Tidewater Times May 2020 by Tidewater Times

Tidewater Times

May 2020

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Tidewater Times

Since 1952, Eastern Shore of Maryland Vol. 68, No. 12

Published Monthly

May 2020

Features: Publisher's Note . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 About the Cover Photographer: Deborah Vasalle Towle . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Beach Blowout: Helen Chappell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Shakin' with the Shakers: Bonna L. Nelson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Justin Pokrywka ~ Making a Life: Michael Valliant . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 May Tide Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Tidewater Kitchen: Pamela Meredith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Tidewater Gardening: K. Marc Teffeau . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 The Forgotten Pie Melon: James Dawson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 It's a S'hore Thing: A.M. Foley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 Changes ~ All-American (Part VIII): Roger Vaughan . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 The Oxford Fine Arts 2020 Goes Virtual! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 Anne B. Farwell & John D. Farwell, Co-Publishers

P. O. Box 1141, Easton, Maryland 21601 3947 Harrison Circle, Trappe MD 21673 410-714-9389 FAX : 410-476-6286 www.tidewatertimes.com info@tidewatertimes.com Tidewater Times is published monthly by Bailey-Farwell, LLC. Advertising rates upon request. Subscription price is $30.00 per year. Individual copies are $4. Contents of this publication may not be reproduced in part or whole without prior approval of the publisher. The publisher does not assume any liability for errors and/or omissions.

Tidewater Times July 2020 Cover Painting Contest ◆ Plein Air Painting must pertain to the Mid-Shore ◆ Portrait/Vertical Orientation ◆ Room at the top for the Name and Date (Tidewater Times · July 2020) ◆ Deadline for Submission is May 20th to info@tidewatertimes with high res photo of your painting and “Photo Contest” in the subject line. 3

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Publishers Note: Challenging Times The world looks a little different than it did, just last month. Everyone has a face mask and gloves, the sidewalks are bare, and the lights are off in many small stores, restaurants and retail businesses. You'll notice that the Tidewater Times looks a little different this month, too. With events being cancelled and postponed, there was no need for a Calendar of Events. Without tourists there wasn't much need for Points of Interest, either. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, and hopefully we will all get back to a new normal very soon. We are thankful that we live on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, for many reasons, but mostly because of the way our communities pull together. We have seen so many instances of friends and strangers supporting one another. T h r oug hout t he se la s t m a ny weeks, we have also seen acts of true heroism by ordinary people. There are so many people to thank. We've seen clerks at the grocery stores risk there own health so that we might all have food. We've seen the "essential" employees in so many jobs keeping things going ~ restaurants serving food curbside, convenience stores and gas stations, trash pickup, ma i l deliver y a nd d r ive -up banking. The list goes on.

Let us not forget those on the front lines ~ the doctors, nurses, firemen, paramedics, pharmacists and other medical professionals, who have risked their health daily. We are blessed to have these wonderful, dedicated people serving our community. And finally, John and I need to thank our writers, advertisers and you, or readers. Your support has been truly inspiring. We could not do what we do, without you. It will be a happy day when we no longer have to practice social distancing. When that day comes, and it will be soon, let's all go out and really appreciate the good things that surround us here on the Shore. Thank a nurse, go out to dinner, or just hug a friend. ~ Anne and John Farwell

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About the Cover Photographer Deborah Vasalle Towle Deborah was born and raised in Maine, but lived on the Eastern Shore for 8 years. Currently, she resides back in Maine with her husband and two teenage daughters. She works full time in Property Management and continues to photograph under the name Elizabeth Morgan Photography. The main goal of her photography is to capture the world around her as she sees it. Deborah always has her camera with her, constantly stopping to photograph whatever catches her eye. She almost never sets out to

catch a specific image. She chooses instead to share what she sees by capturing the everyday, ordinary beauty of the world around us. Her photos show us what we could see in the world if we only took the time to really look. The cover photo is titled Water Lily and was taken at Mill Creek Park, South Portland, Maine. You can see more of Deborahâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work on Instagram at elizabethmorganphotography.

Sunrise over Penobscot Bay. 7

Beach Blowout by Helen Chappell

the economy is great. And we’re old enough to know better, but young enough to do it anyway. These days, I fall asleep during Jeopardy, but that’s another story. So, let’s say the cast is Bill, Jim, Woodlief and me, and we’re all sitting around Woodlief’s when the call comes. Let’s say Bill, Jim and Helen are all as dressed as we’re gonna be on a hot summer night, and for reasons that would make perfect sense if you knew him, Woodlief is tastefully attired in his underwear and a blue bathrobe. We all pile into Woodlief’s giant lead sled, some kind of Chrysler convertible from the late ’60s, and off we go, top down, heading

So, my oldest friend, Bunny, from high school calls and says her mom is retiring and selling the family summer cottage at Bethany Beach. Bunny and her husband, Robert, also an old high school friend, are clearing out the house and having one last blast before we all say goodbye to a place we’ve known and loved for years. Do I want to come down and bring the Mid-Shore gang? Of course I do! Theoretically, we’re all adults, but in reality, we’re Peter Pan and the Lost Boys, and I’m Wendy at times like this. After all, this is the end of an era, and it’s the ’80s and the music is good and the bon temps are rolling and

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Beach Blowout

didn’t know who I was at that point. Maybe I was in no shape to remember anything at the time. We stopped at the 7-11 at Salisbury and all piled in to stock up on munchies and Slurpees. Woodlief was a sight to behold, a substantial redheaded guy with a giant WASPfro and a bushy beard, wandering the cases in his unsteady attire, gathering up bags of nachos and Cheetos and Pringles ~ enough to keep him fed until we reached the beach. Two very well-groomed Latina ladies of a certain age could only stare at him, clutching their pearls. “Look at the big crazy in the bathrobe,” one of them said to the other in haughty Castilian Spanish.

down 50 toward The Beach under a huge full moon on a humid summer night. Woodlief climbs in, blue bathrobe and all, because he is A Character. Jim, who doesn’t drink, is our designated driver, in case you’re wondering. Woodlief was a true aficionado of old lead sled clunkers. They may have burned enough fossil fuel to choke a Texas town, but as he said, “On the highway, they command respect.” He wasn’t entirely kidding. My brother swears he saw us rolling past the Tidewater Inn with the deck blaring Marvin Gaye and he had to pretend he didn’t know who I was. I don’t blame him. I probably

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Beach Blowout

By the time we rolled into South Bethany, we were lucky no cops had stopped us, Woodlief hadn’t lost his bathrobe and we hadn’t gotten into any serious fights over what music to play. Robert and Bunny were feeling no pain when we got there. We all sprawled out on the screen porch with a view and the sound of the ocean and commenced some serious partying. Robert and Woodlief pulled out their guitars, Jim had his bongos, Bill and Bunny played the spoons and we had a good old-time playing Fifties hits and classic country. We must have done okay, because none of the neighbors called the cops, at least not that I remember. I have always done pretty well with Kitty Wells’ It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels. At least Woodlief was kind enough to let me think I was doing okay. There was a full moon, as I said before, and the lure of the beach, just a few yards away, was too much for Bill and Jim and me. We took a walk down on the sand, walking through the surf, past the old World War II conning towers, headed toward Fenwick, I think. There were few lights on in the houses, and most of the illumination came from that huge dinner plate of a full moon just hanging over the ocean, the light dancing on the surf. For some reason, Bill and Jim decided they wanted to go for a mid-

Woodlief drew himself up to his full height with enormous, winesoaked dignity. “Remember, you have to get me back to the psych ward by six this morning,” he told us in perfect Spanish. His father had been ambassador to Colombia back in the day, and Woodlief’s Española was perfect. We didn’t understand most of what was said, but between us, we had enough high school Spanish to get the gist, and we watched as the two ladies, still clutching their pearls, fled the convenience store. Woodlief, weaving just a little, waved at them as they left while the rest of us tried not to wet our pants.

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Beach Blowout

clothes and glasses and wait until they came back. They might not be able to see their stuff, but I was a big enough target in the moonlight for even the most nearsighted person to see. So, off they went, two pale white boys in the rolling surf, and I sat there, guardian of the glasses and board shorts. After a while, Woodlief and Bunny wandered past. Bunny was taking Woodlief on a tour of the old observation towers. You may know about these concrete caissons, erected as lookout towers to watch for German Uboats and aircraft along the Atlantic coast. Some of them are still standing around Bethany. When Bunny and I were kids, we used to play in them with all the other kids at the beach, in spite of the fact you could probably fall on those steps in there and break your neck. At the top, there are narrow horizontal slits where coastal watchers kept an eye on the ocean. It got a little blurry after that. The next thing I remember is

night swim, so they stripped down, left their clothes in a pile on the sand and placed their glasses on top of the pile. Now, I wasn’t about to strip naked in front of two guys I considered friends, being shy and just sober enough. So, I said I’d sit with their

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Beach Blowout

Eventually, Jim and Bill showed up, and they were not only hung over, they were very grumpy. The screen door had been latched, and they’d had to sleep in the sand under the porch. Worse, they were mad at me for deserting their clothes and, more importantly, their glasses. Seemed they’d emerged from the water about a mile down, wet, naked and blind, just as the surf fishers were coming down to the beach. They couldn’t see where they were, or where their clothes were or where I was. Me, the one who was supposed to guard their stuff. My bad. I think if they’d come back at a reasonable time, instead of taking hours. . . So, by the time they found their clothes piles and their glasses, the tide had rolled in. Happily, the sea hadn’t claimed their clothes or their specs, but everything was wet, and they were literally as mad as two wet hens. Black coffee and bloody Marys

waking up, stiff and sore on a canvas deck chair on the porch with the morning sun beating down on my aching head and my searing eyelids. I couldn’t even try to move. Everything hurt, from the ends of my hair to that little tailbone at the end of your spine. My mouth felt like the inside of a saguaro cactus. I was sure I looked and smelled like the locker room of a high school gym. I almost prayed for death, but there is no mercy from a hellacious hangover. Oh, no, you’re going to suffer for being evil and there will be no mercy. Somewhere there was coffee and a mimosa ~ the hair of the dog helped. Robert, who had a notoriously hard head, was up and moving quietly about, doing what he could without disturbing the peace. The need for coffee and mimosa impelled me to unbend myself from the chair and into the kitchen.

We can’t touch But we still reach out The enemy is invisible But so many of our heroes are now seen We are distant But we stand together And together We shall overcome (excerpt from a poem by Sen. Cory Booker)

Thank you to all of our health care, first responders and other “essential workers.” Be safe, be well!

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Beach Blowout

When he didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t show up by the time breakfast was being fried, we split into search parties. Bunny dragged him home, blue bathrobe and all. Apparently, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d slept in the observation tower. My friend Woodlief, the big crazy in the blue bathrobe. And by the way, this pretty much happened the way I said it did. Helen Chappell is the creator of the Sam and Hollis mystery series and the Oysterback stories, as well as The Chesapeake Book of the Dead. Under her pen names, Rebecca Baldwin and Caroline Brooks, she has published a number of historical novels.

soothed their souls, and their salty clothes dried out, but we were still missing Woodlief.

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Shakin’ with the Shakers by Bonna L. Nelson

We sat on plain wooden benches lining the walls of the Shaker Meeting House and listened to the historic re-enactor Holly Wood (no joke) singing toe-tapping religious hymns and folk tunes a capella during our Shaker Music program experience. Soon she had us all jump to our feet to shake, march, stomp, clap and sing with her. We learned that the religious group once known as the “Shaking Quakers” (later just “Shakers”) commonly danced, quaked and trembled in religious fervor and

unity during their worship services, leading to their moniker. Holly encouraged us to put our whole body, spirit and soul into our dance-like movements as the Quakers did to demonstrate their faith, praise and connection with God and repel sin and the devil. The melodic hymns sounded to me like a combination of gospel, folk and yodeling. We had arrived at the historic religious community site of Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill in Harrodsburg, Kentucky, after driving 75

Shakin'

miles southeast from our home base in Louisville, Kentucky, on a 40-degree autumn day. The Shaker Village, named a top hidden travel destination by BBC News, is a living museum comprising 3,000 acres of land and 34 renovated historic structures. The site is Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest restored Shaker community that provides all visitor services in original buildings. It is also Kentuckyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest National Historic Landmark. After checking in at the Welcome Center and Gift Shop, we met our Historic Village tour group and history interpreter, Sarah, a direct

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characteristics. In the egalitarian religious society, men and women shared leadership roles equally but lived separately. Ann Lee evolved as the Societyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leader after she conveyed to the Shakers that she had v isions of Christ speaking to her and offering guidance for her flock. The group believed that Christ was coming to earth again, perhaps in a feminine form. They also believed in forming a more perfect society on earth, in practicing celibacy, racial and sexual equality, freedom from prejudice, sustainability, ingenuity, simplicity and living in peaceful communal arrangements. During worship, they were literally moved by the spirit of God. Their ecstatic, animated movements resulted in their Shaker title. Sarah paused her Shaker history lesson to take us inside a rather large, pale gray and white limestone (quarried nearby) building that she called the Centre Family Dwelling (circa 1824). The str ucture had been the communal home to more than 100 Shakers. Men lived on the

descendant of a Pleasant Hill Shaker ~ her great-great-great grandfather. Sarah led the group on an exploration of Shaker structures situated on either side of the tree-lined, white gravel road bordered by a white rail fence. During our stroll, Sarah shared her knowledge of Shaker history, beliefs and culture as well as the history and restoration of Pleasant Hill. Sarah explained that the United Society of Believers in Christâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Second Appearing, commonly known as Shakers, was a Protestant sect related to the Quakers and was founded in 1747 in England. Known for their honesty and purity, the Believers, as they called themselves, believed in the duality of God, having both masculine and feminine

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Shakin'

We were free to roam about the plain, simple yet beautiful dwelling. All of the floors were wooden. The walls were white-painted plaster with dark wood or slate blue painted trim. The upper wood trim incorporated pegs on which, in some rooms, were hu ng Q ua ker-made st raw brooms or a simple Quaker chair. The lower floors were used for dining (always in silence), and one contained an old oven, tables and chairs.

second floor, and women lived on the third floor. The large two-story foyer contained two separate wooden staircases leading to the upper floors ~ one stair for men, one for women.

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On the second floor, we discovered a Quaker quilt exhibit at the end of a dramatic hallway, a contrast of dark and light. Pure white quilts held light-hearted tree patterns with multicolored leaves, fruit and birds. We also noticed the contrasting dark and light weaving patterns of the Quaker chair and rocker seats located in hallways on both floors. When we reunited with Sarah, she explained that to become a Quaker

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ing photographs inside the Meeting House for religious reasons. Sarah next walked us down the road to t he building c a lled t he Trustee’s House. We had made reservations for lunch at the restaurant inside. But before we ate, we absorbed some more Shaker data. Sarah told us that the Shakers fled persecution in England in 1774, sailing to America in search of religious freedom. Led by Ann Lee, now named “Mother,” they eventually established 21 villages from New York to New England, Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. Locals in those states were attracted to what the Shakers had to offer: accommodations, good food, learning new skills and being a part of a big happy family. The Pleasant Hill Village evolved to become the third-largest Quaker communit y, w ith 500 members, after New Lebanon, New York, and Union Village, Ohio, which each had about 600 members. According to the Pleasant Hill Village website, the total recorded Shaker membership worldw ide. The Sha kers were 19t h- cent ur y America’s largest and best-known communal society. Now, only one Shaker community exists, in Sabbathday Lake, Maine. There are two Shakers in residence. A s for Pleasant Hill, in 1805 Quaker missionaries traveled on foot to Kentuck y, preached and gained some converts, one of whom donated 150 acres of farmland to

one must have been at least 21 years old, debt free, willing to give up family, possessions and land, and able to pass a one-year probation during which the prospective convert would be educated in the ways of the order and work the farm or in trades. Orphans were housed in a separate building and were educated through eighth grade. When they reached age 16, they were transferred to the Family Dwelling. However, according to Sarah, families could join and live in cottages together. When we stepped outside, the sun was shining and there was a group of young children laughing and meandering along the pebbled road in front of the white-board Shaker Meeting House (circa 1820) where the Shakers worshipped and where we later enjoyed the Shaker Music program. The children were excited to see a peculiar-looking rooster pecking for bugs in the grass. Though I could take photographs in the Family Dwelling and of the rooster, of course, we were prohibited from tak-

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the cause. In 1808, they moved to the lovely hilltop that they named Pleasant Hill. Hardworking seconda nd t hird-generat ion Kent uck y frontier farmers became Shakers and flourished. By 1823, there were 491 Shakers at Pleasant Hill, residing on and farming 4,500 acres. The at t rac t ive communit y of Pleasant Hill, called “Shakertown” by the locals, included large wood, stone and brick dwellings and shops, grassy lawns and stone sidewalks. The Sha kers built white fences around their buildings and stone walls around their massive farm properties. They were well known for their warm, welcoming hospitality. Over their 105-year success, the vibrant Pleasant Hill Shakers built

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pers ware, preserves and cultivated garden seeds; and sold or traded their surplus products. They created architectural marvels and unique, high-quality, sturdy furniture with superb craftmanship known around the world. They were also known for inventing the circular saw, the clothespin, the wheel-driven washing machine and numerous other labor-saving devices. The Civil War and Industrial Revolution marked the decline of the Shaker communities. In 1961, a corporation formed by a groundswell of locals interested in preserving history began to acquire and restore the buildings to their original 19th-century appearance. The corporation also bought acreage

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Shakin'

and cranberries. My husband, John, enjoyed his f lavorful hamburger made f rom Pleasant Hill stock. Homemade apple cider and hot, fresh-baked rolls with farm-made fruit preserves accompanied our meal. Before heading back to Louisville, we strolled to the end of the white graveled road to the large red barn and spotted typical farm animals in pens around the barn and in the surrounding fields. Pigs, chickens and roosters were up close, and goats, sheep, cows and horses dotted the fields and hills, a peaceful and tranquil setting to surround the historic religious community. On our walk back, we passed other brick and stone buildings named for location, occupants and purpose.

and began farming the land again. The farmland and forests serve as a buffer against commercial encroachment. Our history lesson at an end, we said goodbye to Sarah. We entered the Trustee Office, where in the time of the Quakers the community trustees met and worked and the public came to trade or buy goods. It is now the home of The Trusteesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Table, a seed-to-table restaurant serving three meals day of Quaker and Kentucky favorites. We entered a narrow wooden-floored room with full-length windows overlooking the farm fields on one side and brick walls on the opposite side. We were seated at a Quaker-style table, lit by a candle, and on Quaker-designed ladderback woven-seat chairs. Gentle fires aglow in each room added to the ambiance. I selected a scrumptious dish from the seasonally changing menu all made with farm fresh ingredients. A roasted acorn squash was stuffed with baked cinnamon-topped apple bites covered with toasted walnuts

Shakin'

can browse and buy Shaker-inspired crafts and goods at three onsite locations. The Village also offers afternoon teas, Quaker craft demonstrations and artifact, history and agricultural lectures. Horse-riding lessons are available at the Stable, as are hay wagon rides through the fields. The Village even offers 115-passenger Kentucky River cruises on the Dixie Belle Riverboat at nearby Shaker Landing, as well as kayaking and canoeing. Programs change seasonally. As we departed, we drove by a large pond filled with splashing duck s a nd ge e se, se em i ng ly a s happy to be visiting the Pleasant Hill Shaker Village as we were. Perhaps a return trip with a night in a Quaker house, sleeping in a Quaker-inspired bed overlooking forests and farm f ields, w ill be placed on our travel planning list when we return home. On the drive back, we started to d i sc u s s ou r depa r t u re f rom Kentucky and our visit to Indiana the next day. Ever the explorers, we looked forward to our planned contrasting adventures, a visit to a Buddhist monastery and then to an exotic feline animal rescue center.

The buildings included the East Family Sisters’ Shop, the East Family Wash Shop, the East Family Dwelling, the Cooper’s Shop, the East Family Brethren’s Shop, the Post Office and the Farm Deacon’s Shop. The buildings were not on tour but looked fully restored and well maintained. There are many more opportunities to explore the Village than we were able to accomplish on our one-day trip. They offer 72 guest rooms housed in 13 historic buildings and private cottages and suites for guests wanting a fuller experience. For the fresh-air adventurous types, there are 40 miles of trails on 2,000 acres of rare ecosystems that include prairies, woodlands, watersheds and meadows. Visitors

Bonna L. Nelson is a Bay-area writer, columnist, photographer and world traveler. She resides in Easton with her husband, John. 38

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Stunning fusion of light and space! Fabulous Oxford architectural delight - custom home on Town Creek featuring 2 + story foyer with barrelled sky light ceilings & floating staircases showcase the loft and atrium. Home features 10'+ ceilings, teak floors, walls of glass integrate living space with great water views. Open floor plan with designer kitchen and baths. Entry floor ensuite bedroom. Second story family room. Waterfront balconies on every floor, perfect outdoor living! Wraparound teak deck porch. Private court yard and garden space. 6’+ MLW with dock with multiple slips. Close to Oxford amenities including dining, parks, beaches and marinas. Home is in the historic District. $1,100,000 www.315SMorris.com

James Marshall Farm ( c. 1753). Simply Exquisite! Elegant & stylish Center Hall Colonial, Flemish bond brick with restored original wood floors and fireplaces. Inviting gourmet kitchen with wood floors, beamed ceiling, exposed brick wall, granite, stainless, large island and sitting room. Formal dining and living rooms room with restored fireplaces and built in's. Sunroom overlooking the gardens. 5 outbuildings including large run in barn, historic granary, 2 original creameries. Gorgeous plantings, mature landscaping in private park-like setting. Truly a gracious Eastern Shore historic charmer. Improvements include new septic, new heat pumps, kitchen and bath. $499,000 www.JamesMarshallFarm.com

Waterfront Estates, Farms and Hunting Properties also available.

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Justin Pokrywka: Making a Life by Michael Valliant

Justin Pokrywka never let go of his dream, but heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been wise enough to realize that dreams change over time. Maybe a guiding principle has been making the kind of life you want to live versus simply making a living. Life for Justin and his family is very intentional, on their own terms, with heavy doses of family, music, homeschooling and life on a small farm. Music started early for Justin, whose sister, Lauren, was a talent-

ed singer with her own agent. She performed in concerts at Arlington National Cemetery and the White House. Justin was the little brother who tagged along and got carsick on the road trips. Until he was asked to get on stage and perform at Wolf Trap Amphitheater as part of an ensemble. Not a bad venue for his first concert. He was five. Justin became interested in music on his own when he got a guitar for his birthday and began learning

Justin Pokrywka with his wife, Annie, and their children, Carys, Kellen, and Arden. 41

TIDE TABLE

OXFORD, MD 1. Fri. 2. Sat. 3. Sun. 4. Mon. 5. Tues. 6. Wed. 7. Thurs. 8. Fri. 9. Sat. 10. Sun. 11. Mon. 12. Tues. 13. Wed. 14. Thurs. 15. Fri. 16. Sat. 17. Sun. 18. Mon. 19. Tues. 20. Wed. 21. Thurs. 22. Fri. 23. Sat. 24. Sun. 25. Mon. 26. Tues. 27. Wed. 28. Thurs. 29. Fri. 30. Sat. 31. Sun.

HIGH PM AM

10:50 11:54 12:30 1:28 2:23 3:17 4:09 5:00 5:50 6:41 7:32 8:26 9:23 10:22 11:21 12:49 1:40 2:26 3:08 3:45 4:20 4:53 5:28 6:07 6:49 7:37 8:29 9:26 10:25 11:25

MAY 2020

LOW PM

11:32 4:43 6:15 6:02 7:02 12:56 7:17 7:47 1:53 8:26 8:29 2:47 9:31 9:11 3:39 10:32 9:53 4:29 11:31 10:35 5:20 12:29pm 11:19 6:11 1:24 7:05 12:06 2:19 8:00 12:57 3:13 8:57 1:54 4:05 9:56 3:00 4:55 10:55 4:12 5:43 11:53 5:27 6:26 12:17 6:38 7:05 1:06 7:41 7:40 1:50 8:38 8:12 2:32 9:30 8:43 3:12 10:19 9:13 3:52 11:04 9:45 4:33 11:48 10:18 5:15 12:31pm 10:53 5:59 1:13pm 11:33 6:45 1:55 7:33 12:17 2:37 8:25 1:09 3:21 9:19 2:10 4:06 10:17 3:20 4:51 11:16 4:39 5:36 6:21 5:59

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Making a Life

Justin said. “We ended up traveling the world playing an Armed Forces tour ~ I remember going around the South Pacific, Hawaii, Indonesia, and playing in a place called Diego Garcia, which was 13,000 miles from home. We played for troops that had just come up from an underwater tour on a submarine.” After All Together Spent, Justin was in Ryful, a rock duo that opened up for big names, including Scott Wieland of Stone Temple Pilots, and Third Eye Blind. And then he was let go from his day job. “I started going down to Nashville and doing music full-time,” Justin said. “I thought, do I want to keep trying a desk job that I don’t like, or do I give music a go? I felt like it was a sign, and I knew I couldn’t just play live music all the time. So I focused on songwriting, was introduced to Gene Pistilli, one of the founders of The Manhattan Transfer, who took me under his wing and introduced me to the publisher I see in Nashville.” Since then, Justin has formed the Justin Ryan Band (Ryan is his middle name and is much easier to say than Pokrywka) and has released an album called Warm Whiskey Nights. He now plays primarily solo acoustic gigs, generally about 12 to 15 performances per month, and he regularly plays with the band at Christ Church Easton’s Alive @ 5 service. That was, until quarantine and social distancing began with

to play at age 12. He took lessons from Glen Burgess, whose daughter Anna is one of Justin’s favorite musicians today. Despite playing music and singing throughout high school, he never thought he would make music for a living. “After high school, I went to college for a year, decided I wasn’t ready for it, came home and formed a band called All Together Spent,”

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Making a Life

COVID-19. Justin, his wife, Annie, and their children, Carys (12), Kellen (10) and Arden (turning seven in May), live on a small farm outside Denton. Three years ago, they made a lifestyle choice. “We reached a turning point and said, ‘what’s the most important to us?’” Justin said. “Homeschooling our kids was something we really wanted to do. We had a family farm that was sitting here; we wanted to grow our own food and raise our own animals, become as self-sufficient as we could. So that is what we did.” They started with chickens and now also have goats, cows, ducks, rabbits, pigs ~ there is a lot of new

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Making a Life

down as COVID-19 hit. Which left music and the farm. A friend mentioned having seen musicians holding concerts from home on social media. And fans missed seeing Justin performing live. So heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s broadcast three shows now, live from the farm, using Venmo and PayPal to allow people to contribute something if theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to. It maybe shows something of the

life on the farm this spring. Annie homeschools the kids. And they document their life on the farm on social media, which becomes a conversation whenever they are out. To diversify himself and do something he has always thought about, Justin is also a realtor. And real estate transactions slowed

Making a Life

r Fo lity l i l Ca ilab a Av

lifestyle change that Justin and Annie were looking for. Justin still has music dreams, but they aren’t his only dreams. And those dreams have evolved. “I still have music dreams, though they have changed a lot over time. The thought of going on the road doesn’t have the appeal it used to, with having kids and wanting to be here for them,” he said. “I can’t measure my success by money and sold-out venues.” Instead, it’s performing music he loves for people who want to hear him. It’s writing new music and maybe recording a new album that speaks to where he is in life now. It’s experiencing firsts with his chil50

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Making a Life

will never forget, and it catapulted me into wanting to know more, and my wife has been my best teacher.” Faith has also opened up new musical and creative doors, singing praise music, expanding his songwriting and performing as a form of worship. And so life on the farm is family, music, faith; it’s slower paced and intentional. And what growth looks like might happen with the farm. “Right now, everything we do on the farm is pretty much for us; we would like in the future to grow the farm, maybe make goat cheese, sell pastured pork; there are great farmers in the area that we’ve been talking to. Especially given what is going on now, people are starting to look at food differently—knowing your farmer and eating food that was raised responsibly and being conscious about being healthy.” Justin has gone from making a living playing music to living a life that includes music. And so much more. It’s a dream, and a life, that keep growing.

dren ~ each of whom plays music, taking piano from Melanie Young. Carys is also learning the ukulele, and Justin is teaching Kellen and Arden bass guitar with the extra time they have right now. And work-life balance has taken on a different meaning. “This past summer, I was dealing with a lot of adrenal fatigue and I wasn’t used to it; I realized I had to approach things differently, step back a little bit,” Justin said. His health scare also opened up another aspect of life: faith. “I always say I am late to the game; I didn’t find God really until I was having health problems, and it was then I knew I had to leave it up to God, and there were some powerful, emotional experiences during that, the first time I ever felt God,” Justin said. “It’s something I

Michael Valliant is the Assistant for Adult Education and Newcomers Ministry at Christ Church Easton. He has worked for non-profit organizations throughout Talbot County, including the Oxford Community Center, Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum and Academy Art Museum. 52

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Simple and Beautiful Spring Brunch Here is an idea for a post-social distancing get-together! Eastern Shore hospitality comes in many different forms. Some folks delight in hosting intimate little dinners, while others prefer cocktail parties for large groups of people. Still others opt for a more casual gathering of friends for steaks or hamburg-

ers on the grill in the backyard. I have found that a growing number of people like entertaining in the morning with a breakfast or brunch. If brunch is your thing, why not replace the usual bacon and eggs with a more enticing entrĂŠe such as Hollyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Brunch Enchiladas or But-

Tidewater Kitchen

menu. Always consider your audience when cooking. Visualize them and try to remember what they like and dislike. For example, if you have invited someone who is gluten intolerant, make sure you have enough gluten-free menu choices.

termilk Pancakes? Either is guaranteed to make sleepyheads sit up and take notice. Instead of serving the traditional grapefruit or orange sections, I recommend the delicious Fruit Salad. Some of the make-ahead dishes, such as the Sausage Strata, Layered Salad, and Golden Cheese Grits, are super convenient. I always try to make as many of my dishes ahead as possible. It keeps me better organized and less stressed on the day of the event. For me, this works much better than trying to be impromptu. Another secret to success is the personal attention given to the

GOLDEN CHEESE GRITS 1-1/4 cups grits, uncooked 3-1/2 cups boiling water 1 t. salt 1 pkg. Boursin cheese 1/2 cup butter 2 eggs 1 cup milk 1/3 cup cheddar cheese, or more if you wish

A Taste of Italy

Preheat oven to 350Â°. Grease a 2-quart casserole. Cook grits in boiling salted water, according to package directions. Crumble cheese and butter into cooked grits. Blend eggs and milk together. Mix egg-milk mixture into grits. Pour into greased casserole and bake at 350Â° for 45 minutes, uncovered. Sprinkle with grated cheddar cheese and bake, uncovered, 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

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Tidewater Kitchen

1/2 t. paprika pinch of sea salt 1 cup sour cream 1 lb. sausage, cooked, crumbled and well drained 10 eggs

SAUSAGE and EGG CASSEROLE 1/2 lb. sharp cheddar cheese 1/2 t. dry mustard

Cover the bottom of a 10” x 6” x 2” baking dish with half the cheese. Mix mustard, paprika and salt with the sour cream; pour half over the cheese in the pan. Follow with sausage. Break eggs over the sausage and cover with remaining sour cream mixture. Top with the remaining cheese. Bake at 350° for 30 to 40 minutes. QUICHE Unbaked 10- to 12-inch pie shell 6 strips bacon 1 cup Gruyere cheese, grated 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese 4 eggs 2 cups light cream 1/4 t. ground nutmeg 1/4 t. salt 1/8 t. fresh ground pepper Place pie shell in a 450° oven on a cookie sheet for 5 minutes to keep the bottom crispy. Sauté bacon un-

til crisp, and crumble into the pie shell. Sprinkle cheese over the bacon. Combine eggs, cream, nutmeg, salt and pepper over bacon and cheeses. Bake at 450° for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 325° for 15 minutes. SAUSAGE STRATA Serves 6-8 1 lb. bulk sausage 6 eggs 2 cups milk 1 t. dry mustard 6-7 slices white bread, buttered and with crust removed 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Beat eggs, milk and mustard. Spread the bread cubes on bottom of a well-greased 9- x 13-inch baking pan. Spread sausage on top. Pour egg mixture over all and cover with cheese. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes.

Cook sausage, drain well and pat between paper towels.

Tidewater Kitchen BUTTERMILK PANCAKES Into a large bowl, sift together: 2 cups flour 1 t. baking soda 1/2 t. sea salt Add: 2-1/2 cups buttermilk beaten with 2 egg yolks. Blend batter thoroughly. In another bowl, beat 2 egg whites until they are stiff with peaks, and fold half of the whites into the batter, distributing them well. Fold in the remaining egg whites lightly. Heat pan with some butter to medium. I like to use an ice cream scoop to pour the batter in the pan.

After the pancakes get bubbles, flip with a spatula and cook for 3 min-

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Tidewater Kitchen

4 beaten eggs 2 cups light sour cream or milk 1 T. all-purpose flour 1/4 t. salt 1/4 t. garlic Few drops hot sauce

utes on the other side. Enjoy with your favorite syrup and fresh berries. BONNI’S AWESOME SYRUP Take 1 cup raisins and cover them with your favorite rum. Let them sit overnight. Add 1 cup maple syrup to it in the morning. Heat or serve cold. HOLLY’S BRUNCH ENCHILADAS 12 oz. cooked ham, cubed (2 cups) 1/2 cup sliced green onion 1/2 cup chopped green pepper 2-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese 8 7-inch flour tortillas

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Combine ham, onion and green pepper in a bowl. Place 1/3 cup of the mixture and 3 tablespoons of cheddar cheese at one end of each tortilla; roll up. Arrange tortillas, seam side down in a greased 12 x 7 x 2-inch baking dish. Combine eggs, cream, flour, salt, garlic and hot sauce; pour over tortillas. Cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight. Bake, uncovered, in 350Â° oven for 45 minutes or until set. Sprinkle with remaining cheese; bake 3 minutes more or until cheese is melted. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

1 t. fresh lemon juice Powdered sugar to sprinkle on top Mix yeast, water and sugar. Let stand for 10 minutes. Add egg. Cut butter into flour and salt, mix well. Add yeast mixture. Divide into two balls and roll each into 8 x 10inch rectangles. Make filling by combining cream cheese, lemon juice and sugar. Spread half of the filling on each rectangle and fold by taking each long side toward the middle, making sure the sides overlap a little. Fold the ends up about 1-1/2 inches.

CREAM CHEESE-FILLED COFFEE CAKE Serves 10-15 1 package dry yeast 1/4 cup lukewarm water 1 t. sugar 1 egg, lightly beaten 2 cups flour, sifted 1/4 t. salt 3/4 cup butter 2 8-oz. packages cream cheese 1 cup sugar

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Tidewater Kitchen

tomatoes, water chestnuts, cucumbers, avocados... Dressing: 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1/2 cup sour cream 1 T. sugar (more to taste) Fresh dill, chopped

Bake immediately at 375Â° for 25 minutes. When cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar. You can serve with your favorite berries. My favorite thing to do is make a powdered sugar icing with a couple of drops of almond extract, and top with slivered almonds.

Wash, drain and tear lettuce and spinach into pieces. In a clear glass bowl, using only half of the ingredients, start layering the lettuce, spinach, eggs, onion, bacon and peas. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sugar, salt and pepper. Drizzle with half of the dressing. Repeat the layers using the remaining half of the ingredients. Top with the rest of the dressing, sealing the other ingredients, and garnish with cheese. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. This is a great make-ahead salad.

LAYERED SALAD 10 Servings I have eaten this more times than I can count! 1/2 head iceberg lettuce 1 10-oz. bag fresh spinach 4 eggs, hard-boiled and chopped 1 bunch green onions, chopped (including green tops) 1 lb. bacon, crispy fried and crumbled 1 10-1/2-oz. package frozen tiny peas, thawed 2 t. sugar Salt and pepper to taste 1 cup grated Swiss, Parmesan or cheddar cheese Optional: Add whatever you like in a salad ~ celery, carrots, cherry

It stays fresh for several days because the dressing seals the lettuce mixture and keeps it fresh.

Place cooked yolks in a bowl and mash with a fork. Add mayonnaise, onion, chives, parsley, dry mustard, paprika, dill, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Stir in a tiny bit of milk and mix thoroughly. Spoon mixture into the egg halves. You can either put the mixture into a small zip-lock bag and snip the tip or use a mini scoop or teaspoon. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

BEST DEVILED EGGS Makes 24 12 eggs, hard boiled, peeled and sliced in half 1/2 cup mayonnaise 2 T. finely chopped onion 1 t. snipped fresh chives 1 t. snipped fresh parsley 1 t. dry mustard 1/2 t. paprika 1/2 t. fresh dill 1/4 t. salt 1/8 t. black pepper 1/4 t. garlic powder or fresh mashed garlic 1 t. milk to blend it together

SOUR CREAM WAFFLES These waffles are truly a brunch indulgence. Lightened with sour cream, the texture of these waffles is unlike any you have ever tasted. They freeze beautifully, so make extra. Goodbye, Eggos!

Tidewater Kitchen 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 t. baking powder 1/4 t. sea salt 1/2 t. baking soda 2 T. sugar 1 cup sour cream 1 cup buttermilk 2 eggs 1/3 cup melted unsalted butter, cooled Preheat waffle iron and spray with Pam, or brush with olive oil. Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar and salt. In a large bowl, beat eggs, sour cream, buttermilk and cooled butter. Add the dry ingredients to the wet. Place 2 tablespoons of batter on the waffle iron. Carefully close the iron and bake for 1-1/2 to 2 minutes, until golden brown.

1 t. ground cinnamon 1/2 t. baking soda 1 t. baking powder 1/4 t. sea salt 2 cups buttermilk 2 eggs 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled

BUTTERMILK WAFFLES 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 cup whole wheat flour 2 T. light brown sugar (packed)

Preheat waffle iron and spray with Pam, or brush with olive oil.

Combine all ingredients, except apples and chill at least 30 minutes. Serve as a dip surrounded by apple slices ~ you can also serve with your other favorite fruits ~ strawberries, pineapple, melon, grapes, etc.

Sift together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, brown sugar and salt. In a large bowl, beat eggs, buttermilk and cooled butter. Add the dry ingredients to the wet. Place 2 tablespoons of batter on the waffle iron. Carefully close the iron and bake for 1-1/2 to 2 minutes, until golden brown.

A longtime resident of Oxford, Pamela Meredith, formerly Denver’s NBC Channel 9 Children’s Chef, now teaches both adult and children’s cooking classes on the south shore of Massachusetts. For more of Pam’s recipes, visit the Story Archive tab at tidewatertimes.com.

APPLES with FRUIT SPREAD 2 8-oz. packages softened cream cheese 4 T. softened butter 1 cup confectioners sugar, sifted 2 T. orange juice 1 t. vanilla extract 2 lbs. apples, sliced and cored ~ I like to use Granny Smith

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TIDEWATER GARDENING

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Proper Pruning Wow! What a crazy spring with the COVID-19 virus issue! Hopefully, you were able to accomplish some spring gardening while sequestered at home. We had a somewhat mild March and April. Thankfully, we did not have any hard winter weather to kill off the f lower buds. May is the time to prune springf lowering woody deciduous plants selectively. Dead branches in the plants will have become apparent by this time, so you can carefully prune them out. Spring-f lowering shrubs like azaleas, lilacs, rhododendrons, spirea and forsythia should be pruned AFTER they have finished f lowering. Some homeowners make the mistake of pruning these plants in late fall or late winter. Since they start to set their f lower buds in late summer and early fall, pruning them in fall or late winter will prune out the f lower buds. It is also essential to PLEASE ~

PLEASE ~ not use powered hedge trimmers on these plants!! Round azalea meatballs and square f lowering forsythias in the landscape are not attractive. I refer to this practice as â&#x20AC;&#x153;redneckâ&#x20AC;? landscaping. I drive by houses with plants sheared like this, and I think that either a geometry-obsessed person or elves live in this place. Prune the plant correctly based on its natural growth form. Several good YouTube videos demonstrate the correct pruning approach for these spring-f lowering shrubs. After rhododendrons and lilacs have f lowered, prune out the spent f low69

Tidewater Gardening er clusters before they can go to seed. This practice will ensure that the plant’s nutrition that would go to seed formation will instead go to help the plant grow. If your crape myrtles (Lagerstroemia sp.) have the old f lower heads from last year’s spring, prune them out. Crape myrtles set f lower buds on new wood production in spring. Avoid at all costs the common but bad pruning practice known as “crape murder.” There’s a common misconception that crape myrtles requiring pruning in order to f lower. “Crape murder” occurs when these plants are pruned aggressively to the same spot 410-822-8866 www.riodelmarent.com

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each year. The practice results in stumps with knobs on the ends of upright stems. The most natural and beautiful

crape myrtle trees result from limited or no pruning. Besides producing deformed plants, aggressive pruning leads to increased sucker-

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Tidewater Gardening

Spring-f lowering trees in the landscape ~ cherries, plums, crabapples ~ should be pruned right after they f lower. Most of the time, the only required pruning that is required includes removing water sprouts from the base of the tree, any dead or diseased branches, or branches that cross or rub against each other. If you must take off larger branches, do not â&#x20AC;&#x153;paintâ&#x20AC;? the prun-

ing. The suckering will be subjected to powdery mildew disease infestation that will spread to the canopy of the plant. The Grumpy Gardener has a good YouTube video on the Southern Living website on the correct pruning of crape myrtles https://www.southernliving.com/ home-garden/gardens/stop-dontchop-crepe-myrtles.

americaselections.org ~ if you are looking for new, tested and proven vegetable varieties. If you buy transplants grown in fiber or peat pots, my recommendation is to carefully remove

ing cut with pruning tar! Research proved many years ago that this “painting” of pruning cuts is a bad practice and inhibits and interferes with the correct callusing over and healing of the pruning wound. I still see cans of this stuff on the garden center shelves. Do not use it. Finally, the soil is warming up in May and the last frost date has passed, so we can get to some of our spring plantings. It is time to make your first sowing of green beans, cucumbers, squash, sweet corn and a second seeding of lettuce in the vegetable garden. Transplants of tomatoes, eggplants and peppers can be placed in the garden. I like to recommend the All-America Selections website ~ www.all-

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Tidewater Gardening

directly in the ground? Well, yes, but… the idea is that the plant will root through the peat or fiber pot and the pot will dissolve in the soil over the growing season, and that is true. However, the decomposition of the peat pot is dependent upon the presence of certain soil bacteria and fungi in the soil to do the “munching” on the pot. It has been my experience that if you place these transplants in raised beds where the “soil” is not native but rather a commercial potting mix made up of peat, perlite and bark, these decomposition organisms are not present. Unless you have consistently managed your native soil with proper compost applica-

the peat pot before planting. Yes, I know, you are probably giving me a strange look when I mention this. Aren’t these tomato and other vegetable plants grown in fiber or peat pots so you can plant them

tions over time, our native silt-clay and sandy loam soils will not have high numbers of these organisms. If you do plant the entire peat pot, be sure to remove the top inch of the pot and cover the top of the pot with soil. Exposing the top to air will “wick” away the water around the plant’s root ball. Hold off mulching these vegetable transplants until June to give the soil adequate time to warm up completely. Applying mulch too early will keep the soil too cool and will inhibit root growth. If you have ever set out tomato transplants and then come out the next day to find them cut off at the soil level, you have cutworm damage. Cutworms are the larval

or juvenile form of several kinds of night-f lying moths. They cause damage by curling around the plant stem at night and cutting the transplant off at the ground level. Another telltale sign that you have cutworms in the garden is the presence of pencil diameter-sized holes in the ground.

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after the transplants become established. Cutworms are not the only insect pests that show up in the

To prevent this feeding damage on the transplants, cut the tops and bottoms from small coffee cans or plastic cups. Place the cans over the transplants in the early evening. Next morning, remove them so the plant can get full sun. Repeat this practice for about a week until the transplants become established. You can also make collars from folded newspaper, cardboard strips or aluminum foil. The collars should be 2 to 3 inches tall and pushed firmly into the soil so the cutworm larvae canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t go over or under the collar. Paper collars can stay in place until they break down. Remove the aluminum foil collars

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vegetable garden in May. Other insects present and active now include aphids, cabbage worms, cucumber beetles and Colorado potato beetles. Aphids seem to appear overnight and suck the sap from the leaves and tender new growth, but they usually cause little permanent damage. Often, several parasites and predators, notably the ladybird beetle, help keep this insect pest in check. A forceful spray from the garden hose will also help to keep aphids under control. For severe infestations, try using insecticidal soap.

When you see ants crawling on garden plants, look for aphids. Some ant species protect aphids, moving them from plant to plant and even taking them into the anthill for overnight safety. The ants do this to ensure a supply of honeydew, a sugary water substance secreted by aphids and on which ants feed. A good natural control for aphids is a powder called diatomaceous earth. Apply this material according to label directions where 77

Tidewater Gardening

of many vegetables, including squash, corn, cucumbers, melons and beans. They also transmit the bacterial wilt disease that causes the plants to wilt and die rapidly. These beetles can be controlled early to some degree with f loating row covers. Protection in the early stages of growth is essential. However, when the plants start to f lower, especially squash and cucumbers, you will need to remove the row covers to allow bees access to pollinate the f lowers.

the ants are located. If you planted a spring crop of broccoli and cabbage, keep an eye out for cabbage worms. They can ruin the broccoli flowers and cabbage heads if not kept under control. How many times have you gone out to the vegetable garden, picked a couple of beautiful heads of broccoli, brought them inside and steamed them for dinner, and then found a couple blanched white cabbage worms when you put the broccoli on the dinner plate? Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t worry, the cabbage worms are a source of protein, but most of us prefer being served protein in the form of a steak. Close inspection of the plants and handpicking is the best control. If you want to spray, use a biological control called B.t. or Dipel to control these worms.

Try using a homemade insect repellent spray made up of horseradish roots and leaves, garlic, peppercorns, hot peppers and green onions. Combine these ingredients in your blender and then place in a pail and add a couple teaspoons of liquid dishwashing detergent. Stir and let set overnight. Use one-half cup of the solution to one quart of water and spray on the plants. If this mixture isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t effective, how-

Striped and spotted cucumber beetles are voracious feeders on the roots, f lowers, stems and leaves 78

tunias, ageratums and fibrous begonias. All are good border plants. You can also set petunia plants among fading tulips or daffodils to hide the unsightly wilting leaves. After the bulb foliage begins to fade, you can tie the leaves in gentle knots to neaten them, but don’t remove them until they have dried completely. Happy Gardening! Marc Teffeau retired as Director of Research and Regulatory Affairs at the American Nursery and Landscape Association in Washington, D.C. He now lives in Georgia with his wife, Linda.

ever, you may have to resort to a chemical spray of neem, pyrethrum or spinosad products to achieve effective control. In the f lower garden, now is the time to set out warm-season annuals like celosia, marigolds, pe-

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The Forgotten Pie Melon by James Dawson Then, imagine my surprise and delight when my cousin Nor ma Higgins made a pie melon pie for Thanksgiving dinner. It was delicious! Much lighter and more delicate in both flavor and color than the traditional pumpkin pie. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d never tasted anything quite like it. She sent me home with another slice that I savored for days, taking only tiny slivers so that it would last longer. Now, since my curiosity had been aroused, not to mention my appetite, suddenly I became interested in the pie melon.

The pie melon is one of the Eastern Shoreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s long-forgotten treats. Despite the fact that it makes delicious pies, ask any number of people familiar with Eastern Shore cuisine and the odds are that few, if any, have ever heard of a pie melon, let alone tasted one. And I asked lots of people! Somehow, I became aware of the pie melon ages ago, but other than it was an old-time melon used to make pies many years ago, I knew nothing about it, and so I mostly forgot about it.

Pie Melon

Atlantic climate, and so is nothing like our pie melon. But what our pie melon is isn’t exactly clear. Both melons and squash are varieties of the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae). All melons are gourds, but not all gourds are melons. It’s easy to tell the two apart. Melons are round (except when they’re not), while squash are gourd shaped and have straight or crooked necks (except when they don’t). Well, maybe it’s not quite so easy after all. We can’t even agree on what the plural of squash is. Is it squash or squashes?! You c a n ma ke pies f rom just about anything. Not only the old standards like apple, peach, pear and pumpkin, but w ith increasingly improbable things like white

Pie melon is certainly a colloquial name for something, but just what a pie melon is depends on where in the world you are. The pie melon from New Zealand uses softball-sized yellow citrus fruits that are nothing like the pie melon in the U.S. West and Mid-West, which is large and round with green stripes like a watermelon on the outside, but tastes lemony inside. The western variety can sometimes be so bitter that it was once thought to be poisonous, and so prolific in the hot, dry weather there that it was sometimes fed to hogs and cattle. But the western pie melon would not thrive in Maryland’s mid-

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According to Helen Cardiff (the only other person I asked who knew any thing about pie melons), her friend the late Joe Leiner was an early champion of the pie melon. He grew them, made pies and gave away seeds. Leiner was a resident of Pot Pie near Wittman, and so had the perfect location to be an expert on

potatoes, watermelon, cantaloupe, cucumber and even four and twenty black birds. Not to mention many varieties of melons and squash(es). The f irst use of the name pie melon in the East and South I’ve found is in the March 17, 1860 issue of the Greensboro Times in Greensboro, N.C. The first use of the name in Maryland I’ve seen is in an article about the Talbot Co. Fair in the Sept. 30, 1890 issue of the Easton Star Democrat, which mentioned G.T. Graham’s display of pie melon, radish and okra. And thereafter, prizes for pie melons were often awarded at county fairs on the Eastern Shore in the early 1900s before disappearing in the 1940s. But more about that later.

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Pie Melon

reason, that name has been changed to cucurbita argyrosperma. Nothing is easy about pie melons, it would seem. It is definitely the squash of myster y. Cushaw! Gesundheit! The name sounds like a sneeze. People can’t even agree on how to spell it. Is it cushaw or kershaw? Nor can they agree on where it came from. It might have been used by Native Americans when Europeans came, or it may be native to the West Indies and was brought here in the mid-1800s. Un li ke t he pu mpk in, our pie melon mostly grows below the Mason Dixon Line. It is not known up north and is now virtually forgotten down south. However, there is much more online about cushaws than pie melons. So, why was our pie melon really a squash? Both melons and squash are members of the gourd family and are often hard to tell apart, as we’ve seen. And, who knows, maybe pie melon sounds better than pie squash. I’ve heard it said that the pie melon by itself is so bland that it has little or no taste to it, and that all the f lavor comes from the ingredients, but that is unfair. The pie melon, in fact, has a delicate, melon-y f lavor, just not as strong as pumpkin. Once you’ve had a taste of pie melon pie, it is said, you will never go back to pumpkin, and I can believe it. That said, if the pie melon is so good, why did it disappear? Helen said Leiner’s theory was that the

various kinds of pies. Helen grew them for a few years and made pies, but then lost interest and forgot about them. She was able to confirm what my cousin Norma had told me, that the pie melon was actually a cushaw squash. This was also confirmed by the cushaw entry in the book The Compleat Squash: A Passionate Grower’s Guide to Pumpkins, Squashes, and Gourds by Amy Goldman (Artisan Books, N.Y. 2004), which lists pie melon as one of the many names by which the cushaw is known. It is also called green striped cushaw, Hopi cushaw, striped crookneck, cushaw pumpkin, Tennessee sweet potato and winter squash. And, if that wasn’t complicated enough, there are two different species of squash that go by the name cushaw: cucurbita mixta and cucurbita moschata with a seemingly infinite number of variations of each. I’m pretty sure that the mixta is our pie melon except that, for some

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Pie Melon

heart, because the fake pumpkin, or “squashkin,” as it might be called, is probably better than the real thing. And are you ready for one final pumpkin pie fraud? The Pilgrims did not eat pumpkin pie at that first Thanksgiving in 1621. Not only did they not have the flour to make a pie crust, but they didn’t have an oven to bake the pie even if they could have made it. What they probably did was to hollow out a pumpkin, fill it with a custard made of milk, honey and spices and roast it whole in hot ashes. Then, for all we know, maybe they ate the custard and threw away the pumpkin shell! The pumpkin pie, as we know it, probably did not appear until the early 19th century ~ 300 years later. “Everywhere I look ~ pumpkin at rocit ies!” to quote t he Gra nd P u mpk i n f r om T h e S i m p s on s. Enough is enough! Let us bring back the pie melon! But how you make a pie melon pie was another mystery. I searched cookbook after cookbook, including local church cookbooks, but found nothing. There wasn’t anything in the Joy of Cooking, which is supposed to have everything. Even the internet site that promised 263 pie melon recipes had not one recipe for pie melons. Apparently they meant to say 263 recipes for pies and melons. While I am sure you could use a pumpkin pie recipe and substitute pie melon, my cousin Norma obvi-

pie melon disappeared just about the time canned pumpkin pie filling started to appear on supermarket shelves. Why spend an hour or more preparing the pie melon when all you had to do was to dump some canned pumpkin pie mix into a pie shell? There are so many varieties of pumpkins with different textures, it was found that squash (or squashes) were more consistent in f lavor and texture than pumpkin, so if you buy pumpkin pie filler it’s probably made of one or more varieties of … squash. Even if the label says that it’s 100% pumpkin! That’s because since 1938, the FDA “consistently advised canners that we would not initiate regulator y action solely because of their using the designation ‘pumpkin’ or ‘canned pumpkin’ on labels for articles prepared from golden-f leshed, sweet squash, or mixtures of such squash with field pumpkins.” Pumpkin is actually a generic term that covers about four different kinds of squash. But take

Norma’s Pie Melon Pie (makes two 9-inch pies)

ously had the recipe. She generously shared it with me, and I will share it with you. Very few people grow them anymore, and the cushaw is considered an heirloom squash, but thanks to a tip from my cousin Heather, I bought the last three available at the Amish Farmer’s Market in Easton. So here is the saga of my piemaking experience. Bear in mind that this was the first pie that I had ever baked in my life, let alone made from scratch, so I had more than a little bit of “pie anxiety.” I hope you will pardon all the minutiae regarding its preparation because it was all new to me. But having since successfully prepared and baked several, I’m definitely getting the hang of it.

About a quart of pie melon 3/4 stick butter 5 eggs approx. 9 oz. evaporated milk 2 tsp. lemon extract 2 c. sugar 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. nutmeg to taste If you don’t need two pies, you can freeze one pie for later or just make one pie by cutting the recipe in half. Baking is the easy part ~ preparing a 13-inch-long, 22-inch-round, 6-pound cushaw is more of a challenge. Cut it into two halves and scoop out the seeds and goop from

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fit. Bake at 350º for an hour or so to soften the meat, which makes it much easier to scrape and peel off the skin with a dull knife or spoon. But be careful, it’s HOT! Best let it cool for a few minutes first.

the center cavity. There will easily be 200 seeds, so save them to plant later if you want to get into the cushaw squash business, or you can roast and eat them just like pumpkin seeds. You could peel it and cut the meat into squares and cook or microwave them until they are soft, and then drain off the excess liquid, but that’s a lot of work. Probably the easiest and best way to prepare the pie melon is to cut off the stem and stub at the base and discard them. Cut the body in half, scoop out the goop and lay the halves face down on a foillined cookie sheet. You will probably have to cut off the neck so it will all

Scoop the goop, Heat the meat, And pretty soon, It’ll be ready to eat. There’s less waste and probably more taste this way, as the f lavor will have been seared in and not boiled and drained away. The meat will be nice and soft and can easily be placed in a bowl to be mashed up with a potato masher while mixing in the rest of the ingredients. Put

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the butter in first so it will get a head start on melting. Use less milk if too runny, more milk if too dry. I cheated and bought a ready-made graham cracker pie shell, figuring I would have enough trouble just preparing and baking the pie part. I like the graham cracker crust, but you might prefer the pastry. Pour the mixture in a pie shell and bake for 10 minutes at 400º, t hen 10 more minute s at 350º,

cover the exposed crust with a ring of aluminum foil to keep the edge from burning, and continue baking at 350º for about 40 minutes or until done ~ done being when a toothpick inserted in the center of the pie comes out clean. Refrigerate before serving. One cushaw makes up to three pies if you use the meat from the neck, too, but the meat from the neck will take longer to soften. You can freeze the surplus mashed-up meat for another time. Ever yone I’ve given a slice to loves it. They w ill definitely remember the pie melon! James Dawson is the owner of Unicorn Bookshop in Trappe.

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valuable album series “Tilghman’s Island,” but the text sometimes included the unadorned, more modern version. His albums also include the third version in the photo of a professional-looking 1933 baseball team wearing uniforms emblazoned Tilghmans. Down in Dorchester County in the 1970s, residents of Elliott Island were also inconsistent when they began cobbling together a volunteer fire company out of used vehicles. Over time, they accumulated three hand-me-downs and had the doors branded with their

You probably have more pressing questions in your life, but here’s one that will never go away: Should one refer to Tilghman Island, Tilghmans Island, or Tilghman’s Island? While debates on the subject may not be heated, they can get surprisingly warm. Chatting once around an unknown island resident, I was overheard to say “Tilghmans Island.” The stranger reacted with such enthusiasm that I’d “said it right,” I thought she was going to hug me. Our late, great chronicler of island life, Gary Crawford, titled his

A S'hore Thing

agency averse to apostrophes, which any schoolmarm would say possessions require. Historically, this nicety of punctuation seems to have been totally ignored. Old documents routinely say Tilghmans or Elliotts Island. Questions of usage and punctuation arise only on an island using the given- or surname of a present or (more often) former owner. Kent Island is immune from the conundrum, having been named by William Claiborne in honor of the county of Kent, England. Claiborne crossed the Atlantic more than once, trying to raise funds for a New World fiefdom he envisioned for himself. Perhaps he was less than forthcoming and

name, each vehicle with a different variant in pseudo-gold leaf. As a resident and proud member of the company, I’m sometimes asked whether it is correct to say Elliott or Elliotts Island. Certainly opinions differ, but I generally say, “Either is correct; one is more historic.” So, like Gary, I’m of two or three minds on the subject, depending on whether it’s a verbal or a written reference. On paper, there’s the additional question of punctuation. Personally, I tend to blame the omission of normal, possessive-case punctuation on the postal service, but they’re certainly not the only

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A S'hore Thing thought investors would be more open handed in backing a scheme christened Kent Island rather than Claiborne’s Island. The question of nomenclature knows no Maryland-Virginia state boundary, though it’s been nowhere near so thorny as pinpointing the precise location of that line. Claiborne was loyal to Virginia while claiming rights to Kent Island, kicking off centuries of bloody disputes. In 1635, he armed the pinnace Cockatrice to sail against Leonard Calvert in an ill-considered assault. A more genteel battle was waged successfully against various state

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the question. My neighbor Freddie Waller and I spent five years researching and writing a book we titled Elliott’s Island: The Land That Time Forgot. Every old-timer pronounced it that way, though you won’t find an apostrophe in any letter they ever wrote. In any case, I came to believe the Elliott family lost symbolic acknowledgment of their one-time ownership when the postal service opened an office in 1883 and (inventing a town that never existed) called its office “Elliott, Maryland.” When Freddie and I donated a copy of our work to the county library, they cataloged our book as “Elliott’s (sic) Island: The Land That Time Forgot,” inserting the

and federal authorities by a lady on Gwynn’s Island, Virginia. A footnote on the website of the Gwynn’s Island Museum notes: “Please note the ’s in Gwynn’s Island. For many years State and Federal maps and charts referred to Gwynn Island. Unfortunately some current publications still do. The late Mrs. Eleanor Respess, a native Islander, prevailed at great length to get it changed to Gwynn’s Island, saying, ‘You don’t call it Martha Vineyard, so you don’t call it Gwynn Island.’” Lacking Mrs. Respess’s fortitude, I’ve gone back and forth on

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“sic” to indicate someone other than the library was mistaken in titling the book. That got my Mrs. Respess up. I opined to the librarian that both Elliott and Elliott’s Island seemed correct. One being more historic than the other really

didn’t warrant an arbitrary (sic). More recently, when I published Holland Island: Lost Atlantis of the Chesapeake, I surrendered to removing an “s” to gain maximum Google-ability. Kathleen Barnes, the project’s graphic artist, want-

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electronically remove the “s” from Miss Emma penning Hollands Island. In the book’s text, I used Hollands Island, as any islander would have done. If Ralph Waldo Emerson called consistency “the hobgoblin of little minds,” who am I to disagree? Eventually, I came to feel a little prissy about including the apostrophe in the title of my first island book, Elliott’s Island. Back in the day, nobody bothered punctuating it, and now neither do I. Meanwhile, perhaps the title inf luenced Maryland’s State Highway Administration to include “Elliott’s Island” on Route 50 exit signs. The big, green overhead signs pointing to the exit at Vien-

ed to memorialize the handwriting of a former teacher whose letters to her mainland home survived. At that time, “maidens” were preferred as female elementary teachers, so Miss Emma Willis was typical of her kind: a youngster barely older than some of her pupils, recruited to board offshore from September to June in the home of a school board member. We could picture young Miss Emma alone in her room on a wintry evening, dipping a straight pen in an ink pot as the wind rattled the windows, writing to her mother in Church Creek. To replicate her handwriting, the artist had to

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*Excerpted from Foley’s upcoming book, Island Hopping on the Chesapeake Bay.

na originally included the way to “Elliott’s Island.” When the signs went up, someone called the highway department and complained so emphatically that the government sent a team in a bucket truck with a can of green paint to eradicate the ’s. If you are passing by Vienna, Maryland, and not driving in traffic, look closely and you can still see the “correction.” The survival of “St. Michaels” and “Martha’s Vineyard” makes one wonder if property values inf luence officially recognized nomenclature. If so, a tip of the hat to the grit and persistence of the late Mrs. Eleanor Respess of Gwynn’s Island, Virginia.

After co-writing pictorial histories for Arcadia Publishing with Gloria Johnson (Cambridge and Dorchester County), A.M. Foley wrote Having My Say: Conversations with Chesapeake Bay Waterman Wylie “Gator” Abbott; A Dorchester County Scrapbook: “That Reminds Me of a Story” (with Terry White); and, most recently, Holland Island: Lost Atlantis of the Chesapeake (with P. Smith Rue).

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All-American Part VIII of a novel in many parts

by Roger Vaughan Previously: The year is 1998. Andy Thomas made an ill-advised tactical call during a race in 50foot sailboats that nearly caused a dangerous collision. His father, Mitchell (at the helm), was livid. Later, at the awards dinner, a drunken Andy delivered a public declaration that made it virtually impossible for Mitchell Thomas, a well-known amateur sailor, not to mount a Volvo Round the World Race challenge. Mitchell is CEO of Moss Optical, a company inherited by his wife, Deedee Moss. Thomas was thoroughly outraged by his son’s gaffe. At a board meeting of Moss Optical held in the company’s planetarium-board room, a proposal for the company to sponsor the first American boat in the Volvo Race was presented, and accepted, much to Deedee’s delight. Colorful two-time America’s Cup winner Jan Sargent held one of his high-intensity press conferences to announce he had been asked by Mitchell Thomas to skipper the Moss boat, All American. In his of-

fice at Moss, Andy is distraught, having learned his father has made him part of All American’s crew. He agonizes over this to his friend Jeff Linn, a Moss opticist. Linn jokingly suggests Andy shoot himself in the foot. Gloria, Andy’s secretary, buzzes to tell him his father wants to see him. After an unpleasant meeting with his father, who is adamant about Andy going on the Volvo Race, he drives to see his mother, Deedee, on the Long Island estate, hoping she will intervene. Andy has a very pleasant sail with his mother ~ her favorite thing to do ~ but is distraught to find her conviction about him going on the Volvo Race is set in concrete. When pressed, Ossie, the old Norwegian who has run the family’s boathouse for 40 years, says his mother has very good reason for insisting he go on the race. Andy spends two weeks with the crew doing an Outward Bound course for training and bonding. He was subjected to hazing from this fraternity of professional sailors, and he hit back. *** 101

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of concrete beneath the floor. A panel in the roof opened remotely when Andy, known as “Gather No the machine was activated. Moss” to his online astronomer Andy seated himself in the chaise buddies, was bent over his laptop in that was custom-shaped to his body. his house on Long Island. He was quickly engaged. His whole Starry: This could be it, I’m not being seemed to be sucked into the kidding. silent black void he loved. It had Gather No Moss: Not convinced. been ever thus since his grandfather Starry: Come on, man, I know had put the old (even then) baseball you are a believer. With a grandfa- cap on him and seated him in the ther like yours. He knew. That’s why telescope chair in his lab. How old he built that incredible lens...him had he been, four? Old Randolph and the elves. Man, I wish he could Moss had known how to capture see this. Here they come, baby! The the attention of a rowdy four-yearfreaking elves are on their way. old. He had the big lens focused on Gather No Moss: He would dig it. the Orion Nebula (Messier 42), the Starry: How long have we been showiest bunch of burning gases in tracking this thing? Three days? I’m the universe that we know. sure it has entered No doubt the asHe was sucked the atmosphere. It’s tronomy gene was gone now. Watch for into the silent black void there in Andy, just stories. awaiting the drahe loved *** matic, seminal moAndy signed off, pulled on an old ment when it encountered its deswoolen baseball cap backwards, and tiny. But credit the Orion Nebula moved to the telescope, an impres- for providing the perfect come-on, sive-looking developmental model the hot fudge sauce for the vanilla his friend Jeff had designed. The ice cream; the gild for the lily. The telescope was like a small observa- nebula was the ultimate color extory that took up a full third of the travaganza, stretching across the large, modern living room that was universe 30-40 light years in diamglassed on three sides and offered eter, reduced to the size of a donut views of the spooky woods at night. after its journey of 1,344 light years Right then a couple of deer could be at roughly 7 million mph to Ranseen at the edge of the woods, star- dolph Moss’s amazing telescope and ing in. The telescope, which Jeff had into Andy’s mind. named the Moss Black Hole 949, Somehow, at age four, Andy had was mounted on an impressive steel gotten it. This was not television. framework anchored in several tons He’d simply gotten the whole amaz102

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cal being had somehow reset itself ~ and his mind had been suddenly ing, mind-blowing reality of it. able to focus for the first time ever. Randolph hadn’t tried to explain it For a kid whose attention span was to a four-year-old. His first goal had around five seconds on a good day, been to entertain his grandson. He Andy had sat rooted to the chair for was good at that. Andy got along fifteen minutes, totally mesmerbetter with him than anyone. To be ized by the Orion Nebula ~ what it fair, Randolph had thought it might was and where it was. When he got take, or wondered if it would; hoped up and dragged himself out of the it would. He’d had Andy in the chair chair, the boy had seemed dumbbefore and there had been nothing. struck, wobbly-legged. The old man The boy was only four years old. had been overwhelmed. He knew Be patient. Randolph was smart immediately that a connection had enough not to expect much. been made. He felt it. So did Deedee The old man kept trying because the minute she saw Andy. His father he was a scientist, and because was unaware of any changes in his he knew he’d been born with a son. Deedee knew better than to try very special strain of ~ something to explain it to him. strange and mysAndy never just terious ~ running Isha was making a high- sat in the chair of through his brain. It velocity entrance behind a telescope. He bewould be remarkable a wall of shopping bags came part of the if it were passed on. state-of-the-art opHis son hadn’t gotten it. Whatever tical marvel—the missing piece. it was had taken a different, less This night at the Moss Black Hole productive turn with his daughter 949, Andy was motionless except Deedee. Andy was his only grand- for the thumb of one hand barely child, his last hope. moving the fine focus lever. He In that moment when Andy could hear his heart beating, prolooked into the eyepiece and wit- viding an outer-spacial soundtrack nessed the incredible presence of he rather liked. Nothing else to hear the Orion Nebula, that otherworld- out there. ly display of supernatural power He jumped a mile as his two and Hollywood special effects in black Labs awoke from their naps a part of the universe so far away on the couch, barked and scrambled most people don’t have the tools for the door. Andy caught his breath to even imagine it, Andy changed. and cursed. It was Isha, making a His whole self had experienced typical high-velocity entrance besome instant epiphany ~ his physi- hind a wall of shopping bags, oblivi106

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low the hip, and kissed her. It was very good, her kissing back ~ more ous, like any certifiable narcissist, encouragement ~ but it was shortto what anyone else in the world lived. With what athletes who play might be doing. contact sports call the spin move, “My God, you can’t believe the Isha twirled away, talking a sudden traffic. Turns out it was a wreck, blue streak about something, a type bodies, really, bodies, two ambu- of behavior that was getting downlances, everything down to one right annoying and all too frequent. lane. God, I hate the traffic, and I mean, what about this desire people are so stupid, going even thing, are we supposed to ignore it? slower to gawk at the mess, all the Well, let me tell you something: it’s glass, probably blood, although I not something that can be ignored! couldn’t see any, and nothing on the That sounded pretty good, pretty radio, I mean boring, it’s so boring intense. Andy thought he’d have to on the road, but hey, here I am, and try it on her. But not now. She had here we are, so why worry?” the floor, as usual. Despite his annoyance at the “Later, Andy, later. Don’t you get disturbance, Andy was amused. it? How many times do I have to exWhat a package, he plain it, that I’m in Thoughts about that thought, half-lisout-and-about mode, tening to Isha’s BS, evening's date with the ready for Women’s mostly just taking it Wear Daily to come Universe were fading all in: the choreogalong, lookin’ good, raphy, the flash costume, the body, out there, right there, and I’ll tell the face, the hair piled up but com- you, there’s too much work involved ing undone in that signature way to mess it all up, you know? Later she likes it, the pouty mouth, the I’ll remove. . .everything. . .except so-very-done-up eyes with the rad my nails, get into the tub, put on my lashes, and the blazing red nails, all scrubs, those silk ones you like, and right out of a Revlon commercial. be ready for Freddie if you know He had to admit it wasn’t bad, not at what I mean. . . capisce?” all bad. He felt the familiar lust stirAgain the choreography was polring. Thoughts about that evening’s ished. Isha’s little dance ended up date with the Universe were fading. with her face an inch from Andy’s, He went to Isha, gave her a their bodies just barely touching, warm-hearted hug. She responded. with the definite message being sent That was encouraging. He let one that that was as close as it would get hand drop to that wonderful rise for the time being. Another spin of supple flesh on the back, just be- move. “Besides, you have so much 108

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All-American

horseshoes. They were cool, but you could tell they got a little anto tell me, like about Outward Bang noyed, suggested we change boats. or whatever. What happened up It didn’t matter. I’ve always been there in cold old Maine?” She fell a good starter, and when it’s light onto the sofa in polished disarray, you know that counts heavily. And giving the f loor to Andy. most of the time I called the shifts. Andy sat across from her and Unreal. It was really unreal. Sargave her the two-minute version, gent said when anyone else asked the obstacle courses, the boulder me what my job was on the boat I climbing, and focused on the sail- could tell them, driver.” ing, where he had surprised himAndy’s laugh reeked of sarcasm. self and everyone else by being the “That’s exactly what I want to be, dominant skipper in the light wind a driver on a goddam Volvo Race that had prevailed for most of the boat. Christ. . .” two weeks the crew had been on “Really, in just two weeks, you the island. “It was odd,” he told look better,” Isha said. “More musIsha, who had gone into a rare cly. I think you might have lost a listening mode. “I hadn’t sailed few pounds. And less drinking. competitively since More of a ’round the college, where I did He wondered how much world sailor boy.” pretty well. But the of her life had been spent “That’s me, that is minute I got into one me. . .” Andy trailed in front of a mirror of those Rhodes 19s off. ~ they are kind of a heavy, all purIsha f lashed him a dazzling pose day sailor. . . smile, just in case Women’s Wear “I know the boats,” Isha said. Daily photographers were snip“…the minute I took the helm, ing from the woods with their long it was like I was back at URI, un- lenses, Andy thought. til I got kicked out. The damned “How was Outward Bang?” Andy heavy old clunker came alive. My said. “It was a pain in the ass. Up feel was there, like it never left. I at six for a run, plunging into water was reading the wind, two fingers cold enough to make polar bears feather light on the tiller. I freak- refuse, nutritious diet, meaning ing killed them. Okay, I didn’t kill boring food, damn little to drink, them. But there are at least two no sex. . . pretty much a prison Olympic medalists on the crew. situation.” Okay, so they won their medals a “Oh, I hear there’s a lot of sex in few games ago, and I didn’t beat prison.” them by much, but hey, this wasn’t Andy said nothing. He got up 110

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All-American

her hand inside his shirt. She took off his wool baseball cap with the and went to the bar. other hand. “Want something?” “I know, your grandfather gave “My martini, please.” it to you.” “You mean a glass of gin?” She put it on, turned the brim “That’s my martini.” sideways and laughed. “I bet I look He fixed her drink, poured a shot better in it than you.” of Zafra 30 rum on ice for himself Then she kissed Andy, a sweet and sat back down, watched her kiss. Andy felt the electric shock have a sip of the gin. More chore- caused by the surprising conography. Was there anything this tact of tongues. She pulled back. babe did that wasn’t a studied rou- “I’m gonna get ready,” she said. tine? He wondered how much of “More later. Promise.” She got up, her life had been spent in front of grabbed the shopping bags and mirrors. He suddenly wished she headed for her green rooms. were a thousand or so light years Andy got up, shaking his head, away so he could study her with the poured himself a touch more Zafra telescope. That would be fun re- 30 and strolled around the room search. Isha, a new of this ultra house, He had mentally com- his magazine-worstar. Whoa, wait a pared his dog Zoomer minute, this was thy bachelor digs, different: think- with Isha, only no tongues causing the dogs to ing. He’d just been look up expectantly. taking it as it came, just grooving Zoomer, the younger one, got up the package, happy with the eye- and came over, nudging his head candy, and the all-too-occasional, against Andy’s leg. Andy squatusually too-rushed drama in the ted down and rubbed Zoomer’s sheets. He hadn’t actually thought head the way he liked it. Then he much about the situation before. laughed out loud and just about fell Just had another drink. over because he had just mentally Isha caught the vibe like it was compared Zoomer with Isha. Only a fire call. Andy quiet. Thinking. no tongues. He laughed again. This Bad. No matter what he’s think- time he did fall over, just because ing about, bad. She put her drink it felt so good. Boomer instantly down, sidled over to his chair started licking Andy’s neck and like Cyd Charise in Silk Stock- cheek. ings and sat with care in his lap so “No tongues, Boomer,” Andy she wouldn’t spill his drink on her said, springing up. Boomer went dress. She got a little pouty, stuck back and jumped up on the couch. 112

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All-American

It didn’t take him long. Maybe 10, 12 minutes, before he was back, Andy kept cruising, and it was putting his watch on as he walked like he was seeing his stuff for the toward the bar for just a little one first time. What a freaking collec- before they left. And there was tion, he thought. Several exercise Isha, caught in the act like a cat machines that had rarely been on the kitchen counter eating the used. The classic “Pong” set, the salmon. Isha dressed to kill in first video game, the large com- some fractional black dress. Isha mercial version. The major league- over at Andy’s big work table as quality first baseman’s mitt, the it happened. Isha standing there, Wayne Gretzky autographed hock- bent over the table with half a ey stick. The Pac-Man table that stack of papers and plans in her took quarters. The set of Ping irons, left hand while her right hand was still unwrapped, had to have ’em; about to peel off another one from the eight-foot radio-controlled J the sheets left on the table. Isha boat he’d raced twice, now mount- motionless as a stone, hoping she ed on a wall rack that allowed it might become invisible, but still to heel just enough so it’s 10-foot managing a little innocent smile. mast missed the “Whoa!” Andy ceiling, and causing Isha, motionless as stone, said, changing gravity to fill the hoping she might become course quickly tosails; the collection ward the table, takinvisible of ships’ clocks on ing the papers out the bookshelf. . . he hadn’t wound of Isha’s hands and scooping them one in years; several drones, big all up. “No worries, I shouldn’t ones, sitting ominously on anoth- have left them out. Too early to talk er shelf looking like new because about it. Top secret, actually, so I they were. All his Nikon bodies hope you’ll keep them to yourself. and lenses were on another shelf. Damn. Pretty nosey there, Isha.” It went on. Over beside the J boat “Oh, Andy, come on, it’s not like was the $15,000 gym “thing” that we don’t know everything about was sold on the back covers of the each other. I came over here lookfancier magazines for a few months ing for my vaporizer and the map until the wealthy sucker market caught my eye.” Isha had once again was saturated. The dogs enjoyed turned on the heat. Andy was imsleeping in it. mune, busy putting maps, plans Andy shook his head, drained and documents back in order. the rest of the rum, headed for the “So what’s ‘Mountain View’?” shower. “Just a little project I’ve got go114

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All-American ing. A little project that is gonna be a wham-o by all the looks. This is the biggest deal I’ve ever done. It’s gonna blow everyone away, Mitchell included. Especially Mitchell,” Andy said evenly. He went quiet. “What?” “Thinking of Mitchell made me think about the goddam Volvo Race. This,” he whacked the stack of papers against the desk, “this is what needs my attention. Not the stupid race, a nine-month isolation ‘driving’ a Volvo Race boat with a satellite phone that might work. I may as well go to Sweden and take the sleep cure.” “Oh, I think you can do both.”

“The sleep cure and the Volvo Race?” Andy laughed as he walked toward the wall safe with the Mountain View project in a manageable stack. “You know what I mean.” “There might only be one.” Andy shut the safe door, spun the dial. “Really?” “Yeah, I’m seeing Deedee tomorrow. I don’t have a card to play. Maybe I have a piece of one. I dunno. Or maybe I’ll fi nd one under her dresser. I better. This really is my last shot.” Roger Vaughan lives in recommended social distance, works and sails in Oxford, Maryland.

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Oxford Fine Arts 2020 Goes Virtual! The show will go on ~ online! With the coronavirus pandemic, the Oxford Community Center faced a decision to either cancelling the show or adapting it to create community online, and OCC chose the latter. In an effort to bring artists and their incredible original work into the lives and homes of art enthusiasts and supporters, OCC has built a virtual exhibit and sales show.

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Heading Out by Keith Whitelock. 123

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Oxford Fine Arts mission to a cocktail party when COVID-19 restrictions are lifted. We will celebrate together in person and share stories of the wonderful art bought from the comfort of your homes. The exhibit is open to the public via the oxcfordcc.org website Saturday, May 16 and Sunday, May 17. On Sunday, the raffle winners will be announced at 5 p.m. and the show will close. The raffle items will be added to the website as soon as we receive them from the artists, so keep checking the site! The raffle art is visible on the “meet the artists” page on the OCC website and in the digital program

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This has been a challenging time for the Center as well, with months of cancelled events, so we appreciate your participation. Stay Healthy ~ Stay Home ~ and enjoy beauty in the world ~ virtually. For more information, please visit oxfordcc.org or contact the Oxford Community Center at 410226-5904 or by email at oxfordcc@ verizon.net. Sign up for OCC’s weekly e-newsletter for additional announcements and updates, or like OCC’s Facebook page at Oxford Community Center, Inc. The Community Center is a non-profit 501(c)3. The OCC is always open online at www.oxfordcc.org. www.oxfordcc.org

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