Masonic Day Trip to Scranton

Thankfully I took yesterday off because the alarm began blaring early this morning. By the time I got out of bed I knew that my schedule was probably not going to hold up. I had arranged to pick up my mentee by 7:00 am but thanks to some heavy eyes and a few undesirable drivers on the road, I didn’t pull up to his front door until quarter after. With a MapQuest estimate of 2 hours 30 minutes we got on the road with just about 2 hours to make the stated meeting of the Pennsylvania Lodge of Research in Scranton.

As soon as we got on the highway and began heading north, it seemed as though we had a chance to make the meeting on time. We had a great conversation over the many miles and I kind of surprised myself as to how much I have been able to absorb over the past year that I was able to relay to him. Of course, it was also nice to have a few things in common so that we were able to talk about firearms, politics, and may other topics that would make some other people cringe.

With a few miles to go I glanced over at the clock and was shocked by the time that was being displayed… we had over 30 minutes to spare (yes, I stayed close to the speed limit the whole way)! A couple of turns off the highway and we were turning down the block to find parking near the Hilton which we found immediately across the street for five dollars (all day rate). I can’t remember the last time I turned into a parking garage and found rows and rows of open spots as soon as I turned the first corner. You could tell that Scranton party town on Saturday morning.

Once we were able to stretch and walk around to recover from the drive we made our way into the hotel and up the stairs to the meeting were we found a few other brothers from around the commonwealth to chat with for the last few minutes before the gavel sounded. The meeting itself was in a form that we were well familiar with the presentation of a couple of very interesting research papers that I look forward to reading at a later date. The meeting ended about an hour earlier than we were both expecting and, instead of trying to get a couple of last minute tickets for the hotel lunch, we walked down the block a little bit where we came across the numerous statues that surround the Lackawanna County courthouse.

 

We continued down the street reading the inscriptions and enjoying the different vantage points of the beautiful building.

 

Before we knew it we had gone around the block and passed what seemed to be a common Rite Aid store until we glanced at the plaque just below the high windows of the pharmacy...

 

…that’s right, it wasn’t just any Rite Aid, it was the first Rite Aid.

We walked a couple more blocks, enjoyed the clean streets and some of the very well preserved architecture…

…before stopping at City Café Mediterranean Restaurant just as they were opening their doors for lunch. The food was good, not great but good, and the prices were excellent. It was a great way to conclude our time in Scranton as we were only a half block away from the parking garage. While it took us much longer to get back than it did to drive into the mountain town, there was good reason for our delay but I will write more about that little detour on Monday. In the meantime, I look forward to returning to Scranton. This was my first time there and I hope to do some more exploring the next time I am in town (maybe next time I can go up there during the week and stop by Dunder Mifflin).

The Workaholic’s Dilemma

What happens if I turn one of the other two directions?

I decided some time ago that I was going to take today off. The problem that I am running into is that I really don’t know what to do with myself with this extra day away from the office. All of the other days that I have been out of the office had another reason behind them beyond just needing to take time off. I have taken a days off here and there because of holidays, illness, and other commitments during the day. I had something to do. Today I am not sure how I am going to fill the day.

There are a few options. I could go to the range. I could run some overdue errands. I could spend the time in the apartment cleaning or organizing. I could sit at my computer, get ahead on work, catch up on a few lodge tasks, and write a few blogs for future use. There is also a research article that I have to get done for the fall. Nothing seems to be jumping out at me at the moment. I know that my wife will be productive today but I have no motivation to get that much done. Maybe I should just let the day play out and not set an agenda for this rare time away from the office.

On the other hand, I might want to get things together now as this is the first of four consecutive weeks when I will have short weeks. That’s right from this week until the week of the 4^th of July, I will be working four days a week. Sounds like a great way to start the summer but if things continue as they are starting off today it may not be as nice as it sounds. I have to find a way to fill my days and be productive but also have the time off be relaxing as well.

The other issue I have with taking time off is that I have a check list constantly running through my mind of things that need to get done as soon as I get back to the office. I am also thinking of the possibilities of things that may come up that someone else will have to handle since I am not at my desk and, potentially, not at my computer today. And, no surprise, I am constantly trying to think about things that I may have possibly forgotten about yesterday that I should have gotten done before the long weekend began.

So, I guess I am going to have to work today as it is going to take some significant effort to calm my mind and focus on the day in from of me. I am going to just let the day play out and pretty much do what I want to do. All of this while staying out of my wife’s way so that she can get everything done that she needs to focus on. Will it be a successful day, I don’t know but I am going to try and see how things go. This might help though...

Keep Your Debts To Yourself!

Well, with her new book being released, it should be no surprise that Hillary Clinton was in the news again this week. Something else that should not be surprising is that fact that, once again, she is backpedaling to ‘clarify’ the statements that she gave to Diane Sawyer. One thing that you have to keep in mind when this happens is the fact that it is more than likely that all of the questions that she was asked were vetted and responses rehearsed for weeks prior to the two women sitting down for their conversation.

I am sure you have either watched, read, or listened to Mrs. Clinton expounding upon her hardships upon leaving the White House in January 2001 with particular focus on the financial ‘struggles’ that the Clintons’ faced reentering private life. As was reported by CNN, “Mrs. Clinton said she and former President Bill Clinton were "dead broke" and "struggled to piece together the resources" for mortgages in pricey Washington and the New York suburbs and their daughter Chelsea's tuition at prestigious Stanford University.” Yeah, even CNN is calling BS on this one.



Be careful what you say, your face might freeze that way!

I know, it must have been hard struggling to find some means of gainful employment so they could keep paying their mortgages, resolve their debts, and scrape together the pennies to cover Chelsea’s college tuition. Obviously, she had no other choice but to take advantage of the bountiful ‘limited’ opportunities at hand. She didn’t really want to but she had to force herself to make millions of dollars in speaking fees. How else was she going to pay off her millions in debt, keep current on her mortgages, and pay for her daughter’s schooling? It’s not like she could simply move to another state and swipe a Senate seat.

Maybe if Chelsea were in college now Hillary may not have had to work so hard to pay for her college tuition. It seems as though this administration wants everyone to have a college degree that they don’t have to pay for, at least not at full price. Now, I agree that higher education has become outrageously expensive and I am always for getting a discount but I am offended that we, as taxpayers, are going to have to pay for that discount. Where did you think that money was going to come from? If you are going to offer money for education we should, at the very least, give the funds to people that have earned that money and funnel the additional funds into the GI Bill. Oh wait, that's right, you already screwed up the VA.

I don’t know about you but I already have plenty of personal debt that I am trying to pay down without taking on someone else’s burden. I struggle every month to find that little extra so that we can make progress. Slowly we are inching closer and closer solvency but every time a new tax (which is what this whole scheme will end up being) that is a little less each month that I can apply toward solvency. So stop telling me how hard you had it trying to make payments on your numerous homes and the struggles you faced when you were forced to earn millions talking to the mindless throngs of sheep. And, most importantly, stop spending my money on things that don’t make any darn sense and are an insult to financial responsibility.

You Might Want To Consider Thinking Before You Act…

I know NOTHING!

It has been interesting, to say the least, watching and listening to all the commentary surrounding the recent prisoner exchange that President Obama sprung on everyone a couple of weeks ago. As soon as his father spoke and made the claim that his son had forgotten how to speak English I knew there was something a little off about this situation. After all, did Senator McCain forget how to speak English? Did Galid Shalit forget how to speak Hebrew? Anyway, that is another topic altogether, so let me steer this post back on track.

Given the nature of the questionable action and subsequent announcement it seems as though this was done solely to ease the pressure that had been mounting from the VA scandal. However, this just proves that it is best to think before you act as support is nowhere to be found even from some of his own party diehards like Senator Diane Frankenfeintein who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee (I know, hard to believe isn’t it). The following excerpt from Town Hall sums up this little cluster:

Two top lawmakers on the Senate Intelligence Committee said Tuesday that the Obama administration broke the law by not informing Congress before the prisoner exchange that resulted in Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl’s release.

Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss said the administration violated the law by failing to address serious concerns they had about the deal to swap Bergdahl for five Taliban detainees. Chambliss said he had not had a conversation with the White House about a possible exchange for at least 18 months.

"It comes to us with some surprise and dismay that the transfers went ahead with no consultation, totally not following law," Feinstein told reporters following a closed door meeting. "And in an issue with this kind of concern to a committee that bears the oversight responsibility, I think you can see that we're very dismayed about it."  

Of course that only really speaks to the process not what actually took place. That is an entirely different story. Those who served with the supposed POW had particularly strong feelings regarding his release (watch the interviews here) and others from the military have commented on the circumstances around his “capture” and the impact that it had both on operations and moral. The Washington Post had an interesting article which included interviews with those involved in the search and rescue operations after his disappearance:

One Afghan special operations commander in eastern Afghanistan remembers being dispatched.

“Along with the American Special Forces, we set up checkpoints everywhere. For 14 days we were outside of our base trying to find him,” he told The Washington Post, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he is a member of a secretive military unit.

But U.S. troops said they were aware of the circumstances of Bergdahl’s disappearance — that he left the base of his own volition — and with that awareness, many grew angry.

“The unit completely changed its operational posture because of something that was selfish, not because a soldier was captured in combat,” said one U.S. soldier formerly based in eastern Afghanistan who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the search. “There were military assets required . . . but the problem came of his own accord.”

In the end, the elation didn’t really spread beyond the soldier’s small town in Idaho as many of us, civilians and veteran’s alike, questioned the circumstances surrounding both his ‘capture’ and his release. Even my great uncle, a 27 year Air Force veteran who has been retired since 1974, made his voice heard via Facebook posting the following:

“FROM MY EXPERENCE OF 27 YEARS IN THE AIR FORCE, WHEN PERSON WAS BROUGH BACK UNDER MILITARY CONTROL AFTER BEING AWOL OR DESERTION HE OR SHE WAS PLACED UNDER ARM GUARD. I DON'T KNOW WERE GENERAL DEMPSEY OF THE JOINT CHIEFS GET THE NOTION THAT ARMY MUST TAKECARE OF HIM AND HIS FAMILY. HIM "YES" HIS FAMILY "NO". THE ARMY IS HIS "FAMILY" UNTIL HE DISCHARGE EITHER HONORABLE OR DISHONORABLE.”

And while we could all see that this political move was a huge error by the President, somehow he still seemed surprised that we rely on the facts at hand to determine what is right and what is wrong. Oblivious to the mind of the people and the opinions of those who are and have served in the military, the President’s act before you think cluster leaves us with one final question, as originally asked by Ralph Peters in the National Review, “As for President Obama, how about just one word of thanks to the families of those fallen soldiers you sent out to find Bowe Bergdahl?”

Perfect Weather For An Open House

Yes, I know, this is an old stock photo. I keep forgetting to take a picture.

Friday night, just like I did on Thursday evening, I headed over to the lodge as soon as my work day came to an end. It was a much more relaxed drive as I didn’t feel as though I had to rush to make before any given time. Despite our big clean out having yet to happen, it was Open House time when we swung the doors open, put and Alex’s Lemonade Stand on the corner, and chatted with every person with whom we crossed paths. This is the first time that I have done this with the lodge and it was a great experience socializing with the brethren and those from the community, greeting new petitioners, and generally getting to know each person a little bit better.

Of course, during the slow moments during the night I was able to get a few things done and discuss a few potential projects with the Worshipful Master. Might as well, we had the time and it saved us from having to circle up over the weekend. Every now and again, a few new faces would round the corner with a few old faces sporadically walking up the front steps as well. We gave a few tours, accommodating everyone that asked to see the building, and made sure to promote the two businesses in the basement owned by brothers from the lodge.

Up on the corner where better foot traffic prevailed, a few other brothers (of various experience and degrees) ran an Alex’s Lemonade Stand. While the weather was beautiful with calm and cool temperatures and a bright blue sky slowly fading to star speckled black, there wasn’t much of a crowd out on the streets of Ardmore that night. Maybe we were too early, maybe we were too late, maybe the fact that it was the last day of school had something to do with it. Regardless of the crowd, or lack thereof, it was a great night for us all to get out, open the lodge up, and bond as brothers.   
Of course, the night would have been a little nicer had we raised more than $200 selling lemonade. However, we do have the opportunity to rewrite memory. Our generosity does not have to be confined to one evening selling lemonade along Lancaster Avenue as there are still a couple of ways that we can contribute to the cause. You can visit the lodge’s Alex’s Lemonade Stand event webpage and contribute by clicking the donate button near the top right of the page. The other option available for those who would like to contribute is to text “Lemonade E1113739” to 85944 (this will be recorded as a $10 charge and will be listed on your bill from your wireless carrier). Obviously, please feel free to share this information with any friends or family that would like to donate.

So, that was my exciting Friday night at the lodge. While it was slow this first time around I am sure that we will improve upon this experience in the fall when we will, once again, open up the lodge doors and welcome you all to the lodge. I hope to see you this fall!

Running Around: Work, PACT, And Lodge

The view from my seat at the PACT luncheon.

Normally the first Thursday of every month is pretty hectic for me as I am scrambling to take care of all the last minute items and preparing for the stated meeting immediately after work. Last week was crazier than usual as my usual work day consisted of a fair amount of running around to different places as well as jumping from one project to another… I was still trying to play catch up from the previous month. However, the week didn’t start off this way. In fact, it looked like it was going to be a pretty calm stretch with plenty of time to get everything done for the lodge well in advance of the meeting.

Well, that didn’t happen and I really should have anticipated the onslaught. The week began with the usual barrage of things that I needed to add to my list. By Thursday morning my schedule was completely turned on its head. I woke up on Thursday with my back deciding to have an uncooperative day which in itself had me moving a little bit slower in the morning hours. My commute, while a little late getting started was normal but my time in the office was cut short as 45 minutes after getting situated at my desk I was back out the door, in the car, and heading off to a PACT luncheon in Philadelphia.

Even though it took me about 30 minutes to find a parking space at the Hyatt, the luncheon was nice event as I always enjoy spending time with my colleagues and friends outside of the office but it could have been better as I was not at the top of my networking game and I was having to send numerous emails from my iPhone for the majority of the event. As many of you know, just because I am away from my desk doesn’t mean I stop working. So, once the event ended, it was time to head back to the office for a couple of hours of serious multitasking of answering the emails that could wait, getting a few more things checked off my list, and pulling together the final items needed for the stated meeting.

At this point it was time to change, collect my stuff, get in the car, and head off to the lodge. While I got there in plenty of time (the first time I ran on schedule all day), I was a little surprised to see both the number of brothers in attendance as well as the District Deputy Grand Master there to attend our meeting. While I didn’t have a chance to partake in the excellent meal beforehand, I got everything prepared and made my way to the lodge room for the meeting. The meeting was a little longer than usual, especially with the lengthy notes that I had to read, but we were still able to finish up in a reasonable amount of time and officially go dark for the sweltering summer months (essential when you don’t have air conditioning).

Once all the checks were signed, the register updated, and bills paid it was finally time to head home. And while we may not be having stated meetings for the next couple of months, there are still plenty of things that I will be doing over the summer. Whether in PR or serving as Secretary, the work never stops even when you are away from your desk. But, at least for the day, the work was done and it was time to go home and recover.

Back To The Mountains

We slept in a little yesterday wanting to take it easy for our anniversary but we weren’t going to simply bum around the apartment doing nothing. We made it out the door at around eleven in the morning, got in the car, and headed toward the highway. While I was certain that my wife had figured it out by the time we left, I didn’t tell her where we were going to spend our day. I wanted it to be a familiar place that we both enjoyed but somewhere that we could do something that we may have missed in previous trips. By the time we made it to the Lehigh Tunnel there was really no question as to where we were heading… we were off to Jim Thorpe to spend a nice meandering afternoon in the mountains.

Not surprisingly, being such a beautiful day, the town was packed and parking was sparse. Fortunately, we found a great metered space right next to the train tracks. After a surprisingly easy parallel parking job, we walked over to the visitor’s center, purchased our train tickets, and, with an hour and a half before the train departed, headed across the street for a very quick lunch at Molly Maguires Pub. With tasty Cajun chicken and big burger in our bellies, we walked off a little bit of our lunch before walking back to where we started. As you can tell, we didn’t really pull out our cameras…

…until we approached the train.

Over the river…

…and the tracks….

…passed the split rocks on the ridge….

…all the while watching the bikers and hikers making their way down the path.

The train runs along the Lehigh Gorge hugging the line between the mountains and the Lehigh River, with a biking/hiking path crammed in-between. About forty minutes after departing the station at Jim Thorpe, the train began slowing just passed the wimpy little waterfall.

With the train at a dead stop we sat in the cars absent of any breeze hanging out the window looking at the old slowly crumbling wood beneath the tracks…

…at least until we heard the engine making its way down the tracks to reattach at the other end and haul us back.

Moments later we were on our way again with the breeze lapping through the open windows as we turned the corner from the cool shadows of the mountain…

…to the open sun.

Before we knew it we could see Jim Thorpe in the distance on the other side of the river.

Just before pulling into the station we passed the boneyard that really makes you think about what those train cars used to look like when they were first put into service.

It was great to experience something a little different on our third trip to town but, having spent the last hour and a half sitting on the train taking pictures, it was time to really explore Broadway again, revisit places we remembered and find a few new places that have come to town over the past year including the House of Jerky.

Most places remained the same as things change slowly in the Victorian town nestled in the mountains.

Of course, I did manage to get a few flower shots in as well. Not as many as my wife and her fancy schmancy camera but I got a few.  

 

 

 

By this time we had walked up and down the streets and in and out of stores enough to burn off our lunch so we made our way to The Inn at Jim Thorpe’s Broadway Grille for a nice dinner.

We’ve had better and we’ve had worse but it was a pretty good experience overall. However, while the food and service may not have been spectacular, the woman at the front desk was rather impressive when she nearly got my name right when I walked up to ask her a question. We have only stayed there for one night about a year ago!

From there it was time to walk down the street, get some coffee and dessert, and just enjoy the last bit of time in town before heading back on the road. While they were only able to offer me a small sip before closing, Alice’s Pantry and Coffee House in the Douglas House Marketplace has the best coffee in town and I was told that the ice cream was the best in town as well.

The small sitting area on the side looked like it would be a nice place on those mornings when you want to hide away and relax.

Coffee in hand, we joined the crowds exiting the bars at the conclusion of the Belmont Stakes strolling down the street.

We slowly made our way toward the car and, looking at the clock tower, we knew we should get on the road soon.

Before turning the corner I had to take one more picture looking up Broadway as the night slowly fell over the town and the lights began emitting the warm and inviting slow that is simply captivating in the evening. It was a perfect end to a great day with my wife when we were able to just enjoy our anniversary and begin looking forward to the next five years.