Wednesday, July 31, 2019

PROPOFOL HAZE: (More than usually) mindless chatter

As you can imagine, putting together this column often involves going up to complete strangers who are doing something that I find interesting and badgering them with questions. Dearest Partner has witnessed this so many times that he does a hilariously pitch-perfect imitation of the way I introduce myself.
Apparently I can do this even when I'm unconscious. As I was coming out of sedation from a minor procedure the other morning, I'm told I was engaging in perfectly coherent small talk with the nurses. I remember absolutely nothing of it.
I can't help thinking that my parents, who were friendly, gregarious types who talked to everyone from every walk of life, were giving me a thumbs-up.
As always, I'm amazed at the patience and compassion that medical professionals display toward Nervous Nelly patients like myself. Everyone was so kind, reassuring and matter-of-fact that I eventually calmed down a bit: it was kind of neat to watch my pulse and blood pressure decreasing on the monitor.

KACS: New leadership

Leah Reynolds has been named the new executive director of Kennett Area Community Service. She replaces Melanie Weiler, who resigned in July to care for family members. KACS runs the Kennett Food Cupboard for needy families, provides emergency assistance for people going through crisis situations, and offers programs that capitalize on clients' strengths to help them avoid homelessness and poverty in the long term.
"I am excited to join this organization and create collaborative relationships that will help us to respond to the most basic needs of families and individuals," said the new director in an email on July 31.  

BRIDGE: Route 52 will close at Lenape

The 107-year-old Route 52 bridge over the Brandywine Creek at Lenape Park will be closed for major repairs starting Monday, Aug. 19, until next summer.
Route 52 will be closed between Pocopson Road and Creek Road. Traffic will be diverted onto Pocopson Road, Route 926 and Birmingham Road. Left-turn arrows will be activated on eastbound 926 at Birmingham Road; on eastbound 926 at Pocopson Road; and on southbound Route 52 at Birmingham Road. Later in the project, Creek Road will be closed between 926 and 52.
Here's the scope of the $3.4 million project (80% federal money, 20% state money), per a PennDOT press release:
-- Repair, strengthen and restore the deteriorating seven-span, stone masonry arch bridge by removing the bituminous pavement and earth fill
-- Remove and salvage the parapet stones, capstones and pipe railing
-- Rebuild deteriorated portions of the spandrel and wing walls
-- Construct a full-width concrete slab with integral concrete barriers faced with stone from the bridge
-- Reinstall masonry capstones with repainted pipe railing
-- Repoint the masonry as required
-- Salvage and reset the bridge plaque
-- Install brown painted guide rail
-- Rebuild the stone walls at the Creek Road intersection and move the walls "a bit further away from the intersection to provide additional room for vehicular turning moves."

Sunday, July 28, 2019

NOTTINGHAM: A crunchy coincidence

At a picnic at Nottingham Park on Saturday, a friend was telling us that his son recently bought a house in York County, right around the corner from the Martin's Potato Chips headquarters. Our friend found that noteworthy, considering that he and his wife live just down the street from Herrs'.

Thursday, July 25, 2019

WEST MARLBOROUGH: Annual summer concert

On Sunday, Aug. 25, local favorites Charlie Zahm (on guitar and vocals) and Tad Marks (on the fiddle) will be performing their fifth annual concert in the walnut grove at Primitive Hall, 830 North Chatham Road in West Marlborough Township. The Hall, the historic home of the Pennock family, was built in 1738 and will be open for tours from 3 to 5 p.m. The concert will start at 5 p.m. Bring your lawn chairs or blankets and a picnic. Suggested contribution is $20 per car.

CHADDS FORD: N.C. Wyeth retrospective

On July 22 the Wall Street Journal devoted a full page to a review of the Brandywine River Museum of Art's new exhibition, "N.C. Wyeth: New Perspectives." Critic Edward Rothstein describes the retrospective as "thoroughly engrossing but also unsettling; so powerful are some offerings, so tentative are others … We see a visual chronicle of a man at work on himself and against himself, embracing the past and resisting it, and remaining, throughout, an artist of interest."
The show, mounted jointly with the Portland Museum of Art in Maine, runs through September 15.

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

SKIN CANCER: Hats and sunscreen

A Landenberg friend has put out a plea for everyone to use sunscreen and to cover up delicate skin. Last week she had Mohs surgery to remove a basal cell carcinoma on her nose, followed a few days later by painful reconstructive surgery. Though she gave up tanning about 15 years ago, she said the skin damage was already done, thanks to the summers she spent slathered in baby oil and baking in the sun at the Jersey Shore.

WEST MARLBOROUGH: Chores must get done

During the recent heat wave, public service announcements urged us to check on any senior citizens in the neighborhood to make sure they were OK.
It was easy for me to check on my senior citizen neighbor: he was out mowing the lawn even as the temperature topped 95 degrees. This was no surprise, as I've learned that "retired" farmers are the toughest folks around. Me, I stayed in the air conditioning.

FARM LIFE: A healthy atmosphere

A lot of people in this area of the county live or work on farms, and in a study recently published in the scientific journal "Nature Medicine," researchers examined the link between the indoor dust and germs found in farmhouses and children's risk for asthma. The researchers found that Finnish children who grew up in farmhouses "with rich home dust microbiota" were less likely to develop asthma compared to those living elsewhere. The scientists extended their study by looking at German children who grew up in non-farm houses that had an indoor climate similar to the Finnish farm homes; they, too, had a lower risk of asthma.
The authors conclude, "Asthma prevalence has increased in epidemic proportions with urbanization, but growing up on traditional farms offers protection even today. The asthma-protective effect of farms appears to be associated with rich home dust microbiota, which could be used to model a health-promoting indoor microbiome. . . .  The indoor dust microbiota composition appears to be a definable, reproducible predictor of asthma risk and a potential modifiable target for asthma prevention."

YMCA: Shutdown week

For YMCA members, the end of summer always brings shutdown week (management prefers to call it "Enhancement Week"), when the Y closes its doors so staff members can clean and spruce up the heavily used facility and add new equipment. 
The Jennersville Y will be closed from Monday, Aug. 19, through Sunday, Aug. 25 (the indoor pool will be closed from Aug. 12 through 25).
The Kennett Y will be closed Monday, Aug. 26, through Sunday, Sept. 1.

 

Monday, July 22, 2019

WILLOWDALE: Veterinarians at work

It was a hot weekend, to put it mildly, and before heading to the Longwood fireworks on July 20, we stopped at Landhope for ice cream.
One of our fellow customers was a New Bolton Center employee wearing inside-out blue NBC scrubs, with remnants of tape stuck to her trousers. She ordered at one of the touchscreens and took her receipt to the register to pay.
"Rough day?" asked the clerk, noticing her disheveled clothes.
The exhausted woman nodded and smiled wanly.
"Well, I really hope you enjoy your dinner," he said kindly.

Saturday, July 20, 2019

CENSUS: An old foe

A pleasant woman stopped by my home the other day to ask some US Census questions. (The Census people seem to enjoy interviewing me; I don't know why, as I doubt I am representative of an "average" American.) We settled in on the sofa, she opened up her laptop, and then she spotted the yellow-and-blue blanket that the cat was curled up on.
Her eyes narrowed.
"Those look like school colors," she said suspiciously.
Yes, indeed they are, I said. I explained that I knitted the blanket in Unionville's colors.
"Oh. Good," she said, relieved. Apparently they are the exact colors of her despised high-school rival, Cheltenham.

Thursday, July 18, 2019

WEST MARLBOROUGH: OK for a garage

Phil Sacks can add a garage onto his Richard Wilson Drive house, the West Marlborough Township Zoning Hearing Board ruled on July 18, even though it will be closer to his neighbor's property line than the zoning code permits.
Mr. Sacks told the zoning board that the proposed garage will be large enough to house two cars plus various equipment. It will be enclosed on only two sides and will abut the house, allowing him to get into his car without going outside. No major trees will need to be removed. He plans to replace the macadam driveway with a porous surface to improve drainage.
Mr. Sacks's next-door neighbor, Robert Nutting, told the board that he had no concerns about the garage; in fact, he said, "I welcome the addition" and believes it will improve property values in the neighborhood. He said he has long admired Mr. Sacks's creative projects, like the fish ponds, bridges and pathways he has installed.
"I wish all neighbors got along the way you do," quipped zoning board member Tom Best.
The board reminded Mr. Sacks that he will need to obtain a building permit and will have to comply with all township regulations.
Zoning board chairman Clayton Bright opened the hearing with a moment of silence in memory of longtime board member Elizabeth "Baz" Powell, who died in January.

WEST CHESTER: Not a beer in sight

Young people from across Pennsylvania descended on West Chester University this past weekend for a recovery convention. They are an enthusiastic and energetic lot, and they're committed to showing by example how it's possible to have fun in sobriety. Not only were there round-the-clock 12-step meetings (literally, on the hour, all night long), but also on the program were video game tournaments, a midnight Madden competition, Jeopardy!, a scavenger hunt, karaoke, yoga and a drum circle, a masquerade with a DJ, a comedy show, and an "aquaholic" beach party.
The beer-free weekend must have been an interesting change of pace for the campus police.

WHITE CLAY: Thief at work

A thief has been breaking into locked cars parked at the White Clay Creek Preserve over the past few weeks, according to a press release I received from the Pennsylvania State Police. Police are asking hikers and anyone else using the park to leave their valuables at home or to keep them out of sight. They are also increasing patrols through the lots in the park.

LOWDOWN: The show didn't go on

The summer concerts at Anson B. Nixon Park go on rain or shine, but when a thunderstorm erupted 15 minutes into the Lowdown Brass Band's performance on July 17, the organizers called off the show. The decision was a no-brainer: lightning strikes were visible, the trees were swaying and two big branches came down.
We retreated to a pavilion, keeping our fingers crossed that the storm would blow through and the band would resume … up until the point that we saw them breaking down their equipment and loading it into their van.
We were really enjoying the band, but on the plus side, the storm did cool things off nicely.

Tuesday, July 16, 2019

WINTERTHUR: Unearthed

A friend who works as a gardener at the Winterthur estate said she was pruning forsythia the other day and found a dirt-filled but intact quart glass bottle from the old Winterthur dairy. She's found pieces before, but never a whole bottle, and even days later she was still brimming with excitement. The bottle reads "One Quart Liquid" and "Winterthur Farms, Winterthur, Del." She did some research and learned that the dairy stopped making the embossed bottles in 1932/33, switching to bottles with paper labels, which means her bottle is from 1933 or earlier.

EAST MARLBOROUGH: Next spring

May seems like a very long time off, but the Willowdale Steeplechase organizers just put out a press release saying they've changed the date of the popular race: it's now going to be the day before Mother's Day rather than Mother's Day itself. The release quoted chairman W. B. Dixon Stroud Jr. as saying that the move was made so that families "will no longer have to choose between a Sunday celebration with Mom or a day at the races." The 2020 date will be Saturday, May 9.

WEST GROVE: Over exposure?

Dearest Partner is a big fan of what he calls "filler" news items, quirky tidbits about the world. The other day he was chuckling over a trend in China for men (and not just young, slim ones) to roll their shirts up all the way to their armpits, completely exposing their belly and chest. The Chinese government found this unseemly and was trying to discourage it.
The trend may already be catching on here in Chester County. Imagine my surprise the other afternoon when I saw a fellow with a rolled-up shirt chatting with two friends in downtown West Grove. Perhaps we'll see more of this in the coming heat wave.

WILLOWDALE: Secret to a long life?

At the Willowdale produce stand, the woman in front of me handed over a giant tomato to the clerk, who weighed it and told her it would cost three dollars. At first the customer balked at paying three bucks for one tomato; then she reconsidered, saying that, after all, her 98-year-old mother loved nothing better than a tomato sandwich. She told me she planned to take the pricy tomato to her mother's nursing home, along with bread and mayonnaise.

Friday, July 12, 2019

POCOPSON: Summer concerts

The Brandywine Red Clay Alliance is hosting a series of free outdoor concerts on Thursday evenings from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Here's the schedule:
July 18: The Scott Pemberton Trio ("rock, funk, psychedelic soul")
July 25: Bones Brigade ("all things Grateful Dead"
August 1: The Cameltones ("dance, funk, country, rap, punk, jam band")
August 8: Afrobear ("a groovy twist on soul-rock music")
Gates open at 6 p.m. Bring your own blanket, chairs, and food. "Well-behaved, leashed dogs are welcome." 
The Brandywine Red Clay Alliance (formerly the BVA) is at 1760 Unionville-Wawaset Road (Route 842), West Chester.

Thursday, July 11, 2019

PENN: An Italian special

As a frequent visitor to both the Kennett and Jennersville YMCAs, I've always found the latter to have a bit more of a laid-back rural feel to it than the former. But that may be changing: the other day I parked next to a shiny (of course) red (of course) Ferrari 328 GTS in the J-ville lot. The 328 model was manufactured in the late 1980s; when it was introduced in 1985 the sticker price was $58,400 to $62,500 ($130,388 to $139,542 in 2016 dollars). According to Wikipedia, "The 328 is still considered by some enthusiasts to be one of the most reliable and functional Ferraris."

Wednesday, July 10, 2019

CAPITALISM: You can't make this up

The other day I got an urgent email from Rajesh, an editorial colleague in Pondicherry, India, who said a rush project had landed on his desk and he wanted me to take it: proofreading a book on how democratic socialism has the answers to all the problems of capitalism. The publisher, wisely, wanted to get it out the door as soon as possible to capitalize on the Democratic presidential primaries.
Sure, I'll do it, I told him. I was looking forward to it.
A few days later I got another email from Rajesh. He was sorry, but the project had been shelved indefinitely. Apparently it was running so far over budget that it was no longer feasible to proceed.

ENTITLED: They're listening

A friend and I were discussing the iniquities of health insurance companies (a common topic in our demographic) and how they seem to delight in denying procedures and medications they are mandated to cover by the Affordable Care Act. According to loopholes that they've carved out, either it's "out of network," or in the wrong "tier," or provided in an "unapproved" setting. Bottom line: The patient has to pony up, with no recourse whatsoever. So infuriating!
Anyhow, in the middle of the conversation my phone rang.
"Good news!" said the recorded voice. "Now there's a new, affordable health plan!"
I hung up, and my friend and I just looked at each other.
"Well, that was weird," I said after a moment.

GARDEN: Purple, green and white

This seems to be a banner year for hostas. Mine are blooming like never before. In previous years the few flowers were pale and spindly and the leaves were droopy and slug-eaten. This year the flower stalks are full and brilliant and the leaves are healthy and shiny. I can't take any credit; I'm not doing anything differently. The sunlight and moisture conditions must just be hosta-friendly this summer.
 

EAST MARLBOROUGH: Sensible guys

Two motorcyclists were chatting at the picnic table outside the Landhope in Willowdale the other night, discussing some new protective gear one of them had just bought (cool yet tough, apparently a good combination). One asked the other if he still worked as an emergency medical technician, and the answer was yes.
"Thank you for that," replied the first man, earnestly, saying that he recently crashed and, although he totaled his bike, he wasn't hurt. He said at the accident scene "every single one" of the police officers and EMTs thanked him for wearing a jacket, jeans and a helmet so they didn't have to scrape him off the pavement.
The second guy nodded in understanding. He said he had been an EMT for 30 years and remembers "vividly" every fatal crash he has seen.

BRANDYWINE: Creek spuds

Last weekend we went tubing in the Brandywine for the first time this summer, putting in near Wawaset. The river conditions were perfect. The cleanliness and temperature were ideal, and thanks to the heavy rain we've had, the water depth was just right: we had to stand up and walk through a shallow area only once. We saw a few kayakers and anglers along the way, and as usual we encountered a young couple new to tubing. The woman had a tough time descending the steep, vine-covered bank and getting into the water, then almost lost a shoe in the mud. Much shrieking and cursing ensued. Fortunately she and her boyfriend calmed down and spent most of the trip lazily squirting each other with water guns.

Saturday, July 6, 2019

RELO: A new Eagle Scout

Congrats to new Eagle Scout Richard Francis of Boy Scout Troop 31. His Eagle Scout project was relocating the tombstones of the old pet cemetery at Anson B. Nixon Park, which were in the middle of the disc golf course. Richard will enter his senior year at Unionville High School this autumn. His parents are Jayne Bair and David Francis (who was also an Eagle Scout!). Scoutmaster of Chadds Ford Troop 31, which was founded in 1948, is Raymond Coe.

Thursday, July 4, 2019

UNIONVILLE: Hearing things

Like many others, a Unionville friend lost her electric power in the intense storm that blew through on July 2. Her gasoline-powered generator produces only enough juice to run the well pump for the animals, leaving her unable to shower, brew coffee or charge her phone. To add to her problems, her Verizon-powered internet was out. She felt unclean, undercaffeinated and unconnected with the world.
Then, while sitting at her kitchen desk, she heard a mysterious, barely audible mumbling but couldn't decipher the words.
"Oh, great!" she thought. "Now I'm hearing spirit voices."
She pulled herself together, looked around -- and realized the sounds were coming from her husband's radio headphones. He hadn't turned them off after mowing the night before.

EAST MARLBOROUGH: Awesome fireworks

Regular readers know that we watch the Longwood fireworks for free from the parking lot of the Shoppes at Longwood Village on Route 1, and the practice seems to be catching on: I've never seen the parking lot as full as it was on Wednesday, July 3. Even the Young Relative and his UHS friends showed up (so you just know it was the happening place to be). I'm told that the neighboring Walmart parking lot was also jammed with spectators.
A couple I know have found what they consider a perfect spot to view the fireworks but, casting a certain chill on our friendship, they steadfastly refuse to share the location.
The half-hour display was terrific, as always. My brother and I were intrigued by the ferning, branching fireworks and, per usual, are suckers for the super-loud ones.
Now, if only the shopping center management would kill the bright parking-lot lights during the fireworks, we'd be very grateful and our photos would be much improved.

MUSIC: What a wonderful world

While cleaning under the sofa I found a dusty $15 iTunes gift card and thought I'd better redeem it soon, considering Apple plans to change the way its music download store operates. Little did I know that doing so would take a full Saturday morning in front of the computer. First I had to download the iTunes app on my PC and my phone. Then I had to obtain an Apple ID, figure out (mostly by trial and error) how to download songs to my PC, and then finally to transfer all the music onto my Android phone. Finding an app to actually play the music was another struggle.
All the while I was painfully conscious that this would take the Young Relative literally seconds, with a few mouse clicks and much eye-rolling at the sad ignorance of people born pre-Internet.
The easy and fun part of the process was finding great music to purchase: iTunes has everything. I remember spending months in the 1990s searching obscure record shops for a jazz album by John Coltrane and Duke Ellington that contained the sublime "In a Sentimental Mood" -- and now I can listen to it while running errands.
The $15 was spent in no time, at $1.29 a song (well, OK, 99 cents for some less popular items like my guilty pleasure "Who Do You Think You Are" by Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods). Among my other first-day downloads were current rap/country hit "Old Town Road" (misconstrued lyric: "Take my horse to the hotel room"); Bob Marley's live version of "No Woman, No Cry," Ella Fitzgerald's magnificent "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" (which is playing as I'm typing; heavenly) and Luciano Pavarotti singing "Nessun Dorma." 
Prediction: iTunes will be a regular line item on my credit card statement from now on.

Wednesday, July 3, 2019

WEST MARLBOROUGH: Tax increases?

Do West Marlborough residents consider themselves to be part of the Kennett Library's service area, and if so would they pay to fund construction of the long-discussed new library building?
That question will be placed on the November ballot  in West Marlborough, the supervisors decided at their July 2 meeting.
The matter arose because library board president Tom Swett emailed all the municipalities in the library's service area asking them to help fund construction of the proposed $10 million building, possibly by enacting an 0.3-mill real-estate tax for three years. Supervisor Bill Wylie noted that the suggested number would represent "a 17 percent increase" in the township's real-estate tax.
In other business, the supervisors said that at their August 6 meeting they plan to discuss the findings of the township's emergency medical services task force, which has spent months gathering data about how West Marlborough should fund local fire and ambulance companies.
Supervisor Jake Chalfin noted it was unfortunate that two matters that might require tax increases -- EMS services and library construction -- have arisen almost simultaneously.
Also at the board meeting, which took place during a torrential thunderstorm, the supervisors appointed Josh Taylor as a member of the zoning hearing board to replace Elizabeth "Baz" Powell, who died in January. Josh is a former township supervisor.

WEST MARLBOROUGH: Traffic calming

Roads and traffic problems have become a standard part of the agenda at West Marlborough township meetings.
At the July meeting, Supervisor Bill Wylie said he spoke with a local PennDOT representative about reducing the level of maintenance on some state roads in the township in an attempt to deter motorists from using them as through-roads. He said his sense is that township residents would prefer rougher roads without lines painted on them, even though "outsiders" and bicyclists might not. Mr. Wylie said he was unsure what the result of that conversation would be, if any.
Supervisor Jake Chalfin discussed the tradeoffs that would be involved if PennDOT improved the "compromised" bridge on Route 82 at Rokeby Mill. Currently heavy tri-axle trucks aren't allowed to use the bridge and have to take a roundabout detour through narrow West Marlborough roads. But if the bridge is fixed, Mr. Chalfin said, "it'll pop up on truckers' routes as options … and it'll double truck traffic on 82."
Supervisor and township roadmaster Hugh Lofting Sr. said the township will be getting estimates to fix a pipe under Spencer Road that is caving in and causing drainage problems. Funding is expected to come from the state. Mr. Lofting said the project might also involve draining a stagnant pond and turning it into a wetland.

EAST NOTTINGHAM: A memorable morning

I wrote a weekly police blotter column for a newspaper for years and I miss it when I come across items like this one from East Nottingham Township.
According to the Pennsylvania State Police at Avondale, early on June 22 a man crashed his car into an embankment and police suspected him of driving under the influence. While he was being processed at the station, a trooper gave the man's border collie, Angus, a ride home. Nobody answered the door of his house, so the trooper knocked on the door of the camper parked in the driveway, with its lights on at 3 in the morning. It was then the trooper noticed "several mature marijuana plants growing inside."
When Angus's owner returned home from his DUI arrest, he thanked the trooper for returning Angus. "The owner, however, was not so thankful that his small grow operation had been discovered."

Tuesday, July 2, 2019

LIBRARY: A busy spot

I stopped in at the library this afternoon to check out some hammock reading (the Young Relative's "Naked Economics" doesn't qualify) and found that the place was a hotbed of not only summer reading programs but also math tutoring.
At one table an instructor was sitting across from his student teaching him how to plot algebraic functions: "OK, this is a really nice function, but they're not all going to be so neat," he said, pointing to a graph and asking the youth to identify the asymptote.
Another teacher, working with a younger pupil, was discussing the principles of rounding in the tenths and hundredths columns: "Here's how you can remember it," she told him. "Five and up: give it a shove. Four and below, let it go." 
And a third tutor was using old-fashioned but still effective flashcards to teach the times tables.

QUAKERS: Summer schedule

As usual, several of the "laid-down" (usually closed) Quaker meetinghouses in the Western Quarter will be open to visitors for worship this summer. It's a great opportunity to see some old buildings where generations of people have worshipped, leaving a distinctly spiritual atmosphere. All are welcome.
Here is the schedule:
-- Pennsgrove (725 Pennsgrove Rd., West Grove): 10 a.m. July 28 and August 25
-- Old Kennett (Route 1 at Kendal at Longwood, across from the Hamorton Woods neighborhood): 9 a.m. July 28 and August 25
-- Homeville (4904 Homeville Rd., Cochranville): 2 p.m. August 25
-- Parkersville (1232 Parkersville Rd., Kennett Square): 2 p.m. Sept. 8
-- Colora (22 Corn Cake Row, Colora, MD): 2 p.m. Sept. 15.

Monday, July 1, 2019

WEST MARLBOROUGH: A new neighbor

Saturday evening, between the ominous flash-flood warnings, we took a stroll down the road and saw an oncoming bicyclist. He stopped and introduced himself and said he had recently moved here from Philadelphia.
"I'm still in shock," he said, about how beautiful his new surroundings are. A retired park ranger in Maryland, he explained that he enjoys observing nature and is thrilled to see all the types of birds that live here. As far as the bicycling goes, he is trying to follow his doctor's advice to drop a few pounds and intends to pedal a little farther up the steep hill each day.

BANKS: Citadel opens

The Kennett branch of Citadel Bank is having its "grand opening" July 12 and 13, but it actually opened last week. It's "tellerless," meaning that souped-up ATMs do most of the work that tellers used to do, including counting stacks of cash. Employees are still on duty, of course, to handle the nonroutine tasks.
We stopped in on Saturday, June 29. to check the place out and lots of other customers were doing the same thing. The ATMs were busy and all the employee had people sitting at their desks. The fellow who was tasked with welcoming people and explaining the system was so busy that he (unnecessarily) apologized to us several times for not being more attentive. 
The new bank -- it has a distinctive seamed sloping rust-colored roof -- is on Route 1 west of Bayard Road, where the Burger King used to be.