More Crazy Delaware Blue Hen News Round Up - now with more chickens

License Plates and the Delaware Blue Hen:

The other day, I think I actually saw the car driven by YoUDee, the mascot for the University of Delaware. I assume that his license plate would be "Blue hen", but that he would be unable to spell and put BLUHENS. YoUDee himself (stands for UD, University of Delaware, get it?) is a giant Delaware Blue Hen. (and can skate as shown in this picture from the University of Delaware YoUDee website)


The Delaware militia men (and eventually the University of Delaware sports teams, and Delawareans in general) got the nickname, the fighting blue hens, because of the successful breed of rooster they used in the cock fights they staged during their leisure time between battles in the Revolutionary War. Delaware troops also fought well against the British, but no chickens were used.

Roasted Chicken Anyone?

The Delmarva peninsular (Delaware, Maryland, Virginia) is world famous for the chickens they raise. If you drive to the southern part of Delaware you cannot miss the chicken houses for the smell, especially if you have the top down on the convertible, whew! One Laurel chicken house staged an impromptu Fourth of July barbecue when it caught fire and killed 3000 chickens, at an estimated damage of $13,000 (about $4.33 a chicken!). Firefighters were able to douse the fire with BBQ sauce and a spicy Jamaican rub.

The 8000 survivors will not be allowed back into their home until the damage is fixed. I am thinking of taking up a collection for these poor chickens.

New Jersey's Gambling Loss is Delaware's Gambling Gain:

In a stunning example of why less government is better, New Jersey's budget balancing woes have forced them to shut down the Atlantic City casinos. New Jersey's loss is Delaware's gain as stranded gamblers are so desperate that they are boarding busses for Delaware gambling areas at Delaware Park and Dover Downs.

Only essential state employees are still on the job in New Jersey. They should be careful not to call the gambling inspectors, park rangers or anyone else on the payroll nonessential, lest the voters wake up and realize how nonessential the Governor and the State Legislature might be. The shut down of the casinos and subsequent reapportionment of gamblers between the states should be good research fodder for econometricians down the road some day. Unfortunately, you cannot gamble on cockfighting in Delaware anymore. I guess those Blue Hens finally beat all of the other chickens.

(this is to catch up from the last Delaware Crazy Blue Hen News Round Up, which had no chickens)

tag: Delaware, YoUDee, Blue Hens, Delmarva, chickens, gambling, New Jersey

Delaware Goofy News Roundup

It seems that Delaware has been getting its due out on the internets this past week. Fark has just been filled with plenty of Delaware goodness.

Nanobombs at University of Delaware

Fark(search on Delaware to see link) picked up a story from the University of Delaware about a professor using carbon nanotube "nanobombs" to destroy cancerous tumors. Besides being an abuse of the word nanotechnology and the prefix "nano", close reading of the articles shows that they haven't actually killed any cancer cells with this technique yet.

"They recreated the explosions in solutions including water, phosphate and salt, which meant the nanobombs could be used in the human body."

As with all cancer treatments, getting the treatment to the tumor and then activating it is the hard part. I wish the researchers good luck in their attempts. As for abuse of the term nanotechnology - I am 1.75 billion nanometers tall, but I don't see anybody declaring me a work of nanotechnology.

Delaware is not the smallest state

The above story also generated quite the discussion on Fark about which state is actually the smallest, since the poster incorrectly stated that it was Delaware. By area, the smallest state is of course Rhode Island, but the Fark discussion lent credence to the rumor that Americans don't know their geography, as several other "smallest" states were mentioned in all seriousness.

Delaware gets kudos for things we would never do.

Apparently there is a sardine festival in Aberdeen Gardens that somebody from Delaware attended. Why is Delaware attendance important? Because it was the first line in the article and mistakenly implied that the festival was in Delaware. As far as I know there is no official sardine festival in Delaware. I guess this is our loss.

Delaware has Punkin Chunkin!

What Delaware does have is the World Punkin Chunkin contest, where people build sometimes huge machines to hurl pumpkins thousands of feet. I feel compelled to report this so that fans of flying pumpkins can make their plans accordingly. There have been rumors year after year that the farm where it is held will be sold so this may be the last year that it is in Delaware. I hope we don't lose it. If we do maybe we can bid on the sardine festival.

Crazy Blue Hen Delaware News Roundup - now with Pumpkins and Dolls

Just where does Delaware end anyway?

This roundup may or may not be coming to you from Delaware, as the state battles with New Jersey over the location of the Delaware River state line boundary. It is not in the middle of the river as you might think. Penn's Grant actually places the Delaware boundary right at the water line on the New Jersey side and this has caused all sorts of problems with a natural gas loading facility - in the river - that companies on the New Jersey side of the river want to put in. Should there ever be an accident it would certainly be felt on the Delaware side of the river, by most of Wilmington, for instance. For environmental and safety reasons, Delaware has said no and the court battle has begun anew, this time all the way to the Supreme Court. You can learn more about the border here. It is quite interesting that Delaware has all of the say about what New Jersey can put in the water along that particular stretch of river.

Mystery Dolls of the Delmarva peninsula

Someone is delivering dolls to the front porches of Dewey, Delaware homes. No one knows who it is. I am sure that it is harmless, but in this day and age of unthinking paranoia, why would anyone think that this is a good idea. If we throw good sense and reality to the wind then we can worry about killer dolls like Chucky and that scary clown from Poltergeist. Leave the dolls at home, people!

Pumpkins fly to their doom.

Have you ever heard of Punkin Chunkin? If not you can't be from Delaware. Every November for 22 years, teams from all over the country compete in lower Delaware with home built machines to fire a pumpkin the farthest distance. This year's winner fired a pumpkin 4,211 feet! Just let that soak in a little - a ten pound pumpkin shot almost a mile. The prevailing technology is air cannons, but there are other classes for catapults and trebuchets, and different age groups. The pumpkin must stay intact until impact. If it blows apart during launch it doesn't count and is called a "pie".

Punkin Chunkin is really just another local festival with extra technology that adds spice to living in Delaware.

Is there a wedge between Delaware and Pennsylvania?

The title wedge is cartographically speaking as opposed to argumentatively speaking. Technically the answer is now "no" since that was all cleared up in 1921.

Strange Maps and Mike's Musings take on the weird border between Delaware, Pennsylvania and Maryland over a few posts. I know I have bored many a group at a cocktail party with the trivia that Delaware is east of the Mason-Dixon line (The border is the lesser known North-South running line besides the one familiar as the southern border of Pennsylvania).

Also interesting is that the western boundary of Delaware is not exactly a straight line, some of that famous 12 mile circle pokes the border out into Maryland a little. Whereas for me this map stuff is more of a hobby, Mike has turned it into a career.

On a side note, I seem to have fallen off of Mike's Musings Delaware blog list. I wonder if I haven't been "Delaware" enough, talk to much about stuff that has nothing to do with Delaware (which is a lot of things) or said something to offend. I've been here for 16 years, I could pass as a native for a spy mission to another state if you need me to. We all have to stick together if we want to avoid an unSeparation Day.

(this shameless ploy did work for Galaxy Girl).

(notes: Separation Day, June 15, 1776, was the day the colonial General Assembly declared Delaware an independent state, I know that you all didn't know that)

Filpot, Kilpot or Shellpot - The history of Shellpot Creek on maps.

The creek that flows through my backyard that is currently called Shellpot Creek, wasn't always called that, it didn't even always empty into the Delaware river. Early maps (late 1600's) show the creek with various names and have it emptying into the Brandywine. It is famously know as the boundary of Valentine Hollingsworth's plantation "New Worke" or "New Ark". He arrived to settle in Pennsylvania in 1682, only months after William Penn.

The USGS has a name server where you can search for geographical features in the United States. The Shellpot Creek entry lists some older names for the creek and conveniently provides some citations, which spurred this study.

Names of Shellpot Creek:

• Kitthantemessink
• Schillpades Creek
• Schilpatts Creek
• Secellpot Creek
• Shell Creek
• Shelpot Creek
• Shilpot Creek
• Shilpts Creek
• Skilpot Creek
• Filpot River
• Philpot River
• Shillpot Creek

Not all of the maps below came from the USGS citations as my searches turned up more references to early maps of northern Delaware. (click on any of the maps below for a larger picture).




The earliest map in English that I have found shows Shellpot creek as the Filpot river. And this is not a "f" for "s" mistake as often happens with early typography since elsewhere in the map capitol "S" is rendered as "S" not as "F". This map dates from 1687, only a few years after Hollingsworth's arrival in Delaware.

Reference: The City of Philadelphia two Miles in Length and one in Breadth.
Inset to: A Mapp of Ye Improved Part of Pennsylvania in America, Divided into Countyes, Townships and Lotts. Surveyed by Thomas Holme. Sold by George Willdey at the Great Toy, Spectacle, and Print Shop, at the corner of Ludgate Street, near St. Paul's, London. 1687. (source)


My favorite alternate name for the Shellpot creek name is from a 1688 map showing the creek as Kilpot creek, shown above. This time it appears to empty into the Delaware. It is possible that the mapmaker has mistaken Naamans Creek for Shellpot (Kilpot) creek, but there is an unnamed creek (in the middle of Chichester) between Kilpot and Chester creek that could be Naamans Creek.

Reference: A NEW MAP OF NEW JARSEY AND PENSILVANIA BY ROBT. MORDEN , page 567 from Geography Rectified: Or A Description of the World, .....The Second Edition Enlarged by Robert Morden London, Printed for Robert Morden and Thomas Cockerill MDCLXXXVIII (Burden #650), 1688. (source, see 1688.1, full map)


This map from 1775 names the creek Shilpot Creek and once again shows that it empties into the Brandywine. Farther north up the Delaware River is Naamans Creek. The atlas that this map comes from is one that George Washington and the founding fathers might have used to understand the war situation during the American revolution.

Reference: A Map Of Pennsylvania Exhibiting not only The Improved Parts of that Province, but also Its Extensive Frontiers: Laid down From Actual Surveys, and Chiefly From The Late Map of W. Scull Published in 1770; And Humbly Inscribed To The Honourable Thomas Penn And Richard Penn Esquires True And Absolute Proprietaries & Governors Of The Province Of Pennsylvania and the Territories thereunto belonging. London Printed for Robt. Sayer & J. Bennett ... June 1775. (source, uses Java applet to view maps)



Here is map clipped from a larger map showing Shellpot creek as Fillpot creek. Could they have perhaps used the Thomas Holme map as a reference? The numbers in the river are depths for ship navigation. I fear this map would have been useful to British ships prosecuting the Americans in the Revolutionary War.

Reference: A chart of Delawar River from Bombay Hook to Ridley Creek, with soundings &c taken by Lt. Knight of the Navy. The Atlantic Neptune. London: Des Barres, 1779. (source, map)



This 1778 map shows the creek as Shilpot creek.

Reference: This map of the peninsula between Delaware & Chesopeak Bays, with the said bays and shores adjacent drawn from the most accurate surveys. Churchman, John. Philadelphia? 1778? (source, map in zoomable view from LOC)


There have been travel guides throughout all of history. If you wanted to get from Philadelphia to Washington or to new York in 1804 you could have used Moore's and Jones' excellent guide. North is down in the map above because it is showing the route of travel to Washington from Philadelphia in the southerly direction. This closeup of Map 4 shows that between mile 25 and 26 a traveller would cross over Shillpot creek just after they came back down Shillpot hill.

Reference: Road from Philadelphia to Washington. (Maps) 1, 2, 3 and 4. from The Traveller's Directory, Or A Pocket Companion: Shewing The Course Of The Main Road Philadelphia To New York, And From Philadelphia To Washington. ... From Actual Survey. By S.S. Moore & T.W. Jones. Philadelphia: Printed For, And Published By, Mathew Carey. 1802. (source)



When we jump forward to 1868, Shellpot Creek becomes Shell Pott Creek, but at least that looks more like its modern name. I have shown another portion of this map before in reference to the Newark Union Cemetery where Valentine Hollingsworth is buried.
Atlas of the State of Delaware, Pomeroy and Beers, 1868 (source click on the hundreds for map in .pdf, map in .pdf)



Shellpot creek takes its modern name if not its modern location on this image, joined from two sections of the 1904 USGS survey maps. (It is a combination of sections from the Northeast Wilmington quad and the Southeast West chester quad, source maps for Delaware in 1904)

The story of when Shellpot Creek was redirected to empty into the Delaware river (sometime after 1937) instead of the Brandywine will be in an upcoming investigation.

Your house location in historical context

I have always been fascinated with what was where my house is before my house was there. The last house I lived in was built on land that belonged to a cemetery. They didn't have to move the bodies, because as far as I could tell they had never buried any on the land.

My current house is a lot younger than that one, but is quite close to another cemetery that has some historical significance for Delaware. In 1687 Valentine Hollingsworth, a contemporary of William Penn, and a early settler of Delaware (then part of Pennsylvania!) donated one-half acre for a burying place, “being some already buryed in ye spot.” The plot was near the Newark Union Meeting of Friends (Quakers).

Valentine Hollingsworth himself is supposedly buried in the cemetery, and there is a monument, erected in 1935, to commemorate him.








The earliest readable gravestones I could find were in the 1800's. I did find a stone in the wall surrounding the cemetery which reads 1787.







The Delaware Geological Survey, headquartered at the University of Delaware has links upon links of Delaware information and also has maps of the Delaware Hundreds. Hundreds are an old way of dividing the state. I found the Newark Union Cemetery on the Brandywine hundred map from the Pomeroy and Beers Atlas of 1868 (.pdf link). Here is an excerpt (the square labelled Cem Union Ch at right).

Having a historical marker as far back as 1687, which is almost as far back as you can go in Delaware, plus the geographical marker of Shellpot Creek right out back makes it convenient when locating the house location through history. I can just imagine Hollingsworth crossing the Shellpot Creek right where my house is now, all those hundreds of years ago.

When did they redirect Shellpot Creek?

As I delved into the old maps of Shellpot creek looking for previous names I realized that as late as the 1930's, Shellpot Creek emptied into the Brandywine Creek not directly into the Delaware River as it does today. In fact that whole area around this connection was the Cherry Island Marsh, which may have made the difference between creek or river and marsh a subtle one.

The University of Delaware Research and Data Management Services, the Delaware Geological Survey (DGS) and the State of Delaware Department of Technology and Information (DTI) have developed a great site for all kinds of Delaware mapping information called the Delaware DataMIL, for Data Mapping and Integration Laboratory. Clicking on the the Map Lab button opens a window (Internet Explorer only!) with dynamically generated maps with all kinds of data layers. My favorite is the Aerial Imagery going back to 1937. The animated .gif (thanks Gickr) shows the connection between Shellpot Creek and Brandywine from 1937, 1954, 1961, 1968, 1992, 1998 and 2001.

It is interesting to watch the sudden appearance of I495 , the growth of the water treatment plant and ponds and all of the growing development in this section of Wilmington as the years click by in the animated gif. Watch closely and you can see the Shellpot creek connection to the Brandywine was severed between 1937 and 1954.

Using these pictures we can see that between 1937 and 1954 (from the first two pictures in the animated gif, zoomed in below, water outlined in blue),

1937

1954

the land between the Shellpot creek outlet and the Brandywine was filled in for a road to extend 12th street to the railroad yard and eventually to an exit for I495 . Shellpot creek was redirected to the Delaware river. I will eventually find a newspaper article or building planning records that references this change, but for now the aerial photography is very helpful.

The Delaware Crazy Blue Hen News Roundup

Two banks robbed within 15 minutes.

Thursday morning was a busy one for two incompetent bank robbers in Wilmington. One tried to rob a WSFS bank with a note but left without any money. Police already have a suspect in that crime. Fifteen minutes later another robber tries at another bank. He gets some money but witnesses get a good description. It's a good thing the crooks in Delaware are not so clever.

Charges reinstated against my favorite outgoing county administration

Even though the voters of New Castle County like to keep those associated with corrupt administrations running things, the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals disagrees with an earlier court's dismissal of charges against former New Castle County Executive Thomas Gordon and his one-time aide Sherry Freebery. They have reinstated charges that Freebery received a large loan in exchange for working to approve a golf course development and that Gordon was involved in covering up the relationship. So the circus can continue and perhaps these two will be punished for their corrupt behavior. Whether this will cause a little more introspection among voters is still an open question. Now that he is back under indictment, will Gordon give up his new position on the Greater Hockessin Area Development Association board? Will Hockessin voters wise up?

Alumni upset about a donation by Capano family to prestigious Catholic Academy's
Two Delaware Catholic schools, Archmere and St. Edmund's have accepted $1 million from developer Louis J. Capano Jr. and are going to name new facilities after his parents. Delawareans are well aware of the storm of controversy surrounding the Capano family and name. Some alumni and current parents of students are so up in arms that they have started a website protesting the donations.

Walgreen's buys Delaware drug chain Happy Harry's

Huge drugstore company Walgreen's has merged with Delaware's local drugstore chain, Happy Harry's. Though they claim they will keep the local name for the time being, surely changes are afoot. This is good news for the many Delawareans with drug plans that require them to purchase drugs from Walgreens. Perhaps the former Woolworths in downtown Wilmington, now Happy Harry's, can keep its W for the change to Walgreens. Apparently we missed visit by Walgreen CEO and Chairman Dave Bernaue to a Delaware Happy Harry's before he approved the merger. Will national consolidation of these drugstores result in increased competition? Is this good for consumers?


tags: Delaware, bank robbery, corruption, Happy Harry's, drugstore

What are Senators for?

I think that I might be very naive about politics.

I understand that our elected representatives go to Congress and try to do things that will get them reelected. Often these are things that bring money back to the state, or actions that they feel there constituents would approve of. Many members of Congress genuinely want to represent their districts or states. But...

What is up with Senator Carper of Delaware, my home state? I voted for him because he has a reputation as a moderate and most especially because I liked what he said at my graduation from University of Delaware. He cut taxes in Delaware when he was governor and I think that is a good thing. Delaware politics is marked by good cooperation between the two parties, often state offices change back and forth between the parties and since it is a small state there is a round robin effect between the Governor seat, the single representative seat, and the two senatorial seats. I don't claim to be an expert on this but it lets me set the scene.

So we elect Carper to the senate and he suddenly does some weird things. Did you know that Delaware doesn't have a national park? No? Who cares? Yet Carper is working on getting us a national park so we can get more tourists and some federal pork. You don't think that all of Washington that has a beach house at Bethany, knows where the state is and comes to visit. What about the entire east coast bitching about the toll at the Delaware state line on I-95. They know where we are and they will stop if they want to. If you want to improve our lives and the economy of Delaware try broadening the industry base instead of the same old increase tourism chant that every state tries.

Then yesterday is the announcement that Senator Carper supports a 25% tax on internet porn. Apparently Senator Carper has done what no municipality or government has been able to do before him, and that is to figure out who is buying what on the internet and tax it. Maybe he is the one sending me the web hoax about taxing the internet. The senator says that the bill will keep children away from internet pornography, instead of perhaps the more practical method of having their parents do that. Of course I can't go against his bill because then it look I support pornography on the internet (none of my business) or that I don't want to protect children (do I have to answer that really, does this really have to do with that, won't somebody please think of the children!).

Perhaps I am embarrassed by the senator's actions because I voted for him and feel somehow responsible. Maybe I am against his latest crusade because (1) it is unworkable, (2) I don't agree that one should use taxes to engineer social change, (3) I believe in free speech even if I don't agree with what you are saying, (4) more laws to cover the same stuff that is already illegal is overkill (5) many, many more reasons.

I like it better when Senator Carper works on retaining funding for Amtrak which is vital to transportation in the Northeast. I don't care of the rest of the country wants it, there are 50 million of us here. Preserving Amtrak is useful to his constituents. I expect him to act the moderate and hold the line on government excess budget spending and taxing, and also on budget cutting in the wrong places.

I daresay that I would prefer inaction to the two crazy items I have listed above. The senator should be careful that the things that get him recognized nationally are not crazy fringe issues. I know being a moderate isn't as sexy as being a radical righter or a crazy liberal but that is the direction I expected him to take and I hope to see some evidence of it.

Snakes near the Shellpot Creek and in the garden!

I now need to be slightly more careful blundering around the flower beds. This large but seemingly harmless snake was hiding in the shade under some hostas two days ago. I tried to get in and get a better closeup but he slithered away under more cover and I was unable to hold camera and stick at the same time. This snake is considerably large than the garter snakes that we have seen around other parts of the yard, and I think it is larger than the ones we have seen swimming in the creek. I estimate two feet in length and twice as large than a garden hose around.

It was the snakes swimming in the creek that caused me to do some more research into what snakes are native to Delaware. I was particularly interested in any venomous snakes that are in Delaware since it is obvious that I will be encountering snakes as the days go by. Wikipedia has a nice list of snakes of New Jersey, which should be relevant, having the same climate though it is across the river. I think that list was put together with ease because it is based on the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife Online Field Guide for Reptiles and Amphibians . There is no such list for Delaware that I have found in my searching yet. There is a long list of unstartedwikipedia articles for lists of snakes of each state. This caused me to find and buy an old article "List of Snakes of the United States and Canada by States and Provinces", by A.H.Wright and A.A. Wright, The American Midland Naturalist, Vol. 48, No. 3, PP. 574-603, Nov 1952.

I may be inspired to start the list for the Delaware wikipedia article, but I am not done searching for sources yet. As for venomous snakes in Delaware, I recognize Agkistrodon m. mokeson which is a copperhead as the only poisonous snake in Delaware. I will need to do more research to find out what the snake above is. Are there any herpetologists out there who can help?

Update (4-16-2010): Finally wanted to put in here that "Amphibians and Reptiles of Delmarva" by James White and Amy White helped me identify this snake as a Northern Water Snake, Nerodia sipedon sipedon. I probably new this not long after this original post, but I want it here for reference.

Delaware Crazy Blue Hen Criminal Roundup with extra fireworks

This chapter of the Delaware Crazy Blue Hen Roundup features the intentional and unintentional lawbreakers of Delaware.

A Fowl Crime Indeed: I wonder if taxidermy has as many regulations as tax preparation. This taxidermist was caught illegally stuffing some birds without a permit. He needed a permit to keep migratory waterfowl in his shop and he was busted by an undercover Fish and Wildlife Enforcement agent. There are undercover agents that actually investigate these crimes? That is more surprising than the crime itself. (plush blue hen with sound at Amazon)

Numismatastic: This couple remodeled their home recently and were rewarded with an extra bonus of $1,100 in change, pennies, quarters, and silver dollars, that they rescued from the previous owner's bar and kitchen counter decorations. They freed the hundreds of dollars in embedded coinage by soaking the coins in paint remover to unstick them from countertop and each other. A penny remodeled is a penny earned?

Bananas stolen, Monkeys questioned: The Port of Wilmington is the major northeast port for the Dole Company. Apparently fruit master criminals know this as well as they stole $40,000 in bananas from the port. Obviously authorities are looking at know monkey crime bosses in the area for clues to the whereabouts of the missing fruit. I have seen bananas for around $1/lb or even less so that is a 20 ton load of bananas in two trucks. How the crooks will fence these bananas is anybodies guess. This theft is on the heals of the theft of a truckload of chickens donated to a local food bank. Police are questioning foxes guarding the henhouse where the incident took place.

Fireworks are illegal in Delaware - even the Billboards advertising them say that: Just before the 4th of July is the season for fireworks billboards in Delaware. Delaware is such a small state that one can be shopping in Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey in only a few minutes, especially to beat taxes on gas or alcohol or restrictions against fireworks. I know that the fireworks stores in Pennsylvania are not even allowed to sell fireworks to Pennsylvania residents. Thus Delawareans can buy them but you can't use them. Not just bottle rockets and big stuff, but no sparklers or even the snaps that you can throw at the ground to make a little noise. Worse, the State Police and Fire Marshall watch to see Delawareans purchase fireworks in PA and then stop them when they cross the state line with the fireworks. I suggest not obviously buying huge quantities of fireworks on July 3rd while undercover police are watching. The police confiscated $1000 worth and arrested five people the week of Independence day.

Hardy Palms for Delaware?

I always wanted to grow a palm tree in my garden. However I live in Zone 7. As nature would have it there are a few palms that are hardy to this zone. This is not an isolated phenomena and there are a few websites devoted to the topic. I have complied a list here for future reference of some choices I am seriously considering.

• Trachycarpus fortunei or Chusan Palm is a palm from China that is hardy to -15C to -20C. There is one that has grown since the 1980's in the Brooklyn Botanical gardens so it seem like it might survive Delaware. It likes sun to part shade. This is an honest to goodness palm tree that can grow to 45 ft.
  

• The needle palm (Rhapidophyllum hystrix) is native as far north as South Carolina, but is hardy all the way to Zone 6. This clustering trunkless palm likes the summer heat but can survive to -23C. They don't get much large than a few feet.
  

• The Butia palm (Butia capitata) has apparently been grown experimentally in Delaware, but technically is only hard to Zone 8 or 9. I am wondering if having the creek in the backyard and being down in the valley next to it might mediate the lower temperatures in our yard and allow me to stretch the zone limits. It's hardy down to -12C. It also produces a fruit that is made into jelly in the South.
  

• The dwarf palmetto (Sabal minor) is native to the Southeastern United States which I could claim Delaware to be in if I needed to stretch it. It's hardy down to -18C and is a fan palm that grows to 3 to 4ft. The McCurtain strain grown in Oklahoma is one of the sturdiest strains of this palm. Wikipedia says (without citation!) it has been grown as far north as Rhode Island.
  

• The Chilean wine palm (Jubea chilensis) can survive temperatures down to -12C but does not like hot humid climates. I am not sure if that means that it cannot survive a humid Delaware summer. It would be cool to have this one because it is a close relative to the extinct palms of Easter Island, and that would be a good story to tell on a garden tour. The leaves are pinnate and it grows to 70ft tall. Probably too tall and too hard to get for the garden, but one can dream.
  

As to things that look like palms trees and are hardy to Zone 7; I already have some yucca growing in one of the beds, as do the neighbors. I am hoping that this year they flower. Ailanthus altissima (Tree of heaven), which looks like a palm and grows everywhere, I root out and destroy every chance I get, even in other people's yards, because it is invasive and nasty. My across the creek neighbor has a big stand of bamboo that I can admire from across the creek. I won't plant that in the ground because it can go crazy as well.

I am also torn between having these palms and going against the local and native plant philosophy we have been trying to stay closer to as the theme of the backyard. I think the them will hold as long as it doesn't stop us from getting a really cool plant or tree. No invasives though, that is a hard and fast rule.

Some other links with others trying to grow or find cold hardy palms and similar plants:

This Canadian site sells hardy palms.

Pennsylvania cold hardy palms

Hardy ferns and palms around Washington, DC.

Zone Denial, a blog devoted to this task.

More examples of growing plants north of their regular zones in the Delaware Valley are on this page and the following pages.

Does anyone out there have any experience growing hardy palms or trying to grow palms outside of their "regular" zone? Drop a suggestion in the comments please.

Delaware crazier than usual these past weeks

Alarm clock radios, news stations, and snooze bars can combine to subliminally implant many of the morning's top news stories into the subconcious of a slow riser. The following Delaware news stories and opinions finally bubbled up to consciousness today.

No money to pay teachers: The Christina School district suddenly doesn't have enough money to pay its teachers. They are short $4 million and their union leaders are exhorting the teachers to stay on the job even though they may not be paid. Working without pay is very noble, but I wouldn't blame a single teacher who decides to skip work if work decides to skip paying them.

Bailing out a school district: Members of the State legislature are considering bailing out the school district with state funds. Somewhere, someone's parent is saying, "How will you ever learn to use money wisely if I keep having to bail you out?" All of these potential abuses of governmental authority, from school district incompetence to heavy handed help make it difficult for a small government advocate to get their head around solution to the problem that they can stand behind.

Shell-game with funds: Christina is also embroiled in controversy about a bait and switch they pulled on the voters, the auditor called it a "shell-game". They used money from a referendum intended to build a new school instead to renovate an existing building, which is different than promised. They are 2/3 of the way through that $22 million and now there is no hope of completing the project under budget. I think there is equally no hope for them to ever get another referendum passed given these revelations about their money handling problems. Should we expect criminal charges soon?

Spiked heroin kills: There have been several tragic deaths (14 people in two weeks!) due to a bad batch of heroin circulating in Wilmington and the surrounding area. The tragedy of these cases certainly points to a need for education to prevent people from ever getting involved in such a dangerous drug and finding a way to help with those already addicted. The heroin is laced with fentanyl, an anesthetic that is supposed to make people feel a better high, but is killing them instead.

Lowering gas tax in Delaware wrong idea at wrong time: High gas prices are spawning a number of crazy ideas across the country. The single potential good aspect of this, market pressure to conserve or switch to more efficient energy use and especially automobiles, doesn't seem to be happening. Recent news reveals that driving miles are not decreasing as might be expected. The Delaware State legislature is entering the fray with a proposal to cut the state gas tax for the summer. The cost is $50 million. They claim that there is room to do this because Delaware has a small surplus (even after they blow it on Christina school districts problems?). Cutting the tax would relieve the very market forces (high prices with a little governmental extra) that might drive consumers to alternate energy sources. Why not take the energy to help constituents with high energy prices and incentivize conservation, alternate energy sources, public transit, or high efficiency vehicles to produce a lasting effect on reducing demand, instead of short, ineffective relief.

tags: Delaware, education, addiction, gas prices

Maybe no interest payments on Delmarva Power rate hike

I am not sure if this is the competition that Delaware lawmakers were hoping for when they deregulated the Delaware electricity suppliers:

"Stung by accusations they cut a lousy deal on behalf of Delaware residents, lawmakers pledged Thursday to eliminate interest payments for customers who choose to delay big electric hikes set for May 1."

Delaware lawmakers are going to try to pass a bill that removes interest payments on the phase-in plan for the 59% electric rate hike just like the one Maryland customers had already negotiated. Maybe Maryland will then ask for a better deal to beat Delaware and the competition can heat up enough to reregulate to eliminate the rate hike.

I think the competition that we need is for several competing power companies in this state so as to encourage lower electricity rates, rather than a competition between state legislatures to produce bandaids for the acute problem, which fail to address the root issue, the rate hike.

tags: peakoil, electricity, Delaware, deregulation

Delaware windpower proposal in the works

The News Journal reports that a company, Bluewater Wind, has proposed a wind farm six miles off the coast of southern Delaware to generate electricity for the region. The 200 turbine farm would be one the largest of its kind in the world and the first of its kind in the US. It is planned for completion in 2012.


I think this is a great idea for all of the obvious reasons that wind is a renewable resource and doesn't generate carbon dioxide and this diversifies the sources of power for Delaware. The area is ideal for the project with steady winds and shallow water. The project will be the best way to demonstrate the viability of wind power on this scale as long as Delaware taxpayers don't get hit with the bill if it doesn't work out. A commenter warns us that Delaware HB6 would allow energy providers to get the taxpayers to pay for these stranded costs if the project can't pay its way.

There are the regular objections in the article and the comments. Some are concerned about the effect on wildlife, the sea life during construction and birds during operation. The builders report that the sea life generally returns after the building disruption is over and turbines spin slower on these than previous technology, so the birds are probably safe. There are some not in my backyard (or in my beach view) protests but simulations show that the towers will be barely visible from the shore if at all. From the Bluewater Wind FAQ - "Turbine visibility would be about half the height of your thumbnail, and about as thin as a toothpick."

There are comments calling for solar power instead. I have never understood why solar and wind are an either or proposition, building wind turbines prevents no one from putting in solar power on their roof. It is actually good idea to do both since they are often complimentary, sometimes the wind blows when the sun doesn't shine and vice versa. Either of these seems like a reasonable alternative to continuing to build traditional fossil fuel power plants and keeping all of our eggs in one basket so to speak.

The project is still in the proposal stage, but since the legislature has required that 10% of the state's electricity come from renewable sources by the year 2018, one or another of these projects must eventually come to fruition.

(the photo example is Danish wind turbines near Copenhagen from Wikipedia.)

Don't mess with Delaware

I am not sure what Graham Annable thinks of Delaware or how we got picked for the bumper sticker but here is a video short entitled "Don't mess with Delaware".



Unfortunately, I have met the Delawareans depicted, usually farther south below the canal or closer to the Delaware river up on the northern part. In the youtube intro he says, "Never trifle with a state. Any state. Even Delaware."

(via Flight, via Grickle, Grickle blog)

The president came to Delaware and all I got was this lousy bunch of links

I had high hopes of at least having pictures of my own of the presidential motorcade going up Delaware Rt 141 to the Experimental Station. But it went by either before and after I looked for it. I didn't get invited to see him at the DuPont Playhouse. It looks like DELDOT even blocked the traffic cameras as the motorcade went by so I didn't even get to see that. What a story for the grandchildren.

As a poor substitute for what would have been some really cool personal pictures, here is an impersonal link to the News Journal article and photos (Arrival at NCC Airport, Xstat, DuPont Playhouse in Wilmington, Troops at NCC Airpot). Darn those professional news outlets, with their resources and press credentials.

Coverage from KYW.com, 6abc.com, nbc10.

I have to say that is was cool that the president, any president, visited Delaware. Any press for Delaware is good press for Delaware. It's better than murders. But for me getting to see him, close but no cigar. Maybe next election.

An Explosive Crazy Delaware Blue Hen Bathing Beauty Roundup

Governor in a bathing suit

Apparently Delaware has no better equipment to determine water quality than to take Governor Minner, put her in a bathing suit and ask her if she can see her sneakers as she wades out into the Rehoboth Bay. The critical measurement is the depth at which the cloudy water obscures the sneakers.



I have provided a chart of the measurement for the past seven years. This year it was 32 inches vs. last year's 54 inches. While I admire her hands-on approach, perhaps there is a more scientific approach to the issue. I can't help but say this - this is bad science and mediocre political theatre. You can't just look at one spot in the bay, it could be affected by the weather, are they the same sneakers, is it the same person looking. I hope these objections go without saying. One thing I can say, Governor Minner has the self-confidence to go splashing around the bays in a bathing suit if that is what it takes to do the job! (via Down with Absolutes)


Clamshell driveways are less clam shell and more artillery shell!

Over the past several years various pieces of ordnance and even a mustard gas shell have been found in clamshell driveways on the Delmarva Peninsula dredged up as part of clamshells used as cheap driveway fill. The mustard shell was found in Delaware -

"EDS mission to Dover Air Force Base a success
In the fall of 2004, the U.S. Army Non-Stockpile Chemical Materiel Project (NSCMP) successfully treated a World War I-era 75 mm projectile at Dover Air Force Base, Del. Recovered July 19 by the Delaware State Police from a clamshell driveway in Bridgeville, Del., the munition containing mustard agent was transported to Dover Air Force Base. NSCMP treated the munition with the Explosive Destruction System, a mobile system specially designed to safely treat recovered chemical warfare materiel."

Apparently tons of World War II and even World War I munitions were dumped off the eastern seaboard for years and now is turning up in clamshell driveways dredged up from the ocean floor. I imagine heavier vehicles are at risk, so a good side effect would be to get rid of all of those gas guzzling SUV's when the stuff goes up when the old ordnance is detonated by a tire rolling over it. The Daily Press has gathered all of their coverage over the years into "The Deadliness Below". The story of the mustard gas injuries caused by the Delaware shell is in this .pdf presentation. (via Slacktivist)

Judging the Crazy Delaware Blue Hen

Judge not lest ye be judged.

It's Delaware State Fair time, and that means chicken judging! There is subtle discrimination against the Delaware Blue Hen in the judging as all of the chickens must meet the current industry standards. From the article.

"There were no fancy birds here with colorful feathers, wild head dresses or an excess of plumage.

Even a trace of black feathers -- a throwback to a breed that was used in the 1950s -- is enough to make a bird end up as a cull rather than a keeper..."

The competition was less about judging the chickens as it was about judging the judges. Students participate to learn how to judge chickens just like Napoleon Dynamite judging the milk and Pedro judging the cows from the 4H scene in the eponymous movie.

"The task of judging chickens isn't always pretty -- birds spit water, scratch and try to wrestle away, and sometimes nature calls at the most inopportune times.."

How do I get into this competition?

I am also sad that I will miss Larry the Cable Guy and the demolition derby at the Grand Stands.

tags: chickens, delaware, Delaware State Fair

Superman's Metropolis is in Delaware!

During Superman Returns, a map of the east coast almost shows the location of Metropolis and it certainly places it on the east coast. I had always thought of Metropolis as Chicago because it seemed to need to be near Smallville Kansas, and New York City is taken (as Gotham).

Imagine my surprise when Metropolis is placed in Delaware. From Wikipedia: "However, a map onscreen portrays it as possibly near or taking the place of Dover, Delaware." I am looking for the a wider area picture of the map from the movie. Wikipedia also mentions a role playing game placing Metropolis in Delaware as well. The DC atlas (excerpt shown left) has it around Lewes, but my vote is for Wilmington.

Being so close to Metropolis, I need to start looking up for a bird, a plane, no, for Superman!

tags: Metropolis, Delaware, Wilmington, Lewes, Superman, Superman Returns