St Michaels, Maryland
June 22, 2002

Since June 10, we visited Solomons Island, Tilighman Island, Oxford, Cambridge and St. Michaels.  During these visits, we renewed wonderful personal friendships:

On Tilighman:  Bob and Susan Jones.  Bob served more than 15 years as President of The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, then four years in the same capacity with the National Symphony in Washington, D.C.  Susan is a research librarian, including service with American States Insurance in Indianapolis.  Presently, she is librarian for a firm that publishes business and professional books and newsletters.  They have a condominium near Washington, and a home in Tiligham.  He is an avid sailor, having done many deliveries and one Atlantic crossing.  Susan was taking a sailing course in St. Michaels during our visit.  We appreciate their hospitality, especially the good food, meeting their friends, touring parts of this area to purchase things we need, and to show us (on their boat) that Pachamama could safely navigate the Knapps Narrows, saving us five hours on the trip from Cambridge to St. Michaels.

At St. Michaels:  The wedding of the daughter of Dave and Sue Powers brought us together with one of our favorite groups of people.  The group started at The Carmel Racquet Club as Chichi played team tennis.  Since, we have shared one or two parties every year.  The visitors here from this group were Dick and Judy Strain, Don and Joyce Brindle, Steve and Nancy Zoll, and Jeff and Miriam Ader. Since we are isolated from Indianapolis life, this was an important weekend for us, a chance to again have fun with friends, to get up to date on events in Indianapolis, and to again feel connected with the most important city of our lives.  We thank them all for their friendship.

37-49.808B
75-59.637W

Parks Marina
Tangier Island, VA

June 10, 2002
 

                                                                                                        Tangier
                                                                                                  A Special Place

Seventy plus year old Milton Parks waved from the dock.  "Here," he shouted from the dock, for The Parks Marina is the first we have encountered without a radio, but with a sense of open and unlimited hospitality, a special place.

Milton built Parks Marina more than 35 years ago.  The space was dredged to 17 feet, and the silt was trucked a half mile to build the parking space for aircraft at the (then) new airport.  Today, most areas in the marina provide less than six feet, just enough for Pachamama.  But who needs depth.  We need friendliness, hospitality, a sense of welcome, all provided in abundance by Milton and his island compatriots.

Tangier Island's population is about 700.  About a fourth of the population attends the school for all grades k-12.  Twelve to 15 students graduate every year, many going to the mainland for additional education.  It was not always so.  The waterman of Tangier used to presume that their children would become crab fisherman, but recent stringent regulations have limited the number of new licenses.  At the moment, only two of the school age children will have access to a license.  Tourism might make up the difference.  Three tour boats arrive every day, some bringing as many as 300 visitors, who immediately are treated to an excellent lunch/dinner at Hilda Crockett's, plus a 15 minute golf car tour of the island.

Tangier Island is 5 miles long, 2 miles wide.  Seventy five percent of that space is marsh land.  Fourteen teachers serve the school, ten born and raised here, the other four married Tangiermen.  The mayor, a town council and a policeman keep things straight, but if arrested, you will  be taken to a jail on the mainland,  because they do not have one here.  Most resident have cars stored at Crisfield, Md.   Each of the two grocery stores has its own boat to bring in supplies.  Two registered nurses are always here, and doctors visit each Tuesday and Thursday.  In an emergency, the Maryland state police can transport to Peninsula Regional Hospital in less than 20 minutes.

We chose to stay a few days.  After an uneventful trip from Irvington (including one night at Anchor in Dividing Creek), we arrived Sunday at 10 a.m., just in time to attend the worship service at The Methodist Church.  The church is the center of life on Tangier.  This is where people meet.  The  church service is like a community conversation, in which everyone can participate, either by speaking a part of the ritual, or by talking personally, such as to petition the prayers of friends or to thank others for their prayers and assistance.  The language here is unique, almost Elizabethan.  For example, a man is not a man.  He is a may on.

After church, we met James, a waterman, whose wife is part owner of a restaurant.  There, we enjoyed our first Tangier crab cakes, and one of the best deserts ever:  apples, ice cream, and cinnamon.  Wow!!

We will have spent more than seven nights in Tangier, about 7 times more than the average visitor.  Most mariners arrived at Parks in the afternoon, walked the town, then left the next morning, thereby missing the heart and soul of this wonderful place.  Most tourists arrive on the morning tour boat from Maryland or Virginia, then leave the same day.  They, too, missed the point.  Tangier is quiet, to some, boring, but a few extra hours with these wonderful people reveals a unique and very independent life, a safe life, a place in which children live securely, learning early how to swim, how to operate a boat, and how to entertain themselves without touring rock bands.

Our life here also is quiet.  In the mornings, we varnished the toe rails of our boat, a tedious process:  sand with 240, fix difficult areas with 120 and primer, clean with soap and water, then denatured alcohol, then tack cloths, apply green masking tape almost everywhere, then put on the first coat.  Let the first coat dry overnight.  Sand with scotch bright, and clean again.  This takes a few days, especially for persons like us who do not want to work in the hot afternoon sun. We want time to walk, to visit different restaurants, to help others arriving at the marina, and to basque in the warm smile of Milton Parks.

A local poet said it this way:

"Step not lightly upon these shores nor cast lighthearted gazes upon our isle . . . take not a dim view of our dwellings nor laugh at our narrow roads. . . do not misunderstand our language nor make joke of our native tongue . . . do not mock our walk or look down upon our quaint ways . . . for upon these shores have walked men of God, made of fibre woven close for age . . . and inside these dwellings laughter and love have flowed to make mansions of our homes . . . our language is that of times past and ages still unknown and our native tongue speaks with truth, understanding and compassion . . . our walk is that of pride and labor--bent somewhat from our toil but never from shame . . . out quaint  ways may be misunderstood as slow but time is abundant here and we wish it not away . . . and fear not our streets, as narrow they are, for they are roads of welcome to strangers, highways to let all visitors come into our lives, and exit for those who misunderstand us, or mistrust us or wish not our love . . . "   ----Sonny Forbes

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Among the best parts of sailing is connections with old friends.  Through a circuitous route, we learned that Joan Ball Mercuri and her husband Lou have a summer place on Wind Mill Point at the mouth of the Rapahanock River.  Joan was a friend from John's days in the Indiana State House (1965-66).  She made contact with us after she met another state house friend, Jane Shick Sprague, who visited us in Newport.  They met at a meeting of The National Historic Trust.  Jane is executive director of an historic synagogue in Newport, and Joan is executive director of the organization that maintains the Frank Lloyd Wright "Roby" house near The University of Chicago.  The Roby House, Joan's project, is worth a visit, as Robin Williams will attest. Bottom line:  we had a wonderful evening with Joan and Lou.  Lou is a semi-retired dental surgeon (that means only 60 operations a year).  He created a form of jaw surgery that relieves the pain of persons with arthritis.  To Joan and Lou--thank you!!
 

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Following is text of a commentary sent to the Seven Seas Cruising Association for publication in its monthly bulletin:
 

PACHAMAMA
45’ Cabo Rico Cutter
6’ draft
June 2002
Subject/Area--U.S. East Coast

Since September 9, 2001, we cruised from Ft. Lauderdale to The Dry Tortugas, then back to Annapolis.  We have had a wonderful time.  Here is why:

1.  Criminal and civil trials:  the best entertainment on the waterways, or any other ways, better than any legal drama on television.  If you are neither defendant nor plaintiff, an afternoon in a court room is educational and entertaining.  In every jurisdiction in The United States, and in many jurisdictions in other nations, court proceedings are public.  Anyone may attend.  Even the unaccused guilty may attend.  Admission is free.

Son Alex and John visited a trial in Savannah.  An unfortunate young woman was accused by a police officer of resisting arrest, inciting to riot, and other crimes.  The woman wanted to return to her hotel room on a small island.  However, by late afternoon, police had stopped all vehicular traffic to the island to accommodate an annual festival.  Apparently, on learning that she could not proceed to her room, the defendant became frustrated. Scratch that.  Forget the diplomatic language.  She was mad as hell. The officer claimed that the woman was violent, profane and uncooperative. The woman stated that she asked the officer to call the hotel to confirm her residence there. “Yes,” said the woman.  “I was aggressive, but how could little me, five foot three, 105 pounds, start a riot, just be arguing with an officer.  Impossible.”

We watched testimony on both sides, and parts of the summations.  However, since juries often take hours to decide, we did not wait for the verdict. Our fun was watching the unfolding story.    By the way, forgive this compliment to the maligned profession:  attorneys do know how to make a case.  They are concise, direct, and seldom say “aahhh.”

2.  Libraries:  the greatest service business in the world, and librarians lead the way.  Have you ever heard a librarian say “no?” When they say “how can I help you,” they mean it.

Every library we visited, in small towns and large, provide temporary library cards for visitors.  They also give access, without cards, to internet-connected computers, magazines and daily newspapers.  In Marathon, Charleston and Gloucester Point, we obtained a card, and borrowed books on tape.  We returned these items by USPS or UPS.  If we were late, we enclosed a  donation.

3.  Fantasy Fest, Key West--the week prior.

Perhaps you have heard about Fantasy Fest.  If not, think about The Rose Parade, or The Indianapolis 500 Festival Parade.  Then, imagine the participants wearing birthday suits.  That’s the Fantasy Fest Parade.  But we speak not of the parade.

Communities that host major celebrations, such as parades, have local events during the week prior.  In Key West, we attended a local talent competition, a contest to determine which person/pet made the best looking couple, and a costume competition.  Unlike the Fantasy Fest Parade, these were sedate affairs in relaxed places such as under a tent or in a park. No one was drunk, and everyone had a friend on stage.  Everyone liked to talk.  They wanted to know where we are from, and they wanted to tell their stories. Through these events, we came to know the people of Key West.  We also attended the parade, a celebration of personal freedom, but the small events were less tiring, more fun.

4.  Churches.  Attending church services fulfills both a spiritual and a social need.  We always were welcomed.  We met people and learned about the local community. An example is the Sunday Methodist church service at Tangier Island, Va.  During a portion of the service, parishioners make announcements, petition prayers, or give thanks for prayers previously offered.  Through this, the visitor sees the human side of an island. Following the service, a local waterman introduced himself, walked several blocks with us, and directed us to a wonderful restaurant.  He also invited us to visit one of his traps, but weather blocked the opportunity.  The following week was baccalaureate honoring 9 graduates, a joint service of both the Methodist and the non-denominational church.  Here we saw the best of this island’s young people, including valedictorian Lonnie Ann Parks, grand daughter of the owner of our marina, Milton Parks.

(Sadly, few visitors remain on Tangier island even one night.  We stayed seven days, and practically became citizens.)

In Savannah, we twice attended a traditional black church.  At first, the rollicking, foot stamping, clapping, standing declarations of faith seemed foreign, but that feeling/impression departed in a few minutes as we became comfortable.  The gospel music was superb, especially the song to welcome visitors while everyone shook our hands.

5.  Literature and film.  Whenever possible, we read literature about the areas we visit, or watch films.  Examples:  in Beaufort, SC, we read “The Prince of Tides,” and watched the movie.  (The author, Pat Conroy, lives near Beaufort.) We also watched “The Big Chill” and “Forest Gump” that were filmed there.  In Marathon, we watched “True Lies” that was filmed near Pigeon Key.  (If that film truly were true, Marathon would not exist, because the film ends with an atomic explosion.) In Annapolis, we will search for a copy of James Michener’s “Chesapeake.”  “Gone With The Wind” is worth watching during any trip to southern states, as are “Steel Magnolias,” “Fried Green Tomatoes,” and “Driving Miss Daisy.” Any book by John MacDonald makes a coastal trip more enjoyable.  Along the ICW, we always look for The Busted Flush, and The John Maynard Keynes.

6.  Service clubs.  Members of a service club are received at that club’s affiliates throughout the world.  At one such meeting in Key West, John found himself sitting between the police chief and the county sheriff.  You know what they talked about, just three days before Fantasy Fest.  The police chief had a new communications van.  The sheriff had a new helicopter.  Adult toys. In Savannah, (three meetings) a local opera singer entertained, a city planner described plans for development, and an architect gave the history of Savannah’s waterfront improvements.  In Charleston, high school scholars were honored.

7.  Fishing with beer. At The Dry Tortugas, commercial fishermen exchange fish for beer. They motor from yacht to yacht seeking six packs.  Unfortunately, we had none.  We only had a bottle of  champagne.  “Sorry,” they said.  “Maybe next time.”  The next morning, two young men--that means under 20--swam from their anchored fishing boat to shore, about half a mile, against a 20 knot wind.  When they passed us, we offered rest, and PFDs.  “No thanks,” they said, at first, but five minutes later they came aboard, took five, and one pfd.  Hours later we heard commotion.  “Hey, Pachamama.  Are you there?”  A boat carrying the two men came by, and they returned the PFD, and asked if we had a six pack.  “Sorry.  No Luck.  Just a bottle of champagne.”  “OK.  Deal.  Do want this grouper?  Do you want us to filet it?”  Yes on all counts, and we had three nights of fresh grouper.

8.  Pick ups, seven strangers, seven different locations. In marina parking lots and on rural roads, friendly faces stopped to ask “do you need a ride?”

In Deltaville, we were walking  back from Taylor’s restaurant, with a good two miles to go, when a self described “angel” offered a ride. Over the next 45 minutes--a slow ride--we learned about her husband’s health, her son’s work in Haiti as an anthropologist, and about her commitment to pick up anyone, any time, who appears to need help.  Nice gal.  At a concert by Bella Fleck and The Flecktones in Charleston, Alex and John had no way back to the marina.  We stood at the exit doors, saying “anyone going downtown.?”  Sure ‘nuf.  Two college students said “come on,” and we squeezed into the back of a car built for two persons, only two persons.

Why do people pick us up?   Do we look tired, or are we magnetic personalities?  We never will know, but we deeply appreciate these offers of friendship.

Associates
John (KB9TFY) and Chichi Guy
KB9TFY@winlink.org