OBSERVATIONS FROM THE SECOND FLOOR

TWO BOOKS

Before I left for camp, I stopped at the library to get something to read. I didn't really find anything, so impulsively grabbed two books and left.

They both turned out to be enjoyable reads

I am not a huge Jeanette Oke fan. She's OK and I understand why people like her books - they just aren't my favorite.

 

However, I think she and her daughter did a great job with Dana's Valley. This is the story of a Christian family facing a difficult time through the eyes of their twelve/thirteen year-old-daughter. So much of it was natural and believable - I'm assuming they have actually faced a similar situation. Like I said - I got this from the library, so those of you who borrow from the same library I do, this is available (however, it is still at my house). 

 

The other was a very different kind of book. Standing Tall is the story of C. Vivian Stringer, the coach of the Rutgers Ladies Basketball Team. I enjoy biographies and although, Vivian Stringer's life is centered on basketball, there is a lot more to her than that. She's had to face some extreme difficulties and has depended on family, faith and friends.  This is not a Christian book, so to speak, but I have no doubt she's a Christian. 

For grabbing a couple books to read - I hit the jackpot. 

CHURCH

Today I took Mom to Des Plaines Bible Church - I've been promising to take her since last fall, but stuff kept happening - either weather or work or something going on at church here. But today we made it.  As I was sitting in the service I thought about all the events of my life that had happened at this church.

(By the way, this was the best picture I could get. If I got closer, I was too close. If I got further away, I lost the church in the trees and houses.)

1. This is the church I went to as a kid and did the kid-church things: VBS, Sunday school, Awana, Children's Bible Hour concert (and I got to go out to eat with all the famous kids who were actually on the radio program).

2. This is where the boys in the neighborhood (boys who also attended the church) decided to get funny one day and put my bike on the roof (not this building, the old building.) Now THAT took some explaining to my dad when I had to tell him my bike was on the church roof!

3. This is where I taught my first Sunday school class, where I first was an Awana leader, where I first worked in children's church.

4. This is where I had my first real date - at a youth group bowling party.

5. This is where I was the PK.

6. This is the first church I officially joined. (Oh wait a minute, I think it's the ONLY church I ever joined. Other churches just let me in because my husband was the pastor. I mean, if they had ASKED, I would've joined, they just never asked.)

7. This is the church who sent me off to Moody.

8. This is the church that gave me the huge bridal shower and where I walked down the aisle to marry Ken. (Our anniversary was this weekend.)

9. This is the church we came back to after being away at school for four years and Ken became assistant to my dad.

10. This is where both of our children were dedicated.

------------

Some other trivia. I have actually lived in three houses within yards of the church. On the right of this

picture, you see a driveway - there used to be a house there where Ken and I lived. Then behind the trees, you can see the windows of another house - Ken and I also lived in that house.

This other house is where we lived when we first moved to Des Plaines when I was a kid. We lived here until I was a freshman. This is right across the street from the church.

BOND FALLS

On the recommendation of Jeff and Cindy who stopped here on THEIR way home, we made one last stop - at Bond Falls

Bond Falls is in Paulding, Michigan and not very far over the Wisconsin border. So if you ever get up to the Rhinelander/Eagle River/Minoqua/Land of Lakes area, I would highly recommend you take a day trip to the falls.

I can't believe that I've never been there before considering the amount of time I've spent in the area. (Kelli and Jeff think they may have been there with Roger once.)

They are a natural falls, but have been enhanced by a dam further up the Ontonagon River. In fact, pictures of bond Falls were included in a calendar of the prettiest places in the WORLD. They are awesome. Even the 8yos kept saying how pretty they were (and kids don't always notice).

Here are some pictures of our visit.

 

REAL LIFE CHUTES AND LADDERS

WHERE: Houghton, Michigan. Houghton is the gateway to the peninsula and is on the Portage waterway which empties into Lake Superior. The town was recently voted one of the best 100 places to live in America and is a unique town that is consistently growing. (Every time we go through, there are more stores and businesses.) Houghton is also the home of Michigan Technological University - which is right on the lake shore.

WHAT: Jeff and Cindy had discovered the Chutes and Ladders Playground on the way home and suggested I stop with the girls. So cool ...

 KID FACTOR: Doesn't get any better than this - especially when it's early Saturday morning and no one else is around.

FRIDAY NIGHT SUNSET ON LAKE SUPERIOR #2

FRIDAY NIGHT SUNSET ON LAKE SUPERIOR #1

Ok, I'll stop with the camp pictures, I promise. Although I could go for a long time with them. But I did want to post these last two sunset pictures from the last night at camp.

MY TWO PERSONAL HAPPY CAMPERS

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JEFF

Happy Birthday to the Bestest Son Ever~

LILAC CLOSEUP

LIGHTHOUSES AND LILACS

I am such a lilac person. I am such a lighthouse person. 

BLUE LAKE/BLUE SKIES

After the morning chapel service on Thursday, I helped out with the Day of Challenges - but later in the afternoon I had the chance to get away for a couple hours. After stopping at the Jampot, I headed up to Eagle Harbor and the lighthouse again (since the sky was once again blue), but this time I took pictures from across the bay. I took several pictures attempting to catch the light as it was turning. As you can see, I was able to get both the white and red light.

THE JAMPOT

Another tradition when we go to Gitche Gumee is to buy some jam at the Jampot - run by the monks from the Society of St. John.

YOWIE!

My day did not get off to a very auspicious start.

I had my clothes picked out, but when I put them on, I decided I didn't want to wear what I had chosen. Since not all my clothes have been ironed FROM my trip, I quickly grabbed the only thing left to wear - a skirt and jacket that I don't usually wear to work - but save for church and other special occasions.

Picture the jacket - white eyelet (which I know you guy readers don't have a clue about, but stick with me here).

So, I merrily go to work and go to my pink cubicle and settle in for a pleasant day.  Soon Tami came in to talk with me - being that we hadn't been to work on the same day for about two weeks.

As we're talking she said, "Oh, by the way, when I walked in, I think I saw something on the back of your jacket." 

I turned around and she said something like, "Hmmmm ... a bird got you."

Oh, YES HE DID.  I had bird stuff all down the back of my jacket with a huge splotch at the bottom. I mean, whatever he did landed on me SPLAT!

So, I quickly ran to the ladies room, took off my jacket and scrubbed and scrubbed some more - not sure what chemicals are in the composition of bird stuff.  I got most of it off, then remembered I had one of those magical Tide-to-go sticks in the car. I ran out to the car, came back in and scrubbed some more. Unbelievably, I got it all off. (Those Tide sticks are wondrous.)

I am totally mystified, however. I'm figuring the bird must've gotten me this morning, since I don't think I would've been able to get it off if it had totally dried. (Besides, I'm sure I would've noticed when I put the jacket on.) But I got in the car IN the garage and drove to work. When I got there, it was raining so I had my umbrella up to get into work.  I'll never know. No "little birdies" will ever tell?????????????

But YUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!

________

Kudos to Meijers.  I stopped there for gas this afternoon and there was a glitch in the pump. The attendant was super friendly and a big help.

By the way --- you know I've been hunting down the lowest gas prices around.

I've spent more than $4.00 only four times. I've only gone over $4.10 one time - and that was up on the Keweenaw where prices were super high (where else can you go - they have you!).  But I only bought a few gallons and found it for $3.94 down in Wisconsin, so filled up there.

What I do is check out all the stations on the way to work (and there are plenty). I know what the lowest ones are - so I check in the morning, find the lowest for the day and then stop on the way home.

SUNSET OVER LAKE SUPERIOR

SUNSET

Speaking without Ken was difficult, but this group of kids was one of the most fun I've ever taught. They were with me from the word "Hi," and the counselors stayed with me, too. (That's always important.) The attitude of these kids helped a lot.

If I let them goof off a minute or two as a result of an illustration, they would settle right down again and listen.

Wednesday night was the most difficult - I told Ken's story - how he had trusted Christ at camp and made the decision to be a pastor when he was eleven and I had trouble getting through it  Afterwards one of the counselors played an impromptu song on her guitar about being willing to serve. The words fit perfectly. About ten kids raised their hands that they wanted to talk to their counselors about salvation.

After the service, I wanted to get away by myself, so I went down to the beach. About a block south was a hotel with a couple older couples out watching the sunset, so I felt safe even though no one was near me. I walked up and down for an hour or so and watched the sun go down. Wow - talk about the heavens declaring the glory of God! Notice the silhouette of a barge - right in front of the sun! (In the bottom right picture) The scent of the lilacs made the entire evening even more memorable.

HERE COMES THE SUN

Finally on Wednesday afternoon, we saw the sun (although weather reports were saying we wouldn't see it until Saturday) and it continued to shine the rest of the week. So a good time was had by all ...

Some cool camp stuff  ...

1.  Cousin Beth put together some very cool care packages for all three of us - THANKS, BETH!

2.  The first thing the girls noticed on the program was the time for lights out - eleven o'clock. Because the camp is straight north, but on Michigan time, it doesn't get dark until 10:30.

3.  The crafts.

4.  The song we learned with a multitude of motions.

5. The food was exceptionally good this year - and fun! Because there was an international theme, every supper was a different cultural experience.

Monday - Italian

Tuesday - American

Wednesday - Chinese

Thursday - Finnish

Friday - Mexican

On the Finnish night, we even had a Finnish music group playing dinner music!

(Here's some food trivia that doesn't often happen at junior camp - trust me!  They only had one kid refuse one meal ALL WEEK!)

6. You got to swim in Lake Superior.

But not everyone had a great week - one morning we heard a strange pop during the flag raising. Then we discovered that half the camp had lost power - ummm ... right outside my cabin, we found the culprit - a squirrel had bitten through a wire. His camping days were over. :( 

ON TO COPPER HARBOR

We headed on up to Copper Harbor - the town on the tip of the peninsula and also the hub of the tourist activity. Here is where you get the boat to Isle Royale (which I've never been to because we're always so busy, we didn't have time to do the day trip). You can also take the ferry out the Copper Harbor Lighthouse (which we did last time we were there - with Jeff, Cindy and kids) and visit Fort Wilkins (which I've also done).

Before we got to town, we stopped at the overlook (coming down from the mountain). You can see the Copper Harbor lighthouse in the distance.

Ken and I spent our 25th wedding anniversary here (in between camp chapel services). That day, we went to the Harbor Haus for lunch and then wandered around the gift shops where Ken bought me some handmade pottery.

I remember it poured rain that day, too - bad storms -  and I remember the pottery lady gave us a couple extra pieces for our anniversary.

But on this 2008 day we didn't do all the gift shops - too cold to walk around and there was nothing we wanted anyhow.

But we did stop at the one ice cream/gift shop, sat on the counter stools and had ice cream as we always do  when we're in Copper Harbor. (I actually think we had the same conversation with the same guy last time.)

 

We then headed back down the road to camp. (I remember one time Ken and I were with my Dad and Mom on that road and a bear ran across RIGHT in front of the car.)

We made one more stop - at Jacob's Falls.

Meanwhile, back at camp - the director and counselors were left with dozens of kids on a very cold and very rainy day.

What they did was take them on a four-mile walk to the town of Phoenix and back. The town of Phoenix has a church and a blacksmith shop - that's it. So the kids all went to the blacksmith shop. 

The report was that all the kids did well walking and that in spite of the fact that these were 8-11 year olds, no one complained about the hike.

Except that it was cold and rainy.

HOW MANY TREES IN THIS PICTURE?

NOTHIN' IN THIS TOWN - BUT WAIT!

Eagle Harbor is a quaint seaside (Lake Superior side, anyhow) town with nothin' in it but some houses (some houses quite beautiful with those huge windows people put in their beautiful houses when their beautiful houses overlook beautiful water) and some rather dilapidated. Ever since we've been going to camp, there's been one agate store we've passed in Eagle Harbor with a closed sign in it's window. Now, true, I've always been in the Keweenaw at the same time of year - maybe it opens for July and August or something. Still, it's strange that it hasn't opened in 20 years - yet it's still there. Other than a few other tourists you just don't see many people.

Of course, the light house is on the point and the lighthouse has a gift shop - which was closed on this 40 degree, rainy, cloudy day.

But Jeff insisted that there was a restaurant in town that served great pizza. He had been there once. 

Hmmm ...  The only thing we could find that even looked like a restaurant was this ----

No cars were there and it certainly didn't look like anyone was hanging around making pizza, but we were hungry and we were cold, so we tried the door - and lo and behold - it was a restaurant and it was open.

Actually, the inside had very classy decor with a map of the peninsula on each table and a picture of the lighthouse on the menu.  The floors were hardwood and the walls were covered with news items and relics from the area. 

And yes, they had pizza (among other things) and so we ordered  pizza. We waited awhile, but I'm guessing they made it from scratch (while we were waiting) - everything was fresh and delicious.

We all really liked it - except for the 5yo. He's trying to go 30 meals without crying about the food and he's  doing well, but this pizza just about did him in. So his dad suggested he eat it without looking at it and his mom suggested he eat it without smelling it. 

So here you see him holding his nose and closing his eyes as he eats.

The rest of us thought the pizza was delicious.

A little warmer and a little fuller, we continued on our way.

Next we headed for Brockway Mountain drive. This is the highest above-sea-level road between the Alleghenies and the Rockies. At the top is a gift shop - but no water or electricity! 

TO THE END OF THE WORLD AND BACK

We've been to Gitche Gumee enough to have some traditions. One of them is for Jeff and Cindy to take a few vacation days and camp or "hotel" near GG. We then would meet them for a few hours each afternoon to take in some sightseeing. This year, they could only get up one day because Jeff had a funeral - but fortunately, it was on Tuesday, a day I didn't have to do the evening chapel. (I spoke every morning and Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights.)

The first place we headed was Eagle Harbor Lighthouse. I had been there before, but they hadn't. This was rather - ah - COLD and CLOUDY and RAINY. In fact, there were moments when it poured. (These are the moments you are thankful you are camp speaker and not the program director who has to keep the kids entertained all afternoon.)

Here's the lighthouse in all it's cloudy beauty.

HAPPY CAMPERS

Take two 8yo girls and promise them a week at camp - TOGETHER and you have a package of uncontrollable giggles and wiggles (and the fact that I got them milkshakes on the way sure helped). 

The "northern" munchkin "sort of" knew what Gitche Gumee was like - she had spent a couple days with us the last two times we were

 there, not as

 a camper, but close enough to the campers to wish she was one. The "southern" munchkin had no idea, except her parents did a great job of explaining camp from their own experiences and she was MORE than ready.

Although Ken and I did spend weeks at some - ah ... kind of different and not very scenic places, (umm ... like the conference in the Iowa cornfield when the weather was 100 degrees and the water turned purple) the two camps we went to regularly were not only beautiful, but cool - like in weather cool. We liked cool.

The "southern" munchkin and I had traveled five and a half hours north to get the "northern" munchkin and now we had another three and a half hours to go. You just about can't go any further before falling off the northern edge of the US, via Lake Superior. We were approximately three hours north of Northern Wisconsin into Michigan. Which meant that we were in a different time zone. The very tip of Michigan that juts out into the lake is the Keweenaw Peninsula and if you look at the map above - the camp is in the town of Eagle River. (Not the Wisconsin Eagle River, but the Michigan Eagle River.)

To give you an idea of just how far north we were - the lilacs were starting to bloom. (Kind of neat - you get two springs!)  And lilacs were EVERYWHERE on the peninsula.

And then we were there ----

 By the way, Sparky on the fence has nothing to do with Gitche Gumee, but a lot to do with our department who is taking "flat Sparky" on vacation this summer. He's already been to Spain and the Great Wall of China - and Gitche Gumee.

The girls went through the Gitche  Gumee International Airport (the theme for the week), met their counselor (from the faraway international location of Iowa) and got settled in their cabin.

I will say as far as "cool" camps go, this week started off freezing cold (almost literally).

At this point, I went to my own cabin - they were officially on their own as campers.

WHY CAMP?

Ken and I started doing camp ministry before our own kids were even old enough to be campers. If you heard Ken speak, you heard how he trusted Christ at camp and made the decision to be a pastor immediately after becoming a Christian. His passion was teaching kids that they're never too young to make a decision and stick with a decision. He knew the power of a camp setting.

We continued doing camps as our kids grew. We went to several camps but two in particular - one in Montana and one WAY UP NORTH. Since both camps were on three year cycles of kid speakers - we went to both of them regularly - every two or three years.  We enjoyed meeting the kids and speaking at chapel. 

After I started working fulltime, we backed off from doing camp. We realized that filling the two weeks of vacation I had each year with more responsibility was not healthy. But after I worked for awhile and earned more vacation time - we went back to it.  Ken and I worked as a team in many ways, but ministry wise - probably nowhere as much as we did at camp. He gave part of the lesson and I gave part of the lesson - we were totally together. We came as a duo.

The summer before Ken died, we went to Gitche Gumee and realized that the next time we were asked (if it were the normal three-year cycle,) our two oldest munchkins could be campers.  But when a spouse dies, your life changes in many ways that are not immediately apparent. In my case, one of those ways was no longer going to camp (something I actually had been doing since I was two).

I accepted that, but then I was contacted by the director at Gitche Gumee who asked if I would come speak by myself. I was overwhelmed and probably would've said "no," but I remembered our dream of taking the girls to camp, so after a lot of thought and prayer, I said "yes."

So for Christmas this year, the two 8yo munchkins received a week at camp from me 

And last week was our week.

THE WILDER SIDE OF THEIR YARD

This is a pileated woodpecker (Woody is the most famous one). They make such a loud noise that it can sound as if someone is hammering on a tree and they've actually been known to bore such large holes in trees, that the tree falls over.

But they have a good habit, too. If an egg falls out of a nest, they'll retrieve it - something rare in the bird world.
They are truly birds that get your attention. 

When this one showed up in the yard, the visiting munchkin said, "Wow! A dinosaur!"

Here are some other pictures of him - I didn't crop and zoom because the size is what is so remarkable about him.

THANKS TO LAURI, MY GUEST BLOGGER

I know you'd all agree that Lauri did a GREAT JOB guest blogging this week. And even though Lauri lives in PA, she isn't related to me - but is in fact (for all you Central people) Dave and Sandy's daughter. I might "hire" her again! Lauri and I have a unique and close friendship that primarily developed online - though we do get to see each other ONCE in a while.

Meanwhile, I've been bonding with a lot of kids and even more bugs. My bug-spray-stiff hair just got washed and personally thanked me. Not that I haven't washed it all week, but as soon as I would get it clean I had to spray on a gallon of spray again. When I think of the dozens of bug bites I have, I hate to think about what would've happened WITHOUT the spray.

Anyhow, it's been an interesting week.

The two older munchkins and I were on a fun adventure.

Our destination was the Keweenaw Peninsula (but more about that later).

The first day, munchkin #1 and I rode seven hours north to get munchkin #2 at Jeff and Cindy's house. Normally, the trip takes about five and a half hours, but because of the floods, we had to take a LONG detour. Here are some views from the neighborhood at Jeff and Cindy's.

Thanks for Coming

Well, there's still plenty of places we could visit, both in York County and the surrounding counties. But I'm kind of missing the original author of this blog, as I'm sure you are, too. So maybe if I quit writing she'll return.

Before we end our tour of York County though you have to stop at our favorite farmer's market and buy some strawberries. You can even pick your own if you like. There is no better strawberry around than the ones you can get from Browns.

One day when my daughter was about 4 years old, we were picking strawberries and she asked, "Mom, will there be strawberries in heaven?" I said, "I sure hope so."

We're hoping there will be peaches, too. That's the next big fruit season we're anxiously waiting for. Brown's peaches are like eating pure gold. They are so juicy and sweet. Yum! My mouth waters just thinking about them.

From Brown's head north and you'll be headed for the turnpike. But on your way out of York, be sure to salute the York Barbell man. He's another famous landmark in these parts. He is a 7.5 foot tall bronze statue who spins on top of the USA Weightlifting Hall of Fame and overlooks I-83. The proper way to drive by him is for everyone in the car to raise their arms like they're also lifting weights.

Thanks for visiting. Come again anytime. There's plenty more to see and explore in south central PA.

Lost in York County

Last summer our family invented a new pasttime. We call it "Let's Get Lost in York County." The idea is to get in the car and start driving but you can only drive on roads that you've never travelled before. As soon as you recognize where you are, you have to turn in the opposite direction. It sounds silly ... and it is ... but it also is a great way to discover some hidden treasures near home. Most of York County looks very much the same. It's basically rolling farmland and forests with a few small towns and cities thrown in for good measure. The roads are very hilly and curvy so this is not a game to play if you're prone to carsickness.

On one of our adventures last summer we learned more about the history of this area and found some places that we've visited several times since. We saw several different churches built in the 1600's. We did a Chinese fire drill in Muddy Creek Forks which later we found out was the most important commercial transportation hub of York County in 1900. That struck us as very odd since now it is literally in the middle of no where.

But the Ma & Pa Railroad Preservation Society is doing its best to keep the history of the region alive. The Ma & Pa Railroad used to run the 77 miles between York and Baltimore. (Ma - Maryland and Pa - Pennsylvania) To give you some idea of the number of hills in the area, the track has 476 curves!!! It was first chartered in 1867. Freight and passenger service continued until the 1950s when more people took the much straighter Northern Central Railroad. However, the Preservation Society still runs short train excursions on Sundays. You buy your tickets in the General Store which was built in 1900 and is restored to how it appeared in 1914. It also served as the post office and telegraph office. The General Store is across the street from this picture which shows a Roller Mill and grain elevator built in 1890. This was part of an "industrial complex" that featured a very busy cannery as well.

A little past this area we found a beautiful stone house up on a hill, overlooking a valley. Down below was a restored grist mill. We found out that the mill was built in 1826 and operated continuously until the 1980s with water supplied by Rambo Run. The house was built by Mr. Wallace who operated the mill until 1861. At it's busiest period in history, during the 1950s, the mill was run 24-7, grinding wheat, corn, barley and oats.

You Might Be From PA If...

You think the roads in any other state are smooth.

The first day of buck season and doe season are state holidays.

You only own three spices: salt, pepper and ketchup.

You design your Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.

You have an uncontrollable urge to buy milk and bread when you hear the word "snow."

You ask the waitress for "dippy eggs" for breakfast.

You prefer Hershey's chocolate to Godiva.

You know several roadside stands where you can buy fruit, veggies or quilts on the honor system.

When something is gone you say "it's all."

You find 0 degrees Farenheit "a little chilly."

You have 10 favorite recipes for venison.

Your Thanksgiving turkey is served with "filling," not stuffing or dressing.

You live for summer when the street fairs and county fairs signal the start of funnel cake season.

You know several people who have hit deer ... more than once.

You can correctly pronounce Lancaster, Lebanon, Bryn Mawr, Wilkes-Barre, Schuylkill, Bala Cynwyd, Conshohocken and Monongahela.

You say things like "Youse guys," "Outen the lights" and "I'm calling off today."

You know what to do when your mother tells you to "red up your room."

You have several pictures of yourself as a young child posing with the deer your father or grandfather killed.

You know Chicken Pot Pie has nothing to do with a pie and you can't understand why people think it would.

Your local post office is always closed for lunch between noon and 1:00.

The Ride Starts Here

One sound that you quickly become familiar with in York County is the roar of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle (or two or three hundred at a time.) They're everywhere ... especially in late September when the Harley-Davidson Factory in York hosts an Open House. People come from around the world to tour the plant and see the newest models. Most of them arrive on their own Harleys.

Today my son and I toured the factory which produces the Touring family of motorcycles. We learned all about the history of Harley-Davidson, their Softail models and their custom vehicle operations. It was a neat experience as we actually got to walk through the factory as people were working and watch motorcycles being built from start to finish. They didn't just show us a movie about the factory or let us watch from an observation deck. We actually walked the floor and dodged forklift trucks to see everything up close. It was a neat experience. The people who work there take much pride in making a truly American product. Some of the pieces are made by robots and machines but other pieces are still built by hand, like the Jiffy Legs. I learned that's what they call kickstands. I'm learning so much this week.

Today they are winding down production of the 2008 models and are going to close the plant until July 3rd while they retool for the 2009 models. Those will stay secret until the dealer show in September where they will be revealed.

So if you visit York, this is a tour I'd highly recommend. Just don't ride into town on a Honda or Suzuki motorcycle. You might want to leave those at home.

Factory Tour Capital of the World

Yes, you read that title correctly. One of York's claims to fame is that it offers more factory tours than any other city. And this week is a very special week in town. Many of the local factories are opening their doors to show visitors how they make their products. This is part of their "Made in America Tour."

We have toured several different places in previous summers. We took in a couple more today and have one more we want to do tomorrow. Today I learned that PA is the "Potato Chip Belt" of the world. Who knew? PA grows more potatoes for potato chips than even Idaho. They're called "chipping potatoes." They're fairly uniform in size, have thin skins for easy peeling and are low moisture potatoes. See I was paying attention at Utz Quality Foods. It was a fun tour, perfect for any age. We learned the history of the company and got to watch the production process from the beginning to the end from an enclosed observation deck. And, like all good factory tours, we got a free sample at the end.

Other factories we've toured: Wolfgang Candy Company (my daughter lost her first tooth eating that free sample -- we never found it but the Tooth Fairy did,) Snyders of Hanvoer, Martin's Potato Chips, Perrydell Dairy, Hope Acres Robotic Dairy Farm (where the cows sleep on water beds -- happy cows make more milk) and several more.

One of our all time favorite tours is Hershey's Chocolate World, the Sweetest Place on Earth. When you drive into Hershey you can smell chocolate in the air. The lampposts are shaped like Hershey Kisses. At Chocolate World you are whisked away on a motorized ride to see how cocoa is harvested, shipped, processed and manufactured into delicious Hershey's candy. Unfortunately, like the Crayola Factory, you don't actually get to see inside the real factory. But this is a fun tour to take anyway ... and, of course, they give you a little candy bar at the end of the ride before they deposit you in a gift shop filled with every imaginable kind of Hershey's product.

So if you like snacks (and who doesn't?) come to "Pretzel-vania." We've got plenty.

Heritage Rail Trail County Park

The weather has been spectacular this week. You've all picked a great time to visit PA. Today let's do something fun and go for a bike ride. We can ride on a 21 mile long trail that winds through farmlands and forests and a handful of small communities. The trail is made of compacted crushed stone and is about 10 feet wide. Besides other bikers we will probably see hikers, runners and horseback riders.

We'll head north today so I can show you one of my favorite sites on the trail: the Howard Tunnel which is the oldest operating railroad tunnel in the US.

In the 1820s the Baltimore and Susquehanna Railroad set out to construct a rail line from Baltimore to York Haven, a small town just a few miles downstream from Harrisburg ( the capital of PA.)  They had been following the south branch of the Codorus Creek but came upon a 90 foot high granite wall. One of the young civil engineers on the job (Mr. Howard) suggested that they drill through the 300 feet of rock rather than twist the line around the rock wall. The tunnel was completed and opened to traffic in 1838.

In the 1860s, because of the abundance of traffic on the line during the Civil War, the tunnel was widened to accomodate a second track.

Today one track remains. The other track has been removed to make way for the bike trail.

So, come on. Fill up your water bottle and grab your helmet. Let's go for a ride.

Haines Shoe House

Here's something you won't see just anywhere but around here it's a famous landmark and tourist attraction. The Shoe House is a stucco replica of a high-top work boot. It has 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a kitchen and a living room all on 5 different levels. The stained-glass window on the front door portrays Haines holding up a pair of boots. Every window is decorated with a stained-glass shoe.There's a shoe mailbox out front and a boot-decorated fence surrounds the yard which even houses a boot-shaped dog house.

The Shoe House was built in 1948 by Colonel Mahlon Haines as an advertising gimmick. The "Shoe Wizard" was 78 years old at the time and had earned millions from shoe sales at his 40 stores in PA and MD. He was a generous man who enjoyed giving back to the community. He made the Shoe House, complete with a live-in butler and maid, available as a weekend vacation spot for elderly couples. He also invited newlyweds affiliated with his shoe stores to spend a romantic week in the Shoe House, all expenses paid. As an added bonus, everyone went home with a free pair of shoes.

Colonel Haines died in 1962 and the Shoe House has had a few owners since. Most of them have run it as a tourist attraction and ice cream parlor.

York: Host to History

One of the things I like about living in PA is the history that you can see on a daily basis. It's really neat to see homes and other buildings that were built in the 1600's and 1700's. Many of them have been well-maintained over the years. We are close to cities that everyone reads about in their American history books: Gettysburg, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington. And it's awe-inspiring to visit all of those places and remember what has taken place there. But even York played a part in national history.

Did you know that the Continental Congress met in York from September 1777-June 1778.

Every summer the city of York hosts Patriot Days on June 27th to remember and celebrate the role that the city played in the Civil War. Much of Civil War history focuses on the surrounding battlefieds -- and rightly so. But York County has its own story to tell.

Within 3 weeks of Fort Sumter being fired upon, over 6,000 men volunteered for service. In 1862 a major US Army hospital was established in York. During the course of the war, 14,000 wounded soldiers were treated, including 2,500 after the Battle of Gettysburg. Only 200 soldiers died at that hospital which was a testament to the level of medical care they received here.

On June 27, 1863 the unthinkable happened: Confederate soldiers marched onto York County soil. York became the largest northern town occupied by the Confederates during the Civil War.

On June 28th a skirmish was fought in Wrightsville. Union soldiers were forced to burn a mile-long covered bridge over the Susquehanna River to stop the troops from advancing to Harrisburg and Philadelphia. (The original piers are still standing in the river. A new bridge was built next to them. And every year fires are lit on top of each one to commemorate what happened there so many years ago.)

On June 30th two opposing cavalries clashed on the streets of Hanover in a day long battle that involved over 6,500 soldiers and resulted in over 350 killed and wounded.

Within days the armies of the north and south would clash just 12 miles from York County's borders in an area that 65 years earlier had been a part of York County. After the Battle of Gettysburg the people of York responded by immediately sending help and supplies to tend to the wounded on the battlefield. Thousands of men were brought to the U.S. Army hospital.

Every summer York and Adams counties are visited by Civil War re-enactors, who set up camp and once again tell the stories of the brave men and women who fought for our country.

Recent Invasions

Every year several different unique events happen in York. For example, last weekend the city was filled with hundreds of brightly colored street rods (pre-1948 cars.) They were here for one of the biggest street rod events on the entire East Coast. For locals this event is one of the highlights of the summer. People plant their lawn chairs along the major roads so they can sit for hours just to watch the street rods pass. They'll do the same thing when the Harley-Davidson motorcycles come into town. There's nothing quite like watching (or hearing!) hundreds of Harleys cruise around the county together.

This weekend the city was host to a Hot Air Balloon Festival. Thirty-five balloons filled a county park. They all launched together at 5:45 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. (weather-permitting.) During the afternoon the park was filled with craft and food vendors and several activities: a car show, animal demonstrations, horse-pulled wagon rides, tethered balloon rides, and a water balloon drop.

Welcome to My Second Floor

Good morning. Here's the view from my 2nd floor. No, it's not in IL. Welcome to south central PA. It's rather overcast here this morning and getting darker and cloudier outside. I guess those storms from the Midwest are finally arriving.

As the mystery guest blogger I thought that I'd take a few posts to show you around York County. With the high price of gas, maybe some of you won't be taking vacations this summer or at least you won't be travelling as far. Let me take you on a virtual vacation through my "neck of the woods."

But first since it's Fathers' Day, join me in honoring our fathers. What's a lesson that you learned from your dad, a phrase that he always said, or one of your favorite memories of your dad?

One hot summer day when we were cleaning the very dirty, messy, spider web-filled garage, I began complaining and slacking off. My dad reprimanded me and said, "Whenever you start a job, you always do it well -- even if you don't like it." Even after all these years I still remember that lesson and I always try to do my best and finish what I start -- even when it's not very fun.

IOWA CUBS

Remember just two weeks ago, the six-year-old and I went on an Adventure to Principal Park, the home of the Iowa Cubs in Des Moines?

Well, here it is toay.

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GUEST BLOGGER???????

Writing on my blog is fun - most days. 

Then other days I think ... ho hum.

But you guys keep reading so I keep writing.

Still, everyone needs a break once in a while - so I started thinking - what if I could find a guest blogger for a few days? 

Hmmmm ...

Wait a minute - what's this?  I have a taker?

A willing person who says "Yes! Yes! I'll do it."

Who is this mystery guest blogger?

You'll have to keep checking back until an appearance is made!

THE FOX RIVER ON A JUNE DAY

Let the rivers clap their hands, Let the mountains sing together for joy.

A BARN SWALLOW POSES FOR ME (THE FOX RIVER IN THE BACKGROUND)

FLOWERS ON THE FOX

MAPLE IN THE FOX

We're hearing about a lot of flood damage this early June as rivers overflow their banks. I also mentioned that I have seen more baby maple trees than ever before. Here is a growing tree - whose roots are embedded in the Fox River.

HO HUM ...

Not sure what to write tonight.

I'm sure you don't want to hear about the all-day meeting I was in. 

And I'm sure you don't care that I mowed my lawn (I have quite a crop of little maple trees taking root - anyone else notice that they're especially healthy this year?)

And ...  well, actually that was about it for the day.

THE LIFE-CHANGING DAY (OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT)

Well, it's been a life-changing day - sort of.

After much persuasion from not only my son-in-law and daughter but various friends at work, I finally broke down and bought a new computer - and got high speed internet. 

I think what finally made me do it was the evening I was downloading an album from iTunes and I heard the done-ding at two in the morning. I mean, seriously ... to post pictures on my blog was getting to be an entire career in itself. I would start the process - go clean the house, go to the grocery store (ok, confession - I actually don't go to the grocery store all that often), let the dog out, get my clothes ready for the next day - and return to my computer to see the little "floating" thing still floating ...

If the whole high speed thing wasn't life-changing enough, I also (drumroll here please) went from PC to Mac.

Being that it's a drumroll-sort-of-day, I would like to publicly thank my son-in-law for coming to the rescue last night  See when the computer guy showed up at the house. He took one look at my computer and told me that he had never worked with Mac.  Then he proceeded to tell me that what I wanted done was impossible (which I knew it wasn't).  Fortunately, Steve came to the rescue - telling the guy that "yes" what I wanted done WAS possible.

And - for those of you who remember the patio panic of last summer, we can all just be glad that Steve was

on the scene when the guy said the only way he could get the cable to the house was to DIG UNDER THE PATIO!!!!

"NO, NO," Steve said. "Do it THIS way."  Gotta love that guy. (Steve that is, not the Mac-deficient technician.)

So, here I am.

Well, not without some additional problems getting it all going - but thanks to the very cute Geeksquad (Kelli and kids) it's up and running.

Since I can download pictures OH, SO MUCH FASTER - here are some of the munchkins just hanging around.

PRESIDENTIAL TRIVIA ANSWERS

FIVE RELATED PRESIDENTIAL PAIRS

1. The two Bushes

2. John Adams was the dad of John Quincy Adams

3. Will Henry Harrison was the grandfather of Benjamin Harrison

4. Franklin Roosevelt was a fifth cousin of Teddy Roosevelt

5. James Madison was the second cousin of Zachary Taylor (interesting that they were more closely related than the Roosevelts)

HAPPY ANOTHER RAINY DAY

SUNDAY AFTERNOON IN THE BACKYARD

PRESIDENTIAL TRIVIA

We all know that the two Bush presidents are related - did you know there are four other presidential pairs related to one another?

Can you name them? Try to do it without looking.

FENCE-SITTING

Since I spend a lot of time in my car and don't like to think about how much it takes to keep it fuel-happy, I've been listening to a series of messages on the book of Ephesians —preached by the pastor of a friend's church.

The pastor has been talking about being alive in Christ - yet walking around allowing our old, sin nature to take control. In other words, living like our old, formally (dead in sin) selves.

So many times we see this around us (and in our selves, too). We say we're alive in Christ, that we want to follow His guidelines for our lives, and that we want to be a testimony to those around us — but then we do everything we can to get as close to living like the world as we can. We think it's cool to use the world's language (even though we know those words aren't appropriate) or laugh at the world's sick jokes or have the world's attitude. Sometimes it seems as if our goal is to get as close as we can to the world - you know we sit on the fence between living the Lord's way and the world's way.

Today I heard a good description on the CD, told by a high school senior. He was spending a lot of time partying with his friends during the week and then showing up at church on Sundays. "In other words," he said, "I was sitting on the fence." Over Christmas break, his parents took him on a missions' trip. He had time to think about what he was doing with his life and get a new perspective. "I realized," he said, "that yes, I was sitting on the fence, but Satan owned the fence."

How true. Getting as close as we can to the world is not honoring to God - no matter how much we justify it. We're not just sitting on the fence - Satan owns the fence.

SO FUNNY

Ok, I admit that I "stole" this from my son's blog post - but this is absolutely one of the funniest things I've seen in a long time.

Someone set up a Website that you can log into at work - and it looks like you're working, but you're actually reading "literature." Whoever took the time to put this together, certainly needs to get a life - but it's so realistic looking it's hilarious.

Now, since I actually WORK at WORK and have no desire to read poetry while I'm working, I have not read all the different links on here - so this is a disclaimer if there's something on this site that's inappropriate.

But if you're immersed in a world of graphs, charts and PowerPoints (as we are), you'll enjoy this.

www.readatwork.com

THE IOWA BIRD LIST

Not to be outdone by Uncle Roger, the munchkin and I decided to do an Iowa birdlist.

Granted, our list isn't quite as impressive as Roger's list, but if you had seen the original, which the munchkin herself wrote out, you would see that it's a lot cuter.

So this is what we saw:

1. Pigeon

2. Robin

3. Barn Swallow

4. Blue Jay

5. Turkey Vulture

6. Meadowlark

7. Cowbird

8. Red-winged blackbird

9. Indigo Bunting (one of my favorite birds)

10. Cardinal

And that's it, because the munchkin said we could only have ten birds on our list. ( I think she was tired of writing.)

TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME

The night was exactly-right, breezy. Four hundred Awana clubbers (most of them book finishers) and leaders came to the game. The Cubs won with the help of some familiar names like Felix Pie, Rich Hill, Eric Paterson and Matt Murton. Ferguson Jenkins was even there giving out autographs. Notice the Iowa capitol building in the background. It was truly a beautiful night for a ball game.