travel – Naphtalia

DECEMBER 2024
Dear Friends,

It’s been seven months since we exchanged the noise and nerves of the DMV for the sights and sounds of historic Smith Island, Maryland. As taxing as it was to put all our belongings onto a U-Haul and then onto a barge and drive said U-Haul down the county dock, this was a good move. Let us tell you all about it!

One of our favorite sights on Tylerton is the incredible sky. Our island is roughly 2 square miles so we are surrounded by sky. Here the sun both rises and sets in both the east and west as the light is reflected in the cloud formations and the water all around. The photo of our home with the large front porch is of the eastern sky, but my friends, that’s a sunset. In the next photo (far left), you can see Brian and some of our kids watching storm clouds quite literally rolling in from the west (the Chesapeake Bay) side of the island.

Another beautiful sight is a half bushel of Chesapeake blue crab on our doorstep and an inflatable raft tied to our porch. Our neighbors have shown care and generosity as we settle into island life with five children. Everyone enjoyed playing with the crabs as Brian prepped the boil. We had a good laugh seeing how many crabs we could pick up at once! They all like to hold onto one another.

One September afternoon, during an especially high tide, the kids and I went out for a walk in the water. Some put on their swimsuits and I put on my husband’s chest waders for this event. The high tide is the island’s version of a community swimming pool, except the only people that swim in it are my kids. When we returned from our walk/swim, we found that a neighbor had tied an inflatable raft to our deck. The kids had been praying for a boat and here it was! What an answer! Back into the tide we went. And the kids got their first lessons in paddling a boat by themselves. Another neighbor called out to us, “There’s your Christmas photo!” and so you can thank him for the photo and letter this year. It was a good idea! In the photo, you can see the children in the raft, but where they are rafting is usually road. The tide came in about 3+ feet that day and covered much of the perimeter of the island. This was an abnormal tide because of a super blue moon and the moon also being in perigee at the time. It came up and covered the island twice a day for about four days.

Needless to say, we live very close the elements here on Smith Island. The summer is hot with little shade and the winter is cold and blowy with little protection. We have had gusts up to 50mph since mid-November. They come and go, like the ferry, but not with it! No, the ferry doesn’t run in high winds! But in the wilderness of it, we are making a happy home. It’s us, our neighbors, and our cat, Sir Gawain. He has found a new breath of life on the island. Once he recovered from the shock of attacking seagulls and fiddler crabs, he claimed for himself some territory and reigns with a free spirit in the house, lounging in only the best spots, like atop the A/C unit.

A memorable event on the island thus far was the 138^th annual Camp Meeting this July. Smith Island is historically Methodist and was evangelized by itinerant preachers during the Great Awakening. At that time, the islanders built “The Tabernacle,” which is a semi-enclosed meeting hall. There is no air, but a few ceiling fans create a little breeze. These Camp Meetings take place on Ewell, Smith Island, which is one of the three villages that make up this little archipelago. It was lovely to take the boat over each night that week with our neighbors. They even invited me to sing one night. During the days, the kids participated in Bible School (Vacation Bible School) with lots of other kids on, or related to, the island. Many families use Camp Meeting week as a time for family reunion so there were lots of grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and such relations. The love of Christ is a clear way of life here.

Other memorable moments include: My husband digging a trench to help drain the backyard; being assigned our PO Box complete with a two dial letter-based combo lock (very old!); singing on the ferry; the kids saving marsh wrens that were stuck in some eel pots; our neighbors teaching us about peeler crabs; 4^th of July on Tylerton; my kids offering their first performance in the annual Nativity play this Christmas Eve.

ISLAND FAQ’S

What do you do for school? We homeschool, as always. There are no running public schools on the island.
How often do you go to the mainland? Brian or I, and variations of kids, will go about once every ten days, on average.
How many people live on the island? There about 45 full time residents on Tylerton, about 150 on Ewell and Rhodes Point. There are also part-time residents and tons of summer traffic.
How long have people lived on Smith Island? Since about the 1620’s.
What do people do on Smith Island? Smith Islanders are historically watermen. They crab and oyster. This is shifting now toward tourism.
Are there cars on the island? No. There are no cars, save a couple work trucks and firetrucks, on Tylerton. Everyone uses golf carts, bikes, or feet. There are cars on Ewell and Rhodes Point.
Is the island all one? Yes and no. It’s an archipelago. It’s a collection of islands, but it’s all called “Smith Island.” There are three villages. Ewell and Rhodes Point are connected to each other by a strip of drivable land; all one island. Tylerton is separate from them by about a ten minute boat ride. There are waterways running between the islands.
Do you see many birds? Yes, we literally live on the edge of the marsh, which is gorgeous in itself. I hum “For the Beauty” a lot. Spring through early Fall, we see all kind of wading birds in our yard. Great blue heron, great egrets, snowy egrets, glossy ibises, little blue herons, and more. The birds are my favorite; they are so cool.
Is the island sinking? You will hear different takes on this issue. The island does experience erosion and we know that it used to be bigger. A rock jetty was installed in front of Ewell and Rhodes Point on the Bay side of the island and that seems to be helping. There are some other drainage issues on the island, resulting in the fun but dramatic high tides. My husband has been advocating for the island on this issue.
Why did you move to Smith Island? In the summer of 2023, we knew our time in the DC area was running out. We found the island beautiful, affordable, and intriguing. We thought this was a great opportunity to form ourselves and our kids in a unique way. It also allows my husband to write his dissertation in peace and quiet.