this one i love~it made me feel passion as i wrote, made me pull my hair and pace, and that is all good.
Social Column 21

The brown brick building is plain, unassuming, and I almost missed it , but for the fountains surging around it. Wakeup, Delmarva. Up off our beach chairs and out of our jeans and t-shirts, because swank sophistication has arrived in our midst. What and where is this all about? It's The Fountains, in Salisbury, a wedding/event facility that opened on July 16th.
I talk to everybody, and find every human being I met a source of fascination. Thankfully, strangers and friends talk back, and that is how I met Ray Strawley, general manager for The Fountains. He invited me to tour the facility during the gala "Silver Swing", a celebration of Coastal Hospice at the Lake's 25th anniversary.
Greeted courteously by Charles Pryor at the door in his proper Penguin attire, I suddenly wished I wore my pearls and slicked back my hair, instead of flying through the door in my everyday black pants and corkscrew curls.
Holy Cow! The sheer luxury hit me like a ton of caviar flung from a silver spoon. No less than 12 chandeliers hung from the 21 foot ceilings in the main ballroom. Sage walls complemented the soft, scrolled carpet under my feet, and my eye was immediately caught by the exquisite Ice Sculptures that highlighted the buffet, crafted by Ray himself. Women floated by in long gowns, sparkling with jewels and scented with expensive perfumes. (Jean Nate, it was not.) Press people with slightly bored expressions and huge cameras talked to guests and snapped pictures, and I heard the words "Metropolitan Magazine" and "WCBS" floating around.
I wandered into the silent auction, and found myself mesmerized by a flowing chocolate fountain that even Willie Wonka would have coveted. A confirmed, unrepentant chocoholic, I confess it was I who seduced guests Clary Jackson and Helen Walsh into dipping the provided sticks into the fountain for a quick chocolate fix. Heaven!
If I ever, ever get married again, the reception will be here. Not because of the gourmet food, the impeccable service, the sophisticated ,subtle beauty of the place... It's the brides room that has me hooked. ..a little girl' s dream of cotton candy ruffles and pink chintz, done up Big Girl fashionin sultry champagne silk and bows. With no less than 8 vanity stations, it's the quintessence of all that's female and secretly ceremonial. Not to leave the guys out, the groom's room almost made me want to be a man. Deep, rich brown leather couches, a wide screen TV, and a full service bar, I could smell the sports and Havana’s as I entered the room.
They even have a mini-T.V. station, with the ability to broadcast your event on the internet, as well as record it for posterity.
Downstairs again, I met Sallie Klunk, wife of the piano player for Doc Scantlin and his Imperial Palms Orchestra, the featured entertainment for the night. If Doc Scantlin is here in Delmarva, you better get out your sequins and polish those spectator shoes. His mix of swing, comedy and big band is a hot-ticket pass into cosmopolitan A-list functions.
It might have been alot of glitz and glamour, but the spectacular setting was nothing next to the work The Coastal Hospice of the Lakes provides. My Dad died at age 44, after a long term illness, at the peak of his professional and personal life. I only wish that there was an organization then that could have eased his passing, and held the hand of his wife and children as he did. That is what this non-profit organization does, and expensive perfume and fun aside, they provide an invaluable service not only to those leaving this earth, but for the loved ones left mourning. They may be contacted at:(410) 742-8732, by the patient himself, or an involved friend, relative or clergyman.
I have the rest of the day off, and I am going crabbing. To me, the sea, the cornfields, and the hint of salt in the air, are the greatest luxury of all. See you next week!