Life in Mathews

Clouds

2012-02-03T00:01:00.000-05:00

Glimpse of Queens Creek from my back yard.

Thursday's on and off showers resulted in cooler temperatures and skies that were doing their very best to sweep the clouds away without the benefit of wind.

This particular cloud really grabbed my attention.

After asking my teenaged son if he'd be willing to retrieve his sister from basketball practice, I noticed the pastel colors taking over Queens Creek and the sky overhead.

When he said he would, I stifled my ardent desire to do a dance of any sort; nonchalantly handed him the keys; asked him to be careful; and said thank you.

While he was retrieving his sister, I was able to focus on dinner without being rushed.

I also sat down for a few minutes and studied this view from my back yard.

And once again I said thank you.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Scenes from East River

2012-02-01T06:00:00.000-05:00

These are a few miscellaneous shots taken from Williams Wharf.

Unrelated to Williams Wharf or the East River, I signed up for my first 10K yesterday.

The fact that I am only currently running five miles and 10K = 6.2 miles does not bother me.

Not yet anyway.

Click here for information on the race which is in Richmond at the end of March.

I'll be the one with the crab hat running at a snail's pace.

Happy February.

Bethel Beach. Plus a Confession

2012-01-31T00:01:00.000-05:00

I don't really have anything to share today other than these photos which were taken a while back at Bethel Beach. However it occurred to me in supplying this post with its ~~not so~~ clever title that no actual beach is shown here.

Folks from Mathews don't really require an explanation, but since most people who read this have never even been to Mathews, I'll explain that the road leading in to Bethel Beach is hugged on both sides by ~~mosquito breeding grounds~~ acres and acres of marsh dotted with a few pine and cedar trees, some of which are living and some of which have long been dead.

January and February tend to be difficult months for me, for no particular reason other than there doesn't seem to be enough daylight, I don't really care for winter unless there's snow--and there's none--and overall I just tend to get a good case of The Blahs this time of year no matter what.

My recent foray into running has definitely helped matters. Some.

But I am going to share one other thing that has boosted my spirits a bit this January. Only if you promise not to laugh.

OK, you can laugh, I don't care.

The past couple of Sundays, I have become completely enchanted with and mesmerized by a couple of shows on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), even though I don't usually watch a lot of TV.

The January Blahs forced me to do things I wouldn't ordinarily do like running, on the one hand, but completely collapsing in front of the TV, on the other.

The first Super Soul Sunday I watched featured this, which prompted me to get up off my behind and run five miles for the first time ever this month. I can honestly say it was an inspiration for me to consider doing the 10K I hope to do at the end of March.

The other shows I love on OWN are Master Class and Oprah's Next Chapter.

There, I said it.

I've made my confession.

My dirty little secret.

I seem to be hopelessly addicted to the OWN network.

I've fallen and I can't get up!

p.s. Last Sunday Oprah interviewed the woman who wrote the book Eat Pray Love . Although they did not talk about the movie which featured my new favorite actor Javier Bardem, it was fascinating hearing the true story behind the book.

p.s.s.I guess I really did have something to share. Even if it was only a confession.

p.s.s.t. To read about my adoration for ~~Javier Bardem~~ Eat Pray Love the movie, click here or here.

Pear Tree Cemetery

2012-01-30T00:01:00.000-05:00

The blooms in this tree almost make you forget it's winter.
But the calendar says it is even if the temperatures don't.

These pictures, from Pear Tree Cemetery down Onemo, were taken a few weeks back after I'd just completed my first ever four-mile run. I parked my car at nearby Bethel Beach and ran two miles out and back.

Although I ran a lot in high school ~~which was thirty years ago but feels like yesterday~~, I was a sprinter not a distance runner. No doubt over the course of an entire track practice I'd have covered four miles but never four miles at a clip without stopping.

Over the past couple of weeks I've increased my mileage to five on a course that begins and ends at Williams Wharf with a loop down Beaverlett.

Baby Sis and I are going to run a 10K at the end of March, and that's providing the motivation for me to continue running. (I might also do a half-marathon with Lauren in the fall, but right now I am just taking baby steps.)

The other motivation has to do with wanting to stay on the right side of the Earth when it comes to visiting cemeteries and doing everything in my power to fight off all that comes with getting older. I want to be like that tree above. Just because the calendar says it's winter doesn't mean you have to wither up and ~~die~~ turn gray.

Here's a link to a previous post on Pear Tree Cemetery with more pictures and less talk about getting old.

Have a great week!

Beach Scenes

2012-01-27T00:01:00.000-05:00

All of today's shots are from Bethel Beach.

But they weren't all taken at the same time of year.

These first four were taken recently.

These last few were taken over the summer.

Have a great weekend.

Three Things

2012-01-26T00:01:00.029-05:00

Today is the day where we share three thoughts, three things that happen to be on our mind at the moment. Three is merely a suggestion, so please share more if you want.

I'll begin.

1. There are daffodils blooming on the hillside near Flat Iron in Gloucester. In January. Although it's always a pleasure to see daffodils in bloom, there's something not quite right about January blooms. In fact, January blooms should be an oxymoron, at least as it relates to daffodils around here.

2. There are two dodgeball tournaments around town this weekend: one at Mathews High School Friday night, and the other at Ware Academy on Saturday afternoon. Chesapeake Bay Son is playing in both of them. Chesapeake Bay Daughter is playing in one of them. Chesapeake Bay Woman is playing in one of them, but she's not saying which one because she hasn't played dodgeball since fourth grade and now there are all these rules and she's mortified that she has to participate and is only doing so because a friend asked and did she mention she really doesn't want to play and let's move on to another subject.

3. Monday morning my car wouldn't start. After much ado, it finally turned over and was acting fine until that evening when it started to make a noise. Something underneath the car sounds like a female opera singer holding the same note for a really long time. A new car is not in my financial forecast for at least another several years, so this car must last a long time. Simultaneously, newly-licensed Chesapeake Bay Son is perusing Craig's List on a daily basis, reading aloud the bargains du jour, hoping to find a used car for his own purposes. One of those "bargains" included a Camaro. (Like he's gonna drive a Camaro before I do!) Not wishing to quash his dreams entirely, I gently informed him that the insurance, maintenance, gas, and personal property taxes would be more than a little out of our league for that vehicle, so let's focus on something a little more realistic. Like lottery tickets so we can both buy Camaros.

That's all I have.

Now it's your turn to share three things, whatever's on your mind. Anything at all.

Sea Gulls

2012-01-25T00:01:00.001-05:00

Pardon these not so great shots of some seagulls down at Bethel Beach. For starters, I'm not very good at action shots. Also, these birds were actually very far away, and the zoom on my camera doesn't usually produce very good photos even when the camera is working properly.

However, the camera isn't really working properly, and as a result I never know if a shot will be too dark (as a couple of these are) or full of glare (as several of these are).

It's basically anyone's guess how shots like these will turn out. A more motivated, disciplined person would have sent the camera off for repair a long time ago.

I confess that not only am I completely unmotivated and utterly undisciplined, I am mortified of putting my camera in the mail because it's so important to me.

In the meantime I just pretend nothing's wrong and hope it will magically fix itself--just like everything else on my In Need of Repair list, which stretches from here to the Eastern Shore and back.

I'll worry about all that another day.

As for today, hope your day is a good one.

Familiar Scene

2012-01-24T00:01:00.057-05:00

This tree is a very familiar sight to anyone living in Mathews who has to travel to Gloucester and points beyond, and let's face it.

We Mathewsonians all have to travel to Gloucester and points beyond at some point whether we want to or not.

Anyway this tree lives along Route 14 in Gloucester, in a field across the road from my fifth-grade English teacher's old farmhouse, which is now Holly Hill Antiques.

These photos were taken under duress so the quality is lacking, but trust me.
It's a beautiful tree.

I can't tell you how many times I've driven by this tree and wanted to pull over to snap some photos. However this particular stretch of road is like the Autobahn, and pulling over on the shoulder to take pictures is not exactly the safest thing to do.

(In the interest of safety, I will refrain from telling you how these were actually taken, but rest assured it isn't something you're going to read about in any safe driving manual.)

Next to this tree is an old silo that ordinarily sports a sign for the pumpkin farm in Mathews, run by Fighting Mermaid and her family.

As a side note, I worked there back in high school when it was a strawberry farm, and I loved it! But tending to strawberry fields in the heat and humidity of Mathews County is very hard work. Shortly afterwards I decided working at an amusement park might be fun, so I went to work at Busch Gardens. Which is a whole other story for a whole other day.

The orange pumpkin sign gives directions to the farm.

Alas, the last couple of times I've driven by this silo, the pumpkin sign has fallen off. This made me think about who would be responsible for retrieving the sign and hanging it back up, and exactly how they'd go about doing so. That hanging spot is pretty high off the ground.

I also wondered if they'd bring a camera with them.

What a great opportunity to take pictures without having to worry about getting run over...

****************

(*waving* Hi, Fighting Mermaid! Let me know if you need any help retrieving this sign. I'll bring the camera!)

Family Gathering

2012-01-23T00:01:00.025-05:00

Saturday night the entire Chesapeake Bay Family and a few friends converged to celebrate my father's 71st birthday, which happens to be today.

The ~~spirits were flowing~~ spirit was festive, and the mood upbeat.

We enjoyed a leisurely dinner peppered with stories from my sisters' youth, punctuated with lots of laughter.

After a delicious meal, the Chesapeake Bay Children helped serve dessert, which was a chocolate fudge spoon cake with Oreo cookie ice cream. They drizzled the plates with chocolate syrup and added a strawberry for color.

There's a strawberry on there, but thanks to my camera's inability to do anything in low light, you'll have to take my word for it.

After the last bit of dessert was polished off and the dishes were cleared, I announced the next phase of the festivities for our 71-year-old parent: Pin the Tail on the Donkey.

Yes. Pin the Tail on the Donkey.

I'd gone to the Dollar General earlier that day to pick up a few last minute things and saw the game hanging prominently in the party section.

I knew we must have this game.

Because how many chances do we have as adults to play Pin the Tail on the Donkey with a 71-year-old father? It's not like these opportunities come knockin' every day.

So I bought it and was very pleased with my purchase. The look of horror on my teenagers' faces as I set up the game did not deter me one single bit.

Middle Sis, who did not follow the rules of the game, was number 14 there and technically hers was the closest to the tail. Notice all the other honest players who ended pinning the tail on the wall.

The rules were quite simple. NO CHEATING. THE END.

But some of us weren't able to follow those simple instructions. Instead of holding the blindfold against their eyes and using one hand to blindly pin the tail on the donkey, Some ~~Sister~~ People peeked. Also, you were not supposed to feel around. Once your hand landed on something, that's where the tail was supposed to be pinned. Again, Some People didn't follow that rule. They squinted, they felt around multiple times, and then they self-declared as the winner.

Not everyone cheated, however.

Some people hit the china cabinet instead of the donkey or even the wall near the donkey.

This is Baby Sister's attempt. She was playing Pin the Eyebrow on the Donkey.
But at least she didn't cheat! (Bravo, Baby Sis.)

Our neighbors, who probably could not believe they were invited to a party that entailed such a serious and competitive round of Pin the Tail on the Donkey.

Happy Birthday, Chesapeake Bay Father!

I fully expect Middle Sister to remark about her Pin the Tail prowess and explain how she won fair and square. But as the moderator for the whole activity I have to say that I wholeheartedly disagree and must issue a challenge for a rematch.

For the official rules of Pin the Tail on the Donkey, a game usually played by five year olds (or Forty Somethings, Fifty Somethings, Sixty Somethings and Seventy Somethings if you're invited to a party of mine), click here.

From My Back Yard

2012-01-20T00:01:00.005-05:00

Looking up Queens Creek towards Cow Point

On the left two pine trees that the heron and eagle like to lounge in.

The remains of my locust tree (on the right, foreground), that was nearly done in by the last hurricane.

Pines and locust together in one shot. Those overturned chairs are covering my firepit. A recent wind storm blew them over.

Smither's Cemetery (right, behind that barely visible wall)

Reflections

May your weekend be as peaceful as this recent sunrise on Queens Creek.

Three Things

2012-01-19T00:01:00.025-05:00

I love this shed. In spite of the few minor cosmetic issues, I love it.

Thursday is upon us once again which means it's time to share three things. I'll go first.

1. These pictures are of the potting shed referenced in yesterday's post about my visit to Carol's house and our walk in the woods. As soon as I spotted this structure I dashed over, introduced myself, and began taking pictures. This shed has lots of personality, but the windows were my favorite part. (The last photo below was my favorite of all.)

2. Last night after racing home from a long day of work to retrieve CB Daughter from basketball practice, I spilled into the front door and dove head first into the dinner making process, do not pass Go, do not even change out of your work clothes or take a moment to collect your thoughts because teenagers must. Eat. NOW.

After CB Son and I exchanged a few pleasantries, he proceeded to inform me nonchalantly that there was a basketball game at the high school. Ordinarily this would cause me to grimace because it would require two more trips for me that evening: one to deliver him and one to retrieve him.

In this instance, however, I realized he could drive himself in my car, since he now has his license. And I still grimaced.

Sure, it's nice that he can drive legally now, but this opens up a whole new can of Worry--an extra large vat of it, in fact. Nevertheless, we went over the rules for easing me into this concept of him driving alone at night:

"Text me when you get there. Text me when you leave. But dontchoodare text while driving. Drive directly there and straight home. Do not pick up or drop off anyone else or venture elsewhere after the game. Night time driving is different. Even if you think you can see, animals dart out. Big ones. Other drivers may not be able to see at night even if they are perfect drivers in the day. Yes, I fully realize I sound like the stereotypical mother but I can't help it. Just yesterday you were in a bassinet and today I'm handing you my car keys. Cheeseandrice, where did the time go and how much longer before you all leave me in a corner of the arts and crafts room at Sanders Assisted Living?"

We really did discuss all of that and more, except for the cheese and rice part and the assisted living scenario, which occurred only in my head.

I am pleased to report that we both survived this major milestone. It was far easier for him than for me, a trend which no doubt will continue with each step he takes ~~away from me~~ towards adulthood.

Serenity now.

3. This Saturday night Baby Sis and Middle Sis will be in town to celebrate my father's 71st birthday. We're planning a big dinner for us and a few neighbors, but any time our family gathers it morphs into a dance party. All I can say is it's a good thing I've been running here lately, because I think I'm going to need lots of endurance.

4. (Because three is only a suggestion...) Between the son officially driving and the upcoming weekend celebration, I'd like to state for the record that I really, truly, love my family dearly but at the same time really, truly dream of some day escaping if only for ~~the rest of my life~~ a week, to Bora Bora.

Now it's your turn to share three (or more) things.

Whatever you want.

Anything at all.

A Walk in the Woods

2012-01-18T00:01:00.016-05:00

Last week I received an email from Carol, a Mathews resident who lives below the Court House near where I sometimes go for a jog.

She asked if I'd be interested in taking some photos at her house, which backs up against a very dense woods. Although she talked of the possibility of poison ivy; dangerous, half-fallen trees; sinkholes, and muddy conditions, I gladly leapt at the opportunity and headed to her house on Friday.

Poison ivy? No worries. Half-fallen trees, hidden tripping hazards, and muddy conditions? Bring it on! These are necessary ingredients for any ~~misadventure~~ adventure of mine.

Dense woods.

Carol hadn't been back in these woods for a couple of years due to the conditions (such as the aforementioned holes and half-fallen trees) but also because she has had knee problems.

My fearless enthusiasm for the woods combined with her need for a walking companion meant we were a well-matched team.

She and I set out on our adventure, she armed with pruners for the briars, and I with my camera.

By the way, this particular day was so cold my hands would have been numb if they were submerged in a flaming fire. For the first time this winter I actually donned a hat (without claws) and a scarf in addition to my usual gloves and coat.

It was bitterfreezingcold.

Off into the woods we dashed.

About midway through was a clearing (of sorts) where sunlight sparkled on some brilliantly green moss.

Look! Green!

Excited at this discovery I quickly became distracted at what else there was to see and soon lost all track of Carol. She had told me that if I came to a very deep ditch, that was where her property line ended. So off I trotted in search of this ditch.

So focused was I on my mission that I completely forgot about Carol, who was focused on pruning briars and inspecting trees and other plants she hadn't visited in a while.

All this is ~~an excruciating long~~ a long way of saying we became separated.

Way back in the woods.

On the coldest possible day of the year.

And she has bad knees.

And there are holes and tripping hazards and trees hanging precariously.

Etc.

Around each tree there was another surprise. Green moss; interesting tree stumps, drainage ditches, and lots of loblolly pines swaying in the occasional gusts of very strong wind, gusts capable of dislodging tree limbs and half-fallen trees onto unsuspecting passersby.

For example.

Sure, this ditch water looks calm, but way up in the canopy of these woods were wind gusts. Trust me.
The pine trees were creakin'.

As a side note to this story which does actually have a happy ending, Carol is doing some research into the history of the various drainage systems and ditches in our fair county, and when I told her about my favorite document, the Mathews County Soil Survey by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (circa 1962), she shocked me by informing me she already had a copy! You could have knocked me over with a feather. I've never met anyone who was familiar with the soil survey!

(It's a wealth of information. Click here or here or here for previous posts relating to the Soil Survey. They may just make you laugh. Or cry, depending on how tired you are of hearing about my favorite document.)

Anyway, there came a point in time where I realized I couldn't hear Carol behind me any more. After I reached the end of her property, I turned around and went back, expecting to find her somewhere along the way.

Except I didn't find her anywhere along the way

Not only that, but I couldn't hear anything. No crunching leaves, no snipping clippers, no nothing.

Silence.

She must have gone back to the house, it's so daggone cold, I thought.

So back to the house I trotted, dodging briars and low-hanging limbs, hopping over fallen trees and leaping over mud holes.

The front door was slightly ajar. I knocked on it, poked my head inside, and said Hello?

No answer.

So back into the woods I trotted, dodging briars and low-hanging limbs, hopping over fallen trees and leaping over mud holes--this time stopping every few steps to listen for footsteps which are so easy to hear when the crispy, dry leaves carpet the ground.

Silence.

Back to the house I sprinted again (dodging, hopping and leaping my way out), this time wondering if maybe she was in some back room and didn't hear me the first time.

At the door I stepped in a little ways, stepped in some more, called her name, realized (again) she wasn't in there, and dashed back into the woods, more than a little out of breath from all this dodging and leaping.

Sinkholes. Mud. Thick patches of briars. Bad knees. Hasn't been back here in a couple of years. Oh no, I thought, she's fallen and it's my fault and she can't call for help because she's face first in quick sand or in so much pain she's writhing in agony barely able to move. How could I have been so ridiculously unaware of her whereabouts?

And then, seemingly out of nowhere, she appeared. Safe and sound.

Perfectly fine! Cool as a cucumber.

All that worry was for naught. Thank goodness.

I didn't let on how worried I'd been. No need. She was fine. I was fine. It was all good. I did casually mention that our trek in the woods most definitely counted as vigorous exercise. Oh yes indeed it did.

She then took me around and showed me some of the beautiful plants on her property that she believes were planted by one of three sisters who originally owned the house. She told me that the shed (above) in these woods was likely used as a potting shed.

In the coming days I'll share more photos of this wonderful shed, which was one of my favorite parts of the journey.

In the mean time thanks so much to Carol for inviting me over and sharing her stories, her artwork, and her beautiful woods with me. I look forward to returning in the spring for pictures of all her flowering shrubs--as well as her artwork, which I thought was magnificent.

*************

Note: Carol's husband, who passed away several years back, was a California artist whose work may soon be shown at Gloucester Arts on Main. She was telling me stories about him and his work, when I asked about a stack of canvases over in a corner of her living room. They were paintings she herself had done, and they're also worthy of showing, in my opinion. Unfortunately, due to the cold weather which pretty well numbed any functioning brain cells, I did not even think to take pictures of her artwork. Next time. Thanks, Carol!

The Heron

2012-01-17T00:01:00.059-05:00

The other day on my way to Bethel Beach, I looked to my left and noticed this heron perched in a tree.

Naturally, I stopped in the middle of the road and, after ascertaining that no cars were coming, rolled my window down and snapped happily away.

I remember thinking the shots ought to come out OK because the light was good. However, my camera has some problems that I still haven't addressed, which means that otherwise OK pictures come out like this: all dark. The main reason I haven't sent my camera away to be fixed is because when it's set to the sports mode the issue goes away. Evidently I forgot to set it to sports mode this particular day.

Regardless, I did enjoy seeing Mr. Heron as he gazed out over the wetlands from his perch. He didn't seem to give two hoots about me, my camera, what setting it was on, or anything.

************

In other news, my friend Lauren received a very good report back from her doctor! Please visit her blog and cheer her on to the next chapter of her story. 2012 is going to be her year, I am convinced.

Running

2012-01-16T00:01:00.011-05:00

At Bethel Beach recently these little guys were hanging out, to the extent that these birds ever really hang out or sit still.

They love to scurry, running and zigzagging this way and that to avoid the incoming waves.

They're always in a hurry.

Speaking of running but not in a hurry, this particular day I had just run four miles for the first time in my life. Although I used to run a lot in high school, I was a sprinter (like these little birds) as opposed to a distance runner.

For some reason this day I wanted to try going farther than my usual two or three miles. So I parked the car at Bethel and ran two miles in the other direction, telling myself I could always walk back to the car if necessary.

It wasn't necessary.

And I felt so good afterwards that I did it again two days later. And that felt so good I'm hoping to go again today.

I may have found a cure for the Winter Blahs.

At least until my back or knees give out on me.

But so far, so good.

If you're feeling the Winter Blahs and don't normally exercise, I encourage you to bundle up and just go for a walk. Movement in and of itself does wonders for you mentally as well as physically.

Just ask these little birds.

Windows

2012-01-13T00:01:00.006-05:00

These are more shots of yesterday's old house in the woods down Beaverlett.

The emphasis today is on the windows.

I adore old windows.

They say the eyes are the windows to the soul.

I think windows are the eyes of a house.

And although homes don't necessarily have souls,

they do have stories to tell.

If only they could talk.

I wonder what this one would say.

For now, I'm saying have a great weekend.

-CBW

Three Things

2012-01-12T00:01:00.052-05:00

Another old house in the woods down Beaverlett.

Welcome to Three Thing Thursday, where you're encouraged to share three thoughts on any topic at all-- related, unrelated; important, trivial; random, or with purpose. Remember, three is only a suggestion, one which I rarely even follow myself.

Let's begin.

1.I am extremely fortunate to have some truly wonderful friends. Tuesday night after work I stumbled up the steps to find a package from Zabar's waiting for me. It was from my Blog Friends Daryl, Kate and Lauren, and it was filled with the most delicious, beautiful cheeses I've ever seen/eaten. I daresay that was the best package I've ever received. Thank you all so much!

2. That same evening, when I walked in the door clutching my Zabar's box (before I even opened it), I asked my son how his day was. "I got my license today," he said. "You mean you're done with Driver's Ed and we have to fill out some paperwork and go to the DMV and then you get your license?" I asked. "No, I have my license." Well, it's a provisional license, but the point is that as I type this he (in theory) is legally able to drive. Practically speaking there is no spare car for him to drive, but the point is I am now the mother of a teenager who can legally drive. Alone. Serenity now. Thank the stars above for that box of cheese from Zabar's, which I dove head first into upon hearing these ~~glad~~ tidings of a son who is now free to legally drive.

3. Yesterday was a good day in spite of the fact that the calendar says I'm now a year older, 47 years old to be exact. I sure don't feel 47 and find it really difficult to believe that I'm so close to 50. In spite of that, yesterday was great. My present to myself was a day off from the paying job; I heard from people I haven't heard from in a long time; and the day pretty much ended the way this blog post started: with me being very grateful for my friends--and family, even those who are now legally able to drive away from me if the opportunity presents itself.

Now it's your turn to share three (or more) thoughts. Whatever you want. Anything at all.

Trek Through the Woods

2012-01-11T00:01:00.046-05:00

Once upon a time deep in the woods near Beaverlett, there lived a charming old house.

Chesapeake Bay Woman, who occasionally jogs down a road near these woods, took advantage of a leafless winter day and bright sunlight to take a few portraits of this house.

By the way, these are the exact same woods she trampled through over the summer only to contract the worst case of chiggers in the history of mankind. In addition, she was nearly carried away by mosquitoes with the wing spans and facial features of the Starship Enterprise.

But in the winter? No need to worry about such freaks of nature.

The photo above, a glimpse at the kitchen, is one of my favorites from the excursion. Well, all except for that weed there in the foreground. That's probably the beginnings of Jack and the Beanstalk, getting a jump start on the spring growing season. We have mutant plant growth as well as mutant insects in Mathews County, fyi.

I imagine someone must have spent hours sitting in this living room chair pondering the meaning of life. Even though this isn't the living room, it's the front porch.

Still, based on how remote this house is, I don't think it matters much where you place your furniture or do your pondering. What is important is that you feel comfortable and undisturbed while reflecting.

Speaking of pondering and reflecting...

...this isn't something you see every day.

The End.

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p.s. Please visit my friend Lauren's blog and send her and her fantastic son and daughter some words of encouragement and positive thoughts. Thank you!
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Williams Wharf

2012-01-10T00:01:00.016-05:00

These are some more shots taken after my jog down Williams Wharf road the other day. About a month ago I posted similar photos from this location.

However, I like these better because there's more color, and the sun is hitting the bricks there on the shoreline just so.

This rubble is from the recent demolition down there as they make way for a new boathouse. I'm more fascinated by the old than the new, though.

And that's all for today.

----------------------------------------

For something a tad more exciting, visit my mother's post about turning a year older.

Christ Church

2012-01-09T00:01:00.006-05:00

This beautiful church is on the road leading to Williams Wharf, where I went jogging over the weekend.

Ordinarily I like to park at Wayland Baptist Church, just across Route 14 from this road, however it's hunting season, and running in the middle of the woods on a Saturday during hunting season is just not something you do around here. Unless you are OK with the risk of being shot at.

I wasn't quite ready for that just yet, so figured I'd park at Williams Wharf Landing and run up and down this road, which is two miles total. Sort of a wimpy run but better than nothing which is what I really wanted to do.

These were taken from the outside. I might have left a nose print on the window.
My apologies to the window cleaners.

I'm always drawn to this church and its graveyard. But what I liked about this particular visit was that the Christmas decorations were still up, and the sun did a marvelous job of illuminating the interior.

(By the way, I have never been inside this church. It's my goal to do so one day.)

I enjoyed meandering through the cemetery, where many of Mathews' First Families have plots.

I love tombstones that dare to be different.

To read more about the history of Kingston Parish and Christ Church, click here.

Happy Monday.

Public Landing

2012-01-06T00:01:00.008-05:00

This public landing down at Onemo/Winter Harbor is one I frequently visit on my way to Bethel Beach,

A quick Google search on the landing brought up this (which lists all the county's public landings under Community Facilities); as well as an interesting 2004 Washington Post article that gives an overview of Mathews County, with a few references to Winter Harbor.

Click here for the full blown article.

Have a great weekend.

Three Things

2012-01-05T00:01:00.001-05:00

Welcome to the day of the week known as Three Thing Thursday, where I share three thoughts and hopefully you do too.

1. Tuesday evening we had a few snow flurries. The weather was bitterly cold and had there been more precipitation we might have had some accumulation, but alas they were only flurries. (I say if it's going to be cold and dark outside, there might as well be snow on the ground. While we're at it, I'd like to declare the months of January and February as Official National Hibernation Months. I see no other practical use for these months except to sleep.)

2.Ordinarily I avoid bread like the plague (with the one exception being the bread I ate in NYC recently, and that's because we just don't get that kind of bread here in Mathews). I can't stand sandwiches and just have never been a big bread eater. But for some reason two nights in a row all I've wanted to eat is bread, and it doesn't matter what kind. The first night I ran out, bought some Martin's potato bread and forced myself to stop after two pieces. Last night I made some Grands biscuits--and oh, were they grand (definitely not from a nutritional standpoint but taste-wise they did the trick). Come to think of it, at work today I ate a piece of 7-grain bread with my salad. That means ~~my mid-section is now the exact consistency of the Pillsbury Doughboy~~ I've eaten more bread these past two days than in the past six months. Google tells me bread (and other carbohydrate) cravings can be caused by blood sugar problems, depression, neurotransmitter deficiencies, too much darkness, the Mayan calendar, the months of January and February, birds dropping spontaneously out of the sky, having to get up at 5:30 a.m. when it's still dark outside, post-traumatic-holiday stress disorder, or returning to work after an extended break.

OK, so maybe I helped Google out a little bit with some of the explanations. Regardless, this bread eating can not and will not go on.

3. Friday at 4:30 at Ware Academy is Chesapeake Bay Daughter's first home basketball game. I am already warming up my vocal chords for the screaming and hollering and cannot wait.

What's going on in your world? What three things are on your mind right now?

Presently

2012-01-04T00:01:00.002-05:00

Marsh at Bethel Beach

Today at work I was reminded ~~that I really need to start buying lottery tickets if I ever hope to win~~ of something my grandmother used to say. I came across an article that talked about the difference between and proper use of the words "presently" and "currently." Presently means soon; currently, of course, means now.

What that reminded me of was that my grandmother said "presently" often, but she pronounced it differently. She didn't say presently. She said predny, or at least that's how it sounded when it came out. "Supper will be ready predny," she'd say, skipping over at least one syllable and adding a whole new consonant. And she meant supper would be ready soon. Outside of my immediate family, I'm not sure I've heard the word pronounced that way.

Yesterday's return to reality was less than pleasant.

I suppose I'll get used to this whole back to work and school thing presently. But for now I'm still a little disgruntled. Guess I'd better snap out of it, though, there's no use being miserable over it. I can't change anything about any of it except my outlook ~~particularly as it relates to purchasing lottery tickets. I can't win if I don't play!~~

So, I promise to stop complaining about how difficult this week has been. Soon.

Predny.

p.s. Hop over to my mother's blog and read her post about delivering seafood with my father New Year's Day. You won't be sorry.

January 3

2012-01-03T00:01:00.074-05:00

Although there's plenty of ~~negative~~ things I could say about today's return to work, I will keep it ~~positive~~ brief and say Happy 2012 ~~daggonit~~!

~~Bah! humbug! Bah!!~~

Have a great day.

Island Seafood

2012-01-02T00:01:00.090-05:00

These photos are from a pre-Christmas jaunt over to Gwynn's Island.

A few summers ago, my father (who drives a seafood truck part-time for the owner of the seafood processing plant here) arranged for the Chesapeake Bay Children and I to take a tour of the crab processing area. Employees hand-pick crab meat in a refrigerated building lit only with black lights, which helps them see the crab meat (vs. the shell). I remember thinking to myself what a hard way to earn a living that must be, standing on your feet all day long in a cold, dark room. I also remember being amazed by the huge vats of steamed crabs on the porch.

It's a pretty impressive operation.

Last night Chesapeake Bay Son, Daughter and I went next door for a quick visit with my parents, who talked about their day trip to Harrisonburg, Virginia, delivering oysters to a restaurant there on behalf of J&W Seafood, my father's employer. I certainly hope my mother writes a blog post on that experience, because the little bit she told us about their adventure was very entertaining. The thought of the two of them traveling over 400 miles in one day trapped in a seafood truck is humorous enough, but she can take that foundation and weave it into a masterpiece.

Getting back to the topic, however, Island Seafood is a little shop (not visible above but very close to everything pictured) that sells fish, crabs, etc. in season. They're closed during the winter, I believe, but it is a nice place to visit if you happen to be in the area during the warmer months. The very friendly lady who works there is the mother of my high school basketball teammate. I saw her (the mother) recently in Walmutant, and she hadn't aged one day since she sat in the stands 30 years ago.

Living and working on Gwynn's Island seems to have agreed with her. Very much so.

Speaking of living and working, I have to return to work on Tuesday, and, while I am extremely grateful for all this time off, and very grateful to have a job to return to, I can't help but dread ~~having to get up at 5:30 every day~~ the return to the whirlwind of commuting and school activities. I hope to squeeze every last bit of relaxation out of today, and can't help but wish there was some way I could earn a living that didn't involve such a lengthy commute.

One day, perhaps.

One day.

The Door

2012-01-01T00:01:00.019-05:00

Yellow side of the door as seen through one window.

These are all shots from different angles of the same door

on an old house in the middle of the woods down where I go jogging.

Same door, different side of the window.

Saturday after my run I took my camera for a walk in the woods to get some photos because I knew without the leaves on the trees the light would be decent. These days, because my camera has issues,

I need all the natural light I can get when taking pictures.

The house is in very bad shape but it still has some spunk and personality left to it.

Same door as seen through the kitchen window.

2011 has come to a close and 2012 awaits. All we have to do is step through the door and see what lies ahead.

If we're talking about stepping through this particular door, though, I hope that you all step out into the bright sunny day and not backwards into the dilapidated house.

May your 2012 be bright and sunny and filled with adventures.

Happy New Year.

Life Lessons

2011-12-31T00:01:00.085-05:00

My recent trip to New York City taught me a few things.

First of all, not all of New York City is cold and impersonal, which is a label I tend to place on most cities. My friend Daryl and her husband Ray have lived in the same beautiful, cozy apartment in the same beautiful apartment building for several decades. What that means is they have become close friends with many of the residents of their building, so much so that one of them offered to let Kate, Maria and I stay in his apartment, since he was going to be out of town during our visit.

I mean really, that's exceptionally generous, offering your home to complete strangers. Even here in Mathews we might be a little skeptical about letting complete strangers live in our house for a few days while we were out of town. Actually I think we'd be highly unlikely to do so, even though we're known for our small-town friendliness.

Yet here smack dab in the middle of New York City was an individual willing to let three unknown women sleep in his apartment while he was out of town. I find that truly remarkable.

Life Lesson #1: New York Can Be a Very Friendly Place

These scenes of the Hudson River and George Washington Bridge were taken just steps away from Daryl's beautiful apartment building. Whenever I think of New York, I think of Wall Street or Times Square, of crowds or sun-blocking, high-rise buildings.

Yet just down the street from where she lives are a few of my favorite things: water, lots of places to walk, and lots of open sky. You don't even have to get in a car and drive anywhere to see it.

Just stumble out the apartment building and there you are.

Life Lesson #2: There's More to New York Than Traffic, Buildings and Crowds.

These seagulls don't look any different than the ones I photograph here in Mathews. Their environment might be slightly different but they're still seagulls no matter what. They fly, they eat, they do whatever seagulls do, just like the ones here.

Daryl on Pier One

I guess what I'm trying to say here is that the differences between city and country living are blatantly obvious. However, I was very pleasantly surprised to find many things in common between Daryl's neighborhood and my hometown.

The big city didn't feel so big there.

It felt very welcoming and friendly.

And that was perhaps the best surprise of all. Thank you, Daryl!

p.s. Life Lesson #3: Restaurants and Food In General in NYC Are the Best.

Don't even get me started on Zabar's which was within walking distance from Daryl's apartment. I could have spent hours in there looking at the cheese case alone. I tried to spend hours looking at the cheese case alone. But, alas, we didn't have hours for me to stare at the cheeses. And now I'm back in Mathews where my cheese choices are Cracker Barrel, ShurFine or Heluvagood brands that come in cheddar, sharp cheddar, extra sharp cheddar, mild cheddar, I'msotiredof cheddar, white cheddar, fat-free cheddar, or Monterey Jack. The End.

Home Again

2011-12-29T20:50:00.006-05:00

These pictures were taken a week or so ago.

I can't remember, really, and I'm too lazy to even click on the image to view the date.

These two structures sit right across from the Grimstead post office on Gwynn's Island.

As usual, the pictures don't have much to do with the point of this blog post other than the house above was once someone's home and I've just returned home after a train trip to New York City. I will post some pictures after I've had time to rest up, but the trip was a much needed getaway with some wonderful friends including Daryl, Kate, Lauren, as well as someone I had not met before other than through the blogosphere, Commenter Maria from New Jersey, who took the bus up to meet us.

We had entirely too much fun.

Daryl, our hostess and tour guide, and Kate have already posted some pictures and stories about all our fun.

I can't thank Daryl enough for her hospitality. I'd also like to thank Amtrak for providing six hours of ~~utter and complete boredom~~ quality travel time to tinker with my iPod with Wi-Fi capability. My kids gave it to me last Christmas and it's only taken me a year (and a six hour train ride) to figure it all out.

Now that I'm back I'm looking forward to the weekend, mostly because there's nothing at all scheduled or planned. I keep forgetting that Saturday is New Year's Eve. I'm pretty sure I've had all the fun a person is supposed to have in one ~~year~~ week, so I'll probably be watching TV and going to bed early that night.

What will you be doing?

Sandbank Seagulls

2011-12-28T00:01:00.064-05:00

Part of my excursion on Monday took me to to the site of the old Sandbank wharf. The road looks as if it just drops off into the bay.

(It pretty much does unless you hook it hard to the left there.)

A flock of seagulls was enjoying the sunshine.

A few started flying towards me.

But then they realized there was nothing to see and quickly changed direction.

Unrelated to anything previously mentioned, I am visiting blog friends in New York
for a few days and will return soon,
the good Lord willing and the creek don't rise.

A Mathews girl in New York is sort of like a New York girl in Mathews.
It won't be hard to spot the out-of-towner.
Of course, the crab hat that I'm bringing won't help matters much.

I'm definitely looking forward to it.

I'll report back as soon as I'm able.

Have a great week.

Venturing Out

2011-12-27T00:01:00.138-05:00

Yesterday, after ~~sleeping all day~~ lying around nursing a Christmas cold that refuses to leave, I decided to venture out to the ~~ends of the Earth~~ opposite end of the county from me, the Bavon/New Point area.

It was pretty chilly and there was a good breeze blowing.

None of this deterred a kayaker, who was gearing up and preparing to put in just as I arrived.

I didn't take his picture, but trust me he was out there somewhere just as I was snapping these. I think he slunk underneath the dock. Slunk is the past tense of slink. I think. Or did I thunk he slunk? To slink is to sneak stealthily underneath a dock when someone with a camera desperate for something to take a picture of happens to be nearby. There's no need to check this on Wikipedia or Merriam Webster online or anything. Except if you did, you might find this. And here I thought I had made up a new word.

After spending some time on the observation deck at New Point Light reflecting on the cool breeze and the elusive kayaker,

I returned to the car and headed back up the road towards home, but not before I took a few more pictures of a seagull festival going on down Sandbank.

Stay tuned.

A Day of Rest

2011-12-26T00:01:00.005-05:00

These shots of a heron at Bethel Beach are about a month old. With everything going on here lately, I haven't had an opportunity to wander around the county to take pictures. This week will be just as busy, although in a much different way. I'm leaving on a trip to New York to see some blog friends and eat some good food.

Today, though, is the calm ~~before~~ after the storm, a day of rest and a day of lollygagging. My definition of lollygagging includes wandering around the county taking pictures, if the weather cooperates.

We had a great time celebrating Christmas and my mother's birthday Saturday evening. The whole family (plus Ann Marie, her father, and her adorable little dog who stopped by later in the evening) feasted on crab legs, scallops, shrimp and ~~wine~~ much more. Perhaps going against the grain of most family's typical Christmas celebrations, but right in line with a Chesapeake Bay Family celebration of any kind, there was some dancing involved. And a few hats. In short a good time was had by all.

But I'm really looking forward to resting and lollygagging today.

Hope your weekend was good and your Christmas (for those who celebrate) was great. If you're fortunate enough to have today off from work, try to squeeze in as much lollygagging as possible.

It's good for you.

Christmas Decorations

2011-12-24T16:12:00.001-05:00

After several ~~weeks~~ days of complaining and worrying about whether it would all get done, the Chesapeake Bay Family house is ~~as ready as it's ever gonna get~~ finally ready for Christmas.

Yes, that's an inflatable snowman sitting on my front porch.
Also, yes, that is a rope light hanging around the window.
They're not just for outside.
Are they?

For my mother's birthday this Christmas Eve, we're planning a big family seafood dinner.

The dinner will be big, the family isn't really that big. Also, it's not a family of seafood. That sentence sure was poorly written. Let me try again.

For my mother's birthday on Christmas Eve, the entire Chesapeake Bay Family will sit down to a big seafood dinner.

There. That's a little better.

Yep. That's a Santa Claus hanging on the wall back there.
And those are ~~tacky~~ cheap Dollar Store decorations hanging from the chandelier.

I have a whole shelf dedicated to Santa Clauses that I picked up at thrift stores over the years. Those wooden birds live on this shelf year round, and they look forward to this one time of the year when they have some company.

Below is an example of my mother's incredible artwork. She painted that Santa Claus on an old coffee can a long time ago. I love it.

One of my favorite thrift store finds is the nautical Santa Claus below.

Here's my artificial Christmas tree in all its ~~gory~~ glory. This thing and I have a love/hate relationship. We go about sixteen rounds every year when I try to haul it up and down the basement steps.

It's brutal, but worth it. The Chesapeake Bay Children won't let me ~~light a match to it like I want to~~ retire it and get a smaller tree.

Speaking of my kids, they made the snowman below. Chesapeake Bay Son fashioned that hat out of some marsh grass, and they took a tine from a plastic fork to make the nose. This is another one of my favorite decorations.

Merry Christmas!

Peace

2011-12-23T00:01:00.007-05:00

Do not adjust your dials.

This blurred view of Queens Creek from my back yard yesterday morning came courtesy of some morning fog that lingered after the sun came up.

The chairs below encircle my fire pit, where I ~~live to light fires~~ love to light fires.

Tomorrow is not only Christmas Eve, it's my mother's 70th birthday.

Baby Sis, Middle Sis--the whole family will be under one roof.

If I don't post again before Sunday, Merry Christmas, peace, love and joy to you and the ones you hold dear.

Love,
CBW

Three Things

2011-12-22T00:01:00.002-05:00

Welcome to Three Thing Thursday where I share three thoughts (two of which today may be related) and hopefully you do too. We usually strive for three unrelated thoughts, but most of the time we break our own rules because ~~we are~~ the rules are arbitrary and ridiculous, sort of like the pricing scheme for gas. Or ice cream.

Let's begin.

1. It's been a long time since I've taken any photos worth ~~seeing~~ mentioning. The one above, from Bethel Beach almost a month ago, bores me a little, to be honest. OK, so perhaps the way the pine branches seem to reach out to those feathers of clouds is interesting, but otherwise I'm thinking I really need to spend an hour or so in the coming days taking some new pictures.

2. Since August I've been enslaved to a schedule that demands a 100 + mile-per-day drive to work and however many more miles to my children's school activities + children's weekend social activities--all of which requires nothing short of a personal assistant, which I don't have, to keep track of. Nothing gives me more pleasure to announce than this: If I don't want to, I don't have to drive outside the boundaries of Mathews County until Tuesday of next week. That is five full days of sleeping past five thirty a.m. and five full days of never having to drive more than the five miles to Mathews Court House for groceries. It's a Christmas miracle! As well as an overabundance of "fives" in one sentence!

3.My goal is ~~to never have to cross the river again~~ to do everything humanly possible to avoid crossing the York River until I return to work in January. Amen.

Now it's your turn. What's on your mind?

Outbuilding

2011-12-21T00:01:00.029-05:00

These are just different shots of a soybean field and shed near the cemetery on Route 3, Windsor Road.

I don't have a whole lot to say today, because I am trying to ~~keep my head above water even though it feels like my foot is tied to a cinder block pulling me under~~ survive this week, juggling work and the pre-Christmas preparations.

But I am pleased--nay, thrilled--to report that after today I will not have to go to the paying job again until January 3. There's still lots of work to do, but at least it's all at home.

I still do not understand how or why words like nay spring so effortlessly from my mouth. Perhaps I am channeling my grandmother.

Or Captain John Smith.

Either way, I will be so thankful when this workday is over that I might just dance a jig.

A jig*?

Signed,
~~CBW~~ Captain John Smith

---------------------------------------------------------

*About this word jig, Wikipedia says:

"The term jig was probably derived from the French giguer, meaning 'to jump' or the Italian giga. It was known as a dance in sixteenth-century England, often in 2/4 time, and the term was used for a dancing entertainment in sixteenth century plays."

Hello, CBW? Captain John Smith called. He wants his words back.

Nay, he demands them.

Dockside

2011-12-20T00:01:00.031-05:00

Here are a few more photos taken from the public landing at the Seabreeze over on the island.

The sky was quickly filling with clouds, but every now and then a burst of sunshine would brighten things up brilliantly.

In this last picture I especially like how the dock sort of directs you to glance in the general direction of Callis Wharf, that white structure way off there in the distance. It appears to be sitting under the only patch of bright sky in the east. I wasn't thinking about any of this when I shot the picture. I'm just noticing it all now, well after the fact.

My initial thought when I paired these photos together, though, was this song.

Hope this week allows you an opportunity to sit at least briefly if not on a dock then at least some place that brings you peace.

Weekend Recap

2011-12-19T00:01:00.036-05:00

Yesterday afternoon I drove to the high school ~~to try and burn off some of the four thousand meatballs I ate at Saturday night's party~~ for a jog around the track.

Then, noticing the sky was quickly clouding up, I raced over to Gwynn's Island to try and snap a few pictures before all the sunlight was gone.

These first two are from the public landing at the Seabreeze Restaurant.

These last two were taken from the car when I pulled over on the side of the road.

Kids? Nowhere in your driver's ed manual will you find a chapter on taking pictures from the car. There are many, many excellent reasons for this. In short, don't do it. Thanks for your attention to this lesson in the ongoing life class known as Do As Your Mother Says, Not As She Does.

I am ~~amazed~~ pleased to report I survived the weekend, which included:

* a book signing Friday night at Dilly Dally Emporium, which was a story in and of itself but a lot of fun;

* a post-Dilly Dally trip to Southwind, where I met several friends and engaged in some very lively conversation;

* Saturday's book signing at Twice Told Tales, where I saw my friends Bert and Brian from school and where I met a very interesting gentleman affiliated with Gloucester Arts on Main. Not only does he have a fascinating life story, which includes many years in Brazil and an ability to speak Portuguese, but he can teach me photography--real photography, as in how to shoot a picture in anything but Auto mode!

* the Waverly Lane Christmas party hosted by my parents Saturday night. My mother outdid herself with the food and the decorations. I was so tired I couldn't hold my eyes open, so I forgot to take pictures. I did eat myself silly, however.

Speaking of pictures, I didn't get many good ones yesterday thanks to the incoming clouds and my camera's ardent desire to take only dark pictures, but there are a few just OK ones I'll post in the coming days.

It's hard to believe Christmas is this coming weekend.

What went on in your world these past few days?

Workboat

2011-12-16T00:01:00.008-05:00

There hasn't been much time to take photos here lately.

But last week I did manage to snap some from my back yard which
sits at the mouth of Millers Cove off Queens Creek.

This is my neighbor's workboat, near the end of Millers Cove.

The water here is pretty shallow.

Not much further past this boat there's lots and lots of creek mud and ~~fiddler crab habitat~~
~~swamp~~ marsh.

If you were able to walk through all that ~~swamp~~ marsh you'd eventually come to Route 198.

(Not that anyone would want to go that way.

I'm just rambling.)

The morning I took these there was a slight mist burning off the creek.

This weekend promises to be just as busy as any other here recently,

but I do hope to get out, maybe Sunday, and take some new pictures.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Three Things

2011-12-15T00:01:00.001-05:00

Is it Thursday again so soon?

On Thursdays we share three things, but I don't think I have three things to share.

Hmm. Let's see.

1. Friday from 4 - 6 I have a book signing at Dilly Dally Emporium in Mathews Court House. Please stop by if you can, not just for the signing but also because Dilly Dally carries great gift ideas such as Catherine Brooks's new book. Worthy of another post entirely, Mrs. Brooks has a very special connection not only to Mathews County, but to the Dilly Dally location in particular.

2. Saturday from 11:30 to 2:30 there's another signing at Twice Told Tales in Gloucester Court House on Main Street. If it's been a while since you've visited Gloucester Court House, you might be surprised at all the changes. Twice Told Tales not only carries books of local interest but has a great selection of children's books.

3. Saturday evening is the Waverly Lane Christmas party, hosted this year by my parents, next door. I just remembered I'm supposed to bring meatballs and am only now realizing how little time there will be between the book signing and the start of the party. Better fire up the crock pot before I leave for the signing--to the extent that a crock pot is actually ever really fired up...

4. At the very opposite end of the crock-pot-meatball culinary spectrum (not that there's one single thing wrong with crock pot meatballs), my blog friend Daryl has been sending me links to possible restaurants we will go to when I visit her (and her and her and hopefully Maria from NJ) in New York after Christmas. To someone who hasn't spent time in a major city in, oh, ten or more years, the thought of eating ~~anything that is not my own cooking~~ at a place like this or this or this makes me ~~even crazier than usual~~ crazy with excitement and almost allows me to forget about the stress of the next ten days. Almost.

5. The words thank you are entirely inadequate to convey my feelings of gratitude to the community for the support with the book. Thank you for buying the book but also thank you for the kind words in the grocery store, Walmutant, the gas pump, the post office--it's overwhelming, and I truly appreciate it.

And here I thought I had nothing to say. Evidently I had three things to share and two to spare.

What's going on in your world? Do you have a good recipe for crock pot meatballs?

Barn

2011-12-14T00:01:00.016-05:00

This barn, which sits in a field off Route 198 between Soles and Dutton, is one of my favorites.

Every so often I'll stop in to say hello.

I have an unnatural fear that one day it won't be here any more.

Which is silly, I suppose.

But it's true.

In the past (almost) four years that I've been doing this blog,

several structures I used to visit have disappeared.

They're like works of art to me, places I've studied

and admired from afar for so long.

Thankfully, this one's still here.

For now.

In other news, last evening I talked to Gloria from Beachland,. We're making plans for a January get together, so I can hear more stories and take more pictures of her beautiful home. I cannot wait, although that's so far off given everything I need to survive these next few weeks including the Waverly Lane Neighborhood Christmas Party, two more book signings, my mother's 70th birthday on Christmas Eve, Christmas, a train trip to New York City, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree.

I'm looking forward to January. How about you?

Mathews Christmas Parade, Part Two

2011-12-13T00:01:00.001-05:00

Here are some more shots from Saturday's Christmas parade.

Tatterson's was there.

I love this car.

A proud member of the Mathews High School Class of 1982.
I've known her since kindergarten and we traveled to Spain together in 10th grade.
That's a story for another time. And oh what a story it is.

This Chick-Fil-A cow was about the only person marching in the parade who was not a member of the Class of 1982. Actually, I don' t know that for a fact since I can't see who is in the costume.
So it's possible.

This little doggie loved the parade, although I'm not so sure he was as enamored with those antlers.
He looks a little worried here, almost like that dog on the Grinch Who Stole Christmas.

Another friend, the husband of my classmate shown above.
My dog bit him over the summer, and I still feel guilty about that.
Sorry, Lawrence! Love you, even if Buddy doesn't particularly!

Lookie here! It's Dr. Sterling, yet another proud member of the Class of 1982!

I think he was eating the very candy he was supposed to be throwing to the crowd.
Look at that guilty look on his face. (Hi, Sterling!)

I was so busy trying to take Sterling's picture that I completely missed Santa Claus as he was approaching and only managed to get this side shot. I had some things I wanted to tell him, too, it's a shame he went by so fast. Also,the lady in the green jacket (just above that Christmas present of the same color) is my 7th grade English teacher and the wife of my high school track coach.

The parade was all too brief, but what fun it was. I thoroughly enjoyed ~~my class reunion~~ seeing old friends.

Speaking of class reunions, our 30th is next year. Thirty years.

It's simply not possible.

*Sigh.*

Mathews Christmas Parade, Part One

2011-12-12T00:01:00.030-05:00

Saturday was filled with festivities here in Mathews County.

I graduated from high school with this guy.
In fact, it seemed as if ~~all~~ many of the MHS Class of 1982 were either driving, riding or marching in this parade.
You can call us eccentric, and we embrace the label.
(Con mucho gusto.)

My first-ever book signing, which was Saturday at the Mathews County Visitor Information Center (formerly Sibleys), provided ample opportunity to peruse the merchandise and get to know the people working there.

If you are in search of a unique Christmas present, the Visitor Center has plenty, and it's all made here in Mathews County.

I saw so many customers walk out the door with special pieces of Mathews-made art.

I was so engrossed in conversation and the goings-on inside the Visitor Center, I missed the beginning of the parade.

Nevertheless, I made a mad dash outside with my camera just in time to snap these photos.

Horses are my favorite, and there were at least four in this year's parade.

The MHS Marching Band

More horses, along with a man not afraid to don a unique hat, con mucho gusto.

More photos from the parade will go up tomorrow.

But back to the book signing.

What a blast!

Not only did I see old friends, but I met Commenter Dghawk who has been a regular here ever since the whole DIY Network/Blog Cabin thing was going on. She drove all the way to Mathews, sight unseen, just for the event. What a pleasure to finally meet her after all this time. Thank you, Dghawk, for taking the time out of your Saturday to travel to Mathews!

I also met a gentleman with a close connection to Beachland. He and I had previously exchanged several e-mails about the history of the family and the house, but I never anticipated meeting him so soon. What a grand surprise! Bill, it was great meeting you.

Other notable visitors included two former teachers; ~~about half the class of 1982~~ several alumni from Mathews High School's class of 1982; parents of people I grew up with; other folks I hadn't seen in years; and new people simply in love with Mathews County.

I had so much fun, I may volunteer in the Visitor Center on a regular basis, seriously.

Regarding the book, I am very deeply indebted to Elsa and Charlie of the Gazette Journal, our local paper. The vast majority of the information for the book came from the Gazette Journal's archives, and they very graciously granted me unlimited access to their photographs and information. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

I cannot begin to express my gratitude to everyone who has supported this endeavor known as The Book, not just through purchases but also through your kind words all along this journey and particularly at Saturday's signing.

Just thank you.

Stay tuned for more photographs ~~of friends in Saturday's parade~~ from Saturday's parade.

Misty Morn

2011-12-09T00:01:00.003-05:00

Last weekend, I glanced out my bedroom window and noticed a haze hovering over Smither Cemetery, across the creek.

Hurry! I said to myself. Grab the camera!

I dutifully obeyed.

The morning fog can be so beautiful.

I snapped several shots, put the camera down, then continued to admire the view.

Then I realized that wasn't fog at all.

My neighbor was just burnin' some leaves.

The End.

p.s. For clarification, the neighbor was not the house off in the distance in these pictures, even though smoke appears to be coming from there in that last one. No, this neighbor is to the right of Smither Cemetery, which is an enchanting waterfront cemetery behind those pine trees.

p.s.s.t. Before I go off on a tangent about Smither Cemetery and believe me I could, please come to the Mathews Christmas Parade on Saturday at 1. I'll be at the Visitor Center (formerly Sibley's General Store) before the parade signing books, chatting with friends, and wondering how I can possibly be old enough to have a teenager going to the Holly Ball--with a date--Saturday night.

Have a fantastic weekend.

Three Things

2011-12-08T00:01:00.006-05:00

Scenes from Bethel Beach

2011-12-07T00:01:00.001-05:00

This was taken a week ago Sunday from the little bridge you must cross to get to Bethel Beach. I took these after my extraordinary visit to Beachland, my new favorite place in Mathews. The shot above was looking left out the car window just at the top of the little bridge.

Doesn't it look like the creek is bending to the right to accommodate that cloud above? Does anyone else see a heron's head in that cloud (bill is pointed upwards to the left corner of the photo)? Does anyone else ~~over-analyze photographs of Almost Nothing~~ want to return to the blog post, which already has veered off track?

Below is just a vast expanse of ~~nothingness~~ ~~swamp~~ ~~fiddler crab habitat~~ marsh.

The sky was a canvas of blue with brush strokes of white here and there.

It was very Zen-like, even if I am not exactly sure I could articulate what Zen-like means.

I can show you, though.

Zen-like

This last shot was taken while glancing to the right from the top of the little bridge.

That's the bay off in the distance.

Today is Wednesday. ~~You probably already knew that, but I have to repeat what day it is over and over again to remind myself and keep track of who needs to be where and at what time.~~

Back in the good old days, businesses in Mathews Court House would shut down half a day on Wednesdays. If they didn't shut down at noon, I'm pretty sure it was by two o'clock, although my memory is fuzzy. The bottom line is they closed early, and everyone knew it and accepted it as fact. Whatever you may have thought you needed at 3:00 Wednesday would just have to wait until Thursday morning. Period. The End.

I vote to reinstate this notion of shutting down early mid-week. Heck, we've already survived Monday and Tuesday, and we would be so much more productive if we had an afternoon to ~~lollygag~~ renew our energy to face Thursday and Friday.

Everybody should be able to take an authorized nap on Wednesday afternoons.

Who's on board?

Beachland - Part Two

2011-12-05T00:01:00.002-05:00

The barn at Beachland.

Once upon a time, Chesapeake Bay Woman was asking herself why she continues to do this silly blog. Her life is chaotic and she really doesn't have the time to devote to properly maintaining ~~a house and a car and a family and a job~~ a blog. Also, she usually has nothing new to say and often contemplates shutting down or taking an extended break from blogging.

In short, she ~~was just worn out from her life, plain and simple~~ was very unmotivated and uninspired.

Then one day a reader by the name of Suzi sent an e-mail which began by reminding me why I do this blog:

"Hello, my name is Susan. I happened upon your blog while googling information about the DIY home in Susan, Virginia. My cousins grew up in that house and I visited numerous times with my family when I was young. Anyway, I found your blog and immediately got hooked! Now, when I want an escape from life, I’ll pull it up and read about places and things I have known my whole life."

****

Every so often I receive e-mails like this, just when I seem to need them the most. They make my day.

But then when I read what came next, I swear I heard angels singing:

"My ancestors have been in Mathews forever……and now my sister and I have inherited the home where my great aunts and uncles and my grandfather were born.I happened to notice today that you asked if there was anyone who had property where you could photograph and we would be happy for you to take pictures, if you would like."

****

This was like an early Christmas present, that continued to get better and better with each word I read.

"All of my father’s family lived in Mathews and have for centuries, since the originals came from England. My father’s name was Smith……not too original, but true, none the less. My mother’s family was from Loneriacco, Italy. Oddly, the property in Mathews has been in the family for about 300 or more years (I think) and yet my mother’s home had been in the Di Maria family for more than 500 years. How strange and wonderful is that!? We use to vacation on Gwynn’s Island (and Italy) to be near the family. I have numerous happy memories of the entire area. I can even, vaguely, remember seeing a movie with my cousins at DONKS, which I still consider the funniest name for a theatre ever!"

"I am one of three sisters and my youngest sister, Harriett, was the true historian and did much of the work to rejuvenate Beachland. She worked at the Dept. of Justice in DC and spent a lot of time archiving old family letters, etc. Many were from the Civil War and they are so interesting to read. Sadly, she passed away about 7 years ago…..she now rests in the cemetery at the Episcopalian church off of the main road…..along with my Mom and Dad and what seems like a million other ancestors. Our home is on about 190 acres, on the water……I lose track of the particulars…..but my older sister knows it all. My hope is to one day retire there and spend my time painting, quilting, gardening and spoiling grandchildren. Like you, I find it to be fascinating and incredibly peaceful……so soothing for the soul!"

****

Indeed, there was something instantly peaceful about Beachland that I felt before I even laid eyes on the house. As soon as my tires hit the long driveway leading in to the property, I knew instantly this was a place a person could truly relax.

Beachland is like an oasis, a little corner of the county carved out as if its sole purpose is to create a sense of calm.

But back to the Civil War, which has nothing to do with peace and tranquility.

At the library the other day I happened upon a book called Mathews Men Who Served in the War Between the States, by Mrs. Bernard Franklin White, written in 1961. On page 33 it says,

"Sands Smith, Mathews Court House, member of the famous Black Horse Troop, organized by two gentlemen of Fauquier County, Virginia, John Scott and William H. Payne. The members were required to be mounted on black horses and to wear black plumes in their hats. This troop played a very important part in the war."

There ~~were so many people named Sands Smith connected to this house that all those sands formed a beach hence the name Beachland. No, I just made that up.~~ are many people in this family's lineage named Sands Smith. The one above, I believe, was Sands III.

Sands II met a rather unfortunate fate. Suzi's sister Gloria, who was my tour guide that day at Beachland, told me the story as we stood in the yard. He was hanged by Union troops and buried head first, with his feet sticking out of the ground. They wanted to make an example of him. ~~Damn Yankees!~~ When I asked what happened to the body, she assured me it was recovered ultimately and he was buried in the family cemetery at nearby Willow Grove.

Just last evening someone sent me a link to a page with more detailed information about Sands Smith's unfortunate death. It says:

"Sands Smith was hanged from a tree after being dragged behind a horse from his home in Mathews County, Virginia for several miles by Union troops during the Civil War. He was executed for shooting a Union soldier off his horse with a shotgun when the soldier insisted on stealing some farm animal(s) from Sands' home. Sands was fairly wealthy and was a good friend to a Confederate operative working out of Mathews County who had two boats, the black "Raven" and the white "Swan," and who did considerable damage to Union facilities on the Eastern Shore and around the Bay. The troops were sent into Mathews County to find that operative, who was ultimately caught, taken to Governor's Island, N.Y., and hanged. The operative was a former soldier from Jefferson County (West) Virginia who was in Stonewall Jackson's brigade, was injured, and moved to Mathews because it was an ideal location to run an irregular marine operation. He called himself a "provisional Captain" in the Confederate Coast Guard or something to that effect. Several Hudginses helped this guy, and another one of the people helping him became a reporter for a Richmond, Virginia newspaper (not the Times-Dispatch) after the war and wrote a short book on their exploits. Capt. Aubrey Brown of Port Haywood, Mathews County, Virginia has a copy of this book."

Click here to view the page with a more detailed account of this fascinating story.

A farmhouse on the property.

Circling back to my opening remarks about how all this started, Suzi's e-mail prompted a series of exchanges that resulted in my visit with her sister Gloria, who told me story after wonderful story about the history of this amazing place. Except I was so mesmerized by Beachland's beauty, I only half remember what I heard.

But that one about ~~those daggone Yankees!~~ the Union soldiers burying her relative upside down and leaving him there as an example sure stuck in my ~~craw~~ mind.

Gloria also took me inside Beachland, and all I have to say is (insert the sound of a jaw hitting the floor here). I was speechless. Words are entirely insufficient to describe the beauty of the interior.

High ceilings, old wood, antiques, paintings, family Bibles, old letters-- I don't have the words to adequately describe how it felt to walk amid all that history.

Gloria showed me one of the bedroom windows where a young couple etched their initials in the thick glass with a diamond soon after they became engaged. She said there's at least one other set of initials scratched into an upstairs window.

There are many other fascinating stories about Beachland, some of which involve things that go bump in the night. Evidently sleep can be evasive at Beachland, unless one has a stern conversation with the resident ghost(s) about the need to keep the noise down. Gloria only hinted at these stories just before I left, but someone else e-mailed me to confirm the part about the need for a stern conversation. Suzi, the third person to broach the topic, also said she rarely sleeps without a candle burning or a flashlight nearby.

Ghost stories, Civil War stories, love stories, Mathews County history, Virginia history, United States history, romance and intrigue: They all can be found at Beachland.

OK, so maybe I tossed in the love stories, romance and intrigue for good measure.

That's because Beachland needs to be a book and a movie.

And I know just the blogger who would love to write the story.

The view of the creek from the back yard.

To Gloria and Suzi and All Who Have E-Mailed Me,

Thank you so very much for introducing me to Beachland. For reasons I cannot explain, I am very drawn to your beautiful home and your family's history and hope to have many more reasons to visit. The stories that you and Beachland have to tell are priceless accounts. I feel privileged to have been invited to see and experience all that is Beachland.

When can we do it again?

Love,
CBW

Beachland - Part One

2011-12-02T00:01:00.005-05:00

Once upon a time, down a long, leisurely,
leaf-filled lane,
tucked away between some stately old trees and a creek

(Pardon the glare. Camera issues.)

lived a beautiful, historic home called Beachland.

The home has been in the same family--the Smiths, one of Mathews' "first families"--since before our county was officially formed from Gloucester, which was one of the first 13 counties established in Virginia in the mid 1600s.

Mathews County was formed in 1791 from the part of Gloucester that used to be (more or less) Kingston Parish.

A bit of googling and library-ing unearthed the following excerpts from a fascinating 1934 Mathews Journal article on the Smith family and the first known Smith of Beachland:

"There is no available data relative to the ancestry of Capt. Thomas Smith of Beechland. Since there were several families of Smiths residing in Gloucester about the same time, and owing to the similarity of names, it is almost impossible to determine to which line any one individual belongs without access to family records. Whether Capt. Smith was of the line founded by Lawrence Smith or that of John Smith of Purton, is a decision the writer is not qualified to make.

Capt. Thomas Smithy was evidently a ship builder, for in the Gazette of May 6, 1767, he advertises - to be sold - "A new ship about 263 tons, well calculated for tobacco trade, built of best seasoned plank and lumber, and can be launched in a little time if required. Twelve months credit will be allowed for two thirds of three fourths of the value. Any person inclinable to purchase may be shown the vessel by applying to the subscriber, living in Kingston Parish."

Capt. Thomas Smith first married Dorothy Armistead in 1753... His second wife was Anne Plater of Maryland...

...The will of Capt. Smith, Feb. 11, 1789 - "One third of my estate to Anne Smith during her life, desiring her to live with my son, Thomas, in the mansion house...

..Thomas Smith, son of Capt. Smith and first secretary of Phi Beta Kappa, was a member of Legislature, 1784, and other years and a member of State Convention, in 1788, called upon to pass Federal Constitution."

The original 1700s home, which was all brick, was destroyed by fire. The current house, built on the original brick foundation, dates to the late 1800s.

An 1813 insurance policy, on "Beechland" (spelled both ways, though the current owner says it's Beachland) contains a map that described four buildings on the property: "(A) a brick dwelling, two stories high, covered with wood, 52 feet long by 22 feet wide with a cellar; (B) a kitchen; (C) a laundry; (D) a smokehouse.

Today, there is also a beautiful barn on the property, which is in the process of being restored.

That 1934 article from the Mathews Journal went on to talk about Thomas and Armistead Smith, sons of Captain Smith:

"Phi Beta Kappa was organized Dec. 5, 1776 at the College of William and Mary at Williamsburg, and was the first Greek letter organization. Among the charter members were two from Mathews County, Thomas Smith and his brother, Armistead, sons of Capt. Thomas Smith of Beechland. This old home is still occupied by a Smith family, but whether they are descendants of Capt. Smith, the writer is not qualified to state."

Well, this blogger isn't qualified for much, but she is qualified to state that the current Beachland resident and owner, a wonderful woman by the name of Gloria, is indeed a descendant of the original property owners.

I know because she told me so herself when I had the privilege of meeting her last weekend. Although she's a bit camera shy, she gave me permission to post the oh-so-distant shot of her with the oh-so-beautiful Beachland off in the distance, below.

There is too much from this brief visit of mine to convey in one post. ~~I've decided to write a book.~~ I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the estate; the significance of its history; and the charm and instant like-ability of its owner, who has so many stories that could never be found in books.

So stay tuned for a Part Two about Beachland, where I'll share some more fascinating facts and tidbits about this house and its family.

This is the view heading away from Beachland.
I hated to leave.

I'll also share how I came to be asked to visit Beachland. I cannot thank Gloria and her sister Susan enough for the invitation.

But they may have created a monster.

I'm already daydreaming about my next project: a novel with Beachland as the backdrop; a little bit of history mixed with CBW's vivid imagination. This could ~~be dangerous~~ be a novel that is turned into a movie, starring ~~Chesapeake Bay Woman!~~ a female lead actress and, naturally, Javier Bardem.

Stay tuned for Part Two of Beachland, which I hope to have up on Monday.

Enjoy the weekend.

Three Things

2011-12-01T00:01:00.156-05:00

Welcome to Three Thing Thursday, where I share ~~three~~ ~~five~~ six things and you share three. Or five. Six. Whatever floats your boat.

1. My sincere apologies for the delay in posting the pictures and info on my trip to Beachland, the historic Mathews home dating to the 1700s. The good Lord willin' and the creek don't rise, I'll have everything posted on Friday.

2. My daughter's first dance is on Saturday.

3. My son's first formal dance is next Saturday.

4. I have forty-eleven-thousand things converging over these next several weeks. Things such as book signings; Christmas preparations (Can't we skip Christmas this year?- Signed, Ebenezer Scrooge); my mother's 70th birthday on Christmas Eve; the neighborhood Christmas party; work, personal property taxes due; new technology to learn; work; an improperly functioning camera; Christmas bills; my 16-year-old son approaching one of the final hurdles before being able to legally drive; no car for me him to drive; a trip to New York City between Christmas and New Year's and did I mention my 13 year-old-daughter has a dance this weekend when only yesterday I was dropping her off at preschool?

5. I wish I were in Bali with Javier Bardem.

6. Today's pictures (which are actually last winter's pictures that have been sitting here in draft for months) show the back side of Westview Inn, one of two legendary inns at Ward's Corner. Oh, the stories this building could tell.

Now it's your turn to share three or six things. Whatever you feel like, anything at all.

Have a great Thursday. Welcome to December.

Around Here, You Never Know

2011-11-30T00:01:00.020-05:00

"Downtown" Mathews Court House last Sunday.
I was admiring the blue sky when something in the distance caught my eye.

What the....?

Just another day in Mathews Court House.

Technology Transition Week Update: My bestest, favoritest, most wonderfulest son in the whole wide world fixed my new laptop last night, however I've not had time to figure out how to download pictures with the new software yet, so please be patient for the Beachland story. I ~~am praying I can figure this out by Friday~~ anticipate it will go up on Friday.

In the mean time, when was the last time you were driving down the road and almost clipped a Claus?

Scenes from Williams Wharf

2011-11-29T00:01:00.001-05:00

Over the weekend I drove down to Williams Wharf and was a little sad to see the one waterfront building (most recently used by the high school crew team) had been torn down. That it had been torn down was no secret, but I had been in denial about it all and was reluctant to actually see it with my own eyes. I have a fondness for old structures even when they have far outlived their usefulness.

As I like to say, there is beauty in imperfection.

They're making way for a brand spankin' new boathouse. Click here for those details.

I spent a great deal of time perusing the shoreline where that building once stood, looking at all the oyster shells, pottery shards and pieces of thick, old glass. I thought about all the people over the years who have passed through here whether by necessity or for pleasure.

I'm sure the new building will be wonderful, and no doubt spectacularly more functional than the old one. There are lots of exciting prospects for the future.

But I hate to see things go, even when it is for the better.

This shot, taken a while back--spring maybe?--shows a glimpse of the building when it served the local crew team.

Self-portrait taken through one the windows.
I had no idea when I took these that the building was going to be torn down.
Now I wish I'd taken more, although over the years I've accumulated ~~hundreds~~ many.

Speaking of ~~resisting change and being more comfortable with old things~~ a fondness for the old, I am transitioning from my dilapidated laptop to a new one. For the first time in my 46 years on this planet I have purchased a computer myself. Every other one was a hand-me-down from someone else, and usually very outdated and oh-so-antiquated.

As we speak, however, I am still typing on the old one because, although the set up on the new one was so easy even a blindfolded cave woman with one arm tied behind her back could do it, I did something wrong and am completely flustered because I cannot connect to the internet. Everything was going fine until I declined the Norton 60-day trial and then changed my mind and went back in to download it. So I think I did something out of sequence and now it seems to be blocking everything. Chesapeake Bay Son needs to help me figure this out, but in the mean time just know that this week is Technology Transition Week, and we all know how CBW does with change. And technology.

(Not at all well. Not well at all. Very, very badly.Things could get very ugly around here.)

Hopefully CB Son can straighten this mess out, and I will miraculously figure out how to load photos on The New System so I can finally tell you about my delightful visit to Beachland.

Keep your fingers crossed.

Melange

2011-11-28T00:01:00.001-05:00

An old home on the East River

The wrap around porch is beautiful...

but is deteriorating. It's still a wonderful old home, though.

When viewed from a distance, you can't see the flaws.
(The house is in the upper left corner.)

I don't know about you, but it feels like I've been off work and on vacation for a week, although it's only been four days. What a difference it makes not having to drive children back and forth to school and the associated activities, although their social calendar didn't slow down much...

Anyway, today's post is a hodgepodge of random thoughts, which is no different from any other day here, really. It's sort of like a Three Thing Thursday on Monday--with six things instead of three.

1. The Chesapeake Bay Family celebrated Thanksgiving in the most unorthodox way humanly possible. This topic deserves a separate post but let's just say that lots of driving and this place (click here) were involved. Oh yes indeed. The only thing that would have made it any crazier would have been if we'd all been wearing crab hats. And trust me, we did not want to draw attention to ourselves in that crowd.

2. The movie Eat Pray Love is now one of my favorite movies of all time mostly because of the way it ends (in Bali, which isn't Bora Bora, but sure looks good to me). One night when the Chesapeake Bay Children were both gone, looking forward to a nice, quiet evening alone with my new movie, I attempted to load it on to the DVD player in my bedroom. Since it's been so long since I've watched a movie, evidently I forgot which button to push on the remote. No problem!

Still optimistic, I trotted into the living room and loaded it into that DVD player. The audio worked just fine, but no matter how many ~~cuss words I uttered~~ buttons I pushed I could not for the life of me get the video to work. Note: Ordinarily Chesapeake Bay Son handles all the technical issues in this household. I was not going to embarrass him by calling to ask how to operate the DVD player. I was bound and determined to figure it out on my own, gosh darn it. Oh, and no, I could not watch it on my laptop, because my laptop screen is fried. That's another story for another day, although the problem will soon be rectified.

So, I resorted to the one thing I knew would work: a "portable" DVD player/TV combo (the size of a mini-fridge) with only one plug and no remote or other confusing buttons whatsoever--from circa ~~1995~~ 2005. The screen was so small I had to ~~practically press my nose against the screen to see~~ pull my chair very close up to see. (Note to self: Please schedule that eye exam that is now two years overdue, otherwise you're well on your way to being legally blind.) Finally I saw the movie, and I loved it. Success!

3. The photos above were taken from the public landing just below the Court House. I have long admired this house and try to capture her every chance I get since she seems to be deteriorating.

4.Yesterday I had the honor of meeting a Mathews resident who can trace her roots in this county back to the 1700s ~~which was the same year that DVD/TV combo was invented~~. Later this week I will share photos of her absolutely exquisite home called Beachland, and snippets of our conversation about her family. Beachland is the sort of home that gives you chills; you can feel the history even as you drive down the driveway. Unfortunately, I didn't bring a pad and pencil with me, so most of the history she shared will be filed in the same part of my brain that ~~remembers~~ forgets how to operate the DVD players in my own house. However, I am hopeful I will get back there for a longer visit to delve deeper into what is most assuredly a great chapter in our local history.

5. I made the best batch of collard greens this weekend. Slow cooked them with a ham hock. I do believe I could eat collards morning, noon and night and never get tired of them--but only if they're cooked in old ham.

6. Arcadia Publishing has scheduled a couple of book signings for my book. The first will be December 10th, the weekend of the Christmas parade, at the old Sibley's General Store, now the Mathews County Visitor Information Center. The next one will be the following weekend at Twice Told Tales in Gloucester. I'm working on a third at Sandpiper Reef but will probably wait and do that one early next year. More info/details coming soon.

Right now I am just trying to survive ~~memories of Thanksgiving at the Golden Corral~~ the transition back to the work/school week.

How was your Thanksgiving?

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-23T00:01:00.007-05:00

Since I'm taking the next few days off from blogging I thought I'd ~~bore you to tears with tired blog posts from years gone by~~ link to some Thanksgiving posts from years gone by. (It's hard to believe I've been doing this for four years now.)

Click here or here to read posts from 2008 reviewing things for which I am thankful. Or here to read what I was thinking in 2009. Last year's post is here.

Most of all I wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving filled with fun; ~~crazy family members~~ family; hot, buttered mashed potatoes and gravy by the boatloads; ~~fried oysters~~ and a very long nap.

Happy Thanksgiving from the Chesapeake Bay Family.

Tranquility

2011-11-22T00:01:00.003-05:00

Sometimes words aren't necessary. Enjoy.

p.s. Except ~~I can't help myself~~ I would like to add that ordinarily when I'm at Aaron's Beach it's just after sunrise. In this instance I took an evening drive down there to test out my ailing camera. As long as I keep the camera set on the sports mode, the problem with the ISO and lighting doesn't occur. These photos were taken in dim light and didn't come out any darker than they should have.

I can only hope the camera keeps from dying before I make a trip later this week to a historic Mathews home called Beachland. There is quite a story to be told there and I need pictures to go along with it.

But for now, I've already written too many words on what was supposed to be a wordless post. I did try, though.

Have a great day.

Fall Scenes

2011-11-21T00:01:00.030-05:00

Disregard the utility wire and the shadow from the telephone pole.
This was taken hastily from the car.
Note: CBW does not condone unsafe driving practices even if she does employ them from time to time out of necessity.
Do as she says, not as she does.

These were taken about a week ago during my recent Meals on Wheels route. The last person I delivered to lives near the end of Route 657, Bookers Lane.

That day I talked to so many delightful people, including the father of one of my high school classmates; the grandmother of another classmate; and one man, originally from Richmond, who teared up as he was telling me about his wife of 62 years who passed away three years ago. Sixty two years of marriage, and he called her his best friend. He clearly was lonely and very eager to answer all my questions about her, his family, and what brought him to Mathews. (He moved here to be near his son and grandchildren. Shortly after he and his wife moved here, she passed away.)

The Mathews Active Lifestyle Center runs our local Meals on Wheels program, and the food is prepared by the Mathews High School cafeteria workers. They are always in need of drivers. You don't have to commit to a regular schedule, you can substitute like I do. It's a very rewarding experience and entails so much more than just delivering food. I encourage anyone who is able to help out with this great cause.

Here in Mathews you can call (804) 725-7850 to sign up.

If you aren't from Mathews and wish to locate a program near you, click here.

******

In other news, the Mathews High School girls volleyball team won the state championship Saturday.

What's happening in your neck of the woods?

The Book

2011-11-18T00:01:00.036-05:00

For almost two years now, I've been carrying around an unfinished project known as The Book.

~~On December 5, I'm scheduled to give birth.~~

This labor of love is scheduled for a December 5 release.

More details to follow ~~when I figure them out~~ soon.

Have a great weekend.

Three Things

2011-11-17T00:01:00.110-05:00

It's Thursday once again, time to share three random things.

I'll begin.

1. One week from today is Thanksgiving, which is really difficult to believe, particularly since I still have ~~rotting~~ jack-o-lanterns on the front porch.

2. Why is it that when I lived in Northern Virginia/metro DC, an area peppered with world-class restaurants, I didn't care a lick about sushi. Now that I'm back in Mathews, where they think sushi is a mispronunciation of a pig call (sooey!) and the nearest place to get ~~most anything~~ sushi is 20-30 miles away (depending on where you go), I think about it every single day.

3. This whole sushi conundrum reminds me of my hair. In my younger years, my hair was as straight as a poker. During the decade of great big honkin' hair (the 1980s), I permed it until it nearly disintegrated off my scalp, all in the hopes of achieving the tiniest bit of body and curl. Now that I'm ~~old as dirt~~ older, and straight hair is "in" at least with the ~~teeny boppers~~ younger set, my hair just wants to curl right on up, entirely on its own, without so much as an invitation to do so.

There's a lesson in all this, somewhere. Life seems to be saying, "CBW, whatever you want, you aren't going to have at the time that you think you want it. So you may as well accept and be happy with what you do have and get over it, for Pete's sake. Either that or learn to make sushi yourself, daggone it."

From Thanksgiving to unattainable sushi to unruly hair to acceptance and giving thanks for what you do have vs. worrying about what you don't have. There! I knew I could tie all these random thoughts together into one big package. It begins and ends with being thankful.

Now it's your turn to share three things. Anything at all.

Wild Turkeys

2011-11-15T00:01:00.005-05:00

Although it's difficult to make out, there are several "normal colored" wild turkeys
around this unusual white one. I count at least four; one to the right and three to the left of the white turkey.

A few weeks ago, the Chesapeake Bay Children and I were invited to a Sunday dinner down Onemo. After supper we went riding around and happened upon a flock of wild turkeys.

Wild turkeys are not an unusual sight around here, but what was unusual was the one white bird in the group.

I've never seen a white, wild turkey before. Or a wild, white turkey. I've never seen a wild turkey that was white. Or something...all of a sudden I can almost guess the joke Deltaville Jamie is going to make about a white turkey. But I digress...

Anyway our dinner hosts, both of whom work for the Fish and Wildlife Service, had never seen a white, wild turkey (other than this particular one) before.

So just what makes this wild turkey so white?

Leucism? This site references a condition called leucism, which is "a very unusual condition whereby the pigmentation cells in an animal or bird fail to develop properly," resulting in "unusually white patches...or, rarely, completely white creatures."

Albino? If it were albino, according to that same site, there would be pink or red eyes, and I can't tell what color the eyes are here. Regardless, albino doesn't sound right in this instance.

Mixed breed? This site talks about a Narragansett turkey, which is a cross between the Eastern wild turkey and the domesticated turkeys brought to Colonial America. However, any pictures I found in a quick Google search didn't really look like the one below.

Does it matter? In the end I'm just thankful to have spent an evening with friends and turkeys.

Anyone know anything about wild turkeys and why we might have a white one in our midst?

All this turkey talk reminds me that we're almost a week away from Thanksgiving.
Where did the year go?

The Weekend

2011-11-14T00:01:00.141-05:00

The Virginia High School League Cross Country Championships
were held at Great Meadows, The Plains, which is approximately four thousand miles
from Mathews, but ~~who's counting?~~ what a spectacularly beautiful course.

This weekend can only be summarized as ~~no rest for the weary~~ a whirlwind of people and activity. Before I delve into the specifics, let me first state that, for reasons I shall not question, my camera functioned properly at the state cross country meet!

Although I'm plenty naive, I am not naive enough to think this will last, because the problem only seems to go away when I have the camera set to the sports mode. But at least my beloved camera is not quite dead...yet.

The course is also used for horse races.
This jump was near the finish line where I was situated.
What a gorgeous day it was.

Kyle Slaughter was the first of the Mathews boys to cross the finish line, 68th out of 131 runners. I'd also like to state for the record that I think Kyle is one of the most photogenic runners I've ever seen. His mom, who graduated with Middle Sis,told me he was approached by a modeling agency at a young age. I see why.

Here's how the weekend went. For the abbreviated, cliff notes version, please skip down to the * at the very end.

Friday
-Dropped off Daughter at school in Gloucester by 7:45 a.m. (30 miles round trip)
-Dropped Son off at the high school to catch the bus for the state cross country meet. (8 miles round trip)
-Drove back that evening to Gloucester to pick up Daughter and BFF Taitum from basketball practice. (30 miles round trip)
-Was informed they wouldn't have much time for the dinner I fixed because they were going to the Mathews High School football game that evening, if that was OK with me.
-Dropped Daughter and Friend off at football game at 7:30 p.m. (8 miles round trip)
-Realized I couldn't even relax at this point (i.e. get settled for the night, i.e. put on bathrobe and fuzzy socks) because I had to go back out to retrieve them at 9:00 p.m. and a bathrobe and fuzzy socks would not be appropriate attire if I ever hoped to speak to my daughter again. And I'd really like to.
-Went back out at 9:00 and waited in the parking lot like a chauffeur for Daughter and BFF. (8 miles round trip)

Saturday
-Drove 3 hours (one way; 330 miles round trip) to the state cross country meet. Although Chesapeake Bay Son was not running (he was an alternate and would run if one of the top seven runners was injured), I was eager to see the race and excited to get away from home, if only for a day. It was a beautiful fall Saturday, and the leaves still clinging to the trees along the Route 17 corridor were brilliantly colored.
-After I got lost not once but twice I arrived slightly frazzled.
-I ran into our coach who said, "I don't want to get a ~~frazzled~~ mother's hopes up, but one of our runners might not be be able to race, so there's a chance CB Son may be going in."
-This ~~frazzled~~ mother, who was ~~just barely~~ only psychologically prepared to cheer on the team and take pictures with a camera that may or may not be working, was taken aback at this new information which caused an adrenaline rush on top of all the caffeine already saturating her system. Come to find out, the other runner, CB Son's friend who was sick, decided to run at the last minute.
-Was relieved to resume my original role as team photographer and overall supporter vs. the role of Mother of Someone Actually Running when that Someone has an appointment with a specialist in a few weeks to check up on a heart defect that heretofore has not impacted him but a ~~frazzled~~ mother always worries....
-Was pleased to run into a high school friend, Mark, and his wife Charlene, whose daughter was running for Washington and Lee. Mark, who claims to have Jokes Tourettes, said that the only person who would come in after his daughter would be the person on crutches. (His daughter will hopefully never know that (a) I chuckled at this statement at her expense and (b) her father ever said it because (c) she came in strong and had a fine race. Anyone who finishes that course without resorting to crawling has really accomplished something.)
-After driving the 3 hours home, I ~~was ready to do a swan dive into bed~~ had to wait for the cross country bus to arrive at the high school. So I went home and waited for the text that said they were in the vicinity and then went back out to retrieve CB Son. (8 miles round trip, which feels like 88 when you've already driven hundreds of miles and all you really want to be staring at is the back of your eyelids)
-Thinking, very naively, that once we got him home, finally, I could relax, I was surprised to learn that he had plans to attend a birthday party at the Ruritan Club that evening. (Although I knew about the party, the last he told me was he wasn't going. Note to self: Take anything uttered by a teenager as "Subject to change depending on which way the wind is blowing, what time of day it is, whether or not they've eaten recently, and whether or not they are actually listening to the questions you are asking them.")
-So, after he showered and changed and got all gussied up, I drove him to the Ruritan Club, which thankfully is not far (walking distance, in fact, for a cross country runner) from my house. When I asked what time I had to pick him up? 11:00. That was the exact same 11:00 I had hoped to be horizontal in bed. The very same one.
-Out again I go at 11:00 to retrieve him. After that, then and only then could I relax for the day.
-Suddenly I felt absolutely no remorse for submitting, as part of the marketing material for the book which asked questions about my background, that I was "only remotely qualified to do a book on Mathews but was over-qualified to be an uncompensated taxi driver for teenagers." I don't think they'll use it, but I swear that's what I wrote. And I mean it.

Sunday
-Don't get me started.

The End.

* My weekend consisted of driving to and from a revolving door of events for my children. The only other thing I did was put ~~more miles on the odometer~~ gas in the car. I'm tired and need a vacation that does not involve driving. The End.

Sunrise

2011-11-11T00:01:00.031-05:00

Sunrise on Queens Creek

These were taken as I was getting ready for work one recent morning.

Although there wasn't much light yet, these are still darker than they ought to be.

That's because there's a problem with ~~my most prized possession, the one thing that consistently brings me joy, my buddy, my pal, my comrade, my best friend, my steadfast companion~~ my beloved camera.

Alas, although I can still take pictures, and occasionally they come out OK, I learned yesterday (after spending some time on the Canon website) that there's a problem which requires me to send the camera in for repair or drive ~~ten thousand~~ many, many miles to the nearest repair shop.

I will probably drive it to a repair shop, except with everything going on, that likely won't happen for a couple of weeks.

So, unless a miracle happens, you can probably expect some recycled photos here starting next week.

Excuse me while I ~~burst into tears~~ do my best to forget all about the fact that I am supposed to take pictures at the state cross country meet this weekend.

Have a great weekend.

Three Things

2011-11-10T00:01:00.101-05:00

My neighbor waving as he pulls his boat up Millers Cove.

Welcome to Three Thing Thursday, which is ~~sort of like a three ring circus of thoughts, particularly if it's pouring out of my brain~~ the day of the week where we're encouraged to share at least three things, whether they are related, unrelated, important or trivial. In case you're wondering, there's nothing too trivial to share. In fact, that could be the tagline of my blog: Life in Mathews: Where It's All About The Trivial!

I'll go first with my three things.

1. Actually, for every trivial or mundane thing I share on this blog, there are usually several Major Things going on in the background that I choose not to focus on or share here. As a result, you hear stuff like "I wanna be a dancing oyster," or "Who's gonna take me to Bora Bora?" instead of the things causing me to rather be a dancing oyster in Bora Bora. It's complicated, but just know that ~~living in denial~~ choosing to focus on the trivial things rather than the negative, in my opinion, is not just good, it's imperative to good mental health.

Warning: Taking mental health advice from CBW could be dangerous to your own mental health.

2. In other news, I am very excited to report that I've been summoned to duty by the Meals on Wheels people here in the county. Forever and a day I've been on the list of substitute drivers. (My schedule is ~~completely insane~~ anything but regular and very unpredictable, otherwise I'd be a regular vs substitute driver.) When I first signed up I was called frequently. But for about the past year now I've not heard from them, which is just as well since every spare minute of my time was eaten up by all the work on the book. Well lo and behold I received a call over the weekend and will be driving the Mobjack route today. This entails delivering food to elderly people who are otherwise incapable of leaving their house on their own, though it is as much a "checking in" with these folks as it is anything else. I absolutely love doing this and am very much looking forward to seeing who ~~is still alive since the last time I drove this route~~ is on the route this year.

Continuing along with the fantasy of "What I'd Do If I Won the Lottery," aside from aspiring to be a dancing oyster or a crab-hat-wearing 5K runner, I'd be quite content being a full-time volunteer Meals on Wheels driver.

Click here for one of my Meals on Wheels stories from 2008. I think it's worth the click and illustrates some of the many reasons I love being a Meals on Wheels ~~substitute~~ driver.

3. The Mathews High School Cross Country teams travel to Great Meadow at The Plains this weekend to compete in the state cross country championship meet. Good luck, Mathews!

3b. There's lots to say about the local elections yesterday, but for now all I will say is I went to the prom with our new sheriff. (He was a junior; I was a sophomore; the year was 1890 or 1980--same difference.) I also went to a prom with one of our former deputies, but all this is a story for another ~~blog~~ day.

What's going on in your world?

This was taken from my back stoop.
Does anyone say stoop anymore?
Hello, CBW? The year 1890 called. It wants the word "stoop" back.

Birds

2011-11-08T00:01:00.011-05:00

A friend of mine who works at the Fish and Wildlife Service tells me these are dunlins - a word I've never heard before in my life unless we're talking about chicken and dunlins, and ~~I really don't think anybody would ever confuse dunlins for dumplin's~~ I really don't think we are.

I would have said sandpiper or something like that. For all I know sandpiper and dunlin are interchangeable terms, like saying Kleenex for tissue, or Xerox for copy. Or somethin'.

All I do know is there was a bunch of these birds down at Aaron's Beach the same day I saw that deer.

What's the difference between a dunlin and, say, a sandpiper? Am I the only one who has never heard of dunlins before?

p.s. A quick Google search produced this on the topic. You learn something new every day...

Oyster Festival

2011-11-07T00:01:00.011-05:00

This is the Oyster Festival parking lot,
far, far away from the actual event.

This weekend was the Urbanna Oyster Festival. Although I really just wanted to lie on the couch all day long and do nothing, I forced myself to go. And I'm glad I did.

As you can see, it was a beautiful day, not too cold, and not too hot.

This was taken from the bridge at Urbanna Creek.

Just when you think you can't walk any more, they bombard you with fried food. The guys above are from Mathews; their oysters are farm raised and their french fries are the real deal. Very, very tasty, especially when sprinkled with Old Bay. Click here for a video which features them showing how to shuck an oyster.

If I ever win the lottery, I want to spend my days dressed up as a dancing oyster--but not just any dancing oyster, this dancing oyster. A dancing oyster with a tooth and a very festive attitude. This guy is my favorite part of the Oyster Festival parade. Last year I danced with him. This year, I was more subdued.

There were all sorts of characters out and about.
All sorts.
I mean all sorts.

When I posted these clown pictures on Facebook, I was reminded how many people find clowns rather creepy. I find them to be hilarious. In fact, if I won that lottery and couldn't be that dancing oyster character, I might like being a clown. Except I'm not sure about all the talking I'd have to do to kids and perfect strangers. So, I'd probably be an introverted clown. And introverted clowns really are creepy.

OK, so never mind on the whole clown thing; I'll stick to the dancing oyster character. Dancing, snaggle toothed oysters don't have to talk. They just dance. I can handle that.

And now we come to the end of this brief glimpse into ~~a very troubled mind~~ the Urbanna Oyster Festival.

All in all, it was a great day.

p.s. I have a camera question for those of you who know how to do more than just change the batteries, which is my level of expertise. I only shoot in Auto mode. I never manually adjust anything or change any of the settings, because I don't know how. All of a sudden here lately I've noticed that most of the shots I take on Auto mode come out way darker than they should given the lighting situation. (For example, that last picture and the one of my favorite oyster character were taken in full, bright light, but came out dark.)

When I press the button to shoot a picture, a message comes up that says Auto ISO - 80. A Google search said that number should ordinarily be about 100 (or higher). Why would it be defaulting to 80 even in bright light and how do I fix it? Help!

Have a great week.

Nellie and Bill

2011-11-04T00:01:00.002-04:00

My great-aunt Nellie.

This is Nellie, who is the sister of my favorite grandmother (Bernice, pronounced BURRniss); she's my mother's aunt. One thing I can tell you about Nellie is she loves everyone; she loves to laugh; and she can tell a good story. No matter what it is she's laughing at, you can't help but laugh along with her, it's contagious.

Nellie and my mother could be sisters, they look so much alike.

Chesapeake Bay Mother

Nellie is married to the young man below, Bill Braxton. They currently reside in Florida, and they're both very inspirational people in their own ways.

Bill, among other things, flies planes, writes books,
and drives from Florida to Pennsylvania even though he's
in his nineties. NINETIES, people! He not only looks young,
he is young and he LIVES young.

This young man, who is in his nineties, drove the two of them all the way from Tampa clear up to Pennsylvania recently, and they stopped in Mathews and Gloucester to visit with friends and family on their way.

Bill and Nellie met when they were much younger. They went on to marry other people but when their spouses passed away, they not only reconnected - they decided to get married.

Bill sent me a couple of emails filled with memories jogged by his recent visit.

The first mentioned an old tree at Flat Iron. For those who have ever driven down Ware Neck, this would be the huge, old tree you pass when you turn off Route 14 at Welford-Taliaferro Wayside, at the very first sharp bend to the right, just past the couple of buildings that used to belong to my great-grandfather.

Bill says, "The tree must be at least 200 yrs old; Nellie says she played under it when she was little. Next time you pass that area, take a look at the historical marker across the road from the Strigle home. It is dedicated to the Womens Air Service Pilots (WASPs) of World War II. Margaret Ann Hamilton Tunner was a Gloucester girl who was one of these pilots. Her father was General Tunner who commanded the Berlin Airlift in 1948. I was a pilot on the Berlin Airlift and also served under General Tunner in the Korean War. Also, I had one of the WASPs as an instructor in Flying school. So many memories!"

About the Old Mill Skating Rink, he said: " I know you have seen this a thousand times or more, but can't pass the place without driving in and just looking and thinking of the great times. If someone asked me the happiest years of my life, I would have to say 1940 and 1941. Nellie was the prettiest girl in Gloucester; I never had trouble getting a load of guys in my car to visit the rink. Why did they have to put in that bridge at Yorktown and ruin everything? Gloucester ain't what it used to be.

Click here for a post I did about the Old Mill Skating Rink which includes not only a picture of it but our Bill's memories of the place.

Click here for Part II of Bill's story where he talks about meeting Nellie.

Nellie and Bill's visit was all too brief, but we savor every minute we get to spend with them.

****

Last but not least, completely unrelated to anything above other than I'm still talking about my family and how much I treasure them, I'd like to share a photo of my parents and my son at Wednesday night's Beta Club ceremony at the high school.

Chesapeake Bay Parents
Chesapeake Bay Son

I love and appreciate them all.

Three Things

2011-11-03T00:01:00.019-04:00

Welcome to another Three Thing Thursday, where the goal is to share three thoughts no matter how trivial, mundane, germane, plain Jane or ~~insane~~ scatter brained.

Let's begin.

1. Last night Chesapeake Bay Son was inducted into the local chapter of the National Beta Club during a ceremony which my parents and I attended. As we were leaving, I told CB Son how proud I was of him and reminded him that he was carrying on a tradition since I was at one time the state Vice President of the Beta Club. (My duties and responsibilities included the following: Insert sound of crickets here. There were no duties and responsibilities other than to make one speech at the state convention.) Anyway, then CB Mother chimed in, "I was in the Beta Club too!" Scrunching up his face, Chesapeake Bay Father said, "Hmmm. Well, I can't remember what club I was in." Translation: He wasn't in the Beta Club, bless his heart.

2. This weekend is the 54th Annual Oyster Festival in nearby Urbanna. Chesapeake Bay Daughter will be selling baked goods and hot chocolate as part of a school fundraiser. I hope to be ~~raising a beer at the firemen's dance~~ in attendance at least for part of the festivities, just not sure when I'll get over there.

3. Click here or here or even here to read about past Oyster Festivities.

What's going on in your world?

Fall Sports

2011-11-02T00:01:00.005-04:00

These three have been playing offense together since they were five years old.
l to r: Mark, Marshall and Maria aka Chesapeake Bay Daughter
(also known as M, M & M, or the Triangle of Awesomeness)

Today I'm sharing a few photos from the fall sports season.

Chesapeake Bay Daughter has been playing soccer for Ware Academy in Gloucester.

The last game of the season was last week, when there was double overtime and a shootout. For the first time ever, CB Daughter was selected to be one of the kickers in the shootout.

This is her warming up at another game, but she booted it
very similar to this during that critical shootout.

She made her shot which contributed to them winning the game. It was an incredible game, and a great way to end the season. I, on the other hand, had a sore throat the next day, from all the screaming...

Chesapeake Bay Son has been running cross country lo these many months. Practice started in the heat of August, and they've run through thunderstorms and horizontal rain.

The regional meet is this Thursday in Williamsburg.

The state meet is a week from Saturday at Great Meadow in The Plains, Virginia. And then cross country is over.

CB Son will probably take the winter off (unless there's something I don't know about, and there ~~usually~~ sometimes is...) and will take up another sport in the spring.

Chesapeake Bay Daughter, however, moves directly into basketball season next week.

My poor throat.

Surprise

2011-11-01T00:01:00.002-04:00

Last week while running some errands, I noticed that the sky was clouding up and thought it would be a good time to take some pictures from the beach.

As it turned out, by the time I got to Aaron's Beach, the sky had completely changed and wasn't nearly as exciting as I'd hoped it would be. Although the beach here is always beautiful, nothing really jumped out at me begging to be photographed. I was a bit disappointed.

Even so, something compelled me to keep walking and looking, even though I come down here often and have practically memorized every grain of sand and every random shell washed up on the beach.

As I was standing with my back to the bay snapping a photo of some birds in the ~~swamp~~ marsh grass, I heard something behind me.

I turned around and was greeted by something completely unexpected.

That's a deer walking on the beach.

Yep. A deer.

Of course, deer are ~~a dime a dozen~~ quite common around here, but they aren't something you usually see while beachcombing.

She stood still just long enough for me to get a few shots before she'd had quite enough.

And away she scampered across the ~~swamp~~ marsh.

All of a sudden my otherwise ~~mindless wandering~~ routine trip to the beach had a purpose.

I just love surprises.

Ghost Stories

2011-10-31T00:01:00.097-04:00

For Halloween I'm ~~rehashing old stories~~ sharing links to some older posts which highlight a few of our local ghost stories.

Click here for a post about our infamous Old House Woods. At the bottom of this post is another link to yet another post, and who here is already tired of reading the words "post" and "link" only three sentences in to this ordeal? (CBW put your hand down.)

Click here for a post about a haunted plantation in Gloucester, right across from what is now Ware Academy. Lest anyone forget, the farmhouse which is now part of Ware Academy was my mother's home and my grandmother's store. It's important for me to repeat these factoids ~~over and over again until people blink back tears~~ because they really are meaningful snippets of information to my children ~~who avoid this blog like the plague~~.

Click here for a story about a ghost Chesapeake Bay Middle Sister and I saw one Christmas Eve. Really, we saw a ghost. Middle Sis will tell you the same thing. It was a ghost. For sure.

Click here for another Old House Woods post.

I love Halloween, but my children act as though they are "too old" to be bothered with it. I take umbrage with that. Perhaps they are too old to trick or treat, but you're never too old to dress up. Sadly, they lack my passion for Halloween.

Last night we reminisced about past Halloweens ~~where I thoroughly embarrassed them~~ where a very enthusiastic Chesapeake Bay Woman did things like pick them up at the bus stop dressed as a witch or drop them off at school dressed as a she-devil.

This year, nobody is dressing up. Boo Humbug.

Regardless, Happy Halloween!

Aaron's Beach

2011-10-28T00:01:00.038-04:00

Aaron's Beach

It's the weekend.

What will you be doing?

Three Things

2011-10-27T00:01:00.044-04:00

Gateposts near Mobjack

Welcome to Three Thing Thursday, where I share three things and hopefully you do to. Those three things can be related, unrelated, interesting, boring, troubling, soothing, irksome or entertaining. Really, there are no rules--even the number three is only a suggestion ~~to keep Chesapeake Bay Woman from listing three thousand random things, which she could very easily do if left to her own devices~~.

Let's begin.

1.The Mathews High School cross country teams won the district championship yesterday at Eastern State in Williamsburg. For once there was no horizontal rain or frigid temperatures. For this alone, I am eternally grateful; winning the championship was the cherry on the sundae. While I was standing around snapping photos, I heard a familiar voice behind me. It was my high school track coach, whose grandson is on the team with my son. We exchanged pleasantries, and during the course of the ensuing conversation he said, "No pain no gain." I recoiled in horror as I was transported back to those never ending track practices where I was forced to do sprint after sprint and clear hurdle after hurdle all to the background music of, "No pain, no gain, Vogel!"

As I said, at least there wasn't frigid, horizontal rain today.

There was that.

Serenity now.

2. I'm already through with the whole "It's dark when I wake up and dark when I get home" business. How in the world I'll ever survive the months of November, December, January and February is beyond me.

Note to self: Double up on the Vitamin D pills, fill out the paperwork to renew your passport, and start researching cheap ways to get to ~~Bora Bora~~ sunshine. Ain't no way you're gonna make it through that many months of darkness.

3. On the way home from ~~does it really matter when all I ever do is drive, drive, drive?~~ yet another away sporting event, I was informed by Chesapeake Bay Daughter, who is in 8th grade, that her class is having a dance with three other schools' 8th grade classes. "You mean it's a mixer??" I said in disbelief, as much for remembering that term from college days as in the fact that my precious girl was going to a dance where there'd be (gasp!) strangers from other counties!

Note to self: First of all, neither of your children have ever heard the term mixer unless it was related to making a cake, and even then yours is broken. Second of all, get used to the fact that your kids have social lives and you have ~~a blog and that's about it as far as contact with other human beings~~.

Now it's your turn to share three things. Anything at all.

Don't you want to know what's at the end of this driveway?
I do.

Blog Fest Memories

2011-10-26T00:01:00.038-04:00

Chesapeake Bay Woman, Summer 2009
Thank you, Country Girl Kate, for the photo.

Yesterday's quest for a promotional photograph led to Country Girl Kate sending me a link to a blog post she did two years ago that contained a picture of me (above, thanks Kate!).

Reading her post brought back a flood of memories from July 2009 and 2010, when bloggers from all parts of the country (and Canada) convened on Mathews County, sight unseen. The vast majority of us had not even met in person before this event. For them to travel here to little ole Mathews to join up with folks they only knew through blogging was unusual, arguably, but it turned out to be fantastic.

The links below are just some of the many posts written about the two Blog Fests we held here. Unfortunately I didn't have enough time last evening to search for all that was written, but below is a representative sampling of the good times we had.

Let's start with Country Girl Kate, who so kindly sent me the photograph above as part of her post on the 2009 Blog Fest:

http://chroniclesofacountrygirl.blogspot.com/2009/07/i-dont-think-she-knew-what-she-was.html

Laurie, aka Foolery, who came here all the way from California:
http://foolery.typepad.com/foolery/2009/07/love-letter-to-mathews-county-va.html

Daryl, who came from New York City:
http://onthem104.blogspot.com/2010/07/words-lots-of-words.html

Lauren, aka Mental Mama, from Connecticut:
http://thementalpausechronicles.blogspot.com/2010/07/blisters-beaux-babies-buds-beach-and.html

Deltaville Jamie (not really from Deltaville but with deep family roots there):
http://deltavillevignettes.blogspot.com/2010/07/blogfest-2010.html

Tracy from Maryland:
http://nine-acres.blogspot.com/2010/07/last-of-blogfest-2010.html

Meg from Maryland, the very first blogger I ever met in person:
http://www.soupisnotafingerfood.com/2010/07/lessons-learned.html

Reading all these posts brings back so many good memories.

I think it might be time to start thinking about a Mathews County Blog Fest 2012.

Tuesday Trio

2011-10-25T00:01:00.002-04:00

Today's trio of pictures comes from the public landing at Edwards Creek on Gwynn's Island.

This week is chock full of action, including:

* Chesapeake Bay Daughter's soccer tournament (Tuesday and Thursday after work)

* Chesapeake Bay Son's District Cross Country Meet (Wednesday after work)

* New work to be done on the book, this time related to Marketing. I have to basically ~~make up ten reasons~~ identify ten reasons why someone would want to buy my book on Mathews County Then and Now and (this is the hard part) send a photo of myself. (Due Friday.)

*I don't have any photographs of myself except the ones on Facebook and ~~all~~ 3/4 of those are of me wearing a crab hat.

*Somehow I don't think the Arcadia Publishing Marketing folks want a picture of me in a crab hat.

*That's just a guess though.

Hope your week is a good one.

p.s. Ann Marie, why did you have to move to North Carolina? I need you to take my picture, and that's not logistically possible with you three hours away. Chesapeake Bay Mother, are you available?

Gwynn's Island Bridge

2011-10-24T00:01:00.002-04:00

The bridge leading from mainland Mathews over to Gwynn's Island made the news here recently.

Because ~~it's old and deteriorating~~ of some rusting parts brought on by age and the elements, the Virginia Department of Transportation has imposed weight limits until repairs can be made.

Built in 1938, this bridge accommodates 2,215 vehicles daily, according to this week's Gazette Journal article on the topic.

The article goes on to cite a VDOT press release which calls the bridge "functionally obsolete" which means ~~I resemble that remark~~ it "doesn't provide the capacity to meet the current traffic volume demand of existing conditions."

One of the engineers said there is a complete loss of section in certain places.

~~I'm sorry, are we still talking about the Gwynn's Island bridge or is this a story about my worn out, middle-aged brain?~~

A fix for the problem is currently being designed, and repairs are anticipated to take a year.

Dear VDOT,
Is there a fix for a ~~functionally obsolete~~ Forty-Something-Year-Old with memory lapses thanks to rusted synapses? I'd appreciate any help I can get. Thanks for your attention to this matter.
Love,
CBW

Edwards Creek

2011-10-21T00:01:00.003-04:00

These were taken about two weeks ago from the public landing at Edwards Creek over on the island.

That would be Gwynn's Island for those who aren't familiar with Mathews County's very lovely island loaded with ~~characters~~ character and charm. My parents and I actually lived on Gwynn's Island when I was young, but that's a story for another day.

The day I drove over here, the bridge leading onto the island was open, providing a glorious opportunity to snap some photos of the bridge itself. Next week I'll put up a few of those photos along with an explanation as to why the Gwynn's Island bridge recently made headlines in the Daily Press and the Gazette Journal.

Until then, enjoy these photos, one of which required some ~~squatting~~ deep knee bends; and another which required very close contact with the weather-beaten boards of the dock.

Fall Fields

2011-10-19T00:01:00.002-04:00

The formerly lush, green soybean fields are now yellow, soon to be brown, soon to be harvested.

These soybean fields are located near North.

North is a place, a location, a spot on the map, a post office (and at one point a store). North is also the name of a river that runs through here.

The fact that it's also a direction makes things interesting, particularly when conversing to outsiders--such as an editor sitting in South Carolina, for example, who asked me to confirm or correct the location of a place once known as Club 14. I said it was located on Route 14 at North. She thought for sure that was a typo. But Club 14 was located on Route 14 at North. At the spot on the map called North.

No, not a typo, just another little Mathews County quirk.

We do quirky right.