Monday, July 23, 2012

Scenes from Tangier






This weekend I had the privilege of visiting Tangier, which is Mathews County only cuter an island in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay.





























The narrow streets barely accommodate golf carts, bikes, cats and the occasional pedestrian. Cars are prohibited unless you're part of the infrastructure which includes the policeman (who probably isn't very busy based on what I saw), rescue personnel (ditto), and the postal employee (who has to be the busiest person on the island since all essentials are shipped in by boat or airplane from the mainland). Otherwise, you walk or hop on your bike, scooter or golf cart to reach your destination, which is never more than walking distance anyway.

When I say essentials, I mean if you think you can just go down to the only local grocery store and buy a memory card for your camera? Not happenin'.

Have a hankering for hummus? On Tangier you can't even make it yourself without lots of planning and expense. Hummus requires chickpeas and tahini. You're not gonna find that in the store there.  Want to add some lemon? They may have one, but whatever you do don't count on it. My point is a craving, such as for hummus, can only be addressed by complex planning and logistics. The ingredients not carried by the store (which are likely lots in any given recipe) need to be planned out, thought through, ordered and delivered by boat or plane. It'll get there when it gets there.  In the mean time feel free to occupy yourself with something else other than your hankering for hummus. Such as the beautiful vistas and the inner sense of calm at the step back in time slowing down of time.








With so few cars on the island, I'm thinking this sign is a mistake. Instead of speed limit, this is likely the maximum pulse rate of any given resident. Nobody is in a hurry here.  Nobody appears overly worried, stressed, or concerned. About anything. At all.

























There are as many speed demons as Tasmanian devils on Tangier.
It's such a refreshing pace.  And this is from someone who lives in Mathews County, for Pete's sake. 
 


























































Amen.










That's diesel smoke.
(I don't edit anything out of or into my pictures.)





I am in love with Tangier, except for the hummus issue which I'm willing to overlook overcome.


p.s. This is a ridiculously small sample of the nearly 400 pictures I took that day. Although this blog used to be about Mathews  is about my life in Mathews, this week it will be about my desire to live on my visit to Tangier.  The two places actually have lots in common. I'm convinced that should Mathews become too commercialized for me, I'd have no problem taking up shop on Tangier, provided it's still there when the time comes.  

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing some of the many photos of Tangiers--it looks like a photographer's dream. I can't decide on a favorite photo--"Still Life with Black Bike", or "Speed Demon" are the top two.
Nice pace of life fo'shizzle, as long as you can have some gourmet treats air-dropped on to the island...(now I have to go eat some hummus, after you brought it up..) Hummus is my lifeboat, as a butter or cream cheese substitute, and as a dip.
LLC

deborah said...

If you ever decide to give up the life in Mathews and move to Tangiers, we can all mail you enough necessities such as hummus to make life a little more humane:)
Enjoyed looking at the photos so much, it looks like life on the island is with less stress and more laid back.
So glad that you had a wonderful relaxing time!

growing wild on waverly lane said...

One big iceberg melts in the Arctic Shelf and that place is Atlantis.
It is like Holland, beneath sea level.

Anonymous said...

It's like Mathews only cuter????? Hard to imagine such a place! ps. 'fess up, you know you want to open up a hummus shop.....

--Betsy

Ann Marie said...

Go through your pics see if you have any of the Cindy Lou.. that is my friends boat.

Maria_NJ said...

did I mention I make a mean hummus too...just sayin

OK, so when you move to Tangier can I have first dibs on your home on Queen's Creek??

Life has been very busy this summer work and other stress stuff, sometimes life is just not fair...

anytime you want to take that trip to Bali, I'm in...m

ps I am taking that there is plenty of crabs on Tangier, I would just pick, pick, pick all day...a bottle of brew by my side and I would be in Nirvana...

Jamie said...

I definitely need to plan a return trip to Tangier.

Joyce Anne said...

PS: Looks to me like Mathews only wetter!

Daryl said...

oh love it .. put it on the list for the next BlogFest .. and its got a water tower .. and if you are craving hummus I am going to the restaurant on Amsterdam/80th St that sells hummus and getting it shipped to you STAT!

Dghawk said...

Oh wow! What a wonderful place to be! Wish I could live there and I don't need the hummus. Just whatever comes out of the water and garden is fine by me.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful pictures. I believe I could live there, too. It's such a relaxing place.

Waterman JP said...

Beautiful pictures. I believe I could live there, too. It's such a relaxing place.