Oxford, MD to Tilghman Island, MD

We left Cambridge mid-morning and had a short cruise over to Oxford, MD.  Oxford is a very small, quiet town.  We biked around town as the weather was so beautiful.  I must say the homes in the area are just gorgeous.  Kudos to the citizens of Oxford.  They are well kept, and they all have flowers and beautiful landscaping and gardens.  Everything was blooming.  Many homes have picket fences surrounding the property.

Just a great area to stroll or bike.  

The town of Oxford also does a cute thing with picket fences. Local artists paint scenes on small sections of fence and they are used in front of businesses, and some private residents put them on display in their gardens.  At the end of the season (October) they are auctioned off to raise money for local charities.

 

Here are just some of the painted fences we saw

Oxford is also known for its ice cream.  Scottish Highland Creamery has been making ice cream since the mid-1900s.  The founder was from Edinburg, Scotland and as a boy lived above an ice cream parlor.  At 15 he began working for the owner and eventually became the production and facility manager.  He was the only person other than the family to learn the secret ice cream recipes.  He brought those recipes along with him when he came to America and started the Scottish Highland Creamery in Oxford. 

Our sampling from the Creamery

Oxford also has a small ferry which is historic.  The Oxford-Bellevue Ferry is the oldest privately owned ferry service in the US.  Ferry service began in 1683 from Oxford to Bellevue across the Tred Avon River.  The first ferry used sails and oars to cross the river carrying mostly local workers between the farms and orchards of the towns.  It became a steam operated ferry in 1886.  Today it can carry up to 9 cars and passengers.  It runs 7 days a week except Nov. (weekends only) and is closed Dec. through March.

Oxford Ferry

In the marina they were busy getting boats back in the water for the summer.  The tall, red contraption  is used for removing sailboat masts so the boat and mast can more easily be stored for the winter.  This is called stepping the mast.  It is then put back on with the same machine.

Here is a sailboat in the slings getting ready to be put back into the water.  Mast already on.

From Oxford we cruised over to Tilghman Island.  This was a short trip out the Tred Avon River and across Knapps Narrows (just dredged this spring).  We came under the Knapp’s Narrows Bridge and are starying on the face dock at the Knapps Narrows Marina & Inn. 

Knapps Narrows Bridge

Bridge open

This scary looking contraption pictured below is a dredge that was parked alongside us at the marina.  The spiked "utensil" goes down into the mud and silt, stirring it loose.  At the same time a pipe under the dredge sucks the mud and silt up into a dredge pipe and spits it out at a distance from the canal being dredged.  This thing would also be great for beating eggs.

Captain Keith demonstrates where the dredging stopped

We were not in to the marina for more than 45 minutes when whom did we see pulling up in front of us but Kathy and Max on Air Time.  I really think they are stalking us.  We ran into them twice in Florida, again in Coinjock, and now here on Tilghman Island (things that make you go hmmm).

Southern Style with Air Time in front of us

  

Max and Kathy had come over to Tilghman for the weekend.  While they got settled in, Captain Keith and I rode the free marina bikes to the end of the island.  On the way back, we stopped at the old Harrison’s restaurant, now Wylder’s, to have a drink.

Wylder's (formerly Harrison's)

We were not there long before guess who, Max and Kathy show up.

Max and Cathy (they really need to learn to relax more)

The four of us camped out for a bit by the water drinking the elusive Tilghman Tea (a 10 oz. Budweiser, I kid you not). 

Tilghman Tea ( 10oz. of goodness)

I had the real thing (unsweetened)

The gathering then moved to another local watering hole called Character’s right by the bridge.  There special drink was a "Dirty Banana" which was to die for.

View from my bar stool at Character's

Needless to say, BUI (biking under the influence) is challenging while trying to cross the bridge.  

Southern Style from the Knapps Narrows Bridge

Once back at Southern Style, Max and Kathy along with friends Greg, Andy, and Virginia came over to socialize.  We did have some hefty storms roll through around 9PM but everything faired Okay.  The wind sure enough did blow though.