Concerts in Park

When you see such sights as this tower, it is hard to believe how close we live to the huge influx of summer visitors. It is estimated that upwards of 190,000 people visited area beaches last weekend. That is not hard to imagine when trying to get to a beach. But, it is very hard to imagine when one spends the weekend in Milton. Saturday we attended the Horseshoe Crab Festival here in Milton and found parking spaces and very comfortable crowds of people. We even found an old stand like I have been looking for weeks.

Anyway, part of the festival was an evening concert (Lisa Scott & Melting Pot -- jazz, R&B). This was the first in a series of summer concerts. Most concerts are held on Wednesday evenings. Last night we attended our second summer concert and our first Wednesday evening one. What a pleasant evening!! We even took Bentley for his first park outing. He loved it, especially all of the other puppies who had also come for the evening.

The concerts are held at Milton Memorial Park. It is small park along the water and in the center of town. The library, City Hall, the fire hall and several businesses are just steps away. There is a small bandstand in the center of the park and a working narrow gauge train called the Milton's Clipper Express runs during the concerts. This is run by the Milton's Lions Club . We have become members of this club and enjoy the train experience ourselves.

Here is the the train leaving its little station. On Saturday the train ran most of the day and during the concert. It is amazing but 710 folks, boys and girls of all ages and their pets, rode the train at 25 cents a pop.

Yes, last night Bill and Bentley rode the train. They both enjoyed it. I am sure that it would take the "jaws of life" to get me off once I got on.

After the train ride we took a liesurely stroll around the park stopping first to listen a little closer to the U.S. Navy Cruisers (classic rock -- more easy listening if you ask me) perform. They were very good.

From where we were standing listening to the music we turned and could see (this view)across the water the bank, City Hall and fire station.

The park is the Milton Memorial Park and their are several places throughout the park with little memorial plagues and dedicated areas. This is the largest marker and tells of the holly industry that burgeoned in the early 20th Century.

This plague was next the one in the previous picture. It is dedicated to Charles G. Jones, SR -- The Holly Wreath Man. The tree that the plaques are in front of is a beautiful holly tree (bush). The State Tree of Delaware is the American Holly. I am hoping to take a holly wreath making class this fall.

Here are few more views of the Broadkill we enjoyed as we continued our stroll through the park and listened to the music.

Some quick sounds of U.S. Navy Cruisers

Geoff

Yesterday was my son-in-law's birthday. It's not that I forgot, it's just that I have trouble remembering the days right for those whose birthdays fall on either the 25th or 27th of a month. Anyway, Geoff turned 31 yesterday. What a great guy he is.

My first extended time with Geoff was on Columbus Day 1999. We had all just returned to the DC area after attending a wedding on Cape Cod. Geoff had the day off and his duty was to haul me around to various places. I had never visited Mount Vernon and so off we went. I was so impressed with his knowledge of Washington and his thoughtful understanding of the impact early and current leaders on our history. He is a political beast to whom we turn to get perspective on current situations. He is also kind and caring guy with an excellent sense of humor. He is a good person.

Geoff and Erica met while students at Johns Hopkins. They married in 2004. This picture was taken on their wedding day. What a beautiful day that was!!

Happy Birthday Geoff!! We love you.

Memorial Day

This is Memorial Day weekend filled with the official beginning of summer activities. Yes, and it the time set aside to honor those who have served the country and have since parted.

When I was young my parents and grandparents called Memorial Day Decoration Day. That was the day that we would all go to the cemetery and decorate the graves or memorials of loved ones passed especially the veterans. Some have faithfully carried on these traditions. Others like me have forgotten how important those few minutes can be. The least I can do is pause in silence and remember and say a prayer for the safe return of all of those serving.

Visit to Lancaster County

Friday we decided to go to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania for the day on Saturday. I spent a bit of time checking out some web sites and made a little itinerary for the day. This would be our third trip to area since we married. The first trip was 29 years ago when we attended a convention held at Hershey Park. The second was a quick road trip up from Baltimore when Erica graduated from Hopkins. The area is beautiful and we wanted to make the most of the day.

The hardest part of getting there from here is trying to keep on the right road in Delaware. For some reason the road signs do not always say where you are or indicate where you are going. They only say which route you are on or headed to. A good map with all of the routes is an essential when travelling around here. That way when it is obvious that a turn was missed then it is possible to work ones way back to where one needs to be without ending up in New Jersey when it is actually Maryland where you want to be. With maps and pre-planned routes in hand we headed off for an excellent day.

Bentley went along for the trip. The weather was very comfortable so we didn't worry about him getting too hot in the car. This is a blurry photo of him in the back checking out where we had been.

This is the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal Bridge just out side of Wilmington. I really like the design. I find this to be a very attractive bridge and take fond gazes every time we cross it.

A trip to this area of Pennsylvania is always special because the farms are so beautiful.

We had not been in Pennsylvania too long when we saw this man and horse in a parking lot patiently waiting for his wife who was coming out of the Bank of Wachovia.

Here is but another of the beautiful farms we passed before we made our first stop.

Our first stop was at the Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society. This was a very interesting place to stop. There were historical items dating back a couple hundred years. The amazing thing was to see how even in our technical, automobile and Mcmansion society how so much of what was the Amish and Mennonite life is still so today.

This is a picture of hat worn by a woman for her wedding. The dress was made from the same fabric. They were lovely.

This is a story quilt that hangs in the museum. It well over 100 years old and is beautiful -- the fabric is in excellent condition and the colors are not faded. There were other pieces of handwork there including beautiful samplers. Lighting conditions being what they were it was hard getting a clear picture of them. You will just have to take my word that they were beautiful. We would see other quilts later in the day at the People's Place Quilt Museum.

Here are just some of the farm tools that we displayed in the museum. Some of the tools are still used today.

After the museum we headed to Bird-in-Hand where we visited the Bird-in-Hand Farmers Market. We purchased pastrami, rare roast beef, kaiser rolls and meat loaf from S. Clyde Weaver Quality Meets and Cheeses; fudge from Lennon's Fudge; Bill got some Shoofly pie from the Good 'N Plenty Bakery; two delicious mustards from Kitchen Kettle Village; and some gorgeous tomatoes from Keagy's Quality Fruits and Vegetables.

After visiting the farmers market we proceeded to our next stop. On the way we saw several men working the fields with teams of horses. One of the most interesting sights we saw during the day was on this leg of the trip. There was a man working the field near his house with his team of horses and at the same time in the front of the house a woman was mowing the lawn. The lawn mower was being pulled by a pony. We passed by so rapidly that I could not get a picture. But, it was a wonderful sight.

Saturday must be laundry day for many families as we saw numerous clothes lines with clothes blowing in the breeze. This clothes line was at our next stop, Glicks' Foods and Crafts. We did not purchase anything here but spent several minutes looking at the various quilts, furniture and other finely crafted items. It was at this stop that we saw a couple piles of the most beautiful compost you can imagine. I suppose that is one of the reasons that the gardens in the area a so beautiful.

From Glick's we went to a store called Zimmerman Marketplace. We bought some phony fruit there. And, then we headed to farm stand called Olde Heritage Rootbeer where we picked up a half gallon of homemade rootbeer. We haven't tried it yet but will do so soon. From there we went into the village of Intercourse and visited the People's Place Qult Museum, a small art gallery and a pottery shop. The afternoon was wearing on and we realized that we had not had lunch. It was closer to dinner time than lunch time. So we decided to call it day and find a place to eat as we headed back to Delaware.

Here is yet another farm and clothes line we saw as we searched for a place to eat. We stopped to eat at a family restaurant. It was called Stoltzfus Farm Restaurant. The restaurant is located in what was the old family home of the business founder. The meal is family style and you pay when you arrive. The meal included rolls, apple butter, two relish plates, chicken, sausage, ham loaf, green beans, corns, mashed potatoes and gravy and desert. Needless to say, we were not hungry when we left and we had spent about $32 for our meal.

I don't think I can ever get tired of scenes such as this. Sure we were starting to be in a hurry to head home but the quiet more peaceful life held us back. And that was good.

We will return for another day.

Fine Lady Celebrates Birthday!

If today is May 21 then today is Cindy's birthday. I have known Cindy since August of 1996. She is a key to the smooth operations of the Spokane SBDC. More than that, Cindy was my right arm for the time I spent there. She made sure that that my every need was met. It would have been difficult for me to succeed without her assistance at almost every turn. Cindy became a dear friend and I miss seeing her everyday.

Cindy is a devoted wife and mother. She always is putting the needs of others ahead of hers. She is very intelligent and articulate. She loves water and everything asssociated with it -- fish, sailing, SCUBA, cool breezes, warm breezes, and the like. She seems to be happiest when she is by or in the water.

So, dear, instead of flowers or a lunch, I am sending you an ocean of wishes for a very happy day for now and for always.

A Few Days Away

Mother's Day weekend was a busy one. We drove over to Washington, D. C. on Saturday and went with Geoff and Erica and Geoff's family on what was to be a tour of a couple of the EU Embassies. The event was so popular that we could not get into the Danish Embassy until later than we could stay. We then went to the French Embassy where we had an excellent lunch. It was a very warm day but it was enjoyable seeing parts of Washington we had not seen before. It really is a beautiful city. Sure there are real trouble spots and falling down areas but it seems to be improving in those areas also. Still, it is a wonderful place to visit.

Saturday night we went to a concert by the band that Erica plays in. This was the second concert we have attended of DCDD's Capitol Pride Symphonic Band. It is a great band and was an enjoyable evening. When Erica first started playing with this band we asked her why? She told us because she didn't have to audition and they played awesome music.

Erica and Geoff took us to brunch on Mother's Day. We went to the Mansion on O. What an eclectic place!! What excellent food!! This is the place where E & G got married three years ago now. It is such and adventure going to the O. All in all, a great day.

We headed home Sunday afternoon and Monday we took the Cape May -- Lewes Ferry to Cape May, New Jersey. We spent the next two days in Avalon, New Jersey with our dear friends Dave and Robin and Dave's brother Dan and his wife Pam. We stayed in a house right at the beach and enjoyed the down time immensely. You caught that I said beach somewhere in this paragraph? Yes, Bill was in 7th Heaven. He went on several walks and collected shells we didn't need.

We took the ferry back home yesterday and now are settling in for our next period of "not much going on."

Here are some pictures we took of the trip to New Jersey. I did not get any embassy or other DC shots (just a couple of Bill and Hillary's house).

Delaware Breakwater Light from Harbor Side

Ferry Coming In from New Jersey

A View of the Beach from the Deck

Sunrise at the Beach

I've Been Tagged

My friend Terry who "never" engages in such frivolity tagged me with this meme. The rules are to list seven random facts/habits about yourself and list and tag seven other bloggers. More on the others a bit later. Here in no particular order are seven random facts/habits about me:

1. Like Terry (I did not know this before), I do not like watermelon or mayonnaise -- never have, never will.
2. I am not an artist but I am a pretty fair seamstress and crafter of some things. My daughter and some of my friends refer to me as "Martha Stewart" when it comes to gift wrapping and some project creations. I made the chuppa for my daughter's wedding and since then have shied away from such projects but am getting the itch once again. I have been know to knit, embroider, take a few pictures, etc.
3. We have lived in six states in the last 31 years.
4. Passion long ago made me realize that I could not be successful in politics. It is difficult for me to compromise on many issues.
5. Patience has not always been a virtue for me but I found great patience in working with small businesses. I was a business advisor/counselor most of my working years.
6. My spouse, Bill, loves the ocean but I love the mountains. To me there is nothing quite like walking through the morning dew and hearing the larks sing.
7. I was a successful high school debater.

Here's where things get a little tricky. Since I am a fairly low key blogger, I have not reached very far into cyber world. I do not have seven other bloggers I can tag. I am going to tag one blogger and list six folks who are active emailers.

• John & Alexandra might not participate because of their very busy schedules but their blog is a special gift to friends and family.

• Mary A would be a wonderful blogger. It would be so interesting for her to tell of her times working the wheat harvest as well as her travels to South Africa.

• Mary E my old friend from college has spent a lot of time living in, shall we say, dessert environs.

• Marty could share some tidbits about life as a restaurateur.

• My sister-in-law, Eunice, has travelled widely for positions she held.

• De is the epitome of smart, attractive and entrepreneurial woman.

• Tonee -- a gracious lady

Alexandra, Ph.D.

We just received the following email message:

Two bottles of advil, three bottles of pepcid AC, and two massages to relieve stress over the past seven years - $200

Nocodazole and other reagents for lab work - over $1000

Breakfast food and coffee to induce food coma in my thesis committee members - $100

Walking out of my defense with a PhD - priceless

Congratulations, Alex!! You have worked so hard. Now take a little time to exhale, enjoy your family and get ready for the next phase.

Alexandra is one of my daughter's dearest friends. She is a remarkable young woman that I am proud to say occupies a special place in our hearts. I could write much more but it would probably not do her the proper service. Suffice it to say, she is a beloved daughter to her mother, a loving wife to her spouse and fellow Ph.D. John, and devoted mother to one year old Katrina Isabel. Please take a view moments to enjoy their blog. You can surely catch the essence of the woman and her family.

Savor the moment, Alex. We are all very proud of you.

The Pets' Week

Enjoying the Sun

This week has been taken up with seeing to the needs of George Ann and Bentley. Early Monday Bentley had to go to the vet for neutering and his rabies shot. He seemed to be bothered little by the whole process and only slowed down a bit on Tuesday. He was pretty mellow on Wednesday but made up for it big time on Thursday. It was definitely a puppy day. He was into everything and anything and even acted up some at obedience training. He chased the cat at every chance he had.

George on the other hand has reverted back to some of her old habits like knocking things off of one of the nights stands or the dresser a couple of times during the night. This is to "ring our chimes" some. She hasn't done this for well over a year but must be feeling better because she has restarted with a vengeance. Despite two shots of insulin a day, gaining much needed weight and recovering some of her old personality, we found today that her blood sugar is still quite high although significantly improved. Now, we will increase the dosage of insulin and now will start to gradually add diabetic food to her diet.

So tonight we increase the insulin and mix a bit of the new food with the old for Georgie. Then its heart worm pill, flea and tick application and ear cleaning for Bentley. How fun is that? But, we love them anyway.

Silvery Moon

The sky always intrigues me. I like to watch the clouds and wonder what it would be like to among them all day. I have noticed that the sky really is different in different areas. In Montana it is without question "Big Sky." There the mountains, plains and vastness of country combine for the feeling of never ending sky with activity in every corner. In southeastern Idaho, where I grew up, the daytime sky is often hazy in the summer because of the wind and dust from the area. It is after all a high mountain dessert. On peaceful days the sky is clear and the large cumulus clouds literally dance above. At night the stars seem so close that you can almost touch them. Here, on the Atlantic coast, away from the mountains the sky seems closer. It is probably because the vistas are few. The daytime color runs from the deepest of grays to the most incredible blue. If you are familiar with the North Carolina Tar Heels, then you know what "Carolina Blue" is. That is the blue of the sky here on the clearest days.

Then we have the evening skies. Since moving here I have only seen a couple of moons later at night. (Of course, that could be that I go to bed earlier than I used to.). What I have seen several times is a moonrise closer to sunset. I love seeing this and as dusk closes in the moon goes from white to silver color.