Who knew that creating a web site could be so time consuming? I realized long ago that my customer base in Deltaville was limited by geography and by the seasons. What better way to expand that base than to create a web site and begin selling to the whole world? I knew from the beginning that it was a good idea, but life got in the way. For the last six years I have been integrally involved with the creation and development of the Deltaville Maritime Museum and Holly Point Nature Park here in Deltaville. While I knew I should sit down and write copy for the web, I was drawn to the many interesting activities surrounding the new Museum. (For more information about the history and the many activities of the museum visit www.deltavilleva.com/museumpark.) I would get a start on the web site and then find that it was far more fun to spend a week building a crabbing skiff with my son during Family Boatbuilding Week. In 2006 we spent the year raising money and building a shallop (the small boat John Smith used to explorer and map Chesapeake Bay) for the Jamestown 400th anniversary. Of course, in 2007, we spent the entire year campaigning the shallop for all the anniversary events. 2008 was the 400th anniversary of the naming of Stingray Point, Deltaville. To commemorate the event, yours truly wrote a play about John Smith (our first unhappy tourist) and his encounter with the stingray. If only I had known what writing and producing a play on the beach involved I would have stuck with writing for my web site. But, ignorance is bliss, and the play was living history at its best.

Now I'm finally ready to sit down and deal with all the loose ends and get my web site up and working. I hope you, my visitors to the site, will be patient. My webmaster, Pat Patterson, is a whiz at setting up user-friendly sites. I have the utmost confidence in her ability to set up nautinell.com. I'm afraid any failings will be in my role as proprietor of the site. I have nightmares that first nothing will happen, after all the effort. Then I imagine the orders flooding in and being completely swamped. Finally in my nightmare, I run out of everything and have nothing to send. So all the bad stuff has already happened in my head and I can stop worrying about it. Right!

Within a few short weeks holiday shopping will begin in earnest. I have many new products arriving, some of which I hope to put on my site along with the regulars. If you're nearby, best to come in and see what's new. Eventually I'll have everything up on the web site, so you can shop as effectively on line as if you'd driven to Deltaville. In the meantime, if you've been to the shop, but don't see something on the web that you know we carry, give a call or email. I'll be happy to help you find what you need. Please contact us immediately with any problems. We welcome your comments and your suggestions. I hope you will enjoy perusing the site as much as my customers enjoy visiting the store itself. Happy shopping.

Nauti Nell and crew