Sinclair's Sunrise Cafe & Tearoom, 127 E. State Street in Kennett Square, is the place to see and be seen -- as I found out on a recent rainy Tuesday morning. I met borough council member Dan Maffei for coffee there to chat about his new landscaping business -- and ended up getting three additional stories while I was at it.
1. Dan's new business is Maffei Landscape Design (http://www.danilomaffei.com/) After 15 years at W.D. Wells & Associates, Dan said he decided to go out on his own "in response to an evolving marketplace and the desire to provide a more personal, customized experience for my clients." Dan and I had a terrific, wide-ranging discussion that would have gone on into the lunch hour, were it not for my expired parking meter.
2. Sinclair's has had a lovely makeover. In the words of owner Lynn Sinclair: " `History and Heritage' is the theme, with plaid wallpaper resembling the Sinclair tartan and a bit of Kennett or family history tucked beneath each of the glass table tops."
3. Former borough council member Doug Stirling has started a new gig, doing the morning news broadcast on WCHE (1520 AM) weekdays starting at 7 a.m. In addition to now being a very early riser, Doug is a member of the Kennett Consolidated School District school board and pastor at Kennett Square Bible Methodist Church.
4. The West State Street restaurant formerly known as Challie's, which closed a few weeks ago, will become "Lily's Sushi Bar & Grill." And the former owner of Challie's will be doing his famous lunches just across the street at Portabello's restaurant.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Pointed
Some neighbors are having their dense, quarter-mile-long hawthorn hedge pruned back. It's a thankless task, considering that it's full of long, sharp spikes. As I was driving by toward the end of the day, I saw a tired-looking landscaper trudging back to his truck and stopped to sympathize.
He was sweaty and pretty scraped up but still cheerful.
"Whoever planted this should be shot," he said, his grin making it obvious he was just kidding. "No. Whipped first, then shot."
I remember who planted it, but my lips are sealed.
He was sweaty and pretty scraped up but still cheerful.
"Whoever planted this should be shot," he said, his grin making it obvious he was just kidding. "No. Whipped first, then shot."
I remember who planted it, but my lips are sealed.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Yes, it's open
The 1807 stone arch bridge spans the east branch of the Brandywine Creek on Strasburg Road, between Marshallton and West Chester.
The $3,431,686 project involved rehabilitating the bridge "by removing the existing roadway and fill on top of the structure; stabilizing the arches and placing concrete above them; reconstructing the stone walls and wing walls; and resurfacing the deck," PennDOT said.
It looks great. However, although the approaches to the bridge were widened, the bridge itself could not be, which means there are no shoulders at all along most of the bridge. I foresee some scraped passenger-side doors.
I loved the "hugs and kisses" symbols on the bottom of this jubilant sign, which I spotted on April 3 at Strasburg and Lucky Hill Roads.
Of course, now the Northbrook Bridge over the west branch of the Brandywine is set to close on April 18 for a two-month, state-funded project.
On line
And even though I know that in a few months I'll be spending hours trying to contain it, for now it's a thrill seeing the first tiny purple-green leaves of the perennial herb anise hyssop. This morning I spotted the first grape hyacinth and squill in my garden. Daffodils are in bloom on sunny banks all over, and the yellow marsh mallows are carpeting low areas near creeks. And don't miss the dozens of purple hyacinths planted in the traffic island in front of Unionville High School.
Early last summer I took piles of my favorite groundcover, lamium, from my garden over to some friends in Newlin, who have steep, stony banks along their driveway where nothing grows. After we planted it there was a long dry spell, so I was surprised and delighted to see that the lamium has survived and is actually coming up in several spots.
And judging from all the daylily foliage sprouting on the roadbanks, we're going to have an orange summer.
Personal use only
"It will not be a restaurant. It will never be a restaurant. It could not be a restaurant."
Those were the words of Michael J. Gladnick, an engineer working for Richard Hayne. Mr. Hayne is proposing to convert a stable on the former Thouron property into a freestanding 5,000-square-foot dining room and kitchen, and Mr. Gladnick presented the plan to the West Marlborough planning commission and supervisors on April 5.
"A freestanding dining room is not a typical situation," acknowledged Mr. Gladnick, but in response to pointed questions from the planning commission he stressed repeatedly that the dining room would be for Mr. Hayne's personal use only. He said it wouldn't be used daily: Mr. and Mrs. Hayne might have 36 people to dinner one evening, and then it would be unused for a month.
Mr. Hayne wants to get it built in time for a June wedding that he is hosting for an Urban Outfitters executive. Both the planning commission and the supervisors signed off on the project.
Mr. Hayne would not have needed permission for the dining room if it were attached to another building, but because it will be separate, the Chester County Health Department required him to seek special permission for its sewage system.
(Mr. Hayne, you'll recall, is the billionaire founder of the Urban Outfitters retail empire and has amassed a compound of properties near Springdell that he is redeveloping.)
In other Springdell news, township engineer Al Giannantonio dropped a few tantalizing hints that a new plan for Mr. Hayne's greenhouse complex on the former Tony Young property will be submitted for review in the near future. I'll keep you posted.
Those were the words of Michael J. Gladnick, an engineer working for Richard Hayne. Mr. Hayne is proposing to convert a stable on the former Thouron property into a freestanding 5,000-square-foot dining room and kitchen, and Mr. Gladnick presented the plan to the West Marlborough planning commission and supervisors on April 5.
"A freestanding dining room is not a typical situation," acknowledged Mr. Gladnick, but in response to pointed questions from the planning commission he stressed repeatedly that the dining room would be for Mr. Hayne's personal use only. He said it wouldn't be used daily: Mr. and Mrs. Hayne might have 36 people to dinner one evening, and then it would be unused for a month.
Mr. Hayne wants to get it built in time for a June wedding that he is hosting for an Urban Outfitters executive. Both the planning commission and the supervisors signed off on the project.
Mr. Hayne would not have needed permission for the dining room if it were attached to another building, but because it will be separate, the Chester County Health Department required him to seek special permission for its sewage system.
(Mr. Hayne, you'll recall, is the billionaire founder of the Urban Outfitters retail empire and has amassed a compound of properties near Springdell that he is redeveloping.)
In other Springdell news, township engineer Al Giannantonio dropped a few tantalizing hints that a new plan for Mr. Hayne's greenhouse complex on the former Tony Young property will be submitted for review in the near future. I'll keep you posted.
Ryder
Just a Shot Away
Wouldn't this be a good idea?
From my observations, Starbucks fans have one drink that they invariably order. Somehow, Starbucks should be able to encode on your card the details of that drink. That way, the barista could just scan your card and you wouldn't have to spell out your preferences each time.
Perhaps my brother will recall the time he and I wrote to Frito-Lay with what we thought was a brilliant idea for an ad. The song "Macho Man" by the Village People was a huge hit at the time, and we suggested that they buy the rights and change the words to "Nacho Man."
We received in response a polite letter with some Frito's coupons and a packet of dip mix.
From my observations, Starbucks fans have one drink that they invariably order. Somehow, Starbucks should be able to encode on your card the details of that drink. That way, the barista could just scan your card and you wouldn't have to spell out your preferences each time.
Perhaps my brother will recall the time he and I wrote to Frito-Lay with what we thought was a brilliant idea for an ad. The song "Macho Man" by the Village People was a huge hit at the time, and we suggested that they buy the rights and change the words to "Nacho Man."
We received in response a polite letter with some Frito's coupons and a packet of dip mix.
Sanderson Museum
I can't believe that last week was the first time I ever visited the Christian C. Sanderson Museum on Route 100 in Chadds Ford. What a wonderful and quirky place! It's full of the stuff that "Chris" collected over his lifetime, from autographs to dried flowers to historical relics to little vials of water from exotic locales. It's a charming and refreshingly non-flashy, low-tech museum.
"From Revolutionary War history to childhood memories, from Chadds Ford artifacts to Civil War memorabilia, the Sanderson Museum represents a man's life and a nation's history," says the museum website (http://www.sandersonmuseum.org/).
It's open March through November, noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday (though private tours are also available at other times). Admission is free but of course donations are welcome.
"From Revolutionary War history to childhood memories, from Chadds Ford artifacts to Civil War memorabilia, the Sanderson Museum represents a man's life and a nation's history," says the museum website (http://www.sandersonmuseum.org/).
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Still good advice
From a 1920s etiquette manual:
"Anyone who thinks well or ill of [a woman], in accordance with her income, cannot be too quickly got rid of!"
"Anyone who thinks well or ill of [a woman], in accordance with her income, cannot be too quickly got rid of!"
Saturday, April 2, 2011
La Poste
A loyal reader writes:
"Standing in line in the Unionville post office this morning, I noticed a new guy at the counter. Stocky, dark, slight accent. Then I noticed he had NPR on the radio and complimented him on it. When I bought my stamps, he said "Voilà" as he handed them to me. "Merci," was all I could call up on the spur of the moment. But to my amazement the next customer and he conducted their business in French! In Unionville!"
"Standing in line in the Unionville post office this morning, I noticed a new guy at the counter. Stocky, dark, slight accent. Then I noticed he had NPR on the radio and complimented him on it. When I bought my stamps, he said "Voilà" as he handed them to me. "Merci," was all I could call up on the spur of the moment. But to my amazement the next customer and he conducted their business in French! In Unionville!"
Weekly stink bug update
Where do they come from? They just appear seemingly out of nowhere!
I'm getting about 10 or 15 a day, which is quite manageable, and I actually think I'm getting used to them. There was one perched on my toothbrush; I just flicked it off, rinsed the toothbrush and brushed away. There was one swimming in my coffee pot; I fished it out and poured myself a cup. It didn't taste any different.
However, the one on my tissue was pretty gross: I didn't spot it til after I'd blown my nose. (Pretty gross for the S.B., too, now that I think of it!)
I'm getting about 10 or 15 a day, which is quite manageable, and I actually think I'm getting used to them. There was one perched on my toothbrush; I just flicked it off, rinsed the toothbrush and brushed away. There was one swimming in my coffee pot; I fished it out and poured myself a cup. It didn't taste any different.
However, the one on my tissue was pretty gross: I didn't spot it til after I'd blown my nose. (Pretty gross for the S.B., too, now that I think of it!)
Poetry Women
I enjoyed hearing the poems read aloud, and the evening was enhanced by John Orban's lovely photographs, which were projected on the screen behind the stage.
The two poets answered lots of questions from the audience afterwards, giving honest, straightforward answers about why and how they write. Dianne said she often jots down ideas on the spot on the closest piece of paper she can find, often the back of a receipt. Christy said she doesn't have much interest in publishing, but she'd very much like to read her poems to children and senior citizens.
I'm so glad I attended: it was great to reconnect with Dianne after a very long time, and delightful to chat with Christy's family members and all the other Unionville folks who were there. And The Flash is a great venue!
Friday, April 1, 2011
A good cause
The Whip raised a total of $1,700 for injured local jockey Jake Chalfin at a special "Chasin' for Chalfin" Race Night on March 30, according to operating partner K.C. Kulp. The owners donated 25 cents for every dollar in sales (about $1,300), two customers each donated $200, and there were a few smaller donations.
K.C. told me that one of the $200 donations came from "one of Dick Hayne's young groundskeepers (mows lawns, rakes leaves, etc.) -- not a wealthy guy, just a local "kid" - I was impressed."
"The Whip is grateful that our community and our customers have been so supportive of us," said K.C. "Because they give so generously to us, we like to give back to the community by organizing and participating in events like this."
For more information about Chasin' for Chalfin, visit http://chasinforchalfin.com/.
K.C. told me that one of the $200 donations came from "one of Dick Hayne's young groundskeepers (mows lawns, rakes leaves, etc.) -- not a wealthy guy, just a local "kid" - I was impressed."
"The Whip is grateful that our community and our customers have been so supportive of us," said K.C. "Because they give so generously to us, we like to give back to the community by organizing and participating in events like this."
For more information about Chasin' for Chalfin, visit http://chasinforchalfin.com/.
Breakfast special
Despite the stealth snowstorm, Perkins restaurant in Avondale was hopping the morning of Friday, April 1. A men's Bible study group was deep in discussion. The Avon-Grove boy's lacrosse team spread out over three tables. Some friendly PECO workers tucked into a well-deserved breakfast after repairing electric lines downed by a fallen tree on Good Hope Road (yes, I asked) down in London Britain Township. And two tables were occupied by guys in Phillies shirts, possibly on their way to the ballpark for opening day!
I know I'm in the minority, but I thought the snow was lovely. The yellow-brown willows, forsythias and cat-tails against the white backdrop looked like a sepia-tinted photograph.
I know I'm in the minority, but I thought the snow was lovely. The yellow-brown willows, forsythias and cat-tails against the white backdrop looked like a sepia-tinted photograph.
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