Time To Party: Part I

Last weekend, after a long day at the lodge blood drive and only spending a couple of hours at home, I took a short walk through the woods between the houses and met our neighbors for the first time. I wasn’t sure about attending given our schedule that weekend but I am certainly glad that I made the time. I liked our house and the area before I had a chance to meet anyone and now I am even more appreciative of having found our home in this neighborhood. As a bonus, there is only one neighbor that owns a cat which may not seem like a big deal to many but for us it allows us to be more welcoming to our fellow neighbors in our home.

That wasn’t the first time we had met some of the neighbors. A few weeks ago, shortly after we moved into our new home, our next door neighbor rang the doorbell and gave us a wonderful pot of soup and an invitation to their holiday party. I was out at the time but my wife had a very nice conversation with her and the soup was definitely appreciated as it provided us with an additional meal that we didn’t have to prepare that weekend. The invitation was a bit unexpected but a pleasant surprise. Almost immediately, with that single encounter, we felt welcomed in our new neighborhood.

It was interesting learning about all of our neighbors who seemed more eager to meet me than I was them. We are an interesting little collection of people with a variety of backgrounds and a diverse collection of occupations. However, the common thread among all that I spoke to at the party was that each of them wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. And this is coming from a group that included someone who has lived on the same street his entire life (50+ years) to those that used to be the new people on the block having moved in about a year or two ago.

With our son down for the night and my wife doing her best to relax and stay awake at home, I had to cut the evening short and was heading back home about an hour after arriving. It is safe to say that, so long as we get another invitation, we will both be attending the party next year. In the meantime, I am looking forward to getting to know all of our neighbors and making the time to visit each of them. This is something that we have been search for and an aspect of finding our home that we are grateful for and will certainly enjoy.

Family Day Trip… To Delaware

My wife and I grew up in the Philadelphia area but there are many places in eastern Pennsylvania that we have yet to see. This is largely what motivated us to begin taking day trips last summer. While we have been less active this season, we are still getting out when we can and visiting places that, for one reason or another, we have not explored in previous years. Thankfully, my aunt and uncle helped us check another one of those places off our list yesterday when they treated us to a day at Winterthur.

After falling behind schedule early in the morning trying to get a few urgent items taken care of for the lodge (it is that time of year again) we made our way south and across the state line to meet them in the parking lot of the historic site. We got there a little later than expected but the timing actually worked out well as it allowed us to enjoy a nice lunch in the cafeteria before beginning the tour of the old DuPont estate. Of course, we also discussed some recent genealogy findings during the meal but that is another topic for another post (very exciting new information though).

Half past noon and we boarded the tram car at the visitor’s center to meander through the gardens, forest, and fields. While I wasn’t able to capture much of the 25 minute journey I did manage to get a few reasonable pictures across the vast fields of the gazebo….

…and a farm house in the distance.

It really is an excellent little ride and I am certain that it would be even better during the spring bloom. Maybe next time we will just spend the day walking around the grounds and enjoying the sights and smells.

The ride terminated at the massive mansion which truly is something that you have to stand beside to appreciate the immense scale. Even when looking at the main entrance it is startling to think that this once was a private residence.

Within a few minutes of arrival, we were back in the reception area waiting for the house tour to begin (actually, it is only one floor of the house that you are touring). Before piling our small group into the elevator we passed an interesting hallway that gave a little hint as to what was to follow.

While that small hallway was a hint, it really couldn’t fully provide us an insight as to the elaborate staging that was to follow as was evident in the first room that we entered after getting off the lift…

After a couple more rooms and many details, most of which I cannot recall, we turned the corner and I couldn’t help but notice the silhouette at the far end of the building…

We made our way in that direction and while we didn’t venture out into the sun room with the sculpture, we did find ourselves beside pains of wavy windows…

…and in front of a magnificent staircase.

When you look at the staging and the impact of the sweeping curve it just makes you want to ascent the stairs. As that was not a possibility, I had to at least lean over and take a picture up the center of the spiral…

At this point we were at the far end of the building and while we made a few stops and toured a few rooms on the way back, it was a few of the items in the rooms that caught my attention such as the chandeliers that hung from the ceiling and the varying designs and styles of each one.

However, every once in a while you come across items that make you stop for a moment. The kinds of things that you nearly forget that you have a camera in your hand because you are just caught in the history of the objects before you. That is the kind of feeling you get when you stand in front of George Washington’s china set from Mount Vernon.

While it seemed like it had just begun, the tour was over, we went down the escalator, and we were walking back through the main foyer with a feeling of wanting to see more. Still early in the afternoon, having seen a little bit of the inside, it was time to explore a little of the outside spaces. So we made our way past the soup terrene exhibit and up the stairs where you can get a clear view of the extensive window work currently underway.

From there we strolled down the paths past the open windows…

…the blooming trees….

…and into the open courtyard.

Just above this entertaining space was the heated pool full of fish (I couldn’t catch any with the camera so no picture of the pool this time). Just beyond the far end of the water, you could really appreciate and you could almost see the houseguests slowly making their way down the long staircase from the house to the pool.

 

We took a few minutes to sit and chat when I noticed that the camera card was full so this is where the pictures end. Front this outdoor entertainment area of the main house, we made our way across the entry courtyard (where we first entered the house) and into a smaller but still grand structure which served as the second DuPont residence when his collections overtook the main space in his home. Now the gift shop and café, we were able to enjoy a quiet cup of coffee and continue our conversation throughout the remainder of the afternoon.

By 4:30 we were heading back to the car and on the road again heading toward the state line. I honestly can’t remember the last time that I spent the day with my aunt and uncle beyond the usual family get together or being at my parent’s house. Actually, I had sadly forgotten how much I enjoy spending time with them and talking with them. I’m glad that we made the time to do this and I am happy that my wife and I were able to see Winterthur for the first time with them. I really couldn’t have asked for a better way to spend a Saturday.  

Finding A Forgotten Park

The past year my wife and I have been so focused on finding places to go that we have had a tendency to overlook some of the places scattered around us. Today we were driving around after a failed attempt to think of a place to go while sitting in the apartment. We drove up and down different streets that we hadn’t seen in years if not decades. As we approached Bryn Mawr I suddenly remembered a small park just off of South Ithan Avenue that I haven’t explored in probably 15 years, maybe longer.

Turning down the old road my wife was confused as to where we were heading. Turning left through the gate and over the bridge the look of bewilderment only grew as for all the years that she spent living on the Main Line she assumed that where we were going was an entrance to a private home. With only a couple of other cars in the lot it was clear that there still isn’t a lot of people that know about the park hidden in plain view. The park, opened from dawn to dusk, seemed to be a bit forgotten with an overgrown lamp and washed out hills around the parking area.

This was proven further when we attempted to walk down the paths along the creek which were overgrown and, in some instances, blocked by fallen trees. With little luck making our way further along the bank of the creek, we headed back and ventured onto the path heading up the hill toward the highway. What seemed to be an old road or driveway had an eerie feeling in its overgrown state and it made me wonder where this road used to lead.

After a few minutes exploring a bit of each path and taking a handful of pictures, which was the real objective of the afternoon, we slowly made our way back to the bridges. It is here that you can really see how dense the trees are along the creek and how old some of the growth is that is fighting to reclaim the park. There is even, for lack of a better word, a mystical quality to some of the trees that seem to live both on the bank and in the water.

 

 

On the other side of the bridge it seems a little lighter but still with a dense canopy muting the light and intensifying the green leaves handing above the water.

 

On a warm spring day it was nice to revisit this park that I had long forgotten existed. With the rare exception of the occasional travels down this road, I rarely think about this place. It was nice to revisit this place a saw on a daily basis riding the bus to school and explore the light and shadows as they danced across the moss covered sides of the bridge.

This will definitely be a park that we will explore again this summer when we are better prepared for the overgrowth. Glad we now have an option close to the apartment to explore when we need a break from all the driving that we will be doing this summer. I guess it just goes to show that sometimes you just have to search your own memories when you are looking for a place to explore.

 

Working On The Bucket List

It’s always a great feeling to cross something off your bucket list and yesterday I was able to do just that when my wife and I walked on the Appalachian Trail. We didn’t walk very far but we left our boot prints on the trail and that is enough to cross it off the list. It is because of that simple list that we drove about three and a half hours each way just to hike for about two and a half hours.

Our trip this week did not begin on a good note as we sat in traffic on the Schuykill Expressway for about an hour waiting for a multi car accident to be cleaned up (Thank you KYW for the heads up after we put our car in park on the expressway). Once we passed the pile of morons (seeing the aftermath I can say for certain that stupidity was involved), the highway cleared up and we were finally making progress. The rest of the drive happened without incident and we arrived at Gardners, Pennsylvania in the Pine Grove Furnace State Park.

Once we arrived we immediately calculated in what direction and how far we would have to hike by chatting with some section hikers who had just emerged from the woods. We found out that about a three miles hike south would do the trick and get us to the halfway point. Now that we had our bearings it was time to start walking.

We passed the park’s namesake…

...with flowers blooming beside it...

…and the local hostel (which is quite full this time of year)…

…and made our way into the woods (no musical interlude needed thank you).

The first part of our hike was uphill and was not assisted in any way by the hot and muggy day… the kind of heat and humidity that makes us dread the oncoming of summer. Shortly after beginning it was made very clear that an overweight, out of shape, smoker on the trail does not move very fast. Much of this was explained by Bill Bryson in his excellent book “A Walk In The Woods” but his account isn’t really fully appreciated until you experience your fatness firsthand.

While the hike was hard for those of us in, to put it nicely, non hiking shape, there were times of even terrain that allowed us to find our breath and enjoy the path weaving in-between the trees.

There were also a few spots along the way that opened up and provided a small secluded wilderness oasis.

Throughout our excursion, we walked on a wide variety of surfaces from rocks…

…and plain old dirt…

…to little streams…

…and bridges.

We walked on logs (used as stairs)…

…through logs…

…and beside many fallen trees.

After about 75 minutes on the trail we had decided to push ahead for another 15 minutes to see if we could make it to the half waypoint. Shortly after resuming, the trail became a little too much for the fat man and his wife as the overgrowth covered the forest floor hiding the path and the footing that was tenuous at best. With a questionable trail and an evident imbalance between desire and ability we decided to turn around and try another day when we were both in better shape.

The hike back seemed much easier and enjoyable than our blind trek into the thick woods a short time ago and before we knew it we were passing signs in the trail that we clearly remembered.

As the cabins appeared in the distance and the rain began to drum the mountain canopy we could see trail open up and the asphalt get darker and darker as the AT thrust us back into civilization. A short walk down the road we were warmly greeted at the Appalachian Trail Museum which was right next to the parking lot where we left our car for the afternoon.

After a quick tour of the one room tribute to the trail, a few quick conversations with some weathered thru hikers, and we were heading back to the car leaving our last few footprints on the trail before we went home.

Our hike ended just in time as the off and on rain of the early afternoon was gearing up for an early summer onslaught.

But even with a nearly four hour drive home, I had crossed an item off my bucket list and that makes for a great day no matter how long the commute might have been.