Misty water colored memories

This morning, I planned to kayak early again to beat the heat, meet and old friend for breakfast and do more reconnaissance on houses in old New Castle.

Arriving at the Salem River boat access today on New Jersey, it was dark and flat. Since I could not determine the direction of the tide, I decided to paddle what I thought was down river. It was already beastly hot but the paddle was lovely jist the same.

I saw a lot of fish jumping, blue herons, a wood duck, and lots of cliff and barn swallows under a bridge. I’m not sure what the big chair by the River was about, but it was the only sign of human intervention

I had some time before meeting my friend Bruce, so I drove into Salem, NJ where I had my first real job after college at the Gannett Salem Sampler newspaper. I wasn’t sure which house was the former office but I did drive by the port which looked defunct; it was going to be the saving grace of the city when I worked there. I saw Hitchenets Furniture store boarded up and covered in vines. They used to run a half page an add every week. The restaurant where I had my first ever Long Island ice tea was closed. Mannington flooring was still the main going concern as well as the hospital.

When I was driving back from Salem to meet my friend Bruce at the Deepwater Diner and truck stop, I saw some migrant workers working in a field and wondered if they are working despite knowing ICE could come for them at any time.

Deepwater a halfway meeting point for Bruce and I since he lives in Haddonfield, NJ and the diner has hearty food and attentive young wait staff. We had a great visit as always catching up about our families. Bruce started as a science teacher about 50 years ago and is still doing IT in the same district. It seems weird to be retired and not him, because he was in college when I was just a little kid.

We parted with hugs and my perennial invitation to come visit my mom and I in Minnesota.

It was back over the Delaware Memorial Bridge to old New Castle to walk around and enjoy the ambience. I spent some time in the church cemetery where some of the gravestones date back to the mid 1700s. It’s cool to be walking around people who were alive during the American Revolution and the War of 1812. The inside of the church is deceptively simple in its beauty.

I paused briefly near the George Reed house gardens. He was one of the three signers of the Declaration of Independence from Delaware. My editor Debbie from the Salem newspaper got married there on an incendiary day just like today. I texted her later in the day to tell her and it was her 31st Wedding anniversary!!! Talk about sixth sense.

Because it was too hot to do anything else, I repaired to Jessops Tavern, which is in an historical building and the wait staff wear colonial garb. The real drawing card is the “World of Beer” notebook they have and their outstanding selection of draft beers. I opted for a lighter Belgian beer that cooled me down a few degrees.

Then it was back to the Gun Club and wait for sunset.