We live in a wonderful small town that has been colonized by retirees the last few years. In fact, the whole Lewes/Rehoboth area has attracted a large number of retired and nearly retired folks. We're used to seeing more white hair than brown.
This morning though, an older gentleman surprised my eye.
I had an early dentist appointment and was heading out for work about an hour later than usual. I stopped by the new WaWa for a coffee treat (I'd been a brave little dental patient).
As I stepped out of my car, I noticed a man squatting against the side wall of the store. He wore dungarees and a tank-top tee shirt and a pair of those slip-on canvas sneakers. His hair was only a little long, but was lightly greased back in a modified DA.
He had a cigarette cupped in one hand and he stared off into space as he took a long, deep drag. Then he stood up, flicked the half-smoked butt out into the parking lot and slouched into the store.
I couldn't help thinking: "senior delinquent."
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Fifth Golf Game of 2006
I played another practice round at Midway Par 3 this evening.The course was in good shape, though there was plenty of storm blown leaf and tree-bit around.
I played two balls on each hole and kept two scores: good ball and bad ball. Good ball me scored a 62, eight over par. Bad ball me played, well, badly, scoring a (shudder) 82.
I was experimenting with different swings and different clubs. Full swing with the pitching wedge? Or short swing with the 9-iron?
I was happy with my swing, though I have a bad tendency to pull the ball.
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Music. Two Very Different Sorts.
I have two very different music links to share. One is a rocking protest song I heard on the way home from work this afternoon. Another is a neat flash-based free-form music tool that I find soothing.
Who Said No One Writes Protest Songs Anymore?
Driving home this evening I found that the weird weather was scrambling the local NPR station. So I punched up the "Jam-On" station on my satellite radio. They played a new song from a soon-to-be-released album, Yell Fire!, by Michael Franti.
I think I've heard of Franti. He and his band Spearhead have been around for many albums. But I don't think I could have picked one of his songs from the musical mix out there. That may change.
The song was called Light Up Ya Lighter. It's one of an album's worth that he wrote and recorded following a non-USO tour of Iraq, Israel and Palestine. Over a tight hip-hop/reggae beat, Franti does a swinging reggae sort of rapping. He has a fairly direct take on the Iraq war:
I also plan to keep an eye on this guy on iTunes and buy some of his tunes when the album is released.
On The Other Hand....
I found a site called The Pianola a few days back. This is a flash-based application, entirely on-line, that uses little squares, floating in an enclosed space, to control a variety of tones.
The squares play sounds as they bounce off the walls, floor, roof and each other. They are affected by gravity, and their motion changes over time. You can combine tones yourself or start with several pre-sets, from Beethoven to more modern offerings. I particularly like the pre-set titled "F. Low."
This is a wonderful tool for on-line chill-out time.
Who Said No One Writes Protest Songs Anymore?
Driving home this evening I found that the weird weather was scrambling the local NPR station. So I punched up the "Jam-On" station on my satellite radio. They played a new song from a soon-to-be-released album, Yell Fire!, by Michael Franti.
I think I've heard of Franti. He and his band Spearhead have been around for many albums. But I don't think I could have picked one of his songs from the musical mix out there. That may change.
The song was called Light Up Ya Lighter. It's one of an album's worth that he wrote and recorded following a non-USO tour of Iraq, Israel and Palestine. Over a tight hip-hop/reggae beat, Franti does a swinging reggae sort of rapping. He has a fairly direct take on the Iraq war:
The army recruiters in the parking lot,Something about this tune really grabbed me. I like the energy. I like the rhymes. I like where the music lives: at the place where rock, rap, and reggae overlap. You can check it out on this MySpace link (I never thought I'd type those words!). The Spearhead website has several free downloads, including the first single, the title tune, from the new album.
Hustling the kids there juggling pot.
"Listen young man, listen to my plan.
Gonna make you money, gonna make you a man."
Bam, bam.
Here's what you get: An M16 and a kevlar vest.
You might come home with one less leg,
But this thing'll surely keep a bullet out your chest.
So come on, come on. Sign-up. Come on.
This one is nothing like Viet Nam.
Except for the bullets. Except for the bombs.
Except for the youth that's gone.
(Appologies to Mr. Franti. I was taking dictation from the PC speakers.)
I also plan to keep an eye on this guy on iTunes and buy some of his tunes when the album is released.
On The Other Hand....
I found a site called The Pianola a few days back. This is a flash-based application, entirely on-line, that uses little squares, floating in an enclosed space, to control a variety of tones.
The squares play sounds as they bounce off the walls, floor, roof and each other. They are affected by gravity, and their motion changes over time. You can combine tones yourself or start with several pre-sets, from Beethoven to more modern offerings. I particularly like the pre-set titled "F. Low."
This is a wonderful tool for on-line chill-out time.
Sunday, June 25, 2006
Return With Us Now to Those Funky Days of Sesame Street
Back in 1973, Stevie Wonder and his band were guests on Sesame Street. They performed a great version of Superstition (YouTube).
I got such a kick out of this this morning that I had to post a link.
Sesame Street went on the air in 1969. I was already seven years old and too cool for "children's television." It was only as I became an adult that I caught on to what a great show Sesame Street can be. We used to watch it in college and I returned to it when I became a dad.
Watching this clip, I found myself wanting to see Elmo interact with a younger Stevie Wonder. Irrational, I know, since Elmo is a latter-day Muppet. But I think that Elmo is the coolest hipster they've had on Sesame Street in a long time. Even if some fuddy-duddies did dismiss his classic Elmo's Song.
This clip also makes me nostalgic for the days when music was performed live on television. The days when singers really sang and musicians actually were pictured playing instruments. The days when the performance might actually differ from the recorded version.
Reality. How I miss it.
I got such a kick out of this this morning that I had to post a link.
Sesame Street went on the air in 1969. I was already seven years old and too cool for "children's television." It was only as I became an adult that I caught on to what a great show Sesame Street can be. We used to watch it in college and I returned to it when I became a dad.
Watching this clip, I found myself wanting to see Elmo interact with a younger Stevie Wonder. Irrational, I know, since Elmo is a latter-day Muppet. But I think that Elmo is the coolest hipster they've had on Sesame Street in a long time. Even if some fuddy-duddies did dismiss his classic Elmo's Song.
This clip also makes me nostalgic for the days when music was performed live on television. The days when singers really sang and musicians actually were pictured playing instruments. The days when the performance might actually differ from the recorded version.
Reality. How I miss it.
Friday, June 23, 2006
Fourth Golf Game of 2006
I took a half-day's vacation today to play a round of golf with several friends at Delcastle Golf Course, between Wilmington and Newark. The game was an unofficial "Annual DGS Golf Outing" organized by Sandy Schenck, a geologist at the Delaware Geological Survey -- the DGS -- and my partner in crime in organizing the Delaware GIS Community. That's Sandy teeing off on a par 3 above.
We were joined by another DGS geologist and by two guys from the private sector part of the GIS world. We've all known each other for few years and always enjoy spending time together. We had some good golfers along. And me.
The new clubs Karen gave me worked well. They are well-balanced and feel suited to my swing. I'm starting to hit some shots that I'm proud of. I carded a 108; well over par but not bad for me. Sandy broke 100; he said it was the first time.
I liked Delcastle. It's an older, established course. Unlike many of the courses in my part of Sussex County. Also unlike the courses I most often play, Delcastle has topography. There are ups and downs and rolling fairways. Very nice.
Thursday, June 22, 2006
What It Must Be Like to Be an Adult
Last night I had the interesting experience of chairing a portion of a meeting of the Lewes Planning Commission.
I've been a member of the commission for some time now. I have served as the Commission's Secretary. This spring, I was elected Vice-Chair.
Our Chair, Kay Carnahan, now works for a local real estate broker. Because her company has the applicant who was before the Planning Commission last night as a client, she recused herself. Responsibility for chairing the meeting fell to me.
This was a contentious application. It would be a small land use change, in comparison to all else that is going on around our town in the county, but it is almost in the center of town. Surrounding land owners object to the subdivision, at least in part because it would change the views of the Canal and waterfront hat they now enjoy. I understand why they would oppose the subdivision on those grounds. They also have concerns about drainage, which we share, though our engineers, and the local soil conservation office (which has jurisdiction over drainage), have approved of the project.
In the end, we voted to forward the application to the City Council with a recommendation for approval and with a statement of concern about drainage issues. I think that that was the appropriate action.
To get there, though, required several hours of presentation, questions, statements of opposition, and discussion. In chairing the meeting, I had to keep things under control, move things along, and make sure that everyone had a chance to speak. That included members of the Planning Commission who opposed the project and those who were wiling to send it on to the Council. There was also a young lawyer representing one of the opponents; she presented varying technical and legal objections in thick, lawyerly language.
I was glad that we had our City Solicitor along to advise us. I was also glad that the Mayor and several members of City Council were in the audience (along with a Council member who sits, ex officio, on our Commission).
I have to say that I was nervous going in to the meeting. I have run many meetings in my work for the State, but this was my first attempt at running a formal, legal meeting of an official city body. But, I had good advice from the Chair, before the meeting. I also had great help from the solicitor. The Commission members showed their professionalism and the tradition of collegial relations that we have established. And the people of Lewes, those for the proposal and those opposed, were polite and kind.
Our form of governance works. We have formal processes and large representative bodies for a reason. Not all interests are always satisfied. People will always leave a meeting like that feeling that they did not get their way. Not everyone is happy. But I think we all agree that we followed our format, we treated everyone with respect, and we did our best.
I think the meeting went well and I am proud to have been able to Chair a meeting that dealt with serious and contentious issues in such a gentle, polite way.
I've been a member of the commission for some time now. I have served as the Commission's Secretary. This spring, I was elected Vice-Chair.
Our Chair, Kay Carnahan, now works for a local real estate broker. Because her company has the applicant who was before the Planning Commission last night as a client, she recused herself. Responsibility for chairing the meeting fell to me.
This was a contentious application. It would be a small land use change, in comparison to all else that is going on around our town in the county, but it is almost in the center of town. Surrounding land owners object to the subdivision, at least in part because it would change the views of the Canal and waterfront hat they now enjoy. I understand why they would oppose the subdivision on those grounds. They also have concerns about drainage, which we share, though our engineers, and the local soil conservation office (which has jurisdiction over drainage), have approved of the project.
In the end, we voted to forward the application to the City Council with a recommendation for approval and with a statement of concern about drainage issues. I think that that was the appropriate action.
To get there, though, required several hours of presentation, questions, statements of opposition, and discussion. In chairing the meeting, I had to keep things under control, move things along, and make sure that everyone had a chance to speak. That included members of the Planning Commission who opposed the project and those who were wiling to send it on to the Council. There was also a young lawyer representing one of the opponents; she presented varying technical and legal objections in thick, lawyerly language.
I was glad that we had our City Solicitor along to advise us. I was also glad that the Mayor and several members of City Council were in the audience (along with a Council member who sits, ex officio, on our Commission).
I have to say that I was nervous going in to the meeting. I have run many meetings in my work for the State, but this was my first attempt at running a formal, legal meeting of an official city body. But, I had good advice from the Chair, before the meeting. I also had great help from the solicitor. The Commission members showed their professionalism and the tradition of collegial relations that we have established. And the people of Lewes, those for the proposal and those opposed, were polite and kind.
Our form of governance works. We have formal processes and large representative bodies for a reason. Not all interests are always satisfied. People will always leave a meeting like that feeling that they did not get their way. Not everyone is happy. But I think we all agree that we followed our format, we treated everyone with respect, and we did our best.
I think the meeting went well and I am proud to have been able to Chair a meeting that dealt with serious and contentious issues in such a gentle, polite way.
Monday, June 19, 2006
Third Golf Game of 2006
I played a practice round of 18 holes at the Midway Par Three this evening. Karen surprised me with new clubs for Father's Day and I wanted to get a feel for them before a game I plan to play upstate on Friday. That will be on a fairly long course, with real golfer-type guys. I don't want to be too embarrassed.
The Midway course is all short par threes, but there is a variety of lengths and the greens are in very good shape. It's a good place to work on your short game. I'll try to get out to a driving range at lunch some day this week as well.
For many of the holes, I was hitting two balls. On the 15th hole, 105-yards, I tried the 8-iron. Both shots were pin-high, but both were hooked a bit left.
I was astounded out how similar the two shots were. They ended up about a foot apart!
Sunday, June 18, 2006
Tracking the Jacaranda
As I noted last month, I have been nursing a Jacaranda tree in a pot on my front deck. This is a tree that my friend Sandy had started and passed along to me. I let it get too tall for comfort, so this spring I pruned it rather drastically. Now, I'm pleased to see it growing again.Being obsessive by nature, and blessed with a digital camera, I have started photographing this tree each week and posting the results in a flickr photoset.
Starting this small project reminds me of a project I thought about, but never started, back before digital photography. There's a lovely old Sugar Maple tree that stands alone in a field on my commute from Lewes to Dover. Years ago, I took a photo of this tree and thought about taking a regular series of photos, over time, to track its growth and changes.
But I put off starting that project. Then came the great ice-storm of some winters ago, which hit that tree hard. It was greatly reduced for a few years. Just as it started coming back, work began on Sugar Maple Farms, a development in that field. They've preserved the tree, but the view is not quite the same.
Ah, well.
Friday, June 16, 2006
More on the Delaware.gov Update
As I mentioned the other day, the folks who run the delaware.gov web portal for Delaware State government are looking for opinions as they think about ways to improve the services.
They have announced a Focus Group meeting for next Wednesday (6/21/06) and invite users to take a quick Online Survey about the existing portal.
I've had a few good comments on my earlier post on this subject, which I will pass on to the portal team. Other thoughts?
They have announced a Focus Group meeting for next Wednesday (6/21/06) and invite users to take a quick Online Survey about the existing portal.
I've had a few good comments on my earlier post on this subject, which I will pass on to the portal team. Other thoughts?
Is This Legal?
It is tacky, I know that much.
There are at least four of these truck-mounted billboards on my commute. They seem to be a way to get a billboard up without getting it properly permitted as a permanent sign.
I wonder of these are regulated? Or are they a way to take advantage of a loophole?
I imagine Fritz, over at Sneaking Suspicions, would know the answer.
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