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 Grubb

I spend more of my time thinking about what to make for dinner, than I do making dinner.  Depending on my mood, I focus on healthy, fast, good tasting, and/or pretty as the centerpiece of our family dinners.  I have red dishes, yellow dishes and white dishes and depending on what is being served, I choose the color dish that highlights the food the best.  It’s a sickness that was handed down to me from my mother.  I fear I have given it to my daughter.

One hot summer morning, I stopped at what I thought was a common convenience store on Rehoboth Avenue in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.  I needed a drink, and could have used a snack if anything felt right.  Walking into Grubb I knew I was in for a treat.  There were these homemade looking  picnic tables and a big bowl of watermelon.  Not just any watermelon, but the bright red, juicy kind with a big sign that said “SAMPLE”.  The watermelon was cold and clean and in a pretty bowl with tongs.  I got to sit at the picnic table, take a piece of watermelon and pretend it was the 4th of July.  This is pretty cool, I thought, maybe I’ll find something interesting inside.   How right I was.  I found the answer to my daily dinner question.

Stuck in a pail at the front door of Grubb was a bunch of Lemon Grass.  Fresh, crisp and beautiful Lemon Grass.  I picked up a bunch and the aroma took me back to this great Thai Restaurant in Washington, DC and their delicious Lemon Grass soup.  AHHH, dinner tonight served in white bowls.  But, this wasn’t meant to be.  My family was starving when I got home, and begged me for hamburgers.  I gave in.  We’ll have Lemon Grass soup tomorrow—this will give me time to look up different recipes and figure out the healthiest, fastest, best tasting  and prettiest Lemon Grass soup in the history of the world.

by Lynne Maloy

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Angel Eyes Gallery

This year, for the first time in her life, my 15 year old daughter loved and lost. 

The boy in question is a good kid and they were very cute together personifying young, innocent love.  Then it stopped.   Stopping was OK, but it raised the question about what to do with the little trinkets that were once cherished—his picture, a letter, a little necklace, and a program from a play they saw together.  

I got to say to her (again) that this is the first of many people she will love in her life, and from that conversation, it was decided that I would buy the most perfect box for her to store her memorabilia.  This became a quest for us.  The box had to be on my daughter’s bureau so she could look at it if she felt like it, ignore it when appropriate and remain confident that the contents of the box would be safe forever.   

At Angel Eyes Gallery in Rehoboth Beach, we found the most perfect box for my daughter’s “love memorabilia”.  Angel Eyes Gallery is a quirky little place.  They call themselves intergenerational because everyone, no matter what age, will find a treasure within the walls of the store—and they were right.  Sitting on a table was this perfectly sized box with an inscription on the top.  “LIFE IS NOT MEASURED BY THE NUMBER OF BREATHES WE TAKE BUT BY THE MOMENTS THAT TAKE OUR BREATH AWAY”.  How perfect is that for my daughter??? 

When I asked the owner about the boxes she told me that brides (who get married on the beach) often buy a box for sand.  Pet owners have purchased the box to hold the ashes of their much loved companions.  Now, added to the list of uses of these lovely boxes, are the hopes, dreams and history of a 15 year old girl.  I picture my daughter going thru the box on her 90th birthday and thinking about her first love, and of course, thinking about me and the day we walked into Angel Eyes Gallery and bought this treasure.

by Lynne Maloy

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Beach Fun Rentals and Sales

Ever since Gregory Peck whisked Audrey Hepburn away in Roman Holiday, I’ve wanted a scooter.  At first, my parents wouldn’t allow it—and I listened to them for far longer than I would like to admit.    I would dream about driving in a scooter, with flip flops and long hair blowing in the breeze.  In my fantasy, I carry a reusable bag to stuff full of goodies.  I weave in and out of traffic, always safe, but a little bit annoyed at the gas guzzlers next to me. 

As I mature, though, I’m not as brave as I used to be.  Weaving in and out of traffic is not so attractive.  My balance isn’t as firm.  I now see danger lurking around corners.  But the desire to catch “road freedom” is still alive and well. 

In Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, I found a way to catch that sense of freedom and fun on the road while maintaining desired safety that comes with maturity.   It’s called a Scoot Coupe.  These brightly colored scooters remind me of the cars in amusement parks—they have doors and seat two—but otherwise, they are open and wild.   AND, they are so much fun to drive because they are little, easy to maneuver, a breeze to park and everyone looks good driving one.  Smiles are non stop behind the wheel.  People wave to you on the street and make room for you on the road.  Driving a scoot coupe demands that you put problems and issues aside, at least for a while, and it energizes you.  For proof, take a look at Fay and Bonnie on a scoot coupe and smile. 

by Lynne Maloy

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Carlton's

I have a friend that turned eighty in February.  This, I told him, was a milestone that needed to be celebrated.  It took a few months to talk him into a party, but once we got started with the plans, the excitement started to build.  No detail was too small for his attention: Caterers tested; Colors decided; Flowers ordered; Invitations sent.  When the RSVP’s began to come in, it was clear that everyone he invited was going to attend—friends from all over the East Coast would descend on Rehoboth Beach. How often does one hit 80?  More importantly, what does a cool 80-year old wear to a party?

The fashion discussion began and ended with a tux, but not any tux, it had to be a very special tux.  It had to scream coolness, like 007, and it had to reflect the artistic tastes of my 80 year old friend.  My pal, a man of taste and distinction did not want to look like the “grandfather of the bride”. 

We thought we’d have to take a trip to NYC to purchase or rent (he didn’t care) the most perfect tux.   As we searched the internet for suitable clothing stores, we came across a store located down the street from my friend’s house.  Carlton’s Apparel, just yards away from the boardwalk in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, claimed they had a full line of formal attire.  Okay, let’s go and get some ideas, at the very least.
But beach town Carlton’s had a full line of tux rentals to rival any store in the country—plus, they had a really nice sales women who helped immensely.  My friend decided on a tux that was a little bit Nehru, perfectly hiding his 80 year old form.  It came with a classy and fun vest – we ordered the tux and two days later it arrived.  Excited, we ran over to Carlton’s to try it on.  The moment my friend stepped out of the dressing room was a moment to remember.  He looked dapper, handsome and like a million dollars.  His face said it all—I may be 80, but “I still got it”.  Thanks, Carltons!

by Lynne Maloy

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 Tiger Lili

Walking to the Boardwalk in Rehoboth Beach, early one morning, just as the summer season was about to begin, I came across a sign in the window of Tiger Lily:  Believe in yourself /Have Faith in Your Abilities. 

Tiger Lily is unexpectedly different—in a good way.  The owner, Lili Kohr, is a former beauty queen (Mrs. Delaware 2008), a working mom with four kids, and every year she goes to Africa for an extended period of time -- to help.    Tiger Lily reflects the owner.  It is full of beautiful things—small, medium and large—that are fun and happy and you feel pretty just wearing them.  Look at the feather headband in the picture—it’s a perfect example of the fantasy.  The cool thing is that underneath all the feathers and the glitz is an important philosophy—believe in you, look good while doing it and the sky’s the limit. 

Who wouldn’t feel important with a feather in her hair? Who doesn’t feel confident with a purse that “rocks”?   It reminds me of shopping with my 15 year old daughter.  Whenever she finds something in a store that makes her feel good, she dances in the mirror.   The kid just loves to look good.  It gives her confidence and makes her proud.  I love to shop with her and see how many times she dances.  I get sad at the thought that maybe one day she will be too old, or too embarrassed to dance when she finds something that makes her feel special.  BUT, until that day is here, I plan on savoring every dance she dances.  Today, I’m going to take her to Tiger Lily and watch her dance her heart out.  It’s that kind of store.

by Lynne Maloy

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 Dragonfly Designs

Susan Gafvert, owner of Dragonfly loves the clothes she sells and she should….they are beautiful.  Part of their beauty is that they are all so unusual—you never see yourself walking down the street.  The fabric, the flow, the design all come together and for me, it makes me feel fashionable, yet artistic and hip.  I’ve been shopping there for years.  My first purchase (about ten years ago) was this purple, tie-died looking dress with a scoop neck and it came a few inches below my knees.  When I brought it home, my husband hated it.  He said it looked like a night gown.  OK, so maybe there was an element of truth to that statement, but what he quickly realized (and loved) is that sometimes nightgowns are fun.  (Hopefully, I don’t have to elaborate on that statement).  To this day, my husband will say, hey, why don’t you put on that purple dress?  You look so pretty in it.   We look at each other and smile.  My husband loves Dragonfly.

Yesterday, after a long absence of shopping, I bought this vest at Dragonfly.  It dresses up my boring linen pants and makes me look hip—so I think.  I felt young, urban and cool when I got dressed to go out last night.  My daughter said I look great.  I looked at my husband for reinforcement.  His words were way too slow in coming and I was getting aggravated at him. 

Hmmm, he said.  Is that new?  (Duh) Where did you get that?

Dragonfly.

He smiled.  Love it, he said.

by Lynne Maloy

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 Blair Elizabeth

Blair Elizabeth is a shop on ocean block in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, but it is a person too.  Blair Elizabeth Falck is a young, focused woman who successfully carved a niche for herself as a local businesswoman. 

Blair grew up in a small town on the eastern shore.  Her best friends are the people she met when she was 3 years old.  They all attended the same local prep school.  Blair went on to University of Richmond and she met a guy, through her parents, (now how often does THAT happen?).  She fell in love and they are now engaged.  Blair knew that working in a little “cubby hole” was not for her and so with help from her family she opened an accessory store in Rehoboth Beach.

Now comes the good part.  Blair and her friends have been designing jewelry since pre-school.  Yes, pre-school, and she has pictures to prove it.  The group, which calls itself “too many chiefs”, for obvious reasons, continues to design jewelry and it is sold in the store.  The jewelry makes money too.  It’s a big seller according to Blair. 

I find this amazing.   Blair and her friends are not only staying connected despite everything, but they are running a business that is making money.  They are young women who are on their way to financial independence.  Are they the generation that will have it all—successful careers, mates they love, children without tattoos???  I hope so.  Blair is smart and grounded.  Here she is modeling one of her “too many chiefs” designs.  She says the necklaces are funky and off-centered.  That may be, but they represent so much more.

by Lynne Maloy

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