The "A Funeral In Which The Pallbearers Need To Stand In Place for 500 years." Story

It was an ordinary day.  Just opened the mail and found my Reminisce and Smithsonian magazines had arrived.  Began leafing through the Smithsonian when I came to a page that had half-way down on the right-hand side of the page the word Meltdown in 24 point bold type.  Drew my attention so I immediately began reading and realized the story dealt with the Three Mile Island (TMI) nuclear reactor in nearby Middletown, Pennsylvania.  

Three Mile Island as seen the summer of 2018. Click to enlarge.

A short interview with the Mayor of Middletown followed which asked questions such as: How did he learn of the partial meltdown in one of the reactors?; when did the people who evacuated come back?; and How do locals feel about Three Mile Island today, as it considers closing this coming September?  It's been 40 years since the accident at Three Mile Island's Unit 2 reactor which had been in operation for only 90 days.  The accident began at 4 a.m. March 28, 1979 and was caused by a combination of human error, design deficiencies and equipment failures.  

A closer view of the cooling towers.

The accident caused a partial meltdown of the reactor core.  Didn't take long before everyone within 50 miles of TMI knew of the accident. Many residents immediately packed their bags and got as far away from the island on the Susquehanna River as they could.  Carol and I, along with our three children lived 29.8 miles from the plant.  What should we do?  It was a tense few days as we talked about packing our bags and heading away from our home in Lancaster.   March 28 was our oldest son's, Derek, 8th birthday and we had a party planned for him and about half a dozen of his friends at our home.  Should we have it?  Should we postpone it?  We decided to have the party and partway through the party we called the father of one of the boys whose father was a doctor and happened to work in radiology at the local hospital.  We asked him if it would be safe to allow the boys to play in the back yard.  

President Jimmy Carter and Pennsylvania Governor Dick
Thornburgh visit TMI after the reactor's partial meltdown.
President Carter in in the light-colored suit with Thornburgh
in the dark-colored suit behind him.

He assured us that the equipment that the hospital had on the roof was registering a normal amount of radiation in Lancaster.  Days passed and we continued to talk about what to do.  Pennsyl- 
vania's Governor Dick Thornburgh and then-President Jimmy Carter were photographed four days after the accident taking a tour of the reactor's control room as a publicity photo to show the plant's neighbors that it was safe to remain in their homes.  Since that time in history the Unit 2 reactor has remained empty.  

TMI technicians enter the containment building that housed
the disabled reactor.  Couldn't pay me enough to go in there! 

And now, it looks as if the Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant will close because of the cost and safety associated with keeping it open.  What will happen to all that radioactive fuel that produced all that electricity for years?  It was back in 1982 that the U.S. Government promised to have a safe national repository for nuclear fuel by 1998.  But, no repository had been built.  Nuclear plants have been forced to build above-ground miniature fortresses and to arrange to maintain them indefinitely, even after all workers have been dismissed.  When TMI closes, it will not be cleaned-up, because there is no where for the nuclear waste to go.  There will still be a high-level of radioactive waste sitting in the middle of the Susquehanna Island with someone overlooking it forever.  Eric Epstein, a member of the TMI Alert nuclear watchdog group said, "This is a funeral in which the pallbearers need to stand in place for 500 years."  The dismantled nuclear plant will have to be guarded for my lifetime and my great-grand children's lifetime and for many years after that.  Environmental monitoring will continue forever.  

Another photograph I took this past summer.

The estimated cost to decommission the plant so far is $1.27 billion!  And...it will never end!!  My home in Lancaster should be safe, but I doubt that you will find many new homes being built on the hills overlooking TMI.  How would you like to be the owner of the land around TMI.  Gonna be worthless if it hasn't been for years already!  Carol and I got up enough courage this past summer and made our way to TMI to take photographs for a story I posted on my blog.  I'll tell you, it was scary seeing the steam emanating from the cooling towers.  I know the steam is not dangerous, but the perception that it looks like it is spewing death from those concrete circular stacks is scary.  I got my photos and drove away from the place as quickly as possible.  It took me almost 40 years to gain the courage to get close enough for photos, and it will probably be the last time I will ever get that close again.  Living 29.8 miles away is close enough. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

PS - For just about 20 years now, tons of Cold War-era waste from decades of bomb-making and nuclear research across the U.S. has been stashed in the salt caverns that make up the underground facility in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  Seems that what was promised in 1982 finally was built.  The state of New Mexico wasn't happy about having all the waste in their neck-of-the-woods, but some argued that New Mexico had a moral obligation given its legacy of uranium mining and its role in the development of the atomic bomb.  The problem for them now is keeping the 18-wheelers away from the big cities while delivering the atomic waste to Albuquerque.  Isn't life full of adventures?

This photograph shows a tunnel inside the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant No 2 in New Mexico.  It is 150 feet below the surface.  I'm just glad that's not me driving the golf cart into the tunnel!

The "Working On The River! - The Ice Man: Part I" Story

Foreword:  I'm standing in the Columbia Crossing River Trails Center in Columbia, Pennsylvania.  As a student in high school I knew very little about the little town along the Susquehanna River known as Columbia, except for the fact that they traditionally had a top-notch basketball team.  Always seemed to beat our high school team until five years after I graduated and my brother, Steve, became a senior and he and his teammates finally beat the team from along the river.  Today, the quaint little river town is the perfect model of "Small Town America."  The more I explore this town I feared as a teenager, the more I discover how much they influenced the building of our nation.  The next three day's stories will deal with those that worked on what is known as the 16th largest river in the United states and played a major role in the start of our nation.

It was an ordinary day.  Standing in the display area of the Columbia River Trails Center, with my camera in hand, taking photographs of history.  The current exhibit at the center is called "Ice Harvesting On The Susquehanna River."  Deals with the time in history when refrigeration was a big problem for the majority of the population.  I can still remember going on vacation as a young boy to a small beach in Maryland known as Crystal Beach. My mom and dad, brother and myself, along with my Aunt Lillian and cousins Judy and George would spend two weeks every summer in a small cottage at Crystal Beach where we played in the sand, went swimming in the upper Chesapeake Bay and had some the most memorable times of our lives.  And, I can still remember the ice man that made a few stops each summer so we could get a block of ice or two to put in the icebox that was on the rear porch.  Only way we could keep our food and drinks cool in the hot summer weeks was by buying the blocks of ice.  Well, today I am finally getting a chance to see how that ice was harvested for our use.  The display in the Columbia Crossing River Trails Center comes from the vast collection of Mr. Lynn Smoker. a local historian.  The display contains ice tools from small ice picks to large ice plows, to signs that home owners would put in their window.  

And, not just one of each.  This gentleman has a huge collection which he began in 2005.  Most of the pieces in the collection are from the 19th century, since the 1880s were the peak of the ice industry.  The harvest on the nearby Susquehanna River usually began in mid-January, provided the ice was at least 6 inches thick and safe to walk on without cracking it.  To be able to have heavy equipment or horses on the ice, the ice needed to be at least 8 inches thick.  A hole was needed to start the process.  The hole was drilled in the ice and a tool was placed into the hole,  The hook on the end of the tool would catch on the bottom of the hole and someone would mark the depth on the tool.  After the tool was removed, a rule was used to check the thickness of the ice.  If it was a  suitable depth, the ice was cleared of debris and snow and a crisscrossed pattern was place on the ice.  

A variety of ice harvesting tools.

Workable units of ice were usually 25 to 50 pounds blocks.  Modern day clothing didn't exist so wool was the choice for winter weather.  At times the weather was brutal so the job was not for the weak or faint of heart.  The blocks were moved to the ice houses which lined the shore and packed in sawdust to keep it cold.  When needed it was delivered to households and local businesses.  Agricultural and meat-packing plants were other customers of the ice to keep their products fresh.  Ice boxes were the fridges of today and they held the blocks of ice to help refrigerate the home owner's food.  The harvested ice usually lasted until the end of the summer months, depending on the amount harvested and the thickness of the ice on the river.  

Ice chunks line the Susquehanna River last year.

Many of the people who worked to harvest the ice were the same people who farmed the land, since they didn't have as much to do in the winter months.  The ice delivery man had to be strong since he was lifting up to 50 pound blocks of ice all day long.  To keep your home in ice for that amount of time usually cost about 10% of your yearly income.   Eventually ice farms were used to freeze water in a controlled environment.  This ice was usually cleaner than river ice.  For those that couldn't afford an ice box and the cost of ice drank warm drinks and shopped more often so their food wouldn't spoil.  The display at the Center showed samples of everything from the saws used to cut the ice to the ice boxes used to keep it cold in your home much like the ice box I remembered from my summer vacations when I was a young boy.   Eventually most all households had electricity installed and purchased refrigerated cooling units, thus eliminating the ice harvesting.  Tomorrow I will take you on a visual tour of Mr. Smoker's vast display that I had the chance to view and photograph.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  

The "Did I Say He Was In 8th Grade?" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading about one of Manheim Township School District's students, Ayush Iyer.  Earlier this month he was named one of 18 winners of the annual "World of 7 Billion" student video contest which is sponsored by Population Connection.  For his efforts he was awarded a $500 cash prize.  I have known and photographed this young man the past four years while taking photos for the Landis Run Intermediate School and Manheim Township Middle School yearbooks.  

Ayush Iyer

What is noteworthy about his winning this national award is that he is still in 8th grade!  I can still remember four years ago taking photos of him for the yearbook when he was in 5th grade.  He was part of a variety of clubs and activities while in intermediate school and when I first met him I knew he was going to be something special in years to come.  I took his photo as part of "Odyssey of the Mind" and "Peer Mediators" while in 5th grade and the following year he added "Math 24" to that list.  His activities continued to grow last year while in 7th grade and this year he was one of the leads in his school's musical as well as being picked by his classmates as the male choice for "Most Likely To Succeed."  While taking photos of him, he was always very cooperative and helpful, something that doesn't always happen with children in grades 5 thru 8.  His recent award was special since more that 5,000 students in grades six through 12 participated in the competition.  Students were to create a video exploring population growth as it relates to one of three challenges: feeding 10 billion, preventing pollution, and advancing girls and women.  Ayush has become an expert in vegetarianism, climate change and the responsible use of natural resources; all of which play a role in world hunger.  The contest was judged by 61 people which consisted of college and high school educators, filmmakers and experts in their fields.  His animated video was picked as the 1st place winner in the feeding 10 billion category.  At first Ayush wasn't sure he wanted to participate in the contest, but his gifted class teacher suggested he participate.  Eventually he decided to make the video and then the news came at the end of April of his triumph.  Ayush eventually hopes to go into a STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) field.  His parents both work in computer science and I'm sure are extremely proud of his recent accomplishment.  I certainly am proud of his accomplishment for the notoriety it brings to the Manheim Township School District.  Oh yeah, did I say he is only in 8th grade!!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. 

The "There It Was...Bigger Than Life...And Still Scary!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  My wife and I decided to explore Lancaster County by car, seeing if we could find a few places we had never been before so we headed west on SR283.  Before long we saw a sign for Elizabethtown and decided it was time to see parts of the county we had never visited.  Before long we were on Main Street and when we approached the square headed south toward the sign that said Falmouth.  We had read for years about the town that has held annual goat races since 1978, but had never been there.  Town is located in Conoy Township that is famous for lowering a stuffed goat on New Year's Eve.  

Cooling towers from Three Mile Island were to our right.

The last census told the tale about the town which had 420 residents.  As we approached the western end of the town we looked off to the right and there it was.  Two large circular cement towers spewing steam into the noontime sky.  There it was...bigger than life...and still scary.  Wow!  It was back on March 28, 1979 that reactor #2 of Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station released radiation into the air right down the road from Falmouth, PA.  

Along the road in front of TMI stands this plague.

Not only was radiation released but the nuclear core was damaged and thousands of residents evacuated the area.  It was in the news for days in our area.  We were within the limits of evacuation, but most people near the city of Lancaster did not evacuate.   Carol and I drove down the final incline with the Susquehanna River in front of us.  Should we bear right and head toward the island?  

View as we approached the cooling towers.

For as much as we have heard about Three Mile Island, we had never in our lives explored and found the island.  I guess it was time even though it was still a bit scary.  Two of the four towers were spitting steam into the air as we drove about 200 yards away from them as we passed the island.  To our right was the Exelon Generation Training Site as well as a small grove of cherry trees.  We stopped to read the plaque that sat amongst the trees and found that the Yoshino Cherry Trees were presented to the GPU Nuclear Corporation by the Japanese Engineers who were assigned to the TMI-2 research and development program in May of 1988.  We sat in the car for quite some time looking at the massive cooling towers right in front of us and wondering what we would have done had we lived in the houses that lined the road across from the river and power plant.  

The Yoshino Cherry Trees presented by the Japanese.

Would he have grabbed the kids and driven as fast as we could away from the disaster.  Did most of the people who live there do just that?  After a few more photos we turned around and headed back to the sign telling us we were in Falmouth and decided it was time to head back towards Elizabethtown.  I doubt very much if we will ever duplicate our drive exploring this area of Lancaster County again.  Ever!  It might be close to 40 years ago that the catastrophe happened, but getting this close to those scary memories is more than we could take.  As we drove east through Falmouth we vowed never to return again.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

Sitting in our car directly across the road from the cooling tower #2.

Training center for Exelon Generation Training Site.

The "New Studies Suggest TMI May Be To Blame!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading a few stories in the local newspaper as well as online about nearby Three Mile Island (TMI) closing in a couple of years.  Seems they haven't been able to sell the power they make due to the lower cost of natural gas in Pennsylvania.  Exelon Corporation has threatened to close TMI and idle 675 workers if the state of Pennsylvania doesn't come up with some support for the losses.  $800 million has been lost over the last five years and Exelon says it has to stop the bleeding or close the 43-year-old facility at the ed of September 2019.  Out of those 675 workers, slightly over 200 live in Lancaster County while the rest live in neighboring Dauphin County.  You may remember a few years ago I wrote a story telling about our oldest son, Derek, having a birthday party scheduled for his 8th birthday in 1979 when all of a sudden a few days before the party was to be held, TMI's #2 reactor suffered a nuclear meltdown.  

Three Mile Island in the Susquehanna River near Harrisburg, PA.

It was the worst accident in USA commercial nuclear power plant history and resulted in the release of small amounts of radioactive gases and radioactive iodine into the environment.  Being that we live within a 20-mile radius of the power plant and there being an alert for that 20-mile radius area telling residents to stay inside and to keep animals under cover, we weren't sure if we should have the birthday party a few days after the meltdown took place.  One of Derek's friends who we had invited to the party had a father that was a doctor who was a radiologist at the local Lancaster General Hospital.  We called the hospital and asked him if we should cancel the party since it would be tough to keep all those rumbustious kids indoors during the party.  He said they have a meter on the roof of the hospital that reads the amount of radioactive gases that were released into the air and it was reading normal amounts.  He saw no reason at all why the children couldn't be outside for a short time. So, based on his judgement and the readings of the equipment at the hospital, we held the party and after a time in the basement with more than half a dozen boys we had them go outside to play in the back yard for the remaining half hour of the party.  We wondered for years if we had made the right move, but we were told it was safe to do so.  

Pennsylvania road marker telling of the nuclear accident
at Three Mile Island in Dauphin County.

That was 38 years ago and for years reports and studies have reported no increase in thyroid cancer which would be the most likely cancer one would get from the radioactive gases and iodine that was released in 1979.  Now we find that researchers tell us there may be a possible link between TMI and a rise in cancer in the area.  They say all those other studies didn't wait long enough for the latency period of cancers to kick in.  They tell us now that data supports the possibility that radiation released by TMI altered the molecular profile of thyroid cancers in the population surrounding the plant.  Researchers tell us they don't want to alarm anyone, but that the accident may have caused biological changes in nearby residents due to the exposure they received.  They had recently examined 44 patients, mostly women, who were treated at nearby Milton S.  Hershey Medical Center for thyroid cancer.  These patients lived in at-risk regions, including Lancaster County, in 1979 and had developed thyroid cancer.  Similar studies done after the nuclear disaster in Chernobyl, Ukraine in 1986 found similar results to what was found in the TMI study.  I wonder how long it will be before they finally decide that TMI was responsible for the many thyroid cancers that have developed in the recent past.  I guess time will tell.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. 

The "Paranormal Happenings At Bootleg Antiques" Story

Our guide, Tom, at Bootleg Antiques.  Tours
aren't something they advertise, but when I
asked a few questions about the building,
Tom asked if we was interested in a tour.

It was an ordinary day.  Standing on the top floor of the Bootleg Antiques store in downtown Columbia, Pennsylvania talking with Tom who had volunteered to take Carol and I, as well as friends Jerry and Just Sue, on a tour of what was one time a washing machine manufacturing plant which was built along the Susquehanna River in 1891.  Neat building that has quite a history to it and a rather creepy aura to boot.    Seems a fellow by the name of Thomas, as well as an un-named young boy, both died years ago in the building.  From time to time they are said to "make themselves known" to those who work at the antique store at 135 Bridge Street.  My wife talked with two female employees who said that their security cameras picked up a few incidents that led to the owner hiring not one, but two, mediums to visit and tell their thoughts of the energy that seems to appear in the building.  

Date of the construction can be seen center right.

The cameras showed a picture frame turn and fall off a shelf as if pushed.  Also showed a pair of picture frames on a table that featured a young boy and young girl and eventually the frame of the young boy fell face down on the table.  The women also told of employees hearing items rolling on the floor above them which may have been children playing.  

These are the wooden wheels for the old washing machine
equipment pulley systems on the second floor.  The factory
made washing machines fro 1891 to the 1960's.

Two mediums were asked to visit, but a month apart.  They both agreed that there were ghosts living in the building and seemed to feel comfortable living amongst the antiques.  When stand holders would bring additional items to the store, some more than likely had energy that attracted Thomas.  

Ceiling of the area in the third floor that was covered
in cork to eliminate noise as they made "moonshine."

One medium said he conversed with the older ghost and asked him if he wanted to "crossover" into the afterlife, but got no answer.  They also said that part of the building displayed a "dark energy", or a mysterious energy that permeates all of space, which they would not enter!  Now for those reading my story that do not believe in ghosts and mediums, you must visit Bootleg Antiques.  

The Hotel where Al Capone stayed while visiting Columbia.

It was daylight when we visited and I was scared at times to wander into the different rooms on the third floor.  They offer a evening tour with flashlights, but that's just not gonna happen with me.  We were led to another location on the top floor that featured an area about thirty feet by sixty feet in size that during prohibition was used to make "moonshine."  

Photograph of the Bootleg Antiques store in Columbia, PA.

The walls and ceiling were covered with layer on top of layer of inch thick cork which would absorb the noise that might have occurred from the machinery used to make the illegal liquor.  The "moonshine" would run through underground tunnels from the basement of the building to the edge of the river where waiting ferrymen should load the liquor on board for distribution at other points along the river.  One of the costumers of the bootleg liquor was none other than Al Capone who would visit Columbia and stay at the nearby hotel along Water Street.  Must have been rather interesting when he would pay a call to the Superior Washing Machine Company in Columbia, PA.  The building is remarkable and our tour with our host, Tom, proved to be the highlight of our trip to Columbia, PA even though we left the building without a single antique, except ourselves naturally.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

A view across the Susquehanna River from the Columbia Hotel.

      

The "Striking Close To Home" Story

Blue Ridge Cable reporter standing with
Nancy and Jack in front of large tree that
will be cut down in the near future.

It was an ordinary day.  Talking with Jack and Nancy about all the trees that have pink ribbons around their trunks and have to be cut down in their yard.  Seems the large tree we are standing next to is one of them that has provided shade for their property for years.  Has to be close to four feet in diameter and 50 feet tall.  Reason why the trees will be cut down is they are on Texas Eastern Transmission Corp.'s right of way and the company has decided that it is now time to enforce their rules and destroy any shrub or tree that is taller than 4 feet in height along their 75-foot-wide natural gas pipeline corridor that runs through our neighborhood.  Nancy told me she moved here in 1996 when the trees that are marked for cutting were much smaller.  

To the right or their driveway stand two other very large
trees that will be cleared from the gas line right-of-way.

The people from whom they purchased the property said that the company had enforced the rule about years 25 years ago when they replaced one of the two pipelines that are beneath us.  They received a payment for the trees and shrubs that had to be cut down which was payment enough to head to Florida for an entire winter.  The only thing that Jack and Nancy will receive is the burden of clean-up, the annoyance and inconvenience of the equipment on their property and the loss of all the shade they were accustomed to over the years.  

Across the steer from their house can be seen the orange
pipeline markers which travel through all the neighbors yards.

The gas pipeline runs through Lancaster County from Marietta to the Chester County line in Salisbury Township.  Can't imagine how many shrubs and trees the company will be cutting down and now much it will cost to complete the chore.  The pipeline runs for approximately 35 miles and was constructed during World War II by our government.  

A block to the east of Nancy and Jack's house sits a rather
large RV which will have to be moved from on top of the pipeline.

There are actually two pipelines that run approxi- mately 6 feet under the ground in many areas. Big Inch and Little Inch pipelines were built between 1942 and 1944 to compensate for the tankers that were being sunk offshore by the Nazis.  Big Inch, which is a 24-inch pipe,  carried crude oil from Texas to New Jersey. The 20-inch Little Inch line transported gasoline.  When WWII ended the pipelines were offered to the private sector and where then purchased by Texas Eastern and converted to carry natural gas.  Neighbors in this area didn't know much about the pipelines except for the large orange metal posts that sit along the pipeline.  

A block away from my house is a large swatch of land that
carries the pipeline.  In the distance are other trees that
will have to be cut down.

That was until 1989 when Texas Eastern replaced the 24-inch pipe with a 36-inch pipe in order to meet federal safety regulations.  The 36-inch pipe is a high pressure pipe while Little Inch operates at a lower pressure.  Can't imagine what would happen if the roots of the large trees that sit atop the pipelines contaminate the line and cause a puncture.  In 1956 a pipe ruptured in San Bruno, CA killing eight and injuring 52 as well as destroying 38 homes.  Nancy was naturally quite concerned about the fact that the pipe that is 6 feet under her grass where the 50 foot tree resides could rupture.  She pointed out that the branches extend close to 40 feet from the trunk meaning the roots probably drop 40 feet below the grass.  Kind of scary knowing the roots have entwined around the two pipes which liquid natural gas.  She told me she is so upset that the company will be cutting down her trees and shrubs, but thankful that nothing has happened to the pipeline all these years.  

Across the street from the last photo is a home with a very
nice manicured lawn and plenty of trees.  Click on the photo
and you will see several pink ribbons on trees that will be
taken down, since they are on the right-of-way of the gas pipeline.

A block away I saw a house with many pink ribbons displayed that stand alongside a large RV.  I found out that the RV will not be allowed to sit atop the pipeline either as well as any outdoor sheds that may now occupy space above the pipeline.  My home is slightly more than a block from the pipeline and I knew it was there when I bought my home.  It would take an extremely large explosion in order to affect the neighbors along my street, but I know that could be possible.  I feel bad for all those who will lose their treasured shrubs and trees, but I prefer that the safety of the pipeline not be comprised.  As I was preparing to leave Jack and Nancy, a Blue Ridge Cable van was stopping across the street and a reporter and cameraman were heading in our direction.  The retired couple have become instant celebrities, but prefer that all of this notoriety had never happened.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Juicin' Up For The Future" Story

Note:  The following story is my recollection of what I was told.  I did take notes of my time spent during my interview, but whether I understood what was said is another assumption you may not care to make.  Therefore, what this story conveys is as accurate an account as I can remember it to be.  Read on ......

It was an ordinary day.  Talking with Sol about the solar panels that are on the roof of the high school where I used to teach.  Yeah, I know a name like Sol sounds like I made it up, but it really is his name, and what a perfect name to have to be in charge of the solar units of the school.  When the new addition was completed a few years ago, large solar panels were installed on the roof of the cafeteria to heat the water that is used for domestic purposes in the vicinity of the cafeteria. 

Borosilicate glass tubes filled with Glycol line
the roof of the Manheim Township HIgh School.

The heated water is used in the cafeteria for washing dishes, in the bathrooms and in the locker room for showers and for washing sports uniforms.  For years I wanted to walk up to the roof and see the solar panels and learn how they operate.  Well, I found the perfect person to take me on a tour and explain the unit to me, since Sol had worked for over 20 years at the various nuclear power plants in the northeast of the U.S.  He finally decided he wanted a different and safer job so he applied and was hired as an electrician for the Manheim Township School District.  Solar units and panels have been popular since the late 1970s as a way to cut the cost of electricity and heating for homes, businesses, schools, and even farming.  Solar radiation can be converted into electricity through the use of solar cells and you can reduce the need to burn fossil fuel as in the past.  And, the federal and state governments (actually all of us) reward you for installing these units.  The solar panels can be expensive and may take years before you will see any gain money wise, but you are helping to cut the carbon emissions into the air that are creating global warming.  Found out that a sunny winter day can create more energy than on a summer day, since summer haze can block the suns rays.  In the case of most solar panels which are found on roofs, solar cells generate the electricity.  At the high school, a different type of solar unit is on the roof.  In this case there are rows and rows of long tubes that connect together and have glycol flowing through them.  Glycol is similar to alcohol in that it doesn’t freeze.  In the second floor room of the high school, under the panels which are on the roof, is a 1000 gallon insulated tank that holds water.  Winding through the tank is the same tube that carries the glycol. 

Excessive heated water is sent to this
radiator-like unit to dissipate the heat.

The Glycol is heated as it passes through the borosilicate glass tubes and then passes through the water which in turn is heated to 140 degrees.  The unit can produce 60 gallons of hot water a minute.  The amount of heat produced when the temperature is 0 degrees Fahrenheit outside is 39,000 BTU.  Pretty impressive!  If it is too hot outside or the school is not actively using enough of the hot water, the unit can overheat.  In that case a valve opens and the hot water is sent back to the roof through a series of radiators where the heat dissipates into the air.  The unit is self-sufficient in that no electricity is needed to keep it operating and therefore no electricity is being used to heat all the water that is needed.  As for me, I have a series of different level roofs on my house that all face southeast.  Perfect for having solar cell panels to produce my electricity.  Maybe I wouldn’t have to be dependent on the electric company’s power grid for my electricity.  But, what would happen if ..... say 50% of the people in Lancaster County did this?  The other 50% of the people would still need the electric company to supply them with power and it would still cost the power company the same amount of money to create that power, so the cost per kilowatt hour for their power is going to increase tremendously.  What is going to happen in the future as far as solar energy is concerned?  I’m not sure anyone knows.  Sounds like it’s going to be expensive, though!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. 

The "Hair-Brained Idea (minus the hair)" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Driving to State College for a week-end with out friends Jerry and Just Sue.  Usually leave early Saturday morning, since Carol works until late afternoon on Friday and the traffic from Lancaster to miles past Harrisburg is terrible on a Friday afternoon.  For years I have been thinking of a way to help with the traffic congestion and I think I have come up with a great plan.  Just have to get someone to listen to it and help with the implementation of it.  How about you?  Here is my plan ....... Now, I realize that it would take many, many years to implement this plan, and I'm sure I won't be around when it is finally given a try, but it will help others to navigate our nation's highways in super speed, without accidents.  The USA would have to be laid out in north-south and east-west grids with newly built elevated roads that have  concrete paths for the two wheels of our vehicles (motorcycles and one-wheeled cars would have to travel on traditional roads).  

My elevated pathways would pass through cities like this.

Between the wheel paths would be another grid that would carry a hook or claw-like device that would attach to a mating eyelet under your car, truck, bus or motorhome.  All automakers would have to build their cars accordingly or they would still have to use the traditional roads that are crowded.  Every 10 miles, on these north-south or east-west paths, would be a terminal much like on a turnpike or toll road.  At that terminal you would be able to pull up and have your vehicle attached to the pulley that runs between your wheels, something like on an amusement ride.  This would pull you into the flow of traffic going east, west, north or south for a minimum of 10 miles.  Speeds of 200 or more miles per hour could be maintained on these pathways.  To get off you would be able to electronically pick up another pulley that would take you off at the next 10 mile terminal of your choice.  No one passes you and no one would be able to slow down on the paths.  You would have to exit when you get off and use the traditional highways that we now have.  If you choose to go 70 miles north and 30 miles west you would have to get on the pathway heading north, exit after 70 miles, re-enter going west for another 30 miles, exit and take the traditional highway to your closeby final destination.  Total time could be cut in half or less with this system.  No gas would be needed, weather conditions wouldn't matter, no pollution would occur, jobs would be created, and since you would have more money from not buying gas, you would probably stop for lunch more often and shop more often.  Sounds like a no-brainer!  So why hasn't anyone called me yet about my idea.  I DON'T KNOW!  I'm not some kook or radical person.  Just ask anyone who knows me.  Wait ... that may not be a good idea!  Guess the oil companies are behind keeping my plan from ever happening.  But, someday.  You just wait!  Hope they call it LDub's Trans-USA Pathway.  I'll be watching from Heaven or wherever.  You can count on it.  And ..... if you can get to State College from Lancaster in 30 minutes or less instead of an hour.  Well, remember who made it all possible!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.   

The "A Time For Everything" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Noontime and I'm just getting home from work at the gallery where I spent the morning matting and framing a variety of pretty neat posters, original artwork and a beautiful cross-stitch.  Soon as I come in the door I turn on the news at noon and check to see if there is any soup left from yesterday in the fridge.  Yep, so I warm up the Campbell's Bean with Bacon soup, make a half chicken salad sandwich and pour a glass of lemonade.  After watching TV and finishing my meal I sit in my recliner and read the morning paper that I grabbed from my driveway as I drove over it with the car.  Within a few minutes I am out.  You know... zzzzzzzzzzz!  But that's OK, since taking an afternoon nap sometime in the early PM brings back the alertness and strength that I lost while working.  I was reading an article in Wired magazine titled "Do the right things at the right time" and they suggested a nap between 2-3 PM.  Hey, I'm not off by much.  Between 3 and 6 PM is a great time to read or do something that will exercise the mind, since long-term memory is stronger and you will be able to remember information and retain it better between those times.  That's why I can remember so much about the Mecum Auto Auctions, since I watch them when I wake from my half-hour nap.  I assume you realize that we run on a 24-hour schedule and our internal clocks sound the bells for metabolism, mood and performance.  So, there are times that are best for just about everything.  Late afternoon is the best time for flexibility, physical strength and speed, since they all reach their peak.  Your breathing is easiest and your pain tolerance is highest.  I wish I had known this stuff years ago.  Who knows what I may have been able to do with my life.  And, get this, the best time in the day to have sex is between 4 and 6 PM.  My sperm is speedier and more concentrated, or at least it used to be before the knife, so your chances of having kids should be worked on between these times.  Wonder how they figured all this stuff out.  If I would have suggested heading to the bedroom in the late afternoon, my wife would have laughed.  Naturally the best time to watch the quiz shows, Phillies baseball and Dancing With The Stars is between 8 and 10 PM.  Your mental alertness gets its "second wind" and you'll enjoy your TV watching more.  Now, the next time segment I have down pat.  10 PM to 6 AM is for ZZZZs.  Melatonin production ramps up telling the body it's nighttime.  Wonder what happens if you work the night-shift as my youngest son has been doing for the last 15 years.  Cortisol peaks when you awake and helps the body break down food, which is burned off quickly, as well as the testosterone peaks in men.  So why isn't sex better at this time?  I'll have to write to the Stanford researcher and ask them a few questions.  Then between 9 AM and 12 PM it's best to tackle tasks that require quick processing such as mathematics.  Funny but that's exactly what I do when I work at the gallery.  Now, this time schedule that I just described works for someone like me who is semi-retired and can nap in the afternoon.  How about the person who has to work afternoon and even evening hours at their job.  I'll have to read next months edition of the magazine to find out.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "A Little Nipley!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  That is until the sun went down and the air stated to chill.  Not only outside, but inside the house.  "Are you cold?" I asked my wife.  She has a large orange cat strung across her lap so she doesn't feel the cold as I do.  Seems that the thermostat was set to 70 degrees, but it was much colder inside the house than that.  So, I started to mess around with the settings on the thermostat thinking it may be set wrong.  Temperature was 64 degrees inside so something was wrong.  I tried everything I could think of to make the gas furnace start, but nothing worked.  A trip to the basement was necessary to see what may be the problem.  I opened the full-panel wooden hinged doors to reveal the gas furnace and looked at it as if I could will it to work.  I actually had no idea what I was doing and since there is gas involved, I didn't try to do anything except walk over to the electrical board to see if the breaker may be off.  Yep, that was the problem!  So I flipped the breaker, headed back upstairs and tried again.  Nothing happened so I headed back down the basement and checked the breaker again.  Breaker off again.  It was supposed to get down into the lower 30s that tonight so I started to panic.  By now it was 10:30 PM so I can't call my cousin Susan's husband who works at the heating place that installed my gas furnace.  May be in bed and I hate it when someone calls me with a problem late at night.  Ruins my entire next day, so it does.  So I dug out the phone book and found the number of the heating place and placed a call.  Jeff answered and asked me for some information as to what I may have already tried.  After reviewing what I did he asked me to remove the front of the thermostat and replace the batteries.  Did that, but still was cold.  Then he had me turn the fan onto the "On" setting rather than the "Auto" setting, go back down the stairs and flip the breaker and come back upstairs and turn the temperature higher.  Did that and the unit came on for 30 seconds and shut down.  He told me it may be the fan unit.  Could I wait until tomorrow or would I rather him come tonight.  I asked him how cold he thought it may get by tomorrow morning and he responded with, "Maybe 50 degrees."  He told me it would cost $200 an hour for him to come right then, but if I could wait until working hours it would be considerably less.  Asked Carol and she said she would throw another blanket on the bed.  Next morning at 6:30 Carol woke me and told me that something was beeping.  Time to get up anyway I thought.  We have two CO2 detectors, but both were functioning correctly.  I checked the smoke detector in the garage.  Now I should tell you at this time that I can't hear the high pitched squeal of any detector unless I am next to it.  As I headed back in from garage the phone rang.  Security company called to tell me that the second floor glass break detector battery was low.  Wow, it just amazes me that they can tell that a battery on a wireless item on my second floor which is over 5 miles from their place is low.  That is what Carol heard.  Luckily I had purchased extra batteries the last time that happened so I replaced them and recalled the company to report what I had done.   OK, by noon today Jeff arrived.  Really pleasant and personable guy who tried to explain everything to me as he was working.  I know workers hate when someone looks over their shoulder, but I was interested to see what he was doing in case it happened again.  Well, we found that my breaker in the power panel was to blame so within half an hour he was back on the road again.  For me, I guess the moral of this story is never try to mess with anything that is connected to natural gas and if service is needed, try to wait until working hours.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Radioactive Birthday Party" Story

It was an ordinary day. Carol and I are taking a walk through Overlook Park which is adjacent to our neighborhood. Great walking trails with plenty of wildlife to observe on our walk. As usual, we talk about almost anything that comes to mind. She was telling me about a couple that were living next to her boss who were having a bad time. Seems that the wife had died from cancer as well as one of their children and now the husband has been diagnosed with cancer. Wow, talk about bad luck. Carol told me that she asked her boss if the couple had been living near Three Mile Island (TMI) at the time when they had the nuclear reactor accident in 1979. Her boss had no idea, since he had just moved to the area a few months ago. I have written about TMI in a few other posts, but just to refresh your memory: On Tuesday, March 29, 1979 at 4 AM, EST, the #2 reactor suffered a nuclear meltdown. It was the worst accident in US commercial nuclear power plant history and resulted in the release of small amounts of radioactive gases and radioactive iodine into the environment. 28 hours after the accident Lieutenant Governor William Scranton III held a press conference saying that all schools within a 5-mile radius of the plant would be closed, residents were to stay indoors and farmers should keep their animals under cover and feed them stored feed. Then, on Friday, Governor Richard Thornburgh said that the area had been extended to a 20-mile radius. Wow, we were right on the border line. Pretty scary. But, my story goes beyond that. Seems that our oldest child's 8th birthday was on March 28. Something to help him remember his birthday in the future. But, we had scheduled a birthday party with eight to ten of his friends from Schaeffer Elementary School on the Saturday after the accident at TMI. What should we do. Everyone was extremely concerned, but we made calls to the parents telling them we would still have the party and if they felt their child should not attend, we would understand. All showed up and we kept them inside at 925 Janet Ave. At least for an hour or so, then, since they were all young boys, we felt a great need to get them outside so they could work off some of their energy. What to do! One of the boys' father was a doctor at the Lancaster General Hospital. A radiologist matter of fact. So we called the hospital and asked to talk to him. Asked if he felt it would be safe for the boys to go outdoors. He said that they had a meter on the roof of the hospital that measures radioactivity and they had checked it about an hour ago and it did not register anything out of the ordinary. He felt it was perfectly safe for the boys to be outside. He also was sympathetic about our need to be outside. Well, the party was a success and everyone made it home safely. But, we still wonder, after all these years, about the amount of radioactive gases that were released into the air, especially around the TMI plant. We have heard about many cases such as the one my wife told me about during our walk and still believe that it may have been caused by the accident. I guess we will never know. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Acting Your Age" Story

It was an ordinary day.  And, today I feel my age.  So what does that really mean.  Well, many people tell you that you're only as old as you feel.  You may be 60, 65, or even 70, but you feel that you can do everything you always could do when you were say 40.  Maybe not as well or as fast as when you were 40, but at least you can still do what you did when you were 40.  Today I physically can't do most things that I did when I was 40.  Back surgery half a year ago and a recent encounter with a case of shingles has put me in my place.  No more running, skipping or jumping right now.  No more hitting grounders or fly balls to the grandkids.  Matter-of-fact, no long walks right now.  I'm starting to feel like my grandparents probably did when I was younger.  I loved my grandpap!  He could do just about anything, or so I thought.  I remember when he would stand on his head in the corner of the room and when all the loose change in his pockets started falling out, I scurried for it.  Little did I know that he knew it would fall out and he was showing off to make himself feel younger.  I guess I do that when I'm around my grandkids.  Always doing something "goofy" for the grandkids so they will think I'm really younger than I am.  But, kids have no conception of age, do they?  I suspect they picture me as Tampah, which is who I really am, but they don't associate me with being old.  Heck, I'm Tampah.  I'm ageless!  If only I could feel that way again.  My grandkids look at me without judgement.  Age spots mean nothing to them. The wrinkles I am developing in my skin; they could care less about them.  But, you know, admiring an older person like I did with my grandpap, is so different than being one.  The mirror in my bathroom doesn't lie.  The age spots, wrinkles, and loss of muscle tone mean more to me than they do to the grandkids.  I look at my mother who is going to be 90 and see what aging has done to her body and realize that I'll be in her shoes in another 20 odd years.  But, you know you can't let aging bother you.  Do you ever look at your friends and think how much older they look than you do.  I do all the time.  And ....... they really do look older!  At least in my mind they do.  When I go to the beach and see the older bodies, I feel young again.  When I'm with my grandkids, joking, laughing and making fun of just about everything, I feel young again.  Then, just when I really get going with the grandkids, my wife will say, "LDub, act your age!"  And my reply ........ "I am." At least in my mind.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  

Tampah and the grandkids goofing around.  Can you tell which one is Tampah?  Hope not!

The "Gonna have to cut back a little" Story

It was an ordinary day. Just filled up the Merc SUV at "Giant to Go." A few years ago my daughter was visiting from Maryland with the grand kids and I was telling her about how much it cost me to fill up the tank in the Merc SUV. "I just filled my car up and I got 30 cents off per gallon," she told me. "How did you do that?" I replied to her. "For every $100 I spend at the Giant store, I get 10 cents off of each gallon when I get gas," she said. Seems that the Giant chain they have in Maryland is different than the Giant chain we have here in Lancaster. I should have have known that because every time I buy something at her Giant and try to scan my bonus card, it rejects it. And, the Giant in Maryland is the one that gave the 10 cents off per gallon. Well, as most of you know, it eventually worked it's way to our Giant Supermarkets, and none too soon. After coming back from visiting her in Maryland yesterday, I stopped and got gas. My screen in my car was telling me that I had so many miles to empty, so I was almost out of gas. Took a whole bunch!! Lucky for me I got 90 cents off of each gallon. Sizable savings, but you can figure out how much I must have spent on groceries to be able to get that 90 cents off of each gallon. Not only do I have to cut back on my driving, I have to cut back on my eating! Will be a benefit to not only the wallet, but the pouch! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Is Your Preference Wind or Sun?" Story

It was an ordinary day. Just drove past the Snyder's of Hanover property on Rt. 30E and was totally impressed. Snyder's is the global leader in pretzels and the nation's second largest snack food company. I read an article a few months ago that Snyder's was going to start construction on a solar farm that will be the largest ground-based solar energy system in Pennsylvania with over 15,000 panels spanning twenty-six acres. Snyder's wants to demonstrate that they can still be passionate about pretzels and better-for-you snack foods while caring for the environment. They certainly have my vote. The rows and rows of solar panels are very impressive. Can't imagine how much it must have cost to construct the farm units and how much power they will generate. Carol and I talked about what we could do at our house to help reduce the electric bill as well as reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We have a roof that faces the south and gets sun almost all day long. Would be the perfect place to put solar panels. Next I guess would be to check on the cost of installation. I checked with Worley and Obetz, a heating and air conditioning company in Manheim where my cousin Susan's husband Gary works, about a year ago and they said that I don't have enough wind to put a windmill in my back yard. Wonder what the neighbors would think if I did that? I was reading on Traveltalkonline (TTOL) about how the The French are moving on plans to put a bunch of turbine windmills on the island of Tintamarre with heights close to 150 feet. This island is a few hundred yards from Orient Beach on the island of St. Martin. Many people are worried that it will ruin the natural views from Orient and make Tintamarre seem like an industrial zone versus the wonderful deserted island it is. The plans call for these windmills to generate 20 percent of the Frenchside power needs and a huge cable would run from the center of Tintamarre under the ocean to a Frenchside connection. Frenchside St. Martin as well as the Dutch side, Sint Maarten, have power outages all the time. The island is becoming over populated, but yet the infrastructure as well as power supply is not keeping up. Since Tintamarre is a Nature Reserve, many wonder now they could place windmills on the island. One member of the TTOL site states: It is easy to acknowledge that the one and only resource St. Martin exports is tourism? If this is so, anything that has the potential to negatively affect this resource must be carefully assessed and mitigated to the maximum extent. Putting windmills on Tintamarre would change the view, the feel and possibly the ecology of one of the most popular tourist spots on the island. There is accumulated (ing) evidence detailing the extent and type of change that will occur. There is no question that cleaner energy generation must occur. The question is, can the windmills be sited in an area that has less destructive potential to the primary economic engine that feeds, clothes and houses it's population? For me, I enjoy looking at windmills. Kind of relaxing and mesmerizing. I certainly wouldn't stay away from my favorite island just because they put up a few windmills. Probably would draw me back sooner. Then I saw photos of aerotecture wind turbines which can be placed on the roof of a building. Really neat! Isn't technology great. I guess if I wait a little longer I will find the perfect match for my house that will give me the maximum result that I want. If I live that long! It was another extraordianry day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - pix from the top: Snyder's solar farm in Hanover, beautiful windmills in the distance, what one person believes the windmills will do to Tintamarre, and the new aerotecture wind turbine for rooftops.