St. Michaels, Maryland: Eastern Shore Travel

Today's New York Times Travel story about St. Michaels, Maryland immediately grabbed my attention. Aside from enjoying a virtually lifelong love for the Eastern Shore and even locating a portion of the the novel that I'm gradually moving forward with, the article caught my eye for another reason. It opens, "grand estates sit alongside small communities of working watermen" and this quaint sounding picture is part of what distresses me about the Eastern Shore. It's changing so fast! I recall spending a no-doubt-polished-by-nostalgia summer near St. Michaels as a child. It was rustic, rural, "off the beaten path" in a way that made it unbelievably appealling even to my seven or eight year old appreciation. The grand estates were few and far between, and they had been rooted to the same soggy soil for generations. The working watermen's homes, piers and boats were the norm. Today, they are the exception and the McMansions seem to be springing up like spring flowers in one of those time-lapsed film strips we witness as children in biology class. Aside from voicing my general lament to the changing times, I urge you to get yourself to the Eastern Shore now. Witness this magical world before it is lost forever.