Driving in snowstorms is easier than sunny-day snowdrifts

As my short bio at the end of this column says, I grew up in Maine, which means I’ve got plenty of experience driving in the snow. In fact, when I get the opportunity, driving in snow is enjoyable. I just bring a long-handled shovel and dress appropriately in case I get stuck. 

Every location has its challenges, but generally speaking, I think driving in the snow around here is easier than in Maine – there’s nothing like trying to get a stick shift moving uphill after being stopped at a red light with traffic behind you. However, there is one thing down here that makes winter storms a continued hazard – the snowdrifts that inevitably form along the roads after the storm has passed.

In Maine, when you get outside a community, the scenery turns to woods pretty quick – it’s called the Pine Tree state for a reason. The trees break the wind. The snowbanks are a lot bigger, but at least they stay in place.

Around here, there are still a lot of farm fields surrounding local communities. There aren’t enough trees to stop the wind. Sometimes large sections of major roads will have snow on them for days if the wind is blowing in the right direction. I’ve gotten used to the snowdrifts, but they can still be tricky to navigate. Going at or above the speed limit when hitting one with traffic coming the other way is always going to energize the heart a bit.

At least there’s one bright side to all the development taking place in those farm fields – after the houses are built, the amount of snow drifting into the roads will be a lot less.

Preserving history in Rehoboth

A couple of weeks ago, I was on South Prince Street with my wife in Lancaster, Pa. We were in town visiting family, and my wife likes to go to Central Market. Walking to the market, we came across something I’d never seen – a brick wall, windows and all, standing intact, held up with supports and secured because the rest of the building had been demolished. I was able to find some news articles on the project. The way I understand it, the developer wasn’t forced to save the street-facing facade, but did anyway to incorporate it into the new block-wide structure that’s being built around it.

I bring this up because when I saw the demolition notice come through for 1 Stockley St. in Rehoboth Beach, I knew it would cause a stir when I wrote about it. It’s a big, old, beautiful house that fronts on the Boardwalk. Less than 24 hours after the story was published online, it was at the top of the Gazette’s most-read list and had generated hundreds of comments on the company’s Facebook post.

I recognize redevelopment is going to happen. I think it needs to happen for communities to continue to evolve in a way that meets the needs of the people currently living in them. However, if a lone brick wall of a building can be saved in one area, there’s got to be ways to encourage saving Rehoboth’s old beach homes and cottages.

If it’s going to be a short term, it might as well be the shortest

Despite losing an election bid months ago to Gov.-elect Matt Meyer, Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long was sworn in as governor Jan. 7. This was done because later the same day, former Gov. John Carney was sworn in as Wilmington mayor.

Hall-Long will serve as governor until Jan. 21, which means she’ll be in the record books for two reasons. As she stated during her swearing-in ceremony, she’s America's first governor who is a nurse by profession.

Second, and not stated during her swearing-in ceremony, is when she hands off the reins to Meyer later this month, her 14-day-term as governor will have been the shortest in Delaware history. The previous record for shortest term as Delaware governor was held by Dale E. Wolf, who served from Dec. 31, 1992 to Jan. 19, 1993. Prior to Wolf, David P. Buckson served as governor for one day longer – Dec. 30, 1960 to Jan. 17, 1961. I’m not throwing shade on Hall-Long – there have only been 74 governors before her – it’s just an interesting fact worth knowing.

Joke of the Week

I don’t want to jinx it, but I think we’re picking up steam here, folks. This is the second straight column that I’m using a reader-submitted joke in this space. It’s even timely because it’s about snow (or at least a big furry animal that lives in snow) and the beach. As always, send jokes to cflood@capegazette.com.

Q: What is a polar bear on the beach called?

A: Sandy Claws