May 16, 2017

After much trial and error, I think I may have conquered the Blog problems on my new computer.

If I can get this out this morning, I think I will be able to do it again.   Yesterday we were in the

tiny community of Tangier, VA.  It was truly  a step back in time.  At one time Tangier was a thriving fishing, crabbing, and oyster hub.  It had been that way since the early 1800's.  Today it is a shadow of its former self.  The boats, crabbing sheds, traps are still there, but due to the regulations there

is very little fishing of any kind done anymore.  There are about 800 people on the island.  A school

that has 100 kids, k through 12.  The kids leave the island when they graduate - never to return.  

The population is shrinking, getting older, as well as the town and the island.  There are very few cars

on the island.  Transportation is golf carts, ATVs, bikes, scooters, or walking.  The island is 3 miles long and maybe a mile wide.  We walked the town in about 30 minutes, and that included stopping at the gift shops (2), touring the oldest building on the island that is a church built in 1900.  The church

Traffic jam in Tangiers

is beautiful with a lot of stain glass windows.  What surprised me was our guide informed us that in the winter the water, which is the Chesapeake, can freeze around them and an ice crusher has to come and break them out.  The temperature can get below 0 with a wind chill.  

One of the many cemeteries

There were quite a few loopers there with us, but nobody stays very long.  When we left in the morning, we all felt we were escaping the twilight zone.  I doubt anyone will return.  We experienced everything the old town could give us.  It really is a very sad place.

1900 Methodist Church

some of the windows

coming into Tangier