75 miles away but a world apart

We are on Deal Island Md----75 miles from DC, across the bay.

Here the important things do not happen in DC, they happen with the weather, the bay, and the family. The sole industries are seafood and agriculture. Far more are employed in seafood than agriculture, fishing and processing are the main source of income.

It is a different world. Last night we went out for dinner to the only "restaurant" on the island (it is 20 miles away on the mainland to the next option). We got there about an hour and a half before posted closing time. There were two men lounging at the bar drinking beer and the cook/waitress/bar tender/manager. We took a table and shortly were asked if we wanted anything to drink----and then she told us to serve ourselves :pimpgrin: I haven't seen that approach since I was very young. I went back and tapped myself a Yuengling and got my wife a glass of ice water, after searching around for the ice and a water glass. One of our party wanted a glass of wine so the waitress turned bar tender and got that for her:peace:

After getting our order the waitress went to cooking behind the counter (no kitchen) and we settled in. Of the two guys at the bar, one worked at (or maybe owned) the bait and tackle shop ----just thru an open door. He had to get up once to get someone bait but quickly returned and got himself another beer before resuming his seat. The second guy (both were about 30) worked on a oyster dredge boat whose season opened last Friday. They are limited to 20 bushels/day on a two man boat, 10 on a one man boat. they can only work five days a week (up from 4 last year). Wholesale price is about $30/bushel with /approx. 100 oysters/bushel. I bought oysters last Saturday for $0.417 ea. Oysters on the half shell in most any restaurant are $2.00 ea and up. (Tonight I paid $2.75 ea)

There is a major oyster shoal right in front of where we are staying. The boats are there before dawn and by late morning all are limited out and gone. They do that independent of weather. They can dredge 5 days a week this year an increase from 4 from last year. No dredging is allowed on Saturday and Sunday. On Nov. first the season opens for the Skipjack dredge boats----which my Grandfather used (only sail power is allowed while dredging). Most of the few remaining skipjacks are now over 120 years old.

The increase of one day is hoped to reduce the chances these guys take in bad weather---and stay in port. I really can't imagine that will happen :shrug:

Also right in front of us and maybe 200 yards out are crab pots. The crab boat comes by every morning and pulls pots (2 men), empties them, renews the bate and drips the back down. Crabs are running $75/bushel at retail, not sure how much the crabbers are getting. Crabbing will end for the year, probably in another month, as the water cools and the crabs move south to follow the warmer water.

Anyway---back to dinner----it was simple fare but very good---and I even got up and tapped myself another beer:peace: The chatting with our news "friends" continued, much to my surprise. It must have been the beer because watermen are famously standoffish.

Their world is the Bay---if the Bay is healthy and good to them life is not as harsh, if not, life is more of a struggle. As for DC---those who are unemployed (of which there are many) DC is their "lively hood". Unemployment is at 7.4%---and I think that is drastically undercounted. A look at the economics is below.

It is interesting the poverty level is that high on a working island. I suspect the low wages are part of that impact. Though, I also suspect the cost of living would compensate for that.

Hunter

That’s some beautiful county.. have the Smith Island Cake..

Beautiful country on the Eastern Shore .. am still across the Bay in Saint Mary’s County quite often (stuffed ham is local treat there)..

Just back from two week drive across southern upstate New York.. Letchworth, Watkins Glen, Cooperstown and West Point..

Interesting looking at Deal Island online. The 2000 census showed 578 inhabitants, so we're talking smaller than high schools I attended. Everyone probably knows most everyone else.

Hunter

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by UTAH

Interesting looking at Deal Island online. The 2000 census showed 578 inhabitants, so we're talking smaller than high schools I attended. Everyone probably knows most everyone else.

Hunter

---

I'm sure they do. I know on Tilghman, where my Grandfather lived it was that way. Today Tilghman Island is a little over 1000---a result of the Bay Bridge and the influx of weekenders from the west side of the bay.

I could not miss the comparisons of the economics of Tilghman and surrounding area (including St Michaels) and Deal Island and Crisfield. In the 50's Tilghman was a fishing island, the entire economy was oysters and crabs and their processing. There was some agriculture but that was much less of an influence. St. Michaels was a sleepy little town that the world had passed by and young people mostly fled.

Then, in the 60's a group of private citizens had a vison of creating a maritime museum in St. Michaels and their world began to tilt :cool: I am certain that many of the "old salts" are still unhappy about the transformation that followed in that area. Today the town of St Michaels is a tourist mecca---even overrun, but there is no doubt that the inflow of money has transformed a wide area and provided jobs for many their parents could not have imagined.

I can't help but mention that the Bay has undergone it's own "reinvention" through very strong efforts by the Cheasapeake Bay Program, a collaboration of all the states within the watershed. The bay, which was clearly dying in the 60's is clearly recovering it's health now. The watermen who faced a dismal future in the 60's can now look to a much brighter future.

At the same time as St Michaels/Tilghman were getting an economic make over no such transformation has befallen Deal Island and Crisfield. Crisfield remains a major processing center for oysters and crabs but that and a few boat yards are the extent of the economy which has never recovered from Sandy--my guess is that 50% or more of commercial buildings are vacant and many are badly damaged. They are suffering the same exodus of young people now as Tilghman and St Michaels were in the 60's. The population of Crisfield has been in an almost continual decline over the past 100 years and today stands at 60% of what it was in 1920.

I would be remiss to not acknowledge that the rising tide of economics does not raise all boats--in fact it causes the poorest to sink further rather than be lifted up. With economic revitalization comes increased housing (rent) costs as well as overall living expenses---those without a ticket can't ride the bus :uhuh: In polite cocktail circles, that is referred to as gentrification.

One of the most telling Crisfield demographics is shown below:

Buddy retired to Tilghman.. see that “the” restaurant is not family owned anymore.. quality of life on Tilghman took a nose dive..

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Sandman

Buddy retired to Tilghman.. see that “the” restaurant is not family owned anymore.. quality of life on Tilghman took a nose dive..

---

Tilghman was discovered by the outside world and in my mind that was not a good thing

Interesting education stats, Dave. I agree with the stance taken on them.

Hunter