Whale’s tail, buzzard eggs, pollen and, of course, corona

There’s no escaping corona talk these days. Unfortunately, it has darkly colored every aspect of our lives. There are still other things going on worthy of observation, in my estimation. But first, a another dose of corona.

Rep. Pete Schwartzkopf, as Speaker of the House of Representatives, is in the thick of daily conference calls with state leaders. As a result, as my outdoor buddy Ralph says with great respect: “He knows things.”

One of Pete’s constituents called this week and asked why Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan wasn’t part of the coalition of states Delaware has joined with to suss out the corona situation and start making plans for an eventual rollback of restrictions so we can get the economy moving again. “He wanted to know whether Hogan has been left out because he’s a Republican.”

Pete and most of the governors Delaware is working with are Democrats. “This definitely was not a partisan issue,” said Pete. “It’s not because he’s a Republican. Hogan was asked early on to be part of the group, but he felt Maryland was more aligned economically with Virginia and D.C., so he declined to become part of the group Delaware is in. But I know Gov. Carney and other Delaware officials communicate regularly with Gov. Hogan and others in Maryland.”

The question, of course, was a good one because our local economy depends so heavily on visitors from Maryland and D.C.

WHALE’S TAIL HEADED FOR DEWEY - The latest product out of the Lewes performance art studio known as Preservation Forge blacksmith shop is a dozen-or-so-foot-tall copper whale tail. John Ellsworth said he crafted the tail for a Dewey Beach couple who plan to display it on their property.

“With the interior structure, it weighs about 150 pounds,” said Ellsworth. “It will be mounted upright on a concrete foundation being placed in and covered by the sand. It will end up looking like it dove into the beach and might end up being a Dewey Beach landmark. It will probably be visible to the public.”

Ellsworth handed me a piece of paper showing a photo of the flukes of a whale slipping into the sea. Alongside the image was the following text about his latest sculpture, modeled on the image:

“Cetic the whale was born in the Irish Sea. When he was young, he went on a tour of the North American East Coast. However, he was caught in a storm and washed into the Rehoboth Bay. After several weeks of being stranded, St. Patrick’s Day arrived. Being Irish, Cetic went to Dewey Beach to celebrate. Sometime during the night, he celebrated so much that his tail fell off and somehow ended up where you see it now. And this is where the saying ‘partying your tail off in Dewey Beach’ comes from.”

LOTS LESS TRAFFIC ON DELAWARE ROADS - If it feels like there’s lots less traffic around, it’s because there is far less traveling on Delaware’s major roads due to coronavirus. During a press briefing Tuesday of this week, Gov. John Carney said traffic counts on major roads, such as Route 1 between Dover and points south, and at the routes 113 and 9 intersection in Georgetown, are down about 70 percent from normal at this time of the year.

IS IT POLLEN ALLERGY OR IS IT CORONA? - The annual spring pollen storm from grasses, pines and hardwoods is gaining full strength. Smack the swollen candles on pines and you’ll see a cloud of green pollen taking to the air. Sore throats and stuffy noses are part of the allergy formula, or could those be signs of corona?  

One person I know who has tested positive for corona said she definitely noticed one of the less frequently mentioned symptoms. “I lost my sense of smell. I noticed it particularly around flavored candles, and you know how strong their scents are.” They say that the nose knows, but in this case, the nose knows because it doesn’t know! 

SNUFFLEUPAGUS OR SASQUATCH IN THE CAPE PINES? - It wasn’t alive, but nature sure did its own sculpturing in the pine forest of Cape Henlopen State park to create a wild and woolly twiggy creature. Pine needles for hair, fallen limbs for skeleton including head, arms and legs. See photo in larger detail in this Barefootin’ at capegazette.com.

RALPH KNOWS THINGS TOO - As a frequent rider of the Junction & Breakwater Trail, my outdoor friend has cultivated a relationship with a homeless man who has taken up on-again, off-again residence in a section of the woods near the south end of the trail.

Though the man hasn’t been there for a while – probably chased out by winter weather – Ralph still looks in occasionally. On a recent visit, he ducked his head into an old, fallen-over, metal corn crib used by the man as a frame for his shelter. “It was dark in there, and all of a sudden a big bird took off from inside and scared the hell out of me.” (That’s a lot of hell.) “Then I realized it was a buzzard.”

I allowed as how buzzards nest on the ground and will often take over abandoned and deteriorating structures as a protected place to hatch and nurture their young.

The next time I heard from Ralph, he had been back to the site during another ride and sent me a photo of two large eggs now visible in a rough ground nest inside the structure.

He paid me the ultimate compliment: “You know things.”