My Day Away From The Dock Of The Bay....

Some More Information About Tangier

If you are one of my friends reading this post, this will not be news to you - but I thought I would share my day with readers from away.

Bet Your Shopping Trips Are Not Like Mine...

Today I needed to go shopping.  I had to have some paint that was mixed wrong retinted, some returns and errands to run at Walmart, a return at Aeropostale, a baby shower gift to buy, and I wanted to go to Hobby Lobby.  Doesn't sound much different than a shopping day for you does it?  Well here is where it gets interesting.

Tangier Island  7:20am

I am up and gathering up all the stuff I packed up the night before for a trip to Salisbury, Maryland.  I need to try and get as many things done as possible today as I don't get to go there very often.   Here is my view of my little dock of the bay as I leave my back door.

Ride #1  - Everything gets loaded onto my golf cart (the tan one on the left) for a trip over the road to the Mailboat dock.  The Mailboat leaves Tangier for Crisfield at 8am carrying the mail and passengers who want to go off for the day.  The fare is $20 round trip.  The round trip leaves Crisfield to return to Tangier at 12:30 pm, so you have only a short time to get anything done.  I won't be able to make it to Salisbury (which is another 45 minutes by car) and back so I'll need to take the afternoon boat back home.  A different person owns and operates that boat, so I'll have to pay another fare.  When I talk to people many think islanders get to ride the island ferry boats for free, but that is not true.  If you travel off a lot it can get expensive.  But these boats do us a great service and fuel isn't cheap.  Plus this is boat captains' livelihood.  So I'm off to buy my ticket and start my busy day.

Ride #2 - Here is the "Courtney Thomas" Tangier's Mailboat.  I am getting ready to back up and load my stuff on, and we will be pulling out at 8am to make the 45 minute trip over the bay.   The Mailboat runs every day except Sunday.  There are tour boats that come to our island as well, but most residents travel by this boat or the two others that originate out of Tangier, one making an afternoon run to Crisfield, the other making a run to Onancock, Virginia.

Crisfield, Maryland  9:00am

Ride #3  -  We have arrived, and I have walked up the block to the parking lot where many island residents (both Tangier and Smith Island) keep their cars.  We are very happy to be able to have a car on the other side for shopping, doctor's appointments, errands, school system meetings for me, etc.  

Now it's back to the boat and wait my turn to unload my stuff (there was a lot of mail and soft shell crabs being shipped aboard this morning) and put it into the car.  Time to get busy, the clock is ticking.  I will be on this side of the bay until 5pm today.

Highway Route 13 9:50am

Crisfield errands are done and I am now on the way 45 minutes north to the closest city of Salisbury.  Sunroof is open, Nickelback is blasting, and I am armed with a bag of Grandma Utz potato chips for breakfast.  All is well...

Salisbury, Maryland 10:30am - 3:45pm

Too hectic to stop for pictures...though I did make time to stop for lunch at Panera.  Love Panera!

Crisfield Dock  4:40pm

Ride #4 - It's time to go home.  Did I get everything done?  Nope.  Never do.  Day just goes so fast!  But I am happy with what I got accomplished.  Everything is unloaded from the car (No, this is not all mine!) and about 10 of us are waiting for the afternoon boat to pick us up.  Here comes the "Sharon Kay III" now.

Tangier Dock  6:00pm

Different Ride #5 for the day

Ha Ha, No just kidding!  Saw this car for sale today and would love to have her.  Stuck in the 80s?  Yeah, I admit it...  In reality it's back to the golfcart.  N. has come to the dock to help me because by now I am beat!  We unload all of today's purchases from the afternoon boat and load them on to the golf cart for the ride home to Canton.  Are you sensing a trend here?   If you can pull your car right up to your door when you finish shopping you don't know how good you've got it.  When you live on Tangier you haul a lot of stuff from place to place...

Meanwhile it seams while I have been gone my ship has come in.  LOL.  Saw this when I pulled into the yard.  It's a huge yacht.  What do you have to do to afford a boat like that?  Well, I bet it's not teach school...

My House 6:30pm

It's time to unpack, grab a bite to eat, and relax.  Here's my last picture for today as I head in the house. Thanks for coming along on the ride with me.  Tomorrow, I promise I am going to start posting projects and inspirations.  And swim out to my yacht...