Out to dinner!

Did it feel strange, eating our first meal actually inside a restaurant since March 11?
No, it felt great. Yes, all the staff were wearing masks, and the waitress who brought our food asked permission before setting the plates down in front of us.
But the dining experience essentials were all there: we walked into the restaurant, sat down at a table, and were served dinner. Joy!
There is such a pent-up demand for going out to a restaurant that we actually had a tough time getting a reservation, even on a Wednesday night. One restaurant had no openings until 8 p.m. -- too late for me. At the place we chose, the Iron Hill Brewery on Main Street in Newark, every sidewalk table was full, so we ate inside (just as well; it was hot out there on the sidewalk). 
We wore masks as we walked into the restaurant but could take them off as we sat down. Some of the booths were taped off for social distancing, which cut down on the people watching. 
For dinner we had crab cakes with grilled asparagus (me) and a steak with broccoli (the Dearest Partner). No procedural changes were involved in the ordering or check-paying process. 
When the party across the room from us left, we noticed that a masked busboy promptly came out and cleaned and disinfected the entire booth, even pulling the table out so he could sweep up underneath.
We thanked the hostess and the waiters and told them we were so glad they were reopening. They seemed every bit as grateful.

UNIONVILLE: A life well lived

The Rev. John "Jack" L. Ferguson, longtime pastor of the Unionville Presbyterian Church, passed away the morning of Tuesday, June 9. Rev. Ferguson was known for delivering memorable eulogies in which he'd spell out the deceased person's name, choosing an appropriate quality for each letter. He was ordained and installed as pastor in 1959 and retired in 1997 after 42 years of service. In 1979 he was named "Citizen of the Year" by the Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce.
I will pass along funeral arrangements when they become available.

Some excellent Giant employees

It cannot be easy to work at a grocery store even at the best of times. And these days, add in the risk of virus transmission; short-tempered, entitled patrons; and new safety rules and I'm sure it's even worse.
That said, I want to give a shout-out to two employees at the New Garden Giant on Scarlett Road, Luke, who works at the self-serve registers, and Dairy Associate Jason. 
The other day Jason noticed me peering at the yogurt case, asked if he could help, and went back to the storage room to track down the exact kind of yogurt I was looking for. 
And Luke, tasked with cleaning the check-out stations after every customer, stood at attention like a Wimbledon ball-boy so he could spring into action as soon as customers took their receipts. He saw that the register was being balky and came over and got it to work, again without my even asking.
Great job, guys!

YELLOW: Things are starting to reopen!

This past weekend, Dearest Partner and I made the most of the transition to the "yellow" phase of the coronavirus quarantine.
Saturday we went to Liberty Place Market on State Street in downtown Kennett Square for Buddy Burgers and actually got to eat them on the newly reopened outdoor patio -- a novelty after eating take-out since March! Every table was occupied -- although the diners were safely spaced out.
After dinner we walked up the street to La Michoacana for ice cream, and it was wonderful to see so many people enjoying outdoor dining at Verbena, La Verona and Portabello's. People seemed to be elated at socializing and eating at a restaurant again.
On Sunday we took a road trip, our first since a pre-shutdown visit to Dover, Delaware, back in March. We drove west to Chickies Rock, a Lancaster County park that, after a short walk, affords a magnificent view over the broad Susquehanna River. 

View over the Susquehanna River from Chickies Overlook.

Again, all of our fellow hikers were smiling and friendly and seemed very happy just to be outside. We saw lots of dogs, including a St. Bernard puppy with gigantic paws (he is going to be big) and a sweet little Corgi named Annie. 
I felt very conscious about social distancing: One woman was having a little trouble clambering up some rocks and it felt odd not to be able to reach out a helping hand. 
After leaving the park we explored the towns of Marietta (lots of bicyclists) and Columbia. We then crossed the river to Wrightsville, York County, where we watched some kayakers put in, saw some riverside lime kiln ruins and read about how, in the Civil War, the Grand Army of the Republic saved Lancaster from a Confederate invasion by destroying the bridge. First the soldiers tried to blow it up, and when that didn't work they burned it down. A present-day pub named the Burning Bridge commemorates the event, and a little museum holds a diorama of the event (of course, it was closed).
We crossed back to the Lancaster County side of the Susquehanna and continued looking for lunch --- every place we'd tried was either closed or required advance ordering. We lucked out, happening upon an excellent roadside BBQ place called The Bishop's View. The owner, Troy, kept piling more side dishes and chicken on our plates!
As you know, I love Unionville deeply, but it was so good to see different scenery.