Old New Castle Characters

ONC characters are not limited to humans.  Meet Gus, the town cat.  

He wanders freely, and obviously is not underfed. 

He graced the front porch of 201 Harmony on our first day, and walked in the house when we opened the door.  

Be nice to Gus. 

(Photos courtesy of Kevin Dunn)

Joys of Home Ownership

Squirrels nesting in the heater vent pipe.  They were gently removed, along with their nest.  They returned via the heater vent pipe on the roof.  A new guard was put on the vent pipe; and a humane trap placed in the basement with a yummy attractive peanut butter treat.  Voila!  Success!  The little critters were once again released and this time couldn't return. 


Upstairs toilet was running every. 6. minutes.  24/7.  I called MSC who advised they had been to the house very recently and confirmed a toilet leak.  A new flapper was installed and problem solved.  Downstairs toilet flapper readjusted and cleaned; now it fills quicker. 


We prefer "soft" lighting in the morning so sconce lighting in the upstairs loo was a glaring and rude wake up call when they were flipped on in the morning.  Problem solved with a dimmer switch. 


Dining room light fixture installed (with some retrofitting).  Wired correctly, we were disappointed when it didn't come on when the switch was flipped.  Um, er...lightbulbs, yea.  AND a dimmer switch.  Perfect. 


Part of the roof was re-tarred to stop a possible leak; the roof and downspouts were cleaned out. 


Today, the basement was rearranged, items moved from storage to the basement and as needed throughout the house and FIOS is in the house!  We now have Internet!!!

201 Harmony....

And so our adventure begins.  We settled on 201 Harmony on Friday, April 13.  We went straight to the house and scooped/vacuumed up gallons of foundation sand in the basement around the edge of the walls and laid (no glue) indoor/outdoor carpeting.  It will help keep the dust down and it generally just looks so much better. 


We were humbled by the sheer amount of people who came by on Saturday to "re-welcome" us, and especially those friends who cleaned, lifted, fed, watered, trimmed, swept, etc.  Seriously...truly humbled.  

 Not happy that the bookcase fell over his head.

Happy to be cleaning? 

 How and where do they go?

 Connie in her element.  

 The cleanest courtyard!

Our gratitude is immeasurable.  

The "Season" Approaches...April

No one can say that living in HNC is boring.  Well, of course you can say it, but if you truly felt that way, the fault of it would be yours only.  There is so much going on that one could participate in, contribute or just explore.


Do you have items you want to sell?  We have a community yard sale at the end of April. If you are interested, contact Cindy at Cynthia.Snyder@state.de.us.

The morning started off gray but turned into a gorgeous, warm day.

Local food vendors are set up.

The first year we had a Scavenger Hunt with gift certificates as gifts.

Music has always been present whether it's a band or a jam.  

Something for everyone...recycle, reuse, repurpose.

Signs of Spring

This winter has been so...odd.  Not really winter at all.  Hobbling on the way home from church, I saw early signs of Spring everywhere and couldn't resist snapping some photos.  Handy it is, my iPhone. 


Daffodils of course.  Beautifully and naturally framed up against a brick wall. 

I won't mention where it is, but if you live here, or walk around town enough you will know where to find this humongous Rosemary bush.  A "grillers" dream with the straight woody stems.  But really, beyond that, it is enough to run your hand up a branch, release the scent and stand bathed in the heady scent for just a moment. 

Have no fear, it stays with you long after you have walked by.

Window and fence baskets blooming with last Spring's leftovers.

Violet Blue, Yellow, White

       

Open your eyes to the signs of Spring. 

But the Sun rises...on Bull Hill

While sunsets are not easily viewed, almost each and every morning a sunrise lights up every morning.  I'm up around 5 a.m. and the sunrise always seems to catch my eye whether from the balcony off the bedroom, or downstairs while pouring my cup of coffee.  The beauty of the Delaware River and the coast of New Jersey never looked prettier.  

It announces the start of a brand new day, and the opportunity to live it to it's fullest.  To appreciate the beauty of each sunrise...and each sunset no matter where you may call home. 

We will miss this view.

The Sun sets...

I have never seen a sunrise in Key West.  Sunset, yes. Every day of every visit.  But a sunrise... no.  

Mallory Square is THE place to enjoy the sunset. Drinks in hand, sitting on the edge of the wharf, legs dangling over the gorgeous blue water. Music, jugglers, musicians, acrobatics, fire eaters, vendors selling food, jewelry, all forms of art.  But it isn't the only place. 


There is Louie's Afterdeck.

These were all taken the same evening.
Just a few minutes apart.  


There is Ft. Zachary.

Sunsets a plenty, from anywhere you happen to be. 

113-115 Delaware St.

The building to the far right of the picture was a barber shop located at 115 Delaware St., with a beauty salon located at 113 Delaware St. which is attached to 115 and not visible in the photo.  I am not sure what year this photo was taken; but in the far left of the photo one can see the back of some kind of vehicle so obviously it was after the turn of the century.  (Thanks to www.nc-chap.org; be sure to check out the site)

I remember seeing this building, long closed up and dilapidated sometime in the late 80's/early 90's...my time of early meandering through the streets of ONC.  It was long vacant.  I have yet to talk to any one who remembers the building.  Perhaps I just haven't talked to the right people...I'll keep trying.

The building was renovated in 1991-92  Below is what it looks like today as two private residences.

There She Glows!!!

 It was in June of last year when I came home can caught the sun highlighting the ship.

It wasn't just awesome, or fantastic, it was...glowing.  It was ethereal.  I felt blessed to have been able to not just see, but to feel the glow.  If you saw it, you would have felt it as well and know exactly what I mean.

She used to be able to dock at our wharf.  Hopefully in the future she will be able to return. 

From the website: www.kalmarnyckel.org:

(also see this guide published in 2009: http://kalmarnyckel.org/knevent_guide.asp)

The Original Kalmar Nyckel 

The original Kalmar Nyckel was one of America's pioneering colonial ships. Its historical significance rivals that of the Mayflower, yet her remarkable story has never been widely told. 

Did you know... 

The original Kalmar Nyckel sailed from Sweden to the New World in 1638 leaving its passengers to establish the first permanent European settlement in the Delaware Valley, the Colony of New Sweden in present-day Wilmington, Delaware. She made a total of four roundtrip crossings of the Atlantic—more than any other ship of the era. Her first voyage to the New World left 24 settlers of Swedish, Finnish, German and Dutch descent in the Delaware Valley. Joining them was a black freedman who sailed from the Caribbean aboard her companion ship the Fogel Grip. 


The Present Day Kalmar Nyckel 

The present day Kalmar Nyckel serves as Delaware’s seagoing goodwill ambassador. She was built by a group of committed citizens to be a continuing witness to the courage and spirit of those individuals who undertook the mid-winter North Atlantic crossing in 1637-1638. 

Since 1998, the ship has served as an outreach platform for the State of Delaware and a catalyst for social and economic development. The ship provides a unique platform for the Foundation’s educational programming as well as a venue for diplomatic, recreational, governmental and commemorative functions. The ship is owned and operated by the Kalmar NyckelFoundation, a non-profit organization that offers people of all ages a variety of sea and land based learning and recreational experiences. 

Just a couple of houses...

I have long admired many of the homes in the area, and have, at one time or another, gone to open houses whether just being nosy or actively shopping or personally knowing the owners so I have been in a good majority of the homes. 

This house is known as The Old Williams Store.  It was gutted and renovated.  With the market crash, they were unable to sell it, so it is rented. 

Rowhomes (large and small), single family homes, german wood siding, brick.  The outside of the homes are subject to "The Litany".  The Litany is a booklet that specifically outlines what you can and cannot do to the outside of your home.  One must apply to the Historic Area Committee (HAC) for any renovations or repairs...again to the outside only.  If you follow "The Litany" you should have no problems getting approved.   Commentary about HAC is sure to follow...lol. 

As it has been....

I love the house I am currently renting.  I have been here for nearly 5 years. Officially, it is Historic New Castle but depending on your preference referring to it as Old New Castle is not frowned upon. It is a designated historic area.

    

This area is known as Bull Hill.  My row is the fourth one on the right. 

Better yet...all decorated for the Holidays.

This is my view.  It's an older photo as the boy in the picture is now 6 feet tall and in college. 

The same view on a snowy winter day at sunrise.  That land mass on the opposite of the river is New Jersey.  Pennsville to be exact. 


I am soon to lose my view...not really lose, but exchanging for a different one.  The water has been good to me. 

It is done.

For a very long time I had intended this journal to be the repository about the joys and challenges of relocating to Key West or just on the outskirts.  

But after a good deal of due diligence and some serious financial soul searching...we realized we were not willing to take the risk considering a number of factors which I won't bore you with here. 

 Key West and the Keys, will for now, remain our escape...our paradise.