Ginny Miller mentioned to Mary and me how much she likes getting the huge cabbages, cauliflowers and broccoli from the Wicks farm on Route 9 a little north of Leipsic. So, since Sunday was mild and a wonderfully sunny day, we took a ride to the farm.

    It turned out we not only got the produce but also enjoyed an interesting and colorful ride to Woodland Beach and the quiet rural area of northern Kent County and southern New Castle County.

    If you have an interest in seeing trees in full fall foliage, you don’t have to travel to the mountains or New England. It’s right here in Delaware.

    Being partially color-blind prevents me from seeing the foliage in all its splendor, I am told, but it looked great to me. Also a feature of the countryside are the farm fields themselves in various stages of use. Delaware has some of the best farmland in the country and central Delaware in particular has long felt the influence of the exceptionally able potato farmers who sold their Long Island acreage in the 1950s to make way for housing developments and moved to this area.

    The Wicks farm is one of the large farm operations that goes back to the Long Island influx, and it now is operated by Arthur and Keith Wicks. Their parents have died.

    After going less than a mile above the Route 9 bridge over the Leipsic River, we saw the farm’s sign on the left hand side. When we drove in the two brothers were in a barn where the produce was on display in large bins. An even two dollars each was the price charged for any of the crops mentioned above. Potatoes were also available.

    Were the cabbages large? The one I helped pick out weighed 12.2 pounds when we got it home. We’ve already bought the corned beef to go with it.

    Going a little further north we saw the sign pointing to Woodland Beach and reached the bay front village after a drive of about three miles. There are about 15 homes there and a great view of the occasional large ships making their way toward the ocean. We saw one pass and about 10 minutes later noticed the small waves from the ship’s wake that finally made it to shore.

    Woodland Beach also has the best fishing pier I have seen in Delaware. It is about 300 feet long and made of aluminum, held up by substantial concrete posts. Two men were fishing at the time.

    Delaware has much to offer both visitors and residents, including the peace and quiet of its countryside, especially along Route 9.

    *****

    Like the many other agencies in the state that seek to improve the life of Delawareans, Kent-Sussex Industries Inc. is always looking for interesting ways to add to its funding. In KSI’s case, this year’s idea was the KSI Monster Bash, which attracted a good crowd to the Sheraton Dover Hotel Saturday night. We were the guests of old friend Joe Jackewicz, who had bought a table.

    What we didn’t realize, or had forgotten, was that this Halloween evening was a costumed affair. Most of the people had gone to a lot of trouble with their costumes. We were among the relative few who didn’t add much color to the sartorial scenery. 

    Also at the table was Fred Frear, whose facial mask was so exaggerated that we had no idea who it was. He even disguised his voice.

    KSI’s mission, by the way, in the words of Joe Holler, board chairman, “is to provide support and services to developmentally disabled people in the state of Delaware.”

    He also says in his letter to Saturday’s participants: “Accomplishing our mission requires the involvement of people within the communities we serve.”

    *****

    How next week’s elections turn out will be discussed and debated for years to come and with one topic especially prominent: the money spent. Expenditures have been heavy within the state of Delaware and have been hugely heavy on the national scene. It’s not a healthy situation. Winners shouldn’t be chosen by dollars. Efforts to curb this influence of dollars have not been successful. Something needs to be done, however, concerning both the cost of elections and their duration.

    Perhaps it’s simply the way our election process has evolved and there is no good way to change things.

    *****

    So this frog goes to a fortuneteller and this psychic tells him, “You are going to meet a beautiful young woman who will want to know intimate things about you.”

    The frog says, “That’s great! Will I meet her at a party?”

    The psychic says, “No, next week in her biology class!”