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Monday, April 7, 2025

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One Woman's Opinion

Welcome to “One Woman’s Opinion,” a long term feature of the Southside Sentinel, written by Urbanna resident Mary Wakefield Buxton. Traditionally a humorist, Mary has written a column on all subjects and sometimes in very serious vein. Along with writing a column  for the Sentinel since 1984, she is also author of 14 books about life and love in Tidewater, Virginia. Click here for available books.

Steaming south to St. Barthelemy Island in the West Indies

Our Caribbean cruise to the West Indies was our first experience on the Oceania Cruise line and its new ship “Vista.” The ship was big, shimmering white and built to provide a luxury cruise with top notch cuisine, entertainment and service for its 1,200 passengers. It would take almost three full days of steaming south to reach our first stop at the island informally known as “St. Barths.” At 6 p.m. that first evening we were on deck 12 in...
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‘Day of rest needed before cruise, after Dulles-Miami flight’

Miami Airport was as big and difficult to traverse for two octogenarians as Dulles. But after the long hike to baggage to retrieve luggage we were delighted to see a man holding up...
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‘Travels with Mary, how much must we suffer on vacation?’

I hate to travel. General Sherman said, “War is hell,” but I say, “Travel is hell.” The problem in my 62-year marriage to a wonderful husband is simply that he loves to travel. Why...
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A Great Lakes Odyssey — Part 6

Part 1 • Part 2 • Part 3 • Part 4 • Part 5 Reuniting with Grandfather’s ‘Good Ship Tobermory’ on its 100th birthday Walking through the “freighter museum” at Sault Historic Sites in the city of Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.,...
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A Great Lakes Odyssey — Part 5

Part 1 • Part 2 • Part 3 • Part 4 Reuniting with Grandfather’s ‘Good Ship Tobermory’ on its 100th birthday Dennis Dougherty of Sault Ste Marie, Mich., spent many years fondly looking out at the “Champion,” (F.W. Wakefield’s...
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A Great Lakes Odyssey — Part 4

Part 1 • Part 2 • Part 3 Reuniting with Grandfather’s ‘Good Ship Tobermory’ on its 100th birthday We had made it as far as Lansing, Mich., by air and now needed to travel by car...
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A Great Lakes Odyssey — Part 3

Part 1 • Part 2 Reuniting with Grandfather’s beloved ‘Tobermory II’ ship on its 100th birthday My grandfather, F.W. Wakefield, may have built an iron ship to last 100 years, but he did not...
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A Great Lakes Odyssey — Part 2

Part 1 Reuniting with Grandfather’s ‘Good Ship Tobermory’ on its 100th birthday I never knew my grandfather, but family tales of him coming to America from Birmingham, England, with his parents in 1872 at...
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A Great Lakes Odyssey — Part 1

Reuniting with Grandfather’s ‘Good Ship Tobermory’ on its 100th birthday URBANNA — I guess one might say it was like making a pilgrimage to Canterbury or Jerusalem. Or waking up as a child...
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‘Oyster Fest provides decades of memories’

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15 It occurred to me that this year’s Urbanna Oyster Festival was my 40th. That’s a lot of...
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The Latest…

Restoration work on Urbanna Museum starts

Larry Chowning -
Repairing cracks in 1760s town-owned center estimated cost: $250,000 Brick masons have begun work this week on restoring cracks in a portion of the west...

Officials vote to delay ‘body cams’ for MC deputies

Larry Chowning -
The Middlesex County Board of Supervisors (MCBS) voted on March 25 to allow a $20,000 grant to lapse that was to go towards the...