During a conversation about investment strategies the other morning, I felt pretty much at sea with the expert's financial lingo but tried my darnedest to look intelligent.
At one point the discussion turned to the causes of the 2008 financial disaster, and the expert stated that it partially stemmed from the flawed belief that everyone could afford to be a homeowner. "Some people should be renters," he said.
The man sitting next to me, who owns a historical home in Unionville that is gorgeous but extremely high maintenance, raised his hand.
"I should be a renter," he said ruefully.
Thursday, January 30, 2020
REAL ID: Deadline is in October
I'm now the proud owner of an upgraded Real ID driver's license complete with a gold star. Although the upgrade is optional, starting Oct. 1 you'll need to have a Real ID, a U.S. passport, or a military ID to board commercial flights and enter secure federal buildings.
On Friday morning I drove up to the Lancaster driver's license center, which is in the East Town shopping center, 2090 Lincoln Highway, right where Routes 30 and 462 split. When I walked in, the receptionist greeted me, asked why I was there, and gave me the correct forms to fill out. He then handed me a numbered ticket, like at an old-fashioned deli.
I found a seat -- there were maybe 30 people waiting in the cavernous, mostly empty hall -- and filled out the forms.
According to my ticket there were 18 people in front of me, so I settled in for some people watching.
To my surprise I was called within about 20 minutes. The clerk checked that I'd brought the correct identification documents and scanned them into the system, then sent me along to the counter to get my photograph taken by a cheerful young man. I barely had time to sit down before my finished document was ready.
The whole process was simple and the employees were all pleasant and efficient.
On my way out I saw a man who looked familiar and asked if he was from Kennett Square.
"Used to be," he said. It turned out to be Ralph Burton, the former police chief of West Whiteland Township. He and his wife lived in Lenape for 43 years and their children went to the Unionville schools. Chief Burtons said they moved to Cochranville when he retired and they now live on a quiet road where there are more Amish buggies than cars.
If you have questions about the Real ID process, PennDOT has a useful website. Also, State Rep. Christina Sappey is holding an information session about Real ID on Thursday, Feb. 20, from 6 to 7 p.m. at the West Goshen Township Building at Paoli Pike and North Five Points Road in West Chester.
On Friday morning I drove up to the Lancaster driver's license center, which is in the East Town shopping center, 2090 Lincoln Highway, right where Routes 30 and 462 split. When I walked in, the receptionist greeted me, asked why I was there, and gave me the correct forms to fill out. He then handed me a numbered ticket, like at an old-fashioned deli.
I found a seat -- there were maybe 30 people waiting in the cavernous, mostly empty hall -- and filled out the forms.
According to my ticket there were 18 people in front of me, so I settled in for some people watching.
To my surprise I was called within about 20 minutes. The clerk checked that I'd brought the correct identification documents and scanned them into the system, then sent me along to the counter to get my photograph taken by a cheerful young man. I barely had time to sit down before my finished document was ready.
The whole process was simple and the employees were all pleasant and efficient.
On my way out I saw a man who looked familiar and asked if he was from Kennett Square.
"Used to be," he said. It turned out to be Ralph Burton, the former police chief of West Whiteland Township. He and his wife lived in Lenape for 43 years and their children went to the Unionville schools. Chief Burtons said they moved to Cochranville when he retired and they now live on a quiet road where there are more Amish buggies than cars.
If you have questions about the Real ID process, PennDOT has a useful website. Also, State Rep. Christina Sappey is holding an information session about Real ID on Thursday, Feb. 20, from 6 to 7 p.m. at the West Goshen Township Building at Paoli Pike and North Five Points Road in West Chester.
BOWDEN: Lecture about new crime book
A few weeks ago I wrote an item about an upcoming Hadley Fund talk by Kennett Square author Mark Bowden about his new book, "The Last Stone." The book sounded intriguing, so I borrowed it from the library. It's a cliché to say "I couldn't put it down" -- but I really couldn't. I finished the 340-page book in three sittings.
Most of the nonfiction book consists of interviews between investigators and Lloyd Lee Welch, whom the police suspect of kidnapping sisters Katherine and Sheila Lyon, ages 10 and 12, from a shopping mall in Wheaton, Maryland, in 1975, and murdering them. Their bodies were never recovered. In 2013 Montgomery County, Maryland, detectives finally got a break in the cold case and were able to home in on Welch, an early suspect in the case, who was serving a prison sentence in Delaware for child sexual abuse.
The tactics of the investigators are fascinating as they continue to talk to Welch over a period of months. He is unapologetic about changing his story whenever presented with a piece of evidence he can't explain away.
Welch finally ended up pleading guilty to killing the girls and was sentenced to serve an additional prison term in Virginia for the murders after he finishes serving his Delaware sentence in 2026.
Some critics have complained that the interviews are repetitive and the author should have just summarized some of them, but I disagree: my attention never wandered. I also enjoyed his accurate recreation of the 1970s milieu. I should add that some parts of the book, as you might imagine, require a strong stomach due to violence, perversion, and utter creepiness.
Mark Bowden will discuss the book at 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 16, at Kennett Friends Meeting, 125 W. Sickle St., Kennett Square.
Most of the nonfiction book consists of interviews between investigators and Lloyd Lee Welch, whom the police suspect of kidnapping sisters Katherine and Sheila Lyon, ages 10 and 12, from a shopping mall in Wheaton, Maryland, in 1975, and murdering them. Their bodies were never recovered. In 2013 Montgomery County, Maryland, detectives finally got a break in the cold case and were able to home in on Welch, an early suspect in the case, who was serving a prison sentence in Delaware for child sexual abuse.
The tactics of the investigators are fascinating as they continue to talk to Welch over a period of months. He is unapologetic about changing his story whenever presented with a piece of evidence he can't explain away.
Welch finally ended up pleading guilty to killing the girls and was sentenced to serve an additional prison term in Virginia for the murders after he finishes serving his Delaware sentence in 2026.
Some critics have complained that the interviews are repetitive and the author should have just summarized some of them, but I disagree: my attention never wandered. I also enjoyed his accurate recreation of the 1970s milieu. I should add that some parts of the book, as you might imagine, require a strong stomach due to violence, perversion, and utter creepiness.
Mark Bowden will discuss the book at 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 16, at Kennett Friends Meeting, 125 W. Sickle St., Kennett Square.
Sunday, January 26, 2020
LOTTERY: Helping the economy
We were at Landhope in Willowdale after dinner on Saturday buying a Powerball ticket when a friend walked in, on the same mission. She was happy to see us because she wasn't sure how to use the lottery machine (so she said). She told us she wanted to try her luck on the $373 million jackpot for a very specific reason: she has had her eye on a historic house that will require some expensive renovations.
She bought her ticket and we had a discussion about whether it would be better to take the lump-sum payout or the annuity. I made her promise that when she won, Tilda would have an exclusive on the story.
I'm still waiting for that call.
She bought her ticket and we had a discussion about whether it would be better to take the lump-sum payout or the annuity. I made her promise that when she won, Tilda would have an exclusive on the story.
I'm still waiting for that call.
AVONDALE: The best ice cream ever?
A Unionville native was reminiscing fondly the other day about the former Pensupreme Dairy, which was located across Route 1 from the Avondale Wawa. She said that the ice cream there was so memorable because it was made from the good, old-fashioned basics. Today's ice cream, she stated, simply doesn't compare.
"What about Woodside Creamery?" suggested another party to the conversation.
"Or Baily's?" said another.
She dismissed our suggestions with prejudice.
The Pensupreme Dairy was before my time but perhaps other readers will recall it.
"What about Woodside Creamery?" suggested another party to the conversation.
"Or Baily's?" said another.
She dismissed our suggestions with prejudice.
The Pensupreme Dairy was before my time but perhaps other readers will recall it.
Thursday, January 23, 2020
KATS: "Very talented people!"
As always, we had a great time at this year's pantomime, "Snow White and the Magic Mirror."
The madcap plot focused on a power struggle between the haughty Queen Turmeric (Beth Holladay), with her toadie Lord Mendicant (Kris Gibbons), and the equally vile Queen Bergamot (Lisa Teixeira) that involved the up-and-coming Princess Bianca (Clare Flanigan and Becky Galante); her governess Dame Flora (Kevin Sheridan, gloriously over-the-top in traditional and outlandish drag); Prince Valiant (Alec Salameda and Karen Belgam); Squire George (Stephen Ashby); Digby the Gardener (Kevin Pizzini); a posse of dwarves who doubled as the Greek chorus; Goldilocks (Kaitlyn Diehl) and the Three Bears (Elea Feit, Michelle Opalesky, and Annie Belgam). The show's title comes from the mirror created by a wizard (Nancy Goyda) that always tells the truth. It was voiced by Chase Gibbons, who did a flawless job in his first speaking role with KATS.
The song by the Dragon Ensemble (Weston and Zula Ali-Calabrese; their mother Becca Calabrese, and Becca's sister Guenevere Calabrese-Finley) was a show-stopper. The children's chorus was adorable; they played minions, a fire brigade, and baby dragons.
The show was the 19th annual pantomime in the British Tradition presented by the Kennett Amateur Theatrical Society. Gary Smith, one of the KATS founders, wrote the show and the songs, and his wife, Caroline Smith, was the director. The tuxedo-clad Gary was handing out programs at the door, and Caroline opened the show wearing a stunning liquid-silver gown.
Some friends of ours who are recent transplants from Manhattan attended the Panto for the first time and were impressed: "It was great! Very talented people!"
The show was held as scheduled on Friday evening, Jan. 17, at Kennett High School, but then the Saturday shows had to be postponed until Sunday due to the snow. Parking was at a premium on Sunday because there was also a wrestling tournament being held at the school. We nabbed the very last spot in the little parking lot across South Street and then hustled up the steep hill to the auditorium.
The madcap plot focused on a power struggle between the haughty Queen Turmeric (Beth Holladay), with her toadie Lord Mendicant (Kris Gibbons), and the equally vile Queen Bergamot (Lisa Teixeira) that involved the up-and-coming Princess Bianca (Clare Flanigan and Becky Galante); her governess Dame Flora (Kevin Sheridan, gloriously over-the-top in traditional and outlandish drag); Prince Valiant (Alec Salameda and Karen Belgam); Squire George (Stephen Ashby); Digby the Gardener (Kevin Pizzini); a posse of dwarves who doubled as the Greek chorus; Goldilocks (Kaitlyn Diehl) and the Three Bears (Elea Feit, Michelle Opalesky, and Annie Belgam). The show's title comes from the mirror created by a wizard (Nancy Goyda) that always tells the truth. It was voiced by Chase Gibbons, who did a flawless job in his first speaking role with KATS.
The song by the Dragon Ensemble (Weston and Zula Ali-Calabrese; their mother Becca Calabrese, and Becca's sister Guenevere Calabrese-Finley) was a show-stopper. The children's chorus was adorable; they played minions, a fire brigade, and baby dragons.
The show was the 19th annual pantomime in the British Tradition presented by the Kennett Amateur Theatrical Society. Gary Smith, one of the KATS founders, wrote the show and the songs, and his wife, Caroline Smith, was the director. The tuxedo-clad Gary was handing out programs at the door, and Caroline opened the show wearing a stunning liquid-silver gown.
Some friends of ours who are recent transplants from Manhattan attended the Panto for the first time and were impressed: "It was great! Very talented people!"
The show was held as scheduled on Friday evening, Jan. 17, at Kennett High School, but then the Saturday shows had to be postponed until Sunday due to the snow. Parking was at a premium on Sunday because there was also a wrestling tournament being held at the school. We nabbed the very last spot in the little parking lot across South Street and then hustled up the steep hill to the auditorium.
RIVER MUSEUM: David Ferron's first collection
Unionville fashion designer David Ferron has announced the date for his debut runway show: Saturday, March 28, at the Brandywine River Museum.
David, a Unionville native, writes, "The collection will showcase the strength and beauty of local women who have inspired artists for generations. This will be the first event of its kind at the museum and will include a runway show, cocktail reception, and open special exhibitions."
The fashion show begins at 5:45 p.m. Tickets start at $45 and are available through David's website, www.davidferron.com. David's shop is David Ferron at Unionville Saddle, 1712 West Doe Run Road.
David, a Unionville native, writes, "The collection will showcase the strength and beauty of local women who have inspired artists for generations. This will be the first event of its kind at the museum and will include a runway show, cocktail reception, and open special exhibitions."
The fashion show begins at 5:45 p.m. Tickets start at $45 and are available through David's website, www.davidferron.com. David's shop is David Ferron at Unionville Saddle, 1712 West Doe Run Road.
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