It’s a good thing I don’t own a bigger vehicle
It’s bulk trash collection season in Rehoboth Beach. For the past week, the city went around and picked up large items from the residential neighborhoods on the south side of town. I like to drive around and take pictures of the trash. I find it interesting. A significant portion of what’s put out is definitely trash, but there are some treasures.
This past Sunday, the day before the city started pickup, my family and I drove around a bit to scout things out. We were already in town to get the kids some spring clothes, and we wanted to see if there were any of those treasures. I tell you what, it’s a good thing I don’t have a larger vehicle because we’d probably have come back with a whole set of outdoor furniture that appeared to be in generally good shape. As it was, we came home with a 50-gallon rain barrel that we picked up off Prospect Street. I spent about 10 minutes scrubbing the grime off the outside when we got home, installed a new spout and ran a hose to collect the overflow from our other barrel. It hasn’t rained yet, but we poured a few buckets of water and it appears to be watertight. I think it’s going to work. Guess we’ll find out.
The city will be collecting on the north side of town next week. I’ll be driving around taking photos then too. I’m not in the market for anything now, but I never say never when I head out.
A frantic parent is a frantic parent
The family and I spent a few days near Tilghman Island, Md., during the recent spring break.
There’s an osprey nest in the cove where we stay, but this spring, it was commandeered by a pair of Canada geese. The two birds had been in the nest and in the waters around the nest, standing guard for weeks prior to the recent visit.
One morning during that visit, I noticed the two parents swimming off in the morning. I figured the eggs must have hatched and they were off to forage for food.
Later in the afternoon, I noticed some turkey vultures circling overhead. Soon after that, one was in the nest, looking around like it was about to do something it shouldn’t. I’m sure you can imagine what came next.
A couple of hours after the vulture was done eating, I noticed the geese had returned. It was immediately noticeable they didn’t appreciate the unexpected visit. I don’t speak goose, but I recognize frantic parents when I see them. The pair honked for hours, their necks on a swivel, looking for any evidence of life. The only thing the vulture left was some tufts of grey down feathers. In the end, the geese stayed near the nest overnight, but early the next morning, they slowly paddled off.
I don’t know why I was so intrigued by what I was watching, but it held my interest much of the day. I can’t help but think it’s partly because my son will be a teenager in less than a year and my 10-year-old daughter already seems like she’s about to turn 20. It’s that time in life when they’ll begin to leave the nest themselves, and I hope we’ve done enough to protect them from the vultures circling above.
Joke of the Week
Speaking of phases in life, since my kids are moving into the teens and tweens, it means they’ve moved out of the kids-say-the-darndest-things phase. The other night, I had a pretty funny experience with a young girl who definitely is still in that phase.
My daughter plays softball for Milton Little League. It was our team’s turn to work the concession stand. I got put on the register at the front of the window. About 90 minutes into the shift, a family came and placed an order. The parents ordered their daughter a cheeseburger and then asked her if she wanted anything else. I was expecting to hear a snow cone or some candy. Instead, this girl, who appeared to be not any older than 5, looked me straight in the face and said, “You’ve got a big head,” and then held eye contact for a few more seconds to make sure I knew she wasn’t kidding.
Handing the cheeseburger to her, there wasn’t much I could say – she’s right – but I did enjoy a pretty good laugh at the faces of the parents. I’ve included a picture of me wearing a hard hat, taken by Rehoboth Public Works Director Henry Matlosz during a recent tour of the new beach patrol facility. Look at that thing perched on my head. I swear it’s as far down as it would go.
That’s it. I’m the joke of the week. As always, send jokes to cflood@capegazette.com.
Chris Flood has been working for the Cape Gazette since early 2014. He currently covers Rehoboth Beach and Henlopen Acres, but has also covered Dewey Beach and the state government. He covers environmental stories, business stories and random stories on subjects he finds interesting, and he also writes a column called Choppin’ Wood that runs every other week. Additionally, Flood moonlights as the company’s circulation manager, which primarily means fixing boxes that are jammed with coins during daylight hours, but sometimes means delivering papers in the middle of the night. He’s a graduate of the University of Maine and the Landing School of Boat Building & Design.
