Lunch at the Yardley Inn (March 08)

We stopped in for lunch at the Yardley Inn of the Friday before Easter. If you get there after 2:30 you are limited to their bar menu. We got there just in time for lunch. We got a great seat with a view of the river.

Our waitress was one of the best we ever had in terms of service and overall cheerfulness. They bring out a pretty good assortment of bread and miniature corn muffins that were especially tasty. Our son ordered a shrimp cocktail which was 5 Jumbo sized shrimp for $13. He also ordered a dish of pasta for $8. My wife and I both had the Crab meat with potatoes and Ratatouille with a caper sauce. ($15 each) That was excellent. For desert I had an Oreo chocolate pie as did our son.

The total tab came to about $86. It was definitely worth it. We also found that they have a couple of rooms for parties. One of them will host about 30 people and has a view of the river.

It's definitely one of those places where we want to go back to soon.


For more information, see the Yardley Inn site at http://www.yardleyinn.com/

Langhorne Borough 5k run 1k walk April 19th 2008

Langhorne Borough is having a 5k run/ wk walk to benefit the memory of Clayton Thomas on Saturday, April 19th 2008, Rain or shine.

Location; Maple and Bellevue Avenues
Time: Reg 7-8 am, walk 8 am, run 8:30 am

Registrations are available at the Langhorne Coffee House. You can also contact the Langhorne Borough Business association at http://www.lbba.info/

NOTE - if anyone from the run wants to post additional contact info here, please feel free to do so.

BLACK BASS COMING BACK

"On Monday, the hotel was sold to the highest bidder, Doylestown car dealer Jack Thompson, who laid down $830,000 for the building and all its contents, including the liquor license and an array of antique furnishings.
“We want to refurbish it and bring it up to standards,” said Thompson. “It's beautiful; it just needs to be taken care of.”
Thompson said he's not concerned about the unpredictable river swallowing up the hotel again. The foundation is very stable, he said, and has survived both time and water.
The new owner intends to begin the renovation project later this spring, once he settles on the property."

Brown Stink Bugs... Aaaaarrrrggghhhh

We are fighting a losing battle with those nasty little brown stinkbugs. Apparently they came over from Asia and are in the area to stay. During the winter months, they tend to find their way into houses and live in the walls. If there are any cracks or openings they then find their way into the house.

These things are ANNOYING. The sit on a wall or other surface and just sit there. Once in a while they will buzz around the room, crash into a wall and fall to the floor.

The really bad thing about them is that they are odiferous, an offense to the olfactory senses. In other words, they stink.

Battling these things is a pain. To deal with the immediate infestation you need to trap then one by one. However, if you aren't careful they will raise a stink.

Sucking them into the vacuum doesn't work very well. The vacuum will stink. You don't want to crush them and throw them in the trash because the trash, and possibly your hands, will stink.

We've found a couple of things that work. (1) Catch them with a bit of saran wrap or the equivalent. Roll that up into a tight ball. The Saran Wrap is pretty good at locking the scent in. (2) Get a decent wad ot toilet paper and catch them without crushing them. Ball it up and flush them down in the sewer with the rest of the stink.

For the longer term I'm going around the house checking for cracks at the baseboard, windows, light switches and any other area they can get in. By sealing that up, you will reduce the infestation inside the house. Once the summer comes and they have left the walls, it's time for Mister Caulk Gun and a lot of caulk. That will help keep them out for next year.

I have read that you don't want to use insecticides. Supposedly you will then have carpet beetles that will eat the dead bugs and then your woolen clothes. There are some traps that are supposed to work.

For more info, you can check out the Penn State Page or wiki on the critters.

Suspicious Skunk Spotted - Beware of rabies

I went outside just after noon this afternoon. You could smell a strong smell of skunk. I looked over at our fenceline and the perpetrator was on the other side, about 15 yards from me (Waaaay too close for comfort). I watched him for a little bit with binoculars from the other side of my truck windows. He ambled along the fence for about 10 yards, then sat down. After a couple of minutes, he went another 10 yards and then stopped. He walked back along the fence and over to a burrow about 10 yards into the neighbor's property.

The main problem is that (1) it was walking and acting erratically and (2) it was out during the middle of the day. Both of these are possible signs of a rabid animal.

I called both our township and Bucks County Health and Human Services. Neither could offer any real help other than to hire a professional exterminator. I was a bit surprised and disappointed considering the seriousness of rabies. I believe only one person has ever survived exposure to rabies without having received the vaccination or shots.

The gentleman at the County was helpful otherwise. He mentioned that the main carriers were skunks, racoons, bats, foxes and feral cats. I was aware of the first three but wasn't aware of the latter two. We do have a fox that comes through occasionally but it seems to be pretty healthy. Oh well, just one more thing to be aware of.

Bucks County Hazardous Waste and Computer Program - 2008

This summer Bucks County will have four hazardous waste drop off dates for residents. While this program is nice, I really wish it was just a little easier to dispose properly of hazardous waste.

I believe you are limited as to how many computers you can drop off. There are two things you should keep in mind when dropping computers and monitors off

1. Keep a record of the serial number and the fact that you dropped it off at a properly designated drop off point. If the machine should ever turn up in an illicit landfill, you will have proof that you acted properly if the EPA should prosecute you (that has happened in the past with some waste disposal companies)
2. The hard drives should be physically removed or destroyed. Simply erasing or formatting them does not adequately remove sensitive information.

The dates and locations are

• Lower Makefield Corporate Center: May 3rd
• Upper Bucks County Area Vocational Technical School: June 21st
• Middle Bucks Institute of Technology: July 19th
• Bucks County Technical High School: August 16th
• Quakertown Community Pool: September 27th

Resources

• Main Bucks County Recyling Page
• 2008 Hazardous Waste Flyer - Tells you exactly what to bring and what not to bring.
• Directions to the drop off sites

Whitewater release on Tohikon Creek March 15-16

Water will be released from Lake Nockamixon into Tohickon Creek on March 15 and 16. This should provide some class 3 and 4 rapids. So, get your surfboard... ooops, wrong blog.. Get you whitewater craft, safety gear and get ready for some fun


More Info:
http://www.foxbusiness.com/article/pa-dcnr-plans-whitewater-release-bucks-countys-tohickon-creek_492817_1.html

A Bucks County Jigsaw Puzzle.

We have an online jigsaw puzzle of a Bucks County landmark at

http://four.flash-gear.com/npuz/puz.php?c=v&id=2758386&k=12590805

See if you can determine what it is and where it is located and let us know in the comments.

have fun

Day Trip - The Da Vinci Center in Allentown

If you are in the upper part of Bucks County and are looking for something to do with the kids, check out the Da Vinci Center in Allentown PA. If you are near Quakertown, you just need to take the Turnpike's Northeast Extension north one exit.

The Davinci Center is a small hands-on science center. There is a great variety of exhibits to keep the kids occupied for hours. We spent a whole day and still did not cover everything. The center is well staffed with volunteers who help the kids understand the various exhibits.

Topics include: the weather, bridge building, light, chemistry, marine biology, robotics, electricity and a whole lot more.

Tips:

- They have vending machines onsite that offer pizza and other goodies. If you want something more extensive, check with the staff. We were able to use our receipt for a readmission which let us go over to the nearby Friendly's.
- Things seem to be busier in the morning hours since a lot of the schools come early and leave some time after noon. That could be different on any given day.
- Many of the exhibit areas have drawers with additional hands on materials. Look for the lables or ask the staff.


For more information, see the Da Vinci Center's site at http://www.davinci-center.org/

Jules Thin Crust Pizza in Newtown (And Doylestown)

I was working with a client in Newtown and things ran a bit longer than expected. I needed to pick up an external hard drive and lunch. He had just come back from the New Jules Thin Crust Pizza in Newtown and recommended it.

Jules is located in the new, historic looking, shopping center located where the old Goodnoe's was.

If you go, grab one of the menus. You get in line and there is a selction of oblong shaped thin crust pizzas with an interesting variety of toppings (ie potatoes)

I ordered a bruschet and a white pizza. That, along with a green tea and cookie came to about 9 bucks. Not cheap but it was definitely worth it.

The place isn't one where you would want to sit for a long lunch. It is a bit noisy and the tables were full. I finally found a table for four that was open and sat there. Another person asked if he could join.. No problem.

I noticed that some people appear to have ordered a full pizza ahead.

The portions don't appear to be large, but it was more than enough for even my large appetite. As far as the taste, it was excellent. I enjoy a good thin crust pizza and this was excellent.

Oishi Japanese Thai & Korean Restaurant in Newtown

We've been eating on a fairly regular basis at Oishi in Newtown.

It's a small restaurant in the strip mall on Eagle Road. They have a Hibachi room in addition to the regular seating. If you want Hibachi, you might want to make reservations. They also have a sushi bar.

The restaurant serves a variety of Japanese, Thai and Korean dishes. My favorite is the Shrimp Tempura Bento. If you arrive before 2pm, (might be 230) you can get the special for about $10. The Bento is served on a tray with salad with an orange sauce, dumplings, fried veggies, rice, noodles, shrimp and pieces of a California roll. It's a good bit of food for 10 bucks.

The service is fast and friendly. Deserts are a bit expensive if you get them. The atmosphere is casual and non smoking. So far, they don't appear to have a website.

They do get busy at times so make sure you plan ahead or call in reservations.

2817 S Eagle Rd
Newtown, PA 18940
(215) 860-5511

The Landing in New Hope - Now allows smoking

We were going to stop in at The Landing in New Hope for dinner on the way home from a recent trip.

We got a bit of a surprise when we walked in and found a bar with smoking. The decor looked totally different and a lot less cozy. Being a completely non smoking family, we decided not to eat there. The place is small and when you are spending upwards of a hundred bucks for dinner, we don't want smoke.

My wife did some research and it appears that they were hit hard in the flooding which necessitated a re-design (the ability to rapidly remove equipment and furnishings in the event of future floods).

I suppose they were adjusting their ambience somewhat as they re-adjusted after the flood. If you are looking for a smoke free environment, The Landing might not be the place for you. On the other hand, if you are a smoker, you might want to check it out.

Leon Redbone at the Sellersville theater - Jan 20, 2008

Well, here's something I didn't know, musician Leon Redbone is a Bucks County Native according to the Sellersville Theater. He will be playing there on Sunday Jan 20th, 2008.

Leon is a singer and guitarist. His music includes Jazz, Blues, Tin Pan Alley (Turn of the last century) and other musical styles.

For more show info, visit http://www.st94.com/music/2008_01.html. You can also visit the official Leon Redbone site at http://www.leonredbone.com/

Commander Cody in Sellersville - Jan 5 - Remember the Hot Rod Lincoln?

Commander Cody will be playing at the Sellersville Theater on Saturday January 5th 2008. If you were around in the 70's you probably remember hearing their "Hot Rod Lincoln".


As with many of the aging rocker bands, there have been some personnell changes over the years. Tickets are 19.50 and the show starts at 8. The theater is located at Main and Temple streets in Sellersville, PA

For more info, visit http://www.st94.com/music/2008_01.html

Dining - Il Melograno in Doylestown

Il Melograno is tucked away in a strip mall at Old Dublin Pike and Easton Road. It's a charming little place that is rapidly gaining popularity.

There are about a dozen small tables and a fully stocked bar. The decor leans toward mediterranean. We visited Il Melgrano on Christmas Eve. That night was by reservation only. With the popularity of the place, reservations are a good idea.

I opted for one of the specials which was lobster and ravioli in a cream sauce. It was excellent. For dessert, I opted for the Tartufo with an espresso topping.

Dinner proved to be a very pleasant experience. The prices were reasonable and the service was excellent.

For more information, you can visit their website at http://www.ilmelogranodoylestown.com/dinnermenu.html

Zoning Variances in Upper Southampton

Right now I'm sitting in out township meeting listening to a developer
trying to change zoning so they can take a property with three houses
currently and place 45 1 and 2 bedroom age resticted units.

THere are a couple of issues with this.

1. We are losing hospitals. Warminster hospital is closing. We are now
going to add about 100 to 150 reidents in an area where there are
currently less than a dozen.

2. Traffic is bad and getting worse. 55 year olds are still working
which will make the rush hours even worse. There is a huge hill just
east of property which creates a blind zone. Trying to cross Street
Road is nearly impossible THis can only make things worse.

3. There are industrial/commercial properties such as aa oil company.
Body shop and gun club. It will only be a matter of time before the
new residents start complaining. By that time. The developer will have
banked his money and left us to deal with all the problems.