Should you feel the urge for an ice-cream cone in downtown West Grove, you might want to try "The Station Ice Cream Shoppe." It's a tiny place on the north side of the railroad tracks (hence the name), near the West Grove Post Office, Twelves restaurant and the Light Within yoga studio; the library and police station are just across the tracks.
After a few hours of doing yard work on this past sunny Sunday afternoon, I stopped in and ordered a dish of coffee almond fudge ice cream (what's not to like!) that was delicious and exactly the right temperature -- some places serve their ice cream so solid that it's hard to scoop it into your spoon and it gives you brain freeze. The place seemed to be doing a steady business. There are chairs and tables where you can sit outside, and the stereo was playing doo-wop music.
Sunday, June 1, 2014
Gossip central
On Saturday the Cranky Friend (multiflora rose pollen is his latest affliction) asked me whether a mutual Unionville acquaintance is still dating so-and-so.
"I don't know," I replied with some asperity. "It's really none of my business."
There was a stunned silence.
"Just . . . just let me groove on that a minute," he said haltingly. " `It's . . . none . . . of . . . my . . . business.' Coming from YOU! I . . . I just don't know what to say."
"I don't know," I replied with some asperity. "It's really none of my business."
There was a stunned silence.
"Just . . . just let me groove on that a minute," he said haltingly. " `It's . . . none . . . of . . . my . . . business.' Coming from YOU! I . . . I just don't know what to say."
A wonderful thing to do
Last week I wrote about the Kennett Square Memorial Day parade and told you how a friend's Dad, a WWII Navy veteran, had the time of his life riding in it and waving at the crowds. The family went out to lunch afterward ... and here's what happened:
"Some kind person at Applebee's bought many $20 gift cards and told our server to make sure every service person eating at the restaurant got one, especially our table with the WW2 vet. That was an awesome gesture from an anonymous person."
"Some kind person at Applebee's bought many $20 gift cards and told our server to make sure every service person eating at the restaurant got one, especially our table with the WW2 vet. That was an awesome gesture from an anonymous person."
Josiah Harlan
I've written before about Josiah Harlan, the nineteenth-century Newlin resident and world traveler whose daring adventures in India and Afghanistan were the inspiration for Rudyard Kipling's short story "The Man Who Would Be King."
John Snider is giving a talk about him at the Marshalton Inn on Strasburg Road on Tuesday, June 17, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. "What this man did and how he managed to stay alive doing it will be the subject of our PowerPoint presentation," reads the flier. The lecture, part of the Chester County Historical Society's "History on Tap" series, was originally scheduled for January 21 but -- no surprises here -- got snowed out.
I have it on good authority that Mr. Snider is a great storyteller.
Sweet talk
On top of the bakery counter at the grocery store there are usually free samples: a clamshell pack of oatmeal-raisin cookies, say, or sliced-up pieces of cake. But on Saturday I was surprised to see two plates of full-size cupcakes.
"These can't possibly be samples!" I said to my shopping companion.
The woman behind the counter overheard me and assured us they were indeed giveaways. My pal immediately selected a vanilla cupcake with a pouf of vanilla icing and sprinkles. Even though they looked really tasty, I declined.
"Oh, come on," said the baker. "It's a big store. You'll walk off the calories for sure."
Right. If only it were that easy!
"These can't possibly be samples!" I said to my shopping companion.
The woman behind the counter overheard me and assured us they were indeed giveaways. My pal immediately selected a vanilla cupcake with a pouf of vanilla icing and sprinkles. Even though they looked really tasty, I declined.
"Oh, come on," said the baker. "It's a big store. You'll walk off the calories for sure."
Right. If only it were that easy!
Meeting house architecture
Leona Provinski reminded me that on Saturday, June 14, London Grove Friends Meeting is hosting a talk by Seth Hinshaw on the architecture of Quaker meeting houses from 1670 to 2000. The talk starts at 7:30 p.m., with refreshments to follow. Mr. Hinshaw is senior preservation planner at Wise Preservation Planning in Chester Springs. The lecture is part of London Grove's 300th anniversary celebration.
"Braaains..."
Could those stick-figure families and other decorations on your vehicle be compromising your privacy? The concern is that they're revealing information that "bad guys" could exploit. A stick-figure small dog could mean that burglars wouldn't need to worry about encountering, say, a Doberman. A father stick-figure in a military uniform could mean he might be away from home. "Honor student" bumper stickers provide information about where your kid goes to school.
I kind of liked the rotting zombie stick-figure family I spotted on a vehicle at the URA baseball fields the other day. Surely that would put off a potential burglar! Even the undead cat looks pretty fierce.
I kind of liked the rotting zombie stick-figure family I spotted on a vehicle at the URA baseball fields the other day. Surely that would put off a potential burglar! Even the undead cat looks pretty fierce.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)