A shark ate my dinner!

July 17, 2016

Out for another beautiful day of fishing on the Delaware bay! As always, I was hopeful there would be fish for dinner, but had a back up plan just in case!

We headed out to drift by the outer wall and caught a couple of nice Kingfish!  I put them on a stringer and we continued to drift for a while.  The bites slowed to non existent, so we headed for the inner wall. 

I put the stringer of fish back out and tied them kind of loosely to the cleat since there was such a length of it (it is really for the pier so it is 20 feet long!). 

There was a tense moment when ferry's were both coming and going on either side of us.  Other than few if any more bites, it was a great day - perfect weather really. 

Then I heard Jim shout and I lurched for the stringer that was rapidly pulling away from the boat  I missed it and broke one of the guides on my rod (not the new Penn, thankfully!).  I felt sick. 

"I'm going to cry." I said, "I'm going to throw up!"  I was so upset I couldn't breath for a moment. Finally we just started fishing again - in silence.  I got a bite!  I started reeling it in. 

I actually saw the second Kingfish we caught earlier slip off the stringer I had just caught with my line and realized the first fish was really just a head now.

Probably not a good idea to have a stringer of fish hanging in the water outside the boat in shark -infested waters. 

Well, the bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches were pretty good, actually! 

Historic Lewes Farmer's Market

July 16, 2016

Great Historic Lewes Farmers Market today!  So many good produce is available this time of year. Our first stop is almost always Tommy's stand - he owns Kalmar Farms in Harrington, DE. two large cantaloupes for $5!  We ate one on cottage cheese when we got home.  We don't know everyone by name, but we have our favorites, for sure. 

Another must do is Old World Bakery, where we have a hard time deciding between garlic and olive, usually.  Today we just got the organic sourdough whole wheat. It is "different" and I don't mean that in a bad way.  it is literally like nothing you ever had.

While one of the stand hands, Maggie, and I were discussing the merits of this sour, hearty bread made without yeast, a man tried in vein to interrupt.  I found out later from Jim that he had obtained a croissant from another stand hand and wanted to pay, just wanted to pay, and kept waving his money around.  "He must be from the city," Jim noted.  Yes, must be.

It's nice to talk to the farmers and learn about how they raise their crops and about some of the unusual items they sell or how to prepare them.  Davidson's Exotic Mushrooms actually makes recipes from there mushrooms and have samples and recipe cards to share with the patrons.  This is such a nice touch and the recipes are always delicious!

While buying cherry tomatoes from one stand, I asked about romaine or other lettuce for our BLT sandwiches we had planned for lunch (not with the cherry tomatoes!) and were kindly referred to the hydroponics farmer.  We were, indeed able to obtain some beautiful butter crunch lettuce for our BLTs.  In this heat!

Right now, our plan is for roasted vegetables, with a little chicken for dinner.  All done on the grill for easy cleanup and yummy  taste!

Code Purple for Delaware's Homeless

Just got some coats, sweatshirts, blankets, backpacks, gloves and hats together to give to the Code Purple Shelter in Rehoboth for distribution!  Please consider doing the same.  Our winters are usually very temperate and this cold snap is hurting our homeless population more than anyone!

More here:

http://www.wboc.com/story/30888158/del-code-purple-shelters-open-after-warm-few-weeks

Cost of Living at the Beach - Too High?

This morning, on the radio, I hear put to numbers what I kind of already knew.... We pay more for stuff here at the beach!  I didn't know the cost of living for Lewes, DE was over 48% higher than the national average. Nor did I know (but I had a feeling) that Rehoboth Beach, DE cost of living is even higher - 55% over the national average .

The information is coming from an article about retiring in Delaware by MarketWatch and outlines the upside - lower taxes, living by the water a quieter lifestyle.  All good to great reasons to live at the beach!  But does the benefit outweigh the expense.

Yes.  Simple as that.  Here we have a lifestyle not so available to many American's or even East Coasters.  In a relatively, rural setting with nearby shopping, recreation and cities just far enough away to make a daily commute nothing (unless you are commuting to one of the cities about two hours away, which some do!).

The taxes are relatively cheap and the air, water, and ground relatively clean.  Some of the people are not that clean, being farmers, construction workers, or chicken plant employees and the like, but they are all good and nice people for the most part.

We can still scrap out a living even if there are few or no jobs.  I know many people that work as Special Education Teachers and retail workers on the side just to afford living here.  Others have their own businesses or a business on the side to augment a job.  A lot of my clients are retiree's who move here and decide they still want to work or own a business and they set about to do just that.

God bless all the hospitality workers who serve us so well and quickly and always with a smile.  We tip more than most, I guess, knowing how hard it is to make a living here (especially in the off season).  But, like everything else there is good value to what we get back.

Maybe not so much of an off season any more.  Often, if the weekend is nicer than normal, even during the winter, we notice an uptick in the traffic and the people and the number of businesses open.  All good stuff. Keep it coming!

Things do change some as people come, even just for a visit or for the summers.  In the end it does add to our community literally and figuratively, I think.  I don't like it when people, either "locals" or "transplants" complain about the changes, though.

People, times, and things change - it is either that or remain stagnant.  The bottom line is... it's better here than anywhere and if you don't think so, don't live here.  I'm glad you're here!

What to you love most about living where you do?

Mary is a CAREER AND OCCUPATIONAL CONSULTANT who is masters - prepared and certified. She has nearly 20 years of experience in Management, Career Assessment & Counseling and in writing Career Articles and Educational Materials. Besides several blogs, Mary also writes career related articles for Examiner.com and Careerealism.com.

She has worked as a CORPORATE MANAGER experienced in hiring, firing and managing a staff of professionals with a multimillion dollar budget. She enjoys WRITING AND EDITING and has spent many years developing Marketing Materials and Presentations, Writing Proposals and Plans, and Conducting Staff Development Sessions in addition to working as a vocational consultant. Learn more about her and her services: www.Life-Works.Info

Read more at http://www.JobSearchForTheRestOfUs.com

Excuses for Calling in Sick

By Dawn Rosenberg McKay, About.com Guide   March 12, 2012

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Do you find it easier to go to work when it's cold out? I do. I don't have a problem being indoors for eight hours at a time when the weather isn't good, but when it gets warmer, I dream of being outdoors. I don't have the statistics to back this up, but I bet more people falsely call in sick when the weather is good than when it's bad. Who among us isn't tempted to "play" outside in the warmth and sunshine?
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