neice launches blog

This is not Monterey exactly, but, hey, Richmond can't be far behind. Here's the link to my Niece Angela's foray into the Elysian Plains and slippery country roads of culture. http://the-peoples-snob.blogspot.com/.

The blog describes itself as looking at "the fine arts in Richmond, Virginia, with an emphasis on classical music; offers musings on arts and culture in general; and intends to dispel the notion that chamber music is for fogies.With a body of knowledge that's impressively broad but as shallow as a sheet of roadway water, the Snob can opine authoritatively but will sometimes hydroplane into a fiery carcass beside the road. You wouldn't want to miss that.The Snob, however, drives a Ford Escort, so don't be looking for a bandwagon in the flames."

"foundation" meets

That is, the Lehman Foundation met at 30th Street Station in Philadelphia today. That's it--Mel, left, me and Milton.

The minutes of our annual meeting are not public, but I think I could divulge that in the 32 years of its existence, this is the first year the balance fell. Not as far as Wall Street, but by a few points.

This is also the first year we split our benevolences two ways. One to a population concern group and one to a prison reform group.

You have to understand that we are talking about three brothers who want a day out. Some brothers go fishing. We pretend we are a foundation. The money is real--a little bit more real than Monopoly money.

The Phillies were tossing around a baseball and practicing for a world series game as we met. It was purely an after-thought to me that baseball was not mentioned once. We ate lunch and held our annual session in the food court.

Ryan's birthday party

Ryan turned 28 and proved he still has the puff to take care of the candles at the party we threw for him Saturday.

Besides our sixsome (Sarah, Ryan, Joel, Steph, Dorcas and me) we had guests--Milton and Lois, and cousin Chris from Oregon public radio. Steph, with her new apple laptop, pulled up Chris's recent story which went national.

Last and least were the two hounds, Simon and Brutus, who I noticed did not help to sing "Happy Birthday" and didn't get any of the food. They did regale us with some antics. (pics by Joel)

hand packed at market

Unless you make them yourself, there aren't many places where chips are weighed and packed by hand as you watch. They still are at Central Market (Lancaster, Pa.).

A great day to shop market! The Obama table was there. The McCain people must have been at the Palin rally the other side of town. To think what must have been said there that I missed!

weeds to gardens

When there was still a little wild around the edges of fields, nature was full of adventures. Blades of grass taut between your thumbs sounded like an oboe. You could "smoke" dried lily stems. Maple seeds floated down like helicopters.

Milkweed (see pic) was everywhere, a favorite home for the Monarch butterfly. Milkweed was a weed growing in hedgerows and ditches. Now Amishland National Park (Monterey's environs) is intensely farmed to the last inch. When we put in the butterfly garden, milkweed was one of the plants put in.

The "milk" is merely the hairs attached to each seed. When the wind catches them right, they get one little thrill ride to where they will grow next year. You spread by flowing with nature. Change the economics and you change milkweed. Change a US president and you change milkweed. It could go the other way, too.

politics and freezers

After the 3rd Obama-McCain debate which showed Obama in a slightly better light than McCain, and after the Phillies won the game that gets them in the world series, it's back to politics as appliances.

Boxy freezers make me think of Nixon and Krushchev debating over cold war races in home appliances. So passe. I'm gonna bet that the old freezer we had to let go because the inside lid insulation was broken away from the lid past the duct tape patch it up quotient, was entirely built in the US of America by union labor. I'm gonna bet that the new Frigidaire (on cart) was mostly fabricated in China.

But, hey, we're doing stuff for China. And who listens to whose music? Pic at 10 a.m. today, their permission.

politics, money, and scarecrows

Maybe it's all scarecrows. But at market this morning I saw all the recent headlines up close. There are the Obama and McCain tables the day after Palin gets embroiled in the brother-in-law cop firing and McCain's rallies get nasty. There's the friendly scarecrow and pumpkin cookies at the bakery stand, signalling the fall season. And across Penn Square, despite the tailspin money markets, Lancaster's biggest building project keeps chugging along.

Menno House, the romance began

If you take our romance back to the origins, you get to Menno House in New York. The house itself celebrated its 50th anniversary three weeks ago and we went. Here (photographer unknown) we take our seats at the Saturday evening outdoor banquet.

At my left elbow is David Wenger, one of our friends in the dating days. At his left is John Rempel who was pastor in a later decade of the Manhattan Mennonite Fellowship, the church which now owns Menno House.

When we met there in 1976, it was owned by the eastern mission board and used to house volunteers and students.

sister's kitchen painted

My sister and her husband asked me to paint the kitchen cupboards. As it happened, today I finished the job. Here's the before at 10 a.m. with sister Evie who was dog-sitting and who made us a wonderful lunch. Seven hours later, somewhat weary, we pose in front of the almost-finished cupboards. The pics don't really do justice. Brother Milton put in a full day.

lunch in a village

My camera is back from its trip to the Pacific by rail. I took it along to church today and used it when we had lunch at the village of St. Peter's, exactly mid-way between Monterey and Souderton. We ate on the patio out back. Our photo by the waitress.

Ryan's birthday

Come the middle of October, son-in-law Ryan Schrock celebrates a birthday. This summer he demonstrated his newly-purchased Bianchi bike. So I guess he won't get a bike for his birthday. I'm sure I can think of something else. If you ever have a son-in-law, this is the one you want.