Above is the historic Mathews Court Green on a recent Saturday morning just before the Farmers Market opened up. The buildings which make up the court green date back to approximately 1795, the same year I was born.While that may be a slight exaggeration, try telling that to my Vitamin D deficient blood. This is a topic for another day, though, this whole Vitamin D thing.
Anyway, the stately white building in the background has been many things over the years: a hotel; the home of 1930s MGM "Goldwyn Girl" Toby Wing-Merrill; and a daycare. Now it's a lovely restaurant, bar and B&B called the White Dog Inn.
What I really wanted to discuss today, though, is
Tour de Chesapeake is an annual Mathews County event in which every single bicyclist this side of the Mississippi, north and south of the Maxon Dixon Line, descends on our nice, flat, below-sea level, fiddler crab infested roadways. They bring their children, aunts, crazy uncles, siblings, step siblings, Sunday School teachers, and BFFs--and they're all wearing spandex and helmets. On bikes. In the middle of the road.
It's more than just a little frightening when you're driving down to the court house to pick up a loaf of bread and you're not expecting the onslaught of bikes, helmets, fanny packs and brightly colored spandex.
However, this is a fun event for the bikers, and a portion of the proceeds are donated to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. The participants also bring a great deal of revenue to the local businesses, which we love. Then they leave. And we love that too. Hi, bikers! We really do love having you in our county, honestly.
The bike routes range from 20 to 80 miles in length. I didn't know there was eighty miles to be found in Mathews.
Best of all for us locals is there will be music. And food. And music. I believe something is planned for Saturday night next to the very court green pictured above, however the Tour de Chesapeake website's information is from 2008.
I might be Vitamin-D deprived, but I do know it's not 2008.
This week's Gazette Journal will no doubt have all the particulars.
Anyway, a big Welcome to the County to the
Get to the Food Lion before noon on Friday unless you're prepared to box people out in the snack aisle.
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Have you ever done any serious bicycling or participated in an organized cycling event?
If you were cycling down the road with your family and all of a sudden a herd of killer fiddler-crabs jumped from the bushes and scurried across the road, what would you do?
If a lone cyclist-- overtaken by horseflies and mosquitoes in the swamps of New Point-- screams but nobody hears him, does he make a sound?
12 comments:
The answer to the last question is no. LOL!!!
1. Yes. But not as serious as Mr F, who competes in Ironman.... that would be a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride, followed by a marathon-distance run. Yes, really. No, I don't know why, either.
2. I would crunch them up. Or run away.
3. Serves the cyclist right for going out solo - in such dangerous country filled with ravening beasts, always travel in pairs.
PS, also Vit D deficient - sucks, eh?
the waterman always said that he was going to buy a box of tacks, a bunch of intertubes and bug spray and go down low bottom and toss the tacks and see how much money he could make on the tubes and bug spray...
I sent you a long email about Vit D .. we can commiserate in July..if we dont die before then
I can ride a bike, does that count?
WV mants . .mants vs fants who will win .. tune in next week
or
those are some fancy mants
1. Are you crazy? I did, however, get my bike down from its upside down perch in the garage. It had a flat tire, so I just left it alone.
2. Probably cry and then have to eat ice cream to calm down.
3. Screaming? No sound. Farting? Probably a sound.
Loading up here on sub-lingual B-12, which I know is not D, but still have no energy or any of the other promised miracles.
1. No
2. Wreck the bike, fall into the ditch, drown in the tidal water, meanwhile being pecked to death by fiddler crabs.
3. No
When I was a kid, my church annually sponsored this "bike-hike" event. I think it was 20-some miles to ride the bike and maybe a 10-mile hike and I think it was to raise money to fight hunger. So I got on my girl-bike and rode out of town and I was trying to avoid this girl Beth who reeeeeeeally wanted to be my BFF but I was not nearly as smitten with her as she was with me. Not even a mile out from the starting point, she swerved into me and we both crashed. I was so PO'd. And bloody. But mostly PO'd.
Other than that - why, no - no bike riding for me. The weekend warriors in our vicinity get all "Lance Armstrong" and keep me from efficiently running Very Important Errands in my Very Large Vehicle. Harumpf.
Hey ChesapeakeBayWoman, sorry to advertise on your page, but if you or anyone you know wants to buy Avon, I have a website and I'm available in person if you are in my area (Mathews). Check it out if you are interested. If you order online it will be delivered to you not by me but the delivery man. That could come in handy ;)
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thanks and sorry to interrupt. :)
I enjoyed yesterday's post, but real life got in the way and I didn't get a chance to say I did read it. An orangery is...
1. Since 2 of the 4 main streets in our city have been designated as bicycle paths, I can sit on the porch and watch odd and various people in brightly colored spandex bike past and then also watch them as they go up the other street on their way out of town. Does that count?
2. I would realize those killer crabs mean business and I would detour, getting lost in the bogs, only to be eaten by an alligator.
3. What sound does spandex ripping make?
I've never done a serious ANYTHING. Also? I'd need TWO bicycle seats. Haven't designed that yet so I stay home and blog.
Kate-Yep, the answer is "No, and good luck not contracting malaria because the Mathews mosquitoes are the size of turkey buzzards and twice as mean."
Mrs. F. - You (and Mr. F.) continue to amaze me. Ironman? And the whole vitamin d is going to be a post for another time. All I did was tell my doctor I was way, way, way and I mean WAY more tired than usual (which is already a sad state of tired), and lo and behold the whole Vitamin D thing. Which of course can mean other horrendous things so now I'm paranoid. (Or more paranoid than usual.) Any words of wisdom that you have on the topic are very welcome.
AM-That waterman is one smart cookie. Seriously.
Daryl-Thanks for your e-mail - we'll discuss it further in July. Outside. Soaking up sun.
Caution-The answer to your first question is yes, absolutely. Vitamin B - I tried that a few years ago. Didn't notice a single miracle. Not one. Am now awaiting the effects of an overdose of D, but so far nothing to report other than a messy house, which I am not sure I can blame on vitamin deficiencies.
Lynne-Love your answers, but I will not let you be pecked to death by fiddler crabs, not on my watch. So, in the event of a real emergency involving fiddler crabs, you must simply turn and dash in the opposite direction and hope you don't get carried away by the may flies and mosquitoes.
Meg-No way on the bloody accident with the pretend BFF. I would have been mad too. Did you put mercurochrome or merthiolate on the wounds? To me that was the worst part of bike accidents.
Ashley-Please feel free-I am all for promoting and helping anyone around here to the extent that I'm able. Any opportunity to purchase something without having to drive anywhere sounds wonderful to me.
Deborah - The answer to your question in #1 is YES. AS to what sound ripping spandex makes? I'm not sure it makes a sound, but it has been known to cause blindness.
Foolery-I think you're very serious about wearing high heels in cow pastures, and not many people can say that. So there's always that.
Thank you all for commenting!
Thanks I appreciate the help!! Anyone else that is interested feel free to visit my site as well, the more the merrier!!
www.youravon.com/awilliams4378
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