Just got back from another Stuck In Traffic Rehoboth Beach Summertime Fun Times!
What was I thinking? I get a notice from TD Bank this morning that unless I posted a transaction in my account within the next thirty days they are going to make it inactive. Then after a period of inactivity (I didn't check to see how long) they would escheat the balance of my account to the state of Delaware. Hey! I don't have that much money ($2,695) in that account but I sure as hell don't want to give it to the state of Delaware or another other entity. I've already had that happen once years ago when I had a convenience account at a bank in Provincetown, Mass. I think I only had about three hundred dollars in that account (actually a substantial sum, this was in the Seventies) but it disappeared into the ether (state of Massachusetts) because when I made my annual summertime trip to Provincetown I found out they had close my account. Money gone!
So when I get these notices from the banks (by the way, the Provincetown Bank never sent me a notice or if they did, it got lost in the shuffle of my life back then, I was much more active then than I am now), I pay attention! I write out a check for $100 and drive down to the bank to make a deposit to keep my account alive for another six months. Why don't I close the account you ask? Because I have a TD bank account in Canada and they are connected. I never know when I'll have to use my Canadian TD Bank account again. I used to use it when I visited Pat in Canada but I can't do that now because of the Orange Jesus. I'm afraid if I visit Pat in Canada I won't be able to come back to the U.S. Why? Because the border guards sometimes check one's iPhone, including Hidden Files, before they let you across the border. I have a lot of anti-Convicted Felon images on my iPhone photos. Yes Virginia, this is the era we are living in now where freedom of speech and expression can get you into trouble. I never thought I would live to see this day but here we are. May I live long enough to see this evil go away but for right now I have to face reality. No visits to Pat in Canada during this Reign of Intimidation, Threats and Corruption.
So I want to keep my TD American account active. I write out a check for one hundred dollars. Hop in my car and head down Route One........ON A SUMMERTIME FRIDAY AFTERNOON! What was I thinking?
About forty-five minutes later I arrive at the Rehoboth TD bank branch, a trip that normally takes about seven to ten minutes. Yes Virginia, I sat in my 2010 Red Subaru Forester in this hot summer heat inching along Route One until I got to the TD Bank branch office.
I made my $100 deposit and vowed to myself never again to take my Subaru or any other vehicle down Route One on a summertime day for any reason.
Yesterday I dared to venture out on the dreaded Route One, Coastal Highway.
I was lucky! I just missed this traffic tie up.
Usually, during the summer tourist season I do not venture out on Route One from Memorial Day until a couple of weeks after Labor Day. Why? Because there are always accidents and the traffic is usually backed up. I have better things to do with my time than sit in traffic. And forget even venturing into Rehoboth Beach, which I would love to do. I like to walk on the boardwalk and people watch but it is just too crazy during the summer season. This is so ironic because when I used to live in Pennsylvania, I yearned to visit Rehoboth Beach. And here I am, only ten miles up the road from Rehoboth Beach, and I don't go out.
The reason I went out yesterday was that I want to get some more of that dill pickle hummus at Aldi's. Aldi's is located on the strip on Route One as one enters Rehoboth Beach. It's easy for me to get there because I have a red light each way, I don't have to make any of those dreaded U-Turns on Route One.
So, with my heart in my mouth I headed out on Route One about five o'clock yesterday afternoon. Yes, the traffic was heavy but it was moving.
I enter the parking lot of Aldi's. Plenty of parking, which is a blessing. Not always a factor when visiting other stores on the Route One strip.
I go into Aldi's and scoop up all of their dill pickle hummus and head out to my car. I see on the ground two small rugs. I think about it for two seconds then I scooped them up two! Two free rugs! Why not? Someone else would just pick them up. Obviously someone was loading the back of their SUV and these small rugs fell on the ground.
When I pulled into the Aldi's parking lot I heard and saw an ambulance. I can't remember the last time I was on Route One during the summer that I haven't heard and seen the screaming sirens of ambulances. I just hate it when I'm in traffic and the ambulance wants to get around me. Where do I turn? Thank God I was in the parking lot this time.
As I pulled out the Aldi's parking lot with my bounty, I see the southbound traffic is stopped. Ah ha! As I drove further up the road I see the cause of the traffic tie up, there was an accident (a fender bender thankfully, no one was hurt). Traffic is at a stop. I just missed that by a half an hour! Believe me, you haven't lived until you have sat in a half and hour to an hour traffic tie up while the police and EMT's clear up the latest accident on Route One.
I think my five containers (I cleaned them out) of dill pickle hummus will last me until Labor Day.
Embolden by my early morning success of the past two days of venturing out early in the morning to beat the summertime traffic, I got up early to make a Walmart shopping run.
Normally in the summertime, I wouldn't go near the Walmart in the Rehoboth Mall because of the heavy traffic and crazy drivers. Almost every weekend there is an accident, sometimes fatal. And remember last year when I collapsed in the Walmart parking lot and had to spend three days in the hospital for a series of tests? That was when my best pals Glen (from California) and Pat (from Canada) were here in Lower Slower for a visit to Casa Tipton-Kelly where I played the Gracious Host. Thank God there were here because they had to look after Casa Tipton-Kelly while I was held captive at Beebe Hospital for tests.
I wasn't sure if Walmart was opened early but apparently someone in marketing got wise and YES, Walmart opens at 6 AM! I'm old enough to remember that, especially on Sundays stores like Walmart didn't open until 11 AM. I remember going to the Dover Mall and standing outside with a crowd of people waiting for J C Penney to open it's doors at 10 AM on weekdays and 11 on Sunday. Hey folks, do you want to sell your merchandise or not? Finally, some of these businesses are getting "it." I can see why Lowe's early (for the contractors) but Walmart.
My empty Walmart shopping cart needs to be filled!
Well, when I hobbled in the store, there were plenty of summertime visitors to the beach shopping. Among the shoppers were a rather large Hispanic family shopping. When I see Hispanics shopping now I'm on the lookout for Trump's Gestapo Ice agents out profiling little brown people to arrest. So far none of that police state activity here in Lower Slower thank God. Not that we don't have a large Hispanic population, Mexicans and also many Guatemalans. In fact, at the Georgetown Walmart there are so many Hispanic shoppers one would think you were shopping in Mexico City. I feel so bad for my Hispanic neighbors, having to live in fear every time they go out shopping now because of Trump's Secret Police Ice Agents who could possible whisk them off to a foreign gulag. What kind of world are we living in folks? But I digress, this is a subject for another blog.
At Walmart I stocked up on Walmart's Bran cereal which contains 100% vitamins on almost everything and at only $2.38 a box, it a real bargain. I was also able to find a Gnome to complete my little flower garden around my now naked transformer on the border of my property. Remember a few weeks when Comcast's Goon Squad came by and ripped out Bill's fence and my clematis plants? That ugly scar was really bothering me every time I looked at it and also damaging my reputation as the Flower Man of the neighborhood. I just couldn't let that now fertile soil go barren like a Mars landscape. I've planted annuals there, which of course are having trouble rooting in our current heat wave, to soften that now naked spot. And besides, that dirt around the transformer has been carefully cultivated over the past twenty years. I'm not about to give it up to.........grass and even worse, crab grass which is now trying to make inroads. So aggressive that crab/wire/Bermuda grass. As long as I'm alive and living here I will not let that happen.
Walmart parking lot early this morning - I wasn't the only early bird
After I did my Walmart shopping I exited the Walmart parking lot, which in the past was hard to do because of all the traffic, but this morning easy.
Casa Tipton-Kelly is only four miles north from Walmart. With light traffic, like this morning, I can make that run in twelve minutes. On regular summertime peak tourist days, that run could take thirty minutes or more of white knuckle driving (grasping that steering wheel hard and swivel head which I find difficult to do now because of my arthritis, yes my arthritis is especially bad in my neck. I can't swivel my head like I used to and when I do it HURTS.)
After dropping off my Walmart shopping items at Casa Tipton-Kelly I headed out north on Route One (Walmart is south) to my food store Food Lion. After picking some more of that wonderful marinade I discovered last week (more about that in a future blog post, boy do I have content to posts in future blog posts now that I've been rebooted) I drove over to my favorite plant nursery. I had to buy some green "tomato" string to tie up a few cherry tomato plants that have seeded themselves and grown up near my garage. I love those cherry tomatoes in my pasta salad, a real Summertime Treat for me. A few weeks ago I post an ad in my NextDoor app for free tomato plants. Several very nice people came over and took advantage and left with my free tomato seedlings. But I had a few of those seedlings left and I just don't have the heart to pull them up and put them in my compost pile. I try to be "plant brutal" but I always have a problem being heartless to innocent plants who are just trying to have their own life.
I got home just in time for my weekly Zoom call with Stuart (my former school mate) and Pat. That takes place every Sunday. We three old geezers, one from Boca Raton Florida (Stuart) and Pat (from Hamilton, Ontario, Canada) never have a problem taking. And we don't always talk about our health like you would expect Old Geezers to talk about. And we always record our Zoom calls (actually just me and Stuart, not Pat) for posterity. We sometimes talk about someone two hundred years from now looking at these videos and saying in pity "Look at those poor bastards and how primitive they were."
Hey, maybe that will be one of us in our future life. Yes, we talk (me and Stuart actually before Pat comes on the Zoom call later because Pat still goes to church) about our past and future lives because folks, we all have lived and will live future lives. Believe it! Speaking of which, another long time friend and former classmate just sent me another "Jesus" booklet. He hasn't given up on trying to "save" me no matter how much I insult him when he does things like that. The sheer hubris of him to try and push his fairy tales on me. But again I digress. Subject for a future blog.
Anyway, when I got home I was exhausted. Maybe it's the heat but I also think my age continues to catch up with me. I don't want to pass out in any more Walmart parking lots. Especially now because I don't have any backup like Glenn and Pat to watch my house while I'm in the hospital cheating death.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have a fish pond filter I have to clean.
Hazy, lazy summer days down here at Casa Tipton-Kelly.
I just came in before I really started to sweat from the humidity.
It only takes me about five minutes of activity outside on these hot and humid summer days to sweat up a storm. Ten minutes and I'm soaked and ready for another shower to dry out my skin.
I was just up at my pond. The dragonflies are back! Earlier this springs the mosquitoes were taking over my backyard paradise here in southern coastal Delaware. "Where were my dragonflies?" I wondered. Then a couple of weeks ago a lone dragonfly appeared and started to make a dent in my local mosquito population. Now they're back full force (about a half a dozen) and viola! No mosquitoes!
Lovely!
Now for my update of the goings on here at Casa Tipton-Kelly. Yesterday I ventured out in the summertime traffic to a refuel pit stop at my local (Food Lion) supermarket in Milton. During the summer the traffic is heavy on Route One (Coastal Highway) for Rehoboth Beach (ten miles south of Casa Tipton-Kelly). I don't want to be an accident statistic so I try to pick a time of light traffic. That backfired on me yesterday. I had two near misses (auto accidents). The first being at the construction site of the intersection of Rt. 16 and Rt. 1. They've been working on that making a bypass there so the traffic traveling from the north to the south to Rehoboth Beach and other summertime destinations don't have so slow their dash with a red light (God Forbid!). Four years they've been working on that overpass! FOUR YEARS! In fact, years before Bill died he asked "When are they going to be done construction?" I told him "Not in your lifetime." Turns out that was a true statement.
So here's what happen, I go to merge in traffic from Rt. 16 to Rt. 1 south and WHAM! Two cars from my left are also trying to merge in! WTF? I wasn't even expecting traffic from my left. Besides, I had the right of way because I was on the right.
NEAR MISS!
Then when I arrive at my development, where the speed limit is 15 MPH, and where I consider myself home safe after the craziness of the speeding on Rt. 1 (Speed Limit is 55 MPH but traffic often reaches 70 MPH), I was almost rear ended by a floral deliver van!
HELP!
I'm not even safe in turning into my own driveway in my own development.
So when do I go out? When is it safe for me to make a supply run to the store?
ANSWER: Never in the summertime. A fact I have to accept and adjust to. Wish me luck!
Change of subject:
I have decided to stop taking some of my blood pressure medicine. I don't like the side effects.
I have about eight (at last count) prescriptions that I take on a daily basis. I think that's too much.
My latest prescriptions have these side effects:
Constipation
Diarrhea
Fatigue
Depression
Respiratory Problems
I'm experiencing every one of them. I'll deal with the high blood pressure.
We're talking quality of life here. I don't like these side effects because they only exacerbate those problems I've already had. No thank you.
I'm an old man. Eighty-four years old this November. I shouldn't even be here. I almost checked out at seventeen years old because of a botched hernia operation at the hospital where unsanitary conditions resulted in my contacting a staph infection. All my life since then has been a bonus. I'm living on borrowed time. And since I lost Bill a year and a half ago, I have pretty much lost the will to live. Oh yes, I am lucky to have Pat in my life but he's quite happy and content living in Canada and even when we get married he will probably continue to live in Canada.
Pat's home on Hess Street in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada ( yellow door)
I actually don't want it any other way because I want him to be happy. We talk several times a day via FaceTime and have a great friendship. But living with him like I lived with Bill, probably not going to happen. Bill was happy living with me. I'm not the easiest person to live with. Bill loved me enough to overlook that side of me. I don't want or expect Pat to make that sacrifice. All Bill wanted out of life was to live with me. Pat has a lot more interests than me. I know that because I've known Pat since August of 2013. That's twelve years and long enough to know someone.
Speaking of which, Pat is waiting to receive the certified copy of my birth certificate that I sent to him last week. Once he receives my birth certificate then he will call the American Consulate in Montreal to arrange for his interview. He needs to bring my birth certificate with him among other things. Once he passes that interview, which I expect he will then he has to take a health physical. Once he passes that physical he will receive approval to marry me. Then we have ninety days to get married. Hopefully that will happen before the end of summer. Once we're married Pat will return to Canada for the time being. We're playing this by ear. Maybe he will move down here permanently. We'll see how it works out but for the immediate future he will return to his nice little home in Hamilton, Ontario Canada and we will stay in touch.
He wants to move to Palm Springs but I don't want to move there permanently. I love my home here in Delaware to much. I plan to end my days here whether it be tomorrow, next week, next month of years from now. Pat of course will eventually move to Palm Springs providing he outlives me which is probably what will happen. But you never know. Pat will continue to visit Casa Tipton-Kelly
Casa Tipton-Kelly late afternoon June 29, 2025
and of course he continues to have his own quarters here as he has had for the last twelve years.
Stay cool folks. Don't want to hear of anybody conking out because of heat exhaustion.
Here I sit on this overcast Sunday morning, ready to go to work again. Three day in a row. Then again tomorrow (day shift) and the next day (day shift again) then back to normal. Yesterday at the hotel wasn't too bad. The rough part was getting into work. Saturday afternoon in the height of the summer season in Rehoboth Beach, DE spells one thing: BACKED UP TRAFFIC I hardly got out onto Route One and there is was, hundreds of cars going south on Route One, inching their way to Rehoboth Beach. God help me. I am SO GLAD I don't have the weekend shift at the hotel during the summer. I HATE sitting in traffic, just inching along. HATE IT. Above is just a short video of the bottleneck that is Rehoboth Beach Summer Fun. Only another month to go and we locals reclaim our Route One again. I shouldn't really complain though, all that traffic (at $3.00 a pop, Del Dot just raised the toll fee from $2.00 to $3.00 - why not? It doesn't slow the traffic down to Rehoboth and points (Ocean City, Maryland) and beyond. Folks, we local stay away from Rehoboth Beach in the summertime. It just isn't worth it. However, I am glad we have all that traffic coming down, depositing their dollars into our local economy. Yesterday, while inching along in traffic I spied mostly Pennsylvania and New Jersey license plates. We never did get too many New Jerseyites (sp?) until Hurricane Sandy. We get them now. Hey folks . . . . no sales tax in Delaware! Come on down. All this weekend we've had rain or overcast skies, somewhat to the disappointment of many of our hotel guests. So far this summer we've had an abundance of sun . . . too much actually. I've had to force myself to stay indoor because of the heat, humidity and sun, sun sun. Just last week I was thinking "We could use a little less sun." But you know what happens "Be careful what you wish for." Yesterday afternoon there was a wedding in the park adjoining the hotel. The rain let up enough to permit the Beautiful Bride to be married outside under the bridal canopy. A few minutes before the ceremony the bridegroom and his entourage trooped past the front desk in their pear gray suits looking soooo fine (all nice buttocks - did I really say THAT?) I was momentarily rendered speechless by the unexpected overload of fine masculinity but quickly recovered. All in a day's work folks.
One short of a dozen (or two short of two dozen, depending on what you're counting)
This is what it looked like yesterday at the turnoff on Rt. 1 trying to get into our development
Bill and I came to a rare agreement today, we are not comfortable traveling in heavy traffic anymore. Today we had to run several errands. I'm not driving for a couple days because of my surgery yesterday (still woozy and fatigued). Bill had to drive my car. This is Friday and Friday living near a resort such as Rehoboth Beach is a nightmare. We locals know to STAY OFF THE ROADS. Alas, we didn't. I was running around trying to get a prescription filled for a generic form of Rapaflo. I wasn't keen on spending $484.19 for a 90 days supply of pills to "relax my prostate" which is inflamed after yesterday's assault surgery. First to the urologist's office to pick up my prescription. Then to Walmart and the sticker shock moment. Then to the Georgetown VA Outpatient Clinic to get a more reasonable price for a generic version of my prostate relaxer so I can stop peeing razor blades. All the while we're traveling on Route 1 which was undergoing some lane restrictions for some kind of road work. DelDot likes to schedule their roadwork on Friday's, in the tourist season, especially when there are events going on in Rehoboth and Ocean City, Maryland. Ah, the beginning of the season in Gayberry. Always a delight. So while we're traveling all around, missing near accidents right and left, we decided we're not going to travel in heavy traffic like this any more if we can help it, and we can. For instance, the only place we're going tomorrow is the Food Lion in Milton, which is sans tourists. Hell, they don't even know where Milton is unless they're a Dogfish beer aficionado. A couple of years ago we decided not to travel at night anymore. We just can't do it. Everything is headlights. I leave work after 11 pm at my hotel job but I travel a back road and there is very little traffic. Step by step we're being "localized" in our activity. Last week's road trip south we pushed our luck. I don't think we'll do that again. Actually, I'm quite happy staying her at Casa Tipton-Kelly. Very happy as a matter of fact. Now if I can just stop peeing razor blades.
As I was leaving work (around 11:20 pm), I noticed a car traveling behind me slowly. Then suddenly I saw the dreaded flashing cherry lights of the police car! OMG!
I'VE BEEN PULLED OVER!
I turn down my window and wait for the police officer to approach my car. All kinds of things are going through my mind. Was I speeding? The speed limit at that area of New Road is 25 mph. I usually drive that speed limit or may a few miles above but I never speed through that area even though it is late at night. However, I did just pick up my speed where the speed limit changed form 25 mph to 40 mph. That's when the cherry lights went on. Thank God the siren didn't go off too.
I see the office approaching with the flashlight. I say "Yes sir!" Then I see the police office is a pretty, petite woman. Uh....okay. This is the second time in my life I've been pulled over by a police officer. The last time was when I was 42 years old and the police officer was a kid of about 18 (who looked 13). No hunky police officers for Ron. I should have said "Good evening officer!"
She smiles and asks to see my driver's license and registration. Oh HERE WE GO. Visions of me being pulled out and thrown over the hood of my car and being groped frisked run through my head. By a woman yet. A hunky MALE police officer....well, maybe okay.
I fish out my wallet from my side pocket and pull out my driver's license with my prison mug shot (they don't allow you to smile in Delaware for your driver's license).
She looks at it and says "The reason I pulled you over sir was because you were HUGGING the center lane." Uh....guilty as charged. I've been told that before.....many times by Bill and some other friends. GUILTY! Now a police officer has pulled me over and told me the same thing so maybe I am HUGGING the middle of the road. Take note Ron.
She then says "Did you just get off from work?" I told her "Yes, I did." She said "You're probably tired." I told her I was. In fact I'm always tired. I'm 70 years old. You ought to see me if I don't get my daily afternoon nap.
She also asked me if I worked at the hotel in Lewes. I told her I did. I reached for my glove compartment to produce my registration. She said "That won't be necessary."
With a smile, she sent me on my way into the night darkness that is New Road at 11:42 pm.
