Emma

Here's our granddaughter, Emma, age 6.

Emma is a little gridders cheerleader this
year in Maryland.

Isn't she cute??

Camping with the Bekkers July 2008

July 25-Aug 2, 2008

Bill and I camped at Evangola State Park on Lake Erie in New York for a few days in mid July. It is located about 40 miles south of Buffalo.

We took a short hike down the bluff and enjoyed an afternoon by the water. Here is Bill and Ceilidh. Ceilidh doesn't much like the water, though!

One afternoon we took a bike ride and found this covered bridge on one of the walking/biking trails.

This was the best sunset picture we could get. As you can see the lake was rough with a storm coming in.

We drove over to Letchworth on Monday, July 28, to meet up with our friends, the Bekkers, from Ontario, Canada. It is such a beautiful park. It is 17 miles long and follows the Genesee River along beautiful gorges and waterfalls. It's difficult to determine whether you are going upstream or downstream. You see, the Genesee starts in northern Pennsylvania and flows north through New York, finally ending in Lake Ontario. So, is upstream south towards Pennsylvania?

You never know who you will find camping these days. These folks pulled in across from us one evening. They had been to a Ford Model A get together in Richmond, Indiana. They traveled all back roads, going 35 miles an hour. It took them 5 days for the trip out. They were well organized, getting their tents set up and settling in for the night. One couple even had their dogs with them. They were on day 4 of their trip home.



One thing we do well on our camping trips is eat good meals!

This evening we had a tossed salad, salmon, potatoes baked with onions over the campfire, a zucchini, tomato, onion casserole, and wine. Not sure if this was the night we had strawberry shortcake, but we did have that one night.

Bill, Gerard, and Nellie.



Barb and Ceilidh sitting on a (walking) bridge over the Genesee River looking south (uptream?) towards Pennsylvania. We had to walk up a gazillion steps to get back up to the parking lot. While out riding around today and sightseeing, we spied some rafters on the river. Looked like fun, so we asked a few questions and ----

The next day WE were on the river. It was great fun even though we were "on the rocks" several times. There were about 20 rafts in our group. We had a ball!!

There's Gerard in the rear doing the steering. Maybe that's why

we were on the rocks........ just kidding!!

Nellie was in the middle and Bill and I in front. Will definately have to do this again.

Break time. The overlook where we spied the rafters yesterday is at the top of this cliff. Now we are the ones in the river.

We spent the weekend of Aug 1-3 back at Evangola. Here's another sunset.

Saturday we were sitting around the campfire and were able to see the Space Station go overhead. We always see satelites, but this is the first time for the Space Station.


Good trip, good food, good friends....

Meadville, PA in June

If you are lucky enough to be in Meadville, PA in late May and early June, you won't want to miss the annual riot of color known as rhododendren season.

Greendale' Cemetery's rhododendron collection, which got its formal start back in 1875, was named one of the Cultural Landscape Foundatin's "Hero's of Horticulture" in 2007.

Entered through an elaborate gate at the top of Randolph Street, the non-profit, public cemetery known as Greendale was created as --and remains to this day -- both a public park and a burial ground.

The final resting place for more than 21,000 individuals, the park-like grounds cover more than 200 acres and has more than 1,000 bushes ready to spring into bloom in late May.

If you get off the main roads and on the back dirt roads you will find the most beautiful bushes, many 25-30 feet wide and 25-30 feet high. Also on the grounds are beautiful hiking trails winding through a massive ravine on the property. There's virgin timber, the trails are maintained, and the ravine is amazing.

Jim Vogan, superintendent since 1981, encouraged visitors to stop at the main office, open dawn to dusk, and get a map. He will tell you how to get on the trail and where it will take you.

He also has an offer that's hard to refuse: he will give you a personal tour. You can get a lot of history in an hour. The tours, by the way, are free.

Also in June, on Father's Day weekend is the annual Thurston Classic Hot Air Balloon Event which draws between 30,000 and 35,000 visitors.

This year 30 balloonist were present from Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois and South Carolina.

Thursday evening is the annual "Night Glow"> eight pilots and their balloons participated this year. The pilots use special burners called glow burners that produce a bright flame showing off the design of their balloon.

The balloons actually lift off early mornings and early evening. The skies over Meadville are filled with color for these few days.

Beginning to inflate Sunny Boy, which takes about an hour.

The 2008 Thurston Classic features an unusually shaped balloon - "Sunny Boy", a sun-shaped floater that is piloted by balloonmeister Bob Zanella,(77) a retired pharmacist from Ohio. He holds many awards and his most memorable moment was flying a 400,000 cu.ft. balloon in Kenya, West Africa. He has logged over 4000 hours in the air.

"Sunny Boy"

Shawnee State Park, PA May 5-8 2009

SPRING VACATION, PART 3, 2008

We left Point Lookout State Park on Monday and headed back to Pennsylvania. We stayed our last few days of vacation at Shawnee State Park near Bedford in south central PA. Shawnee is a very nice park but too hill for biking, at least for me! There is a large lake and lots of trails so I can still get some exercise.

We have a beautiful site but it's back to "Emma's Rules of the RV." No water hookup. Only one night was there another RV in our "loop", otherwise we had it to ourselves.

This view of the lake was taken on a 3.4 mile hike on the "Shore Trail". We were standing on the dam and looking west across the lake.

Another picture across the lake. The buildings were an original farmstead before dam was built for flood control, but now are headquarters for the Park Staff.

The original owner was instrumental for building the "Tower of Learning" at the University of Pittsburgh.

Another of my loves, covered bridges. Bedford County has 14 bridges on it's covered bridge tour. Few places in the U.S. have bridges in more picturesque settings than Bedford County.

This, the Herline Bridge, is the longest at 136 feet and is a Burr Truss Bridge, built in 1906.

Turner's Bridge, also a Burr Truss Bridge with low side panels and open sides is 89 feet long.

The Colvin Bridge, often called the Shiller Bridge for the doctor who owned it, is a multiple kingpost bridge, one of only two in Bedford County. It was built around 1866 and crosses Shawnee Creek.

"The Coffee Pot" was built as an attention getting restaurant in the 1930 to lure in customers by a gas station owner. (Just outside Bedford, PA)







Parked beside this cow on the way home at one of the rest areas on the PA Turnpike. Couldn't resist a picture of it beside our RV.

Back home Thursday, May 8. Still waiting for the house to sell......

Point Lookout State Park Maryland Ap 28-May 5 '08

SPRING VACATION, PART 2, 2008

We left Patapsco Valley State Park on Tuesday, April 28, and headed southeast to Point Lookout State Park on the confluence of the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay. It is a great park for biking but the mosquitoes are bad being surrounded by water on 3 sides of the park. They spray 3 times a week and that does help some.
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"What are we going to do today?" "Whoa, I thought we were doing it!" Bill relaxing.

Notice the close proximity of the trees. At either side of the rear of the RV were trees with only about 12" to spare before the slides opened. At the front was another tree with just a few inches to spare in order to open the awning. Nice job parking, Bill!!

Beth and Emma joined us on Friday and stayed the weekend. Beth was able to leave Donavin with daddy and have a bit of vacation herself! Emma loves to camp and was excited to be with us again.

On the way down, Emma, having stayed in the RV last weekend, felt the need to tell her mother the "Rules of the RV". 1. You can't let the water run when you brush your teeth. (We had to use holding tanks last weekend). 2. You don't put paper in the toilet.

3. When you flush the toilet, don't let the water run too long. This week we had full hookup, so the water conservation "rules" were off! From now on, whenever we don't have full hookup we will revert to "Emma's Rules of the RV!!"

Emma on the beach. It was here that she was poking something with her finger and said "What's this? It's like jello." What else but a jelly fish! And this is the child that freaks out at the sight of a bug!




Playing on the beach of the Potomac River. The water was a little too cold for swimming.

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Emma at the entrance to Fort Lincoln, an earthen wall Civil War Fort with reconstructed barracks, located along the shoreline of the Potomac River

Beth, Emma, and Bill at Fort Lincoln.



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The Point Lookout Lighthouse is located at the confluence of the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay at land's end now situated within Point Lookout State Park. The first lighthouse at this location was constructed in 1830. During the Civil War there was a Union hospital located outside the lighthouse. A Union prisoner of war camp was also located just north of the lighthouse. See www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/southern/pointlookout.html for more information about the park.


One of the more controversial issues surrounding the lighthouse is the question "Is it haunted?" Visit http://www.ptlookoutlighthouse.com/ and decide for yourself. We were fortunate that the lighthouse was open for visitors this weekend and we were able tour it and also talk to the last woman that lived in the house from 1979 to 1981. She had pictures of "spirits" and many tales to tell of her experiences while living in the lighthouse. I'm a believer!! Another site to view pictures is http://www.pllps.org/

Barb, Emma, and Bill at the top of the light.







Sunset on the Potomac.

Bill and I took a ride to the Piney Point Lighthouse (Can you tell I LIKE lighthouses?) This lighthouse was known as the "Lighthouse of the Presidents" and is only a half century younger than the United States, being built in 1836. Presidents and other notables spent their summers at Piney Point beginning with President James Monroe.

It is located on the Potomac River 14 miles upstream from it's mouth at the Chesapeake Bay.

View from the top of the light


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Built in 1836 for a cost of $3,888, this unique brick tower was in operation until 1964 when it was retired by the U.S. Coast Guard.

Bill sitting on the dock at Piney Point. Notice the oil tanker in the background unloading oil. There is a large storage area near here.

At the right of the lighthouse is the lightkeepers dwelling that was built along with the tower in 1836. Originally a one story building, a second story was added in 1884 along with a porch and new windows.