Monthly Archives: May 2019

stuff the underpass…west whiteland township (ship road)

Posted on by

Above is a reader submitted photo.

You see, this morning that big old truck decided to stuff itself under an underpass on Ship Road.

Ship Road is in West Whiteland, and like many other roads in our area has railroad underpasses. The heights on these tunnels are posted.

I am sure as in a lot of the situations we have apps like Waze to blame.

Except I don’t understand how people can drive rigs this big and can see where it’s posted as to how big/tall the tunnels are and still do things like this?

Is it that these truck drivers really don’t know how tall their rigs are? Or are they so intent upon their cell phone and apps they don’t see the underpasses coming up?

mind you, all the increased traffic on our roads due to development and other issues doesn’t help this situation does it?

visiting the lockwoods

Posted on by

Today I went to St. Paul’s in Exton for the Loving Our Earth Expo. It was a lot of fun and they had interesting vendors and terrific speakers including Mike McGrath from You Bet Your Garden.

While I was there, I decided to find the Lockwood family whom are buried in the graveyard adjacent to the church.

St. Paul’s is quite old and was started around 1827. It actually was apparently and offshoot of one of my favorite churches Old St. David’s Radnor. It was consecrated by Bishop William White in 1829. I will note they could probably use some angels to get some of the headstones in that graveyard repaired.

The Lockwood family are the people for whom Loch Aerie was built. I have been meaning to visit their graves for a few years, so today I made the time for it and I’m glad I did. I will also note one of the newer buildings is named after the Lockwood sisters.

dinner and a show…in malvern

Posted on by

People’s Light stage.

Tonight we had a long overdue dinner date with a dear friend from high school and her husband. These friends are like family to me, so I love when we can get together.

We started in Malvern Borough at Restaurant Alba where the chef was kind enough to do one of the fabulous tasting menus for us (usually Monday through Thursday)

Now I don’t normally photograph the entire menu, but dinner was spectacular.

First up was an egg from the chef’s own chickens served with a fresh grilled ramp and served over couscous:

Next was this delightful fresh trout with refreshing pink grapefruit and micro greens:

After that a delightful pasta that had pistachios chopped in the sauce!

Following the pasta was this melt in your mouth pork belly served over polenta that was totally sublime.

Following the dinner was a flourless chocolate ricotta cake:

I just love Alba. The staff is so nice and it’s just a special place. They got us out the door in plenty of time to make our 7:30 PM curtain at People’s Light.

I think sometimes we take for granted that we have this amazing theater complex and talented players right here in Chester County. I started attending plays there when I was a teenager. One of my good friend’s parents were big and early supporters of this theater treasure.

This evening we saw For Peter Pan on Her 70th Birthday. It runs through May 12th and I loved every minute! When I was little the daughter of a family friend was Peter Pan in a summer production at the Community Theater in Avalon NJ. I remember her flying across the stage in her green tights and costume. It was magical!

Flash forward to this evening. I am an adult and this was a grown up version of Peter Pan. With all the magic of the version of the show I loved as a little girl. (Yes that’s all you get out of me, go see it before it’s gone!)

This evening we also had the extra special treat of seeing another friend from high school’s brother perform and the dog in the show? He was trained by another friend! So it really was a very exceptional and memorable evening.

People’s Light is an amazing and wonderful resource. I will close this post by asking for you to support the arts in Chester County and suggest if you can, please make a donation to People’s Light. Keep the creative light burning!

this is why you garden

Posted on by

This is why we garden. For these perfect moments of complete beauty in nature. My tree peony popped this afternoon and the colors and the blooms are spectacular. I took this picture now because we are supposed to get rain and I’m hoping it doesn’t get beat up.

Above you see in the second photo, the simplistic beauty of a white azalea. It’s just so pretty. You can’t go wrong with a white azalea.

A few years ago I had this idea of wanting wafting scent in the spring so I planted lilacs. Above are some of the ones which are blooming now. They are the re-blooming variety.

I also have two Miss Kim lilacs but they are hit or miss for me as far as blooms. I think I’m going to give them a big haircut after they bloom as much as they are going to bloom this year and see what happens. They are baffling to me because I feed them properly they have the right light and I prune them correctly.

My late mother-in-law had an affinity for red rhododendrons. I have never grown them before so I decided to try them in this garden and I love them! There are many types of reds you can choose from, but this is by far my favorite. My source? Rhododendrons Direct in Oregon and Applied Climatology at the West Chester Growers Market.

And the final photo I will share with you today is of the old-fashioned snowball viburnum. I inherited this shrub from the previous owner, it was planted when the house was built decades ago. It doesn’t have a scent but it produces gobs of beautiful perfect white flowers the size of tennis balls.

Gardening is good for your head, and good for your soul. It’s just a wonderful thing to do. And when you garden, you are rewarded by Mother Nature.

Get gardening!

this is chester county

Posted on by

This photo was taken yesterday while a friend was driving by Lloyd Farm in Caln.

No, Lloyd Farm is not saved. But apparently a tenant farmer is back.

This is the Chester County we lose with every development. This is why many, many brave souls are boarding a bus at 6 AM May 6th to go to Pittsburgh for Crebilly.

Yes, Pittsburgh. It’s not uncommon for court calendars to fill up and apparently they’re jammed around here. But I am told if the developer had agreed to the venue not going to Pittsburgh it could have been closer and wow, right ?

Here is the information on how to ride the bus from Mindy:

Dear Friends,

This is a reminder that the next court date for oral argument in the Toll Brother’s appeal will be held:

MONDAY, MAY 6TH, 1PM

Allegheny County Courthouse

Room #313

436 Grant Street

Pittsburgh, PA  15219

Thanks to Randell Spackman of Thornbury Farm (who also happens to be my wonderful cousin), a chartered bus has been arranged for those that wish to attend but prefer not to drive.  Here are the details:

*Bus departs from Thornbury Farm Market at 6AM:  1256 Thornbury Road, West Chester  (http://thornburyfarmcsa.com) 

*Cost of the bus is $45 per person/round trip

*Bus will return the same day

*Free parking at Thornbury Farm

*Here is the link to purchase bus tickets:

https://crebillybustopittsburgh.brownpapertickets.com/

Friends, please do not miss this great opportunity to support the Westtown Township Supervisors and Township Solicitor Patrick McKenna in their brave battle to preserve the national, historic view shed from our Revolutionary War on Crebilly Farm (part of the Brandywine Battlefield) and prevent over-development in an already saturated region of Chester County.  We need bodies in the court room.  We need MASSIVE PUBLIC OUTCRY!!!  A full court room of supporters will speak volumes without saying a word.  It will send a clear message to the panel of judges that indeed we care and we are standing up for what is right.  Please contact any friends and family you have in the Pittsburgh area and ask them to attend this very important court appeal.

Together we have come so far and I thank all of you for your efforts.

We must keep going.

If not you, then who?

Sincerely,

Mindy Rhodes

Neighbors for Crebilly had the following to say:

Tell our Commonwealth Court Judges in Pittsburgh how much Chester County residents feel about their Quality of Life. Attend the oral arguments on Monday, May 6 at 1pm with your neighbors – all headed to Pittsburgh.

Several groups and interested parties are all working together to make a statement and presence by filling up the courtroom in Pittsburgh. We’ll fill one bus first and then start on the second. If we don’t reach a threshold number to fill the second bus, we will refund your ticket purchase. The coach holds 54 passengers.

With that said, tickets are $45 each.

First come, first served.

Your ticket is your placeholder, reservation.

No ticket purchased, no seat on the bus – we have to make this easy to manage – we’re all volunteers and need to be fair to all.

You will need a ticket to board. Print-at-home tickets or mobile tickets supplied at purchase.

We anticipate leaving Thornbury Farm, 1256 Thornbury Road, West Chester, PA 19318 at 6am and will return from Pittsburgh between 4-5 pm. It is a long day for everyone and to be compliant, the motor coach company will staff two drivers for your safety. Coffee and refreshments will be available for the ride out. Convenient parking at Spackman Farm.

Please post and share this simple ticket purchase URL: https://m.bpt.me/event/4224737

Not every piece of land or old house can be saved. That is the reality. But some of these properties don’t have to become developments.

And with these remaining big parcels in Chester County, I don’t understand why these families can’t put at least part of the land into conservation and preservation and not just turn everything over to a mega housing developer.

People want to tell us that we need all this development. We don’t. And all this development is causing other issues in our communities.

Between pipelines and residential developers, Chester County is becoming a war zone.

It’s time to start gathering within our individual communities and telling our elected officials we don’t want so much development.

We also need to band together as Chester county residents and tell the Chester County Planning Commission and Chester County Commissioners and anyone else who we can get to listen that we don’t want so much development.

Thanks for stopping by.