March 2025 Tidewater Times Web Magazine

Tidewater Times March 2025

103 Mulberry Street, St. Michaels

Known as “The Mary Thomas House,” circa 1860, this tastefully updated home is ideally located mid-way between the center of town and the Harbor. The house, with warm heart-pine floors and large windows, is bright and absolutely charming throughout. An updated kitchen separates the comfortable living room w/fireplace and a casual TV/sitting room in back. Two spacious bedrooms and an all-new bathroom on the second floor. Two smaller bedrooms on the third level. The picketfenced lot features a deck, garden shed and private, off-street parking.

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About the Cover Photographer: Jay Fleming.

It's Yard Sale Season: Helen

The Market at Dover Station: Tracey F. Johns

Life's Second Half: Michael Valliant.

Chesapeake Music's March Interlude Concert

Tidewater Gardening K. Marc Teffeau

Reformed Rogues: A.M. Foley

Oxford-Bellevue Ferry Welcomes New Owner

Tidewater Kitchen: Pamela Meredith

All Quiet on the Sound (chapter 19): B. P. Gallagher

About the Cover Photographer Jay Fleming

Jay Fleming is a photographer and writer who documents the complex interactions between humans and their natural environment. Born and raised in Annapolis, Maryland, Jay grew up with an affinity for the water. He discovered his passion for photography at the age of 13 with a hand-me-down 35mm film camera. Jay turned his attention to photography full time in 2015 after working in the field of fisheries and seafood marketing. Since then, Jay has published two photography books - Working the Water and Island Life , he oper-

ates his vessel while leading water based photography workshops and manages his studio on Kent Island, Maryland. Jay’s photography is on display in galleries throughout the region, including the new Studio 2 in St. Michaels, Maryland.

The cover photograph is of Smith Island, Maryland waterman Eddie Evans with a load of oysters on his workboat, the Kaitlin Noelle. Jay may be contacted at 410-2798730 or by e-mail at jaypfleming@ gmail.com. Please visit his websiteJayFlemingPhotography.com.

It’s Yard Sale Season

by Helen Chappell

As the weather starts to warm up, there are lots of signs of spring: bulbs sprout, trees bud, birds start to fly north and yard sale signs bloom on every phone pole and billboard. Faithful followers of the yard sale cult start scanning the papers.

It’s a time when people gather their no-longer-wanted stuff together and, on an agreed-upon day (usually Saturday) place it in front of the yard so passers-by can see and hopefully buy it for bargain prices.

Stuff! Stuff! Stuff! Mountains of other people’s stuff all there to be pawed through!

Yard sales, also known in other areas as tag sales or garage sales, are a part of the underground, cash and carry economy.

An anthropologist friend of mine, who did her thesis on these stop and shops says they’ve been going on since time immoral, throughout the world and for all we know on other planets where people want to sell their unwanted stuff.

They’re a culture, if not a cult, and they have their own unwritten rules and customs. Well, there is one rule written in stone:

NO EARLY BIRDS.

Although I’ve been told people are setting out their stuff at the

crack of dawn and before they can get it all out on display people are already pawing through their goods. So being an early bird is a faux pas.

Not that it stops the devout. I have been told that people are sitting in front of the yard sale house before dawn, so as to be the first to grab whatever treasure they lust for.

You can tell a lot about the sellers judging from what they offer. For instance, if there are baby clothes and baby furniture, that means they’re done having kids. Since babies grow so fast, it’s possible to find some real bargains, because baby clothes are never worn long enough to wear out.

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Those jars you think are so useless. Someone else will use them to can tomatoes.

Monday-Saturday

That hideous lamp... might be an Art Deco treasure, if you know anything about antiques. Some people are experienced in antiques and objects d’art and haunt yard sales just in case they might find an unexpected treasure.

There are the looky-loos and the cunning who get their kicks from bargaining. If they can’t get the seller down, they’ll come back around noon when the sale is about to close, and the seller is anxious not to have to pack all the unsold stuff to haul to the charity bins.

There are the people who come to pick it all over for stuff to put in their yard sale or on their table

at Crumpton. These people always look kind of shifty to me, but what do I know?

There is a story about a woman who bought a necklace that turned to have belonged to Empress Josephine and sold at Sotheby’s for six figures, but who knows? The underground economy is full of fairy tales of fabulous treasure

In yard sale world, presentation is important. The well-organized will rent some of those aluminum folding tables from the fire hall and present their goods neatly organized, clean and folded. Clothing will be hung on hangers. Prices, if marked, are considered negotiable,

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which is half the fun. Tools, machinery and manly man stuff is on the lawn, neatly ordered.

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Manly-men stuff is generally negotiated between the manly buyer and the manly seller. The manly seller sits on the porch because the buying and selling is women’s work. So, the woman will trot over to the porch and ask what the man wants for the snow blower. The porch sitter will quote a price, which the woman will trot down the yard and relay the price to the buyer. This dickering can go down for three or four times until a price is agreed upon and a sale is made. I think if the woman is smart, she’ll pocket the cash.

Any variation on this is considered acceptable. As is stripping off one’s clothing to try something on, unless one hides behind the garage. It is also extremely bad form to ask the sellers if you can use the bathroom. How do they know you’re not going in there to rob them blind?

For some people, yard sale-ing is a great way to spend a Saturday morning before hitting Cracker Barrel for lunch. For others, it’s a

dead serious job, looking for stuff to put into their sale.

For a few, it’s a treasure hunt, looking among polyester pants and Precious Moments figurines for

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that single unrecognized antique.

For me, it’s something to drive past. My yard sale and thrift shop days are over. One more thing comes into my house, two things have to leave, so I’ve retired from the yard sales and the thrift shops, but I have friends who can’t live without them.

Enjoy! You might find that treasure!

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.

in

Adventures in Alaska by Sea and Land

Traveling Through the Wild Terrains of Alaska

by Bonna L. Nelson

Somewhere inside each of us lives an image of Alaska. It is the call of the wild, the land of extremes, the American Serengeti. It sweeps us down the wildest rivers and up the highest mountains, revealing its breathtaking vision—intimidating at times, yet always as big as our dreams. Often bigger.

~Kim Heacox, The Smithsonian Guides to Natural America

Through picture windows surrounding us and dome windows overhead we were encircled by breathtaking panoramic views of Alaska’s untamed wild beauty. Tall pine forests covered majestic mountains, with dancing Dall sheep jumping from cliff ledge to cliff

ledge. Glaciers approaching from on high were reflected in the many icy blue lakes below. Lush forests of beech trees with tropical fern undergrowth opened to scenes of lily pad-decorated lakes, rock-filled river rapids and alpine meadows dotted with wildflowers.

Alaska

We were up early that morning with the glory of an Alaskan dawn reflected on the calm waters of Prince William Sound at the port of Whittier. We transferred from the majestic Grand Princess cruise ship to the Princess Cruises’ Direct-toWilderness train waiting for us at the dock just a walk away. Our luggage had been removed from the ship the night before and was on its way to our next destination via bus.

We nestled into cushy, upholstered, reclining seats with tray, cup and book holder accessories, relaxing comfort for our nine-hour train ride to Denali National Park and Preserve. Our traveling companions,

Paul and Rita Connolly and Tom and Genny Dalrymple, sat nearby. We were entertained by our rail guide, James, with stories, statistics and facts about the train, Alaska and his Native feathered headdress. In

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Alaska

At the end of the line, we transferred to coaches for a short drive from the rail depot to the Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge next to Denali National Park and Preserve. The main lodge, with its 40-foot-tall windows and outdoor deck, provided splendid views over a river canyon with mountains in the distance, the most famous of which is Denali,

addition to admiring Alaska’s wild interior terrain, this leg of our journey included some reading, relaxing, napping and visits to the dining car. When fi rst leaving Whittier, we traveled through a 2 ½-mile tunnel with only one train track requiring train pullovers at tunnel entrances to allow other trains through. We learned that trains in Alaska’s outback also stop for homesteaders, hikers and campers who flag the transport along the railway track. They are always provided with a ride in a wilderness without roads. Can you imagine hitchhiking a ride on a train to get groceries? Princess cruise and lodge staff also use the train to travel to and from their work locations.

4 bedroom, 4.5 bath Coastal style home with in-ground pool and pier! Just 60’ from the water, this is the epitome of waterfront living. Large second floor balcony, wrap-around porch, and open floor plan with wide banks of windows provide ample opportunity to enjoy the gorgeous water views. Main-level primary suite with dramatic cathedral ceiling and luxurious spa-like bath. Attached 2-car garage, approximately 325’ of shoreline with newly planted living shoreline. Easy year round living or second home on the Eastern Shore as the association handles lawn maintenance and snow removal. Centrally located between Easton and St Michaels and just a stone’s throw from the Oxford Bellevue Ferry on the Tred Avon, Bellevue on the Tred Avon is just a short boat or ferry ride to Oxford’s restaurants, ice cream shop and waterfront park.

Discover a rare opportunity to own a distinguished multi-family unit in the heart of downtown Easton. Built circa 1890, this historic property combines timeless charm with modern functionality, making it the perfect space for a variety of professional or personal uses.

As you enter the building, you’re greeted by a charming foyer setting the tone for the rest of the property. The building offers a thoughtfully designed layout, featuring rooms that accommodate various needs. Situated in a prime location, this property offers quick access to Easton’s vibrant downtown amenities. The close proximity to restaurants, banks, and other essential services makes it easy for all to enjoy everything downtown offers.

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Alaska

shrouded in clouds and mist. The lodge, hewn from local timber, was decorated outside with masses of flowers in boxes, pots and beds. Inside the lodge, the great room is a wonderful place to relax and get warm sitting near the two-story, two-sided fi replace.

Accommodations are spread out in buildings across the property, and they too are comfy and cozy with views of surrounding nature—forests, mountains, birds, flowers and statuary. Walkways lead to shops, restaurants and hiking trails as well as shuttle stops for rides to the main building. We appreciated Princess’ efficiency in always situating our group near each other in seating on transport and in cruise and lodge rooms. We dined well in the many restaurants available and spent two tranquil nights at the lodge.

On our fi rst full day at the Denali Princess Lodge, we embarked on a 6-hour tour of Denali National Park and Preserve by park bus, covering 35 miles of the 92-mile Denali

National Park Road, the only road in and out. Most of the park is accessible only by bus, bicycle or foot. The tour was narrated by our park ranger and driver, Cindy, quite a character, who shared history, geography, stories and her firsthand experiences actively living in this wilderness year-round.

A 70-degree, cloudy day was the foundation for an adventure of a lifetime. We entered the 6.2 million acres of meadows, boreal forest or taiga, mountains, glaciers and alpine tundra with North America’s highest mountain peak, Denali, at its centerpiece. Though we could not possibly see it all, we experienced an exciting taste of the vast untouched, undisturbed wilderness.

We were all thrilled to spot four of Alaska’s “Big Five,” mammals— bears, moose, caribou and Dall sheep, but not wolves. Sometimes the driver pointed out a pea-size dot on the horizon that was a bear and then a moose up close in the willows next to the road. Regardless of how far or close they were, we experienced a wilderness wonderland with some of the best nature has to offer.

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Alaska

We saw brown bears on riverbanks and hillsides, that can weigh up to 800 pounds and reach a height of up to 7 feet. We saw moose in the forests and fields. The largest member of the deer family can reach a shoulder height of 6 feet and weigh up to 1,400 pounds. Caribou throngs roam across the tundra and ridgefields while the snow white, curved-horn Dall sheep inhabit the mountains and hillsides searching for low-growing plants and hopping from ledge to ledge.

“Denali” is called “the Tall One” for the Dene people north of the Alaska Range. For other Native groups, the word for the towering mountain means “the High One” or “the Great One.” Snow-covered, cloud-enshrouded, Denali towers at 20,310 feet above sea level.

The lofty mountain is surrounded by the stunning, snow-capped Alaska Range of mountains; ancient gleaming glaciers; glistening glacial lakes; crusty frozen tundra; braided, winding rivers and majestic forests. Denali is “visible” from the Princess Lodge, tour bus stops and most areas in the region, if the weather cooperates.

There is no guarantee that visitors will see the mountain because due to its size Denali creates on its own weather and is frequently enshrined in clouds. Only about a third of visitors see our country’s highest peak. We did not. Not only was the famous peak clouded, it was encircled in smoke from recent fires in the area. However, our always jovial traveling companion, Tom, announced

Alaska

that he had “seen” Denali at the lodge and shared a beautiful photo that he took of it. The joke was on us. He took a photo of a painting of Denali on the lodge wall which looked like he had captured the real thing. So, like Tom, we all took our souvenir photos of “Denali.”

We stopped at various Denali viewing spots to no avail but were entertained at two other stops. One was a walk to Savage Cabin with a ranger and the other was a walk to an overlook at Savage River to hear a Native American share his stories. Both adventures had us outdoors, walking, breathing the fresh forest or meadow air, admiring the sky, admiring the river, admiring the flowers, admiring the striking landscape, enchanted by the beauty of it all.

Historical Savage Cabin was constructed in the 1920s to shelter road crews, then it was used by park ranger patrols with their sleds and sled dogs for shelter in the winter months, as it still is. In the summer

it is used as a living history education center for visitors. The bear-proofed cabin contains beds, a stove, a table, chairs, cabinets and equipment revealing how the rangers utilize the cabin for respite. Outside the cabin, the ranger showed us artifacts, such as massive moose and Dall sheep horn racks and mush dog houses and demonstrated equipment.

The ranger pointed out a variety of willow trees common to the wooded area as well as the lovely fireweed plant. The pink or fuchsia flowering plant foretells locals of the coming of winter. When the very top of the fireweed blooms winter will arrive in 6 weeks according to Alaska native legend. We observed fireweed in natural settings as well as around our lodgings. The tops were bloom-

St.

St.

Alaska

ing, and it was only the end of July, but winter was on its way.

At the Savage River stop, surrounded by mountains, rivers and valleys, we met an Alaskan Native who shared stories about his family and schooling. He emphasized that native Alaskans are stewards of the vast wilderness that is Alaska. They are the original settlers and caretakers of the land. We felt privileged to meet him and share that spot of land with him for awhile taking in the sites and sounds of the wilds of Alaska.

Back at the lodge, we shared an Alaska salmon dinner with our traveling companions and then retired to

our rooms. We packed for departure the next day to McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge, also near another area of the Denali National Park, via motorcoach. The three-hour drive through more stunning Alaska scenery presented us with another two days of experiences in the vast lands of the northwestern state including

Alaska

more winding rivers, glacial valleys, glacial debris, pine covered hills, mountains and berry bushes on a rainy, cooler day.

McKinley Lodge offered similar amenities to the Denali Lodge, including comfortable accommodations, several restaurants, shops, ranger talks and tours. We chose a tour to a nearby historic, scenic town, Talkeetna, meaning “meeting of the rivers” in native Athabascan.

Another location in sight of Denali. I had read that the town of “Cicely” in the Alaska-themed television show “Northern Exposure” is patterned after Talkeetna. We could see the resemblance.

Cooler and a bit misty that day, we learned from the coach driver that the town has always been a jumping off point for climbers and hikers. Many mountaineers now take a flight from Talkeetna to a base camp before the Denali climb. The town is located at the junction of three winding, gurgling rivers, which we walked to after a quick jaunt through the town.

We found it meditative to be near

and observe the confluence of water flowing by us in the rivers. Back in town, we strolled down the main street, which was lined with shops, pubs, eateries, inns, galleries, museums, outfitters and the occasional local musician.

We explored exhibits, photographs, artifacts and articles at the Talkeetna Historical Society with displays and dioramas about the area’s heritage as a Native fishing and hunting area. Talkeetna evolved into a center and trading post for miners and trappers in the foothills of the Alaska Range and later for homesteaders. Construction workers on the Alaska Railroad eventually moved to the town, which was the headquarters for the railway project. It was also a riverboat port supplying a nearby gold rush.

The museum and the friendly attendant offered insights into the various time periods of the quaint village. Many historic log and wooden cabins and buildings still exist on main street and beyond. Some can be toured or are used for commercial

Alaska

enterprises. Others are privately owned and occupied. Historic sites are identified and described in the museum’s informative walking tour brochure.

The clouds cleared, the sun warmed us, but the sky did not reveal Denali, still protected by smoke, clouds, and mist. We took pleasure in joining our friends for an outdoor lunch at a local pub before taking the coach back to McKinley Lodge.

Anchorage was our next and final Alaska destination, and a beauty it was, situated in a basin on the harbor between Cooke’s Inlet and the snow-capped Chugach Mountains. The largest and most populous city in Alaska has been inhabited by humans for at least 10,000 years! Anchorage is an important commercial and transportation hub as well

as a military community and base. We did what we typically do in a new city, take a hop-on, hop-off tour. We walked to the Anchorage Visitor Information Center located in a log cabin with a sod and green grass roof, lush hanging flower baskets and more colorful flowers in beds below. At the center, we learned more about the city and were directed where to board the Anchorage History Trolley Tour.

Our engaging tour director pointed out historical sites, cultural landmarks and the busiest float plane base in the world at Lake Hood. Homes built around the Lake have planes instead of boats roped to piers. Fascinating! We watched a few planes splash land as well as take off.

Next, we took a walk through Earthquake Park, where a 9.2 magnitude earthquake occurred in 1964 along Alaska’s fault line. The largest earthquake ever recorded in North America forever altered the landscape. Sadly, an entire neighborhood slid into the ocean during the earthquake episode. Walking trails with signage explain the destruction

and stupendous natural forces that caused it.

We passed anglers on Ships Creek hooking sizeable Alaskan salmon for dinner, and back in the city we saw inviting shops, galleries, museums and restaurants. We had a laugh in front of an outdoor sports shop taking photos of each other in front of a gigantic taxidermied bear. Our last dinner had to be salmon, of course.

As we flew home feeling the enchantment of our Alaska adventure, I had some thoughts. With all the turmoil and tribulations in the world today, we can find peace and refuge in magnificent parks like

Denali as well as parks and other green spaces closer to home. We can take comfort in the glorious beauty of the world’s flora and fauna. We can get off our electronics, head outdoors, walk, and take refreshing deep breaths. Watch a sunrise or a sunset, transforming cloud formations, changing colors of the sky and glittering stars at night. Get off the beaten path, out of normal routines. Find comfort, joy and tranquility in nature.

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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8:25 9:05 9:42 10:18 10:55 11:32 1:07

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

3 month tides at www.tidewatertimes.com 4:15 5:07 6:00 6:56 7:54 8:57 10:06 11:20 12:12 1:14 2:10 3:00 3:47 4:30 5:12 5:52 6:30 7:08 7:47 8:29 9:16 10:11 11:1412:34 1:28 2:22 3:14 4:05 4:56 5:48

The Market at Dover Station:

Easton’s New Cultural and Community Hub

by Tracey F. Johns

Easton and its historic East End Neighborhood have recently welcomed a vibrant new gathering space and full-service design center with the opening of The Market at Dover Station, located at 500 Dover Road, or what people my age recall as the old Easton Wholesale building.

The visionary project, spearheaded by husband-and-wife team Sevan and Keri Topjian, breathes new life into a storied building originally constructed in 1912 as the Easton Wholesale Grocery.

With a deep respect for history and a strong commitment to community collaboration, the Topjians have transformed the long-vacant structure into a dynamic marketplace filled with local merchant and artisan goods, boutique shopping and plans for a bistro and brewery.

Also represented are small businesses that have set up a full store within the market. Services include a full-service florist, furniture restoration, interior design, landscape architecture and more.

“The most impressive to me is

Dover Station

how seriously Sevan has respected our part of town and its mixed historical essence,” says East End neighborhood advocate and former longtime resident Carolyn Jaffe, who stays involved to help support the work of her neighbors and friends.

“He went to the Town well aware of this neighborhood’s interesting history,” she said. “He worked with Town regulations rather than asking for exceptions.”

Jaffe says because of Sevan’s cooperative approach, she was glad to see the permit process move

swiftly in support of renovations to the main historic building, which enabled the early public opening of the market during Waterfowl Festival weekend.

“It’s a great boost for our longoverlooked part of town,” she says. “He’s got a plan to develop other parts of the property in progressive stages, which makes it so much less intrusive on our residents and Dover Street itself.”

Honoring History

While Embracing the Future

“We’ve taken our time to renovate the building with homage to its history,” Sevan Topjian said. “With a lot of these historical buildings, the less you do, the more beautiful they become.”

The efforts paid off. The high ceilings and exposed, white-painted beams make this space feel larger than life, or larger at least than any other public space in Easton, except for maybe the ice skating rink.

There are numerous aisles and wander-ways, soft lighting, jazz music playing overhead and plenty of nooks and crannies with a curated, lovely palette of local art and merchandise.

This place is not like any Amish, antique or flea market. Think of a more upscale stylish center, combined with the casual elegance and comfort of the Eastern Shore.

Originally built in 1912 by the Kemp family—whose name lives on

Dover Station

in nearby Kemp Lane—the building operated for 90 years as the Easton Wholesale Grocery, benefiting from direct access to the railway to receive goods. For many decades, it played a pivotal role in the regional economy, supplying local markets across the Eastern Shore and into the Mid-Atlantic.

As transportation evolved and large-scale national grocers emerged, the building transitioned into a building supply store before sitting vacant for nearly a decade.

Sevan, an experienced developer with a background in historical renovations in the District of Columbia, saw immense potential in the space and relished the oppor -

tunity to restore and repurpose the building.

They officially opened the Market at Dover Station after major renovations in late November 2024. They’ve since been working tirelessly to establish it as a cornerstone of Easton’s Arts and Entertainment District.

A Unique Marketplace for Local Artisans

The Market at Dover Station is designed to be a curated shopping experience, featuring a selection of upscale, locally made goods from artisans and craftspeople eager for a permanent retail presence.

“It’s been really exciting to see how many vendors and market partners have come out from the woodwork, looking for spaces like this,”

Sevan said. “A lot of these folks have been selling out of their cars on weekends, at farmers’ markets

or through Facebook, but they’re ready for a more formal space.”

With more than 70 vendors already showcased, the market is a treasure trove of handmade goods, fine art and unique finds. The space provides an affordable alternative for small business owners who might not be able to manage the higher costs of a standalone storefront. The market also employs cutting-edge software to integrate sales across all vendors, making transactions seamless.

Future Plans: A Café,

Brewery and Event Space

Dover Station is only in its first phase of development. The next phase includes plans for a café in-

Dover Station

side the market, along with office and event spaces on the upper floor. The final phase will introduce a brewery—an addition specifically requested by the Town of Easton during early planning discussions.

“When I first put the property under contract, I asked the town what they envisioned for this space,” Sevan said. “They wanted a 12-houra-day destination, something that activated mornings, afternoons and evenings. They also identified a need for a mixed-use development and a gateway to the East End of Easton. So we said, ‘Great! Let’s make it happen.’”

With support from local orga-

nizations, including the Town of Easton, Easton Utilities and the Talbot County Chamber of Commerce, the project has garnered enthusiasm from community leaders and residents alike.

A Family-Driven Community Investment

Beyond the business, The Market at Dover Station is a deeply personal project for the Topjian family. Keri, a seasoned stylist with a background in product development for Martha Stewart’s home and garden lines, now manages the daily operations of the market.

She is also a passionate supporter of the arts, actively involved in Easton’s cultural scene includ-

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Dover Station

ing performances with the Easton Choral Arts Society and Avalon Theatre.

Their four children, ages 10 to 17, have also embraced the market as an extension of home—often welcoming visitors (including me) with fresh-baked treats and a warm, family-oriented atmosphere.

“One of the reasons we began this endeavor was to teach our children how to start a business from the ground up,” says Keri as she beams about the entrepreneurial skills she is fostering among her homeschooled children.

The Topjians, who met while volunteering in Armenia, bring a global perspective to their local venture, blending artisanal craftsmanship with community-focused entrepreneurship.

A New Cultural and Shopping Destination

The Market at Dover Station is more than just a shopping venue— it’s a place to experience Easton’s rich history, support local artisans and gather as a community. The large, open-beamed upstairs spaces are designed to host future events, while the market’s proximity to the Rails-to-Trails path and ample parking make it an accessible and inviting destination.

With every visit, shoppers will

discover something new—including the latest artwork from a local painter, unique antiques, handcrafted home décor, florals, jewelry, design services and more.

I remarked after our interview that the space and place reminded me of Eastern Market in my native D.C., except with an upscale, Eastern Shore-meets-Martha Stewart vibe. The market’s airy, sunny inside has that fresh, woody scent unless you’re in the flower section, where you can take in the aromas of today’s fresh pick.

The market’s elegant style, and a rotating collection of incredible art, goods and services make it like a museum you browse for hours and shop in.

And there’s plenty of reason to go back, with special events, First Friday gallery walks and more on their calendar. Think craft nights,

Dover Station

art workshops, cocktail receptions and more. Need a meeting room or office space? They have that too on the second floor and in space on the first floor before the café opens.

For those eager to explore, shop and support local makers, The Market at Dover Station is open and welcoming guests daily.

Whether you’re a local or a visitor passing through, it’s a place where history, commerce and community come together to create something truly special. Plus, you can take a little bit of this local home with you, thanks to the wonderful collection of artists’ and artisans’ work on display here. You’ll want to come often, and once the café and brewery are open, stay even a little longer.

For now, there are plenty of things to do to make a day of it. Stroll the adjacent Rails to Trails, take in some freshly roasted coffee or enjoy some Mad Eggs at Rise Up Coffee. You can head down the street to numerous restaurants and happy hour places nearby. Just be sure to acquaint yourself with the revival of Easton’s East End neighborhood and especially the Market at Dover Station.

For more information, vendor applications and a full calendar of upcoming events, visit doverstation.com or stop by to experience

it for yourself. Hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. You can also follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

# # # # #

About Easton’s

East End Neighborhood

Easton’s East End neighborhood is a historic community bordered by Park, Brookletts, Washington and Goldsborough streets. The East-End Neighborhood Association (EENA) leads efforts to revitalize and enhance the area. In 2024, the Town of Easton launched the East End Small Area Plan to update the 1997 plan, focusing on Dover Road’s redevelopment as a business corridor, improving walkability and repurposing former industrial sites. Public engagement, including community charrettes, has been central to shaping the neighborhood’s future.

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.

Life’s Second Half

by Michael Valliant

I embrace the idea that life has two halves. Many of us spend the first halves of our lives sorting out all the things we are told to do and during the second halves we figure out what it is we want to do. Franciscan friar and best-selling author Richard Rohr says, “When you get your, ‘Who am I?’, question right, all of your ‘What should I do?’ questions tend to take care of themselves.”

In 2025, I will turn 53 and marriage and ordination as an Episcopal

Priest are both on the radar screen for the year. Not a plan 23-year-old me could have seen coming, but on life’s path, this is where things are beginning to get the most interesting, be the most clear, make the most sense, be the most fun, and the most meaningful.

In his book, “Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life,” Rohr writes:

“In the second half of life, we do not have strong and final opinions

Life's Secong Half

about everything, every event, or most people, as much as we allow things and people to delight us, sadden us, and truly influence us.”

Now we’re getting somewhere. I feel less sure about so many of the things that I was certain about— I’ve realized how much I don’t know—so that I am more openminded and better able to listen to what life is saying and truly be present in and appreciate the here and now.

I picked my daughter Ava up from work one day this winter and the sun was setting beautifully on the horizon—we were seeing it from the Easton Bypass. I got this

Indoors or outside, it’s always fun to jump on a Rody horse.

urge to stop for a bit and watch it and see if I could get a good picture of it. I had a sense of each sunset being unique and not wanting to miss this one. Was it just another sunset or one of the everyday miracles we encounter if we have eyes to see them?

We get handed the idea that as we get older, we go quietly into the night, see diminishing returns, that the world is for the young. Those may be perspectives from folks firmly within the rat race. Even without a total reboot, the second half of life offers us new perspectives and experiences. We choose our own races, rat or otherwise.

For anyone who has spent time raising kids, as they get older, the nature of those relationships change and shift—conversations are deeper, questions are both existential and practical, sharing life together is more unpredictable.

Life's Second Half

As parents of growing kids, we are expected to have “the answers.”

My girls in their 20’s are starting to understand and appreciate why parents did the things they did as well as pulling back to the curtain to realize we never had the answers, we were just winging it and hoping; it’s just that we did the grocery shopping, made the meals, put the roof over their heads, and had the car keys.

With adult children, there is more at stake in the questions they ask, and they are looking for their own answers and to direct their own lives. It’s a beautiful (and still scary) and unpredictable thing. Each day

and each year their lives get more what they want them to be.

Part of the beauty of the second half of life is caring less about what other people think about us. Growing up, starting a career, starting a family—anytime we cross a new threshold, we look for affirmation. Am I going the right way? Am I do-

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Life's Second Half

ing the right thing? And we look around and take seriously what other people do and think. Hopefully we can take things in enough to make our own sense of them. We make up our own minds and start to listen to our own hearts. We reach a point where we don’t care to keep up with the Jones’s or what the Jones’s are doing or what they think (no offense to the Jones’s). Often with the second half of life, at some point we shed societal expectations and pick our own path and pace.

It’s nearly impossible to get through the first half of life without getting hurt and losing people and things we love and are important to us. We earn bumps, bruises, and broken hearts. And that is part of the gift that getting older offers us:

Life's Second Half

resilience and perspective.

When we experience loss, what we have becomes more precious and priceless.

In his book, “On the Brink of Everything,” Parker J. Palmer says that suffering breaks our hearts, but they can break in different

ways. Our hearts can grow hard and brittle and break into pieces.

“Then there’s the supple heart, the one that breaks open, not apart, the one that can grow into greater capacity for the many forms of love,” Palmer writes. “Only the supple heart can hold suffering in a way that opens to new life.”

Part of that is resilience, but it points to something more—it points to empathy. Understanding and processing our own pain opens us up to understand and be there for others in the difficult things they experience. And that opens us to life in a new way.

Coming into the next phase of life, we know what we don’t know. We have a better sense of what is

important to us. We care less about what other people think of our lives or how we live them. Our relationships grow deeper. Having experienced loss and heartbreak, we have a deeper appreciation for life and a resilience to keep moving forward.

This is the time for bucket lists, deferred challenges, new eyes and new experiences, not a retread of the same old, same old.

Rohr tells us to get ready:

“So get ready for a great adventure, the one you were really born for… get ready for some new freedom, some dangerous permission, some hope from nowhere, some unexpected happiness, some stumbling stones, some radical grace, and some new and pressing respon-

sibility for yourself and for our suffering world.”

“Carpe diem” isn’t a mantra reserved for those starting out—it’s a rallying cry for everyone who is questioning going through the motions; a wake-up call for us, right here, right now.

How will you seize the day, seize the year, seize your life?

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.

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Alvan Holston, DDS, Andrew Barnes, DDS and the team

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At Londonderry on the Tred Avon, the Eastern Shore’s only 62+ cooperative community, our residents embrace a maintenance-free lifestyle, surrounded by stunning waterfront views and endless opportunities for fun and connection. From strolling along our beautiful walking paths to enjoying farm-to-table dining. At Londonderry, your retirement is designed to bring joy into your everyday routine—dancing included! Call the Sales and Marketing Team today at 410.820.8732. Your best dance is yet to come at Londonderry.

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. The county is named for Queen Anne of Great Britain, who reigned when the county was established in 1706.

Queenstown was the original county seat when Queen Anne’s County was created, 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 .

Chesapeake Music’s

March Interlude Concert

Predictions are in. The combined talents of saxophonist Salvador Flores and pianist Andrew Kosinski will make Chesapeake Music’s March 22 Interlude Concert a truly memorable event. These extraordinary musicians will play an eclectic mix of classical, jazz, Latin and fusion music, including two of their own original compositions and a world premiere by Alex Tedrow. Flores, a saxophonist, educator and composer, has performed at the Kennedy Center, the White House

and the New World Center. Flores earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Michigan under the tutelage of Dr. Timothy McAllister and Dr. Andrew Bishop. While at Michigan, he received the Albert A. Stanley Medal, the highest honor awarded by the School of Music, Theatre & Dance. Flores is currently a U.S. Army Band member and an endorsed Yamaha Performing Artist. His debut album with the working title Mosaic is scheduled to drop in early 2026.

Saxophonist Salvador Flores (left) and pianist Andrew Kosinski (right) will perform in Easton on March 22, 2025.

Chesapeake Music

Kosinski, who hails from New Jersey, became a pupil of Steinway artist Vladislav Kovalsky and has studied and performed with many renowned pianists, including Min Kwon, David Brooks and Tibor Szasz. An accomplished composer, Kosinski’s works have been commissioned, performed and recorded across Europe, Asia and the United States. His short film score “If” won the Golden Award for Best Music Composer at the Tokyo Film Awards. Kosinski earned a bachelor’s degree in music from Rutgers University and a master’s degree in music from the Peabody Institute of Johns

Hopkins University. He currently serves as a staff arranger for the U.S. Army Band in Washington, DC.

Some highlights from the upcoming program include a tango, the well-loved standards Misty and Gershwin’s Summertime from Porgy and Bess , an original work by Kosinski called Where You Are and a world premiere composed by Alex Tedrow called Andisol . The idea for Tedrow’s piece came from the experience shared by Flores and Tedrow while watching a volcano erupt as they sat for hours on a mountaintop in Iceland. No doubt about it. The music played will energize you and lift your spirits. Flores suggests you

come with open ears and mind and enjoy a truly unique musical afternoon.

Tickets for the March 22 Interlude Concert held at the Ebenezer Theater in Easton are $50. Chesapeake Music also offers a limited number of free tickets for students, music educators, and the Talbot County Department of Emergency Services, as well as a “buy-one-get-one” option for those who are new to Chesapeake Music and want to bring a friend. Visit ChesapeakeMusic.org for tickets and more information.

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 .

"Welcome to our Roadhouse Bar & Grill, where the open road meets mouthwatering flavors and good ol’ fashioned hospitality. In the heart of Preston, Caroline County, we are not just about great food; we’re about creating great memories" ~ Ian & Elinor Fleming Serving Lunch 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. ~ Mon through Sat inclusive Serving Dinner 4 p.m. - 8 p.m. ~ Tue through ur inclusive 4 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. ~ Fri and Sat 201 Main St., Preston, MD 667-342-4024 Reservations Recommended!

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 .

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/.

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.

The March Into Spring

Yeah! I am so thankful that the warmer days and the increasing sunshine of March have arrived. The approach of spring gets the sap going in the plants and in gardeners, too! But don’t get too anxious to start planting. We can have some heavy snowfalls, and an Arctic Front or two has been known

to pass through our area in March with frigid temperatures.

One of the topics that I like to cover in this column is new or award-winning plants. This year the 2025 Perennial Plant of the Year® from the Perennial Plant Association (PPA) is Clustered mountainmint (Pycnanthemum

Tidewater Gardening

muticum). According to the PPA website, “Clustered mountainmint (also known as blunt mountainmint or short-toothed mountainmint) is a tough and adaptable perennial native to meadows and open woodlands across much of the eastern United States west to Texas. It is not a true mint (Mentha spp.) but belongs to the same family and has similarly scented leaves. A must-have for pollinator gardens, heads of tiny white to light pink blooms attract butterflies, wasps and bees from July to September. The inconspicuous flowers are upstaged by surrounding silver bracts, which give the illusion of frost in summer and persist for months. Clustered mountainmint has no serious disease issues, and its aromatic foliage is unpalatable to deer and rabbits.” Did you read that? Deer do not eat it! Deer generally do not like scented aromatic plants like bee balm and hummingbird mint.

The PPA website goes on to note that clustered mountainmint produces “Branched, vertical stems [that] grow two to three feet tall and form a dense, weed-suppressing clump. Clustered mountainmint spreads by underground rhizomes and can be aggressive in moist conditions, though it is not invasive to the degree of true mints.”

The PPA recommends planting

Tidewater Gardening

“clustered mountainmint in an area where it can freely naturalize and mingle among other plants. Its silver sheen plays well with other flower colors and contrasts wonderfully with dark foliage. Companions include black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia spp.), bee balms (Monarda spp.), blazing stars (Liatris spp.), Joe Pye weeds (Eutrochium spp.), and native grasses such as little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum).”

Are you looking to brighten up your annual flower beds this year? Consider zinnias. Zinnias are an easy and carefree annual to grow in the home flower bed. You can direct seed into the bed or grow or buy transplants to establish the planting. There are many different cultivars of zinnias to choose from.

If you are looking for a mixture

of colors in the flowers, you might try the 2025 All-American Selections (AAS) Ornamental Winner Zinnia Crestar Mix. The AAS comments, “Meet Crestar Mix, a brandnew AAS Winner that combines the best of crested zinnias in one fantastic varietal mix. Crested zinnias, also known as scabiosa-flowered zinnias, are known for their distinctive semi-double blooms with a pronounced central disc.

Crestar Mix brings together a vibrant palette of colors—including pink, orange, red, white, peach, and yellow—in a single planting. For a stunning display and a continuous supply of cut flowers all summer long, plant Crestar Mix in masse and try succession planting. These beauties boast large, striking blooms on healthy, robust plants that thrive even in summer’s heat and humidity.”

In the vegetable garden, I like

Tidewater Gardening

to grow broccoli as a spring and fall crop, though it does better in fall. Here in North Georgia, I cut my last broccoli the last week of January. Broccoli is a versatile vegetable, both raw and cooked. However, it is not a favorite for some people. According to Wikipedia, “During his tenure as the 41st president of the United States, George H. W. Bush frequently mentioned his distaste for broccoli, famously saying: ‘I do not like broccoli. And I haven’t liked it since I was a little kid. And my mother made me eat it. Now I’m president of the United States. And I’m not gonna eat any more broccoli!’ After Bush left of-

fice, he occasionally mentioned his dislike of broccoli. Bush’s son, George W. Bush, mentioned his father’s dislike of broccoli in a eulogy at his father’s funeral.”

If George W. was still alive, he would probably freak out at another AAS 2025 winner: Broccoli Purple Magic F1. According to AAS “Purple Magic, the first purple stem, purple-headed broccoli in the world! The large, dome-shaped heads weigh in at about 1 pound each. Purple Magic is very high in anthocyanin (a plant-based chemical called a flavonoid) and nutritious. Anthocyanin is thought to be useful in preventing cancer and inflammation. The plants grow well in all regions of the US and

mature about 90 days harvest from transplant. It is also a 2025 People’s Choice Green Thumb Award Winner purple broccoli.” You can purchase Broccoli Purple Magic F1 seeds through Johnny’s Select Seed, Hoss and Harris Seed catalogs.

Moving on to some outside gardening activities, you can do some vegetable plant seeding and transplanting in March as long as the soil is not too wet. Remember that it takes a long time for cold soil to warm up and that only certain vegetable crops can tolerate cold or cool soils. Also, it is very important to not till heavy clay soils when they are wet. Besides being hard to do, tillage of wet clay soils

Tidewater Gardening

will destroy the soil structure and result in growing problems later in the season.

A tradition for many Tidewater gardeners is to plant white potatoes and peas on St. Patrick’s Day. However, do not rush the planting if the soil is cold and wet. Wait until drier weather is forecast. The seeds and tubers will lay there in the cold ground and will be exposed to rotting conditions.

Don’t forget to plant edible pod peas like the Sugar Snap and Sugar Ann when the time is right. In March, other cool-season crops that can be directly seeded into the garden include beets, carrots, turnips, kale, lettuce, Swiss chard, onion sets, radishes and spinach.

Since most varieties of spinach and lettuce give out in warm weather, make sowings every week for three or four weeks to have a good, fresh supply coming up until June. So many new and different mixes of salad lettuce varieties are available now with different textures and flavors, so get creative in your seed choices.

If you did not get around to doing a good fall garden cleanup, March is the time to do it. One of the best ways to avoid insect and disease problems in the vegetable garden is to practice good prevention and sanitation techniques. Sanitation is one of the main elements in integrated pest management (IPM) for your garden.

When conditions are favorable, a disease may start on one or several susceptible plants and spread throughout the garden. It is important to destroy the first infected

plants or plant parts as soon as you find them. This means careful monitoring of your plants. Most fungicides are used as protectants and need to be on the plant before infection occurs. There are very few chemicals that can be used to cure a plant already infected with a fungus.

For this reason, the destruction of badly diseased plants or plant parts aids in preventing the spread of diseases. In addition to getting rid of diseased plants, the elimination of places that are likely to harbor diseases is another good practice. If you haven’t already, clean up the garden and remove and compost last year’s plant debris. March is an excellent time

to perform a general cleanup of the yard and garden. Work among your plants only when they are dry. Many fungi and bacteria are waterborne and are spread to other plants as you walk by them with wet pants, shoes, or wet tools. Many times, good sanitation practices are all that are needed to keep disease and insect problems under control in the garden. Sometimes chemicals are still needed, but reduce your need for pesticides by practicing good sanitation techniques.

March is strawberry planting time. Set out the strawberry plants that you ordered as soon as the ground is easily worked. Be sure to select a sunny location where

Tidewater Gardening

the soil is well drained and rich in organic matter. Working compost or well-rotted manure into the soil before planting is an excellent way to prepare the soil for planting.

Different planting schemes can be used in the garden for the strawberry bed. Some people like to place the plants 18 to 24 inches apart in rows four feet apart. Others plant the plants equally distant apart in a bed and form a matted row planting. Whichever way you choose, be sure that the crowns of the plants are planted at the soil level. Some gardeners make the

mistake of planting the plant too high or too low. Remove all blossoms that appear during the first growing season. This promotes faster growth and increases next year’s yield.

Soon after planting, mulch the plants with clean straw, hay or pine needles to help keep weeds down and hold moisture. Among the recommended cultivars for our area are Earliglow and Allstar. If you are looking for an ever-bearer, try Tristar and Tribute. The University of Maryland Extension Home and Garden Information Center has a very informative website on strawberry growing that includes recommended cultivars. Check it out at https://extension.umd.edu/ resource/growing-strawberrieshome-garden/agnr.umd.edu/ agnr.umd.edu/resource/growingstrawberries-home-garden . 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.

Reformed Rogues by A.M. Foley

Many called “pirates” today are common thieves, rapacious lenders or various other low-lifes. Strictly speaking, nearly four centuries have passed since typical Hollywood-style pirates sailed Chesapeake Bay. Historians date 1635 as the Bay’s first piratical act. William Claiborne, no hands-on duelist a la Errol Flynn, instigated the first inter-European assault from a safe distance.

Claiborne would probably dispute his ship’s attack on another Anglo-American was an act of “pyracie,” but authorities ruled otherwise. The charge results from his territorial dispute over Kent Island, named for his English birthplace. His trading license from the Virginia Company was void when George Calvert, Lord Baltimore, received a royal patent for lands north of the Potomac River’s mouth. (The Virginia Company was originally granted four hundred miles of land centered on Point Comfort, stretching from sea to sea.) Claiborne could have retained his lucrative fur trade and island property by acknowledging Calvert’s proprietary right. Even Virginia’s governor backed the

Calvert claim, but the tenacious Claiborne preferred to fight rather than acknowledge Calvert governance of upper Bay trading. When a pinnace sailed northward from Calvert’s St. Mary’s settlement to approach the Susquehanna River, Claiborne’s agent/ brother-in-law captured the Maryland ship, cargo and crew. Captive officers were taken to Kent Island, where they were released to report the affront to Maryland authorities. Marylanders retaliated by

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/.

taking the Kent Island pinnace Long Tayle on the Patuxent River. Hostilities ensued, pitting Kent Island settlers vs. Marylanders.

Claiborne armed a sloop and charged his lieutenant and fourteen crewmen with seizing any vessel out of St. Mary’s. On Pocomoke Sound an uneven engagement resulted between Kent Islanders and two Maryland pinnaces. Three islanders and one Marylander died in hand-to-hand combat; more were wounded. Claiborne re-retaliated on the Wicomico against a Maryland trader, then lost a bid on the Patuxent to retake Long Tayle . Claiborne had first reached Vir-

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Coat of Arms of William Claiborne

Reformed Rogues

ginia in 1621 as a young surveyor, but he thrived in the land of opportunity. Through his thirties and forties, he rose to powerful political offices, attracted financial backers, developed a lucrative fur trade and accumulated vast tracts of land. Equal parts litigious and combative, he pursued Calverts for decades in the courts while trading charges and counter-charges with business associates over financial frauds. When England’s Civil War undercut him politically and his combativeness exhausted friends and foes, Claiborne retired in his sixties to “Romancoke,” a 5,000acre plantation in King William

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County, Virginia. In the end, he fared better than most defeated hands-on pirate chiefs. Claiborne is believed to have died of natural causes in his latter seventies and been buried somewhere on his plantation near the Pamunky River.

Claiborne hardly fit the pirate motto: “A short life, but a merrie one.” He seems to have been driven by insatiable acquisitiveness and religious bigotry. If subsequent Chesapeake pirates had no nobler motives, at least most could claim some measure of mitigating circumstances.

The golden age of piracy dawned in the 1600s, when law-abiding seamen struggled under dangerous

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/.

Reformed Rogues

conditions. Often they sailed uncharted waters, crowded together in disease-ridden ships, subject to storms, privation and cruelty, without recourse from tyrannical superiors. While pirate ships afforded no physical comforts, they usually were nascent maritime democracies, with elected officers and shared profits. In colonies peopled with transported convicts, indentured servants and slaves, many landlubbers envied their freedom.

Samuel Bellamy preyed on merchant vessels sailing into the Virginia Capes. In Pirates on the Chesapeake Bay, author Donald

Shomette quotes Bellamy telling a captured captain: “. . . damn ye, . . . who will submit to be governed by Laws which rich men have made for their own security, for the cowardly whelps have not the courage otherwise to defend what they get by their knavery. . . . damn ye . . . who serve them, for a parcel of

Black Sam Bellamy

hen-hearted numskulls. . . . There is only this difference, they rob the poor under the cover of Law, forsooth, and we plunder the rich under the protection of our own courage.”

Many established merchants and colonial officials prospered dealing with outlaw mariners. A blurry line separated distinctions between patriots, licensed privateers and rogue pirates. While there may have been some fine legal distinctions, laws applied often depended on an authority’s point of view or personal culpability. English courts found it convenient to sentence those convicted to transportation to America. Maryland and Virginia outlawed this

practice, but the mother country voided the prohibition, so potential recruits and sympathetic settlers abounded.

Spanish authorities from the first distrusted all English, believing Virginia was established as a base for pirates to attack her holdings. Sir Henry Morgan (1635-1688) affected Virginia and Maryland only indirectly by keeping Spain busy defending her Caribbean and Central and Latin American holdings. Spain never resumed earlier Chesapeake explorations. When the Welshman died a gentleman in 1688 on one of his Jamaican sugar plantations, he was laid in state at Governor Albemarle’s residence, then honored with a state funeral.

Reformed Rogues

The governor declared amnesty so pirates and privateers could attend without fearing arrest. Ships in Port Royal harbor saluted with 22 guns. Morgan had bribed his way into respectability, eventually to be a recipient of bribes as a Jamaican Assemblyman and occasional acting Governor.

Timing was everything. Deeds that got a pirate knighted by one king might get him hung by the next, depending on relations with Spain—or perhaps with France or Holland. A generation after Sir Robert Morgan was lionized, a trio of pirates who surpassed his exploits were imprisoned and nearly hanged for their trouble. Captain Edward Davis, ship’s surgeon Lio -

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Sir Henry Morgan

nel (Dela) Wafer and shipmate John Hin(g)son terrorized Spain’s empire from the West Indies to the South Seas, around Cape Horn through the Straits of Magellan, up the coasts of Chile and Peru and across the Isthmus of Panama. En route, they charted island-dotted South Seas previously unknown to English navigators. Their exploits were recorded in logs, journals and frantic dispatches to Spain.

Unlike Mr. Claiborne, these pi-

rates eventually felt satisfied with their accumulated wealth. They headed back to Chesapeake Bay, where they’d outfitted and partially crewed their ship Revenge at Accomack, Virginia. Their reign of terror originated there August 23, 1683. Ultimately Davis attracted upwards of a thousand men under his command. In the spring of 1688, having survived nearly five years of derring-do, the trio planned to retire on Lynnhaven Bay, Virginia.

Reformed Rogues

They took passage from the West Indies to the Delaware and crossed to the head of the Bay, where they obtained a shallop. Sailing south, the shallop was hailed by a warship assigned to suppress piracy. The Dumbarton, eighteen guns and a crew of seventy under Captain Simon Rowe, met no resistance. Searching the tiny craft quickly revealed three great sea chests packed with Spanish dollars, silver plate and assorted other treasures. Captain Rowe celebrated by skimming unto himself an unspecified share,

then he sailed to Jamestown with three white captives, plus one Peter Cloise enslaved by Davis. Jamestown authorities took control of the remaining loot and jailed them all under suspicion of piracy. The white men claimed to be successful tradesmen from the West Indies, but Cloise told a more logical tale.

Piracy had gotten out of hand and lost favor since Morgan’s knighting, but in an effort to pacify his colonies, King James II had proclaimed amnesty for pirates who surrendered and reformed. The prisoners hired a representative and applied for release and

Depiction of a battle between William Claiborne and Thomas Cornwallis, 1635

return of their property under the amnesty but were deemed to have been captured rather than surrender. Their agent filed near-weekly petitions seeking his clients’ freedom and treasure, or at least grant of bail. The pirates claimed the chests in Virginia’s custody lacked the £4,000 that Captain Rowe took.

On both sides of the ocean years passed, while a bloodless coup, bureaucratic turf wars, ego clashes and avarice kept the trio separated from their shrinking loot. Bail authorized in April 1689 was not effectuated until July. Released as paupers, they accumulated further debts, adding to expenses Virginia claimed for imprisoning them over

a year. Finally, they received permission to pursue their cause in England, while Virginia retained £300 against debt claims. They and their chests, carefully assigned to separate ships, left for England to await the pleasure of new monarchs King William and Queen Mary.

Would it be freedom to enjoy the shrinking contents of their chests or the gallows?

At court a canny Scottish clergyman joined the ex-pirates, Spanish Ambassador and assorted others claiming pieces of the pie. Reverend James Blair had sailed from Virginia, seeking funds to establish higher learning in his adopted homeland. Ultimately, his fervor

Reformed Rogues in Virginia.”

provided a face-saving solution to the case. Davis, Wafer, and Hinson would receive amnesty, contingent on certain conditions: From the dwindling remains of their loot, debtors would be satisfied in England and Virginia (though not in Spain and elsewhere), and £300 would be dedicated to “the pious design of a free School and College

Writing later of his adventures, Wafer apparently had no wish to rehash the ordeal. He simply said of his time in Virginia, “There I thought to settle, but meeting with some Troubles, after a three Years residence I came home to England in the Year 1690.” He claimed no credit for endowing the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia.

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.

Oxford Bellevue Ferry Welcomes New Owner

When it opens for its 343rd season in early April, the Oxford Bellevue Ferry will have a new captain at the helm.

Jim Andrews, who holds a 1,600ton captain’s license and is owner of the Galveston-based company JettyLight, has purchased the ferry business from Captains Judy and Tom Bixler, who have been the keepers of the ferry for the past 23 years. The search for the ideal successor has taken more than two years.

“We knew it would not be easy to find the right person for this business,” says Captain Tom. “It

takes a special person to own and operate a ferry with a legacy this strong. We’re confident that Jim, who is a professional mariner and successful entrepreneur, has the personality and commitment to shepherd the ferry business into the future.”

America’s oldest privately owned ferry route has been a vital link across the Tred Avon River since its establishment in 1683. As its name implies, the ferry provides transportation service for vehicles, bicycles, motorcycles and passengers connecting the incorporated town of Oxford and

Often called the crown jewel of Talbot County, the Oxford Bellevue Ferry was established in 1683. It’s one of the oldest privately owned ferries in the U.S.

the historic working community of Bellevue.

The Talbot offers a scenic and efficient route that enhances local tourism and provides residents and visitors alike with a unique and memorable experience. Its operation supports local businesses, contributes to the area’s charm, and serves as a tangible link to the region’s past.

“The Oxford Bellevue Ferry is much more than just a means to cross the Tred Avon,” says Captain Judy. “It’s a cornerstone of the community’s identity, often referred to as the crown jewel of Talbot County. People tell us that

Big Rooster Mall

the sound of the ferry’s diesel engines, as they fire up after a long winter, is the true sign that spring has arrived in Oxford.”

In their years as captains, the Bixlers have ensured the continuous operation of the ferry route and have worked to preserve its rich legacy. Now, it’s Captain Jim’s turn to protect and nurture this community icon and sail it into the future.

Owner of JettyLight, LLC, a marine operations management consultancy based in Galveston, Texas, Captain Jim and his family will split time between Maryland and Texas. A graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and 20year Coast Guard career veteran, he held command positions on the Coast Guard cutters Thunder Bay and Dauntless, has an MS in oceanography from the University of Rhode Island and an MBA from Rice University.

In his new venture, Captain Jim plans to maintain the ferry’s historical integrity while exploring opportunities to enhance its

services. He acknowledges the ferry’s role as a living testament to the area’s history and is committed to preserving its legacy for future generations.

“This acquisition represents an exciting new chapter for both the Oxford Bellevue Ferry and JettyLight,” Captain Jim says. “We have been impressed to our core by the way Captains Judy and Tom Bixler have developed this business and maintained the Talbot.

We are honored to continue this heritage in historic Oxford,” he continues. “Our commitment to maintaining the ferry’s iconic charm will have a very familiar feel to our employees, customers, partners and stakeholders.”

The Bixlers assure fans of the ferry that they are not planning to leave the area and will be actively involved in the transition of the business to its new owner. Occasionally, you may even fi nd one of them at the helm of the ferry. They have conveyed their excitement about passing the torch to Captain Jim, confident that his experience, passion and innovative ideas will usher in a new era for the ferry.

The Bixlers praise the support from the Town of Oxford, Talbot County and the Maryland State Highway Department, along with the many vendors and other business partners who have worked with the ferry company.

“It would be impossible to mention everyone who has helped to make our tenure as ‘keepers of the ferry’ so special,” says Captain Judy. “We have created lasting friendships and numerous ties to this special place we call home.

We must, however, single out our predecessors, Captains David and Valerie Bittner, who offered an opportunity for us to follow in their footsteps and provided their invaluable support and friendship,” Captain Tom adds. “We also must acknowledge all of the devoted crewmembers, captains and customers who, without a doubt, made our job fun.”

As the Oxford Bellevue Ferry embarks on this new chapter, the community watches with anticipation. The transition marks a significant moment in the ferry’s long history, promising to blend tradition with innovation and ensuring that this iconic vessel remains a beloved fi xture of Talbot County’s landscape.

The Oxford Bellevue Ferry will open for the season on April 5, with weekend crossings and the Blessing of the Fleet takes place on Friday evening, April 4. The ferry will begin seven-day-a-week operation on Oxford Day, April 26.

For more information on how to join the Oxford Bellevue Ferry team, email Captain Jim Andrews at jim@jettylight.com.

Photo by John Cole Photography

Food is Not Always the Enemy - Sugar, Fat & Salt

Who doesn’t love to use heavy cream, butter, sugar and salt to deepen a dish? But a lot of use too much. I’ve seen people even add butter to pasta with tomato sauce. Mashed potatoes as a binder for cream and butter, only adding enough potatoes to keep the whole thing from turning into a puddle. Polenta made with just as much butter as cornmeal. If you didn’t know,

polenta doesn’t even have butter in it. As for sugar, a lot of bakers add large amounts into bread; I’ve tasted hamburger buns that are about as sweet as a cinnamon roll. Sugar is folded into virtually all sauces that are made and on shelves or served at restaurants, and it’s doubled in desserts. Salt is overused across the board in salads, meats, vegetables, etc.

Tidewater Kitchen

I never went to such extremes, and I will say that this attitude influenced me early in my cooking years. Over the years, though, I’ve wanted to kick some of these bad habits due to health benefits. By using local, organic ingredients in my own recipes I have found the flavor was so much better if left as nature would have it. It’s definitely a more balanced and healthy approach. real treat: finding your friend who is a waterman or going to the best seafood market. Offering fresh topquality fish features a freshness that requires only a light sauce or simple ingredients like garlic, lemon and fresh herbs.

The first step is to use top-quality ingredients, which nearly always taste better. Fresh, organic vegetables are loaded with micronutrients and protective phytonutrients that offer deep, complex flavors. Topquality organic olive oil contains a significant concentration of polyphenols, which are beneficial to health and provide a peppery bite to many otherwise bland dishes. You cannot find this bite in lesser quality oils.

Quality, freshness and naturally balanced flavors are just as important with animal protein, especially seafood, and sourcing the best is a

As for salt, I’ve found that the best strategy is not to counter its taste, but to simply reduce its quantity. Unfortunately, processed foods and restaurants have ramped up the use of salt, and I want to help educate on and change that. My general rule is to use 50 percent less salt than is traditionally served in the restaurant or found in your processed food. There isn’t any magic in this, but rather experimenting, reading, tasting and tweaking. I continually have fun creating healthier versions of my favorites with healthier sugar choices, better quality ingredients, cooking what is in season and using less salt and trying new ones: tasting the salts to see which has the most nutritional benefits and which you like best. I cook with Himalayan and finish off with Celtic Salt.

Healthy Fats

How much: 5 to 7 servings per day (one serving is equal to 1 teaspoon of oil or grass-fed butter, 2 walnuts, 1 tablespoon of flaxseed, 1 ounce of avocado). These offer a delicious balance of healthy fats, protein and carbohydrates. As a bonus, the caffeine and polyphenols in dark chocolate, which you can add to the recipe, can enhance focus and concentration, and improve your mood.

Best sources: For cooking, use extra-virgin olive oil and expeller-pressed grapeseed oil. Other sources of healthy fats include nuts (especially walnuts), avocados, and seeds, including hemp seeds and freshly ground flaxseed. Omega-3 fats are also found in cold-water fish, omega-3 enriched eggs and whole-soy foods. Organic, expel-

ler-pressed or safflower oils may also be used, as well as walnut and hazelnut oils in salads and dark roasted sesame oil as a flavoring for soups and stir-fries.

Sugar

Local honey or raw, Grade A maple syrup, I like to pair with cinnamon, as it lowers the glycemic level in the syrup or organic sugar.

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Tidewater Kitchen

Healthy Sweets

How much: Sparingly

Best sources: Unsweetened dried fruit, dark chocolate, fruit sorbet. Choose dark chocolate with at least 70 percent pure cacao and have an ounce a few times a week.

Basic Pancake Mix makes about 16 pancakes

Why buy a store-bought mix when homemade pancakes are so easy and so much better? You can use this mix immediately after putting it together or, better yet, do what I do: make a quadruple batch and store it in an airtight container in the pantry. That way, whenever you want to whip up a batch

of pancakes, all you’ve got to do is add your wet ingredients and you’re ready to roll.

2 cups all-purpose flour, organic when you can, or use your favorite flour or gluten free

1 tablespoon sugar, organic when possible

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon sea salt

Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk until well mixed. Transfer to an airtight container. The mix will stay good for 3 months.

Light and Fluffy Pancakes

2 large eggs, I like to use farm raised 1-1/2 cups buttermilk

1 cup Greek yogurt, I prefer full fat and organic

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 1/3 cup fresh mixed berries

Add dry pancake ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, bak-

ing soda and salt) to a bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients (eggs, buttermilk, melted butter and Greek yogurt) until well mixed. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir together until well combined.

Heat a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-low heat for 5 minutes, or you can use an electric griddle. Add a small amount of butter to the pan or griddle and spread with a paper towel until no visible butter remains. Use a ¼ cup measure to portion out pancakes that are about 4 inches in diameter. Cook pancakes until bubbles start to appear on top and the bottoms are golden brown (about 2 minutes), then flip the pancakes carefully and

cook on the second side until golden brown and completely set, about 2 minutes longer. Serve the pancakes immediately, or keep warm on a wire rack set on a rimmed baking sheet in a warm oven while you cook the remaining 3 batches. Repeat with remaining batter. Top pancakes with butter, blueberries and maple syrup if you wish, or with Mom’s amazing apple butter. Enjoy.

Note: you can add peanut butter or your favorite nut butter and sliced bananas for more nutrition or calories.

Maple

& Seed Porridge 2 servings ¼ cup raw sunflower seeds

Tidewater Kitchen

2 tablespoons golden flaxseeds

½ cup rolled oats

2 scoops favorite protein powder, optional

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup soy milk, unsweetened

½ fresh mixed berries, or your favorite

2 tablespoons maple syrup

In a high-speed blender or clean coffee mill, place the flax seeds and grind coarsely. Transfer to a small pot. Add the oats, protein powder if using and cinnamon, and stir to mix, then stir in soy milk and 1 cup water.

Stir the mixture over mediumhigh heat until it boils, then reduce the heat to low and stir until thick,

about 5 minutes. If you prefer a thinner consistency, stir in a little water, to taste.

Serve the porridge topped with berries and maple syrup.

Tuna Dip

This 5-minute dip combines canned tuna, herbs and Greek yogurt into a high protein snack for any occasion. It’s super easy and delicious.

1 can tuna or wild salmon in water, drained

¼ cup whole plain Greek yogurt, you can substitute mayonnaise if you’d prefer

2 teaspoon chopped dill pickles

1 tablespoon fresh dill chopped

Thoroughly drain tuna. In a small bowl, combine tuna, Greek

½ onion, finely sliced

yogurt or mayonnaise, salt and pepper and chopped pickle. Use a fork to stir and help break up the tuna or salmon, creating a smooth dip consistency.

Add dill and onion and stir. Serve with chopped vegetables, pita, toasted sourdough or your favorite whole grain crackers.

Tuscan White Bean Soup

1 pound dried white cannellini beans (for canned beans, see below)

Good olive oil

4 ounces pancetta, ¼-inch dice (see below)

2 cups chopped yellow onion (2 onions)

2 cups (½-inch dice) carrots, scrubbed (5 carrots)

2 cups (½-inch dice) celery (4 ribs)

2 tablespoons minced garlic (6 cloves)

2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary

6 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade 2 bay leaves

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

At least 8 hours or the night before you make the soup, place the beans in a large bowl and add enough cold water to cover them by 2 inches. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight. Drain the beans, rinse under cold running water, and drain again. Set aside.

In a large (10-inch) pot or Dutch oven such as Le Creuset, heat ¼ cup of olive oil over medium heat, add the pancetta and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes, until browned. Add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and rosemary and cook over medium-low for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender. Add the beans, 6 cups of chicken stock, bay leaves, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 45 minutes, until the beans are tender. Stir occasionally, scraping the bottom of the pot. Discard the bay leaves, cover the pot and allow the soup to sit off the heat for 15 minutes. Add more chicken stock if the soup is too thick.

Reheat slowly, ladle into large shallow soup bowls, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, drizzle with olive oil and serve hot.

For Canned Beans:

First, use 2 (14-ounce) cans of white cannellini beans. Drain the beans, reserving the liquid. Place 1 cup of the beans and ½ cup of the liquid into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and puree. When ready to add the beans in the recipe, stir in the puree and add the remaining drained beans (discard the remaining liquid). This adds a creamy depth to the soup. You don’t have to purée if you don’t want to—just add the ½ cup liquid and beans to the soup instead.

Notes: To reheat for a second day, you’ll need to add some water, salt, and pepper.

Use bacon if you don’t have pancetta.

Roasted Fish with Rosemary Serves 4

Here is an easy dinner that is even fantastic to make for company. I just love the flavors of lemon, olives and rosemary especially with fish!

4 (12 × 16-inch) pieces of parchment paper

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Tidewater Kitchen

4 (8-ounce) boneless skin-on fish fillets, such as a firm white snapper or cod

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 Tablespoons good olive oil

2 Tablespoons of lemon zest

2 lemons’ worth of freshly squeezed lemon juice

8 sprigs fresh rosemary

8 green olives with pits

2 egg whites, lightly beaten.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the pieces of parchment paper on a flat surface, fold them in half crosswise and cut each piece like a large paper heart cutout. Open the fold flat and place each fillet lengthwise just to the right of the fold. On each fillet, sprinkle ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and lemon zest, 2 sprigs of rosemary and place 2 olives alongside the fish. Brush the edges of the entire parchment paper with the egg whites. Fold the left side of the parchment paper over the right side so the edges line up, creating a packet. Press the edges together to create a seal. Starting at the edge at the top of the heart, make overlapping folds in the parchment, until you reach the “tail” of the heart. Fold the last end underneath to seal the packet. Place all the packets on a jelly roll pan, making sure the oil and lemon

juice don’t run out when you transfer them. Bake for 15 minutes exactly. Place each packet on a dinner plate, cut an X in the middle with scissors, and serve hot, allowing each person to tear open the packet.

These are great to make ahead: Prepare the packages and refrigerate for up to 1 day. Bake before serving.

Chocolate -Dipped Coconut and Nut Macaroons

Yields 20 macaroons

These are incredibly simple to make, but their sweet and salty flavor, combined with the rich dark chocolate, make them a total crowdpleaser. I love making them for a bite-sized sweet treat at the end of a dinner party, and I often keep extra on hand to enjoy in the afternoon alongside a hot cup of coffee.

Macaroons

1 ¼ cups unsweetened shredded coconut

¾ cup pecans

10 soft, pitted Medjool dates

½ teaspoon sea salt

1 tbsp grass-fed butter, softened

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 teaspoons water

1 teaspoon flaky sea salt, optional, for a final touch

Chocolate Coating

1 cup dark chocolate chips or organic 100% baking bar from Harris Teeter

½ teaspoon coconut oil

To make the macaroons, preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread the coconut and pecans on the prepared baking sheet, keeping them separated. Bake the coconut and pecans for 4 minutes, until they are slightly golden. Check them frequently for doneness during the final minute to prevent the coconut from burning. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the toasted coconut and set it aside.

Place the remaining toasted coconut and the pecans in a food processor. Set the baking sheet aside to cool, and replace the parchment paper if needed.

Add the dates, salt, butter and vanilla to the food processor. Process the ingredients at high speed to combine them, stopping to scrape down the sides of the food processor’s bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the water 1 teaspoon at a time and pulse until the mixture begins to bind together and a doughy texture forms. The mixture

should be fairly smooth but with notable flakes of coconut.

Once the baking sheet has cooled completely, use a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop out a ball of dough and place it on the baking sheet. Flatten the dough ball slightly. Repeat this process with remaining dough until you have 20 macaroons.

To make the chocolate coating, combine the chocolate chips and coconut oil and melt over the stove on a double boiler.

Dip the bottom of each macaroon in the melted chocolate and place them back on the baking sheet. Once you have dipped all of the macaroons, use a fork to drizzle the re-

maining melted chocolate on the tops. Immediately sprinkle the macaroons with the remaining toasted coconut and the flaky sea salt.

Chill the macaroons in the fridge for 15 minutes to allow the chocolate to solidify completely. Serve the macaroons immediately, or store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week or place in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Pamela Meredith, formerly Denver’s NBC Channel 9 Children’s Chef, has taught both adult and children’s cooking classes.

For more of Pam’s recipes, visit the Story Archive tab at tidewatertimes.com.

All Quiet on the Sound A novel by B.

P. Gallagher

Chapter 19: Anniversaries

On Friday, February 28, thirteen unlucky years to the day of Shane’s drowning, there came a knock at the door. The Higgins siblings looked up from a mostly untouched breakfast and, grey faced, went to greet their unexpected caller.

Deputy Calhoun malingered on the porch out in the cold, hands crammed into the pockets of his fleece-lined jacket. His collar was upturned against the frigid breeze, and he wore his hat brim drawn low to shade his ice-chip eyes,

The parties regarded one another in frosty silence across the yawning crevasse of the threshold to the house. On one side, the Hig-

ginses, an island unto themselves. Keepers of dark secrets and tragic memories, inheritors of misfortune and this mausoleum of a home. On the other, a skulking intruder who dared disturb their observance of a personal anniversary. A family tragedy of which Tyler Calhoun, who had witnessed its aftermath firsthand, knew full well. The timing of this visit was no accident; Earl could see it in the man’s eyes.

With no other preamble than that too-long pause, Deputy Calhoun said, “I need to have a word with both you boys. Preferably one at a time.”

“Ain’t a great day for us,” said Leon. “But I reckon you know that.”

“Yes, well. Who wants to go first?

Earl, shall we take a walk?”

“That a request?” said Earl, recalling what happened the last time the deputy managed to split them up. Recalling the pending indictment Jonah had spoken of, which hung over their necks like the headman’s axe.

“I suppose,” said the deputy. For now, said his fl int eyes.

“Then no, I don’t think we will.”

“Anything needs said to us can be said to us all. Right here.”

“And if you were hoping to use today’s date and Shane’s memory as props in your endless, empty interrogations,” said Maggie, voice cold and brown eyes narrowed, “We

won’t make it so easy as to let you walk us down to the cemetery. You can go right ahead and cast your aspersions on the stoop, with the living representatives of the family.”

Deputy Calhoun’s icy gaze fl ashed over Maggie. “No need for hostility, miss. This may come as a surprise to you, but I don’t go about my policing at the behest of you Higginses, and certainly not by your calendar.” He sighed, removed his hat and began unbuttoning his jacket. “Why don’t I just step inside, and we can take a seat in the—”

“Keep your clothes on, Deputy,” said Earl. “Whatever you gotta say, you’ll tell us right there on the front porch. Then you can be on your way and let us be about a hard day in

Wash away WINTER GRIME!

“That’s right, and make it quick,” said Leon. “We got a full day’s work ahead of us on the Shore, and it’s nothin’ so easy as stalking decent, law-abiding folks like a misbegotten shadow—like seems to pass for a hard day’s work for some folks around here.”

Deputy Calhoun resettled his hat on his close-cropped head. “We’ll just have to see about that, won’t we? This conversation—this whole affair—can be over just about as promptly as you’d like. If you just tell me what I need to know.”

“What’s that?” said Earl, knowing full well.

“Why you killed Peter Calhoun, of course. And where you’ve hidden his corpse.”

“For the final time, Deputy,” said Earl. “We don’t know what the hell you’re on about.”

“Oh, I think you do, Mister Higgins, and since I intend to get to the bottom of it, you can rest assured this won’t be the last you see of me.”

“Guess you’re bent on wasting all our goddamn time, then,” said Leon. “You’re pretty thick, aintcha Calhoun? We ain’t done nothin.’ How many times we gotta say it?”

Tyler Calhoun leaned close, as if to prove how effortlessly he could ford the chasm between the front stoop and the foyer. “We know you did it, however much you protest.

One of you boys or both of you. Hell, maybe all three of you, way you been acting this morning. Once we’ve got the proof we need, we’ll take you in one way or another. Won’t be long, however it’s done. But if it goes down the hard way, I mean to see you boys ride the lightning for the pain you’ve caused my family and the trouble you’ve caused me. You could make it easier on yourselves, though.”

Earl clenched his fists so hard his fingernails dug into his palms. His whole body shook. His mind reeled, that breathless sensation of falling threatening to overwhelm his spinning head.

“How dare you!” Maggie’s face was livid, eyes ablaze. “Show up

on our stoop this morning—this morning!—taunting and threatening, then tell us we’re acting out of sorts? And knowing full well what today is to us, no less. You tactless, heartless son of a bitch! Have you got no decency at all? Have none of you people?”

Tyler Calhoun blinked. Surely he’d borne more obscene curses, and by far more intimidating than this. But something—the poison in Maggie’s tone, the vehemence of her words, the compact vehicle of their furious delivery, maybe—gave him pause.

“If you haven’t got a body, how do you even know he’s dead?” spat Maggie into the rift. “Sounds to me like you’ve got no evidence at all to

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base these accusations on. Aren’t there laws against this sort of harassment? We oughta have you reported for this.”

The deputy collected himself. “I’m only doing my due diligence, miss. Like I said, trying to make it easier on the lot of you. Do yourselves a favor, boys. C’mon in and talk to us, set the record straight. And if you really do wish to file a report, Miss Higgins, the station is the place to do that as well. Why dontcha make it a family outing?”

“C’mon in and implicate ourselves, you mean,” said Earl. “You’ve just said you’ve already decided we did it! Why the hell would we come in?”

“I suppose you wouldn’t, if you’ve got something to hide… On the other hand, if you really ain’t done nothing wrong, like you keep insisting, then you got no reason to be scared. If that’s the case, then we ought to be able to wrap this whole business up quick and move on with our lives.”

“Bullshit,” said Leon. “We lose no matter what!”

Tyler Calhoun shrugged. “I guess that’s up to you. But the longer you wait, the bigger this thing grows, the harder it gets on you. Maybe we start taking a close look at you too, Miss Higgins. Who knows, maybe we expand the investigation and start digging around in old family business! Lotta talk when your brother died

like he did, and your poor mother within the same year. And the stillbirth, of course. So much tragedy for one family! By the time your father met his early grave, well—can’t say folks were much surprised.”

“You bastard!” Maggie hurled herself at the deputy with a hand upraised. Leon caught her wrist before she could slap the contemptuous lawman, and Earl dragged her back around her waist.

“Better get a handle on her,” said Deputy Calhoun, eying Maggie with fresh, worrying interest. “She’s got a temper.”

“Takes after me,” said Leon, with pride. “Now get the fuck off our porch.”

“Alright, Mister Higgins, if that’s

how you wanna play it. I’ll be seeing you real soon, I’m sure. Have a lovely day.”

The moment the deputy turned his back, Leon slammed the door and threw his back against it. He quaked with palpable rage. Maggie burst into ugly, heaving sobs. Hot, furious tears sprang into Earl’s eyes as well. This day had always been destined for fraught nerves; now they were frayed down to the last thread.

“C’mon,” he said, scrubbing his eyes. “Let’s get ready for work. Can’t sit around wallowing all day. Worrying, neither.”

The deputy’s surprise visit sentenced Betsy to splash through the shallows on their way off the island,

the Sound encroaching on the causeway and her rust-flecked hubcaps. A static day on the water, grey and flat. The world seemed a blasted, barren tundra. Warmer than the day Shane slipped through the ice, but not by much.

What difference a few degrees could make! A hair’s breadth of ice, a crack no larger, a sliver of irrecoverable time smaller still. An instant of inattention, a pitter-patter of the boy’s feet, then the sheet had broken asunder like a gallows trapdoor—to the same suffocating effect.

Terrible memories swirled on the way to work like mist rising off the sweating hoarfrost. When Maggie

said goodbye at the cannery, hers were the first words spoken since the drive began. The ride to the marina was quieter still. Guilt rode in the cab between Earl and Leon, stealing away the air with which they might have spoken. Bunky offered none of his usual complaints about their tardiness. Taking it easy on them because of the date, Earl figured. The truth, it turned out, was more frustrating.

“Don’t much know how to tell you boys this,” said the dockmaster, “but I’ve got a few a’ them Calhouns threatening to take their boats elsewhere rather’n have Higgins hands work on ’em. So, Earl, I’m gonna hafta pull you off the shipyard ’til the furor blows over, at least for them

C. ALBERT MATTHEWS

Where Integrity Meets Innovation

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watermen that’s making a stink.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“’Fraid so. Wish I weren’t—the whole of it’s a load a’ hogwash, I know it and you know it. But these goddamn rumor moths, Earl, they’re into folks’ ears somethin’ fierce.”

“C’mon, Bunk. We need the work, today of all days. Not just for the paycheck, neither.”

Bunky sighed. “I won’t turn you away, today or any day. I don’t truck with rumors, and you’re good men, I know it in my heart. But this business with the Calhouns… It complicates things, from an economical perspective. I got my customers to think about, and it seems you’re great villains in the public eye right now.”

“Stick us on the tug then, if we’re so ugly,” said Leon. “Get us outta sight.”

“I would, if it weren’t for that tugboat business a couple months back… I won’t lie to you, boys—it ain’t good. You got half the Shore up in arms against you.”

“Nothin’ we ain’t used to,” said Earl. “We had the stink on us when Mom died, then again after Pop quit the church, and before that…well. You know what day it is. We’re used to being pariahs.”

“I’m here to tell you this is worse.”

“We know, Bunky. We know.”

“Well, okay…let’s see what we can find for you to do ’round here

won’t get me boycotted.”

A day of busywork on the docks was a paltry salve for the wounds of yesterday, the pressing concerns of today. Deputy Calhoun’s investigation and the scandal that accompanied it had never seemed closer at hand. If the marina and the doldrums of familiar work were no haven, where would they turn? Even Bubba Coyne seemed to be looking sideways at them today. Then again, that might reflect resentment at the outsized workload now shunted his way rather than suspicion. And Bunky, despite his insistence to the contrary, encouraged the brothers at day’s end to take an extra-long weekend—paid, of all things—to get their affairs in order.

The Deputy’s investigation expanded, and the Higginses’ world narrowed.

On Saturday, February 29, twelve years and three leap years to the day of Mom’s fateful dip in the Sound, another knock came at the door. With neither work nor hunting to occupy them—duck season was over, and a dreary sleet since the wee hours discouraged other outdoor ventures—the Higginses were confined to home for the day. Cornered, as it were, by dismal memories—and now, by this harbinger of doom out of the squall. Earl dragged his feet to answer the door. A prickling premonition told him this ill weather could only summon like company.

Sure enough, Tyler Calhoun

All

Quiet

loomed on the porch. “Mister Higgins. The very man I came to see.”

“Don’t you ever quit? Christ, this day only comes ‘round once every four years, and you still manage to show up! Can’t you let us be this once?”

“Justice can’t wait, I’m afraid. From a member of one bereaved family to another, surely you can understand that.”

“You got some nerve.”

“Just fulfilling my familial obligations, that’s all. Matters of family— like justice—are paramount.”

From the hall, Maggie scoffed. “That’s a fine way to honor the sanctity of family, harassing us yesterday and today! Pop’s anniversary is coming up in a couple months, have you marked that down on your calendar yet? Just don’t expect to be welcomed then, either!”

Deputy Calhoun smiled unctuously. “Oh, I expect the whole business to wrapped up by then, Miss Higgins.”

“Let’s get it over with, then,” said Leon. “You can say your piece from the stoop, like yesterday. Hell, might as well get whatever you’ve got planned for tomorrow outta the way now too.”

The oily smile didn’t slip. “Today, I must insist on speaking to Earl alone. Outside, since you don’t seem inclined to invite me in out of the weather.”

“He ain’t goin’ nowhere with you.”

“That’s not really up to you, now is it, Leon Higgins? It’s very simple. Earl can either accompany me on a little walk like I ask, voluntary and civil-like, or you can both take a ride in my boat—in handcuffs—for obstruction of justice.”

“It’s fine, Leon,” said Earl. “I got nothin’ to hide. Lemme put on my coat and boots, Deputy.”

“Don’t let that snake rile you, Earl,” said Leon as he headed out the door. “He’s wily.”

Earl gave his brother a reassuring nod, then shut the door behind him. “Not the graveyard,” he said the moment he and the deputy were off the porch. Fool me once.

“Oh no, that would be in poor taste,” said Tyler Calhoun without the barest hint of irony.

They headed towards the docks, collars upturned against the clotted sleet and curious stares. From the windows of the houses lining the lane, Earl could feel the eyes of his neighbors watching, weighing, judging him. Would even the people of Moore Island turn against them now, too? If even that support eroded like the shoreline into the Sound, how long could their withered roots hold firm before washing away?

“I’ve got an inkling you’re the sensible one, am I right on that?” said the deputy.

“All us Higginses got our heads screwed on straight, if that’s what you mean.”

“Sure, but I got a hunch that outta you and your brother, you’re the thinking man.”

Earl didn’t answer.

“I take it you’re too modest to agree with me, but I reckon we both know it’s true.”

“You don’t know shit. Leon’s smarter’n you, I’d bet.”

“Maybe so, maybe so. But I’m talking to you now, and it’s your wits that count. Let’s see if you’re smart enough to help yourself and your family when your siblings ain’t around to misguide you.” They neared the docks, where the late Mr. Gibbs’s Marylou bobbed on the restless shallows. “Nice boat,” said the deputy, following Earl’s gaze.

“She runs okay,” said Earl, daring the man to mention their chase across the Sound.

“I bet she does.” Tyler Calhoun’s eyes flashed with brittle humor, then back to their accustomed cold-steel edge. He nodded to the draketail tied at the end of the pier. “That one down there’s mine, but I guess you knew that.”

“Just say what you need to say,

Deputy. I’ve no taste for repartee today. Are you here to taunt me? Fine, taunt me. I’m all outta energy to rise to it, and I’m getting pissed on one way or another the longer we stand out here.”

Deputy Calhoun bared his teeth. “We’ve almost got you Higginses now. Count on it.”

“Almost, almost! You came all the way out here with almost?! You been plucking that string for weeks now, and nothing comes of it! You got a body, deputy? Any evidence at all besides wild guesses and crackpot conspiracy? I don’t think so—if you did, you woulda clapped one or both of us in chains by now.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t be so quick to strike your dear sister from that list, boy! We’re coming for you, one or all—that’s for you to decide. C’mon in and talk to us, Earl. You won’t get a moment’s peace until you do, and I won’t be able to rule anybody out as a suspect. Hear me? I guess what you need to consider is how much your and your siblings’ freedom is worth to you.”

“Our freedom!” Earl laughed bit-

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terly. “This whole thing’s a goddamn farce, all of it! You people decided the outcome weeks ago. You know it and I know it, so let’s get that outta the way and be done with it!”

“Yes! Be done with it! Prove you’re a thinking man. You’ve got something to tell me, aintcha? So get it off your chest, Earl—the guilt must be eating you up inside.”

Yes! thought Earl. Oh yes! It seared and quickened in his belly like a hot coal, burning his innards. But this man cared nothing for that. He sought only vengeance under the guise of justice, a body to drag before the court and the Calhouns. Punishment for the truer justice al-

ready meted out, elsewhere.

Earl looked Tyler Calhoun in his steely eyes and said for what felt the thousandth time, “You. Got. Nothin.’”

“We got somethin’ alright, boy!” Deputy Calhoun leaned close. Spittle flew from his wind-chapped lips, and the brim of his hat nearly poked Earl’s forehead.

“Oh yeah?” Earl fought to keep his voice hard, steady. “What?”

“We got somebody can place you where you shouldn’t have been on the night of the crime, that’s what! Why dontcha chew on that for a while?”

Earl digested this for a moment, stone-faced. Behind the mask, an electrical storm of panic coursed

through his mind. Deeper still, a voice began to gibber in terror. His lips felt carved from sandstone, yet somehow his mouth formed the words, “I don’t believe you.” They tasted false on his bone-dry tongue.

“Don’t you?”

“No, I don’t.” Empty threats and taunts, like before—nobody saw nothin’, nobody knows nothin’. Right? Doubt crept in like an oilslicked tide. Could it be true?

“I suppose that’s your prerogative. I’m only trying to do the decent thing by giving you advance notice. It’s just a formality at this point, really.”

“The decent thing! Ha!” Earl spat into the water. “Who ya got, then? Where’d they see me, and doing what?”

Tyler Calhoun smirked, said nothing.

“See? You ain’t got shit.”

“Come on down to the station and tell us what you know, and maybe we’ll clear all that up for you. It’s a bitter pill to swallow, but the whole thing’ll go down a lot easier that way. Who knows, you might even

be able to secure immunity for your siblings, you do us this favor.”

“I think I’ll take my chances.”

“Again, your prerogative. But the storm’s coming for you one way or the other, Mister Higgins. Why not get out ahead of it? Think on it.”

The deputy boarded his boat. Earl was left trembling with cold and rage and fear, in no particular order.

As the draketail’s motor receded, Earl made his way towards the Moore Island cemetery. As he passed home, Leon and Maggie joined him. Leon carried a small cross fashioned from fencing slats and roofi ng tacks; Maggie, a driftwood wreath woven with a yellow ribbon. Together, heads bowed against the freezing rain, they walked in silent vigil the dead-end path their mother had picked many years past.

Brendan Gallagher is a 2013 graduate of Easton High School and is currently finishing up a Ph.D. in Social-Personality Psychology at the University at Albany.

Changes: Patsy The Indomitable Patsy Kenedy Bolling

An excerpt from a biography by

Roger Vaughan

Preface:

Patsy Kenedy Bolling joins a list of rare, remarkable women who throughout history have succeeded at various dangerous and frontierexpanding enterprises, all usually consigned to the men’s world.

Patsy Kenedy Bolling is a pioneer. She cut a wide swath through

two predominantly men’s sports in the 1960s and 70s: auto and ocean racing. She was accepted because of her skill, her talent and her refusal to court favors. As one of her crew put it, “There was no feminine role playing. She acted like one of the boys, and she was accepted. They saw how very competitive

Patsy

she could be – and how well she cleaned up.”

At age 81 (in August 2024), Patsy continues to be driven by adventure thanks to her rigorously maintained fitness, her continued passion for and professorial approach to the sports she loves, and, some would add, a daily ration of rum. Her charm is innate. In one recent three-week period, she rode as navigator in a 1926 Bentley in the Flying Scotsman Rally in Scotland; crewed on a 62-foot, 1925 Alden schooner in the Antigua Classic Regatta and survived a weeklong celebration of her niece’s wedding on Harbour Island, Bahamas.

In the early 1970s, Patsy had met her match – and her soulsmate – in her audacious husband, Bill Bolling. Together they restored the 102-foot Alden schooner Puritan, among a dozen other noteworthy craft. Fifty years later, after offering to share her knowledge of Puritan with the new owner and crew, she’s become a regular on board known as “Aunt Patsy.” Puritan’s owner was the driver of that 1926 Bentley.

I’ve known Patsy and followed her exploits since 1980. It’s my pleasure to put it all together. ~ReV Patsy

The list of boats she helped deliver or race reads like a who’s who of legendary yachts.

The favored child of a rough-shod Nova Scotia schoonerman who sailed freight to the Caribbean in the 1940s, Patsy’s life is a compelling tale. It also provides a clear window into a rollicking era of auto and ocean racing the likes of which we’ll never see again. She raced cars in Nassau in the 1960s, making lifelong friends of drivers like Sir Stirling Moss, Augie Pabst and Dan Gurney. The list of boats she helped deliver or race reads like a who’s who of legendary yachts. The wild parties she threw on Cabbage Beach on Nassau’s Paradise Island will never be forgotten.

At the time, Patsy’s busy social life was focused on a sailor she’d met at one of the beach parties she’d initiated when the Southern Ocean Racing Conference (SORC), known as the Southern Circuit, came to town. In the 1960s, entries in the Circuit numbered close to a hundred because there wasn’t a better way on earth to race big boats and, for northerners especially, to escape the cold and have knockdown, drag-out, no-holds-barred parties with friends and competitors after racing all day under the hot sun.

The SORC was cleverly organized to allow owners and crews a chance to fly home and tend to

business after the first two races then return for the rest of the series. It was, as one participant put it, as much fun as you could have sailing. Sports Illustrated’s Coles Phinizy wrote about it in 1981:

“There was a time long ago when the object of the SORC was simple: It was an excuse for salty chums to gather and try to win trophies and drink each other under the table.”

The SORC was started in 1941, but the “time long ago” Phinizy was referring to was the 1960s, distance racing’s golden age, before life got so data- and social media-driven, when name designers like Charley Morgan (Paper Tiger for Jack Powell); Bill Tripp (Ondine for Huey Long); Sparkman & Stephens (many); Ted Hood (Robin , for himself); and designer/builder Bob Derecktor (Grey Goose , for himself)—to mention a few—had boats primed for the first race from St. Petersburg to Miami. The boats would return to Saint Pete for the race to Fort Lauderdale that would follow.

“I got into car racing in December because there were three hundred good-looking men descending on Nassau. Now the SORC was coming in January with four hundred more good-looking men!”

Her objective was for more than dates. She wanted a berth on a race boat, not an easy goal. For women to be accepted racing cars was simple compared to women being allowed to crew on race boats in the thirty-five to seventy-foot range. Lack of strength was always the first reason given for keeping women off the boats. But everyone suspected that having a woman sharing a yacht’s close quarters with a bunch of men for a distance race could be…disruptive.

She wanted a berth on a race boat, not an easy goal.

After the break, the fleet of eighty to one hundred boats would race Miami to Nassau (a race down to only seventeen boats in 2024). The opportunity this presented to Patsy Kenedy was staggering. “Are you kidding me?” she says.

Patsy had gone about getting berths in the usual way at the time: hanging out on the docks and being available. One talked the talk hoping for a chance to sail the sail and start building a portfolio of races on fast boats with positive feedback from owners and fellow crews. Alpha , the Kenedy family’s working ketch, was moored at a busy dock in Nassau, a prime location for finding, in addition to Ted Turner (another story), well-known boats being cleaned up between races. A few berths away lay Gulfstream , a seventy-foot cruising yawl. Patsy helped talk the owner into doing a local race and got rave reviews.

Using the same approach, she did deliveries on the legendary Herreshoff ketch Ticonderoga (seventy-two feet LOA), and the equally famous yawl Bolero (seventy-two feet LOA). “I was always flaunting my body about, trying to get invited on a boat,” Patsy says. “Whatever it took. I scrubbed fenders, I cooked, sewed sails, got my foot in the door until someone asked, ‘Why is Patsy in the galley—she should be on deck.’ And I said, ‘Of course, the deck is where I’m going.’”

What better way to put yourself in the thick of things than to throw a party? A party for sailors in those

days, as Coles Phinizy implied, was destined to expand the boundaries of unreasonable behavior. Owners hosting traditional, post-race crew dinners knew that damages might cost more than the food and drink. Some owners went so far as to encourage their crews to take it beyond the limits. Having a food fight, even a bench-clearing brawl, or drunken, overly enthused crewmen parading atop a table bearing the leftovers of thirty dinners at a five-star restaurant, was not uncommon. Alcohol was that much in charge of the game.

Her first party was a spontaneous effort. “There was no plan,” Patsy says. “I just put out the word, arrived with my rum punch, and

Bolero photo by Dan Nerney

made everybody on the beach drunk. It was a good way to get everyone together, to be around the boat people, get myself involved.”

The following years the planning became important. The very coveted, handwritten invitations stating time (afternoon) and place and urging attendees to BYOB were hand-delivered to the boats. With the help of her girlfriends, Patsy organized live music, food, and her killer rum punch, all of which had to be transported by dinghy to beaches at the east end of Paradise Island. The bridge from the main-

land was in place, but no paved roads had yet been built to the beaches.

Crews on the smaller boats arrived on their boats. Others rented dinghies. It was a mad scene. There was a bonfire, dancing, water-skiing, and spinnaker flying. Some nudity was evident. The most memorable event was a lively competition to find out how far a Boston Whaler could be driven up the beach. With the engine unlocked so it could flip up, the Whaler would be driven onto the beach at full speed. The driver who got the boat closest to the bonfire won. After each run, a gang of deliriously inebriated campers would drag the Whaler back to the water for the next contestant. At their height, fifty to a hundred sailors and friends attended these parties.

Pam Wall, who went on to be a cruising consultant and an advocate for women in sailing after circumnavigating the globe with her husband, Andy, has vivid memories of Patsy’s SORC parties. Pam

sive than I wanted to see.”

had met Patsy when she and Andy were cruising in the early 1970s. “We were anchored in Man-OWar Cay,” Pam says. A big motor yacht called Pez Espada came in, anchored upwind. I was making pancakes the next morning on a one burner, kerosene stove. Difficult stove to maneuver. I was burning the pancakes. I guess smoke must have been coming out of the hatch. Suddenly I heard this outboard racing toward us, bumping alongside, and there’s Patsy jumping aboard with a fire extinguisher. She’s thinking the boat is on fire. I was so embarrassed. But that’s Patsy in a nutshell. Ready to help people. Always there with the right things. Very intelligent woman. And in those days, there weren’t many.”

And she had no qualms about taking her top off. That used to get some attention.

Paige Neuberth helped Patsy put the parties together. After college, Paige had taught English as a second language in elementary school before taking a job at Lilly Pulitzer’s women’s shop in Palm Beach. She says a boat-related weekend in Jamaica permanently changed her life for the better. She had met Patsy along the way, and they had clicked. “I don’t know why,” Paige says, “preppy girl that I was, meeting Patsy with her F-bomb. In those days people just didn’t use that word, and of course it’s the second word that comes out of her mouth. That F-bomb. My God. It’s so funny. She was just fresh, not nasty. Funny! And she had no qualms about taking her top off. That used to get some attention.

But the nature of Patsy’s SORC parties shocked Pam. “I was an innocent young girl,” Pam says today. “My parents were teetotalers. I didn’t drink. My idea of a party was at the Chicago Yacht Club with blazers and dresses. I can’t explain how wild the beach parties were. I hadn’t met Patsy then. But I was watching people who I knew and liked quite well act like I couldn’t believe. It was like looking at a bad movie. I’d never been exposed to anything like it. It was more exces -

“She didn’t suffer fools, men or women. She was never rude or mean. If you weren’t secure in your own position, she didn’t hurt you. She just dismissed you. It’s the way she was. She taught me a lot. I hadn’t grown up sailing. She was so rugged in shorts and a T-shirt. So tough. Later we did some deliveries together. She taught me to be prepared for anything. She had these hiding places on the boat. When it was time to hit the yacht club for awards ceremonies, out would come a pair of high heels from a nook under the dining table. Out

of another corner would come a sexy little dress. Patsy who was so roughand-tumble would hit the runway, I’m telling you, with a big splash. When the cameras came out, she’d be front and center. She taught me how to hide my dressy clothes.

“There was so much alcohol at those SORC parties,” Paige says. “But there were no games, no tugof-wars, no competitions other than the Whaler thing. And no drugs, not back then. Lucky. Or cell phones. No pictures! That was lucky too. Just people standing around on the beach talking and getting very drunk. Driving the Whaler onto the beach was memo-

rable. Lucky no one got hurt. But it was mainly a drinking afternoon out in the sun.”

Getting the boats back to Nassau Harbour after the party was always a challenge, especially the time when a couple jokers had dived on several of the boats and tied their folding propellers closed.

The parties worked for Patsy. They had her name all over them, establishing her as both an enthusiastic hostess and a force to be reckoned with. Her parties would go on with increasing attendance and more hell-bent energy after every Miami-to-Nassau race until 1970.

Vaughan.roger@gmail.com

EASTERN SHORE

Melissa Grimes-Guy Photography

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Chesapeake by Del Webb - This one-story Vanderbilt model features an open floor plan with living/dining combo, family room with gas fireplace, kitchen with granite countertops and stainless appliances and breakfast nook, large primary suite, guest bedroom and bath, office, utility room. 2-car garage, 3-season porch, patio and irrigation system. All rooms have laminate flooring except the bedrooms. One owner. Non-age restricted section. Community amenities. $525,000

Chesapeake by Del Webb - McDaniel model in movein condition. Living room, dining room, family room with gas fireplace, open gourmet kitchen with breakfast area, granite countertops, cooktop, double wall oven, sunroom, 1st floor primary suite with double vanities, jacuzzi tub and separate shower. 2nd floor has loft, 2 guest bedrooms and bath and walk-in attic storage. Patio, lawn irrigation and 2-car garage. 55+ agerestricted section. Community amenities. $575,000

Chesapeake by Del Webb - This popular one-story Vanderbuilt model features a living room/dining room combo, family room with gas fireplace, open kitchen with breakfast nook and Corian countertops. Primary suite with walk-in closet, soaking tub, separate shower and double vanities. Guest bedroom and bath, study, 3-season sunroom overlooking open space and pond. 2 car garage. Roof new 2023. 55+ age-restricted section. Community amenities. $520,000

TRED AVON RIVER

Private 4250 sq. ft. four bedroom home overlooking a sheltered cove on the Tred Avon River with quick access to Oxford the Choptank and the Bay. Deepwater pier. Riprapped shoreline. This handsome home features a large first story bedroom with walk-in closet. Glassed, screened and open porches take advantage of the setting. Available furnished. $2,625,000 .

JUST LISTED

Beautiful and comfortable 150 year old home in the heart of historic Trappe, convenient to Easton, Oxford and Cambridge. Great restaurants just down the street. Architectural staircase, 9 1/2 ft ceilings with cornices. Refinished floors. New HVAC, roof, wiring, kitchen, laundry and baths. Deep lot. Detached workshop. $479,000 .