Wow! Martin Protas sure extrapolated quite a bit of nuance from my “Saying goodbye to Lewes” letter to the editor that I had no idea I intended. In saying I “bemoaned, lamented and insulted” Lewes in my farewell critique, he leaves me at a loss as to where I said or implied the insulted part.
Was it where I said Lewes was overdeveloped, bustling and bursting? Was it my ridicule of the names controversy? Or was it when I said developers were marauders who thought trees were bad and gridlock was good, and that infrastructure to support development was anathema to their interests? I thought that when I made those statements, I was just mirroring the views of the vast majority of Leweseans who write letters to the editor echoing those sentiments almost weekly. I suppose my text in that regard could be construed as insulting. If so, I apologize to all the developers I insulted. But, sorry, I don’t bemoan or lament that I said it.
For Carolyn and me, Lewes proper retained all the charm it had when we first visited in 2005 after learning that the first Claypoole in colonial America had settled in Lewes in 1682! What is not charming is all that now surrounds and threatens to overwhelm it. Will that happen in Pinehurst? Who knows. Despite Protas’ sarcasm, he certainly could be right that Pinehurst might become a victim of the popularity that has engulfed Lewes. But for now, we’re enjoying the pine-treed seclusion of our house off the 14th fairway, and a quaint and, yes, charming village five minutes away. No bulldozers or road crews in sight or sound.
Oh, and thanks for the concern, but I’ve already found what passes for a Lloyd’s and have a lead on what might be my Pinehurst version of Mr. P’s.
Best wishes to all,
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