Wednesday, May 27, 2009

My Very "Dewey" Dewey-Beach Weekend

My very Dewey weekend?  Meeting with Starboard to arrange for fun events for " I Love Dewey Beach" Facebook Group, Taco Toss at the Light House to watch the sunset and friend meet-up, Piping Plover Bird Police Duty at Cape Henlopen State Park, Formal Party, Happy hour-Cookout-Birthday Party in Rehoboth, Migratory Bird Duty at Slaughter Beach, and then finally some beach siesta time!

Small Kitchen Stories: Desperate for Dinner

Once home after my amazing but grueling 8.5 hours doing Migratory Bird Duty....... a two hour round trip walk-in-and-out-slog into Osprey Beach........ much more fun to boat-in .....not having had enough water with me for the adventure........... upon arrival at my cottage I was beyond desperate for lunch and dinner!
My little grill-press to the rescue!  Dinner prep to table was 10 minutes!
On the plate, cover it with garden leaf lettuce. Cut up a nice tomato and scallions....... place on the lettuce.
Heat up the grill with some olive oil.  Cut up in bite size pieces: a small eye of round steak and then throw on the grill.  Place on top the press.  Stir after 2 minutes.  Replace the press.  
After a total of 5 minutes the steak is done.  Turn off the heat and drizzle on a fun salad dressing.  I used a Balsamic Honey Fig....... and let it sizzle and glaze the meat.
Place on the plate next to the tomato and scallions.
Ta-DA!  DINNER!!!!!
Saved me it did!
Then I showered and went out for a Rehoboth party!!!! 

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Osprey Beach "Pee" and Red Knots


The boat beached on "Osprey Beach", which I dubbed "Beach-Pee-pee" as it was the ONLY beach where one can hide behind a pine tree and pee! 
With my girly pink-backpack, $3,000 scope and chair in tow.... we found our spot for re-sighting the Red Knots and Ruddy Turnstones.
This was my first time getting to know a scope.  Lucky for me DE's Fish and Wildlife provided me with a great piece of glass!!!!
My re-sighting partner......a top-flight ornithologist from the UK....... gave me a great lesson.  He sat with me until I was comfortable with the re- sighting and data recording....... then I was on my own.
I recorded data for 50 birds.......... my Brit partner did 350!!!!!!!!!!!
I loved-loved watching the bird behaviors.  My favorite was watching the Ruddy Turnstones digging deeply for the horseshoe crab eggs........ so deep that half the bird would be would be in  it's little hole!
The wind and cold kept me alert, I was multi- layered up.....the layers almost made it thru .... I hid behind a tree for cover...... after three hours I was ready for the rescue crew!
Earlier in the day..... waiting for the rain to stop, I made banding bead strings....... and attempted to make a few flags too.  Oh, and I learned how to do data-entry too!
10.5 hours later............. barely made it back alive to the cottage for dinner and SLEEP! 
 


Friday Nite!

Ooohh..... now how do I make it to a Happy Hour cook-out invite...... then to Taco Toss to meeting up with my 600 Facebook: I Love Dewey Beach members.....
........... and then off to Nalu's .........
................ and then off to Cape Henlopen Park evening New Moon High-Tide Horseshoe Crab Survey!!!!!
...............Happy Choices all!

Monday, May 18, 2009

Small Kitchen Stories

With my new bright-white, little and slim fridge installed....... time to cook again!  
After 10.5 hours of birding tasks with DE's Fish and Wildlife Seashore Migratory Field Station, and a 40 minute drive from Slaughter Beach back to Dewey...... I needed dinner to be QUICK, HOT, and nourishing!!!
I did a one-pot Chicken/Veggy/Couscous! 
 Hug- a- bowl yummy-tummy it was!
In a small sauce pan.... throw in the following all chopped up: cooked roasted chicken,  zucchini, tomato, scallions, wine, olive oil.  Cook up!  Throw in the couscous, cover, turn off the heat.... wait 5 minutes and hope for the best!!!!!  
I used 1/4 cup of the couscous.  That means you must have at least 1/2 cup of liquid in the pot.
I topped the meal with full cream yogurt :-) :-) :-)
Dinner!  Ta-DA!

Very Dewey Friday!

Very-Dewey-Beach was my 6:30PM Friday Night Happy Hour invite........ which turned into a barbecue cookout which turned into a Big Happy Birthday party which ended at midnight!
I took the hosts doggie out for a quick walk......and discovered as I walked by an ocean block home that has a Key West outdoor bar/kitchen/outdoor fireplace! I dubbed it "Que Pasa Oceanside".  I crashed their party and said to look for me again!

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Really-Really URGENT! *Poop and Pee* in our Dewey Beach Sea????


I'm more than 100% disgusted.
Rehoboth Beach City Council will vote soon on Sewage "Outfall" in OUR OCEAN/BEACH!
I suggest an email to Commissoner Paul Kuhns:
pkuhns@cityofrehoboth.com

*Also see my Blog Post below: URGENT! Sewage in our Beloved Ocean and Beach????

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Fowler Beach


Finally, I found the time and opportunity to do a look-see at Fowler Beach.  It is on the North side of Prime Hook Reserve
I do not think I found my way there by the shortest route....... but found it I did.
The beach is backed by the marsh so the birding opportunities are good drawing the birds for the marsh, shore and ocean birds.
I loved seeing the so-prime-evil-looking Cormorants...... and that was the biggest Great Blue Heron I have ever seen!
Of course, I was looking for more Piping Plovers, but none sighted.
Visit this beach early in the season..... before the mosquitos get going!
I'm going to return soon for a long bay walk.
There are no views of civilization at Fowler Beach!  For that alone it is worth the visit.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Piping Plover Watch!


Delaware's Fish & Wildlife, Matt Bailey, at Cape Henlopen's Biden Center, on Saturday May 9th,  hosted the Volunteers Piping Plover Training.  
 We were about 50 strong and totally at rapt attention despite the distractions of yummy treats and the arrival after ~ 14 days of rain.... ta-da.. sunny weather.
Pictures of Piping Plover chicks are all fuzzy-wuzzy and too-cute-as-can-be and thus sealed the deal for our commitment as "Monitors".  We will watch the restricted breeding areas for human and other disturbances.
After the training we headed to CHSP's "The Point", for on the job training!  Maybe that was a Piping Plover fly-by, but to me it looked like white fluff!
My Monitor gig will be at "The Point" to take in sunset........or maybe the same at Gordon's Pond Tower.

Monday, May 11, 2009

Red Knots Arrive and Ruddy Turnstones too!

I've waited a year to see my first Red Knots!  I was so excited!  I'm still excited!  My first sighting was at Port Mahon along the bay's rip-rap rocky edges. My first look-see out the binos.... and there they were!!!!   My sighting partner, on a five day holiday, was an Environmental Educator, and a wonderful teacher
  I'm a volunteer with DE's Fish and Wildlife Seashore Birds.  I'm participating on a fast learning-track to record data, sight birds, re-sight band info, capture/net and band the birds!
After eight hours work.......I was fading...... but still on an adrenaline rush after the afternoon boat-tour look-see ( no Red Knots or Ruddy Turnstones...... so no scope work).
Can not wait to net and band my first birds!!!!!

Urgent and Timely! Stop the Rehoboth Beach Sewage Ocean Outfall

URGENT! Sewage in our beloved Ocean and Beach????
Surfrider Foundation Action Network: Stop the Rehoboth Beach Ocean Outfall

Should Rehoboth use an ocean outfall or Land Based Application (LBA) for waste water disposal?
The City of Rehoboth Beach Delaware has to make this decision and Surfrider enthusiastically supports LBA. LBA or spray irrigation is a universally accepted method for treating and reclaiming waste water into irrigation water for farmers, whereas an ocean outfall is a pipe leading out into the ocean which discharges treated effluent from a sewage treatment plant. Each year billions of gallons of fresh water are lost from effluent discharge into water bodies.

Please send this letter ( at link below) telling the City of Rehoboth that you support Land Based Application of waste water, not an ocean outfall. 
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/rehobothbeach_outfall

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Conquest Beach Outing

I must have my daily beach walk!  Beach-combing calls me!
Since last Summer, I am now a "Birder"!  Newbie- Birder!  Birds call me!
Conquest Beach was the destination....... just a few miles past Dewey Beach.  Despite the bleary rainy weather...... a nice time!
It was half-way between low and high tide....... I found 3-4 groups of 15-20 each of Sanderlings in their pre-breeding plumage, obsessively feeding.
A Laughing Gull dove and came up with a beautiful blue crab.  Sushi time!
Two sets of Willets did their serene-watch-the-ocean-thing.
One Osprey flew about the dunes picking up and letting go nest material.
A lovely conch was my beach combing cache of the day.
If I had not counted the dune-fence openings....... I would not have found my way back to my vehicle.  There were no "markers" to show me how far I walked and the same on the return!



Monday, May 4, 2009

Cottage Opens. Fridge DOA!

  The beachy-cottage opening was challenging.  My heart always pumps fast as I pull up to the driveway....open the door.....and look around.
  Oddly, ten days ago I heard a whisper in my ear: Fridge is dead. Indeed it was nearly so.  It made burbling noises and hardly a whisper of a hopeful cool breeze.
  I called Millman's the local appliance store....... they are wonderful.  In just a few minuted they located the one I needed.
  But how in the heck to get the old one out and the new one in?  The fridge width is 24 inches and the opening to the kitchen galley is 23 inches!!!!!!
  Now I needed a kitchen cabinetry tradesman/contractor to take out a cabinet to make space and coordinate the removal of the old and the arrival of the new.
  Thankfully I had picked up a Coastal Press paper.  I picked out an ad..... made the call and put on my best damsel in distress vibe.
  Success followed.  Everything coordinated and arranged........ but I'll be without a fridge for another week!
  The kindness of Millman's and my contractor made my weekend.
  Sussex County natives are the best and warm my heart.  The women are warm-hearted and kind and the men are gentlemen.
  Hanging out at Jazz Fest helped too!