A Day in the Bay

12/6/2015

Yesterday, as I posted on Saturday, Jeff, Stacey, Benjamin and I flew to Tangier Island.  It was chilly, so I was glad that I brought along my gloves.  Stacey rode in the front of the plane with Jeff and took pictures.  She takes wonderful pictures and I expect to see them soon on Facebook.

We, along with the other pilots, had a pancake breakfast before flying off.  By the time we left, Benjamin had eaten 6 pancakes, with syrup, and managed to snag a few candy canes.  He was in sugar heaven.

The plane ride to the island takes no time at all.  We unloaded the pine branches and school supplies from our plane so that they could be taken to wherever those things needed to be.  Jeff found someone who had a golf cart, almost all of the residents have one, who gave me a ride from the plane to the church.

We had a short service in the church, which has the most beautiful stained glass windows.  There was a short sermon and we sang a couple of songs.  The mayor of the island also said a few words.  Turns out, that my chauffeur that morning had been the mayor!

We had lunch at the only restaurant that is open year round.  Jeff and I had crab cakes and crab soup.  Frankly, the soup was better than the crab cake.  After eating, Stacey and Benjamin wanted to go to the island's museum.  Jeff and I started walking toward the museum, but halfway there, I decided to sit on the steps of the local doctor's office.  I rested a bit and then resumed walking to the museum.  

When Stacey and Benjamin were finished with the museum, it was time to head home.  A very nice woman gave me a ride back to the plane.  Since Jeff and the others were walking, we sat in her golf cart until they arrived.  She told me that she had been on the island all of her life.  She was born there and had three children and now grandchildren.  Said she didn't want to live anywhere else.  I asked her if she ever felt island bound, but she says no.  Apparently, when she and others want to go to the "city" to shop, they take a ride on the mail boat in the morning and return in the afternoon on another boat.

When you visit a fishing village like this one, where people have so little and yet seem so happy, it makes you wonder whether we really need all the things we own - and want!

The ride from the island to Frederick was very quiet.  Benjamin settled in to play games on an electronic device and eventually went to sleep.  After Jeff had put the plane to bed, we all said our good-byes and hugged each other.  We were all headed home.  Once home, Sam and Maggie were anxious to see us, probably because they had missed their 5:00 meal of little soft burger pieces.  

We turned on the fireplace, reclined in our respective chairs and were in bed fast asleep before 10:00!

It was a good day.

P