Goodbye to Lewes

It's always difficult to say Goodbye. 


Goodbye to good times at the beach!










Goodbye to finding treasures at the beach!

Goodbye to the historic little town.

Goodbye to walks in the historic little town.

Goodbye to (the surprise of) new toys from the sidewalk sales in the historic little town!

Goodbye to Cape Henlopen State Park (nearby to the historic little town)!

Goodbye.

He was right there,

walking slowly through the water, searching for treasure while I watched from the ocean shore at Lewes,  Delaware.

 

I was fascinated, Reader Dear!  I was so curious that I went out into the water to ask questions of this treasure-seeker!

He was using an under-water metal detector.  I asked him what he had just found (It was a quarter). I asked him how long he had pursued this hobby (He's been doing it about a dozen years, he said). I asked him what was the most valuable thing he had ever discovered (It was a pendant with an emerald [His son wears it now, he told me]).

I returned to the shore and watched this explorer and contemplated how all of life is a big treasure-seeking endeavor.

I determined, Dear One, that the next time I am at the ocean, I will have one of these  specific kind of treasure-seeking devices in my hand*!

Stay tuned!
*I'm thinking of all those lockets and pendants and  coins that went down with the Titanic.  Think how they shift around on the ocean floor, Reader Dear!

Prior to my trip to Lewes,

I made a trip to the thrift store.  It's a frequent activity of mine, hauling odds and ends to this place that welcomes the "stuff" that no longer feels welcome in my possession.  It's odd, Reader Dear, how I never seem to run out of this "stuff".
After I had carried my filled bags and boxes into the donation area, I parked my car and walked around to the front entrance of the store.

Now, I usually preach myself a little sermon when I drop things off at the store, and today was no exception.  "Dropping things off is only half the equation, you know," I told myself.  "This place would not be able to function if persons only donated and no one ever went into the store to shop. Go on in!  It won't hurt to look around.  If you find anything to buy, you can keep this loop of donations going."

During this particular trip that I'm telling you about, Dear Reader, it wasn't until I had perused most of the store before something caught my eye.  It was in the far back of the store--the toy section-- that I saw it:  a big see-through zippered bag filled with brightly-colored plastic balls.  So many balls!  I was attracted by the sheer quantity. The price tag said four dollars.
The price was right!
The timing was right!
I walked out of that store with eighty-nine brightly-colored plastic balls*!

My plan was to carry these balls along to Lewes and surprise all my little actors with them.
I'll just tell you right away, Dear Reader, the plan was a good one.
It was a success!

It's hard to say who had the most fun--me doing the presentation, or all the small ones scooping up the balls rolling everywhere and sending them flying around the room.
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The following morning, the actors and I re-did the scene for filming.  However, the element of surprise was missing.  Please understand, Viewer Dear, though my actors are terrific at what they do, the glee and delight of that very first dumping of the balls was too difficult to re-create.  In the original, there were lots of shouts of surprise and exultation, missing from this short show. You'll have to use your imagination.

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*Counted after purchase.

The Historical Month

 of October, 2018.
 It's a fact, Reader Dear, that now the month is history, and will remain so forever . 

Starting October off was a bonfire, because every year when the weather turns chilly, The Yard Man turns to planning one of these conflagrations.  He likes the well-rounded food: hotdogs and hamburgers, with marshmallows for dessert.  And he always likes building a big fire in the meadow and adding logs.

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Just days later, we took a delightful trip back to Lewes, Delaware.  It's where there's a bay and an ocean, if you will recall.  We stayed in a different rental house this year, but it's the same spot where The Yard Man and I took all of our offspring exactly a year ago. Once again, we had five days of frolicking fun.

Fortunately, we had weather that felt like summer, which is just what one would order to go with water and beaches and sidewalk sales and an arts-and-crafts fair and bicycling and a hiking trail and a big playground and a nearby ice cream barn. 

Columbus Day weekend arrived soon after we did; there was a lot going on!

There was the birthday pie.

There were the birthday candles that kept re-lighting.

There were all those hours at the water.  The aquatic museum.  The toy store in town that was running a terrific sidewalk sale.


 There was that treasure hunter I spied in the water!*
There was the ball we had with the balls!*
(Detailed explanation to follow, Reader Dear*)

*To be continued...

If You're Fortunate Enough to Have Sisters.

I've got two of them, Dear Reader.   One is older.  One is younger.  During the last few days of October, we did something we have never done before in our whole entire lives of being sisters!  

We took a trip together, and we spent three days together sans other family members.  (Well, to be honest, we did spend a morning with one of our two brothers.  But it was brief, the time we spent with him.)  Most of the time, it was just us, strolling around Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia.

We ate meals at the fanciest place in town:  The Williamsburg Inn.  And we stayed at a very nice bed-and-breakfast.

Now, Williamsburg is a spot that we visited many times in our growing-up years.  (We lived nearby).  But, naturally, we didn't spend any time overnight there, previous to this trip.


Due to the weather (fabulous!)
And the short time with our brother (the one who could join us briefly)!
And the chance to be together (we all live in different states)!
And the historic spot ("historic" being interpreted in more ways than one)!
And  the viewing of all the home movies from our childhood years (which elder sister had updated with technology [put them all on a DVD, for ease of viewing])!
And the delightful food and wine (food spots that we knew from our historical association with this place)!

It was a very pleasing three days (five,  if you count the coming and going)!

Sisters!

The home movies, shown via large screen, in the breakfast room for all guests to enjoy!

If you've got sisters (or brothers, as the case may be), I highly recommend such an endeavor to you, Reader Dear!  I can't guarantee it will go as smoothly as this trip of mine, but it's worth the gamble (I'd say)!
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