Public Landing

This is from the public landing down Town Point Landing Road. That dock is not the public landing, but someone's private dock. Directly behind me is a gorgeous house with all sorts of signs warning about trespassing. But if you will notice, there is a post in the right hand corner above that states very clearly "public landing." I just want it duly noted for the record that I am a member of the Mathews County public, and I was standing on the public landing property. I did not once trespass. Not this time, anyway.

Let's kick off Monday with a pop quiz, shall we?

1. A public landing is:
a) a place where the community can jump out of an airplane and land safely;
b) when, much like Chesapeake Bay Woman, you have a tendency to fall down frequently and many times in the plain view of the public;
c) an access to the local waterways where anyone can fish, picnic *, swim or, depending on the location, launch a boat.

2. The main reason people go to the public landing is:
a) to trespass on other people's property;
b) to go parking and watch the submarine races;
c) to gain access to the local waterways, perhaps launch a boat, fish, swim and, if they so desire, trespass on other people's property. If they were ever a young adult in Mathews, they very likely watched submarine races here as well.

*Nobody ever picnics at a public landing, in spite of what the tourist info says.

Answers: 1-c, 2-c

Mathews County has 19 public access points to the water, and two public boat ramps: one here at Town Point Landing (growing up I never once heard it called this, it was just "the public landing") and the other on Gwynn's Island at the Seabreeze Restaurant, where the eating is mighty fine and the view spectacular. All of a sudden I am starving for some popcorn shrimp. I really need some popcorn shrimp, it is essential to my survival. If I don't get some hot, salty popcorn shrimp right now, things could get ugly.

Today I pulled out a copy of a local publication that lists all of Mathews' public landings. It says, "Some uses are restricted at certain access points and some sites are bordered closely by private property; please avoid trespassing."

I'm here to tell you that the "please avoid trespassing" part is directed exclusively at us Mathews County natives (we have a transient vacationing population and a heavy influx of retirees living here, and it was not directed at them). More specifically, it is directed squarely at Chesapeake Bay Woman, who may or may not have trespassed in the making of this post.

Signed,
Pleading the Fifth