May 14, 2008
Anniversary

Today marks the 30th anniversary of my graduation from the Washington College of Law at American University.

I'm thankful that earning my J.D. gave me the opportunity to have a rewarding professional career in my home state, almost all of which has been in the public service.

With the steep rise in law school tuition in the years since I finished, however, I have to wonder how many current AU law grads will have a similar option available to them.

May 12, 2008
A Late Nor'Easter?

Last night a storm blew into Delaware and most of the rest of the Mid-Atlantic states. The howling noise kept us up most of the night, accompanied by a whimpering dog who is no fan of high winds and pelting rain against the house.

This afternoon younger daughter and I took a short ride down to the Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk to see the ocean under the continuing storm conditions.

It was wilder than it was during Hurricane Isabel in 2003:

One brave soul took a very short walk to the edge of the boardwalk, at one of the fenced entrances to the water-covered beach, and turned immediately back.

We walked to the edge of the boardwalk and saw why he turned around. There was no place to go at the end of the beach entrance. With the wind blowing off the tops of the 15-20 foot breakers, we were also being pelted pretty hard.

Certainly not a day to think about surfing, except as part of a suicide pact.

We're not interested, thankewverymuch.

May 12, 2008
Break Time

Apparently I needed a break from blogging again.

Thank you for your patience.

My regular work's been a little busy lately, and it doesn't look like it will calm down very much any time soon.

In the meantime, of course, golf columns were required and written. Here are the links to those items, if you'd like:

Cape wins two, loses one with two to go
May 9, 2008

The Cape Henlopen High School golf team appears to be determined to eliminate what few dark hairs may remain on the head of Coach Claudio Smarrelli. More..

Cape golf team has nice little streak going
May 2, 2008

The Cape Henlopen High School golf team continues to improve its match-play record, as the 2008 season wends its way toward the conference and state championships later this month. More..

Return to Myrtle Beach
April 25, 2008

There are a few benefits to being a middle-aged golfer who has played in Myrtle Beach several times. More..

Cape golf team bounces back with two wins
April 18, 2008

The Cape Henlopen Viking golf team started off slowly this season, with a 1-3 record in its first four matches. More..

Cape golf team stumbles after first win
April 11, 2008

After dropping their first match of the 2008 season, the Cape Henlopen High School golf team bounced back with their first win on April 3. More..

Caesar Rodney and Wind blow away Cape golf team
April 4, 2008

The Cape Henlopen High School golf team traveled to Wild Quail Golf & Country Club April 1 for its traditional opening season match against the Riders of Caesar Rodney High School. More..

Preparing for the season
March 28, 2008

The bulletin board just outside Shawnee Country Club’s pro shop had two bits of startling news posted on it on March 24. More..

March 31, 2008
Feats are just fine with me

Tim Conlon, a good buddy of mine, has a longstanding radio show at the University of Virginia.

For tomorrow's segment, he's running a special two-hour set of live recordings of Little Feat, one of my favorite bands, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. EDT.

To hear the show on the web, go to the WTJU website and click on option #3 under Windows Media.

Should be a lot of fun.

March 31, 2008
Adventures in Card Culture

Last Wednesday my wife and I traveled to Philadelphia to see the Baseball As America exhibit at the National Constitution Center.

We highly recommend it.

Most of the exhibit items, and there are hundreds if not thousands, are from the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

My personal favorite was a small container of highly valuable trading cards. The label for this container says simply, "Box of Trading Cards Thrown Out by Your Mother."

Grins all around.

My mother was an avid baseball fan herself. She would not have thrown out the card collections of any of her four sons (my sister didn't waste her allowance on baseball stuff). She would have loved this exhibit, especially the special segments on the Phillies.

Seeing these cards brought back some nice memories. Trading cards were a major betting commodity on the parish parking lot that doubled as the lunchtime recess playground at St. John the Beloved, about 45 years ago. Some of the kids were remarkably good at flipping their cards to cover several others, leading to easy acquisitions of hotly desired cards, such as Juan Marichal or Johnny Callison.

When used with a clothes pin, the cards were also a great way to convert your bike into a motorcycle--by sound effects, if not otherwise.

The exhibit stays in Philadelphia until May 11. See what kind of memories it will trigger for you.

March 26, 2008
Been a while

I had to take a break from blogging here for a while. Sorry about that.

I had a fast-paced bit of litigation in Chancery Court that began with the original complaint filed on February 22, and concluded with a final decision from Vice Chancellor Noble, issued this week. That was, of course, in addition to the usual day-to-day stuff, so something had to give.

In the meantime, however, I kept up with my golf writing.

Here are the links for those offerings, if you'd like:

Hogan's Real Swing Secret?
March 21, 2008

Ten years ago I posted a short review of Five Lessons, Ben Hogan’s classic golf instruction book, at my then-new golf web site.

The book first appeared in 1957, but remarkably remains in print even today, with millions of copies sold. More..

Cape golf team begins spring practice--in winter
March 14, 2008

Sometimes I’ll stop by to visit the Cape Henlopen High School golf team, and become a little jealous. More..

Local Clubs Seek Members for 2008 Season
March 7, 2008

The new golf season is about to begin, and Cape Region country clubs are seeking new members.

That’s an old story line, but it’s true again this year. More..

New Hacker mystery a Masterwork
February 29, 2008

Not long from now, I will receive an annual invitation I have always been unable to accept. More..

Short Subjects
February 22, 2008

This winter’s surprisingly warm weather in the Cape Region has been an unexpected boost to local golf courses, even when the occasional snowstorm reminds us that it’s not yet spring. More..

February 27, 2008
Three Claudes for hiding behind an attribution

Sometimes headline writers try to disguise the banality of their work with the magic of attribution.

There's a good example today in the News-Journal, leading a story about a police raid on an upstate suburban home that was allegedly the scene for high-dollar poker games, complete with barely clad ladies:

High stakes, nudity were draws for gamblers, police say

And I thought it all about the camaraderie and good sportsmanship.

The other good thing about this story is that it helps fight against that old stereotype of boring suburban living--not on that little cul-de-sac, at least.

John Cheever would have been delighted.

The headline earns three Claudes, and would have earned more without the lame attribution.
 

Now Showing at
The Art House Theater

Smart People
May 9 - 22, 2008

The Movies at Midway
Midway Shopping Center
Rehoboth Beach, DE
(302) 645-0200

Presented By

Rehoboth Beach Film Society

Please donate to these charities. Thanks!


The ALS Association

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in honor of Cathy Seipp

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Tips for site-seeing

Current Table of Essays

Table of Essays for 2007

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Table of Essays for 2003

Table of Essays for 2002

Links to the Archives --alternative access to each essay in the collection.

Along the Way--a photoblog.

The Recipes Page

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Fritz Schranck
P.O. Box 88
Nassau, DE  19969
USA

fschranck-at-sneakingsuspicions.com

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Where my golf column appears:
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Hole By Hole

Official small print disclaimer:

This is a personal web site. Any opinions or comments I express here are my own, and don't necessarily reflect the official position of my work as a government attorney or any of my clients.

That fact may be obvious, but it needs to be said here anyway.

This is a self-portrait by Thomas Frye, an Irish artist (1710-1762). A copy of this print is on our family room wall.

I am reliably informed that Frye's pose, his features, and his apparent attitude as displayed in this drawing are similar to mine--except for the wig.

© Frederick H. Schranck 2002-2008