Cooperative Living May 2016 - 36

Top left: Mark Miles, now 74, still works as many as 150 pots a day during crabbing season. Right: M.K. Miles is considered by many the
town historian and is president of the board of directors for the Saxis Island Museum. Center: The crab soup, topped with chunks of
crabmeat and garnish, is among the favorites at Captain's E. Hurricane Grill and Tiki Bar. Bottom left: Elsworth Linton, 91, in front of the
Crockett Store, a century-old building that will be the site of the Saxis Island Museum, now located in a room next to the post office.
Right: Mayor Denise Drewer has led Saxis through a tumultuous time with two major storms battering Saxis since she took office in 2010.
Saxis Mayor Denise Drewer echoed that
sentiment about not wanting too much
change. " We want to make Saxis a cleaner,
nicer place to live, " she said, adding that
the influx of out-of-area residents over the
past 20 years has helped achieve that goal.
Although the listed population of the town
is 220, Drewer said it is closer to 180, and
about half of the landowners have out-oftown
mailing addresses. " They are not
looking to change things or control
everything. They came to Saxis because
they like the way of life here. In many
cases, they have renovated homes or torn
down dilapidated structures and replaced
them with new homes. "
Drewer said the beach at the outskirts of
town has become popular with visitors
looking for sea glass. " We placed a couple
of benches there and hope to establish a
small park where visitors can kayak, hike
or simply enjoy the view. "
In the past few years, the town has
started a yard sale, an oyster roast and an
antique show. " Our last oyster roast
attracted over 300 people. We couldn't
34 | Cooperative Living | May 2016
have done all this without the help of
volunteers, many of them out-of-area
residents, " said Drewer.
For all the changes noted by the town's
two oldest residents, Saxis still remains
much the same in many ways as it was a
century ago - a working waterman's
town where " following the water " is a
way of life.
Mark Miles, 74, works as many as
150 crab pots a day during the summer
and was busy one day this spring putting
the finishing touches on new pots. " What
would I do if I retired? " asked Miles.
" If I stopped working, I might just
wither away. "
Bill Bailey returned to the harbor one
day recently with a load of rockfish he
and his crew had caught that morning on
his 45-foot boat, the Fish Hawk. Bailey
said he fishes until he reaches his
commercial quota, this day bringing in
several tubs of 15- to 20-pound stripers.
During the oyster season winter months,
the harbor is almost full with boats due to
the easy access to nearby oyster grounds.
Many of the watermen and other island
residents gather at one of the store's two
restaurants for meals. Martha Linton has
been operating Martha's Kitchen dockside
at the wharf for about 10 years. She's been
known to toss wrapped sandwiches to
watermen as they pass by in their boats.
Serving breakfast starting at 5 a.m. during
the summer months, Linton said she
enjoys the banter with her customers,
many of them regulars. Her oyster and
clam fritters hang over the plate and make
the bun look ridiculously small. " Years ago,
I saw a cook named Midge make fritters
that way on Chincoteague, and I said to
myself, 'If I ever had a restaurant I would
make them like Midge,' " said Linton.
A bit down the street is Captain's E.
Hurricane Grill and Tiki Bar. A visitor
might question if he is still in Saxis upon
first seeing the colorful Tiki Bar at the
entrance. At the rear are several booths and
tables, where seafood diners enjoy fresh
seafood, with crab soup, topped with
chunks of crabmeat and garnish, among
continued on pg. 36
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Cooperative Living May 2016

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