May 2025 Tidewater Times Web Magazine

Tidewater Times May 2025

103 Mulberry Street, St. Michaels

Located on one of St. Michaels’ charming side streets, midway between the Harbor and the center of town, this beautifully maintained and tastefully modernized home dates back to 1860. It is the perfect blend of new and old, with warm heart pine floors, original fireplace, efficient HVAC systems and a modern kitchen that any gourmet chef would appreciate. The house is sited on one of the larger lots in town, with a wonderful variety of shade and flowering trees. Private off-street parking. Turnkey condition. $875,000

Cianci

The Juilliard Strint Quartet: Maria Gant

Tidewater Gardening K. Marc Teffeau

Tidewater Kitchen: Pamela Meredith

All Quiet on the Sound (chapter 21): B. P. Gallagher

About the Cover Photographer Holly Fairbank

Holly Fairbank, a St. Michaels native, has always felt a deep connection with and appreciation for nature. Over the course of her life she occasionally snapped shots with film cameras but it wouldn’t be until she was in her early fifties that she would become a dedicated capturer of images. It was then that a professional photographer friend offered her an old digital Nikon to play around with along with some words of advice. Holly was instantly hooked and soon purchased her first digital camera.

Now, nearly fifteen years later, her images, featuring wildlife, flowers, and landscapes, are available at The

Artisans’ Gallery at 609 S. Talbot St. in St. Michaels. Her book, Come with Me down Memory Lane: Scenes of Life in St. Michaels, MD, during the ’60s and ’70s through the Eyes of a Young Girl, which she published under her own imprint, Long Lane Reflections Press LLC, can also be found there. The nonprofit gallery, which showcases art, jewelry, photography, succulent gardens, fabric creations, embroidery, books, candles, teas, and many other locally produced items, is open Thursdays through Saturdays from 10 to 5 and Sundays from 10 to 4.

The Rain in Spain....

by Helen Chappell

For the first time in a long time, I was sitting on my front porch. I was supposed to be sweeping and straightening and tossing stuff I needed to put out the trash but foolishly thought I’d need at some vague point in an increasingly uncertain feature. Sitting and watching the world go by was a lot easier. It was one of those early summer days that gives you a foretaste of the heat and humidity to come. As if one needs a reminder of how hellacious summer can be in this part of the world.

I didn’t need Justin Berk to tell me rain was coming. I could see the ragged gray clouds creeping in from the west. Far away, the distant roll of thunder announced that heat and cold were going to converge.

A few droplets of rain hit the hot pavement, dribbling on the street and the concrete. Then I inhaled the delicious summer scent of rain, a mix of wet and dry marrying. The perfume of summer, releasing memories and some essence that had no name, but triggered all senses and all memories.

Lani Browning

Rain

I was a kid again, sitting on the steps with my mother, a rare, peaceful moment while the shower trickled down on us, not strong enough to drive us inside. As the sun shone in one corner of the sky and the rain moved in from another, that heavenly perfume rose from the earth. We sat silently, in no hurry to move as the droplets dappled the concrete.

When the sun is shining and it’s raining, the devil’s beating his wife,” Mom announced. Seeing my little kid expression, she laughed. “That’s what people used to say when we were young.” They probably half believed it, too. Rural small-town people raised by Victorians, well, you never knew. We didn’t get electricity down there, they told me, until the start of World War II,

But even before, they had the sweet smell of rain. I was ancient when I learned the perfume of rain actually had been studied by scientists and had a real name—petrichor.

A dry, futile name for such a

wonderful smell. If they could bottle it and sell it, I’d buy a gallon for all the sense memories it stirs in my soul. All the summer afternoons and the feel of bare feet playing among the rain drops.

We all have our sense memories, scents, and wafting smells that trigger us. Marcel Proust got a whole classic novel out of a pastry.

You can wake up a lot of people with the whiff of freshly brewing coffee. Add bacon and eggs and you get more fans. The smells of morning, of a new blank page, are evocative for a lot of people.

The smell of food is rich for most of us. Whether it’s popcorn at the

movies or escargot at George V, most of us love to eat.

Any Maryland native who doesn’t trigger on Old Bay isn’t much of a Marylander. They even use it to spice up potato chips, and you can recognize the aroma in San

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Diego when they serve you a crab cake.

Everyone has food triggers. The merest whiff of your favorite can give waves of flashbacks. Where you were, when you were there, who you were with the waiter’s aftershave are there in a second. ing which perfume. It was fun and entertaining, and I’d come back to our loft on Houston Street smelling like a French bordello, but I developed a new hobby.

I amuse myself by analyzing people’s perfumes and aftershaves. A few lifetimes ago, I lived in New York. Like my idol, Auntie Mame, I made ends meet by working at Macy’s. I was never glam enough to work the perfume halls on the first floor, but I sold men’s pajamas. (While I was in Africa, I shot an elephant in my pajamas. What he was doing in my pajamas I’ll never know – Groucho Marx.) Anyway, every chance I got I’d wander over to the Perfume Gallery and amuse myself and my sister saleswomen by analyzing the ingredients. When I wasn’t peddling silk jammies to the noveau riche, I was learning what flowers, chemicals, and distillations went into mak-

Which explains why I only wear secondary sources of a scent, never the hard stuff, but that’s another story.

Although my sense of smell isn’t what it once was, I still entertain myself by trying to separate the formulas of scents. Something like “top notes of ylang-ylang, middle notes of rose and a base of manufactured civet” or something like that. It’s foolish, I know.

But I also know if you could capture and bottle petrichor I’d bathe in the stuff every night.

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.

How to See Six States in Nine Days

Nebraska/Iowa, Days 1 to 3

by Bonna L. Nelson

We all have bucket list goals. One of mine in the travel department is to visit all fifty states. Before embarking on this Midwest/Southwest adventure, I had eight states yet to see.

My guide for accomplishing this goal is simply a map of the United States on which I have annotated the states we have visited. After returning from our state adventures, I colored the states we visited on the map with a yellow highlighter. I take delight in seeing the states on the map increasingly turning yellow. With only eight states left to see, I scrutinized that map, wondering how we could get the most bang for our buck. How could we possibly see multiple states of those remaining on our annual fall state trip?

We always try to see at least two states in one trip to save time and expenses and get us closer to achieving the goal. After all, there are more countries on more continents to explore once the fifty states have been revealed to us.

After studying the map with husband John, we had our answer. The six mid- to southwest states that we needed to see are located smack

dab in the middle of the country. We realized that the states that we wanted to roam are mostly aligned along the Missouri River. Six of the eight states that we had yet to see actually share borders in pairs, Nebraska (NE)/Iowa (IA), Kansas (KS)/ Missouri (MO), and Oklahoma (OK)/ Arkansas (AR). The three borders of the six states also almost align longitudinally.

Four of the states are also called the “Heartland” including NE, IA, KS, and MO, along with the Dakotas and Minnesota. They are called so for the flat plains, with patches of hills

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Six States

and highlands located in the heart of the nation. Settlers tamed those swaths of land with farms, providing a horn of plenty.

Zigzagging! Zigzagging was our answer. Driving in a zigzag fashion across the borders of the six states from north to south and west to east or east to west. This is how we meandered through six states in nine days.

I conducted research on each state along their borders, including their history, culture, compelling sites, cities near borders, famous citizens, topography, and weather in the fall, when we would be traveling. I selected a few intriguing cities/sites that seemed to be achievable distances for a driving tour and shared my findings with John.

John calculated the mileage,

distance, and driving time for each destination along the undulating drive and determined that it was doable, Drive times between cities/ sites varied from ½ hour to 4 hours. He checked on flights from BWI after we decided to fly into Omaha, NE to begin our trip. Then we both looking for comfortable, reasonable accommodations along our rambling way.

On our first day in Omaha, NE, near the Iowa border, we learned more about Nebraska and explored its natural beauty. The name Nebraska is based on the Otoe Indian word “Nebrathka,” meaning flat water referring to the Platte River, which merges with the Missouri River.

NE became the 37th state in 1867 and is nicknamed the “Cornhusker State.” Miles of grain and cattle farms cover the terrain. Farming, manufacturing, and mining are the state’s economic drivers.

John enjoyed sampling NE’s famed beef in various forms at several dining spots during our visit. Described as “melt-in-your-mouth homegrown” beef, he savored burgers, steaks, and the famous Rueben sandwich, created in Omaha in 1925 by a local grocer.

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States

The day after we arrived, we drove along Omaha’s RiverFront Historic District paralleling the sparkling Missouri River, past multiple parks, playgrounds, sculptures, and inviting green spaces. Historic manufacturing warehouse and grocery structures along the River have been converted into shops, taverns, and eateries fronted by the city’s original brick-paved streets.

The center of the RiverFront area, often highlighted with performers, artists, and street vendors, is called the Old Market. You can stroll, bike, skate, play, or birdwatch along the river, Omaha’s piece of the Missouri. Or you can boat on it and walk over it on the Bob Kerrey Bridge, as we did.

We were surprised to learn that the Missouri River, located in the Central and Mountain West areas of the U.S., is the nation’s longest river! A tributary of the Mississippi River, it is slightly longer and has a comparable volume of water.

The Missouri was one of the major

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Enjoy a carefree lifestyle just a short walk from Easton’s Rails-to-Trails and vibrant downtown, home to some of the Eastern Shore’s finest dining, shopping, and entertainment. The charming waterfront towns of St. Michaels and Oxford are just minutes away. Whether you’re a commuter seeking convenience, a retiree craving tranquility, or a family looking for a welcoming community, Sandy Lane is designed for you.

From Sandy Lane, enjoy convenient access to Route 50, schools, medical services, parks, and amenities; Washington D.C., Baltimore, and BWI are just over an hour’s drive. For nature lovers nearby preserves, hiking and biking trails, and Talbot County’s many stunning waterways off the Chesapeake Bay offer endless outdoor opportunities.

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Six States (NPS). Along with other walkers and many bikers, we strolled across the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge, nicknamed “Bob,” after former Nebraska Senator, Bob Kerrey.

routes of westward expansion of the U.S. The explorers Lewis and Clark traveled the Missouri extensively and figure prominently in several of the sites we visited on this trip. The river meanders southeast along the borders of four of the six states we planned to visit by following its footprint, including Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri and the cities of Omaha, NE, Council Bluffs, IA, Kansas City, KS, and Kansas City, MO as well as three northern states, Montana and the Dakotas.

The longest river in the nation is spanned by the longest pedestrian bridge to link two states, according to the U.S. National Park Service

The 3,000-foot-long cable-stayed bridge is managed by Omaha, NE, and Council Bluffs, IA, our next destination. Connecting both cities, there is a state border line painted on the bridge at midpoint over the Missouri. The curved shape of the bridge is meant to reflect the curvy shape of the river. It is a tradition for visitors to take photographs at the border line, as we did for other folks and they for us. The jaunt provided spectacular views of the Missouri and the Omaha skyline on a sunny day in the 70s.

The bridge provides a beautiful and unique perspective of the river that Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery navigated over 200 years ago. We would soon visit the Nebraska NPS visitors center in Omaha for the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Headquarters, as well as monuments and sculptures related to the Lewis and Clark expedition sitting on bluffs above the Missouri in Council Bluffs.

But first we explored another historic site, Omaha’s Union Station, a National Historic Landmark, with its remarkable art deco architecture which now houses The Durham Museum. The former railway station

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displays an amazing array of exhibits highlighting the history, culture, and industry of the state.

We enjoyed the glamorous 1930s architecture, walking through meticulously restored train cars, savoring old-fashioned sodas at a restored 1930s soda fountain, the historic artifacts, and the fantastic bronze statues of typical train passengers. One of my favorite exhibits was a travel-

ing National Geographic exhibition about The Evolution of Jane Goodall with films, photographs, dioramas, and artifacts as well as a replica of her chimpanzee research tent.

We learned that people took special trips just to see the grandeur of Union Station. Visitors did and still do marvel at the classic Art Deco-style design with its terrazzo tile floors, cathedral-like windows, 13-foot-tall chandeliers, and a ceiling of gold leaf design in the main waiting room.

The Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Headquarters visitor center on Omaha’s Missouri Riverfront was our last stop for the day. The trail covers 4,900 miles through 16 states from PA to the Pacific Coast, tracing the original expedition.

Six States

We learned more about the famed explorers from exhibits about their 8,000-mile, 1804-1806 expedition to the west under the direction of Thomas Jefferson to explore the newly purchased Louisiana territory and points west. The story includes the more than 60 tribes encountered along the way, some of whom helped them to achieve their goal. They traveled by land and water, including sailing and paddling the Missouri River using keelboats, pirogues, and canoes.

When Thomas Jefferson became the third president of the U.S., the western border of the country ended at the Mississippi River. He wanted to explore the rest of the territory

to the Pacific Coast and assembled an experienced team headed by Meriweather Lewis and William Clark. They were joined by a young Shoshone Native American woman, Sacagawea, and her husband. She helped obtain supplies, translate, and gain acceptance with other tribes, a valuable member of the team, contributing to their success.

On day three of our expedition, we drove east across a bridge over the Missouri River to the town of Council Bluffs, IA. Our destination was the Lewis and Clark Park and Monument high on the bluffs overlooking the Missouri. Iowa was our second state visit out of six on this excursion.

I was fascinated to learn that Council Bluffs is named for the multiple “councils” held between Lewis

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and Clark and the Otoe and Missouri tribes on the high bluffs, deep banks, and wind-shaped dunes above the river in 1804. The Lewis and Clark Monument Park is approximately 35 acres in size. The scenic overlook offers spectacular views of the park, river, and Omaha skyline. There are sculptures, biking trails, hiking trails, and picnic areas.

The Lewis and Clark Monument depicts an image of the council meeting. The text states that, “Beneath the bluffs on the Missouri, Lewis and Clark held parley with the Otoe and Missouri Indians and named the locality Council Bluff s.” Additional images and text on stone markers at

the site explain more about the meeting, their first with Native Americans on the journey. The expedition team and the various tribe representatives established peace between them and offered friendship and support.

We explored parts of two states in three days and next drove along the Missouri River on Interstate 29 to our next destination, the state of Missouri and its neighbor across the river, Kansas. The sparkling river was our guide.

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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MD MAY 2025

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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 7:14 8:12 9:14 10:19 11:2412:44 1:38 2:28 3:11 3:50 4:25 4:57 5:29 6:04 6:42 7:25 8:14 9:07 10:03 10:59 11:55 12:47 1:43 2:37 3:29 4:21 5:12 6:04 6:58 7:53

Bringing the Brightness Back: Cianci Chiropractic Center Offers

Holistic Healing with a Personal Touch

by Tracey F. Johns

Christopher Cianci, D.C., has been practicing chiropractic care for more than three decades, but the energy inside Cianci Chiropractic Center feels anything but routine.

It’s a place where patients transition from crisis to wellness through a blend of technology and touch, where three doctors collaborate

over digital X-rays and nerve scans, and where even the waiting room buzzes with a complimentary coffee bar, morning newspapers, a monthly celebration of some sort, and, most of all, an overall sense of community and wellness.

“This isn’t your average chiropractic office,” Dr. Cianci says, his words driven by a soft earnestness.

Jeffrey Billauer, D.C., Julia Cianci, D.C. and Christopher Cianci, D.C.

Cianci Chiropractic

“We’re focused on helping people live their best lives, not just treating their back pain.”

He says patients often come in with one issue and leave with relief from something or many things they didn’t expect.

For me, that story is resoundingly true. I first came to Dr. Cianci with a sprained muscle in my midback this past March. I had followed the usual advice—ice and rest—for a month, but the pain persisted.

After recalling a column written about 20 years ago by the late Bruce Hotchkiss about Dr. Cianci and the remarkable work he was doing with his patients, I contacted Cianci Chiropractic Center for a spine evaluation, which revealed curvature and five subluxated, or misaligned, vertebrae.

Now, after four weeks of treatments—four times a week, just as Dr. Cianci prescribed—I’m experiencing incredible relief not only from the middle back pain that

brought me in, but also from 30 years of migraines, as well as recent shoulder and sciatica pain.

Life feels brighter. I feel like I can be the active adult I’ve always wanted to be, doing the things I love. Like holding my grandchild, walking the dogs, or doing mosaics without back or leg pain, working in the garden, or standing while practicing with Improv Easton.

With the help of Dr. Cianci, his daughter, Julia Cianci, D.C., and Jeffrey Billauer, D.C., my bucket list goal is to return to roller skating.

Dr. Julia, as she is known in the office, says optimal nerve function is the goal of all care.

“When the nervous system is functioning properly, the body knows what to do,” she said. “We don’t treat symptoms—we use technology to identify what’s structurally wrong and then help the body do the healing.”

A Holistic, Functional Medicine Approach

The practice’s approach blends

Cianci Chiropractic

chiropractic care with the philosophy of functional medicine. Unlike traditional models that focus only on the presenting issue, Cianci Chiropractic Center evaluates the entire body, often starting with an indepth patient history, digital X-rays, and a nerve scan.

“We get called ‘thoroughly thorough’ a lot,” Dr. Cianci said with a smile. “We’re okay with that.”

All three doctors review every new patient’s case together to develop a care plan. They intentionally keep early assessments blind, meaning the doctor performing the exam doesn’t read the patient’s history until afterward. That’s by design.

“We want objective testing, not assumptions,” Dr. Julia said. “This process ensures we don’t miss anything.”

Technology Meets Care

Cianci Chiropractic Center isn’t shy about investing in advanced tools. The practice uses hospitalgrade digital X-rays that can be shared with specialists nationwide, making it easier for patients who are relocating or seeing multiple providers.

Foot scans are another diagnostic tool that reveals how posture and spinal alignment are affected by collapsed arches or uneven leg length. A patient preparing for a walking-intensive trip was recently

Cianci Chiropractic

evaluated for custom orthotics after her scan revealed that foot imbalance could be contributing to her hip pain.

“Our feet are the foundation of the spine,” Dr. Julia explained. “If something’s off at their base, it can ripple up.”

But technology alone doesn’t defi ne the care here. What sets this practice apart is its commitment to the person behind the problem.

Patients as People, Not Problems

“We’ve had people come in as a last resort,” Dr. Cianci said. “They’ve been to specialist after specialist, tried medications and surgeries, and still aren’t better.”

Rather than focusing solely on a patient’s complaint, the team aims

Cianci Chiropractic

to understand how that issue affects their life.

“What are you unable to do because of this?” said Julia. “Whether it’s gardening, walking a dog, or using a chainsaw, we want to help people get back to what they love.”

And they mean everyone. Their youngest patients are newborns; their oldest are in their 90s.

Long-term wellness is also part of the plan. Some patients have been coming for more than 30 years, not just for acute care but for ongoing health maintenance.

Accessible and Supportive

Although holistic and high-tech care can sound expensive, the practice works to make it accessible. Most major insurance plans now include some chiropractic coverage, a feature that was rare 30 years ago—and the office offers flexible payment options.

“We’re always happy to work with your insurance provider,” Dr. Julia

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Cianci Chiropractic

said. “We also offer reasonable cash plans.”

Accessibility is essential in today’s healthcare landscape, Dr. Cianci said, where primary care access has declined.

“There’s a void,” he said. “People are waiting months for appointments at other doctors’ offices, and sometimes they’re not bad enough for surgery, but they still need help. We’re trying to fill that gap.”

The office has even introduced new equipment based on community needs, such as a decompression machine for spine care, after meet-

ing people at educational workshops or through local events.

Community Connections and Lifelong Care

Beyond the exam rooms, Cianci Chiropractic Center fosters connection in quieter ways. The waiting room is often a place for community, where patients catch up over coffee or talk about local news.

“We’re in a small town,” Dr. Julia says. “Many of our patients know each other. We build relationships here.”

Those relationships often lead to referrals from friends, family, and, increasingly, from physicians.

Cianci Chiropractic

“I do wish more doctors understood what chiropractors do,” Dr. Julia said. “Some still think it’s just cracking backs, but it’s so much more than that. We undergo rigorous training and employ evidencebased methods.”

Each provider shares that the journey to better health isn’t always linear. They consult with one another between appointments each day and together review a new patient’s x-rays and scans to develop a treatment plan.

They also regularly meet between appointments to discuss each patient’s progress. Together they plan adjustments to the care plan if a patient’s progress plateaus.

“Sometimes Dr. Julia or Dr. Billauer will see something the other or I didn’t,” said Dr. Cianci. “That teamwork enables us to unlock the next step in healing.”

Generations of Healing

Dr. Julia didn’t always plan to join her father’s practice. However,

Cianci Chiropractic

after shadowing him during a college spring break, she realized the impact of his work.

“There was one patient who cried when she saw her scan,” she recalled. “She hadn’t been able to play with her kids, and now she could. I thought—this is what I want to do.”

Today, father and daughter share a passion for helping people reclaim their lives—and their brightness.

“You can see it in their faces,” Dr. Julia said. When people start to feel better, they radiate a sense of well-being.”

Dr. Cianci agrees. For him, finding joy comes from hearing stories of patients who went on bucket-list trips or bonded with their families in ways they couldn’t have before.

“One patient wasn’t sure she’d be able to walk enough to enjoy a trip to New York with her son,” he said. “After experiencing our care plan, she not only went but said it was the most meaningful time they’d ever had together. Knowing we helped

make that possible—that’s the real reward.”

Outside of the office, Dr. Cianci finds joy in nature, enjoying activities such as fishing, training bird dogs, and appreciating the outdoors.

For Dr. Billauer, his joy comes from using his kinesiology background to further assist patients, as well as enjoying activities such as golf, frisbee, and hiking. Dr. Julia also values time outside and enjoys home design and DIY projects.

“All three of us love helping people,” she said. “Whether it’s through healing, creating a space that feels better, or simply being present.”

A Bright Future

With a foundation rooted in holistic health, objective analysis, and heartfelt care, the future looks bright for Cianci Chiropractic Center. Their approach is changing minds—and lives—one scan, adjustment, and success story at a time.

And for those wondering if chiropractic care is just about fixing

Cianci Chiropractic

backs, Dr. Julia offers a gentle correction.

“It’s about restoring function,” she said. “We wake up the nervous system, and the body takes it from there.”

For me, my restored function came in one other interesting way. For five years, I haven’t been able to smell, and I initially thought it was a COVID-related issue. Until I squished a stink bug this week and recalled that nasty smell with a certain sense of joy.

Now, I’m enjoying the scents of laundry and spring flowers, and I’m forever grateful for prioritizing my health under the care of

these three chiropractors. (And I’ll soon be back to relax and enjoy the healthy breathing benefits of Foremost Spa’s salt cave as I’ve written about as well.)

For more information about Cianci Chiropractic Center, visit drcianci.com.

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.

The Juilliard String Quartet is Coming to Town

by Maria Gant

Chesapeake Music is thrilled to welcome the illustrious Juilliard String Quartet during the second week of its June Chamber Music Festival.

Founded at The Juilliard School by then-president William

Schuman and violin faculty member Robert Mann in 1946, the Juilliard String Quartet has received numerous awards, including four Grammys and membership in the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.

The Juilliard String Quartet. Photo courtesy of Juilliard String Quartet and Colbert Artists Management.

Juilliard String Quartet

From its beginnings, the Quartet has inspired audiences around the world. The ensemble performs riveting classic performances and embraces the mission of championing new works. The result: each performance is a unique experience, showcasing the interpretation, commitment, and artistry of its four members.

Each year the Juilliard String Quartet continues its decades-old tradition of commissioning and performing world premieres. Recent commissioned premieres have included two works by celebrated German composer Jörg Widmann, inspired by Beethoven string quartets.

This past season, the Quartet went on a repeat tour with violinist Itzhak Perlman and pianists Emanuel Ax and Jean-Yves Thibaudet. It also collaborated with soprano Tony Arnold and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Other season activities included a world premiere of a new work entitled “Birds on the Moon,” dedicated to the Quartet’s late former violist, Roger Tapping, written by Iraqi- American composer Michelle Barzel Ross. The Quartet has also participated in tours across Europe and the U.S with concerts in London, Berlin, Salzburg, the Ravinia Festival, and New York’s Alice Tully Hall.

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Juilliard’s confidently thoughtful approach, rhythmic acuity and ensemble precision were on full display.

~ The Washington Post

A facet of the Quartet’s decades-old legacy is a prolific and celebrated discography, with landmark recordings that continue to be rereleased by Sony Masterworks. The Quartet’s latest album on Sony, featuring works by Beethoven, Bartók, and Dvořák, was released to international acclaim, with Strings Magazine calling it “a miracle of contrasting color.” The Quartet’s recordings of

Juilliard String Quartet the Bartók and Schoenberg Quartets, as well as those of Debussy, Ravel, and Beethoven, have won Grammy Awards. In 2011, the Quartet became the first classical music ensemble to receive a lifetime achievement award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.

At the upcoming Chesapeake Chamber Music Festival, the Quartet will play Mendelssohn’s String Quintet No. 1 in A Major and Smetana’s String Quartet No. 1 in E Minor (“From My Life”) on June 12; Widmann’s String Quartet No. 8 (“Study on Beethoven III”) and Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 13 in B-flat Major, Op. 130 and 133 on June

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Juilliard String Quartet

13; and Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht (“Transfigured Night”) on June 14. For some selections, the Quartet will be joined by Chesapeake Music’s co-artistic directors—Catherine Cho and Marcy Rosen—and Daniel Phillips.

The Quartet is in residence at The Juilliard School in New York City. Its current members are Areta Zhulla (violin), Ronald Copes (violin), Molly Carr (viola), and Astrid Schween (cello), all of whom are sought-after teachers on the string and chamber music faculties. The Quartet regularly offers classes and open rehearsals while on tour and hosts a five-

day internationally recognized Juilliard String Quartet Seminar each May at The Juilliard School.

The members of the Quartet also have a history of supporting marginalized communities. One example is violist Molly Carr, who has been praised for her “intoxicating and ravishing performances.” Carr is founder and artistic director of Project: Music Heals Us, an organization which brings free chamber music and interactive programming to those with limited access to the arts. She has stepped behind prison walls to witness “hardened criminals soften and weep at the sound of Beethoven’s string quartets.” Carr has also visited

refugee camps to offer creative spaces for traumatized children to dance, sing, smile, and freely express themselves for the first time in years—an initiative for which she and her Duo partner Anna Petrova have been honored at the United Nations.

Chesapeake Music’s co-artistic director Catherine Cho shares, “The Juilliard Quartet is a beloved ensemble worldwide, and we are very grateful to have them share their music-making with us…they are all very honest musicians with a powerful sense of integrity.”

Tickets for the Festival concerts at The Ebenezer Theater in Easton are $70. Chesapeake Music also offers a limited number of free tickets for students, music educators, and Talbot County First Responders, as well as a “buy-one-get-one” option for first-time patrons of Chesapeake Music. Visit ChesapeakeMusic. org for tickets and more information.

Chesapeake Chamber Music Festival Schedule

June 6–14, 2025

June 6 – 7:30 p.m.

Opening Extravaganza!

June 7 – 7:30 p.m.

Hope and Drama

June 8 – 5 p.m.

Masters at Work

June 12 – 7:30 p.m.

From My Life

June 13 – 7:30 p.m.

Quartets Old and New

June 14 – 7:30 p.m.

Festival Finale

Two free and open rehearsals: June 4 and June 11 at 10 a.m.

Based in Easton, Maryland, and celebrating its 40th Anniversary Year, Chesapeake Music is a nonprofit organization that brings renowned musicians to delight, engage, and surprise today’s audiences, and educate, inspire, and develop tomorrow’s. Learn more at ChesapeakeMusic.org.

"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 Merry Month...

The proverbial “April showers bring May flowers” is now in effect. Since the threat of frost has passed, it is time to get busy in the home landscape. There are lots of gardening activities in May to keep us busy.

In the flower border, dig and di-

vide dusty miller and replant the more vigorous outside portions of the clump. You can now set out the marigolds, petunias, ageratums, salvia, and other annual flowers into the flower beds. Be sure that these plants get as much sun as possible to encourage prolific flow-

Tidewater Gardening

ering. Suppose you have shady areas in the landscape. In that case, impatiens are the best annual for use in semi-shady landscapes, while begonias, coleus, ageratums, and vinca will do well in light shade.

Where you have shade trees in the yard that cast a heavy shade, forget about grass and try Periwinkle and Liriope as ground covers instead. The best approach is usually to work with your existing site. For example, in a shady area, rather than trying to do a massive rearranging of the landscape, it is better to work with your existing site.

make construction work and renovations to your home

and exciting, as well as

Also, don’t forget moss. Most of the time, we think of moss as something to get rid of in the landscape. Still, there are shady to very shady areas, especially where it is moist, where moss will thrive and will be excellent ground cover.

In the vegetable garden, it is time to sow your first green beans, cucumbers, squash, sweet corn, lettuce, and a second lettuce seeding. Tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers can now be planted. You can also squeeze in a late planting of cool-season crops like spinach, lettuce, and peas, but do it the first week of May.

In particular, your tomato, pepper, and eggplant transplants become less stressed when set out on a cloudy, calm day. Unfortunately, regardless of the weather, gardeners may need to transplant when they have the time. Intense sun and wind are brutal on new transplants, so set out plants in the late afternoon when the wind comes down and the plants have overnight to acclimate.

Provide shade and wind protection with berry baskets, small crates, or screens. Mulching helps since it lowers the rate at which water evaporates from the soil and controls the soil temperature.

It is important to pinch the blooms off flower and vegetable transplants before you set them out. I know this is a hard practice to follow—”but I want to see the

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flowers or the tomato developing.” But pinching out the flowers will help direct the plants’ energies to root development and result in more productive plants.

Gently break up the circling roots of root-bound transplants at planting time. If you are planting transplants in peat pots, be sure that the top lip of the pot is planted below ground level. An exposed lip or edge will result in water being wicked out of the plant’s root ball. Also, gently tear the peat pot itself, especially the bottom, so that the roots can grow out of the pot. Give the transplants a little “boost” with an application of liquid fertilizer. I recommend using a liquid houseplant fertilizer at the half rate to give the plants a shot of extra fertilizer to help them overcome transplanting shock and establish.

If you are growing herbs and gourds in the vegetable garden, save the mesh bags that oranges come in and use them this summer to dry them. You can use old pantyhose to enclose individual veggies like melons, corn, cabbage, cucumbers, and small pumpkins to protect them from birds and insects. Tie the pantyhose off at both ends of the veggie to keep insects out. The pantyhose will stretch with the vegetable’s growth and dry off quickly after rain.

In addition to the annual flowers, you can add season-long color to the flower beds by planting summer-flowering bulbs, such as dahlias, tuberous begonias, lilies, cannas, and gladiolus. An excellent summer foliage bulb is the caladium.

The National Garden Bureau (ngb.org/year-of-the-caladium/ ) has selected Caladiums as a 2025 Plant of the Year. According to the NGB, “Caladiums are native to the tropical forests of South and Central America, where they thrive in high heat and humidity. European horticulturists have cultivated them from tubers for their striking foliage since the 1700s. Still, they did not become popular in the U.S. until much later. In 1893, caladiums appeared at Chicago’s World

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Fair thanks to the efforts of Adolph Leitze, a German plant breeder living in the Amazon.”

The heart-shaped leaves of these tropical plants range in size from 6 to 12 inches. Numerous cultivars offer foliage colors in red, salmon, rose, white, or green in many variegated combinations. Caladiums prefer rich soil and shade. Grown for their interesting foliage display, caladiums perform well in garden borders and containers. Fertilize them once a month with a balanced fertilizer like 8-8-8 or 10-10-10.

Caladiums are true tender bulbs, and since they do not overwinter in Maryland, they must be dug

in the fall and stored dry at 70 to 75°F. The tubers are replanted in the spring after the last chance of frost. Most caladium cultivars are adapted to full shade, but many selections tolerate partial or early morning sun.

Caladiums planted in the shade tend to have bigger leaves and want to be taller to catch the light as opposed to caladiums in direct sunlight. The color intensity can vary according to sunlight and the amount of fertilizer used. Full sun generally reduces the intensity of the foliage color of most cultivars.

The spring flowering bulbs, tulips, daffodils, etc., are imported into the U.S. from Holland. Caladium bulbs are U.S.-grown in Flor -

ida. In fact, Lake Placid, Florida, is considered the Caladium Capital of the World! Check out the NGB website for more interesting information on Caladiums and a list of popular cultivars.

What should you do with that potted amaryllis bulb you forced to flower inside? When the danger of frost is over, it can be placed outdoors for the summer. The potted bulb should be placed in a shaded location and fertilized with 1 teaspoon of 5-10-10. Please bring it back indoors before frost, and let the soil dry completely so the bulb will go into dormancy. After leaving it in a cool, dark place for eight weeks, please bring it back into the light and begin watering again. In

another eight weeks, your amaryllis should bloom again. Early flowering deciduous shrubs such as Forsythias, Weigela, and Spirea should be pruned back after blooming. Cut back a third of the oldest canes to ground level, then cut back one-third of the remaining branches by one-third of their height. Remove the wilting seed heads from Rhododendrons and Azaleas so the plant’s energy can go to foliage growth and next year’s flowers rather than seeds. Pines and conifers can be kept compact by pinching off the new growth ‘candles’ at this time.

In the lawn care area, May fertilization should not be done. I know there are commercial programs

Tidewater Gardening

that encourage this, but all you do is get faster grass growth and more mowing. The best time to fertilize cool-season turf in our area is mid- to late fall. If you haven’t done a soil test on your lawn in the last couple of years, do one before you do fall fertilization. The soil test will indicate what fertilizer ratios are recommended and at what rate. It will also tell you if lime needs to raise a low soil pH.

It is also essential to mow your turf correctly. Ensure the mower blade is sharp, as a dull blade will tear rather than leave a clean cut. This ragged grass blade edge gives the turf a brown appearance and

opens up opportunities for disease to infect the grass blade. Make sure that you mow at the correct height. For tall fescue lawns, the mowing height should be a minimum of 2 inches, preferably higher. There is a tendency among homeowners to “scalp” their lawns. This damages the grass plant and stresses it by taking off too much of the grass blade at one time, opening up the lawn to crabgrass invasion. Want to keep crabgrass out of the lawn? Mow high instead of putting down an herbicide. Crabgrass seed need light to germinate. By shading the soil surface with tall grass blades, the germination percentage of crabgrass seeds will go way down.

Of course, we celebrate Mother’s Day in May. Have you been wondering what to get your mom and grandmother for Mother’s Day? Well, she might enjoy receiving a tree or shrub for the landscape around her home. Trees and shrubs make excellent gifts and create lasting memories. She probably has a special flowering plant that she has always wanted but hesitated to buy.

Plants make unique gifts because their value in the landscape is appreciated as they grow. May is an excellent time of year to plant ornamental trees and shrubs, and the selection is better than ever.

Nurseries and garden centers have a large selection of plant varieties and sizes than ever. However, as summer approaches, their selection will decrease, and so will the chances of survival because the longer you delay planting, the harder it is on the plants. Don’t just say, “Happy Mother’s Day—here’s your azalea.” Make it a Mother’s Day and offer to plant it for her!

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.

Mysteries of the Deep by A.M. Foley

Maryland’s official state dog is the Chesapeake Bay Retriever, the Calico its cat, and Callinectes sapidus its crustacean. Maryland’s official State Finfish is Rock (striped bass). Rock were elevated by Annapolis legislators to official fish status in 1965 because of their supposed local abundance. But annual spawning rates are cyclical. Rock’s abundance had been increasing in the mid-twentieth century and legislative optimism may have seemed reasonable. However, within the

memory of one rural old-timer, “If a man ever caught a rock, he bragged about it in the store for a week.” By the 1980s, down the street from State Circle, the Department of Natural Resources said extinction threatened the species.

Adversarial relationships always exist between regula tors and regula tees. Friction is acute between a self-employed individual reliant on offshore toil and a land-based bureaucracy with limitless regulatory powers. Government survey

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/.

Mysteries

data are controversial, as biologists struggle to explain abrupt comings and goings of different marine species. Regardless, when DNR surveys cite numbers for finfish and crustaceans under Chesapeake Bay waters, binding regulations result, however

skeptical fishermen may be of the count. As one commercial fisherman said, “They don’t believe our numbers. Why should we believe theirs?”

Backed by generations of ancestral experience, watermen scoffed at some 1980s survey methods. Employees were observed in Spedden’s marine supply in Cambridge buying seine twine so heavy young rock would bounce off during the Young of Year (YOY) survey. Hired hands splashed in circles through shallows, netting few young fish. It was felt that a survey predisposed to finding low numbers would have no trouble not netting fish. Watermen said, “If they’d hire fishermen to do the survey, they’d see if the rock are there.”

Despite the fishing community’s skepticism of supposedly scientific data, in 1984 commercial netters were nearing an agreement with regulators to curtail rock harvesting by 50%. As licensed watermen geared up for the com -

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ing season, the agency abruptly reversed course. New results—just in from the YOY survey—showed rock threatened with extinction. Effective January 1, 1985, total stoppage was imposed on rockfishing in Maryland. Many hereditary fishermen scrambled for a new livelihood. (Not a few felt their displacement fulfilled the aim of a moratorium.)

Their commercial seines might span hundreds of yards. For generations, fishermen hung these in their yards—old nets being mended or re-rigged. New nets receiving a bewildering combination of corks and weights, schemed to produce different effects, according to moving or stationary usage. A Bay

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/.

man might craft an anchor net, drift net, stake net, or haul-seine. He had also to factor in material, color, and mesh size, calculated to catch different species and size of fish in different seasons.

An estimated 80% of Atlantic rock off the Eastern Seaboard spawn in Chesapeake Bay waters. The Choptank and Nanticoke

Rivers are important courses for mature rock, instinctively bound annually for their freshwater origins. Julian Horsman once lived on the Nanticoke at Lewis Wharf. He saw drift-netting introduced on the river by the Covington family. Their nets drifted with the tide, suspended from corks, with the bottom leader weighted with metal rings. Julian’s son Frank remembered his father devising a system of hanging driftnets more impervious to river bottom snags. Rings from the main Bay damaged nets drifted on rivers strewn with fallen trees, lost anchors, and untold other obstacles. In the 1930s, Julian replaced metal rings with pouches sewn from sailcloth,

Oxford Fine Arts

May 16th-18th, 2025

Barbara Zuehlke Keith Whitelock

filled with precise amounts of sand, hung every few yards from the bottom leader. These “tobacco sacks” still work, hung from “dobs,” twine that breaks when bags snag.

A farmer/fisherman farther upriver might have a barn where he mended or “hung” his nets in freezing weather. When he first fished with his grandfather as a youngster, the late Elijah Wheedleton helped rig nets in an unheated barn. Later, Elijah built a long, narrow house next to his store in Galestown. He designed his home with a cellar heated as nicely as the living quarters. A cord ran down the cellar’s center to hold nets, illuminated by a row of fluorescent lights. Spools of line and crates of nets lined the walls: different colors and sizes of mesh, some mono filament, some nylon, some in pastel multi-colors from patching. Perhaps an old cotton

The Treasure Chest

remnant traced with tar they’d needed in his grandfather’s day.

Elijah’s knowledge of fish and skill at drift-netting were legend -

ary. Even a biologist or two consulted Elijah, dubbing him The Fish Doctor. Fellow-fishermen respected his ability to go out under any conditions. In fog so thick a man couldn’t see his boat’s bow, sounds drifted clearly over the river surface. One who waited for a fog to lift could hear Elijah on the water, laying his driftnet out. His helper Babe might say, “You ain’t never gonna find that one. No way you can find that.” Then came the sound of Elijah circling the boat around…gaffing the net… and Babe: “Ah don’ know how you done that.”

Elijah fished through the winter for different varieties. “We’re lucky,” he once said, “barges going

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up the river to Seafood break the ice so we can fish. You just have to know the tide and judge careful so your nets can drift open spaces and not get in the ice.” Babe was early at the wharf one such morning, watching the river churning big chunks of ice and saying, “Mr. ’lijah’s gonna come down here and want to go out in that river and I ain’t goin. No way I’m goin out there today.” Elijah came and went out and Babe went with him.

Somewhere there’s an old videotape showing a gaggle of Delaware DNR’s excited employees splashing in Broad Creek with a rather confused porpoise, which had strayed into that Nanticoke tributary. While they tried to get the porpoise headed out, someone sent for Elijah. He selected a net and trailed his boat to Laurel. In a matter of minutes, the experts went ashore while Elijah backed his boat overboard, quietly netted and redirected the frightened porpoise, collected his net, and trailed his boat back to Galestown.

Whale-rescuing wasn’t the first

help he’d given the government. More notable was his naval service in June 1944. Before he driftnetted from his shad barge, young Elijah was coxswain on what the Navy called a rhino barge. Not so gracefully crafted as a shad barge, a rhino was simply two sections of pontoon bridge, joined together to ferry tanks and such to the beach-

8 a.m. to noon – Rain or Shine

Green-Eyed Over Blues

es of Normandy. As Elijah said matter-of-factly, “If a shell hit one, they weren’t out much.”

When DNR’s rock moratorium went into effect January 1, 1985, younger men were in a fix. Elijah was eligible for Social Security but felt it had the taint of a government handout. What Secretary of Natural Resources Torrey Brown called “implementation of enhanced management strategies,” netters perceived as an assault against them and their families. As Sir Walter Scott once wrote, of haggling over the price of a haddock, “It’s not fish ye’re buying— it’s men’s lives.”

After a five-year moratorium,

the DNR declared victory. The moratorium was credited with increasing the stock. Rockfishing reopened on a limited basis. Encouraging surveys were quoted, but this second U-turn alarmed those who’d heeded several years of reports that the species was “on the brink of extinction.” Reopening rockfishing alarmed concerned conservationists, who found fault with the methodology used obtaining encouraging data, charging DNR with skewing their YOY survey to overstate young rock.

As this article is written, a case is before the U.S. Supreme Court involving rockfish numbers generated by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. As

the Commission website explains, “Fish do not adhere to political boundaries.” ASMFC includes coastal states from Maine to Florida (plus Pennsylvania). Maryland stakeholders are seeking an emergency hold from the Court on new regulations aimed at cutting rockfish harvesting in half. As Yogi Berra might say, “Deja vu all over again.” Setting aside for a moment however-many rockfish may or may not be swimming in Maryland coastal and Chesapeake Bay waters, local petitioners threatened by new regulations include watermen, charter boat operators, and recreational anglers.

The same three interests were at loggerheads in the 1980s, when the Maryland Saltwater Sportfishing Association lobbied Annapolis to designate rock as a game fish, reserved solely for their pleasure. The MSSA is no longer a political force, having disbanded following a financial scandal. But the thrill of hooking a nice-sized rock hasn’t diminished. Nor has a sportfisherman’s pain at observing a net haul in “their” fish. In addition to some odd bedfellows in the current case, another notable wrinkle is ASMFC’s impact on the entire East Coast, whereas in 1985 only Marylanders were stopped from fishing rock.

Note: Before closing, I should confess to a bias. The writer here is not a fisher, but rather an ardent

rockfish consumer, dependent on the marketplace for the delicacy. In 1984, the upcoming moratorium caused me to stock my freezer at Uncle Frank’s Market in Vienna, Maryland. I couldn’t believe rock were scarce in the nearby Nanticoke. Despite its impending unavailability, Uncle Frank was selling rock for 73 cents a pound.

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. 410-822-7716 · 7 S. Washington St., Easton visit us online at www.crackerjackstoys.com

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Get ready at home for the arcades at the boardwalk this summer.

10 Foods to Rethink for a Healthier Lifestyle

One of the easiest ways to improve your diet is to learn to identify the most unhealthy foods to eat and learn how to replace them with better options.

I encourage you to eat more food packed with nutrients, such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and lean proteins. Focusing on the positive can help decrease the amount of low-nutrient food you consume. Keep reading to learn

more about the worst foods to eat, along with suggestions for healthier alternatives. This article is about understanding how different foods impact our health and making informed choices. Here are 10 foods you might want to rethink to better align yourself with a healthier lifestyle.

1. Sugary beverages – Including artificial sweeteners, soda, energy drinks, and sweetened teas are

Tidewater Kitchen

high in sugar and empty calories, contributing to weight gain, obesity, and chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes. Artificial sweeteners found in diet drinks are linked to brain changes that increase appetite.

2. Processed meats – Bacon, hot dogs, sausages, and other processed meats are high in sodium, preservatives, and unhealthy fats, which can increase the risk of heart disease and are linked to cancer. They can contain up to 400% more sodium and 50% preservatives than unprocessed meats. They contain nitrates and nitrites to promote taste, enhance color, and prevent spoilage.

3. Refined carbohydrates –White bread, pastries, and many baked goods made with refined flour can cause spikes in blood sugar and contribute to weight gain and inflammation.

4. Fried foods – Foods like French fries, fried chicken, and doughnuts are high in trans fats, which increase the risk of heart disease and can lead to weight gain.

5. Candy and sweets – These foods are packed with sugar and provide little to no nutritional value. Excessive consumption can lead to tooth decay, obesity, and blood sugar issues.

6. Fast food – Most fast food is high in unhealthy fats, sugars, and sodium, contributing to poor heart health, weight gain, and an increased risk of chronic diseases.

7. Artificial trans fats – Found in margarine, packaged snacks, and baked goods, trans fats are harmful to heart health and should be avoided as much as possible.

8. Pastries and cakes – Often made with refined flour, sugar, and unhealthy fats, these foods are calorie-dense and nutrient-poor, leading to weight gain and poor metabolic health.

9. Ice cream – While delicious, it’s typically loaded with sugar, unhealthy fats, and calories, making it easy to over consume and negatively impact health.

10. Microwave popcorn – Often high in artificial butter flavorings and trans fats, microwave popcorn can contribute to unhealthy fat

intake and lead to increased cholesterol levels.

10 nutrient-dense foods that can support overall health and wellness. Including these foods in your diet can help provide a range of nutrients essential for maintaining long-term health and well-being.

1. Leafy greens (spinach, kale, Swiss chard or arugula) – Packed with vitamins, minerals, and fiber, they help improve heart health, reduce inflammation, and have potentially cancer fighting compounds.

2. Berries (blueberries, strawberries or raspberries) – High in antioxidants, fiber, and vitamin C, they support immune health, reduce inflammation, protect against oxidative stress, and boost antioxidant levels in your blood and brain.

3. Salmon (wild) – Rich in omega-3 fatty acids, protein, and vitamin D, salmon promotes brain health, reduces inflammation, and supports heart health.

4. Nuts and seeds (e.g., almonds, walnuts, chia seeds) – Full of healthy fats, fiber, and protein,

they help improve heart health, stabilize blood sugar, and support weight management.

5. Eggs (pasture-raised, organic) A complete protein source that is high in essential amino acids, vitamins (such as B12), and minerals like selenium, eggs support muscle health, brain function, and overall metabolism. They are known as “nature’s multi vitamin.”

6. Avocados – High in healthy monounsaturated fats, fiber, and potassium, avocados support heart health, improve digestion, and help manage blood pressure.

7. Sweet potatoes – A great source of complex carbohydrates, fiber, and vitamins like vitamin A (in the form of beta-carotene),

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sweet potatoes help boost immunity, support vision, and provide sustained energy. They contain a little bit of every nutrient you need.

8. Legumes (e.g., beans, lentils, chickpeas) – Rich in fiber, protein, and minerals like iron, legumes are excellent for gut health, supporting

muscle repair, and balancing blood sugar.

9. Plain Greek yogurt (organic if you can)– High in protein, probiotics, and calcium, Greek yogurt helps improve digestion, supports muscle growth, and strengthens bones.

10. Cruciferous vegetables (e.g., broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts) – Loaded with fiber, vitamins, and cancer-fighting compounds like sulforaphane, these vegetables promote detoxification, reduce inflammation, and support overall health.

These meals are nutrient-packed, easy to prep, and great for busy days. Just assemble, store in air -

tight containers, and enjoy your healthy meals throughout the week!

Leafy Greens & Salmon Salad

2 cups kale or arugula

1 salmon fillet, grilled or pan fried on the stove top

1/4 avocado, sliced

1/4 cup walnuts or almonds

1 tablespoon olive oil and lemon dressing

Layer leafy greens in a container. Add grilled salmon on top. Add avocado slices, nuts, and drizzle with olive oil and lemon dressing. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Berry & Greek Yogurt Parfait

1 cup Greek yogurt (unsweetened) ½ cup mixed berries (blueberries, strawberries & raspberries)

1 tablespoon chia seeds

Tidewater Kitchen

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon local honey (optional if you want it sweet)

Mix chia seeds with Greek yogurt, then layer the mixed yogurt, berries and cinnamon in a jar or container and drizzle with honey.

Refrigerate for up to 3 days. Grab and go for breakfast or snacks.

Sweet Potato & Egg Scramble

1 medium sweet potato, cubed and roasted

2 eggs

1/4 avocado, sliced Salt, pepper, and spices (optional)

Roast sweet potato cubes with olive oil, salt, and pepper. In a pan, scramble eggs and mix in roasted sweet potatoes. Top with avocado slices. Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Tip: You can buy frozen pieces of avocado near the frozen fruit at the grocery store and allow to thaw for 30 minutes and then eat.

Chicken & Broccoli

Quinoa Bowl

1 cup cooked quinoa or brown rice

1 chicken breast, grilled or pan fried in olive oil, sliced

1 cup steamed broccoli

1 tablespoon olive oil and lemon dressing

Layer cooked quinoa at the bottom of the container. Add grilled chicken and steamed broccoli on

top. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon dressing. Store for up to 4 days.

Chia Pudding with Berries

3 tablespoons chia seeds

1 cup almond milk (or any milk of choice)

1/2 cup mixed berries

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

Sprinkle homemade granola or mixed nuts on top for crunch

Mix chia seeds, almond milk, vanilla extract in a jar and then shake well so seeds are mixed evenly in the jar. Let sit in the fridge overnight. Top with berries before serving. Store for up to 3 days.

Avocado & Egg Toast with Spinach

1 slice whole-grain toast or homemade sourdough—if you don’t make it, buy at farmers market 1/4 avocado, mashed 1 egg (fried or poached)

Handful of spinach

Salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes (optional)

Toast the whole-grain bread and spread with mashed avocado. Cook the egg to your liking. Top the toast with the egg and spinach. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days (for meal prepping, it’s best to assemble when ready to eat). I like to add a piece of local cooked bacon or pan-fried pancetta.

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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.

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Experience the Extraordinary

All Quiet on the Sound A novel by

B. P. Gallagher

Chapter 21: A Sinking Feeling

“C’mon Earl, let’s go fishin’. Get our minds off things.” It was Saturday afternoon, and Leon, despite his talk of cutting back, had been drinking since midday. Earl reckoned the uncertainty in the air must be getting to him. That, and boredom.

It had been a quiet week since the repossession of Mr. Gibbs’s automobile and the discovery of his parting missive. Even Deputy Calhoun had grown scarce since the car was hauled away. Earl couldn’t be certain the two phenomena were con-

nected, but not knowing was eating at him. He almost wished this thing would come to a head already. But that was a foolish instinct, maybe just the sort Tyler Calhoun hoped to prey on by backing off. He shoved the thought aside like the last dozen times it had occurred to him.

“You sure it’s worth the fuel? Gonna be dark in a few hours.”

“Better’n sittin’ around twiddling our thumbs, ain’t it? We’ll be back by supper, and the fish oughta be biting, weather we been having.”

Earl acquiesced with a shrug. “Alright, but I’m captain.”

“Sure thing, Moby Dick. I’ll grab

All Quiet the rods and tackleboxes.”

“Ahab.”

“Pardon?”

“The captain’s name was—oh, never mind.”

The Sound was restive today, whitecapped and swollen with rainfall and snowmelt. In the depths, oblivious to the chop overhead, oysters bedded unsleeping in their shoals, going about their idle business of filtering the contents of the Bay, unceasing. Earl almost envied their simple, restful existence, though even that peace didn’t go undisturbed. On the surface, likewise oblivious to the chop, weekend oyster tongers balanced on the gunwales of pitching skipjacks, looking from afar like giant water striders. Frequently they dipped and hauled up tongs filled with mud, stones, and displaced oysters to rake through on deck.

What’s that saying, again? Is it wicked men or watermen who never rest? But then what about wicked watermen?

Fishing Bay was a mite calmer than the Sound, and a few other leisure fishermen had brought their boats out to see what they could catch. Earl saw no sign of Deputy Calhoun’s draketail, but he spotted an Oyster Police patrol puttering around, keeping a watchful eye on tongers and fishermen both. Giving the police boat a wide berth, he brought them to a spot off the point of Elliot Island and cut the engine.

He soon forgot himself in the familiar rhythms of fishing—baiting, casting, reeling, casting anew. Briny spray opened his nostrils and lit a chill fire in his lungs, and though the water and breeze were biting cold, the fish were biting too. Within three hours they’d reeled in rockfish, mackerel, and trout, with a smattering of perch in between.

“Told ya the fishin’d be fine today!” Leon gloated over his latest catch.

“Right you were! Looks like folks are starting to turn in, though. Maybe we oughta think about heading back ourselves. We got more’nuff for cooking.”

Leon looked disappointed. “Aint-

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cha having fun?”

“Course I am, but it’s getting dark, and there’s rough weather comin’ or I’ve no nose for it.”

“Just a half hour more, then we’ll turn in! Ain’t like we gotta row the whole way anymore. Besides, I got a good third of this pint to polish off.”

“Alright, I guess. But I don’t wanna be the last boat out here. Got me?”

“I gotcha, brother. We won’t. Just meet me halfway. And have a drink, for Chrissake!”

Earl took both directives literally. First he swigged the whiskey— mostly so Leon didn’t drink the whole pint himself. Then he brought them halfway between Fishing Bay and home before cutting the motor again.

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Dark clouds gathered to the east, still far off enough not to be of immediate concern. The sky to the west was an expectant grey slate, the water a rolling field of French-manicured swells. Not worthy of being called waves yet, Earl told himself, and the deadrise could withstand heavier seas than this. Besides, the fish were biting hungrily, and it felt good to cast off their troubles for even a few precious minutes longer. Soon he and Leon were swept up again in the rhythms of the familiar song, given over to the duet of fishing to the neglect of all else, including the foul weather that worsened as the sun sank behind its steely curtain.

By the time they came to their

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senses, it was too late. The heavier seas for which the Marylou’s deadrise keel was designed had come to pass, fast approached perilousness. As Earl hauled up the anchor, one arm slung over the gunwale to steady him against the boat’s heaving, he wished he hadn’t agreed to come out this afternoon, much less indulged his brother’s vices in the process.

“Gun it, Earl!” Leon shouted over the howling wind, staggering towards the cabin with an armload of rods and tackle. “Get us home!”

“But the catch! We oughta string ’em up or something, or we’re gonna lose ’em all overboard jumping these

whitecaps!”

“Forget the catch, man! Rather lose a few fish than the whole goddamn boat!”

That was good sense, and Earl knew it. But with a potent mix of liquid courage and youthful foolhardiness coursing through his veins, going back empty-handed seemed in the moment unconscionable. So, yelling for Leon to take the helm, he lurched from the cabin onto the pitching work deck. Into the brunt of the squall.

Immediately he was thrown to the side, almost losing his footing as an earnest-to-goodness wave crashed into the Marylou. Frigid water sprayed in his face. A dead mackerel leapt from the deck as if come back

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to life and was swept overboard in another spray of salt mist. Cursing, spluttering, scrabbling on hands and knees, Earl went to stow the rest of the catch before all was lost.

Leon hollered at him from the cockpit, the words inaudible over the howl of the storm and the crash of the cabin door slamming open and shut, open and shut. Earl ignored the shouts, the clapping door. Damned if he wouldn’t have something to show for this outing at the end of the day! Clamping the largest of the rockfish under one arm and a prize-worthy sea bass under the other, he fought his way back to the shelter of the cockpit.

He staggered like a drunkard, head bowed against pelting rain

flecked with chips of ice that bit his cheeks like shards of frigid glass. Through the lashing tempest, Moore Island was a dark mass to the south, frightfully distant. In the cockpit, Leon looked over his shoulder, urged him onwards. Earl shouted back at him—Pilot, goddammit! Keep an eye out!—but their words were stolen by the wind. The lapse of communication and attention cost them both.

At that moment, the deadrise crested the largest wave yet, then plummeted prow-first as the wave broke. Earl had the barest instant to marvel at the curious inversion of sky and water as he was flung from the deck, dumbfounded at his sudden weightlessness. Then he plunged

SHORE

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All Quiet

into depths darker than dark, colder than cold.

He seemed to sink forever. The frigid waters enveloped him, punched the breath from his lungs, seared his body from head to toe with icy fire. The sense of weightlessness from his fall persisted; indeed, he had lost all sense of direction. And the depths were quiet! Quieter than he might’ve known—only the dull rush of blood in his ears disturbed the peace, and that too would soon slow if he let it. It was…almost nice. Already a numb warmth bloomed over his body, beckoning him to sleep, to permit this day of casting off worldly worries to continue forevermore.

Was this what Shane felt, in his final moments? Had Mom experienced this weightlessness? Was this the rest she sought?

For what felt like a lengthy debate, but which couldn’t have been more than a second or two in reality, Earl considered letting go. He was so, so tired. Tired of the lies and obfuscation, of bearing not only the weight of his sins, but also his family’s and Pastor Calhoun’s.

What kind of life is this? mewled a frightened inner voice, the voice of a child. Almost it sounded like Shane, but he knew it wasn’t. Those were the shrill tones of his guilt, and wouldn’t it be lovely to shut that keening up for good? An end to dis-

sonant winds whistling through the jagged crevasse between justice and paper justice. An end to paranoia creeping like a shadow at the periphery of vision; to sleepless nights, roiling stomach, a taste like ash upon his tongue. An end to helplessness, listlessness, anhedonia, to this flaccid outlook that had lately overtaken even his cataclysmic visions of the future. An end to not caring, to having to care.

An end to it all.

Let him sink and be done with it. Leon and Margaret could even pin the pastor’s murder on him, couldn’t they? Just like that, nice and neat: Earl did it, your Honor, and when he couldn’t live with the guilt any longer, he clutched it to himself like an anchor and leapt with it into the Sound. Runs in the family.

Then something thudded against his back, jolting him alert again, and the furious will to endure flooded back into him. Thrashing blindly in the freezing, pitching water, Earl groped in desperation. Yes, there it was again! A lifesaver! He seized the ring with clumsy, frozen fingers, thrust an arm through its donut hole, let its buoyancy drag him to the surface. He gasped as his head broke the water, inhaling air and salt spray and seawater, was reacquainted with the storm and the Sound in all their fury. He was whirled and whorled, eddied helpless as driftwood by the wild water.

“Leon— ack! ” He cried out,

choked on water. “Leon! ”

His extremities were going numb, starting to feel detached from the rest of him. How long could his phantom grip hold? Once hypothermia set in, he would be lost all over again. Where was the boat, amidst this maelstrom? The lifesaver was abruptly yanked through the water, nearly wrested from his unfeeling fingertips. He clung on by his fingernails alone. “Help!”

Again something struck him, hard. Then he was being seized by the hair, the back of his coat, under his arms, and heaved over the gunwale. He flopped to the deck like the fish for which he had so impulsively

risked his life, all of which were now lost to the Sound. But not Earl. Not today! He was dimly aware of being shaken, heaved, hammered again, this time by his brother.

“Snap out of it, Earl! Don’t you dare put me through it again, you selfish sumbitch! I won’t lose another little brother like this!”

“I’m good,” Earl tried to answer, but his lips were too numb, his teeth chattering too hard to get the words out. He coughed up a mouthful of water instead.

“C’mon now Earl, you goddamn fool! Wake the hell up!”

He tried again, blinking frost from his eyes. “I’m okay, just c-ccold.”

“Ha! There he is—Captain Ahab

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All Quiet

himself!” A bark of wild, relieved laughter, Leon’s bearded face swimming in his vision. “Attaboy! We’ll get you home and outta them wet clothes quick. Hold on!”

He lay shivering on the floor of the cabin, fading in and out of consciousness to the geriatric grumble of the engine as Leon pushed the Marylou to her limit once more. Weightlessness was returning, flowing like an indelible tide from his extremities over his entire body. He was going into shock. Time slipped away from him.

He was aware of being lifted from the boat and bundled up the docks, across the island. Familiar faces

surrounded him, slipping in and out of focus.

Wouldya look at that, he thought vaguely. Whole island’s turned out. Here were Maggie, and Clara, and Dave and Becca Howell. Others too, neighbors grown distant these past weeks. Now they stripped his sodden clothing and draped him in blankets and coats, huddled around him as he was borne, swaddled like a babe, before the blazing hearth of his family home. There he remained until his shivering ceased.

Brendan Gallagher is a 2013 graduate of Easton High School and is currently finishing up a Ph.D. in

Psychology at the University at Albany.

The First Issues of Tidewater Times

by James Dawson

Recently a friend, Willard Carroll, bought the first nine issues of Tidewater Times from May 23 to September 27, 1952, online from an historical ephemera dealer in Georgia. How they ended up in Georgia is anyone’s guess. Anyway, he was kind enough to share scans of them with me. The year 1952 was notable not only for the birth of the Tidewater Times , but also for the opening of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and the coming of Rt. 50 to Talbot County.

Willard is a native of Easton

who went west for a career in Hollywood. He now lives in Maine but has never lost his love for Talbot County. He also has an outstanding collection of Wizard of Oz books and memorabilia.

These early T.T. issues are a rare survival, with probably the only known copies of a few of the issues. I have not located a complete set, although the Maryland Room at the Talbot County Free Library has an almost complete set. Librarian Becky Riti says the Maryland Room at the library has the following back

First Issues

Willard Carroll

issues: 1952: #1-#3 & # 7; 1956: #1#2 & #5-#7; 1957: bound volume beginning with 1957 #8 (Jan.) and continues up to #19 (Dec. 1957); 1958: #20-#29 & #31; and then from 1959 to the present complete, which the library has had bound in hardcovers.

Easton’s Tidewater Inn opened in 1949, and Omar Shively, advertising manager of The Easton StarDemocrat , started the Tidewater Times to have something of local interest to give out to its guests. In vol 1#1, “A Message of Welcome – The Tidewater Inn brings to Easton the most modern of hotels, coupled with the graciousness that

has been an inheritance of the Eastern Shore. Visitors here will find a pleasant way of life during their stay…and are most cordially invited to return again. Arthur J. Grimes Jr., Owner-Manager. The Social Center of the Eastern Shore.”

The Tidewater Times then was about 14 pages published every other week with a nice photo on the front and usually a map of Talbot County on the rear cover, and one or two photos inside. Of course, the photos then were in black and white and were of the Wye Oak, old Wye Church, Third Haven Meeting House, sport fishing, a John Moll painting of a skipjack under sail, and the Talbot County Courthouse. The photos were reused in several different issues, sometimes on the covers and sometimes inside. Since T.T. was intended for tourists and visitors who would probably see only one issue, no one would notice the repetition.

The cover photo of Vol. 1#1 showed the Tidewater Inn (naturally), and later covers featured the Courthouse, Norman Harrington’s photo of a log canoe, and an American flag for the July issue. The first pin-up “Miss Chesapeake” was on the cover of the Aug. 4, 1952, issue, and inside stated that “Miss Sylvia Ann Jarboe (later to become Sylvia Gannon), Miss Miles River of 1952, recently won the coveted title of “Queen of the Chesapeake” in competition with the princesses

of other yacht clubs in the Chesapeake Bay area.” The cover of the next issue had a horse to advertise the upcoming Talbot County Horse

Show, then later issues had the Wye Oak and Old Wye Church. There were 20 advertisers total in these first nine issues, but not every advertiser was in every issue. They provide an interesting look at business goings on then:

Bird-Speakman Ltd. women’s fashions and accessories in the Tidewater Inn. Telephone 803; Lomax Jewelers at 25 Washington St.; The Bootery on Harrison St.; Eastern Shore Galleries at the Tidewater Inn; W.C.E.M. Cambridge, radio 1240 on your dial; Laird Wise –Photographer; Nuttle Lumber Co.; Charlotte McCabe – Gifts located in the Tidewater Inn; Waterfront Properties – Farms and Estates by Piper & Hill on Washington St.;

OCC at 8:30am and returns approximately 6:30pm.

First Issues

Easton Star Democrat, “In Easton Everybody Reads The Easton StarDemocrat”; Waterfront Properties by W.C. Pinkard & Co. in the Tidewater Inn; Easton National Bank “Banking on the Eastern Shore since 1805.”; Eastern Shore Art Center, Inc. in the Tidewater, which hosted a nautical exhibit in August; Chamber of Commerce in the Stewart Building for any questions.; Shannahan and Wrightson – Easton’s premiere hardware store since 1877, and several more ads from realtors; Bartlett Realty Co. specializing in waterfront farms and homes and real estate insurance, located in the Tidewater

LIZ’S Home

Inn; Tidewater Realty Company on Dover St.; Miles Marine Dock in St. Michaels, “View Talbot’s beautiful homes and estates from the water – private cruises, fishing parties and hunting guides.”; Claud D. Lee, Prescription Pharmacist on Dover St. one-half block from the Tidewater Inn.

And some notes on the advertisers: Easton National Bank, which had been Farmers and Merchants Bank merged with Maryland National Bank in 1962. Then Maryland National Bank merged with Bank of Maryland in 1984 to capitalize on the booming real estate market then almost went under when the real estate market collapsed in 1990, which became Bank of America by 1999. Bank of America itself almost went under when the real estate market collapsed again in 2008, but fortunately still survives.

Cleaning

In 1952, Shannahan and Wrightson Hardware Co. on Washington and Harrison Streets celebrated their 75th anniversary. Their ad in issue 8, 1952 read, “75 YEARS AGO…when the firm of Shannahan & Wrightson was founded we catered to the needs of the people of Talbot County, stocking such items as bridles, harness, horse collars, kerosene lamps and the many business and household goods so necessary in a by-gone era. TODAY we still cater to the changing needs of the people, but now our

stock includes such items as Old Town Boats (we’re the nation’s oldest dealer), Johnson Sea Horse Motors, marine Paints, Varnishes, Ranges, Refrigerators, Gifts and hundreds of diversified items for the housewife, the sportsman, the homeowner the builder, the farmer, the hobbyist and others. Sadly, they would close forever after a fire on the second floor, which ended their 88-year run in 1977.

The only advertisers from 1952 that are still around are Nuttle Lumber Co., (which has several locations, but is not in Easton anymore); W.C.E.M radio and The Easton Star Democrat which is now named the Star Democrat , although the Democrat is in such small type it looks like it’s The Star.

Curiously the paper had once been named the Republican Star when it started in the early 1800s. In 1952, the paper was in the old Bartlett Flour Mill, a large brick building on Hanson Street, and later moved to the industrial park on Airpark Drive in 1978. It was a weekly paper, then became a daily in 1974.

Departments in 1952:

Civic Clubs such as Lions International, Rotary, Kiwis, V.F.W., American Legion, Masons, Elks, and Moose.

Church Services:

Tips for Tourists What to doWhere to go-What to see in Talbot County: Wye Oak, Third Haven Meeting House, Old Wye Episcopal Church in Wye Mills, “Hole in

First Issues

the Wall” ruins on Rt. 50 (which are still there) which itself was recently opened, and OxfordBellevue Ferry.

Coming Events:

Easton and Talbot County

Facts and Figures on Talbot County – pop, 19,368, per capita income $1,567, 425 business firms, 139,698 acres in farms, 1,797,817 chickens raised; value of seafood catch $1,250,000, county tax rate $1.70 per 100 and Easton town tax rate $.90 per 100, etc.

By comparison, recently the population Talbot Co. in 2023 was 37,823; per capita income $49,865; 1,457 businesses with one or more employees and 4,364 with no em -

ployees; 93,622 acres in farmland; county tax rate 2.40% of Maryland taxable income; and 1,179,400 chickens raised.

Interesting that while the population of Talbot County has slightly more than doubled since 1952, the number of chickens raised is about the same.

Page 9 of the second issue offered, “Tips on Touring” by Carol Lane, who was a Women’s Travel Authority, which starts out, “There are several successful ways for the lady traveler to keep her clothes wrinkle-free on a prolonged journey.” Remember this was 1952, after all!

And now T.T. is heading for its 73rd anniversary in May 2025. And due to the careful eyes of Anne and

First Issues

John Farwell, T.T. has never looked better! Now it’s a monthly with full color, loaded with interesting articles and ads, and not just for visitors anymore but also for locals and expatriates in other parts of the country. And still free for the taking, or get on the mailing list if you are away. Or read it online.

Anne’s father, Hugh Bailey, bought T.T. in 1976, and Anne started working there part time in 1972 and full time in 1983. Hugh Bailey sold T.T. to David Pulzone in 1995, and Anne and John bought it back from him in 2019. T.T. went to full color in 2011 and now is about 160 pages plus or minus, with over 100

advertisers, about a dozen feature articles, 8 or so departments, lots of photos, plus the always stunning photographs on the covers. By contrast, the first issue had 12 pages, 8 ads and no contributed articles. About the only thing that has not changed is the size which is still 4 1/2” by 6”, which makes it pocket size. Why change something that’s perfect? And the cover photos by big name local photographers are always stunning.

There are lots more articles and features now, including an opening article by Helen Chappell for probably the last 30 years, Tidewater Gardening by K. Marc Teffeau, Tidewater Kitchen by Pamela Meredith and monthly articles by

First Issues

feature writers Bonna L. Nelson, Michael Valliant, A.M. Foley, and B.F. Gallagher. Plus occasional articles by yours truly since 2004. Previous writers for T.T. have included Bob Smith, Ann Stinson, Dr. M. Fred Tidwell, Gary Crawford, Hal Roth, Dickson Preston, and Mary Swaine. The longevity award goes to Marc Teffeau, whose monthly Tidewater Gardening ar -

TIDEWATER GARDENING

by K. Marc Teffeau

ticle first appeared in 1989! Departments now include the monthly tide table, which is indispensable for boaters, and histories of the several counties in each issue.

It is interesting that while most of the advertisers are long gone, the Star Democrat and W.C.E.M radio in Cambridge remain, which is not surprising since after all that was 73 years ago, the two of the major players in this story are still around although now under different owners: the Tidewater Inn and last but not least, the Tidewater Times itself.

Happy 73rd birthday, Tidewater Times – and many more! Sometimes the best things in life are still free!

Regional Extension Agent - Commercial Horticulture

Notes:

Willard F. Carroll is an Emmy Award-winning producer, writer, and director. He wrote and directed The Runestone ; the ensemble romance, Playing By Heart; Tom’s Midnight Garden ; and Marigold . He was an executive producer for the animated films The Brave Little Toaster, The Brave Little Toaster Goes To Mars and The Brave Little Toaster To The Resuce , also writing the screenplay for the latter two.

James Dawson is the owner of Unicorn Bookshop in Trappe.

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 .

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 .

My Fabulous ‘53

by Rick Klepfer

Of all the cars I’ve owned (and there have been many), the most glamorous, most terrifying, quickest, and most beloved, by far, was my ’53 Jaguar Fixed Head Coupe. Before it was eclipsed by the most beautiful car ever designed, the Jaguar XKE, it was, to my mind, the most beautiful vehicle on the road. Fixed Head Coupe, by the way, means that it was not a convertible, which would have been a Drop Head Coupe.

How quaint the English language, as spoken by the British. When I acquired the Jag, however, it was 1966 and it was near the bottom of its value curve; I couldn’t have afforded it otherwise. It was not a stock Jaguar but had been modified to get rid of the original engine, which was no slouch, power-wise, but a maintenance nightmare, and shoehorn in a General Motors 327 beast which greatly increased the

Fabulous '53

available horsepower as well as reliability. The engine was fitted with lake pipes, which carried the exhaust gases alongside the rocker panels of the car, where they terminated just under the door sills. When the cover plates

were removed from these pipes and diverter-valves turned, the exhaust would no longer run through the mufflers but would instead exit the car with an earsplitting noise, and flames would shoot out from the side pipes.

The rest of the car was stock. The hood, or bonnet, as the British term it, took up the entire front half of the vehicle, while the trunk, or boot, as the Brits call that, seemed to be an afterthought; barely voluminous enough to get a tool kit into it. The exterior was painted in traditional British Racing Green, and the entire body was of hand-hammered aluminum, with lead used for fairing out the lines. The wheels

Fabulous '53

were oversized for the vehicle and, although originally equipped with dinky little hubcaps, they were now devoid of any ornamentation. The rear wheels were concealed with removable metal panels that followed the sweeping line of the Jag’s underbody; and here is where we get into a bit of a terminology tussle—they are variously described as “pants,” “skirts,” or “spats,” but as I thought of the car as feminine, I always referred to them as skirts.

The cockpit, for that’s what it looked and felt like, was barely large enough to fit my six-foot-four frame into and only sat a few scant inches above the roadway. Once inside, the driver was treated to the effects of a miniature Edwardian drawing room; replete with handsewn leather seats, again in BRG, and a burl-walnut dashboard, upon which sat a diminutive chrome mirror— presumably you didn’t need to see who was behind

you, they would be too far back in the dust to be of any concern. The driver was nestled, cocoonlike, with his head nearly touching the velour headliner, and his face not so far from the miniature windscreen, which was split in two by a center post. The steering wheel was massive, with a large, chrome horn-button in the center with the Jaguar logo embossed into it. The large steering wheel was necessary to maneuver the antiquated running gear, which was not that far advanced from that of the Brass Era of English motor vehicles. Unlike other British sports cars of the time, this model had functioning roll-up windows— unbelievable luxury! What does a young lad do when he possesses such a vehicle? Why, push it to the limits of both car and driver whenever possible. I never really had the nerve to open the Jag up to its full potential. But I did manage to get it up to 130 mph one early morning, when the local cops were supposedly otherwise occupied at the donut shops. As the car hit my top speed, the steering wheel began to shimmy and I began to think about how I, and the previous teenage owner of the car, never had the money to properly maintain the vehicle. I knew about how I had jury-rigged parts of the exhaust system to hold it together with tin cans, baling wire, and asbestos cement, and

Fabulous '53

how the tires had worn down to the point just above slicks — Lord knew what the other guy had done.

There was one time when I was showing off to my friends at the local gas station. I dropped the lake pipe covers off, turned the exhaust valves, and blasted off down Highway One with a flamethrowing, ear-splitting, tirespinning roar that had the bellringing hoses dancing in my wake. It was just about dusk, and the flames coming out of the exhaust pipes were quite visible, and the noise deafening. I was doing about twice the posted speed limit when I saw the flashing red light of a black-and-white gaining on me in my rear-view mirror. I knew there was an intersecting country road, just past what was then the original Wawa Dairy bottling plant. I figured this had to be my only chance of escaping arrest. I hoped there were no other cars on that road.

I used my emergency brake to slow the Jag down to make the turn, not wanting to show any brake lights. I took the turn at higher speed than I had hoped for, cut my lights, and killed the engine. I coasted down the hill for a dead-stick landing at the side of the narrow lane and waited, hoping that the cop wouldn’t have noticed my bail-out. I could smell the hot lake pipes burning the weeds at the margins of the asphalt. It was peaceful, I hoped that would last. But no sooner had I gotten settled than I saw, in that little rear-view mirror, those damn flashing lights turn down the lane, following my trail. The cop pulled up behind me and fixed his searchlight on the back of the Jag. I was in trouble—I just didn’t know how deep. He slow-walked up alongside me; I had already rolled the window down. He just stood there for a minute that seemed to me to be an eternity, he shined his flashlight in my face before sternly commanding: “start ‘er up.. My heart sank. I knew what he was after.

I tried to start the car as quietly as I could, but it was impossible. The engine came to life with a throaty roar, and flames shot out of the lake pipes. I knew I was doomed. He gave me an exaggerated wince and told me to shut the engine down. He returned to his patrol car and wrote for what

seemed like a long time, looking up periodically and shaking his head slowly, from side to side. All I could do was to sit there and listen to the ticking of the exhaust system as it cooled and smell the pungent odors of burning weeds.

When he returned to my window, he had a number of tickets for me—and a stern lecture. But, surprisingly, there was no speeding ticket. He said that he could never get a clear shot of me and could only guess at how fast I was going; only that he had to push his patrol car to its limits to catch up to me.

Rick Klepfer is an avid sailor, oarsman and traveler and has written about his sailing adventures, including such places as the Norwegian Arctic, the Southern Caribbean, the South China Sea and the Coast of Maine. He now resides in Cambridge .

Not long after that incident, I had to sell the Jag because I was going into the Army. I sold it back to the same guy I’d bought it from, and for the same price. I guess we both wish we’d held onto it. I see they now sell for around a hundred thousand dollars. Still, I was happy to have been master of that steed, no matter how short the time.

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