Well once again lot's of pictures.....I am thinking I take to many pictures, however the people and places are so interesting. The people we meet along the way make the journey by far more enjoyable than if it were just the view.
I think I took so many pictures on Tangier Island because of the people. How hard they work, how friendly they are, how they choose to live as watermen. A lifestyle passed down from generation to generation. They will be the first to tell you how uncomfortable they feel on the mainland. We chatted with many of the watermen. Although hard to understand when that talk they try to talk our version of the english language, Ha whatever that is!
They speak a language all their own, fun to listen to when they chat with each other. Filled with emotion and animation you can't help but smile.
The island had a ferry dock & a small airport very small. Those are the means of getting to and from the island. There are not many cars on the island only two or three. Golf carts are the largest vehicle of choice well next to bicycle that is.
The roads are single lane & the island has many bridges as it is made up of mostly wet lands.
The watermen ride their bikes to the town dock where they then take their row boats to get to the crab sheds, some of the sheds are quite elaborate. TV, refrigerator, recliner chairs. A few of the watermen told us.....well in our words it is their man cave.
As we rode our bikes around the island we came across a few boys catching crabs in the tidal waters. Like something out of a story book, we stopped, watched & talked with them a bit. They told us about the crabs they were catching & told us how they can't wait to be watermen when they get out of school. They were like Huck-Fin on a raft snagging crabs that passed by.
Oh I would be remiss if I didn't mention Mr. Parks, Milt as his watermen friends call him. He owns the only marina on the island where boaters can come and stay for a bit. He is a retired waterman of 35 years at 82 years old he hasn't slowed down much. He lost his wife last year & shared with us that was the toughest challenge of his life. Then he added life throw ya a curve from time to time right after Anna ( his wife) two weeks later his dog passed too. He said "that dog grieved himself, that's what he did". Mr. Parks is one of those gems we had the opportunity to get to know along the way.
Hope you all enjoy the pic's
