Book club membership expands personal horizons
Dave from Harbeson wrote, “I was piqued into writing by the Caracara pictured in the Cape Gazette. It is truly a unique opportunity to see this bird here instead of in the tropics. One of my activities here, now that I am retired, is to take advantage of the fabulous birding that living here provides. Any excuse to go to the fabulous parks like Cape Henlopen and Prime Hook is great. We are on the Eastern Flyway and during migration in the spring and fall many species pass through. The snow geese have been here all winter and should be leaving soon to head back to the Arctic Circle where their breeding grounds are.”
Speaking of snow geese, I was stopped at a traffic light on Dairy Farm Road and Route 9 and witnessed the strangest sight. Several snow geese were suspended above their flock, hovering three feet off the ground like whirligig helicopters. As I waited for the light to change, I tried to understand this phenomenon because surely they can’t flap so long even during the Lenten season. Then about a week later while driving on Beaver Dam Road, I was close enough to see that there were indeed fake snow geese on sticks planted in the ground, their fake wings a flappin’. Will somebody please write to me and explain this?
Rose Mary from South Bethany wrote to say she loves to volunteer for the Thresholds Program at the Sussex Correctional Institution and for the Community Center for Justice at People’s Place. “Working with the inmates at SCI has been eye opening because I found out that many of the people there have made mistakes, but they want an opportunity to prove to their families and society that they can be productive citizens.” She also helps organize the CROPwalk for the Southeast Sussex Ministerium. CROP stands for Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty. The walk will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, May 11, at the Bethany Beach Bandstand.
Rose Mary also recommends attending an AAUW Diversity book club. “We have some really thought-provoking books this year that have opened our minds,” she said. I confess I am also a new and grateful member of this group. Last month, we read “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down” by Anne Fadiman. Most of us did not know anything about a unique culture called Hmong and how their medical treatment ideas differ from ours. This month, we read “Tortilla Curtain” by T.C. Boyle, which is about struggling illegal immigrants in California. I can’t wait to hear this discussion. For me, joining this book club has made me grateful for my U.S. citizenship and for the food I can enjoy at home or at our fine restaurants.
Sad to say no one wrote to me about a place to go dancing, but a few weeks ago, Rayquest and I stopped off at Hooked martini bar after a movie at Midway, and the popular Bryan Clark just happened to be performing. Several couples including us were elated to dance while Bryan crooned. Bartender Tom’s signature martinis loosened our inhibitions and soon there were about five ladies sliding across the floor. I was forced to become the sixth so we could salsa in pairs. Judging by the crowd that night, many locals are hooked on Hooked.
