Fuel for Smith Island

“Whether the weather be fine, whether the weather be not, whether the weather be cold, whether the weather be hot, we'll weather the weather, whatever the whether, whether we like it or not.”

Just across from the Crisfield city dock lies the county dock. It is used for loading heavy equipment and supplies onto barges that go to both Smith Island and Tangier Island. The captains and dock workers work in all kinds of weather, and boy, have we have some bad weather lately!

From left, Craig Stevens, captain of a barge, chats with  Mike Sterling, an employee of DMO Oil and Propane, as he pumps oil into holding tanks. Sterling trucked in 2000 gallons of fuel oil to be delivered to the good folks of Smith Island.

We have some really happy people in Crisfield.

Oh, and here is Captain Larry Laird who runs a mail/passenger boat from Smith Island to Crisfield. He was headed back to his boat after enjoying a hot cup of coffee and some good chatter at Gordons.

Thanks to all the good people who make our lives better by braving the elements.

Snow for Vancouver Olympics?

"For the man sound in body and serene of mind there is no such thing as bad weather; every day has its beauty, and storms which whip the blood do but make it pulse more vigorously."  ~ George Gissing

I had thought Old Man Winter was gone for the time being. I mean, shouldn't he be headed to Vancouver for the Winter Olympics? It was 48 degrees in Vancouver today.

We got another round of snow today. And to top that the wind was gusting to 60 mph, the sleet hitting hard against my face.  It was difficult to stay planted in one spot long enough to get a good photo, and I had to rush home to beat a deadline before the real blizzard arrived. We are now in complete white-out conditions.

I do love photographing Mother Nature, even when she is at her worst. And today, she was in a very foul mood. Still, she always poses well for the camera.

Be sure and check my newspaper (see link on side bar) for staff photos from around the entire area and to see the weather forecast.

The first photo is for Vancouver. Hey, if you need snow, come on down. I am sure we can get someone to load you up.

And some black and whites:

More snow photos? Why not?

 “When it snows, you have two choices: shovel or make snow angels”  ~ Author unknown to me (I will add "take photos" to the list)
 

The snow just keeps coming. I know. It seems my snow photos may now be reaching overkill. But we don't get a lot of snow in Crisfield.Who knows when we will see this much snow again? Well, more is on the way. But next year, we may see little or no snow.

To make it less of bore, I present some black and white photos:

For the next round of snow, here here is a recipe for snow cream.

• 1 gallon snow
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups milk - soy milk works well but use plain (no flavors or sugar)
• You can add strawberries or blueberries

Directions: Place a large bowl (I like to use a stainless steel mixing bowl) outdoors. When full, stir in all ingredients, except milk. When mixed well, add milk or soy milk to proper consistency.

 

View from a Super Bowl party

 "This is for everybody in this city who's had homes who used to be wet. This is for the city of New Orleans." ~  Saints Coach Sean Payton


Thanks to Barb and Dan for hosting another wonderful Super Bowl party. Since everyone in the world saw the game last night I thought I would share a scene from your dining room they did not see.

And I just had to share this photo of two "fans" who preferred food over the game.

Another round of snow for Crisfield

Whose woods these are I think I know.

His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Robert Frost

What a winter this has been!  Here are a few photos I took today. Check out our staff photos for more Crisfield photos and other snow photos from around the area (see newspaper link to right).

 Somerset County trucks ready to roll. These guys do a great job.

One of my favorite places located on the marsh, facing the bay. The snow arrived mid-day.

This biker heads home with a sump pump.

Picture perfect.

Stocking up on groceries.

The Somerset Lower Shore Ambulance Squad, on the ball.

Man's best friend, waiting for his owner to return to his pick-up truck.

And then the snow really fell...

By the time I got home all the roads looked like this, and the snow fell for another two hours.

Snow can be...

“Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather.” ~ John Ruskin

Snow can be beautiful...

Snow can be fun...

Snow can be messy...

Snow can mean work...

Snow can mean, "Oops."

But mostly snow can be fun...

And beautiful...

More on the way, folks!

Groundog Day in Crisfield...Not! Crab predicts weather in Maryland

"I make the weather." ~ Quote from movie Groundhog Day.

Punxsutawney Phil, you have competition!

 We don't have any groundhogs in Crisfield unless they have rounded up some scuba-diving gear.

Filtered photo to show the shadow better. Slight, but there. Maybe that means only five more weeks of winter.

Many of you may remember the adventures of John John Crabby Crab.Well, he decided that Punxsutawney Phil should not get all the glory of predicting the weather. After talking it over with Sookie, his soul-mate (a sook is a female crab), he went down to the Crisfield dock to see if he could see his shadow. He did. A tiny one, but a shadow none the less.

Next year Crabby Crab wants to invite our Mayor P. J. Purcell to don a tux and top hat, making this an official event. He also wants to invite the city officials and Miss Crustacean, along with a ton of visitors. BIG PARTY!

Crabby Crab thinks we should wake up a Crisfield crab from his mud-house to do the honors. DNR, can we get permission for a watermen to round up just one crab? We can fix up a nice mud-hut for him to emerge from. Please? You can come, too.

________________________________

After Crabby Crab had predicted the weather, he had a snowball fight with Sookie. Notice no shadows in this photo, not even a shallow one.

Six more weeks of winter - perhaps five based on the shallow shadow in the first photo and no shadow in the second photo. 

Let's see if a Crisfield crab is smarter than a Pennsylvania groundhog.