stove, we should come to the inevitable conclusion that we need to introduce ourselves to “the new me.” While it can be awkward, making this introduction is a good idea. We need to get to know this person because he can be troublesome.

♣ Missing the old me (and you will)

The old me has been a valued, lifelong companion. Someone we’ve learned to count on. Someone we’ve grown to like at times, or at least appreciate. Don’t let the new, beat-up, disheveled me diminish what the old, hotshot me has been. He will try. This old geezer seems like an imposter. He can’t play tennis, golf, or row boats. Or dig big holes to plant tomatoes. He can’t have more than one drink without feeling shot the next day. And sex? We’ll get to that, or maybe we won’t. But the new me does have a lot of experience. As long as his mind seems to be working, we’d do well to listen to his ravings (that includes President Biden, our Overtime quarterback).

not mean spirited; it’s just thoughtless at times.

♣ Assume nothing

That should have been a golden rule since we were old enough to understand our native language. Assumption is a ticket to failure, disappointment, even peril. It becomes even more important in Overtime. Trust, but verify.

♣ Naps

Stop with the old moves. We don’t want the mind making promises the body can’t keep.

♣ Take nothing for granted

Stop with the old moves. We don’t want the mind making promises the body can’t keep. (Thank you, Little Feat). This is important because making an old move without thinking can lead to a fall. DO NOT FALL! We will fall, of course, but with studied vigilance, we can keep falls to a minimum, or at least make them less severe. No sense falling into the traps the mind will keep trying to set for you. The mind is

Not napping? It’s not too late to learn. Yes, it’s good to know how to properly take a nap. Naps are essential. Winston Churchill said naps got him through the war. Naps are revitalizing, recharging. Naps can be mistaken for meditation because they can clear your mind and reboot your entire self. The Alpha (initial) stage of sleep is what we’re going for. You can achieve this by lying on your back. Lying on your side or stomach will make the body think you are off to bed for the duration, and you’ll end up in Delta (deep sleep), zonking out for an hour or two and waking up very groggy.

On your back with an eye pillow in place, you will relax by imagining stress leaking like water out of your fingers and toes; by regulating your breathing; by ignoring various problems and ideas rolling through your mind (they will eventually stop). Soon you will be napping, in Alpha,

Overtime

hearing birds and cars and someone sneezing downstairs, no worries. Set the timer on your mobile phone for 30 minutes. Chances are you will open your eyes just before the alarm sounds, feeling rested and alert. Do it every day.

♣ Routine

Why every day? Because developing a routine will facilitate Overtime. The body hates surprises. Suddenly deciding to do something unusual that requires the use of normally dormant muscles, like digging a large hole to plant tomatoes, will be judged as impertinent by the body, and it will make you pay.

♣ Memory loss

And your glasses.

♣ Eating

Making multiple lists is to be avoided. Most important: a list not consulted is useless.

Like gradually losing your senses of smell, taste, sight and hearing, memory loss is inevitable. Being vigilant about how we move (to prevent falling, for instance) is a great idea—if we can remember to be vigilant.

Lists support memory, especially a weary memory. Lists have been important to many of us for a long time. How we make lists deserves some exposition, paper or digital, after which you can decide what is best for you. Making multiple lists is to be avoided. Most important: a list not consulted is useless. Don’t leave home without it. And a pen.

Eating can get us if we don’t modify our approach. I’ve been eating all my life, you might protest: I know how to eat! Hold on, pal. Weighed yourself lately? Where’d you get that bulbous gut? Sure, you know how to eat. When we hit 80, eating starts being a satisfying substitute for those cool things we can’t do anymore, like sports, and sex (or at least as often, come on, I said later…). At 80 we are much more sedentary, yet we continue to eat like we’re still bicycling 20 miles every day. Beware of starting to live to eat. We’re not really lazy. Maybe, because it’s uncomfortable to just move around, we’ve started taking shortcuts. We don’t realize this, but we’re also getting to be lazy eaters, not chewing our food thoroughly, not realizing our swallowing mechanism isn’t quite as forgiving as it was. It, too (the carburetor), is wearing out. Trouble lies ahead if we don’t make a few adjustments. Dr. Heimlich might not be sitting at the next table.

♣ DO NOT FALL!

Just a reminder. Consider having it tattooed on the back of your hand, or reversed on your forehead so you can read it when you brush what’s left of your teeth.

Overtime

♣ Mental age

For years I’ve figured my mental age was around 27. I’ve recently had to change that to 52, a muchneeded upgrade. I’m smarter than I was at 27. The problem is, people still see me as in my 80s. I try to project 52, but somehow it doesn’t work. How come (they think) you’re not biking 20 miles a day if you’re 52? That might be accurate, 52, as far as mollifying yourself goes, but if others aren’t getting it, then you feel useless, and that’s very bad for those of us who have always tried to make a difference, or who thought we might be making a difference. Useless. Not needed. If we were Inuits, the village leaders would put us on a cake of ice and shove us out to sea. One fewer useless mouth to feed. But hang on to that mental age. It feels good. It will work for you.

where we have to make one of those tough calls best summarized as indicating we are either a wimp, or being smart. We can’t just say no thanks to everything. On the other hand, it makes good sense to be smart. You’ll get better at making those decisions.

♣ No work

If we were Inuits, the village leaders would put us on a cake of ice and shove us out to sea.

There’s a plus side to not being able to project 52. Just because your mind has settled in at 52 doesn’t mean you should try things you could do at 52. It will be tempting when some kid (someone under 60) throws a frisbee at you, or suggests you go with him to the driving range, or that you jump on his boat for a little fishing. Just lash me to the center console and hand me a rod, I’ll be fine. Bad idea. This is

No work is what 80 means for most of us, and for us type A people, no work is heavy news. But the fact is, capabilities aside, at 80 we have been eased out of the system. Work is what has kept us going all these years. Work! We were born under the work ethic. We embraced it. We were productive. And, in truth, we loved it because it allowed us to be a tad casual about other, more tiresome responsibilities, like family, taxes, holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, exercise and parking tickets. Work was an excuse. Not bad. But here’s what we need to do: be cool and hang up those cleats. Even Tom Brady had to do it. That doesn’t mean we have to sit on the bench. One of those secondary passions we’ve sidelined in the name of work can be activated. Dust off that musical instrument in the closet, resume the old fascination with the universe, race radiocontrolled boats or get back into studying medieval history. Maybe start cooking (Asian? Indian?). Or

Overtime

volunteer. Work hard at it. Make a commitment.

♣ Commitment

Being committed is one of those things we’ve grown to understand is vitally important to success. Coaches and corporate managers inspire their teams’ performance by stressing commitment, by preaching 110% effort, by emphasizing focus, dedication and other strong emotional approaches designed to produce winners. But commitment has another, even more important effect. I’m sensing there is a growing body of research that indicates that Overtime can not only be enhanced, but prolonged by commitment. It’s a short jump from commitment to useful. If you are committed to something—just about anything substantial—that indicates usefulness. And the world needs to retain as many useful people as it can get. This doesn’t always work, but it is something to consider.

new was fun. Satisfaction has been more difficult, more elusive, like trying to hit major league pitching. If we do so 30 percent of the time, we’ll make the hall of fame. But satisfaction is much more rewarding than fun. It’s more memorable, more invigorating, more inspirational. Satisfaction provides hope and confidence, handy tools we can all use. And satisfaction relies on commitment, a good reason to go for it.

THE SIX Ps: packaging, peeing, patience, politics, pain and phones

♣ Packaging

Satisfaction provides hope, and confidence, handy tools we can all use.

♣ Satisfaction

Satisfaction replaced fun for most of us when we started playing the second quarter (ages 20 through 40). Fun was easy, dependent on nothing more than a few beers and a road trip to the beach. Anything

Trying to rip, pry or tear open the packaging of things we buy is one of the more annoying daily frustrations of Overtime. Try opening an individual yogurt or a can of anchovies without getting splashed. Try reopening those cookies in the resealable bag after you’ve torn off the top. Try getting those gel pens out of the heavy-duty bomb-proof plastic sheath in which they have been vacuum sealed. There are two options. Get someone younger and stronger to do it. Or keep a stash of proper tools handy in a kitchen drawer, namely: channel locks (large), screwdriver, pry bar, hammer (16 oz.), Leatherman Super Tool, hacksaw, pliers and laser cutter. And a seven-pound maul in case all else fails. The maul is also useful

Trappe Vfd

Country Carnival

June 22, 23 & 24 (Parade - Saturday June 24 at 5 p.m.)

Live Music · Games

Hay Rides

Silent Auction

Great Food and Fire Trucks, of course!

Overtime

for dispatching items that have never worked worth a damn. Reducing a faulty toaster to a useless pile of junk with a seven-pound maul is very satisfying.

♣ Peeing

In Overtime, peeing joins breathing as something we need to do frequently. We can accept this inconvenient change, knowing that peeing however often you must do it is a whole lot better than not being able to pee. You will also learn that spraying is a more accurate description for the evolving hydrodynamic. You’ll find that using a disposable cup is a good way to keep the spray contained at the source. If you are still doing errands, add to your list the names of all the places around town that have large, reasonably clean bathrooms, and plan your shopping accordingly. Another new mantra: never pass up an opportunity to pee.

♣ Patience

There is a theory that whatever your primary characteristics are, they will become more prominent during Overtime. Mean people will become meaner. Emotional people will become more emotional. Amusing people will become more amusing. And impatient people like

me will become even more impatient. This is something we all can work on, especially if one’s primary characteristic has a negative cast to it. Meanness won’t make you any friends among relatives trying to love you, among caregivers trying to help you or among EMTs who roll your sorry butt into the ambulance. And impatience can do you in, especially if you are still driving. The truth is, other than blood pressure elevation, impatience isn’t going to make anything happen any faster.

♣ Politics

Sound advice athletes receive from savvy coaches: don’t stress over things you can’t control. Becoming obsessed by the revolting state of today’s politics (for instance), a line of work that has been taken to an obscene level of greed, corruption, disinformation, propaganda and blatant lying by far too many elected officials, is difficult to avoid. One feels compelled to keep up. Keeping up, we’ve been taught, is a responsibility. Moderation, as always, is the key. While playing the third or even the second quarter, we can recall getting ridiculed when we advocated moderation. Stand firm. Moderation will pull you through. Some good rules: don’t watch news on television or listen to it on the radio. Read the news. Discuss it with friends. Don’t try to reason with

Another new mantra: never pass up an opportunity to pee.

Kibby & Steve Dalton

Owners of Easton Fit4Life

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Overtime

those who appear to be convinced about absurd notions like “stolen” elections.

♣ Pain

Pain is part of life, of course, but usually it has been the result of cause and effect. Stub your toe and you’ll feel pain. Get hit by a pitch and you’ll feel pain. Break a bone, have surgery, visit the dentist, have a migraine, and pain will be involved. Overtime is different because cause and effect will no longer be the exclusive root of the immediate pain we might feel. Arthritis, an Overtime regular, is a cursed box full of all the injuries, surgeries, falls and collisions we’ve ever had. It’s a flimsy cardboard box that leaks all the time, sending highspeed pain dogs charging into body parts that could well be immobile and defenseless, like when we are trying to sleep. Playing Overtime means living with sudden, mysterious pain that may or may not last a while. Mysterious, until you remember that time you ran into a tree while skiing when you were 17, or when you broke your wrist playing basketball.

Pain is part of life of course, but usually it has been the result of cause and effect.

vices,” meaning computers, tablets, pads, smart watches, video games and mobile phones. All of them are fabulous, waiting to amuse, inform and entertain us. But none of them can compare with that last item, the mobile phone, which (alongside the Styrofoam cup) has to be the greatest invention of all time. After pressing a button, you can address your phone, asking it any question you can think of, or the directions to some pot-holed street in a village of 150 people in rural Transylvania, and in seconds this voice of your choice (male, female, various accents) will answer the question or tell you how to get there and how long it will take and if the traffic is bad. It will also send you pictures of your grandchildren, or their new dog. The mobile phone will make lists for you, remind you of appointments, show you the weather, play music, send text messages you speak into it, count the steps you take in a day and also try to make telephone calls. You know all that. I don’t care. The mobile phone is beyond phenomenal. Love your phone. Learn to use it. Keep it handy in case you forget to be vigilant and fall.

♣ Learn to live with it

♣ Phones

We are incredibly lucky that our Overtime is populated with “de -

This may be the most useful, albeit the most damning, mantra. Because it summarizes the most

Overtime

sensible approach to Overtime. Overtime is a good time to give up what many of us have been lured into by the advancement of technology and the infinite reach of the Internet: the pursuit of perfection. All our lives we have imagined and perhaps pursued the perfect car for our needs, the perfect cooking utensils, the perfect dog, even the perfect scrub brush for the dishes. We’ve also looked for perfect surgical solutions to repair broken or failing parts. Here’s the news: in Overtime, the pursuit of perfection can be a problem. Because certain things— various ailments and debilities—can’t be fixed. Not really. The medical establishment might try to convince you it’s worth trying to fix something—and, to be fair, sometimes they can do it. But most of the time the honest physicians among them will look you in the eye and tell you this: “learn to live with it.” You should believe them, and immediately, and gingerly, get on the learning curve. Careful. It will be steep. DO NOT FALL!

A man I knew gave up driving after he nearly had a very bad accident. Nearly.

his time behind the wheel was up. But giving up driving is a tough call, another one of those wimp-or-smart decisions. For those of us now playing Overtime, getting one’s driving license at age 16 with no seat belts was a thrilling day we’ll never forget, right up there with marriage, or the receipt of divorce papers. Driving meant freedom. It meant scoring better dates and a better chance of getting lucky. It meant being behind the wheel of fast, big old Detroit iron cars with eight-cylinder engines that consumed huge amounts of gasoline we purchased for 20 cents a gallon. The notion of giving up driving is a very grim prospect. But one hopes we will all recognize when that moment arrives.

♣ Driving

If you are still driving, good on you. One hopes. A man I knew gave up driving after he nearly had a very bad accident. Nearly. He was lucky. And he got great credit for knowing

I am an impatient driver, but I am working on it. My daughter urges me to ask, what’s the hurry? I have to grudgingly admit there is no longer a hurry. But the slowpokes among us are still infuriating. Relax. Just to be cautious, I have removed the pistol from my glove compartment. I take deep breaths and listen to music on the radio when I am behind a driver stopped in the right-hand turn lane waiting for the green light before proceeding even though there’s not another car to be seen for a mile down the highway. A man I knew who was well into Overtime (age 93) told me he was still driving, but not on the turnpike, which had become

Overtime

too fast for him. Smart.

♣ Drugs

Those of us playing Overtime had no idea about recreational drugs as kids because recreational drugs weren’t part of our culture. Drugs didn’t exist until we were in our early 20s. Intrigued, we sampled and, unlike Bill Clinton, we inhaled, then became criminals having to score on the sly. And we went through years of listening to Nancy Reagan preaching “just say no” to drugs. The fact is that late in Overtime, the dreaded possibility of addiction is no longer such a threat. It’s like being able to laugh at a life sentence now if you were unlucky enough to receive such a penalty for shooting at some idiot on the highway. So what? In a relatively short time, we will be boarding that last train to Yuma. If you want to do a little “altered state” experimenting, why not? The evercurious Henry Luce took a series of acid trips when he was playing Overtime. By all accounts, he found them intriguing and informative. And medical marijuana, which has been proven to reduce pain of all sorts (see Pain above), is now legal in 39 states. Recreational marijuana is legal in 21 states. Legal! It works for pain. And, unlike the pills that mother gave you, it’s stimulating.

♣ Your culture

Older people are traditionally critical of the new culture they find surrounding them in Overtime. It’s cliché for septuagenarians and octogenarians to disparage the music, art, films, fashion and TV fare being enjoyed by their children and grandchildren. But the current crop of us who are playing Overtime should stand fast. Because this time we are not just a bunch of clichédriven geezers. We are right!

Recreational marijuana is legal in 21 states. Legal!

Musically, we had the incredible luck of living through one of those rare, never-to-be-seen-again magic times: a pop version of the Romantic period (1830–1900) in classical music. We missed out on Chopin, Wagner, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Mahler and Rachmaninov, but we were lucky to have our lives blessed by the music of Elvis, Stan Kenton and Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Erroll Garner and Oscar Peterson, Dave Brubeck, The Beatles, The Stones, Little Feat, The Eagles, Elton John, Bob Dylan, The Band, Linda Ronstadt, Harry Nilsson, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Joe Cocker, Jimi Hendrix, Randy Newman, The Everly Bros., The Supremes and scores of more great groups and musicians (Creedence, The Beach Boys, The Temptations—somebody stop me). It all went bad when technology

co-opted the music—or, some claim, when musicians realized that all the mathematically possible melodic combinations of the notes had been exhausted. In today’s music, there are few melodies one can recall, just high-tech synthetic waves of sound accompanied by lame lyrics that would make McCartney, Jagger, Elton, Chuck Berry, Willie, Billy Joel, Randy Newman, Glenn Frey and Don Henley, Leon Russell and Jackson Browne—not to mention Rogers and Hammerstein, or Cole Porter—nauseated. Frantic videos of singers working out while wearing lavish costumes have been added to help sell this “music” to their fans. (There are exceptions, talents like Lady Gaga.)

We’re proud of the culture of our age, and justifiably so. We might have had to wear bell bottom pants, but the availability of sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll made up for it. And people weren’t murdering each other (and children) at such a frantic rate. The climate wasn’t in such chaos.

Religion hadn’t become weaponized. There weren’t 8 billion of us stretching the planet’s limitations.

♣ Travel

Resist. It’s no fun anymore, your grandkids don’t really want to see you anyway and you can appreciate Mt. Everest, the Grand Canyon and China’s Great Wall much better on television than if you traveled there after having spent hours in TSA lines and sitting in uncomfortable airplane seats. Go in your own jets to your own other houses, of course—while you still can…

♣ Birthdays

Welcome them. Keep ’em coming. The alternative, in all its imagined variety, is fi nite.

♣ Sex

This subject needs a book of its own. That old expression “maybe I’ll get lucky” has never been more unlikely than in Overtime.

Vaughan.roger@gmail.com

NEW LISTING

Easton Village – Professionally decorated 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath home located across from open space and near Clubhouse, pool and amenities. Living room with gas fireplace, dining room, completely renovated kitchen with custom cabinets, granite countertops, tile backsplash, stainless appliances and breakfast nook. 1st floor primary suite with renovated bath, cathedral ceiling and large walk-in closet. Wood flooring in main living areas. 2nd floor has large loft area and 2 guest bedrooms and bath. 2 car attached garage. Private backyard beautifully landscaped with patio, irrigation system and privacy fence. $790,000

NEW LISTING

Chesapeake by Del Webb - This beautiful McDaniel model features a living room, formal dining room, family room with gas fireplace, open kitchen with under counter lighting, breakfast nook, 1st floor primary suite and powder room. The 2nd floor has 2 guest bedrooms and bath, loft/office area and finished walk-in attic. Exterior features include attached 2-car garage, underground lawn irrigation, paver patio and covered porch. Laminate flooring on main level. Community amenities include outdoor pool, tennis courts, Bocce court, exercise parks, community clubhouse, putting green and gazebo/picnic areas. 55+ age restricted section. $495,000

This is a great time to list your home. Our inventory is low and we have buyers looking for their dream home. Please call me for a no obligation Comparative Market Analysis.

27999 Oxford Road, Maryland 21654

NEWCOMB HALL FARM - St. Michaels/Easton

50 acres with over 1000 ft. of stable shoreline on the MILES RIVER and Newcomb Creek. Sunsets over the river. A great place for “messing about in boats,” hunting, fishing, crabbing, birdwatching. Brick Cape farm house with 3 bedrooms, 2-1/2 baths, living room with fireplace, family room, sunroom and screened porch. Unshared tree-lined driveway.

$2,395,000. Please call for details.