Mission Impossible: Find Hurricane Earl Survivors!

Please start to sing the theme song to the now so impossibly retro TV show, "Mission Impossible". Too young? You Tube it!!!

The Tuesday after the passing of Hurricane Earl off the Delmarva Coast, there I am on the Hawk Watch platform enjoying my day. Nothing to do but watch the ocean, bay, sky and a few raptors! After duty, descending the steps, my cell gets in a voice mail. Oddly the cell call never came in on the platform. Oh, well.

My "Piping Plover" Director of Endangered Species, Birds and Plants, implores a call back. I do.

Theme Song Please:

Your Mission if you choose to take it is to find the Survivors of Hurricane Earl! Find the Endangered Species Wild Beach Amaranth Plants that made it thru Hurricane Earl's High Tide!

Why yes, I will take on the mission!

In 25 mph winds with stinging sand I crawled the Dune Line between Key Box and Conquest beach. I was truly bummed as I started the crawl. There were 25 plants..... I was finding none.

And then I found one...... a tiny water-logged survivor.

And then I found one the size of a small butter plate!

And then I found one the size of an appetizer plate!

With each find, happier, and happier I became despite covered with the flying gritty and filmy sand.

20% survivor rate!

Ta Da!

The Consensus: Starboard, The Cove, Nalus, North Beach

The "Until Death 'Till We Part-y Summer House Group" have decades together of group parties; they know each other very well. Yet, I am equally amazed and not that at the end of every party, or even a Saturday Happy Hour, there is a "Group Grope Consensus" as to where The Group will grope and end the evening. Labor Day weekend Saturday we all piled into The Starboard, and on Sunday evening we piled into The Cove.

We know what we enjoy, and know what live music is playing where, and at what venue. The GROUP always picks out the most FUN choice.

This is how it works. Saturday at "The Party" mid-way thru everyone starts to say, OK, see you later @ XXX, right? And thus it gets repeated, and indeed half the party does end up at the agreed location.

The Summer House Group even has it's own "real-estate" at each bar; in particular, The Starboard! Packed sardine-full as always, there we were, packed into our own little can-bar space. One party member, not knowing the above, came in with a mylar-baloon from the party as if to say "find me". Yet, somehow among the thousands he found our space.

Beach Blessings,

Lewes's: The Buttery: Old School and Pub Life

Once long ago after walking in blustery conditions, with a date, we walked into Lewes's "The Buttery" hoping to just get a cup of hot tea. My date's face turned to horror. This restaurant is for THE BIG DATE. But maybe not?

The patrons match the decor: High Class/Old School, varnished woods and flowers are abundant. Ask to be seated in the semi- circular "Garden" window, as there you can catch the street scene.

I finally made it to The Buttery.. again..... but this time for a celebratory birthday brunch! As the gals were late, I sat waiting at the empty but beautiful old school- varnished bar flirting with the bartender, discovering the bar life that not even the locals know exist!

The Buttery, if seated at the bar, offers up a Pub Menu from 5 PM to closing! The creative menu also entices as the prices are a fraction of a dinning room dinner!

Lovely, lovely is the chef's presentations for either menu.

Beach Blessings,

My Beach Version: Eat, Pray, Love

At an airport bookstore I scanned the book: Eat, Pray, Love. I passed on the purchase. Yet, the Trifecta Search mode is what I have been doing these past five beach seasons!

My version?

Buy a Beach Shack:

*****EAT****SWIM****VOLUNTEER (for Endangered Species Birds and Plants)*****

EAT:

Upon arrival my very first stop in Dewey Beach is to purchase local fish, produce and baked goods! This past weekend I purchased Fifer's Roast Chicken and Baked Corn Salad which I threw together to make the weekend's salad!

SWIM:

For four seasons running my reason TO LIVE was TO SWIM in the ocean! I LIVED for my daily beach time with at least 2-3 swims. I was bereft if I could not swim because of the surf, my schedule or the weather.

I knew I had to find my "dry land swim time".

VOLUNTEER:

My dry-land time found me at Cape Henlopen State Park ( CHSP). I fell into several volunteer events before I found my gig projects for DNREC's Endangered Species ( Shorebirds and Plants).

At a volunteer event DNREC thanked me for my service.

Oh, no. Thank YOU, DNREC!

My volunteering is self-serving and self-fulfillment.

*****EAT****SWIM****VOLUNTEER ********************************

Beach Blessings,

Midway's Screening Room and SJC.

One of my most favorite Summer socials is Seaside Jewish Community's ( SJC) Movie Night!

We were a small group....... ~ 20........ definitely the retired age group. The chosen movie, "Defiance"........ the extreme violence was not for a family night-out.

I love having The Midway's Screening Room "all to ourselves". It is fun and intimate, bonds form with the food and the ability to vocalize during the movie our "oh's and oy's".

For the menu we had a salad bar with ordered-in pizza! Lots of desserts from fresh figs to chocolate torte. Of course, Popcorn was served at movie time!!!

The Point, Lunch in Lewes and Beach Time in Dewey

As a kid my day was made if I made it in one day to more than one beach! Same for me as an adult!

If low tide is in the morning, Cape Henlopen's Point is my first destination. I wandered the tidal flats, found birds, and socialized with a birding group.

The most fun was watching a Father with two small daughters use a casting net to catch Mullet minnows. His daughter, "Maya The Brave" caught the squiggling fish and dumped then in the bucket. Her delighted squeals fought off the Laughing and Herring Gulls!

For once I did not pack a lunch and off I went to the Lewes to the "The Barbeque/Church Pavillion". My box lunch and I then went to Lightship Overfalls Park for a picnic.

Back in Dewey, the afternoon was for socializing and swimming too!

A Non-Beach Day in Lewes

Friday was not gonna be a "beachy-day" so we headed to Lewes. I wanted a " Local Lewes Day" ...... not totally going touristy.

First on the list was the Lewes Library for a computer hit to check email. The Lewes Library makes my heart sing for joy! Varnished wood shines with big glass windows looking out on Stango Park. I adore the pie-shaped glassed-in room for the Historic Lewes collection.

We wound our way to the Lightship Overfalls Park which was in full volunteer mode: putting in brick pavers. After a history lesson at the Life Guard Station, I found locals fishing and chicken-necking for crabs off the park's pier.

What a set-up! The fishing pier is more "gazebo" and has running fresh water to keep the deck, crabs, fish and children sparkling clean!

Off past University of DE's Windmill we went to MERR where we viewed the whale skulls and talked to a Professor of Aquaculture in charge of the "Oyster Garden Project".

We were getting hungry, so with our packed lunch in hand I thought to picnic at the Lewes Ferry while viewing the Kalmar Nykal! Afterwards we chatted with crew members. I shook the hand of the Steersman: 14 years old!

My last planned spot was Cape Henlopen State Park's The Point. It was low tide! Time to walk the flats and find some birds. Although we were losing light, and it was "spitting" tiny rain drops this spot never fails to touch my heart.

Beach Blessings,