East Coast Happenings

Diane Amberg · August 19, 2013, 01:35:35 PM

I'm finished at last! All the teachers from all three Newark Charter Schools met for lunch today at the new high school. Everyone was invited.... ,teachers, staff, maintenance, us, the kitchen ladies, and what a fun time we all had. I met some new people and got to talk with some I hadn't seen in awhile.
The rooms are almost ready with some little details yet to do. All the teachers put their flags up and the rooms really look like classrooms now.
Today we toured the entire outside and picked up more things than I had expected. Missing soffit in several areas, with the insulation still showing, loose downspouts, missing supports, sloppy paint over spray on the outsides of the windows, nail holes in the block where they had been hammering forms, but didn't fill in the holes, an outdoor loudspeaker hanging by its wires, very crooked wall lightning. The security cameras are missing, blocked roof scuppers and a few more.
The foreman better start kicking butt! Payment will be held up. Al won't authorize the checks until it is all made right and our punch list is complete. Al goes back tomorrow and Wednesday. The formal open house and ribbon cutting is tomorrow night, with lots of dignitaries and all the families invited.
School opens Thursday morning. There are still more trees and foundation plantings to go in, but I think everything that is needed to open a complete and safe school is almost ready.

Diane Amberg · August 21, 2013, 08:58:23 AM

We made it. Delaware officially has a new charter high school. There were 550 chairs set up in the cafetorium yesterday evening but several hundred more than that came to see the opening activities. Standing room only. They had some of the band and orchestra kids playing chamber music on stage as back ground as we all came streaming in. I was pleased that Al and I had reserved seats in the second row.
"Mr Mayor," ( Repub.) as well as Senator Tom Carper (Dem.) and our local Delaware politicians came out, of course. Mayor Vance Funk and Tom Carper have been stalwart proponents and positive boosters since the beginning. I got big hugs from them both .

Joe Biden was in TX with his son Beau, who might have a brain tumor. Tests are still being done.
Director Greg Meece did a welcome and introduced all the important players, including Al and me. I wasn't expecting us to be included in that. He even told everyone about our working so hard to get all three schools up and running over the last several years. I was very flattered.
We knew a number of the people who have kids who go there, even some firefighter families who didn't know we had anything to do with the Newark Charter Schools.
After the 40 min program, the kids went to pick up their schedules and their locker locks and try them out for the first time, and tour the building to find their classrooms. Maps were included in the programs. It was fun watching everyone trying to find their way around. Of course the teachers went to their rooms to meet and greet everyone. We toured around to see if the repairs and completions that had needed to be done were complete....not. Mostly minor stuff, but two bathroom floors have to be torn up as the sinks in two next door bath rooms don't drain. The air conditioning isn't quite right yet, but learning to do the over rides and occupied and unoccupied settings will come in time. Of course as is always the case here, after a nice cool down, it will be in the 90s tomorrow for the first day of school.
They are officially changing the names of the schools ... elementary will be primary K-3, middle will be intermediate 4-6, and then the Jr. Sr. High school, 7 to eventually 12. A new year begins!

Diane Amberg · August 23, 2013, 09:15:31 AM

I'm getting very frustrated with my tomatoes. Usually this time of years we are overloaded and feeding all the neighbors. Not this year. There are lots of green ones but they are still just sitting there mocking me. I love green fries, so they are being used, but I want ripe ones! Even the few red ones we've had just don't seem to have the usual sweet, sunny, summer flavor. The ground hog that ruined so much seems to have gone....maybe the back yard neighbor's dogs got it. too late to replant now.My "boat neighbor" next door went out on a deep sea fishing trip... many hours out and many hours back. He said it was amazing how much big debris is 'way out from Sandy last year. They had to pay close attention not to hit something. his bunch did really well. They got a big, more than 100 pound tuna, and a variety of other fish too . We got a "share"

... four nice tuna steaks and some tile fish filets.
More funerals to go to. I guess at this point it will just get worse and happen more often. Tomorrow would have been my parents anniversary, so I'm missing them. They were married in Lawrence in 1940. Have a nice day everyone.

Diane Amberg · August 24, 2013, 09:49:39 AM

They're baaaack! Lost people all over town. It's freshman move in day. I don't care where it is, you can't get there from here.

... a beautiful day though, nice and dry and no rain in the forecast. Good for making all those many, many trips into the dorms. I could hear the band practicing all last week.Good memories.
I'm getting ready to make a big jar of pickled eggs... and tacos for dinner.Yum!

Diane Amberg · August 29, 2013, 10:19:33 AM

Went to the nearby Milburn's Orchard in MD and came home with a huge ready- to- eat- right- now cantaloupe, a big bag of King of the Garden Limas, a nice basket of peaches and some cider donuts.
It's interesting how things happen. Al and I are going to do just two more scheduled CPR classes and then we're retiring. I'll miss it, but all the lugging and toting and our own recerts, and updates are getting to be just a little too much. 41 years is enough.
So what happens next? Al has just been appointed to the City of Newark Planning Commission. He's as pleased as he can be. City hall is quite close, so he won't even have to go very far for the once a month meeting in Council Chambers.

Diane Amberg · August 30, 2013, 03:33:48 PM

So... I wasn't finished at Newark Charter after all. We got asked to come back again today to do another run through with the blue tape and see what else we could find. The subs were all busy there today doing repairs to ceilings, floors, plaster and paint. I found some things that were still on my list untouched, and a lot that has been nicely finished since I last checked. Found 4 more outlets without covers yet....and three paper towel dispensers are missing in the big art room. The eyewash station has ben repaired in the chem lab, but the traps are still on order. The gym floor is finished and was being coated today. Highways finally put the signal at Elkton Road on full cycles and off flashing.
After another 4 hours and 15 minutes today, we may be almost ready. Al is going to authorize the next payment on Tuesday. Hopefully in a couple of weeks it will be all finished to everyone's satisfaction, the punch list walk will be completed and final payment can be made.

Diane Amberg · September 03, 2013, 04:43:27 PM

I hope everyone had a nice peaceful Labor Day. Saw a cute cartoon .Fellow says to his wife that all three of his jobs gave him Labor Day off.

We are supposed to have great weather all week, low 80s and cool nights. We are wondering where all the hurricanes have gone. It's very quiet. Usually this is a very unsettled time of year here.
The UD kids are back and some are acting just as stupid as ever. Some cannot be turned loose from home without supervision. UD won their first football game Thursday night.... and the drinking started. Drunk calls all over the place Friday night. Well, that's not how they are dispatched, but we know that's what they turned out to be. A couple were so bad they had to be hospitalized.
This morning Al and I did a CPR class for some preschool teacher friends. I told them it was their last time, but they have two years to find someone else. After one more scheduled class in January, we are retiring as CPR/ AED instructors. I started in 1972 and the teaching is still fun, but the rest is getting old...so are we.

Diane Amberg · September 08, 2013, 04:02:16 PM

Another beautiful fall like day. It got down in the 50s last night and haven't needed the air conditioner in about a week. The garden finally decided to get going, so I can share with my neighbors after all.
We laid another good friend and 1962 classmate to rest yesterday. The Leukemia he had been fighting for 13 years finally won. He was one of the those special friendly people that I'd match against 10 ordinary folks. In typical Jerry style he had everything planned out ahead of time.
His wife Rosie's family is from Rising Sun MD and Jerry was buried in a beautiful cemetery high on a hill and way off the main road. I didn't even know it existed. They had a wonderful celebration of life at the Rising Sun Fire Hall after the grave side service They a 45 min. video of Jerry's life. Five more of his classmates and spouses were there too, so we had a good visit and a good cry and got to meet his relatives that we had never met before. More of us had gone to the visitation the night before. I think the entire Kennett reunion committee ,that he was a king pin on, made it to one or the other. The committee will never be the same without his tireless work and constant stream of jokes. I'm so glad he was well enough to go to our 50th reunion last year. This week I'll be setting up for the annual state fire prevention contest again ,preparing for Newark Community day on the UD Green next Sunday and doing clean up, laundry and packing for my college girl friends reunion beach trip to Beach Haven NJ next week.
I'm still deciding how I feel about the situation in Syria. My young military friends have mixed feeling about it.. They wonder about N. Korea, Russia Iraq and others who are closing watching to see if we still have the guts to do something....again... but don't think boots on the ground is worth it since it's their own stupid civil war. Could be much more complicated than it seems if one considers the warring tribes aspect that is extremely old.

Diane Amberg · September 10, 2013, 11:14:47 AM

Took a break last night to watch Le Mis again after Bingo. Since it's on TV now I copied it to enjoy many times. What voices! Hugh Jackman is amazing and I loved Eddie Redmayne too, and of course Anne Hathaway and Russell Crowe. I think Victor Hugo would have been proud. I have always wanted to see Alfie Boe on stage, but could never make it work. His tenor could make warblers cry.

Diane Amberg · September 11, 2013, 08:59:49 AM

It is 9-11. Please take a moment to remember the many people who losts their lives and the many people and search dogs who came from all over, including Delaware, to help.
The "pile'' has been turned into a peaceful park. World Trade Center One is up, and the others are being built as they have committments to occupation. It was a terrible event. Everyone remembers where they were when they heard the news.