Ah, fall: my favorite time of year.
I hibernate in summer and leave the house in fall. I prefer sweaters to swimsuits. And now, after that painfully humid summer, it’s time to breathe.
My son, Ben, and our dog, Charlie, will take walks through Brandywine Creek State Park. We’ll hit the Fifer Fall Fest in Wyoming, and I’m hearing great things about “The Outgoing Tide,” the Bruce Graham play that opens the season at the Delaware Theatre Company.
There’s much to do, so the last thing we need is to get sick. Our Top Doctors issue comes at a good time. Mark Nardone did a tremendous job researching substantive topics: depression, family medicine, pain management, genetics, addiction. In addition to our peer-voted list (all doctors who are members of the Medical Society of Delaware were offered a chance to vote for their peers), we present our first readers’ poll. DT’s largest list ever boasts physicians in 71 specialties.
This month also marks the premiere of 302 Inc., a column by acclaimed business writer Doug Rainey. Founding editor-in-chief of the Delaware Business Ledger, Doug was editor of the Delaware Business Review and launched the “Book of Lists” in 1998. His first DT column on Delaware’s unemployment rate features an interview with Delaware Department of Labor Chief George Sharply. This column combined with Celia Cohen’s Delaware Grapevine brings to our pages two respected voices in business and politics. We think it complements our lifestyle and dining coverage. We hope you’ll agree.
Lauren Wilson wrote “Super Sleuth,” a profile on Dorothy Wesley, the “oldest” working female private investigator who owns her own agency. At 67, she’s hardly old, but we’re grateful to Lauren for bringing this superwoman to our attention.
And, we’re thrilled to publish “Tending Their Flock,” Allison Kane’s story about Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research in Newark. Allison is a senior at the University of Delaware, and it does my heart good to see such promising writing. She’ll have an edge in the competitive field of journalism. Many thanks to Allison’s professor, the great Ben Yagoda, for his help.
Check Katie McCabe’s calendar on page 58 for more attractions. Maybe I’ll see you at Vendemmia da Vinci at the Riverfront, or the Festival of Goblins at the Delaware Art Museum. I’ll be wearing a sweater, sipping coffee, and feeling grateful for every second I spend with Ben.
Please enjoy the issue.
Mark Nardone
When our 14-month-old, Sonny, began to disrespect the rule of civility during a forum of Wilmington’s mayoral candidates at the DuPont Environmental Education Center, center manager John Harrod let us go downstairs to look at the collection of fish, reptiles and amphibians. So much for an early lesson in participatory democracy. But Sonny’s squeals quickly turned to oooohs of wonder. Thanks, John.
Katie McCabe
Drinks were on me (literally) during a summer visit to Agave in Lewes. But all was forgiven when the guacamole sampler was delivered to the bar. Major yum. During the same trip, my sister and I enjoyed breakfasts by the water at Serendipity in Oak Orchard, and seafood at Jake’s in Rehoboth. Oh, and we did find time to sit on the beach for a couple of hours.
Kelly Carter
I usually think of doctors as just doctors, but they have interesting hobbies and lives outside of their jobs. On the photo shoots of some of this issue’s Top Doctors, I learned that one doc collects art and writes commercial music. Another goes to the same tiny island in Florida on vacation, every year.
Louise Bolin
August 18 was the perfect Saturday. It started with the “Delaware Yesterday, DelawareToday, 1962-2012” exhibit, a partnership between DT and the Delaware Historical Society. I then moved a few blocks to 1984 to see The Scovilles and Disaster Committee rock the house. Such a fun bar, you can play old-school arcade games (and board games) while listening to great local bands.
Drew Ostroski
My family and I went tubing down the Brandywine in mid-August, and we had a blast. The air was hot, the water chilled by what’s been a rarity of late: a soaking rainstorm. We met a number of nice folks during our hour-long cruise down the creek. Thanks to the Woodlawn Trustees for providing a place to park and launch.
Ron Dubick
Photographing a home built in 1773 and still flourishing with loving care by the MacMillan family was enjoyable. Buddy, their yellow Lab, kept an eye on me while I worked inside and outside the home. Mary and her beautiful Appaloosa, Wally, helped make a great exterior image of the home.