birthday 65

What's 65? I'm not going to let the government decide what it is for me. Today it is a birthday. Last evening the next generation (Ryan in pic by Joel) and Dorcas gave me a good time. Thanks, everyone! The cake has the peace sign on it, based on the semaphore signs for nuclear disarmament. I never knew that! I was born months before the atom bomb entered the hands of warriors. So, I'm totally on the peace sign. When I was eight years old or so a plane approaching at night was surely the Soviet Union coming to drop an A-bomb on Monterey.

old buddy, new book

Saturday I saw a high school and college friend, Ken Reed, sign copies of his new book. I waited in line, snapped this pic, and got one for myself and read at least 50 pages so far.

wheels of Monterey, backwards

Wheels going backwards. Or, backward wheels. Actually, cutting edge micro-industry. Mph? I'd guess 20. Distance travelled like this? I'd guess 1.5 miles. Why backwards? Sheds would block the view forward.

go green

Hang your wash out and save. Zoom in and see the label--Talbots. Love those lines!

337 North Mary Street

Joel and Steph bought this address (see earlier post). Before they move in I've helped a little with sanding floors and painting. The checkerboard floor is the kitchen in rear of house

Father's Day cards

Having children is a big thing. Even bigger when they're adults and also your friends. Both of mine came through on Father's Day with really fantastic cards that put in perspective one aspect of our friendship and long history together. Brutus, Sarah and Ryan's dachshund, kissed up with a tall card even though he's a short sausage dog likely to get lost underfoot. But he's cool.

roofs

I'm just playing with visuals and words. I see eight roofs, nine pitches, and four complete gables. Hint--one roof is 99 percent hidden behind the wooden shingle roof lower left. If the steeple shingles are slate or asbestos, then I also count four different materials. Location? Garrett County, 39.7 degrees latitude north. If the plural of hoof is hooves, what is the plural of roof? I shot this two weekends ago.

local: Nine Points

Another micro-excursion, all the way to Nine Points. I counted a full intersection and a tee. That's four and three equals seven. There's another two points out there in Bart Township somewhere. Or, are those two up and down? Newark is in Delaware, Milton tells me.

poetry of farms

The sun was bright last weekend over the hills of western Maryland. Why do people let rusty rakes clutter up the hedgerows? I always wondered. Now I know--it's easier than actually writing poetry. Just look at visual poetry.

weekend away

Spent two nights at the Casselman, Grantsville, Md. Being listed on the register of historical buildings, its new porch had to be made of all natural wood, including the banister atop. To add to the early American aura, two gas lamps face U. S. Route 40.

local names

Where do local names come from? Such as Monterey? It's been posited that Monterey, Mexico, was in the news when the post office had to find a name for this village. There are other Montereys, including this beach one in California. Photo from wikipedia.

The big mountain photo is Monterey, Mexico, found by google image.

schoeneck again

From Monterey you go to Ephrata and then Denver to get to Schoeneck. That would not be the Denver in what became a state in 1876 or what had a population of 125,000 in 1900. Or, what had a KKK governor and mayor in the 1920s. Brubaker had to go there to get a name for this little borough in 1900?

spider & moth

Stephanie caught the action.

local color

I heard of Schoeneck but never saw it. So Milton and I went there on a whim for lunch. You could spit on it from the Pennsylvania Turnpike, halfway through Lancaster County. The 1949 building has "Fire Co" written in the bricks. The word breaks between "n" and the second "e." Pretty corner, it means. We heard the accent on the street.