We had a wonderful time Sunday at the 82nd running of the Pennsylvania Hunt Cup races here in glorious West Marlborough.
When you're outside for the afternoon, the weather matters, and this year it couldn't have been better: it was wonderfully warm for early November, although on the top of the hill where we were parked it was windy enough to blow over our folding chairs (but nothing like the memorable wind a few years ago that blew over the portable toilets).
We caught up with lots of friends and neighbors, ate fried chicken and way too many desserts, said hi to lots of dogs (a big brown Newfoundland was my favorite this year), and cheered for the jockeys we knew.
This year a couple of friends from Kimberton were participating in the carriage parade, so we stopped by to visit and got a close-up look at the carriages, among them some grand four-in-hands and some simple and completely charming pony carts, with everyone in elegant costumes. Our friends told us that everyone met up at New Bolton Center, then drove their carriages over to Wayne and Marjorie Grafton's farm and then on to the Hunt Cup.
The sidesaddle race was great fun to watch, and I marvelled at the skill and grit of the ladies -- and one gentleman -- who participated. Afterward we saw our friend and physician Dr. Mary-Anne Ost, a sidesaddle enthusiast herself, and she said she hopes the sidesaddle event becomes a regular feature on the Hunt Cup race card.
Sunday, November 6, 2016
Saturday, November 5, 2016
ALL OVER TOWN: A little adventure
There is no such thing as a routine Saturday morning in Tilda's life.
We set out around 8:30 for the pancake breakfast at Masonic Lodge #475 in downtown Kennett Square. En route we saw two dear friends, already with their helmets on, driving their van to the Opening Day meet of their foxhunting club. We saw them only long enough to recognize them and wave, but we could tell how excited they were (they'd only been grooming horses and polishing tack for two full days).
At the breakfast, there was a good crowd, and I spotted my friends Lynn Sinclair, Blair Fleischmann, and East Marlborough supervisor Bob Weer and his family. The pancakes were great, as always, and the coffee -- with jugs of real milk! -- was top-notch. I was amused by the blue shirts that the breakfast staffers were wearing: forks and knives replaced the traditional square and compasses of the Masonic emblem.
After breakfast we checked out the re-routed Strasburg Road near Stargazer Road, where PennDOT is building a roundabout connecting Stargazer, Shadyside, and Romansville Roads at the site of the soon-to-be Stargazer Village development. The roadwork is pretty impressive. Even though it was Saturday, crews were removing the macadam from the now-abandoned part of Strasburg Road.
Then we headed down the newly reopened Frog Hollow Road to check out the renovated Speakman #1 Covered Bridge. A group of vintage car enthusiasts from the "Active A's" Region of the Model A Restorers Club had the same idea, forming a mini-parade of Model A's across the bridge as a group of bicyclists waved and took photos.
After that my Saturday involved upgrading my computer memory and trying to avoid thinking about my soaring health insurance premium, neither of which, I am certain, you want to read about.
We set out around 8:30 for the pancake breakfast at Masonic Lodge #475 in downtown Kennett Square. En route we saw two dear friends, already with their helmets on, driving their van to the Opening Day meet of their foxhunting club. We saw them only long enough to recognize them and wave, but we could tell how excited they were (they'd only been grooming horses and polishing tack for two full days).
At the breakfast, there was a good crowd, and I spotted my friends Lynn Sinclair, Blair Fleischmann, and East Marlborough supervisor Bob Weer and his family. The pancakes were great, as always, and the coffee -- with jugs of real milk! -- was top-notch. I was amused by the blue shirts that the breakfast staffers were wearing: forks and knives replaced the traditional square and compasses of the Masonic emblem.
After breakfast we checked out the re-routed Strasburg Road near Stargazer Road, where PennDOT is building a roundabout connecting Stargazer, Shadyside, and Romansville Roads at the site of the soon-to-be Stargazer Village development. The roadwork is pretty impressive. Even though it was Saturday, crews were removing the macadam from the now-abandoned part of Strasburg Road.
Then we headed down the newly reopened Frog Hollow Road to check out the renovated Speakman #1 Covered Bridge. A group of vintage car enthusiasts from the "Active A's" Region of the Model A Restorers Club had the same idea, forming a mini-parade of Model A's across the bridge as a group of bicyclists waved and took photos.
After that my Saturday involved upgrading my computer memory and trying to avoid thinking about my soaring health insurance premium, neither of which, I am certain, you want to read about.
CLARENCE: The new moggie
Several readers asked for an update on Clarence, the nine-year-old cat I had the good fortune to adopt from the SPCA in West Chester a few weeks ago.
He is settling in very nicely, thank you, and has already gained a pound and a half. He is fascinated by water, has distinct preferences in both dry and canned food, has located the sunniest spots in the house for napping, and has a low tolerance for an even slightly soiled litter box (he has a very effective way of communicating his distaste of same).
As a new and doting cat mom, I have purchased numerous treats and cat paraphernalia for him, but he completely ignores them. When I told her this, my friend Susan nodded knowledgeably and said it's further proof of her long-held rule about cats: the more money you spend on something for them, the less interest they'll show.
He is settling in very nicely, thank you, and has already gained a pound and a half. He is fascinated by water, has distinct preferences in both dry and canned food, has located the sunniest spots in the house for napping, and has a low tolerance for an even slightly soiled litter box (he has a very effective way of communicating his distaste of same).
As a new and doting cat mom, I have purchased numerous treats and cat paraphernalia for him, but he completely ignores them. When I told her this, my friend Susan nodded knowledgeably and said it's further proof of her long-held rule about cats: the more money you spend on something for them, the less interest they'll show.
AT SEA: They're out of touch
I was at Foxy Loxy the other morning at the same time that a few local men were gathering there to embark on a sailing trip. I asked two of them how they felt about being cut off for several days from cell phone calls, emails, the Internet and election news while they were at sea.
Their beaming faces gave me an eloquent answer.
Their beaming faces gave me an eloquent answer.
THE INTERNET: Another victim of hackers
In last week's column I mentioned a friend whose computer had been hacked by someone based in Lithuania after she clicked on what appeared to be a message from Federal Express. She wasn't the only one, it seems.
A reader writes: "A FedEx Secretary at our Coatesville church also clicked on a FedEx link and had all files encrypted. Fortunately financial files were backed up on church software company's server."
UNIONVILLE: We need to see some ID, please
Everyone already knows where Station 36 is, but now I guess it will be official: a sign is expected to be installed this week in front of the Po-Mar-Lin firehouse in downtown Unionville. Finally, joked one firefighter friend, the pizza delivery guy will be able to find us!
WEST MARLBOROUGH: Not much new on the agenda
The Nov. 1 meetings of the West Marlborough Township planning commission and supervisors did not yield a lot of news. In the public comments section of the meeting, once again citizens reported illegal parking at the Whip Tavern in Springdell and motorists running the stop signs at the London Grove crossroads.
Supervisor Bill Wylie said he expects to present at the December meeting the streamlined schedule for township fees that the supervisors have been working on. And supervisor Hugh Lofting said the township road crew is "getting ready for winter."
The supervisors also announced they will be holding a budget meeting at 7 p.m. Nov. 17 at the township hall.
Supervisor Bill Wylie said he expects to present at the December meeting the streamlined schedule for township fees that the supervisors have been working on. And supervisor Hugh Lofting said the township road crew is "getting ready for winter."
The supervisors also announced they will be holding a budget meeting at 7 p.m. Nov. 17 at the township hall.
MUSHROOMS: A new role for the fungus?
The Wall Street Journal's recent special section about "the next hot trends in food" highlighted a potential new role for mushrooms. A company called MycoTechnology is experimenting with using the root systems of Kennett's favorite crop to block the bitterness in cacao beans so that chocolate products will need to have less sugar added.
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