From A Window

    Ed Sutor, president of Dover Downs Hotel & Casino, is a very tall man. He’s wide as well, an impressive man in every respect, including the low-key way he handles his responsibilities and appreciates his employees.

    It’s understandable that many people he meets, seeing his height, are tempted to say something along the lines of “You must have played basketball?”

    A friend finally suggested to him a reply which he now uses when such a comment is made.

    He says: “And I guess that you must have played miniature golf?”

    Depending on how the height comment is phrased, his reply might vary somewhat but the light-hearted point is made, and it’s both a humorous and gentle way to parry the question.

    *****

    What isn’t either light-hearted or humorous is the nation’s current critical financial situation. It’s actually a test of the ability of the nation’s leaders and lawmakers to cooperate in the country’s best interests and to act quickly in an emergency which affects all of us.

    It is definitely not a time for political wrangling and one-upmanship. Those who are recognized as putting the nation’s welfare above party or political advantage also will, in the end, achieve voters’ respect.

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    Watching the tearing down of the Robert W. O’Brien Building near The Green in Dover brings to mind the time 30 years ago when the newly constructed building became the home of Kent County government. Along with many other long-time Dover residents, I can remember the construction ceremony of attaching an American flag to the tallest point of the almost finished brick building. I happened to be standing next to Bob at the time.

    Bob worked for Kent County from 1967 to 1989 and earned wide praise as its first administrator and planning director. He died in 1994 after taking a position with the New Castle County government. In 2005, the Kent government moved to its imposing new headquarters on Route 113. After the O’Brien building is torn down a three-story Kent County Courthouse will rise on the site.

    It is no mean trick being the administrator who runs the county on a day-by-day basis and at the same time is responsible to the seven members of the Kent County Levy Court, the county’s elected governing body. Needed is both an ability take action and a respect for the fact that the job involves meeting the approval of the Levy Court members, or at least a majority of them. Mike Petit de Mange is in that position now and handles it very well.

    *****

    The exciting race at Dover International Speedway over the weekend was a crowd-pleaser, especially for fans who wanted to see Greg Biffle win again. The weather could hardly have been better and the race also provided a needed boost to local hotels and motels, including those well beyond the immediate area of the capital city.

    One of the distinctions of the NASCAR race in Dover is that a special magazine is published twice a year at the time of the races, a publication which is unlike anything available at  the nation’s other NASCAR tracks. It’s name is Beyond the Track and has been published by the Dover Post Company for the past 12 years under the editorship of Kathy Willes, who together with her husband Roger takes nearly all of the photos in the magazine.

    Besides being the person chiefly responsible for Beyond the Track, Kathy is also the company’s controller along with other duties.

    *****

    While the price of gasoline has moderated somewhat, we still are experiencing the result of the fast run-up of gas prices over the past year. On a per gallon basis, however, the price of gas is not as high as the price of bottled water.

    Mary and I are now using a fluid middle ground. We have emptied water bottles which originated in Fiji and in Norway and now fill them with water from the tap. We then put the bottles in the refrigerator so the water is cold when we take the bottles along in the car.

    And when we take a drink, we often comment about how good the water tastes from Fiji and Norway. Sounds a little weird, perhaps, but it reminds us about the savings in our new habit.

    *****

    Student: “Miss Jones, I ain’t got no crayons.”

    Teacher: “Young man, you mean, I don’t have any crayons. You don’t have any crayons. We don’t have any crayons. They don’t have any crayons. Do you see what I’m getting at?”

    Student: “I think so. What happened to all the crayons?”