Sweetbriar

December 4, 2008 – The Springerle House

2008-12-04T23:52:00.006-05:00

In Strassburg, an historical town south of Lancaster, there is a delightful bakery called The Springerle House. In the window at this time of year, there is a pyramid tree, the kind whose blades are set in motion by the heat of candles (although this one was powered by electricity).

When you opened the door, the smells of fresh baked springerle greeted you or the licorice scent of anise.

Springerles are cookies made by pressing dough with carved molds, leaving intricate designs.

Historical note: The European tradition of these “picture cookies” are over a thousand years old. Springerle molds first came to Lancaster County around 1710 among the most treasured possessions of the Pennsylvania German immigrants.

I bought some molds – a very hard choice to make from the large selection.

Molds

And here are pictures of some of the cookies. They may look like they’re too pretty to eat BUT…they were delicious with a cup of tea.

Cookies

December 3, 2008 – Christmas Center Museum

2008-12-04T23:26:00.011-05:00

A friend and I visited the Christmas Museum, located on route 30, just east of Lancaster. What a wonderful time we had! There were displays of Christmas traditions from around the world.

There was a replica of a Woolworth store, complete with all the trimmings, toys and ornaments from decades ago.

As you wound your way through the museum there were recreated scenes from a storybook called “A Tudor Christmas” with various animals dressed in Victorian costumes.

At the end you walked the narrow streets of ancient Bethlehem, showing what the town was like during Mary and Joseph’s visit. Of course the culmination was the nativity scene.

What impressed me the most, aside from the thousands of ornaments and Christmas decorations, was listening to the comments other visitors were making and how different items reminded them of something from their childhood Christmases.

A wonderful place to visit, especially at this time of year.

Sunday September 28, 2008 Home in the USA

2008-09-28T15:17:00.004-04:00

Much to our disappointment, things did not work out for our return trip to Italy. The quest for the visa took too long and when I was presented with a better offer to return to my old company, I accepted. We had three glorious months in Italy and met some wonderful people whom we now call friends and made memories to last a lifetime. We are settling in at home with many chores to be done. One was a new line for our dog run that also serves a dual purpose as a clothesline. While relaxing one day we noticed a friendly visitor on one of our towels.

Our friend, a praying mantis, decided to stay around a few days and we left the towel on the line for her to bask on. You can tell the sex of the mantis by the number of thorax segments, the female has more. Also the female has a reputation of being around longer, since they sometimes devour their mates.

The mantis is named for its front legs which are together in a position that suggests prayer. They have triangular heads and some species can turn them as much as 300 degrees in search of prey. They are experts at camouflage, which is a tool used in the capturing their food. Their eyesight is excellent with two large compound eyes and three simple eyes located between them. They can see movement as far away as 60 feet.

The mantids are carnivores and their unfortunate recipients are moths, crickets, grasshoppers and flies. It is interesting that they are being sold in some locations for insect control.

Friday August 22, 2008 – Round Barns and Furnaces

2008-08-23T23:42:00.012-04:00

Round barns are seldom seen in Pennsylvania, although there are a few that still exist. These barns were developed by the Shakers and we were lucky enough to find one close to the historic Lincoln Highway (Rt. 30). The one we found was built in 1914 and was located approximately 5 miles from Cashtown. The historic particulars of this barn built for the Noah Sheely family are found on this sign.

The barn currently houses a fruit and vegetable market along with some crafts. Here are some pictures taken around the barn as it stands today.

As many may already know, Pennsylvania was also known for its iron and steel industry. We visited two of the charcoal type furnaces for the manufacture of pig iron. The first one was located along Rt. 30 at Caledonia State Park. Caledonia Furnace was erected in 1837 by Thaddeus Stevens, politician and father of the public school system in Pennsylvania. This furnace was completely destroyed by the Confederate Army in 1863 probably due to the fact that Thaddeus was an abolitionist. The current structure was erected in 1927.

We traveled north through Caledonia Park (Rt.233) to Pine Grove Furnace State Park. This was the location of another company town known for the manufacture of pig iron using charcoal and the cold blast method. The charcoal and ore were usually made and mined close to the vicinity of the furnaces. It is believed that the original furnace was erected somewhere around 1764. This facility operated approximately 131 years on South Mountain.

Copula and Copula Door (front)

Ruins of the storage areas

Some of the remaining building in this company town are as follows:

The general store and stable

The Paymasters House ( This was also listed as the general store in the history of the village, which was probably true at that time). Further historical data can be found on the net at http://oldindustry.org/PA_HTML/Pa_PineGrove.html Click on History and then Pine Grove.

The following pictures describe the steel making process and some the pictures posted at the site of the men involved.

History of the Buildings (click image to enlarge).

Friday August 22, 2008 Gettysburg

2008-08-23T19:59:00.009-04:00

Most people travel to Gettysburg to view the battle fields from the Civil War period, but we made the trip to enjoy tea and a good movie. The name of the tea shop was Apple Blossom Tea Room and Gifts.

The Menu:

The Décor:

The tea started with a salad of greens, strawberries, feta cheese and a lovely raspberry vinaigrette dressing followed by a chilled watermelon soup.

Following the soup, we were served a collection of sandwiches, scones and sweets to finish.

The heart shaped scones were coconut - a delicious flavor and very different.

Several sayings were found in various places around the tea room. Barbara liked this one.

Others were found on tiles outside the tea room.

We had a nice day and enjoyed the movie “Brideshead Revisited”.

August 17, 2008 Old Bedford Village, French and Indian War Reenactment

2008-08-20T16:59:00.038-04:00

I am drawn to this period of America’s history --- the years leading up to the War of Independence, so when I saw that there was a French and Indian War Reenactment being held at nearby Old Bedford Village this past weekend, I was excited to go. This area is particularly suited to this era as it is located along the old east/west Indian path that is now known as Route 30. In addition, Forbes Road, named for the British General, is also here. Old Bedford Village itself is a reconstructed village comprised of log cabins that have been relocated to the site; there are also shops which would have been found in a progressive town. Since OBV also has Civil War reenactments, these buildings serve to span to include that time period too.

Upon entering the village, we crossed a covered bridge (see former posting on covered bridges), and immediately saw some tents pitched near the stream. This area portrayed the colonial Ranger’s encampment; the British were bivouacked in the town, with officers occupying the buildings, the regulars in camps. At these reenactments, each side takes a turn at “winning”, for as the one gentleman said, “they drive as far as everyone else”, and so today the French and Indians were the victors. Thus the French had control of the fort.

These are pictures of the buildings and interiors giving you an idea of the accommodations.

Some of the buildings used for business had displays: the apothecary,

candle maker,

tinsmith,

rifle maker,

milliner,

weaver,

broom maker

The most interesting to me was the basket maker, who was also the wig maker. The style for men of the 1700’s (and prior) was to wear wigs. The material for these wigs could be horse hair, probably from the mane as that was softer than tail hair. Although a horse hair wig was comparable to modern day cheap synthetics, a cheap wig. Other wigs contained real human hair, obtained by either the wigmaker purchasing hair from someone who cared to sell theirs, or bought from undertakers who “fleeced” their customers. After all, that person no longer had use of it!

The hair was then separated into a couple of strands, woven through some linen strings in a secure fashion, making a line of hair. This line was then sewn onto a webbing material, line by line, until it was covered, producing a wig. The wig was then dunked into sugar water, curlers were put in while still wet, and when they were removed the curls remained stiff from the dried sugar water. Should the wearer get caught in a rain storm, the process was repeated.

Here are some pictures of the villagers going about their business

The British soldiers passing the time

The Scottish contingent doing chores

Or their officers resting

But word was afoot that there was an enemy patrol in the area, be on your guard

Troops began to muster

General Forbes himself

Sure enough! Some Frenchies in the bush!

Guns are primed, shots are fired and a skirmish ensues

But the French are outnumbered and the colonists put them on the run

The British meanwhile, line up in their toy soldier fashion to do battle, unlike the Indian-way in which the colonists fight

The French taunt the British

And the battle begins with the French in control of the fort

The French can even blow smoke rings with their cannons --- that’s the French, always doing things stylishly!

The colonials charge ahead, to disastrous results

Many of the British fall

And make one last volley before retreating

The French run them off the field and finish off the fallen soldiers. We won’t show the scalpings that occurred, along with the blood curdling screams of the Indians.

The French get to lead the parade since they were the victors this time.

August 10, 2008 Flight 93 Memorial

2008-08-11T21:32:00.005-04:00

A few miles from where we are staying, over into Somerset County, is the Flight 93 Memorial. Actually this is a temporary memorial although there are plans to build a permanent one. In excess of 150,000 visitors come to the site yearly, where they can gaze over a grassy field which is enclosed by a fence. Only family members are allowed into this area.

There is an area where one can sit and contemplate what occurred here on September 11, 2001, where 33 passengers, 7 crew members and the 4 highjackers perished.

There is also a temporary fence where people can leave mementos, a collage of flowers, flags, handwritten messages, artwork, ball caps, patches….

Since this is a personal blog, I’m going to make some comments here that not everyone reading this may agree with. I feel this site should be treated with respect and reverence, and indeed it seems that that is the case as there are signs asking that no smoking, food, pets, etc be brought on site. People talked quietly, there were no kids racing around. However, for reasons I cannot fathom, motorcyclists seem to have made this a mecca. There is a constant roar of Harleys, coming and going, disturbing what should be a respectful peace. And it is my opinion that the geegaws being left for memorials are more for the notoriety of the person leaving them. What baseball caps, tee shirts, wind chimes, etc have to do with tokens of respectful remembrance is beyond me. I felt these things cheapened the site and made it quite tacky. As I said, I think these things are more for the benefit of the person leaving this junk, as these things are left on display until they become faded or worn, when they are collected by the park attendants, cleaned, catalogued and stored, awaiting to be incorporated in the permanent memorial. As of December 2007, there were over 25,000 items.

August 10, 2008 St James and Jean Bonnet

2008-08-11T21:10:00.010-04:00

This is a picture of the church we attended on Sunday, St James Episcopal Church in Bedford. Actually this is not the first time we have attended services there. About 16 or 17 years ago, we came to services and entered just as everyone was coming back from communion. Here they had never changed the sign out front to reflect he changed time of service. (We were invited back to service later in the day as they were having a blessing of the animals, which we did attend.) This time however, all was as advertised and we were able to worship and have fellowship during coffee hour.

For lunch we went to the famous Jean Bonnet Tavern, which dates from the 1760’s and has a reputation of being haunted. In its early history it was used as a court and the condemned were immediately taken outside and hung. George Washington was a visitor there. Today we opted to eat outside as it was a beautiful day, no humidity. Our waitress kindly let David explore the building and he got pictures of the tavern, dining rooms and bedrooms, as this is also a B and B.

I loved the tromp le oil painting.

Bedrooms

The innkeepers even have a colonial garden in keeping with the period of the building.

And there were chickens and goats too. Some ladies had bought goat feed at the little reconstructed log cabin, now used as a gift shop. A couple of the goats wanted nothing to do with her; I suggested it may have been because she had on a red shirt. ( How did I know! But it sounded good to me.) So she handed me her bag of sweet feed and said I should try. The goats had no qualms eating from my hand. They had such gentle muzzles and were quite sweet.

August 9, 2008 Eternity Tea Room

2008-08-09T22:06:00.012-04:00

When we travel I will often consult the website Teamap to see if there are any tearooms in the area. Fortunately I found one in nearby Everett called the Eternity Tea Room. The food was delicious, and our hostess, Debbie, was quite charming and gracious. She told how the tearoom came to be, that she had a vision that she was to open a tea room, and in this vision God showed her exactly what it should look like. The interior is a peaceful periwinkle blue, (one might wonder heavenly blue?) with blue accents throughout, giving a very peaceful atmosphere.

Here is the menu: we chose luncheon rather than tea. The hardest part was deciding what kind of tea we wanted, as this picture shows just the front page of the tea selections.

Some shots of the interior.

There were a couple of tables with ladies enjoying fellowship and tea. Here is what the one table looked like after. Just imagine this tier heaped with goodies!

A picture of our luncheon

And our plate of scones.

Debbie also has a gift shop where besides loose tea with the most delicious sounding names, there are also tea accoutrements for sale. She had the most beautiful tea cozies, I just loved them all. But I chose this one with embroidered violas on the front. A very talented lady by the name of Amy Haffling, who lives in Martinsburg PA, makes these one of a kind cozies. There is only one made of each pattern, so I’ve got this one! Isn’t it beautiful? We also bought some tea. Who could pass up teas with the names of chocolate raspberry truffle and French crème brulee?!

This picture shows the reverse side of the cozy.

August 9, 2008 Coverlet Museum

2008-08-09T21:39:00.010-04:00

There is a gem of a museum located in the town of Bedford; it is the National Museum of the American Coverlet. Note the name here: national. This is not a collection of locally woven coverlets; rather it is an expanding collection of coverlets that were made by weavers throughout the nation, such as it was, in the early to mid 19th century. The founders of the museum could have located this anywhere, but chose Bedford for its history and its location to major highways. Climate also played a factor, Bedford being more temperate than the cold of New England which would require higher heating bills; and the heat of the south which would necessitate more air conditioning. A building was found that fit the time period and was also big enough to grow along with the museum as the collection expands. Thus the museum is located in the former Common School building, dating from 1859.

Our guide told us that weaving and dying was “men’s work.” It was the job of the women to spin. The customer would supply the material: wool, cotton, and the weaver would then weave a coverlet incorporating the date, where it was woven and the name of the client. Here are some pictures we were graciously allowed to take sans flash.

This one uses the symbol of the lion which the weaver used as his “signature.”

In this one you can see the writing both forwards and backwards. This is because these were reversible coverlets, so the writing could be read on both right and obverse sides.

The museum has various looms on display. Some are old and some are new as they anticipate giving lessons in the near future. Here are some of the looms and other equipment and a work in progress.

This is the oldest coverlet in the collection, dating from 1771. It is also unique in that it is woven with cotton and linen threads, no wool.

I thought they were all beautiful, but especially loved the colors in this one.

August 8, 2008 Covered Bridges of Bedford County

2008-08-09T20:56:00.016-04:00

As you can see by the title, we are in Bedford County, PA. This area is so rich in history, playing a prominent role in the formation of our fledgling country, dating back to the French and Indian War. The first coast to coast road, the Lincoln Highway (route 30) passes through the county. But if you get off this beaten path, you discover many scenic and picturesque roads that at one time utilized covered bridges to span the many creeks and waterways. Bedford County boasts 14 of these covered bridges; some owned by the county, others located on private property that are in need of some TLC. So what could be more appropriate than a man who makes his living in the bridge industry taking a tour of these bridges?

Jackson’s Bridge and Mill

Hewitt Bridge

"Natives" we saw along the way.

Claycomb Bridge --- this one is at the entrance to Old Bedford Village

Snook’s Bridge

Bowser’s Bridge

Ryot Bridge

Cuppett’s Bridge

Colvin Bridge

Turner’s Bridge

Herline Bridge with modern supports beneath the decking.

Felton Bridge and Mill
This is a photograph of a post card. The memory card was full on the camera when we were here, so unfortunately didn’t get to take any pictures of this one ourselves.

August 3, 2008 - Blue Ridge

2008-08-09T18:11:00.020-04:00

While waiting to get our visa situation straightened out has been stormy in many ways, there nevertheless have been silver linings in the storm clouds. One of these bright moments occurred when we were able to take a run down to North Carolina to see the family. The weather, not surprising for August, was hotter than you-know-what there, so on Sunday we loaded in the van and made a trip to the mountains. A few years ago, David and I discovered a winery at Fancy Gap, VA that had the most delicious white wine we had ever tasted. Fancy Gap is located on the Blue Ridge Parkway, just over the NC/VA border. Beautiful country and many degrees cooler than the flatlands around Charlotte. Enroute to the winery is the Mabry’s Mill, with a small park dedicated to the architecture and crafts of Appalachia. Today there were members of the park service demonstrating some of the crafts these early settlers would have done: spinning and weaving, blacksmithing, quilting. There were even some musicians playing banjo and fiddle music and inviting people to do some contra dancing, which a couple of people did. Here are some pictures of the mill and a couple of videos for those of you with high speed.

In fact, this mill is such a picturesque location, Connecticut has claimed it as well! Here is a picture of the whole family: Leah, Mike, Lauren, Mandy, me, Addison, David The girls lent a hand to the bellows for the blacksmith. Then they tried quilting.
One of the park rangers showing how to spin wool. Some other pictures of the area.

Further down the road was the winery, Chateau Morrisette. (If you are ever in the area, we would recommend you pick up a bottle of their white Mountain Laurel.)

The winery is dog friendly and the girls met two black labs. My eyes however were on this handsome hound. His name is Jack. When Leah was done fussing over the labs, I said to her that Jack’s feelings were hurt as no one was making a fuss over him. So Leah replied she’d go talk to him, and they had what looked like quite a conversation. Although I’m sure Leah carried most of the conversation! Next to the winery is a restaurant where you can sit and look out over the Blue Ridge mountains ---- beautiful. And in the back was a garden where David snapped these pictures.

In the garden was a teepee, which the girls (all 4) were pestering Mike to build in their backyard. This was an enigmatic sight on a nearby hillside. Looks kind of like a heart to me.

July 27, 2008 Flowers in the Garden

2008-07-29T17:14:00.007-04:00

There is the sweetest restaurant in Elizabethtown called Flowers in the Garden. This is a play on the word flowers as that is the name of the owners, Jim and Polly Flowers and their daughter, Laura Flowers Mummau, and also because flowers play a featured role in the menu and servings. Our first time dining there was on a Friday evening, when we opted to dine out on the patio. The iced tea came with fresh mint, pansies decorated our entrees, and herbs came directly from the garden. Truly delightful!

The menu has the colorful names for the dishes. For example, one salad is called pear blossom --- bed of romaine with sliced pear, English walnuts, blue cheese and blue cheese dressing. Another is named Partridge Berry --- a bed of greens with sliced apple and pear, dried cranberries and walnuts with raspberry vinaigrette. The sandwiches too bear delightful names like Catnip (a hint, this one has tuna); black eyed Susan (contains black olives). Others just conjure the flowers for which they are named: amaryllis, carnation, delphinium, cornflower, and viola. You can even create your own “flower” (sandwich) by your choice of bread, meat, cheese, garnishes. The breads alone sound tempting just by themselves: brown sugar bread, whole grain raisin, whole grain apple, whole grain blueberry. The desserts are all homemade too, presented on a tray to make your decision all the more difficult.

David and I took the opportunity to eat dinner here twice, both times sitting at our favorite table on the corner of the patio where we could have an uninterrupted view of the gardens.

We suspect that our time in this area is waning, and we wanted to try one of the delicious sounding brunches that are offered on Saturdays and Sundays. So this past Sunday after church, we drove to Flowers in the Kitchen. There are “themes” throughout the year, and blackberries were being featured at this time. (David has had the blackberry glazed salmon and I the blackberry grilled shrimp for dinner.) So for brunch, I was wanting to try the French toast which was a cinnamon swirl bread stuffed with cream cheese and banana, topped with black raspberry jam. Sliced almonds gave the perfect touch on top for flavor and crunchiness. Ohhh, it was sooo good!

We dined inside this time as rain was threatening. Even the décor inside makes it a cozy place to eat.

The table decorations carried on the theme of blackberries as there were vases of the dried seedpods of blackberry lilies on each of the tables.

If you are ever in Elizabethtown, we highly recommend a visit to Flowers in the Kitchen --- just an absolute delight! They are open Monday through Thursday 10:30 to 3, Friday
and Saturday 10:30 to 9, and Sunday from 9 to 2. (Lunch all day, dinner from 5:00 til 8:30.)

And for the Jersey Shore folks reading this, Polly is a cousin to the Heisey’s. Small world!

July 19, 2008 Maytown Garden Tour

2008-07-29T09:44:00.020-04:00

On one of our drives about the countryside, I spotted a sign for a garden tour that was going to be held in nearby Maytown.

This is another cute little town with many old and interesting houses, which I love to see. So I wasn’t going to pass up an opportunity to peek into their gardens! These pictures don’t need a running commentary --- just enjoy. Potting sheds and water features seemed to be a recurring themes.

Peek-a-boo!

July 17, 2008 Brandywine

2008-07-28T23:33:00.012-04:00

Carolee, a friend whom I have met through the Victoria magazine forum, and I, took a day trip to the Brandywine River and Chadd’s Ford area. She is an artist in her own right, and we are both admirers of the Wyeth art, so it was quite an enjoyable day. We took a quick tour of the Brandywine museum (both of us have been there numerous times before) so spent our time looking at the featured exhibit of paintings by Alfred Munnings, a painter of equestrian art, fox hunts and the sporting scene. In the lobby there was a very interesting display of antique wooden boxes --- inlaid, painted, and plain --- used for all kinds of utilitarian purposes. There were spice boxes, knife boxes, tea caddies, small blanket chests. There was even a triangular box that we had guessed was used to hold a folded flag. But upon reading the accompanying tag we noted it was used as a case for a gentleman’s tricorn hat!

Our main purpose for going to Brandywine however was to tour N C Wyeth’s home and studio, as well as the Kuerner farm, which plays such a prominent role in many of Andrew Wyeth’s paintings. Unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to take a picture of the outside of NC’s home, which he had built for his family in the early 1900’s. It is a rather cozy looking brick house with white trim and a porch spanning the front. And while it looks rather small from the outside, it has a great room (living room), where most of the family’s activities took place. There was placed Ann’s grand piano (Andrew’s sister) with lots of room for the other four siblings to spread out. The dining room was long but narrow, was wood paneled with windows looking out on two sides. It contained the table that NC had designed himself, rather like a stretcher table with bread board ends. There were chairs at each end with benches pulled up to the sides for the children to sit on. He enjoyed eating by candlelight, so no electric lights.

The house was cozily fitted into a bank on the back side; from the front you could look down across the rolling fields to the village of Chadd’s Ford.

A little doll-sized house in the front yard.

Behind the house was NC’s studio, the entrance reached by following the walkway to the end of the building. (The house lays just beyond, down over the bank of trees.)

In the studio are many of the props used by NC --- a bust of George Washington wearing a tricorn hat, a birch bark canoe suspended from the ceiling, swords, guns, lanterns, farm implements… Most poignant to me was his paint palette left laying on the worktable. His daughter Carolyn had written on it “NC Wyeth October 19, 1945, Do Not Use.” NC was killed, along with his young grandson, at a nearby railroad crossing. The “greenhouse” looking area of the studio on the left is really the middle part of the studio. The floor of this area is actually quite a few feet below ground, giving the height needed for NC to work on many of his commissioned murals.

The third section further to the left (not seen in the picture) was built for his daughter, Carolyn to use as an art studio. Interesting to note, there was no access to this area from NC’s side; rather the entrance was on the back side by an almost hidden door.

I was really looking forward to seeing the Kuerner farm, a place that appears in Andrew’s paintings numerous times. The farmhouse was easily recognizable, a solid white three story building with front porch.

From the front porch you could look across to the hill that was also a feature in his paintings. (I won’t list them all, but anyone who is interested can go to the Wikipedia website for more information.)

Here are other views from the porch.

This is the back door and the way we entered the farmhouse and the dog house which housed the German shepherd dog that the Kuerners kept.

Inside the house we weren’t allowed to take pictures, however, if you look at the painting titled Groundhog Day, you can see what the wall paper was like in the kitchen. There was also a table set like is in the painting. And to complete this recreation, there is even a sawn jagged log as you look out the window. The house reminds me of many I have been in where the elderly couple has died and the contents and real estate is being auctioned off. In the corner of the living room is where Karl’s hospital bed was placed while he was dying of cancer. Beyond out the front window is the hill mentioned above. I enjoy Wyeth’s paintings for his art and style, and also for his unique interpretation of the ordinary. And while I enjoy looking at his art, it often leaves me with such depressed feelings.

In the barn I snapped pictures of some of the animals currently residing there. The farm and land has been given acquired by the Brandywine Conservancy, however a member of the Kuerner family still comes daily to care to the animals and tend to the farm.

The calico is named Sophie, and she has achieved fame by having her portrait done.

One of Wyeth’s more famous paintings is called spring fed. This picture nearly mirrors that painting.

If anyone would care to pursue more about Andrew Wyeth, his life, influences, etc the book Andrew Wyeth: A Secret Life by Richard Meryman is an excellent resource. I read it after this visit and so the scenes have so much more meaning to me now.

An excellent day!

Historic Lititz, PA

2008-07-17T21:20:00.024-04:00

Working in the Greater Lancaster, Pennsylvania area allows for some great opportunities to explore its history. My wife has met a friend through the Victoria Magazine web site who lives in this area and the two of them decided to get together for an afternoon tea. We drove to Lititz, Pennsylvania and while the ladies enjoyed an afternoon tea, I explored the sights of the community.

Lititz, Pennsylvania

The first things that I came across were two wooden statues. Does the name John Sutter ring a bell?

Let me give you a hint. (The shovel) This was the man who founded Sacramento in 1839. (General John Sutter of gold rush fame) Many prospectors poured over his lands in 1849. His last nine years were spent in Lititz, PA from whence the Inn got its’ name.

This is an interesting town with many old and historical buildings. This next item might be of interest. See if you can guess what it is? The answer is at the end of the blog.

This area was settled by the Moravians and some of the architecture can be accredited to them. Around the Revolutionary War, the Moravian church was used as a military hospital by orders from George Washington. As you can see, the building is relatively plain. It was used for a hospital from December 19, 1777 to August 28, 1778.

Several plaques were located here which gave some of the history.

Another of the houses of historical significance was the Moravian Gemeinhaus.

Although there are no pictures of this, this log cabin would have been close to the same period.

Another log structure is located at the other end of town.

The weather vane on this house was 1892, but the house doesn’t appear to be that old. Apparently it had a make-over.

Even the colonials enjoyed pretzels. This place was placed on the National Register of Historic Places and was the first pretzel bakery in the New World. Julius Sturgis established this in 1861.

Linden Hall is the oldest all girls resident school in the United States. It was founded by the Moravian Church in 1746.

The headmaster’s house was called Kemp Cottage.

Being an especially patriotic time of year, many houses were decorated in their red, white and blue colors. The beautiful gardens were a bonus.

Most towns have memorials to their fallen heroes and this one is no exception. I found these monuments at the end of the street and they honored the men of many wars from the Revolution to Vietnam. This is their patriotic tribute to the men who served their country.

The answer – A tree skirt.

July 10, 2008

2008-07-11T00:54:00.043-04:00

Today we celebrated our 37th wedding anniversary. To quote the poet, “it was a beauteous evening, calm and free.” There was a half moon hanging in an azure blue sky, little puffs of clouds hanging about. Mild temperatures, light winds … a beautiful evening for what we had planned. A ride in a hot air balloon! Here’s our “captain,” Lucas Hess (in the blue shirt) and his ground crew putting the power source on the basket. An inside look at the basket, laying on its side. Lucas rode in the half of the basket with the gas tanks; the rest of us divided ourselves in the remaining two quarters. All the equipment is driven to the launch site in a trailer. Here you can see one of the crew with the balloon, which is all bundled into the purple bag. The van pulls forward and the balloon is strung along behind on the ground. Large fans blow air into the balloon to straighten it out. We were the first ones to board. Here we are laying in the basket, still on its side. Actually it was easier to get in this way than to clamber over the side when it was upright. The balloon is tethered to the van lest a strong wind come up and blow it around. The gas burners are lit to produce the hot air to inflate the balloon. A million BTU’s --- hot! This picture is taken from our prone position in the basket looking back over our heads and up into the inside of the balloon. We lifted off from the Smoketown airport (Lancaster County) with 7 passengers and our pilot. Some bird’s eye views. We had some neighbors in our air space. It was so wonderfully quiet up there, except for the occasional roar of the gas burners. You could hear the clopping of the horse’s hooves on the pavement far below. As we drifted south of route 30, the scenery became more rural and we could see farm animals. (notice the blue heron in the foreground of this picture), (a close up of a rabbit in the field below us.) There were Amish going about their tasks. Lancaster County is a perfect place to take a hot air balloon ride. The fields form their own patchwork quilt. This field with its hay bales reminded me of a running sewing stitch. Our ground crew kept us in sight, chasing us across the countryside. There was a joke for this one: How many dead people are buried here? All of them. We cast a big shadow. The balloon was 216,000 cubic feet. Our highest altitude was a little over a mile high. The Strasburg Railroad steam train was making an evening run.
Some Amish farms. A cryptic spot in the field. We sailed over a quarry Just skimming this tower. The orange markers denote where the blasting caps are located for the next explosion of rock. Some waterfalls in the quarry. We came close enough to these trees that we flushed a flock of vultures that made this dead tree their home. To gain height, Lucas would ”give it some gas” Then we would quietly continue to sail on our way. Soon (we had an hour and a half ride) it was time to begin to look for a good landing spot. Hmmm, this looks like a good place…… Smooth landing! We had an audience when we landed, including this group of kids who were just in awe of the balloon. Deflation and bundling the balloon up for the next ride. A grand and memorable ride!

July 4, 2008 Part 3

2008-07-07T19:52:00.010-04:00

People were able to bring in chairs and blankets after 3:00PM, but the fireworks display didn’t start until 9:15PM. We didn’t claim our spot until later in the day and then it started to rain. Most of the time the rain was very light, but it was enough to get you wet. We were not sure if they would have the fireworks or would cancel for a rain date, but decided to stay and it was well worth the wait. See for yourself. Setting up for the fireworks, there were hundreds of tubes and wires all over the place. As you will see later, they were set to music. I especially liked this shot, because it shows how determined the people were to see the show. The fireworks at Longwood Gardens – July 4, 2008

The video is a taste of what we saw. I couldn't include the grande finale because of the file size, but it was the best fireworks display that I have ever seen.

July 4, 2008 Part 2

2008-07-07T09:37:00.022-04:00

On the fourth of July we visited Longwood Gardens at Kennett Square, PA. The gardens were beautiful and what a nice way to spend the day. The weather was overcast, but there was a nice breeze blowing which made a quite comfortable day. Our final treat for the day was their fountains and the fireworks display.The Gardens at Longwood There were some creatures at Longwood. The Italian Garden Tree Houses The Canopy Cathedral The Loft The Bird Cage And there were fountains. Excerpt from the water show. Topiary Garden Towards the end of the day the weather took a change for the worse. We needed to try and keep our spot in the viewing area and also keep it dry. Barbara had her book with her and volunteered for the task. I took this time to enter the conservatory while she was reading. Protecting our spot at the viewing area. The Conservatory Orchid Display Children always love to play in the water, so here the childrens’ garden gave them the chance. The fireworks display was really fabulous, but you will need to go to part 3 of the blog to see them. I am showing them separate to make sure I have enough bytes for the entire display.

July 4, 2008 Part 1

2008-07-06T16:04:00.026-04:00

Due to some technical difficulties, we had to come back to the United States and we are in the Lancaster / Philadelphia regions of Pennsylvania. Since we are in such a historic area at this patriotic time, we are paying a special tribute in celebration of the fourth of July.

In Philadelphia, we begin with Independence Hall. Take note of the old building against the new background.

Once inside Independence Hall we toured the courtroom. Note the area where the defendants had to stand. This area was called the “cage” which appears to make the individual look guilty before the trial even begins.

The layout for the courtroom was based on the same design as England – House of Commons on one side of the hallway and House of Lords on the other.

Note the picture above the bench. This is a copy of the King’s (King George III) Coat of Arms that once hung there. The original was taken down, dragged through the streets and burned.

The next area in the tour was where the Continental Congress met and the Declaration of Independence was signed. On the back of the chair at the presider's table, where John Hancock was seated, the is the image of a sun on the horizon. Ben Franklin mused on this as a symbol of the nascent country --- was it a rising sun, or a setting sun? At the time of the signing he concluded that indeed, the sun was rising.

After visiting Independence Hall we walked to Carpenters Hall. This building was interesting for several reasons both historical and sentimental. Barbara’s father was a carpenter and it is through the carpenters that this hall got its name. On the way to Carpenters Hall once stood a wood frame house that no longer exists. It was the site of the Fawcitt House which was destroyed by fire.

Due to so many homes being wood frame, there was a greater threat of fire in Philadelphia. The carpenters banded together here to established architectural standards, to set prices for work and to aid the members families in times of need. The land for Carpenters Hall was purchased in 1768 and construction began in 1770. The Carpenters’ Company held their first meeting here in 1771. The following includes pictures and history of the Carpenters Hall Building.

The carpenters Coat of Arms was instituted in 1724 and incorporated in 1790.

The most important events that took place in Carpenters Hall occurred in the autumn of 1774. Representatives from the twelve colonies met here collectively to address their grievances against Great Britain. The group was the first Continental Congress and they were asking that the King repeal the unjust laws and taxes that were being levied. Their main agenda was to restore “union and harmony…most ardently desired by all good men.”

A picture of the first prayer in the Continental Congress and members present. A total of 36 members were listed in the picture. 1 – Cesar Rodney, DE 2 – Edward Rutledge, SC 3 – T. Cushing, MA 4 – Ephilet Dyer, CT 5 – Samuel Adams, MA 6 – John Adams, MA 7 – Patrick Henry, VA 8 – John Rutledge, SC 9 – George Washington, VA 10 – Peyton Randolph, VA 11 – Col. N. Folsom, NH 12 – Robert Treat Paine, MA 13 – George Read, DE 14 – Silas Dean, CT 15 – Richard Smith, NJ 16 – Philip Livingston, NY 17 – Thomas Lynch, SC 18 – Stephen Hopkins, RI 19 – John Dehart, NJ 20 – William Livingston, NJ 21 – Thomas McKean, DE 22 – Roger Sherman, CT 23 – William Paca MD 24 – Rev. Mr. Duche, PA 25 – Samuel Rhodes, PA 26 – Col. William Floyd, NY 27 – Stephen Crane, NJ 28 – Samuel Chase, MD 29 – John Morton, PA 30 – Thomas Mifflin, PA 31 – Charles Thomson, VA 32 – Rich. Henry Lee, VA 33 – John Jay, NY 34 – Isaac Low, NY 35 – Benjamin Harrison, VA 36 – Samuel Ward, RI.

Here are some of the other sites we saw in Philadelphia.
The gravesite of Ben Franklin and his wife, Deborah.

The Betsy Ross House

Washington Square and its monuments.

We also observed training of the young troops.

We had a nice day and went to the City Tavern for lunch. Our waitress was wearing her colonial dress which was apporpriate to the surroundings. The food, drink and atmosphere were really good; no wonder this was one of our founding fathers favorite spots.

June 8, 2008 Caorle

2008-06-18T01:53:00.010-04:00

Some of the fellows at Cimolai told David about a town we should visit that had its own leaning tower, a church where a miracle occurred, and interesting carved stones. It is only about an hour from Pordenone, so we thought that would make a nice Sunday excursion. Caorle is located along the coast of the Adriatic Sea, somewhat of a resort town, with summer condos, and marinas with all kinds of boats, both fishing and pleasure craft. But juxtaposition between all this moderninity was what we came to see --- the leaning tower of Caorle. There was no sign to explain its tilt, although my guess would be the construction of the structure itself; for it is comprised of both brick and stone but laid as though it was a repair, not part of the original tower. But who knows?

There is a causeway built that borders the sea where you can either walk atop , or down along the stone barrier. If you walk on the lower level, you are afforded a better view of the carved rocks. These are not old, but rather an art/cultural project dating from just a few years ago. Nevertheless, the designs are all unique.

At the end of the causeway is a church where a miracle occurred. Centuries ago, there were fishermen, who because of a storm could not make landfall. They looked toward shore and saw a vision of the Virgin Mary with baby Jesus in her arms. They attempted to make toward the vision where the townsfolk awaited them to help them land their boat. The storm proved to be too much and the townsfolk had to abandon the rescue. However, the children all banded together and miraculously were able to get the fisherman to shore. Another miracle that occurred concerning this church was that it was the refuge of some townspeople during another storm. The water rose all around the church but did not enter, keeping everyone safe and dry.

Here are some pictures of the outside of the church and accompanying tower that is now used as a lighthouse.

Here is a view of the sea. I so wish again that all the shades of blue could be shown on the computer as it appear to my eyes!

We managed to get inside pictures of the church this time. There was no sign saying you couldn’t, and David was able to sit in the pew and using the view screen on the camera take pictures of the beautifully paintings on the ceiling.

Here is a photo of the main painting in the middle of the ceiling. It shows the vision of Mary that the fishermen saw and the children who assisted them.

And here is a photo of the altar with a recreation of the figure of Mary that the fishermen saw. The first effigy wore out, so this is the second one. Every five years it is taken off the altar and brought out to the sea, during which there is quite a religious festival.

On the other side of the church is this little park. And on the other side of the wall that you see in the background is a sandy beach, which on this day had swimmers, sunbathers and beach strollers. A lovely way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

June 7, 2008 Verona

2008-06-16T01:52:00.049-04:00

Rather than “two gentlemen in fair Verona”, we were two Pennsylvanians by way of Pordenone in Verona. And while Verona is certainly a fair city, the weather on this day ran a bit afoul in the afternoon. However, for the first part of our journey, the sun was shining and the threat of rain clouds were not near enough to warrant lugging an umbrella around with us. (And there may have been the reason for rain --- if we carry an umbrella, it doesn’t rain; if we don’t, it does.)

Verona has elements that span centuries --- from the Roman arena , middle age buildings and architecture, and of course modern structures. The latter I find jars the eye when I want to only see “olde.”

Verona is somewhat of a “walled” city, part of the remnants you can see from where we parked our car. There is the remains of a stone wall, behind which is a huge earthen wall that is now used as a park area.

There are numerous squares of little parks. This one we passed was cool gathering spot for people to sit or await the bus.

Ahead were the “gates” of the old part of the city

Which when you passed through, on the right was the municipal building

the site this day of numerous weddings.

We saw at least two brides come out. In Italy a legal government ceremony has to take place first. For religious purposes this can be followed by a church wedding.

In front of the municipal building was Piazza Bra, a nice oasis with a fountain surrounded by shops on one side and the Roman arena on another. We ran into a few “characters” outside the arena.

Notice in the latter picture, where the lady has removed her hat and mask, there is a golden Egyptian “statue.” As you can probably tell, it was a hot day, so being in these costumes must have been brutal. In fact I spotted the Egyptian latter, standing in another part of town. This time in the shade of a building. I hope this character had a fan under that outfit!

The arena has been the site of the Verona summer opera season since 1913. The first production, Aida, is set for next weekend. Here are some shots of the arena and workers preparing the stage.

Some views of the town from atop the arena.

Here are a couple of pictures of Aida we took from a display inside the arena. Every few years whoever is directing it, wants to make it different, to make his own mark, so to speak. For a few years they did a “blue” Aida with minimal scenery. (I prefer the more traditional.)

A look inside the arena.

Driving in these old towns can be a nightmare with the narrow streets. And parking is nigh to impossible sometimes, so we opted to take a bus tour of the city. We chose to sit on the top of a double decked bus for the best views, but when it started to rain --- we got wet!

The bus took us up on a hill overlooking the city, which to me, made the whole tour worthwhile, because we’d never have known to drive there ourselves. You can tell from the high, muddy river that there had been a bad storm “upriver.”

A funny thing happened on our bus tour, which we don’t have a picture of as David was a participant. This was the “maiden voyage” for this tour and assumedly they had navigated the streets with the bus before on a trial run. However, you can never predict how other cars will be parked, and when we encountered two on opposite sides of the street, parked too far into the street, we came to an impasse. Of course the owners were no where to be found, so what to do? There weren’t enough able or willing men to lift the cars, so they “bounced” them closer to the curb!

Since we were already quite damp, we opted to disembark at the next-to-last stop and walk to Juliet’s house. Along the way we encountered this archeological dig in the middle of the street.

Juliet’s house has become a mecca for all kinds of visitors, especially the young, who for some reason feel the need to leave their own mark. This archway located in the wall along the sidewalk leads you to a small courtyard where you can see the famous balcony. On the outside of the archway, on the walls on either side into the archway, there is so much graffiti that words are layered on top of another.

Standing inside this small courtyard, you are surrounded by walls.

The famous balcony, on the second floor.

the third floor

Some details that caught my eye. Notice more graffiti on the one.

We walked back to the car and enjoyed a flask of tea and cookies we had packed, and then drove to Giardia Giusti, which is located in town, but nicely tucked behind a building. You enter through the open doorway, which you can see in the picture. Notice the street right outside the door and the closeness of the building across the street.

But once you enter through that portal, paradiso: quiet, birdsong, burbling fountains. Here are some of the details of the courtyard.

Even some of the soffits are decorated.

The rear “wall” of the courtyard.

The garden stretches behind the courtyard, climbs the terraced hillside and is even “carved” into the rocky hillside. This is the view straight ahead as you enter the garden.

On either side of this main path, there are parterre gardens, a fountain AND a maze! I know there are a lot of pictures here, so if you aren’t into gardens, just skip ahead. But I thought every vista was beautiful.

On the way up the hill, there were ruins

and caves complete with stalactites.

We climbed this tower for a view below.

Coming back down we walked under this lovely arbor

along this wall

meeting some fellows along the way.

Isn’t this a magnificent specimen of a tree?

Some flora

I love this picture of the garden, which to me is the essence of a formal Italian garden: cypress trees, parterres, statuary and potted lemon trees.

June 2, 2008 A Taste of Venice

2008-06-06T10:57:00.022-04:00

Today was a holiday for Italy, Republic Day, so David had the day off. We decided to go to Venice today with our Italian friend Deb, who acted as our own personal guide. Knowing that Venice was going to be crowded and hot, we opted not to shop, see museums, etc, but rather get a taste of the city this first visit. So that is what today’s blog is --- a taste of Venice.

We tool the train form Pordenone into the St Lucia Station in Venice, and when we arrived guess what was there?! The Venice-Simplon Orient Express train! THIS is how train travel should be --- wood paneling, velvet cushions, silks, private compartments, waiters in tuxedos, live music. (In fact Deb’s partner, Maurizio, used to play piano on the Orient Express.) I would love to take a trip on this train, but I’m afraid that possibility is way out of reach of our pocketbook. David got to snap a few quick photos before the OE pulled out of the station as we were disembarking.

I’m not going to describe in detail what each of these pictures are --- it’s Venice, with canals, very narrow streets, old buildings, churches. People travel by foot or via boat to get around. And yes, some of the gondoliers do sing O Solo Mio.

These are the pictures from the famous Saint Mark’s Square. The symbol of Saint Mark, and thus Venice, is the lion, so you see this emblem all over. (They are doing restoration work on the cathedral, thus the scaffolding that you see in some of the pictures.) Of course there is the traditional bell tower too that is in every Italian city.

This is the clock in the Square, atop of which is a bell that two “men” strike on the hour.

Other buildings in the Square

Saint George is slaying his dragon

A bridge to cross a “street” of water.

It was a hot day and even the pigeons were grateful for this water fountain.

There are shops that sell all kinds of things for the tourists. Murano glass, Burano lace, cameos, masks and costumes for Carnival.

Pigeons have become a big problem in St Mark’s Square --- you know the kind of damage they can do. There is a movement to try and rid the Square of them; but really, what would Saint Mark’s Square be without them? Some people even “pose” with them.

This is the famous Rialto Bridge

And here is the Bridge of Sighs. This is where convicts were sentenced for their crimes in the building on the left, crossed the bridge to the building on the right to meet their fate --- imprisonment or death. The sighs would come from the prisoners as they peeked through the small openings for their last look on the world, or their families and loved ones who may be watching them cross.

As you stand along the water, you can gaze across to some of the islands in the lagoon.

While walking back to the train we stopped to buy a drink, and while sitting outside I could hear this beautiful birdsong. It sounded like a canary, and when I looked up, there was the soloist singing away on the balcony above us. After this I started spotting other canaries “hanging” around. They’d be an easy animal to keep in Venice, unlike a dog. For them there are no parks or green places for doggies to “go.”

May 31, 2008 Town of Conigliano

2008-06-06T10:33:00.010-04:00

After the wedding Deb, David and I drove to the old town of Conigliano. We parked near a winery for whose founder the street was named. This statue was in front of the building.

I liked this house.

You entered through this portico into the old part of town. On one side was a fresco showing the Venetian Lion (Saint Mark) and the other side had a carving of him.

Many of the building had frescoes painted on them as well as under the portico. Also notice the Turkish influence on the buildings with the arched windows.

There were different churches scattered about offering quiet and respite on a hot day, and we visited two of them.

There was a school of the arts located in town.

Neptune and the canal were also refreshing water features.

May 31, 2008 Wedding

2008-06-03T06:39:00.009-04:00

We went to another wedding today and this time we didn’t crash it, even though we didn’t know the bride and groom. We had been invited by Deb who was a friend of the bride’s mother. Plus Maurizio was providing the organ music. The wedding was held in a little medieval church in Cordenons. It seems that at an Italian wedding the bride arrives at the church and there are people outside to greet her and applaud as she emerges from the car. Others who want to snag the good seats are inside seated. Before the ceremony begins everyone scurries in, the wedding march begins and the bride is escorted up the isle. Rather than stand through the ceremony, the bride and groom sit. The bride and groom emerge from the church to be greeted by rice and confetti. People offer their best wishes and they drive off in this case in a 1960 Jaguar. Here are pictures of the church and bell tower. The inside of the church had walls that had been frescoed, however some of them were in pretty bad shape. Some mosaics were found when the church was partially restored in 1965. Pieces of the mosaics are framed and on the wall; and a plexa-glass floor was put in place so you could see the original foundation. Here is a picture of Maurisio and the priest with Saint Peter looking on. Since this is such a small church, there is no organ, but Maurisio has a keyboard that sounds like a pipe organ. Bach sounded beautiful!

May 30, 2008 Bunnies and Beagles

2008-06-03T06:29:00.005-04:00

I know this sounds silly but there are two European animals that I absolutely am thrilled about: hares and hedgehogs. The other night while visiting our friend, Deb told us that there were hares living in the field beside her house. It was dark so we never expected to see one, but our headlights managed to pick one up as it hopped from the road into the field. So knowing indeed that there were hares about I started to watch for them in the fields as we would pass. I was so excited to discover two hares munching away in a field. I couldn’t help but take all these pictures. Note the dark tips on their ears and their size. These things are huge compared to our rabbits, probably half again as big. Now all I need to do is find a hedgehog.

People are always walking their dogs and being dogless at the moment I’m always watching them. Mongrels seem to be the breed of choice over here, but you do run across the occasional Yorkshire terrier, labs, retrievers, etc. But my heart always leaps when I see a beagle and when we saw this one having coffee with its owner

my feet took me across the street where I had a nice conversation (with the owner) and got a chance to pet the beagle. A handsome hound, isn’t she,

but not a beautiful as our Muffin!

May 25, 2008_Back to the Brenta

2008-05-26T08:30:00.017-04:00

In previous posts you will see that we often go to the Brenta River area at Dolo, Stra, etc because there are many villas there of all types that were built by the prosperous Venetians in prior centuries. There were still more villas to be seen, plus today was the day that Dolo hosted the outdoor antique market. We saw these two boats of “gondoliers” punting on the river.

The red team

And the blue team

We saw two villas today. The first was Villa Widmann Rezzonico Foscari.

The exterior was similar to some of the other smaller villas we have seen; however, the interior was quite more ornate.

A picture of the front yard

The back of the villa

The building located beside the villa and the back yard

Along with a resident peacock

And a turtle who was sunning himself on the stream beside the yard

The other villa we visited was called Barchetta. This is actually what is left of a more vast estate. The main villa was torn down in the last century because the family could not afford to pay the taxes on it. There were a pair of barchettas, or guest houses, flanking the main villa, and this is the only remaining one. They are called barchettas because the family boats, or barges, would be stored under the large porches.

The front of Barchetta

And peeking through one of the front doors

Pictures of the front yard

The side yard

The roses

Rear of the villa

Back door

May 24, 2008_Castles

2008-05-26T08:16:00.007-04:00

After leaving Sesto Reghena, we looked on the map and saw some more castle icons on the map that were in the general area. You never know whether these castles are just ruins or if they are a complete building. The first castle was a ruin, however, there was a viable church within its wall and a restaurant. Here is a picture taken part way down the castle hill showing part of this lower wall section. It is now being used as a walkway for people living in that area.

Here is a “map” that shows how the castle and other buildings were laid out.

And these are the remains of the ruins and current buildings and walls.

Another castle was Castello di Villalta. It was private and we could only gaze at it through the gates and from afar when we were on the back road behind it.