Week 3 : 24th -30th July 2023

Just chilling at the “beach”

Monday a former student and good friend Sue West came down from Absecon, NJ to visit and catch up with us. She is an excellent visitor arriving with her sleeping bag, pillow, towel and cooler containing her breakfast foods, and a bottle of wine to share.

“I do my best to not inconvenience my friends. I want to be the person you want to invite back not count the hours until i leave! 😍😀”

On the way down she got in touch with Trish, who I worked with at Aladdin Lighting in Philadelphia in 1976-77….. and Trish came down to Bethany Beach with her husband Carl. So we all went out to lunch together to wish Carl a happy birthday.

We all walked round to the Bethany Diner for our lunch. After lunch Sue gave us a tour of the Nature Center just across the road from the diner. It is a lovely area preserving the wetlands and native plants and animals. “The Addy Cottage houses the Bethany Beach Nature Center. It was built circa 1903 by John Addy, one of the Pittsburgh Six that founded Bethany Beach. Located on the 26 acre Delaware land conservation trust, the property was originally owned by the heirs of the Natter Family. In 2001 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Delaware Division of Parks and Recreation, and the Town of Bethany Beach sucessfully funded the acquisition of this natural land to be preserved for all future generations in Bethany Beach.”

After exploring a small section of the centre we all walked back to the house on SpringLake Drive with Sue leading the way.

Wednesday my sister Susan cam down to the beach for her first visit since February. She owns the house but she has had a rigorous battle with cervical cancer and Tuesday she completed her radiotherapy. Only a few more additional treatments to go. It was wonderful to see her again.

Thursday was a surprise as Shelby & Cody Furlough, daughter and son-in-law of my nephew Jamie, had a little boy a little bit early. He was predicted to be born about 21 August, but as with many first babies he had other plans and arrived Thursday morning, 27 July. Welcome Patrick James Furlough to this world and your amazing family. He is Jamie’s first grandchild and Susan’s third great-grandchild.

Friday I went to Chincoteague Island in Virginia for the Wild Horse Swim. They were returning the horses to Assateague Island after an earlier roundup and auction. They auction some of the foals and horses to pay for the upkeep of the other horses living in the National Park. I went with my sister Evelyn, her husband Denny, Jayden and their neighbours Kevin and Mary Kepplinger. Judith stayed in Bethany with Susan.

The trip was in a small boat on a large water and a 3 hour wait for a 3 minute swim and then following the horses as the dispersed onto the island with each stallion taking his mares off to his territory.

Saturday we were all back in Bethany together. Evelyn, Susan, Judith and I went to Charlotte’s Quilts & Fabrics in Selbyville for an excursion. We have been discussing a theme for our annual joint quilt project this year. Each year we have a Quilt project on Zoom for a weekend when we each pick a pattern, make 4 squares and then share them with each other and we each assemble them in our own way.