Monday, September 28, 2009

Beer on the Beach: Town Party: This IS Dewey!


This is Dewey Beach!  This is THE REAL Dewey!  This is when having survived the Summer of Saddom and Gamorah, and the annual election: We Know All Is Right With the World.  
This is when we Drink Beer on The Beach LEGAL with the newly elected Mayor and Comissioners!
( As in; it is NOT legal Memorial Day thru to Labor Day).
I dare you to tell me about any other place on the planet where this happens.  Not happening anywhere else. Only in Dewey!
From 5 PM to 11 PM we celebrated by enjoying: Summer House Celebrity Beer and Roast Pig Dinner, ( good thing Yom Kippur was 24 hours ahead ), Taste of the Town, tented live music with Jimmi Smooth and the Hit Time ( I swear ~ 68 year old Jimmi looks 20 years younger than last year) and my favorite, a classic Bonfire.
Where else but Dewey Beach sets off a cannon shot to celebrate the new term of our newly elected, exceedingly cute and young Mayor, Father to 4 Genuine Dewey Beach Sand Crabs ages 8 to 1.5 years, with his children in one hand and beer in the other hand, the shot scaring half the public who was not yet drunk?
While the Dewey Elders' "Dessert Bunch" calmly sold their homemade and store-bought goodies in return for party donations....... certain party expenses having not been written into the Town's annual budget.
Long after the lit-neon-necklace children and dogs went home for beddy-bye, by tradition:
 The Summer House Lifers and myself stayed at the bonfire until the last beach umbrella and chair were removed. Celebratory cigar smoke whiffs signaled the last moments of a successful and happy production.

Beach Blessings,

Small Kitchen Stories: Pasta with Trout and Spinach

Friday evening, when it was time for dinner I was beyond tired to "go out" and as always I desperately wanted a lovely dinner.
With the cooler weather I was OK to warm up the kitchen with a pot of boiling water.  Pasta it was!  But then what???
I had a big handful of spinach that was on it's way out, same with the mushrooms.  On the  hopeful side I had a cold lovely fillet of sauteed Trout :-)
Here is the plan:
Bring the pot of water to a boil and add the pasta.  
The last few minutes add in the minced spinach and chopped mushrooms.
When all is al dente...... Drain in the colander.
Throw it back in the warm pot.
Add in the fish flakes.
Douse with olive oil and grindings of black pepper.

*Simple and stunningly good!

Ooh, and for dessert I did sliced damson plums with, crumbled ginger cookies, crystalized ginger, honey, and Grand Marnier!

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Coastal Cleanup and Guarding The Wild Beach Amaranth


Coastal Clean Up Day ended up as " She Who Guards Endangered Species Plants".  
 Ah-Ha MOMENT of my life: there I am sitting on a dune, guarding a Federally Endangered Plant, from Coastal Clean Up volunteers..... the Wild Beach Amaranth plant once blue-ish green now yellowing, having been swamped by the past week's Nor' Easter high tides, no bigger than my thumb, utters to me: 
THIS IS YOUR LIFE.  SHE WHO GUARDS PLANTS.
Quite the moment.  Someone has to do it?  It is me. As it is a Federally Mandated Protected Species, located in a Federally Protected Area.
This gets better.  During a past Dune Survey, with two paid Professionals and another volunteer, I was the one that found the diminutive gem!
After Coastal Clean Up Day I was told, "It is the only one remaining in Delaware"!
( Not to worry as this is an annual..... so last remaining plant for the season ).
Oh, and the story gets even better.
When I went to locate and mark my tiny plant prisoner, to protect her from forthcoming enthusiastic Girl Scouts...... momentarily I could not find her!!!
 Had I stepped on her???  My PANIC was beyond HUGE!!!!!!
Would I have to report to DE's Fish and Wildlife I had killed her off ?
If I had, would I be fired from my Volunteer position: FIRED Dune Survey Wanderer Finder of Tiny-Tiny Endangered Species Plants??????
I very slowly, very carefully turned around: looked DOWN, and there she was!!!!!!
I marked the sucker with a brick and then hailed a DNREC vehicle outta there! 
It was time to pee and go to Hawk Watch!
PS: It is no fun finding a spot to pee-pee on the CHSP Dunes!  Like turn around and the Radio Tower can see you...... or the Lewes Ferry...... or the Hawk Watch volunteers!

Beach Blessings,

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Record Day at Hawk Watch!


Last Saturday at DE's Cape Henlopen State Park's ( aka CHSP) Hawk Watch was a record breaking day! 
When I arrived at 12:30 PM, after quite the hectic Coastal Cleanup ( future blog ), the count was already over 400 raptors!  By the end of the day on my watch the count was 1140!
What a show it was.  Our professional Forrest Rowland was in high form and loving the stage and Raptor Performance.  The birds were coming in high,  right over our heads, and from several directions.
We broke a record number day!  The last record was 1099.
We broke the number for Sharpies.
The most fun?!  We sighted a Swainson's Hawk, Juvenile, Dark Morph.
As the Swainson's Hawk came in...... us female spotters were sqealing " Looks like a TV but it is not a TV".  Hey, Forrest maybe you would like to take a look????" 
Forrest who was already spotting birds left and right..... swung around for a look.... then had to swing the scope around for the 100% ID. 
 When he announced the  Swainson's Hawk, Juvenile, Dark Morph: WE WERE JUBILIANT!!!!!     DANCING ON THE PLATFORM AND WHOOPS AND HOLLARING!!!!
ASAP: Forrest just had to cell and text his buddies the find!
Forrest claims the CHSP Hawk Watch to be: The Most Difficult on the Face of The Planet!  Yet, I'd say he is loving every second, every bird, every new record!!! 
Best of all was the volunteer and visitor companionship: we reveled in each other's good fortune and joy!
C'est Moi: in the Funky Hat!

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Small Kitchen Stories: Roll into Dewey with Fifer's Roast Chicken


Roast Chicken and Veggys-Two Ways, Two Dinners:
Roll into Dewey on Friday Night and still have a wonderful dinner is possible via a Fifer's Market Roast Chicken!
Call in ahead to reserve one if you are super anxious and OCD organized.  I just show up and hope for the best ;-)
#1: With my lovely roast chicken scenting my cottage, I contemplated my next move.  I was way too tired and lazy to do much.
I had New Red Potatoes and Yellow Snap Beans.  I prepared both and boiled together.  While waiting for the veggys to cook to order....... I chopped scallions and a yellow tomato.  New Red Potatoes and Yellow Snap Beans were drained and tossed into the chopped scallions/yellow tomato.  I added in a fun Lime-Honey Salad Dressing.  Onto my dinner plate it went with a big slice of the still warm but not hot roast chicken on the side..... also drizzled with the salad dressing. 
#2: More Roast Chicken awaits in the fridge for dinner #2.  I picked off the chicken and then threw it into the skillet where I already had sauteing scallions, mushrooms, and tomatoes.  Added in some Vermuth.  Added in a big dollop of sourcream.  Served it on nice big slices of toasted Sourdough bread.
Ta Da!

Beach Blessings,

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

The Milton Theater, Gershwin, David Zipse, and Me


I can not tell you how excited I was to go see my first live performance at the Milton Theater!  This experience fits in totally into My Childhood Lives Again @ The Beach!
My Dewey Beach home is more a Summer Camp Cabin than a "house".  My endless volunteer hours spent at Cape Henlopen State Park ( CHSP) are more self-serving than selfless!  CHSP is Summer Camp to me! I'm just older ;-)
I spent many Summer Camps at Interlochen Center for the Arts.  A most memorable Summer was taking: "Chorus" doing Gershwin-Gershwin-Gershwin.   This music never left me.
I and my girlfriends were positively giddy waiting for the show to start.  We were singing and dancing in our seats and wondering if we could keep from singing out loud with the performers!
I agreed to go to the show as I figured it would be hard to screw up Gershwin's music.  I figured.... I could muse on my childhood memories and smile.
What I was not prepared for was the following: SUPERB PERFORMANCE!!!!!!!!
David Zipse is a virtuoso pianist.  He played his heart out for 2.5 hours!
  I did have a hard time adjusting to the "digital" concert piano........ but once my ear got with it...... I was happy.
David Zipse's Gershwin Review is total fun.  Not quite campy, not quite museum retro... the performances stood on their own.  There was a costume change for every song!!!! 
Part of the fun was getting to know the patrons!  Very Arty group!  Very appreciative group too.  Rhapsody in Blue got a Standing OVATION!
And it did not hurt that alcohol is served at a bar and parking is easy and free!
David Zipse's website link is below
www.davidzipse.com/bio.html

Beach Blessings,

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Starboard: I get it, I got Religion!


Who does not love Monty and "Toastie" of The Starboard? A more generous business you can not find!  They freely donate to the Town of Dewey Beach for funds to charity, events, lifeguards, and the police force.
What is not to love about Sunday nights with Jimi Smooth or wild-crazy-silly events, such as my personal favorite, The Running of The Bull!!!!  Halloween at The Starboard is beyond hilarious!
Until this past weekend, I will admit that I "did not get it".  I did not UNDERSTAND The Starboard's appeal.  As in stand in a line for 30 minutes to get in? FOR WHAT????
My sensual nature requires a bar with lots of tactile and sensual expression.  I adore the Rehoboth's Finn's for it's sweetly cozy warm woods and copper topped bar.  The bar's sweet and salty oyster display, 6 varieties offered, makes it's way to my nose along with wafts of some fine ales.   The Starboard has none of this. 
Nor does The Starboard benefit from a bay-view location!  In fact, once in the The Starboard.... almost no outside views are afforded.
Thus I always struggled to Understand The Starboard.
This past weekend...... I got The Starboard Religion.  I had the Classic Dewey Beach Staboard experience...... and now I understand it, and LOVE IT! 
 I Love Dewey Beach and The Starboard are now synonymous!  
Ha!  I dare anyone to say the above after they have closed down their evening there!
My Ah-HA-I GOT-IT-MOMENT was Sunday Night before Labor Day Monday.
~ 10:30 PM, I promised friends I'd meet up there.  Truly, I just wanted to go home and sleep, sleep, sleep.  I had had a fun day!
I arrived there near to 11PM.  I left at 1:15AM!!!!
How do you make your way in???  Sardine-Can-Style-al-la-Ricochet-Rabbit....!  After an hour standing with friends......... I finally found my group at the bar with real estate good enough to "slot me in".  I was pronounced " YOUR IN!".
 I am not known to drink.  5 sips of ale or 1 sip of vodka make me ill.  But I can do whiskey and bourbon ;-)  My Daddy taught me :-) Thanks, Dad!
My girlfriend insisted I have SOMETHING so I did shots of Maker's Mark.
Then I turned around...... and started watching..... really seeing The Starboard for the first time..... thru my Maker's Mark eyes.
There was not anything to be seen except people.  I finally got it.  The patrons are The Decor! The Patrons are IT!
I had a wonderful view of 20 something's women all in their Summer House coordianted cowboy hats, in white outfits, deep cleavages and bare midriffs.  
The Dewey Beach "Cowgirls'!  They held court.  They laughed and sang.  They ruled, like 1,000% totally and then some.  The guys did not have a chance.
Oh yeah, and I got a little drunken attention too ;-)
The Starboard RULES when it is the most packed.  That is when to stand in line for 30 minutes for your evening's fun.

Beach Blessings,
  

 

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Famous Martini Party Outstanding and Astounding!

This year I kicked  it up a notch for my "Martini Party" outfit and am I ever glad I did!  I wore a Vera Wang cocktail dress ( purchased @ 90% off :-) with  a somewhat racer back - neckline, covered in big navy spangles!  Bright red Chanel Lipstick, black fishnet capris and jeweled- white-jade-hoop earrings finished the look.
My look matched the party....... this year it kicked up a notch too, heck a skyscraper height, and way over the Town of Dewey Beach code- legal 35 feet height!!!
It seemed everyone's outfit was so chic and "grown up"!  Everyone's behavior was too!
The Bartenders always do an outstanding job...... and the food is wonderful and generous....... but this year The Edie Sherman band played... in a tent.....  and everyone was on the dance floor! 
A tent graced with lights and lanterns was filled with standing decorated cocktail tables.
Uh-OH I thought: is this The Last HURRAH????  Was someone special terminally ill and this was the party of parties for us all????????
Or would someone announce: Quiet Please.  The darling couple will now take their wedding vows in the tent.  And it will only take 10 minutes and then you can get back to the kick-_ss partying!  
Classic Dewey Beach Party Grows UP!

Beach Blessings,


Small Kitchen Stories: Roll into Dewey with Shrimp

I rolled into town late, ~ 7 PM, on  Wednesday before the big Labor Day Holiday.  I was desperate for a beautiful meal :-) 
I had everything I needed with me in the cooler except the main course.  As I neared Rehoboth Beach, I figured it out.
I went into Big Fish and came out with a Shrimp Skewer.
On the Panini Grill I first threw on the snapped yellow "green" beans, chopped scallions, and sliced mushrooms..... and let it get going a bit....... then poured on some Sweet/Garlic Thai Sauce.
Then laid down the skewer....... covered it with the press........ three minutes....... turn over the skewer and give the veggys a stir-around.  More sauce on the shrimp skewer...... about two more minutes.  And dinner is served!!!!!
Ta-Da Dewey Beach: Lovely meal in less than 10 minutes!