The photo above is from the dock at the crab house on Gwynns Island. They don't wear crab hats at the crab house, but they really ought to consider it.(See Monday's post for a full appreciation of The Crab Hat and its many uses. I'm convinced The Crab Hat could solve many diplomatic dilemmas and help guide the human race towards world peace. Or at least a few laughs.)
Crab house workers spend many dark hours indoors picking crab meat under black lights that help illuminate every shred of meat in the shells. It's really quite the operation,and I never would have known this if not for a tour arranged by Chesapeake Bay Father a few years ago.
He hauls seafood (part-time) for the owner of this place and drives a truck to Jessup, Maryland, some nights, or Landover other nights. Rising at 2:00 a.m., he heads to Deltaville where he picks up his seafood-laden truck which he then steers to distributors up north. There he waits for his truck to be unloaded before he drives the several hours back home, sometimes not arriving until noon the following day.
That's not an easy way to make a living when you're almost 70 years old.
Picking crab meat is not an easy way to make a living either. It's tedious work, but I'll bet a few good crab hats would brighten their days.
I should send them some...
Note to self: A tour of the crab house would be a great Blog Fest activity.
Second note to self: Until you get your act together and come up with a Blog Fest itinerary, there's no way of knowing if there's even time for a tour of the crab house. Why don't you get to gettin' on that agenda? ("Get to gettin'" is one of my favorite sayings, fyi.)
Third note to self: Self, leave me alone. I'm tired, and there's too much going on.
Fourth and final note to self: Get with the program and focus on Blog Fest. And don't laugh at my use of the term "focus." Now get to gettin'.
10 comments:
I've said it before and I'll say it again: you really don't need to organize much for BlogFest. Maybe distribute a printed 8 1/2x11" paper placemat with a "map" of Mathews highlighting the hot spots.
Tabernacle.
Haven Beach.
The Court House.
Places you, Middle Sis, Baby Sis and Re got caught in your youth.
You know, local color.
We'll do the rest. Put your feet up, crack a beers, and LIGHTEN UP, FRANCIS. : )
the first REAL question is ..
when would you like for me to come over..
WV lozing... Apparently Lozing is what we have been doing instead of planning!
What Foolery said....
No wonder crab meat is so expensive. All of that labor!
As long as there is wine, I think we will be fine. I like Foolery's placemat idea! Chinese horoscopes on one side, Mathews County highlights on the other.
Crabshats all around I say!
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WV - sipol
As long as we sipol the wine it'll be a blast!
Foolery is speaking true here ... of course a couple of crab hats to go with the Wonky Teeth would be fun ... after we all have margaritas from the marg machine MPM alluded to recently ...
foolery is right..sit down, let your mind rest, flip the spout on a box of whine, and relax for a bit!
Do the crab pickers use tiny little tweezers for tiny little crabs?
I am imagining a whole different story about those blacklights...
Many of the crab picking houses shut down long ago. I knew a man who had all the money he could ever want or spend, but he refused to retire and close down the crab house. He told me in complete sincerety, "If I close down, the pickers will all be out of work. There are no jobs here"
Take a deep breath and tell yourself it will all be ok. Remember how happy we were to tour a beach and an old tabernacle last year?
That was good stuff.
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