Exposing coastal secrets: Bathroom pavilions, beer hopping and pet preferences

As reported by a colleague of mine, one of the numerous travel websites recently tried to identify “America’s Favorite 100 Secret Beaches”.

Of note was the inclusion of two in Coastal Delaware: Slaughter Beach, ranked at #83, and Broadkill Beach, which rounded (or bottomed) out the survey at #100.

These results show our relative national prominence, but also raise the question of whether there are other regional secrets of which we are unaware.

I’m cognizant that we have become a litigious society, i.e., we sue each other for reasons that used to be settled by a simple duel.  So, I consulted my attorney at the local law firm of Dewey, Cheatem & Howe to be sure that I would not be liable if I revealed some of these secrets.  She assured me that would not be the case, so here goes:

In Dagsboro, home to the Delaware Botanical Gardens, the leadership and staff have discovered the secret of where “to go” when you are out-of-doors, (or walls, for that matter).

SEA Studio Architects, a particularly apt name for a Bethany Beach company, have designed a ‘bathroom pavilion” on the DBG property, even though one could question how close Dagsboro is to the sea.

This is not just any bathroom, but an award-winning one that features an environmentally sensitive, state-of-the-art design, including natural cedar cladding, floating, stainless steel vanities and floor-to-ceiling windows in the wash-sink area that look out on a woodland area.  Talk about relieving oneself in style.

Admittedly, not every public garden, park or forest is endowed with a bathroom pavilion.  But, judging from attendance at the burgeoning Delaware Botanical Gardens, “if you build it, they will come.”

Are you a dog person or a cat person?

Moving from the wild to the domesticated, a national media and marketing company purportedly has found that our national pet preferences are, like so many other aspects of contemporary life, split 50-50.  Or, more specifically, the residents of 25 states favor dogs and 25 favor cats, with Delaware in the latter category.

While I would not go so far as to say that this revelation is catastrophic (and I use that word advisedly), or that it was formerly a state secret, it is rather surprising given the attention we in the coastal region give to canines.

We have multiple dog parks, but precious few cat walks.  A Salty Paws Doggy Ice Cream Bar & Bakery, which features exactly what its name implies, recently opened in Rehoboth, but, alas, there is no corresponding cat café nearby.

DELAWARE HUMOR: Tulips, kites and more: The rites (and wrongs) of spring at Delaware beaches

Plus, we celebrate our doggy friends with events such as Dewey’s Golden Jubilee, golden as in retriever, and Greyhounds Reach the Beach, the beach in question being Rehoboth.

In truth, the research results cited above may be a tad dogmatic.  After all, questionable pronouncements by media companies have come under fire of late. 

Have you heard of Delaware's mysterious artificial reefs?

Of course, there are secrets, and then there are sea-crets.

Among those seacrets is the exact location and nature of each of the 14 artificial reefs beneath the surface of Delawarean waters.  Unlike the submerged island nation of Atlantis, with whom the reefs share the ocean, the latter are real, populated and growing.

Until recently, the placement, size, and composition (be that rocks, retired ferry boats, decommissioned military ships and/or New York City subway cars) of each reef have been known only to a small number of fisherfolk and the sea creatures that call them home.  Neither seem particularly anxious to share their GPS (Good Place in the Sea) knowledge.

With that in mind, we welcome the recent publication of the updated and detailed Delaware Artificial Reef Guide.

Possessing a copy of the guide will minimize the chances of a yellow submarine accidentally crashing into one of the reefs and spilling beetles all over the ocean floor.

One 'secret' we know: 'Continual hopping' at Dogfish Head

Returning to land-based matters, the exact formula for Coca-Cola syrup has been a closely guarded trade secret since 1891.  Similarly, the formulas (or formulae for the more erudite grammarians among us) for Dogfish Head‘s numerous libations are not publicly available, even at the august Milton Public Library.

What is known, however, are the origins and nature of “continual hopping,” the signature brewing process used to create Dogfish Head’s IPA offerings.

According to company lore, a young Sam Calagione placed a metallic Electric Football game board, which vibrates when turned “on,” over a brew kettle and was thereby able to introduce hops at a consistent rate for a specified duration.  And voila! — the eventual emergence of DFH’s 60-minute, 90-minute, and, if you have the time, 120-minute IPAs.

Incidentally, the process of continual hopping has nothing to do with hopscotch, although I am sure that brew master Sam would have no objection to trying his hand (or paddle) at creating a Scotch-infused IPA.  It would be, in the lingo of the Dogfish Head brewery, the epitome of off-centeredness.

Mike Berger is a freelance writer and retired university administrator with a home in Lewes.  Contact him at edadvice@comcast.net.

DELAWARE HISTORY: How amateur plane spotters kept Delaware safe with eyes on the sky during World War II

This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: Beer hopping, pet preferences: Coastal secrets you may not be aware of