Big Water

Today’s mission was to launch from Deemers Beach on the Delaware River and paddle to Amity Creek. This spot was formerly a summer destination with various amusements—carousel, roller rink and strolling on the jetty. Its founder, Seldon Deemer, a steel magnate, said it would rival Coney Island or Atlantic City. And for a time it nearly did. But then came the Great Depression, sale to another owner and then a fire finished it for good.

Now it just a beach along the river where people hang out and it’s near the end of the bike path from old New Castle. The last vestiges of its former glory disappeared more than a decade ago.

It’s a little tricky to get my kayak down the rocks to launch on the beach, but I let gravity do it’s job. Even at 6:10 am it was blistering hot and humid and hard to confirm that tide was coming up river, although it was.

I paddled for nearly two and a half miles and never got to the Amit creek. But I did see an eagle and several blue herons and white egrets. I call this big water because I was hugging the beach to atay out of the shipping channel where massive container ships were passing.

While the sun was in my face upon my return despite my hat, the tide did indeed help bring me back up river as I was also crossing the wake of the passing ships.

After I re-racked my kayak, I drove into old New Castle to do an exterior check of some houses that were on my list to look at with my realtor. I’m looking at spending part of the year in Delaware and part in Minnesota (summer!). I have always loved New Castle because it’s sort of like a Omini Williamsburg and is in the river. Only two of the three were real contender because in real estate it’s always location, location, location!

My only other objective for the day was to spend some time with my friend Vanessa. We met when we were both single and working at DuPont in 1989. Shortly after we met, a co-worker set her up on a blind date and Gene turned out to be “the one,” for the next 34 years.

Sadly, a few weeks ago he got an MRSA blood infection that went into sepsis and he died suddenly. It’s hard to comfort someone when they are so sad and there is nothing you can do to make it better. We had a good visit and I’m hoping she will come to Minnesota next month for my retirement party y.