75 miles away but a world apart

[Dave Grubb]

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 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

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

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 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.