The "Breaking News: There Really Is A Santa, Megan!" Story

Letter Santa and Elf Shimmer sent to Megan
telling her of the loss of her letter this past
Christmas.  Please click on images to enlarge.

It was an ordinary day.  Just received an email from Megan which included a letter she had recently received from Santa and his elf Shimmer.  Story started back in December of 2017 when Megan sent a letter to Santa telling him what she would like to have for Christmas.  Seems that the letter must have been at the bottom of his immense mail bag and he never had the chance to read it before Christmas.  I'm not sure if Megan ever received all the gifts she was wishing for, but if she did she was lucky since Santa never found her letter until a few weeks ago.  I should tell you that Megan is 11 years old and is the oldest daughter of my niece Kelly and her husband Shawn who live in nearby Ephrata, Pennsylvania.  

I'm sure that when Megan's mom and dad gave her the unopened letter recently sent to her, from Santa and his elf, she was amazed.  What are the chances that Santa would do that almost half a year after the letter was written to him.  Even I know that Santa must be something special to take time to send a letter to this young girl almost half a year after Christmas.  Megan shared the letter with her parents and siblings and decided to write her own letter telling of her experience of receiving the letter and her thoughts of Santa.  Trying to figure what a very sensitive and respectful young girl is thinking can be tough, but I have included the letter telling of Megan's impression of Santa after finding out he had misplaced her letter.  Please read it and see for yourself what this young girl's feelings are after receiving Santa's letter explaining why he didn't deliver to her what she had been wishing for this past Christmas.  Megan found and felt the goodness and love of Santa even after he had lost her letter.  What a wonderful story to share with children all over the world.  Christmas is more than half a year away, but for Megan, well she already has the Christmas spirit in her heart!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

Megan's thoughts after receiving the letter from Santa.

The "Rose-Lilie-Blume" Story

The Sister's House and Saal of the Ephrata Cloisters.  The
photograph is one of my altered Polaroids which I made.

It was an ordinary day.  Talking with my wife about my visit I took to the Ephrata Cloisters this past November, 2017.  Spent the best part of an afternoon roaming the grounds of Conrad Beissel's Cloisters that he founded in 1732 on a small piece of ground along the Cocalico Creek in northern Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Conrad arrived in Pennsylvania in search of religious freedom and found this piece of ground to live in solitude.  He had two main beliefs: Saturday Sabbath and celibacy.  

The Solitary, in vestments, enter the Saal.

By 1750 about 80 celibate members had joined Mr Beissel's congregation and were known as the Solitary.  Families from the nearby community of Ephrata were welcome and were known as "householders."  There were about 200 householders who lived on nearby farms.  The Solitary woke early, prayed an hour, worked in the nearby fields for three hours, prayed another hour and finally had a chance to eat their only meal when all this was completed.  All members were vegetarian, since Conrad believed that eating meat brought out animal desires and behavior in his followers.  After their meal the community members would work on calligraphy or participate in the choir that sang complicated  A cappella harmonies.  

The printing press at the Ephrata Cloisters.

When they went to bed they used wooden boards as beds and placed their heads on pine wooden pillows.  At midnight they arose once again to pray for two hours due to the bible scripture that said that Jesus would come again like a thief in the night.  Not quite sure how he managed to talk 80 people into his idea of religion.  A few of the things that the Solitary was well known for was the use of the printing press as well as composing musical pieces.  

The interior of the Saal.

They made their own paper and ink in mills along the Cocalico Creek and used presses, type and other necessary printing materials imported from Germany.  During the 1700s, nearly 1,000 hymns were composed by Conrad Beissel and his followers and printed in the Cloister print shop.  One such piece that was composed was called the Rose-Lilie-Blume which was a piece that called for the end of days.  It was printed at the Cloister print shop with it's lyrics in German and the melodies in four-part harmony that changed during its 58 stanzas.  The Cloister's choir sang it, as well as all their compositions, in the Saal or Meetinghouse which stood next to the female living quarters known as the Saron or Sister's House.  During my visit I was able to stand in the Saal and marvel at its simplicity, yet reverence.  In 1768 Beissel died and the community eventually declined and closed with those remaining members joining the German Seventh Day Baptist Church of Ephrata.  In 1941 the Cloisters were restored to share with the community and visitors.  For years and years the music of the Cloisters was left unsung until 1959 when Dr. Russell Getz took a group of volunteers to revive Ephrata's musical heritage and formed the Ephrata Cloister Chorus.  

Verse 58 of Rose-Lilie-Blume as printed in the original document.

And, now they have decided to tackle Rose-Lilie-Blume.  After nearly two centuries the music of the Cloisters will return to Ephrata.  Getz has taken the musical notes, published in one book, and the lyrics of the 58 stanzas and combined them together for free performances.  Finally the music from Rose-Lilie-Blume, which was inspired by a verse in Revelations about a bride waiting for her bridegroom, will come alive once again.  My only problem is I will not be able to understand it since they will sing the song in German.  I still would love to hear it sung while seated in the Saal.  What an historic moment.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Miniature Master Builder: Part II - The Homestead" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Looking at Jere's rendition of his home on the Willow Street PIke to the south of the city of Lancaster, PA.  Yesterday I showed you some of Jere's buildings that he has made from scratch for his miniature HO railroad.  Jere's life has always been closely tied to the Lancaster Train Station now known as Lancaster Amtrak.  The station was opened in 1929 and was also my playground, since I lived about 100 yards from the front door.  Jere and I first met in elementary school and when we found out we lived close to each other, found time to spend together at the railroad station, sliding down the brass railing, having cherry cokes and reading comic books at the soda fountain and making visits to see his dad at the nearby Railway Express.  After graduation from high school we both eventually found our way back to our Alma mater to teach together until retirement in 1999.  Jere and his wife Sue lived for many years on the Willow Street Pike and he decided to add his longtime home to his miniature HO layout.  Almost all Jere's structures on his layout have been built from scratch using supplies that he buys from hobby shops as well as online.  The scale for HO is 1/87th the size of the real thing.  He works with a variety of small instruments and a magnifying glass.   He takes great pride in his ability to reproduce structures by hand.  He has been part of an adult train club which makes weekly visits to other member's homes to "Play Trains" as Jere calls it.  The following photos will show you both photos taken of his home in Lancaster as well as photos taken of his reproduction of his home.  I'm sure you will be impressed with his building techniques and results he has obtained.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  PS - The first group of 10 photos show his house in Lancaster while the second group of photos shows his building skill in miniature, including his restored old Ford pickup truck.

Front if his former house on Willow Street Pike,

He had two garages in his back yard using one for working on his race cars.

Closer look at the detail in the garages.

An out-building directly behind his house.

Looking at the one-bay garage sitting next to his house.

Looking from the rear of his home towards Willow Street Pike.

Another view of the rear of the house with garage on the right.

Side of the house opposite the garage.

Side of the house looking toward the garages in the rear of the property.

Front of the house showing the front porch.

All the previous photos were used to construct the HO model you will see below.

View from the Willow Street Pike of his property.

View of his garage with house to the right with porch above and Ford truck in the drive.

Side of the house showing the garages to the rear of the property.  Detail is unbelievable!

Another view of the side of his home.

One last view showing the entire property.

The "Miniature Master Builder: Part I - The Neighborhood" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Standing in the basement of my friend Jere taking photos of the many buildings he has created for his HO train layout.  Jere and his wife Sue moved to State College, Pennsylvania in 1999 after spending most of their lives in Lancaster.  Jere and I grew up together, living slightly more than a block from each other near the Lancaster Railroad Station.  Jere's father worked at the local Railway Express which was part of the train station located on the north edge of the city.  We first met in grade school and graduated from Manheim Township High School together along with Sue.  Jere's love of trains grew stronger and stronger and when Jere and Sue moved to Willow Street Pike in 1973 he set up an HO model railroad in the third floor of his home.  I too did the same thing when my wife Carol and I moved to our first home in nearby Grandview Heights, but not to the extent of Jere's layout.  I eventually gave up the hobby, but Jere never lost his passion for railroading.  But, what is more remarkable is his passion for building structures to HO scale, all by hand.  His layout in his State College home fills the better part of his basement and as I look around his layout what impresses me the most are the many structures that fill the spaces between the tracks.  He told me every structure was built from scratch except for three units where were kits that had to be assembled.  

Lancaster Train Station, playground for Jere and LDub. Click to enlarge.

There are ten different scales that can be used in model railroading with HO being the most popular: 1/87th size of the real thing.  Jere stuck with HO since there is more of a variety of building materials, supplies, equipment and accessories made for this model train scale.  He buys most of his building materials online, but many items he makes himself if necessary to complete what he may be building.  He has chosen to build many of the houses and businesses from the old neighborhood where we grew up together.  

Jere's HO scale representation of the platforms and tracks at the station.

His most impres- sive structure is the train station with it's two platforms and main structure.  When he dims the lights and has the trains moving in and out of the station, you would swear you were standing on one of the platforms waiting for your train to arrive.  During my recent visit I took a few photos to share with you showing Jere's skill at building in miniature.  Hope my photos do justice to his building skills.  I have shown what the original building looked like as well as Jere's presentation of that building.  Tomorrow I will feature Jere's remarkable representation of his home on Willow Street Pike in Lancaster.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. 

Jere's model of the elementary school we both attended in the early 1950s, Brecht Elementary.

Photograph of Brecht Elementary.

Photo of the nearby Consumer Ice Company

Jere's rendition of the ice company.

Lancaster Lincoln-Mercury

Jere's model of the same car dealer.  This actually looks closer to how I remember it than what it looks like today.

Jere's Lancaster Railway Express where his dad worked.

Actual photo of the Railway Express building.

Across the street from Lancaster Lincoln-Mercury was Wolf Ford Co.

Jere's Wolf Ford Co.

Sherrick's Sub Shop a block from both our houses.

Sherrick' Sub Shop in miniature.

Jere's High Welding Company building.

What High Welding used to look like.

Our highschool classmate Calvin Flury ran the family Foundry nearby.

Jere's Flury Foundry.

The "Scouring The Headlines Of The Centre Daily Times" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Sitting in the living room of our State College, Pennsylvania friends Jere and Just Sue, reading their Sunday morning paper, the Centre Daily Times.  Always enjoy reading newspapers from cities other than my own to see what type of stories they find their readers might enjoy.  The headline on the first page of section C, the "Good Life In Happy Valley" section, cries out 'Year of action': Here's what Penn State was like in 1968.  The story told of life on campus fifty years ago with small segments about a variety of happenings from the year.  

Football game attire of suit and tie was not uncommon in '68

First novelette told of U.S. Army Chief of Staff William Westmore- land visiting at University President Eric Walker's house before the Saturday football game and when they boarded the bus to head to Beaver Stadium to see the Penn State vs. Army game, about 75 members of the Students for a Democratic Society surrounded the bus in protest of Westmoreland's visit.  Handouts distributed earlier in the day claimed: "General Westmoreland is here today.  Welcome a mass murderer."  Eventually the police were called.  The newspaper's editor at the time described the atmosphere of the campus as: "involvement, unrest and chaos."  The mandatory draft and the Vietnam War were all part of campus life with activism efforts for anti-war candidate Eugene McCarthy helping fuel the unrest.  Another novelette told of campus concerns with nearly 10,000 of Penn States 26+thousand students signing a petition in support of establishing an on-campus bookstore.  A three day boycott of the off-campus bookstore to demand lower textbook prices was held.  

Rev. Martin Luther King speaks three years earlier at Penn State.

African-American students confronted University officials to talk about demands for more black under- graduate and graduate professors, having a Martin Luther King scholarship fund and more "black literature" in English courses.  Herlocher's restaurant was part of yet another novelette.  The new menu and the restaurant's air-conditioning led the way with the cheesesteak sandwich for 85 cents and fries for 30 cents a big draw.  Boot's Dairyette or G.C. Murphy's five-and-dime were also big draws.  Getting rid of unwanted items at the end of the semester were also big topics in the newspaper.  Another short story told of the death at the end of the 67-68 school year of Civil rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King who had made a visit to Penn State three years earlier as well as the assassination of Presidential candidate Robert Kennedy.  A final small story told about a tuition increase which raised the tuition $525 for in-state students and $1,200 for out-of-state students.  Enrollment broke a record high with temporary housing being used just as it will be in 2018, 50 years later.  Many other issues were covered in the  multi-page story, but I think you get the gist of the stories that highlighted Penn State University.  I enjoyed reading the story which was perhaps just as informative for a visitor to the community as well as it was for those living in State College and buying the Centre Daily Times on a daily basis.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  

The "Will Carl Be Legal?" Story

Foreword:  I wrote the story you are about to read the same day an article appeared in the local newspaper telling of a bill in Pennsylvania's legislature that was to be voted upon in the near future that would allow hedgehogs and sugar gliders to become legal pets in the state of Pennsylvania.  Three days later the vote took place and the bill was voted down.  Certainly one of the quickest votes in history in the state of Pennsylvania.  So fast that I never got to post my story in a timely manner.  I decided to post the story anyway so you can judge for yourself whether you would have voted for the measure or not.  

 It was an ordinary day.  Just saw in the newspaper that hedgehogs and sugar gliders are going to be dropped from the list of forbidden pets in the state of Pennsylvania.  For years the two animals were classified as exotic wildlife and thus, not allowed as a pet in the state of Pennsylvania.  But recently, one of Lancaster's state representatives has pushed a bill to allow the two animals to be dropped off the list so residents of the state can legally own them as a household pet.  

Carl Mencarini

So now, Carl will be able to visit with his grand- parents legally.  It was this past January that our daughter Brynn and granddaughters Courtney and Camille, visited from their home near Frederick, Maryland and brought Courtney's hedgehog Carl with her.  Carl was a neat little guy who curled up behind his wall of quills and slept most of the day, only to open his protective coat and wander around his box when darkness arrived.  

Carl's nose is always in motion.

His little black nose is constantly sniffing new smells and odors, trying to decide if he should be afraid of his surround- ings or drop his anxious mode and enjoy his new extended family.  For years my wife, Carol, and I had allowed our three children to explore the world of pets and therefore our family home had everything from dogs to cats to hamsters to fish to gerbils as well as guinea pigs and even a chincilla, but they couldn't have a hedgehog since it was illegal to have one in Pennsylvania.  

Daughter Brynn holding Carl.

The hedgehog is classified as a mammal which is native to Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia.  It has prickly spines everywhere except their face, legs and stomachs.  Their lifespan is about seven years and they grow to be about two and a half pounds and can get close to twelve inches.  They eat insects, small mice, snails lizards and frogs and are primarily nocturnal.  They curl up into a tight ball when they are frightened to protect their body.  Now, getting a bill through the legislature has been tried several times before, but this time there are plenty of signatures on petitions that may help.  The petitions claim that hedgehogs pose no threat to our ecosystem and only benefit the lives of children and adults who adore these beautiful creatures.  

Carl the hedgehog.

The Pennsylvania Game Commission supports the bill which can only be a plus for the bill.  Our local pet stores carry hedgehog food, but not hedgehogs.  So, we will see what happens and whether Carl will have to be smuggled into our home for a visit in the future or if maybe he can enter legally.  My guess is he could care less, but then maybe he really does have an opinion.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.   

The "Happy 99th Birthday!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading my all-time favorite newspaper column, "The Scribbler".  For those who don't live in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania or who might not subscribe to the LNP newspaper, you may have no idea what "The Scribbler" might be.  It has been a part of my life since the late 1950s when I began reading the Lancaster New Era which happened to be the evening newspaper that was published in Lancaster County.  Now, I must admit I had an ulterior motive for reading "The Scribbler" in the local newspaper.  Her name was Sally!  Seems I had a crush on this beautiful young girl who sang in the St. James St. Cecilia woman's and girl's choir.  The choir was the female part of the choir in which I sang, St. James Men and Boys choir.  A few times a month both choirs sang together and that's when I first noticed Sally.  After my voice changed and I had to drop out of the choir, I still got to see her during Sunday School classes each week.  Then, when I became a senior in high school, I gathered up the nerve to ask her to my Senior Prom.  Well, that didn't go so well I guess, since I didn't date her after that.  Now, to connect my love life to "The Scribbler": seems that Mr. Gerald Lestz, "The Scribbler" at the time, was the step-father of Sally.  I thought that by reading his newspaper column I would get an "in" into the life of Sally.  Didn't matter!  Well, I really did like his column and when Mr. Jack Brubaker took over the bi-weekly column in 1979, I just keep reading it.  "The Scribbler" offered stories dealing with the history, culture and humor of Lancaster County.  Now, who wouldn't love a column like that?  "The Scribbler" first appeared in the newspaper on May 24, 1919 when it was published in the Daily Examiner and Express.  That newspaper eventually became Lancaster's evening newspaper, The Lancaster New Era which now is the morning newspaper called LNP.  The only constant in all of this is the column called "The Scribbler".  I must admit that when I began my daily blog, which is going on nine years now, I used "The Scribbler" as my inspiration.  So, today when I opened the newspaper and turned to page A7, what a surprise it was to see that "The Scribbler" is the second oldest newspaper column in the WORLD.  The only column that has been published longer is one called "Beachcomber" which is published in the London Daily Express.  That column celebrated it's 100th anniversary last August.  The "Beachcomber" lampoons contemporary life which is OK with me, but I would rather read the local history and humor of my hometown.  Evidently I'm not the only one who enjoys "The Scribbler" since it just turned 99 years old yesterday.  My only regret about my favorite column is that it has been reduced to one day a week instead of the two days a week I grew to love.  But, if Mr. Brubaker is as old as I am, I can understand.  There is only so much history, culture and humor that one can stand as they age.  I do hope that if Mr. Brubaker ever decides to retire, and I do wish him a happy retirement some time in the future, that there will be someone else to take over the column who has the same wit, humor and writing skill that he has.  Hey, I'm waiting by the phone!  So, Happy 99th Birthday to "The Scribbler"!  Keep it alive and well for many more years if possible!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Weekend With Friends" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Just returned to Lancaster, PA after spending a weekend in State College, Pennsylvania with our traveling friends Jere and Just Sue.  Jere, Just Sue and I were all high school classmates.  After teaching with Jere for many years at our high school Alma mater, we retired and began to travel together with our wives Just Sue and my wife Carol.  Cruises to the Caribbean and the Panama Canal as well as multiple trips to many other Caribbean islands made life what we had dreamed about all our lives.  We have taken 18 trips together and spent some of our weekends talking about where we might enjoy heading to next.  Two of our favorite past vacation spots, Antigua and Barbados, were discussed as possible return locations.  After we talked, Sue gathered a few notes she had made this past week and began a game we have grown to enjoy during visits, "Where were we when....".  She had spent time going through her vacation scrapbooks and questioned us about past trips by saying, "Where were we when Jere and LDub decided to have banana splits for lunch instead of a sandwich or salad?"  We spent the next hour or more reminiscing about some of the best times of our lives.  When we had exhausted all her notes with fond memories and a few laughs, we gathered around their dining room table for lunch.  

Just Sue, Jere, Carol and LDub after landing in Hawaii
during our very first trip together in 1999.

Our intention for a fun afternoon was to visit nearby Whipple's Dam and bask in the spring sun while enjoying a good book or an afternoon nap, but rain and cold weather spoiled our plans so we took in a movie instead.  After returning back to their home near Penn State University, Carol and Just Sue spent time talking while Jere and I spent some time looking at his HO train yard.  Soon hunger struck once again so we drove to Doan's Bones, a local BBQ favorite of ours, for our evening meal.  More talk about family and good times filled our evening before we hit the sack.  Sunday morning and Just Sue had breakfast ready when we arose.  Clouds still filled the skies, but more conversation about past vacation memories brightened the morning before we had a final lunch, packed our luggage in our car and headed back to Lancaster.  We still haven't made a final decision on a location for our next vacation together, but we still have time before we will contact our long-time travel agent, Karen, and make our reservations.  We feel very lucky to enjoy each other's company and the good times we spend together every year while traveling to exotic locations that we could only dream about while laboring at our jobs and raising our respective families.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  

The "Lancaster's Unfinished Masterpiece" Story

Drawing and watercolor of Lancaster's Courthouse by Benjamin Latrobe.

It was an ordinary day.  Looking at the "Lancas- trian" Facebook page and came across a rather unique unfinished watercolor print that was submitted by Benton Webber.  He said the watercolor came from a book written by Lancaster author Jack Loose.  The watercolor was allegedly painted by American architect and engineer Benjamin Latrobe who happened to be visiting Lancaster in 1802 when he painted the watercolor.  The scene is from the southeast, looking towards the north and northeast corners of the Square.  At this time the County Office Building (Old City Hall) at the extreme left was the office building for the state government then using Lancaster as the state capital.  

Benjamin Henry Latrobe

In the middle is the courthouse that held the legislative chambers, with the House of Representatives on the first floor and the Senate on the second floor.  The watercolor seems to be unfinished for reasons unknown.  Benjamin Henry Latrobe was born in Fulneck, near Leeds, Yorkshire, England on May 1, 1764 and attended the Moravian College at Niesky, Saxony where he acquired a knowledge of advanced French architecture.  After travels to France and Italy, he returned to England in 1784 where he was apprenticed to John Smeaton and also studied Neoclassical architecture and engineering under Samuel Pepys Cockerell.  In 1790 he married Lydia Sellon with whom he had three children, losing his wife while giving birth in 1793.  In 1795 Mr. Latrobe suffered a breakdown and emigrated to the United States, initially settling in Virginia where he designed the Virginia State Penitentiary in Richmond.  

Basillica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

He gained notice for his series of topological and landscape water- colors.  Soon after, he moved to Philadelphia where he established an arch- itectural firm.  In 1803 he was appointed by President Jefferson as Surveyor of the Public Buildings of the United States and spent the next 14 years working on projects in the new national capital of Washington, D.C.  He has been called the "father of American architecture".  His most famous work is the Basillica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Baltimore.  He died of yellow fever on September 3, 1820.  At one point during 1802 he must have passed through Lancaster and took the time to draw the center of the city and begin to watercolor the drawing before being called to another location and never finishing his work.  That is the artwork that was posted by Mr. Webber on Facebook today.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.