This and That

 You know, once you get out of the habit of posting, it's hard to get back into it. And I'm out of the habit. Just as I can't remember what I had for dinner last night, I can't remember what we've been up to around here. So I'm going to give it a go with a stream-of-consciousness post.

First and foremost on my mind is a baby shower we're having here for my nephew and his wife on Saturday. We expect around 35-40 people. The planning has been a bit cumbersome at times, trying to coordinate among several people, but I think we have a plan, finally. The weather is hot, so it will be entirely inside, which is not ideal. I do not have the entertaining house that you always see on HGTV. We don't have an open floor plan which was not all the rage 34 years ago when our house was built. But we'll manage. The important thing is to shower the expectant parents with much-needed baby gear. This is their first child, so everything is needed.

One of the decorations for Saturday's shower.

And speaking of baby showers, we went to a baby shower for my niece and her husband last weekend. This is their third baby, but the twins, who were their firstborn, didn't live more than a few weeks. Things are looking good this time around, and we are all excited for both little ones who will be arriving in the next couple of months.

In other news, Wally and Theo have decided to become roommates. They have found a nice townhouse not too far from Theo's work. Wally works entirely from home, so he was flexible with location. Theo did an initial move-in last weekend but has more things to move. Wally's lease is not up for a few months, so he won't be moving in immediately. When Theo moved here, his furniture furnished our basement, and we tried to keep his things separate from ours, but some of his things got incorporated into ours anyway. We're trying to tease those things out now. Like is this our colander or his? Rent is so high these days roommates are a necessity for most people, and we're happy the two brothers want to give it a go. They haven't lived together as adults, so it should be interesting. However, they have been very good about sorting out the roommate issues beforehand. The good news for us is that we can do one-stop visiting now.

And speaking of hot weather, we are in the middle of it. Temps this week are in the mid to high 90s with humidity. No rain is in sight, but a popup thunderstorm is always possible. I am so thankful I have good resources for dealing with this weather. I have air conditioning and easy, clean water to hydrate with. I do not take it for granted that that is not a given for many in the world or even in this country.

A true summer joy happened today. I had my first tomato sandwich with a fresh tomato from the garden. I love tomatoes - fresh and cooked, but nothing beats one off the vine. Especially the first one of the season. We also have been enjoying more blueberries from Uncle Billy's patch. I think this will be our last picking, as many of them are starting to get mushy. I have frozen several and have a pie planned with the remaining ones. And by the way, individually frozen blueberries are a real treat - especially on these hot summer days.

Ward picking blueberries.

That's enough for now because dinner is calling, but I'm not sure what we're going to have. I think I will start with tomatoes and cottage cheese. Another summer favorite. Oh, I do love fresh produce!

Until next time...

A Second Look, July 15, 2023

 My thoughts are with the people suffering from the extreme weather we hear so much about in the news these days. While we are not having extreme conditions here, we are in the throes of summer weather - sweltering days with little rain. And we're all feeling it - me and the plants. Our rhododendrons' leaves are starting to shrivel. I've never had to water them before, but I have started hoping I can revive them. Thank goodness the rain barrel is still providing water. The water smells but is still good for the plants.

I've been watering, so the vegetable garden is doing okay. This past week we had the last of the spinach, broccoli, wax beans, and two kinds of squash from it. However, I didn't get any pictures - too busy trying to beat the heat. Anyway, here are a few pictures I did get from my Second Look.

This is the planter outside of Ward's shop. His father made it for him from an old water heater. Ward selects plants for it every year.

Not sure where the bird had been to get muddy feet, but it left tracks on our porch railing.

The hydrangea blooms are fading and turning pink.

More daylilies are blooming.

Miraculously the deer haven't eaten these hostas, and they are blooming.

Even though the wind drops a lot of pears, the trees are still full of growing fruit.

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I  planted two sets of sunflowers along this fence, and this is the only one that came up. We'll see how it does because something has been enjoying its leaves.

Uncle Billy invited us over to pick in his blueberry patch.

I find it interesting that blueberries in the same cluster ripen at such different rates. 

That's about it for this week. However, let me add that I am very thankful for a working air conditioner. 

Until next time...

Day Three, Taking the Long Way Home

 Ward and I recently took a trip to the Laurel Highlands of Pennsylvania. This is a wrap-up of our time away.

The last day of a vacation is a struggle for me sometimes. My mind starts shifting to the trip home and what awaits me there instead of enjoying the time we have left of our getaway. This time I made an effort to live in the moment, so to speak, and enjoy the trip home. 

The first stop on the way out of town was Fort Necessity. Fort Necessity was the location for a battle in the French and Indian War where a young, 22-year-old colonel, George Washington, fought for the British Army against the French. The British lost this battle, but it was an important learning experience for him.

It was the anniversary of the battle, so we saw reenactors during our brief visit the day before. Today, we explored the very nice visitor center, where we learned the details of the War and battle as well as the development of the National Road. Begun in 1811, the National Road was the first federally funded highway and was developed to help connect the east coast with the West. We recently listened to The Pioneers by David McCullough, who described the expansion into the Northwest Territory (Ohio). There were many references to this in the display, so it was nice to reinforce and expand what we learned in the book. Ward, who reads everything in exhibits, felt a bit rushed, so we hope to return sometime.

A French soldier, circa 1754

The British soldiers of the same time were more formal with their uniforms. In addition to a talk, we saw a weapons demo where they fired a musket and canon that would have been used at the battle.

At this park, we also saw Mount Washington Tavern. The Tavern was built in 1828 and was on the National Road. The furnishings inside were much nicer than we were used to seeing, so we asked a ranger about it. She explained the Tavern had serviced the Good Intent Line, a stagecoach company, and their customers stayed there. The people who rode that line had money and expected better accommodations.

We were on the road again, driving east towards home. Ward wanted to see a few places along the Chesapeake & Ohio (C & O) Canal he hadn't visited before. The C & O Canal was another attempt, like the National Road, to link the East with the NW Territory. Everyone was trying to find an easier way to get across the Allegheny Mountains. Construction started in 1838. It was never completed, and by the end of 1850, it was obsolete with the advent of the railroad. The towpath along the canal is now a popular hiking and biking trail.

The first stop was supposed to be an abandoned cement factory. Ward had read that while digging the canal, they figured out that the area's limestone made perfect cement, so they stopped and built a cement factory. He loves to look at any kind of construction, so he was interested. We couldn't get to the factory without going through private property, so we didn't get to see it. However, along the way, we found a National Road toll house. It was interesting reading the sign listing the various tolls.

However, we did find a couple of engineering things for Ward to examine a little further down the road at the C & O Canal Historical Park in Williamsport, MD.

The first was this aqueduct carrying the canal over the Tonoloway Creek.

Also, we saw this railroad lift bridge that raised and lowered railroad tracks over the canal.

The next stop was home, sweet, home. It was a short trip, but a good one. Just what we needed.

Until next time...

Day Two, On the Road Again with The Ruins

 Ward and I recently spent a few days in the Laurel Highlands of PA. The main destination of our trip was The Ruins project near Whitsett, PA, which we visited Saturday afternoon. The Ruins are hard to explain, but I'm going to try.

Rachel Sager, a mosaic artist, was raised in this coal mining area. After traveling the world and then living in Pittsburgh, she moved back and bought an old brick house that used to be the office of a local coal company. With the house came 11 acres and an abandoned coal mine. The mine has been closed since 1946 and was totally overgrown. She slowly uncovered some of the crumbling structures from the mine and decided to use them for her mosaic art. Thus began the Ruins project. Over 250 artists from around the world have contributed to the project so far. The common denominator throughout the exhibit is coal mining. The Ruins is a tribute to miners and their hard work and sacrifices in building the modern world. 

While the art was amazing, the stories that went with it made the day truly meaningful. Adding to the richness of the tour were two retired coal miners in our group. This is a place you need to see in person to understand, but I'm going to share pictures with you that will hopefully give you a feel for what we saw. 

Note: I have more pictures here than I usually like to feature in one post, but this is just a small representation of what we saw.

The tour started at the store and studio where Rachel makes and sells mosaic jewelry.

Our guide for the afternoon at the entrance to The Ruins.
Above the name is a clock made of local clay.

Along the same wall is a beehive furnace. They were common throughout the area and used to burn coal to turn it into coke. The coke was then shipped to Pittsburgh for steel making.

The art also included native plants and animals around the mine.
This life-like cicada was mounted on a tree trunk.

The flower petals were made from hardened and oxidized shale -
a by-product of the coke furnaces.

The gears represent some of the machinery of the mines. There are various maps on the walls representing countries from which the multiple artists came.
You can see England here.

These houses represent the company houses for the miners that often surrounded the mines.

This toy cap gun was dug up from the dirt around the building.

This is the portrait of the last miner to die in the mine.

This was the chapel with the sun streaming down on a miner and a soldier's boots.

Miners often also served in the military. Just out of the picture is a 3-D mosaic angel.

A close-up shows an explosion of the boots.
Both miners and soldiers had to be wary of this danger.

Along one long wall is a 67' train mosaic depicting the Pittsburg and Erie lines that hauled the coal from here.

The caboose of the train. On one of the tours was the man who used to service this real-life caboose. The oil can in front of it was used on the actual No. 506.

The Ruins is a work in progress with more installations in the plans. I will definitely go back.

Tune in next time for our trip home.

Happy 4th of July

The pork shoulder is in the smoker, and the corn-on-the-cob is cleaned. Pies are still to be made. We're going to have a picnic today to celebrate Independence Day, but it will probably be inside because the weather is uncomfortably hot and humid. And it's also a day when I am thankful for all who came before me and made this country the great place it is to live. Not perfect by any means, but right in so many ways.

And from the files is a previous post about the 4th.

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Today is Independence Day, the day we celebrate the 240th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. An important event in our early history.

I have been fortunate to see many things tied to important events from the start of the US.  Among others, I've seen a real copy of the Declaration of Independence and tallies of the votes done before its acceptance. I've visited Philadelphia and seen Constitution Hall, where the Declaration was adopted. I've been to Boston and seen the harbor where they had the Boston Tea Party. In Baltimore, I saw the flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the Star Spangled Banner. And I've visited the homes of Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington, all key players in our early days.

source   Mt. Vernon, George Washington's home.

But among all of these amazing visits, there is one that stood out more than the others. Ward and I were visiting Mt. Vernon, home of George Washington, with Ward's parents, Leo and Syl. They lived nearby but hadn't visited in years. The weather was nice, and we were enjoying the various buildings and gardens when we decided to tour the house. We went through the first part of the tour and were waiting on the wide front porch that faces the Potomac to get into the next part.

We were chatting about this and that when Syl said, "This is where I got my citizenship." (His mother was from Guatemala and came to college here, where she met Ward's dad.) What? Right here? I had never heard this story, and neither had Ward. She had actually stood on the porch right where we were and got sworn in as a US citizen. Leo said that Ward was little, and he had him out on the lawn trying to keep him quiet and out of trouble while his mother said her oath. So as we were learning about an early part of our country's history, we also learned about the early part of Ward's history. Soon after that, Ward's mother became sick and died several months later. We felt lucky that we got to share the memories of this important event with her.

So today, as I remember our forefathers and the start of our country, I think about Syl and others like her who also got a new beginning here. I am fortunate to live in a country where this is possible.

Day Two, On the Road with the Youghiogheny

 Ward and I recently spent a few days exploring the Laurel Highlands of Pennsylvania. This is part one of the second day of the trip.

We got up early this day and decided to change the plans we had for the morning of going to Fort Necessity. Hoping to beat the predicted thunderstorms of the afternoon, we headed to Ohiopyle State Park for a hike. And we were successful with no rain during our visit there. Highlights of our morning are below.

When we arrived, we went to the visitor's center to figure out what part of the 79 miles of trails in the park we wanted to hike that morning. Along the walk to the center, there were signs about the different kinds of craft that navigate the Youghiogheny River in the park. I had never seen 3-D signs quite like this before.

We decided on the Ferncliff trail and took off. The first part was a nice path through a hardwood forest.

But soon, we were scrambling on rocks along the river.

The rhododendron were in bloom along the river bank.

The river has many rapids and falls, making for exciting raft trips. Wally and Theo were on some of those exciting trips as Boy Scouts.

After a while, the river banks became sandstone cliffs, and the trail returned to the woods.

We saw interesting black fungus,

and yellow fungus along the way.

At the end of the trail, we finally saw the trail's namesake - ferns.

After our hike, we did make a short stop at Fort Necessity, but I will include that in another post about when we did a return visit there.

Tune in next time for a visit to an incredible art project we saw.

Day One, On the Road with Mr. Gallatin

 Ward and I spent the last three days in the Laurel Highlands of western Pennsylvania. It was another one of those "We need a change of scenery trips." 

We started Friday morning armed with ample snacks and a GPS. We had a few things we thought we might want to visit but planned to do whatever caught our eye along the way. However, we were discouraged by the smoke that covered the area from the Canadian wildfires. I already had developed a cough from it and didn't want to venture out too much into the smoke, which was thick enough at times to cause visibility problems. 

But the smoke was moving east, and we were going west, so by the end of the day, with help from a rain shower,  it had cleared enough that I felt okay about getting out of the car. We checked into our hotel and then went exploring. 

We stopped at Friendship Hill National Historic Site. This is where Albert Gallatin built his country estate overlooking the Monongahela River. And who is Albert Gallatin, you may wonder. Or at least I did. Among other things, he was Secretary of the Treasury under Presidents Jefferson and Madison and formed the purchase of the Louisana Territory, funded the Lewis and Clark expedition, and reduced the national debt. He also helped negotiate an end to the War of 1812 and served as minister to France. In his retirement years, he studied the languages of Native Americans.

Mr. Gallatin was a surveyor's apprentice in his younger years.

However, he was not as successful with Friendship Hill. He didn't make a go of it as a farm, and his wife didn't like being isolated in the country because she was from New York and wanted city life. He eventually sold the estate, much to his disappointment. 

The house was added onto several times. The building of the stone part of the house was overseen by Gallatin's son while Gallatin was serving in France. However, the son could have done a better job. The house is facing 90 degrees from where it should have been and was not connected to the rest of the house until Gallitan installed a walkway between the two.

We had the grounds to ourselves and took a pleasant walk to the grave of Gallatin's first wife, Sophia. She was the love of his life and died after only five months of marriage. 

We were curious about these holes we saw on most of the oak trees on the grounds. Our resident park manager, Uncle Billy, said it looked like they were treating the trees against a disease.

Tune in next time for Day Two On the Road Again.