Legalectric

We’re in Delaware!  As of 12:30 Saturday, we have not only electricity but water, the pump started right up, nothing like a toilet that flushes!!!!  … the small things in life…

We got here very late Wednesday, and first thing Thursday, headed over to see what we could see.  Within an hour, Alan ordered a dumpster.  We had one day to start shoveling out, and what a long and tiring day it was, and then Friday, another day to do a hundred loads of laundry, vacuumming and more shoveling, desquirreling, and waiting and waiting in vain for Delmarva Power to reconnect the power.  But last night, we gladly abandoned that work to head to Wilmington for the Delaware Audubon Annual Dinner where they were giving Alan Muller their Conservation Award (as we were heading up, Delmarva Power called at 5:30 to say they were on the way… fine, have at it, and yes, they did connect the power).  The Annual Dinner was held at Film Bros. Co-op, a rehabbed building downtown, the perfect space for this sort of gathering:

The brains and hard work behind it all were Matt del Pizzo and Linda Whaley, who Alan has known forever, and who have given me a hearty welcome to Delaware.  They’ve worked together on many environmental issues over the years and have even had out and out wins!  Linda did the food, OH MY DOG… table after table of appetizers and entrees and desserts to die for:

Even Alan and my mentor in Delaware joined us, Jake Kreshtool, THE original environmental attorney in Delaware:

There was a great crowd, people Alan’s worked with over his career, many of whom told stories of their work together!

Rep. John Kowalko gave a great presentation:

Which he capped with the story of their ouster from Legislative Hall after preparing to make a presentation, and Alan, who knew they’d not be allowed, handed out gags, which were applied after they were refused time to speak, and which was not appreciated by the Committee chair who ordered the state police to remove them from the building, and after that happened, the chair instructed a reporter present NOT to report on this, and it was on the front page of the paper the following day!

And Ali and Ravi from the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) were there:

They were armed with transcript quotes that only Alan Muller could have said:

And a calculation that Alan made during one of the hearings where he demonstrated that the clean-up claimed by the applicants was just not possible:

Noting, of course that Alan would go on for page after page after page of transcript… And one of the hearing officer, trying to shut him up, wondering just how much more he’d be talking:

Apparently Alan is the only one thus far to get “fart” into the record.  There was no doubt that they appreciated the work Alan had done, keeping them on their toes and “informing the record.”

And the fish… I’d intended to clean up the fish we have hanging on the bedroom wall, a beautiful 6 foot blue sequined number that Linda Whaley had made ages ago and which Alan wore at a hearing while Matt testified, and I didn’t get to it, it needed to be vacuumed off and then washed, no time, and he kept asking, “where’s the other fish” and I hadn’t a clue, I’d never seen another fish… only the “Tommy the Turd” costume collecting dust upstairs.  Sure enough, Matt had the other fish, a tan one!  One fish, two fish, tan fish, blue fish!  TA-DA!!!!

We’ve got to have retirement parties more often!

And the camera died right at the wrong time…

This morning we’re having pizzelles and stuffed dates for breakfast: