While driving this time of year, I always keep a careful lookout for deer and other wildlife ready to dart out into the road. I'm especially watchful along Newark Road between Street Road and Upland Road, which seems to be a favorite place for deer to cross. And sure enough, the other evening there was a deer carcass already lying in the northbound lane. Fortunately I was going slowly enough to avoid it completely. (And maybe, just maybe, the guy tailgating me realized why I was driving below the speed limit.)
And remember that if you see one deer, there are probably others.
The other afternoon I was driving along one of our township's gravel roads and saw a young man in camouflage walking along carrying a crossbow. I stopped, said hello, and told him I'd seen a lot of deer around this autumn.
"Really?" he responded with surprise. He, it seems, had not.
Friday, November 2, 2018
ART GALA: In its 43rd year
This year's Unionville Art Gala, a PTO benefit for programs at Unionville High School, will be held on Friday, Nov. 16, from 6 to 9 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 17, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at UHS. There's always an interesting variety of works on sale at the show, from paintings, prints and photos to sculptures, fiber arts and jewelry (as I'm typing this, I have my feet on a footstool painted by Sarah Snyder-Dinsel that I bought at the Gala a few years back!) I especially enjoy seeing the works by UHS students.
SOARING: Thermals over Avondale
On a recent sunny day I saw a sailplane on tow, and another circling slowly over Avondale. The sight reminded me to mention that the Brandywine Soaring Association has returned to the New Garden Airport on Newark Road in Toughkenamon (the club temporarily moved its operations to an airfield in Delaware during airport construction).
The association, founded in 1955, describes itself as "a non-profit organization focused on providing a safe and cost-effective approach to flight-training and club-flying. Our well-maintained fleet of gliders offers a nice variety for those interested in the art of soaring." The club owns a towplane, two-place gliders for training, and a Schweizer 1-26 single-place glider.
As the relative of two glider pilots, one of whom competed on the U.S. National team, I want to put in a good word for this very family-friendly sport.
The association, founded in 1955, describes itself as "a non-profit organization focused on providing a safe and cost-effective approach to flight-training and club-flying. Our well-maintained fleet of gliders offers a nice variety for those interested in the art of soaring." The club owns a towplane, two-place gliders for training, and a Schweizer 1-26 single-place glider.
As the relative of two glider pilots, one of whom competed on the U.S. National team, I want to put in a good word for this very family-friendly sport.
GIANT: Beer and wine for sale
A big change has come to the New Garden Giant: in the section of the produce aisle where there used to be potatoes, onions, garlic and shallots, there are now refrigerated cases of beer and wine for sale. Next to the salad bar, they've installed a counter with stools where shoppers can take a break to eat and drink.
"Ron, please report to the Beer Garden," I heard on the P.A. system as I was shopping late on Friday morning.
Two women were reviewing the beer selection and I overheard one of them say, "It's not like I want to get drunk, exactly …."
As I'm sure you read in last week's paper, the New Garden Giant is one of the 59 Giants in the state with a liquor license. (The Acme in Avondale has been selling beer and wine for some time.)
A friend of mine who works at the Longwood Giant and very much enjoys the occasional tipple says she's tempted to apply for a transfer to the Kennett store.
"Ron, please report to the Beer Garden," I heard on the P.A. system as I was shopping late on Friday morning.
Two women were reviewing the beer selection and I overheard one of them say, "It's not like I want to get drunk, exactly …."
As I'm sure you read in last week's paper, the New Garden Giant is one of the 59 Giants in the state with a liquor license. (The Acme in Avondale has been selling beer and wine for some time.)
A friend of mine who works at the Longwood Giant and very much enjoys the occasional tipple says she's tempted to apply for a transfer to the Kennett store.
Thursday, November 1, 2018
HALLOWEEN: A good kid
A resident of the Penn's Manor neighborhood shared this Halloween story that is definitely a "treat."
Because her husband had to work on Halloween night, she took her two kids out trick-or-treating and left a bucket of candy on her front porch with a note, “We are out trick or treating but please take a piece of candy.”
When she and her kids returned home, a group of young teenagers were approaching the porch where the now-empty bucket was sitting.
"The last of the teenage boys grabbed a few handfuls of his candy from his own bag and filled up our bucket and said to his friends, 'Now the next few kids that come to this house will be able to have some candy.' I of course let them know this was my house, returned the candy to the young man that filled up the bucket and gave all the teens in the group candy.
"I wish I got the teenager's name so I could let his family know they were raising an amazing man! In a world that can be full of so much hate, it’s beautiful when you can witness the good."
Because her husband had to work on Halloween night, she took her two kids out trick-or-treating and left a bucket of candy on her front porch with a note, “We are out trick or treating but please take a piece of candy.”
When she and her kids returned home, a group of young teenagers were approaching the porch where the now-empty bucket was sitting.
"The last of the teenage boys grabbed a few handfuls of his candy from his own bag and filled up our bucket and said to his friends, 'Now the next few kids that come to this house will be able to have some candy.' I of course let them know this was my house, returned the candy to the young man that filled up the bucket and gave all the teens in the group candy.
"I wish I got the teenager's name so I could let his family know they were raising an amazing man! In a world that can be full of so much hate, it’s beautiful when you can witness the good."
Wednesday, October 31, 2018
JENNERSVILLE: Road improvements
I've been following with interest the plan to improve the busy, sometimes frustrating Red Rose Inn crossroads (Route 796 and Baltimore Pike). According to newspaper stories, Penn Township has received the go-ahead from PennDOT to solicit bids, with construction to start as early as next spring.
But I've always wondered: exactly how are they going to reconfigure the tricky intersection? Here's what I found out:
1. Southbound 796 will be widened to create a left-turn lane, a through lane, and a right-turn lane at the crossroads. (In and of itself this should be a major improvement, as cars now back up behind left-turners, sometimes all the way to the Route 1 interchange.)
2. The alignment of Route 796 north and south of the intersection will be improved.
3. "Turning radius improvements" will be made at the corners of the crossroads.
4. The left-turn lane along westbound Baltimore Pike approaching the crossroads will be reconfigured.
5. A new traffic light will have "updated signal phasing." (From what I can gather, this means tweaking the timing of the turn arrows.)
But I've always wondered: exactly how are they going to reconfigure the tricky intersection? Here's what I found out:
1. Southbound 796 will be widened to create a left-turn lane, a through lane, and a right-turn lane at the crossroads. (In and of itself this should be a major improvement, as cars now back up behind left-turners, sometimes all the way to the Route 1 interchange.)
2. The alignment of Route 796 north and south of the intersection will be improved.
3. "Turning radius improvements" will be made at the corners of the crossroads.
4. The left-turn lane along westbound Baltimore Pike approaching the crossroads will be reconfigured.
5. A new traffic light will have "updated signal phasing." (From what I can gather, this means tweaking the timing of the turn arrows.)
•
KUBRICK: Never only a dream
Last week I was editing a fascinating book about Stanley Kubrick's last film, "Eyes Wide Shut." It discussed the extensive planning of the movie, the arduous process of writing a screenplay that "satisficed" the director, the lengthy, no-expenses-spared shooting (New York taxicabs and newspaper honor boxes were shipped to the London studio for verisimilitude), and the film's impact on popular culture.
In short, it was one of my rare work projects that I would actually read for pleasure (please don't tell my employer).
As part of my task, I had to keep a running list of where the footnotes appeared, so I printed out the list of notes and jotted down the page numbers as they appeared.
Call it frugality or what you will, I never recycle a piece of office paper without using both sides. So today I was preparing my quarterly financial report for an organization I belong to and printed it out, reusing my pages of notes. My fellow board members are going to get a surprise when they see on the back of the profit-and-loss statement details about fin-de-siècle wallpaper, 16-foot-tall Christmas trees, the precise measurements of Tom Cruise's face, the many alternatives considered for Nicole Kidman's famous line "if you men only knew," and how (conspiracy theorists believe) Kubrick was murdered for revealing the secrets of the Illuminati as part of the masked ball.
In short, it was one of my rare work projects that I would actually read for pleasure (please don't tell my employer).
As part of my task, I had to keep a running list of where the footnotes appeared, so I printed out the list of notes and jotted down the page numbers as they appeared.
Call it frugality or what you will, I never recycle a piece of office paper without using both sides. So today I was preparing my quarterly financial report for an organization I belong to and printed it out, reusing my pages of notes. My fellow board members are going to get a surprise when they see on the back of the profit-and-loss statement details about fin-de-siècle wallpaper, 16-foot-tall Christmas trees, the precise measurements of Tom Cruise's face, the many alternatives considered for Nicole Kidman's famous line "if you men only knew," and how (conspiracy theorists believe) Kubrick was murdered for revealing the secrets of the Illuminati as part of the masked ball.
BLOOD: A skewed sample?
This morning I went to one of those blood-drawing places (sorry, specimen collection centers) for some routine bloodwork. The pleasant man drawing my blood was accurate and efficient, and I complimented him on his skill.
I'm sure it was just coincidence that he immediately gave me a photocopied sheet with his name on it and instructions on how to give feedback to his employer.
"We want to hear from you," the form read, "positive patient feedback."
One wonders whether all patients are asked to provide feedback.
I'm sure it was just coincidence that he immediately gave me a photocopied sheet with his name on it and instructions on how to give feedback to his employer.
"We want to hear from you," the form read, "positive patient feedback."
One wonders whether all patients are asked to provide feedback.
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