Crew Change

Crew Change!
These relatively innocent words conjure up emotions that span the scale from one end to the other.

If I'm on the boat and nearing the time I am scheduled to get off, the words "Crew Change" are usually followed by a big smile.
It's as if you said Christmas or vacation or free Phillies tickets.
You just have to smile after hearing any of those words.

On crew change day, it's all good.
If it's raining, no problem.
Bumper to bumper traffic, not an issue.
It's crew change day.

But, if I'm home nearing the time I need to pack up and head to the boat for 3 weeks,
the words "Crew Change" are usually followed by a frown, an expletive or just a general changing of my mood to the dark side.
Sort of like the feeling you U.S. citizens get when you hear the words "Tax Time."

A few days ago it was "Crew Change" time. I was scheduled to get off the boat, so I was smiling from ear to ear.
It's amazing how good one feels to get off a boat after 3 weeks. I felt so good, even Delaware City, the Port we were docked at, looked like Heaven as I walked away from the Home Land Security guarded dock and headed into town.



The guard at the gate seemed especially nice.
I'm not sure if he really was, or I was just so happy to be off the boat.
It doesn't matter, he seemed nice.



The world renown town of Delaware City is only about 45 minutes from my house, so my wife
who has presently lost a step because of a broken ankle and is unable to drive, enlisted the help of a friend, who drove her to pick me up.

See, Crew Change is a special day. Wife has broken ankle.
No problem. Friend says I'll take you to get him.
Everything works out on crew change day.

After talking to my wife and knowing I had about an hour to kill,
I strolled down the street, getting nods of hello and some out right "good afternoons", as I passed the various locals.

I was thinking to myself, everything's working out nicely.
I have a ride home.
The people are very friendly, (they must know it's crew change day)
and an establishment that sells one of my favorite foods was just minutes from the dock.
Crab.


The menu at Crabby Dicks was everything crab and awesome.
I wonder if the food would taste as good a week AFTER crew change?
I think so.
Crabby Dicks had a former life as shown here.








I really thought this day was too good to be true, until I heard it.
A screaming, very upset lady, dropping the "F-bomb" like a seasoned sailor
because she parked in a handicapped parking place and a gentleman had the nerve to tell her she was wrong for doing so.

At one point she had thrown her body over her license plate, blocking the numbers from the concerned citizen who was on the phone with the cops, who was the brunt of her anger.
I thought it was hilarious...IT WAS CREW CHANGE DAY!

When it started getting really heated, I did what any concerned male would do when he hears a woman screaming.

I grabbed my camera!

I don't know what the skulls on her jacket signified, but she was scary.



For a while, it seemed like a quiet town.

It was crew change day.
It was all good.