FAVORITE DELAWARE COAST PLACES SAGA 3:

LIGHTSHIP OVERFALLS
Lewes, Delaware

Overfalls is a "lightship", meaning it was a portable lighthouse. It's a National Historic Landmark—the only one in Sussex County, Delaware.

Built in 1938, it served the East Coast for 34 years. One hundred seventeen were built. Seventeen remain extant; Seven are open to the public.

What is a lightship?

A lighthouse that floats, it serves the same function such as:

• A light to aid navigation at night
• A horn to warn mariners in fog
• A radio beacon for longer range identification

Lighting the way
The Overfalls main aid to navigation was a 375 mm dual electric lantern located 57 feet above the water line. Rated at 15,000 candle power, (approximately 1,000 watts), it flashed every 3 seconds from dusk until dawn. On a clear night it could be seen for 12 miles.

The ship also had a dual diaphone fog horn with a range of 5 miles that sounded every 30 seconds in foggy weather.

A radio beacon with a range of 25 miles transmitted the call letters of the ship (NMJF) in Morse code. In foggy weather it was synchronized with the horn and broadcast every 30 seconds.

P.S. Back in the 1950-60s, Lewes was the biggest fishing port in the country by tonnage of fish caught.

FAVORITE DELAWARE COAST PLACES SAGA 2:

FUNLAND
Rehoboth Beach, DE.

Funland has been owned by the Fasnacht family for 50 years!

click to see: FUNLAND.

When the Portuguese sailor Lorenzo Dow was shipwrecked on the shores of what is now Rehoboth Beach, he must have liked what he saw. Dow built the first residence in the area, and was followed in 1872 by the Reverend Robert W. Todd of Wilmington, who claims he envisioned the exact spot as the ideal location for his Methodist retreat camp in a dream. Todd also was influenced by his journey to another oceanside camp in New Jersey, claiming in a sermon that "...the sea hath spoken"!

Despite Rehoboth's origins as a religious retreat, Reverend Todd and his pious followers soon found themselves at odds with local "land pirates" and saloon owners, and the longstanding dynamic of the beach resort was born.

Some came seeking serenity, some for absolute pandemonium, some commune with the heavens, others commute for the happy hour! It wasn't long before the rest of the Eastern Seaboard caught on, and families have made Rehoboth Beach a perennial playground ever since.

Its famous boardwalk was built in 1873, and has weathered a slew of tropical storms and hurricanes. Thousands still make the pilgrimage to Rehoboth every year to while away the summer months in style!

When the Fasnacht family bought the amusement park "Playland" on the Rehoboth boardwalk in 1962, its hurricane ravaged facade didn't look like a great investment. But now, over 40 years later, the thriving, family run park still boasts the best entertainment on the Delaware Beach, and still charges its original 25 cent ticket price!

Four generations of the Fasnacht family operate the park, and grandparents now watch with glee as their youngsters ride the same rides that thrilled them in their youth!

ARTWORK SAGA 7:

EGYPTIAN AMULET
Rehoboth Beach, DE.
1983

This amulet was given to me by Ed. His father was in Egypt on assignment with the CIA when a friend gave him several ORIGINAL, ANCIENT pieces. They have been authenticated by a museum as during the time of the Egyptian dynasties!

The "EYE OF HORUS" is a powerful symbol of protection. This symbol was often used in jewelry to ensure the safety and health of the bearer and provide wisdom and prosperity.

The "PEACOCK" is a symbol of immortality because the ancients believed the peacock ha flesh that did not decay after death.

"HORUS" is the falcon god. It served many functions, most notably being the god of the Sky, god of War and god of Protection.

ARTWORK SAGA 6:

FIREPLACE IMPLEMENTS SCULPTURE
Rehoboth Beach, DE.
2000

I saw this sculpture as a winning entry in the Rehoboth Art League Crafts Show. I flipped over it instantly.

It stands 3 feet high and contains a brush, poker and tongs.

It just so happened it was done by an artist friend: Lee Badger!, a blacksmith from West Virginia. Later, I commissioned him to do the fireplace screen. When I moved from Rehoboth Beach to Milton I brought the sculpture with me, but I left the fireplace screen as it was a perfect fit for that opening.

MONTH BREAK

RESPITE

I'll be back 9/1/13!

ARTWORK SAGA 5:

AFGAN RUG
Florence, Italy
1982

       I bought this rug at an auction in Florence when I was living there in the summer of ’82. I stumbled across an estate sale in an old palazzo and out of curiosity went in. I was amazed at the fine articles they had. It was like going back to the 18^th Century. I was gazing around when I stumbled on a beautiful 9’ X 11’± Oriental rug in great reds and blacks 

      that would go great in my dining room at home (which was painted red but had too small a rug under the table). 

      The rug was to go to auction in two days. Well, I went every day trying to learn enough Italian to bid so I wouldn’t make a huge mistake. (Italian numbers are quite complicated as they add each group of numbers into a long string of phrases.) So, armed with my Italian dictionary and great hope, I arrived at the hour of the rug bidding. When ‘my’ rug came up for bid, my heart started to pound. The numbers began to get very long, very complicated, very quickly. Finally there were two of us that seemed to be left wanting the rug. I didn’t want to go over $1000US so I was listening, bidding and trying to translate at the same time. When I thought it was still in the acceptable range, an old Italian woman raised the bid; I raised mine. Two more rounds and it became mine at unmilionenovamilaquattromillequattrocento (1,094,400 Lira or $684US). I carried it three blocks home, placed it in the center of my Florentine apartment and voila— perfection. 

 

      I shipped it to Washington via boat that took three months! I though for certain it was lost. Finally, both Ed and I marveled how perfect it was under Grandmother Cooke’s table in the dining room. I placed it first in the dining room of my Rehoboth Beach home and now my Milton home, still under Grandmother’s table.

FAVORITE DELAWARE BEACHES RESTAURANTS SAGA 8:

AGAVE MEXICAN GRILL AND TEQUILA BAR
Lewes, Delaware

Located on Second Street in Lewes' historic district, Agave is set in simple but classy surroundings and offers Mexican food that critics and diners rave about.

It's definitely the best Mexican restaurant I've ever eaten at: the Margaritas are freshly made and delicious. (They have over 70 kinds of Tequila!)

Ah! And the food: very fresh, very interesting and different, scrumptious and refreshing. I can't recommend it enough.

Ted and I have had several excellent meals there.