The "30 Hours Of Chaos" Story

It was an ordinary day.  A sudden jolt wakened me from my sleep.  I opened my eyes and heads were bobbing in unison as far as I could see in the seats ahead of me as the plane fought the remnants of the historic storm that swept the eastern coast recently.  To Carol's left sat a young man bobbing and bobbing in his chair, crossing himself a few times and repeating over and over under his breath, "Oh my God!" A few months ago Carol and I searched for airfare for another adventure to the Caribbean.  We found Delta Airlines had the best price, but we would have to travel through New York from Baltimore to reach our final destination of St. Martin.  Never flew through John F. Kennedy Airport, but thought we would give it a try, since the savings were quite substantial.  Well, the travel chaos began around 5:30 PM when we left home in heavy rains and traffic heading to the Best Western near Baltimore and Washington International Airport (BWI).  Had arranged for a Sleep and Park package which is our usual Modus Operandi on the day before our flight.  Wake-up call at 4:15 AM and arrival at the Delta ticket counter at 5:30 AM.  Our flight was to board at 6:40 AM, but that time came and went without any movement from the clerks at the ticket counter.  The sky was overcast, but no rain at all this morning.  Around 7:00 AM I approached the ticket counter and asked why we hadn't boarded as of yet.  "The Captain hasn't given the OK as of yet," was their reply.  "Why?" I naturally wanted to know.    An attendant walked to the door of the walkway, opened it and disappeared into the blackness.  Wasn't long before we heard over the loudspeaker, "The Captain said all air traffic has been stopped in and out of JFK  until further notice because of storms so we will not be boarding as of now."  We had only a half-hour between this flight and our direct flight to Princess Juliana Airport (SXM) in St. Martin, so it was now time to worry.  We sat and sat wondering if we should have taken the more costly flight on American that went from BWI to Miami, then Miami to SXM, the flight we usually take.  The time that our flight from JFK to SXM had arrived and we are still sitting in the airport at BWI.  I made a second trip to the ticket counter where the poor girls were fielding question after question.  My turn arrived and I asked what I can do.  She checked my ticket arrangements and after spending an eternity on the computer, printed my new agenda.  "As soon as the ban is lifted at JFK you can fly there and I have just made arrangements with American for you to fly with them from JFK to Miami and then on to SXM.  Only problem is, you will not arrive until 9:50 PM instead of the 1:30 PM arrival you had before with us."  So, I went back to my wife with the news of our new flight times.  A hour later, still sitting, waiting and hoping for JFK to open, I got to thinking and went back to the counter.  Talking with the same patient girl I said, "Why can't you just schedule my flights from BWI to Miami on American instead of taking me through JFK on Delta first?"  She started typing and shortly said,  "Your suitcases are going to be taken off our plane right now and sent to American's terminal as soon as you tell me what they look like.  Then you will leave in about a half hour for Miami on American."  Gave her the description and asked, "Do you really think our suitcases will make it?" She smiled politely and didn't answer. She knew better!  Well, I've just been awakened by the violent air currents on our trip to Miami on American.  We've faced this before and know the plane can handle them, so no problem.  Our wait in Miami was about five hours so we had a slow late afternoon meal and sat bored the rest of the time until the plane boarded at 7:50 PM.  I'm sure I dozed off quite a few times during that time due to the 2 No-doze Dramamine I had taken real early in the morning.  Finally all passengers were boarded and the door was closed when the Captain came over the speaker with, "The ground crew has not signed off on a small part that they are working on at present.  We must wait until they have finished, so sit back and get comfortable."  

I decided to start my story while on the flight from Miami
to St. Martin. Only thing I could find to write on was the
"Throw Up" Bag. Click on the photo and you will see that
I have stuck pretty close to what I originally had written.  

Geez, what else can happen I thought.  Well, things weren't finished yet!  Finally we're in the air and being served drinks.  Carol and I split a ginger ale and when Carol was just about finished drinking her half, she knocked her half-full plastic cup into her lap which in turn fell into the side pocket of her purse.  I grabbed the purse and when I tipped it  to get the drink from it, the drink fell out into her shoes and carry on bag.  Her passport and immigration form were in her purse and soaked, but salvageable.  Her lap ..... well I wanted to help her dry it off, but she thought it better if she did it.  Eventually we landed about 10:30 PM.  While still in Miami I tried to contact our realtor and car rental guy on my computer, but the airport WiFi wouldn't allow my messages to go through.  So, I called my daughter in Maryland and gave her the email addresses and told her the problems and she sent the emails.  Got a few texts later and everything was in place for a very late arrival.  Customs was a breeze and found my suitcase quickly, but Carol's wasn't with mine.  After a half-hour wait we decided to report it MIA.  Another half-hour in line as island-time had kicked in at the airport.  Our car rental guy, Leslie, was napping outside the airport and I think we startled him when we announced we had made it.  We arrived at the Realtor's office at 11:30 PM and a note told me to pick up the phone and press the gray button.  Did that ...... a dozen times.  Then I saw a piece of paper crumpled on the ground by the phone.  That one told me to call one of the Realtors at a number when we arrive.  Gave it a try and within 15 minutes a very tired looking young man arrived to usher us to our villa.  I can just imagine what we must have looked like to him.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  PS.  It's 5:21 PM the next day and I've just reached this spot in my story and we're still waiting on the suitcase.  Carol is going to have to wear the same thing tonight for supper as she did yesterday.  We stayed at our villa today and the lack of a bathing suit wasn't a problem, but without a bathing suit to wear tomorrow she ........ well, there's always the clothing optional beach nearby!

The "Odd Couple Known as Sint Maarten/Saint Martin" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Just got dressed quickly and headed down the hill for our morning croissants.  Seems to be the routine just about every morning during our vacation to the island of Sint Maarten/St. Martin.  If you have read this blog in the past you probably have read about the differences in the two sides of the island which is comprised of one half Dutch and one half French.  Carol and I enjoy staying on the French side of the island for a few reasons that I will try to explain in today's story.  Seems the folks who frequent the French side of the island, known as Frenchers, do so because they enjoy the quieter life of the two sides.  Most stay in villas or boutique hotels and enjoy the largely undeveloped hills while the Dutch side is consumed with traffic, noise and high-rise apartments and condominiums.  On the French side you are more apt to find a stray goat or horse on the road during your daily journeys while the Dutch commute will find dusty, pitted roads filled with car after car as well as a variety of tourist buses headed in just about any direction.  But, I will admit that if you prefer the excitement of evening entertainment and a chance to double your money in a hurry, the Dutch side will allow you that privilege whereas the French side usually turns in a few hours earlier, just after dark.  As for shopping,  you will find both sides of the island will allow you a fantastic chance to unload that wallet full of money that you brought with you to buy souvenirs for family members less fortunate than you when it comes to travel.  As for food …… well both sides have plenty to eat and a variety of choices in cuisine, but Grand Case on the French side is known as the "Gourmet Capital of the Caribbean" with restaurants that front the Caribbean Sea with choices too hard to pronounce.  As for Carol and me, peace and quiet are a prime consideration while on vacation.  We enjoy parking ourselves on the beach chair with an umbrella while listening to the the water lapping near our feet and a good book in our hands (my case it would be a Kindle).  No beach vendors to bother you or loud boom-boxes to distract your reading.  Actually, it's rather tough to keep your eyes open in a situation such as that.  Arriving about 9:00 AM at the beach with a cooler that stores our drinks and lunch and staying until the beach boys gather the umbrellas late is our idea of vacation.  Others would rather get up late, take in the shopping along the beach in Philipsburg, hit one of the 14 casinos on the Dutch side and prepare for a late evening meal, eating at a time when my eyes have permanently closed for the evening.  But, that's what is so enjoyable about the island of Dutch Sint Maarten and French St. Martin.  I must admit we do both lifestyles during our stay, but do enjoy the more quieter side of the island for the majority of our trip.  Never traveled much before I retired from teaching, and now find I can't get enough of it.  "Why didn't we do this years ago?" I often question my wife.  Her answers is always the same, "We were raising three kids and couldn't afford it."  How true!  But they are all grown up now and it's now our time to enjoy life as long as we can.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  PS - For the frequent visitors to Sint Maarten/St. Martin, I realize you may have your opinions about which side to stay on during your stay, and you're more than welcome to comment about your preferences below for others to read.

The "Finally Hit The Bottom Of The Barrel" Story

President James Buchanan from Lancaster, PA

It was an ordinary day.  Checking the headline that read: "Was Buchanan really that bad?"  I guess you realize the article was talking about James Buchanan.  Most people know him as the 15th President of the United States.  Some also know that he remained single his entire life, that he was from Pennsylvania and that he was the president before Abraham Lincoln.  And, anyone who was president before or after Lincoln is not going to get many accolades for the job they may have or may not have done while president.  Lincoln's successor, Andrew Johnson, seems to always have his name cast along with Buchanan as the worst presidents in our country's history.  Why is that?  Maybe because it was a tough act to precede or follow.  Buchanan was ill suited to become president on the eve of the Civil War, since he didn't agree with many on the topic of slavery.  He was determined not to interfere with the southern slaveholders, but did believe that the South's secession from the union was illegal.  He also believed that the federal government which he led had no power to stop the states from succeeding and he wasn't going to try.  That's were he and Lincoln crossed paths, since Lincoln believed that restoring peace between the states was essential.  Buchanan did try to do his best to cope with a terrible situation, but that didn't endear him to the majority of the citizens of the North.  Buchanan was a five-time member of the U.S. House, the Secretary of State under James Polk and the U.S. Minister to Great Britain.  In 1856 he took the lead from the incumbent President, Franklin Pierce, on the first ballot and then battled Senator Stephen Douglas for the Presidential nomination.  Buchanan defeated John C. Fremont, of the newly formed Republican Party, in the 1856 Presidential election.  From that point on it was all downhill.  He almost died from an illness shortly after the election and when he stated that the issue of slavery was a matter of but little practical importance he angered not only the Republicans but drove a wedge into the Democratic Party.  

President Buchanan's home in Lancaster called Wheatland.

And then came an economic recession as the Civil War ap- proached.  By 1860 it was well known that Buchanan wasn't going to receive another chance at the  Presidency and eventually Lincoln was elected President.  Well, Lancaster's local hero and only President finally hit the bottom of the polling barrel.  In fact, Buchanan has been ranked among the bottom three in every poll and survey since 1948.  James Buchanan retired to his estate, Wheatland, and lived to see the end of the Civil War.  Just before his death in 1868 in Lancaster, he said, "History will vindicate my memory from every unjust aspersion."  If only he knew!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "An Honorable Profession" Story

Bowman Technical School and store at the
south-east corner of W. Chestnut and N. Duke St.

It was an ordinary day.  Just finished my walk around the city of Lancaster with a few photos of the Bowman Watch Co. at the south-east corner of West Chestnut and North Duke Streets.  Building seems to have been there forever and was where my dad went to school to learn to be a watchmaker.  After dad returned from WWII he resumed his job at Meiskey's Jewelry Store on the first block of West Chestnut St. as a laborer.  Wasn't long before he signed up to enter Bowman's Technical School on the second and third floors of the Bowman Watch Company.  Not sure how long it took him to graduate, but he ended up being the manager at Meiskey's Jewelry Store before he retired in the mid-1980s.  Being a watchmaker was an honorable profession.  

My dad at work at Meiskey's Jewelry store in downtown Lancaster.

Watchmakers played a big part in the modern industrial system of our country.  Henry Ford began his career as a watch-

maker as well as Robert Fulton, Ottmar Mergethaler (Inventor or the Linotype machine that revolutionized printing), and Elias Howe (Inventor of the sewing machine).  So you can see he importance of watchmakers to our country.  It was in 1879 that Ezra F. Bowman, a Lancaster High School and Franklin and Marshall Academy graduate and a successful retail jeweler,

Ezra F. Bowman, pioneer in horological education
and founder of the Bowman Technical School.

ordered some watchmaking machinery to start making watches above his jewelry store.  Less than a year later, with the help of a former Lancaster Watch Co. superintendent and five other workmen, Bowman made some additional small tooling to make his watches.  By 1882 he and his crew had finished about 50 movements which were considered high quality.  All parts of his watches were made in his shop at 106 East King Street except for the dials and balances.  The watches proved to be expensive to make and he had to sell them for $125 to break even, so Bowman decided to give up watchmaking, but continued his wholesale jewelry business.  He also began to improve and make watchmaker's tools which gained him world-wide fame for their quality.  

Article in a trade magazine telling you about the school,
cost and length of time needed to graduate.

Then in 1887 he founded the Bowman Technical School for teaching watch- making and at his death in 1901, his business and school was housed at 34 East Chestnut Street in downtown Laancaster.  His sons suceeded him in his business with son John running the school while Charles ran the mercantile business.  In 1912 they bought the site at the corner of Duke and Chestnut which was the home of Henry E. Slaymaker, Postmaster of Lancaster.  

Students working on their watches at the school.

The house had been built in 1849 by Jacob Albright who was Mayor of Lancaster in 1855.  Eventually in 1912-1913 the present Bowman building was built.  Normal capacity of the school was 100 students, but with the ending of the war and with the G.I. Bill in effect, there were over 2,000 applicants to enter courses.  The school had to decide if they should expand or stay the same size.  

An ad for a watchmakers tool that was developed by
Ezra F. Bowman and offered for sale in publications.

They actually chose to diminish in size to under 100 students in order to maintain superior instruction.  Dad was picked to be one of those students.  The school offered three classes, but I have no idea which one my dad took.  In the early 70s the business was sold and eventually the school was moved to 220 West King Street.  Bowman Technical School closed in 1992. The building now stands vacant in downtown Lancaster.  Today fewer people wear watches due to cell phone usage.  Will watchmaking ever return to its high status it once held?  Your guess is as good as mine.  I'm sure dad would have a few choice words on the topic if he were still alive.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  PS - Following are a few more illustrations and photos I either found or took on my recent tour of the city of Lancaster, PA.

The interior of a Bowman pocket watch with the engraving of the watchmaker.

The face of a Bowman watch.

Box of watch mainsprings offered to watchmakers by Bowman.

Advertisement for the Bowman Technical School.

Yes, even young woman were permitted to enroll in the watchmaking school. 

Front of a flyer that told of the school.

This is a Bowman timepiece that still remains in the front window of the Bowman building in downtown Lancaster.

If you look at the first photo I posted you will see the front of the store and school.  The door to the far right was where you entered the Technical School and climbed these stairs to reach the classroom.

Another Ezra F. Bowman hand-crafted watch.

The handles of his watchmaking tools usually had this engraving on them.  All done by hand.

There still remains two clocks on the old Bowman building.  They no longer work, but many a time I would check the clock when I was coming into the city from the north to go to choir practice at the other end of the block.

Bowman's was not only a school but a watch repair shop as well as a jewelry store.

Another photograph I found of the students at work in their watchmaking class.

The "Putting A Track On The Envelope" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Everything has been mailed!  Finally!  My wife Carol works for the Parish Resource Center in Lancaster, PA and twice a year they mail an appeal letter asking for financial aide to keep the non-profit center open and operating.  She has worked at the center for over 15 years so that adds up to quite a few appeals she has gone through during those years.  She has to prepare the letter, print about 1100 of them with different individual names on them and then print matching envelopes for every letter.  The letters go to past donors or those who have come in to use the center in the past few years.  A trip to the school where I do the in-house printing gets the letters folded in a few minutes and next comes the stuffing of the envelopes with the letter and a pre-addressed return envelope.  Carol prefers to stuff the envelopes, since one year I may have mixed up a few letters with different envelopes creating a rather unpleasant  situation at work for her.  I do help by putting the stamps on each envelope, but under strict instructions to get them on straight and not upside down.  Then it's off to the post office for mailing the 5 boxes filled with the appeal letters.  We pulled up in front of the outdoor mail box and Carol started to hand me handfuls of envelopes as I stuffed them in the mail slot.  We have done this many times before and if someone pulls in line behind us, we usually stop and drive around again to prevent someone from having to wait while we put all the envelopes in the mail slot.  We were in luck today. No traffic!  But wait, something had to go wrong.  And it did!  We were halfway through when one of the batches I had placed in the mail slot didn't go down, but fell onto the street by the car.  And, I couldn't open the car door since I was too close to the mailbox.  So, I put the car in reverse and ......... ran over the envelopes.  I got out to retrieve the envelopes and noticed the black tire marks across the envelopes.  Now what do I do.  The only thing possible ...... I stuffed them quickly into the mail slot!  Can hardly wait until they get the letters in the mail!  Hope they think the mail truck ran over them!! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. 

The "Playing America's Game: Part II" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Writing about my favorite subject, baseball.  Yesterday's story took us up to the mid-late 1960s as far as the sport of baseball in and around Lancaster while today's will highlight what has happened on the local scene since that time.  As I wrote yesterday,  Lancaster fans kind of gave up on it's minor league team in the early 60s and we lost our minor league team that played for years and years near my childhood home on the north end of town.  But, baseball was really still alive with all the youth programs that existed in Lancaster.  I played baseball from 1955 until out of high school in 1962. In 1966 I began coaching little league teams and girl's softball until I finally gave that up in early 1990s.  Still loved the game, but the toll it was taking on my body forced me to stop at that time.

Box lid of the APBA Baseball Game from Lancaster.

But, I stayed involved in the sport in quite a different way.  It was back in 1951 that J. Richard Seitz, a Lancastrian, created a baseball game that was known simply as APBA (pronounced AP-buh).  The Professional Baseball Association combined the randomness of dice with the on-field performances of real professional baseball players. The baseball table-top game was for all ages and sexes and included player cards for each major league player.  Cost was $10.  In 1957 Seitz began mass producing the game as well as developing other similar sports games.  Lancaster was known as the Mecca for APBA players and my wife bought me a copy of the game in 1976.  

Cover of the rules and regulations of the
Lancaster Red Rose APBA League that I
started in 1977.

Wasn't long before I got a group of my friends involved and I started the Red Rose APBA League.  Started with 8 players and when I dropped out of the league a dozen years later there were 16 teams in the league.  Neat way to stay involved in our nation's game.  But, getting back to real life, many in Lancaster were continuing to excel at the sport of baseball.  Pitchers Nelsom Chittum and Bill Kirk played their formative years on Lancaster's fields.  Chittum, a graduate of Elizabethtown High, pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals and Kirk, who graduated from Lancaster McCaskey High, eventually played for the Kansas City Athletics.  These two were the earliest entries from Lancaster into the majors, but over the years, more than 20 more have made it that far.  My wife's cousin, Bobby, made it to the Indians and then, after retiring from the majors, helped me coach in Lancaster.  Ended up coaching against him my final year of coaching when my Manheim Township Midget team beat his Lancaster Township Midget team in the New Era Finals, a tournament sponsored by a local newspaper for the best teams in the county.  Some from Lancaster you may remember were Bruce Sutter, Gene Garber, John Parrish, Jim Weaver as well as current players Chris Heisey with Cincinnati and Jeff Bianci with Milwaukee.  In 1999, former mayor of Lancaster, Richard Scott led the charge to bring back baseball to Lancaster.  

Clipper Magazine Stadium in Lancaster, PA

A new stadium was build on North Prince Street in downtown which can hold 5,700 fans.  In 2005 the Lancaster Barn- stormers opened with a packed house just about every game that year.  I was hoping to have the team called the Red Roses once again, but that didn't happen.  Lancaster has supported our team as they just began the 10th season of baseball.  The team isn't affiliated with any major league team, but the level of play is just about as good with many guys hopeful of being called up to the minors during the season.  Young and old, amateur and professional, fan and player, baseball has sustained our community for over 140 years now and I'm hoping it continues for many more years.  It was an extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Playing America's Game: Part I" Story

Foreword - Recently wrote a letter to Marianne who is the blogger for the Lancaster Historical Society asking her if I was able to use some of the society's photos to illustrate any of my stories I write.  Told me that if they are of low resolution I could use them, so photos shown in this story are primarily from the Historical Society and are low resolution so if  you click on them they may be slightly blurry.

It was an ordinary day.  And, I'm writing about my favorite past-time and passion, baseball.  The new Major League season is in full swing and my Phils are still Pighting, so all's good.  I recently found a few sentences that help describe the beginning of the baseball season …. but back in 1906.  They come from the Lancaster Daily Intelligencer on April 26 and go like this:  The Irishman with his "Wirrah!" and "Begerah!" sits beside the German with his "Gott im Himmel!" and the only thing they have in common is their desire to kill the umpire.  But after it is all over the chronic fan is the best-natured person alive, especially on opening day.  He sits on a hard plank, six inches wide for two hours without complaint, and will cheer any little incident that happens.  Oh to be alive in that era and experience baseball in its infancy.  Back then, as they say, cricket, town ball, rounders and even baseball were played by children, students, slaves, soldiers, farmers and urban workers.  

1858 New York Knickerbockers

The rules were slightly different at the time, but when the New York Knicker- bockers Base Ball Club was formed they devised most of the rules we use today, minus the stop-action video.  That was in 1845 and rules such as field shape and size, how many strikes a batter gets, and tagging a batter out rather than throwing the ball at them were made and all of a sudden baseball became America's National game or pastime.  And boy am I glad!  The Civil War carried the knowledge of the game to all parts of the country and troops returning to Lancaster brought the new rules with them.  By 1866 Lancaster's cricket clubs changed to baseball rules and several teams developed.  

The 1906 Lancaster Red Roses at Rossmere Park.

As you drive around the county today you see the results of those early years behind every school, playground and most country churches with a the ball field, backstop and benches for the players.  By the 1870s many towns and cities had an amateur team that competed against each other to see who had the "best nine."  In 1884 Lancaster had two professional teams, the Lancasters and the Ironsides.  They not only played against other towns and cities, but against each other, but only the Lancasters survived past that first season.  Only a few professional "colored" teams existed in the nineteenth century.  In 1887 The Lancaster Giants, a team originally from Philadelphia and a colored team, came to Lancaster and was the first professional colored team in the area.  

Program cover from the 1943 Red Roses.

They were accepted by Lancastrains, but after a few weeks they disbanded.  Rivalries  developed between pro teams in south-eastern PA and in 1904 the Philadelphia Giants challenged Lancaster to a game.  On that team was Rube Foster, a right-fielder and colored person, who founded the Negro National League in 1919.  In 1905 Lancaster was granted a franchise in the Tri-State League and Lancaster began it's love affair with minor-league baseball.  In 1906, playing for the first time at Rossmere Park, the "Red Roses" defeated the York "White Roses" 9-4 and a new rivalry had begun.  Still prospers today!  During WWI and the Great Depression fans couldn't afford the cost of a ticket so baseball disappeared from Lancaster until 1940 when the Red Roses were reborn, but again, due to fan support, baseball died once more with the last game being played September 2, 1961 at Lancaster's Stumpf Field.  

The 1944 Lancaster Red Roses

The late 50s were my most memorable years when I would visit Stumpf Field near my house and shag a ball hit over the fence during practice and get into the game for free for returning the ball to them.  Also got to know the scorekeeper who would let me in through the rear fence of the field.  He ended up being my History teacher in high school a few years later.  Got to see many a future major leaguers at Stumpf, but my favorite was Willie Mays when he  played for the Williamsport Team in the Eastern League.  Tomorrow's story will bring baseball back to Lancaster one final time as well as a few twists along the way.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  

The "Mother-In-Law" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Just heard an old song on the radio I hadn't heard for ages.  Song was titled "Mother-In-Law" sung by Ernie K. Doe and came out in 1961 on Minit Records.   My guess is you never heard it unless you're ancient as I am.  Rather cruel song about his mother-in-law that starts out with …. The worst person I know …. Mother-in-law.  Well, I must say that my mother-in-law was anything but what is described in this song.  Matter of fact she was the one that set up the blind date for me with her daughter.  Was back in 1966 when she and my dad worked together at Meiskeys Jewelry in downtown Lancaster, PA.  I would stop from time to time at the jewelry store to say hi to everyone in the place and got to meet her on one occasion.  I had just broken up with my umpteenth girlfriend and I guess my dad was feeling bad for me so he and Grace set up our meeting.  

My mother-in-law, Grace.

Rode my motorcycle to her house and picked up her daughter for a drive around Lancaster.  Wasn't long before it started raining so we headed back to her house for the rest of our date.  Less than a year later Carol and I were married.  Hey, I don't waist time!  Besides I had run out of girlfriends.  Anyway, Mrs. Baker as I called her, since that was her name, was a really neat person.  She would invite me to supper every Sunday evening to try and influence me to continue to date her daughter.  Her husband, Charlie, was also a really neat guy and he would loan us his big Harley for rides around the countryside.  When you picture your average mother-in-law, you aren't talking about my mother-in-law.  She was the nicest and most sincere person you could ever meet.  I loved this one meal she made.  Really unusual meat, but I loved it.  After we were finished eating she told me it was venison, which is deer.  Wow, I had never eaten deer since my mom told me it was wild and had a bad taste. Mom would never make that in our house for fear it would make us sick.  She was a smoker and died from cancer related to smoking when she was in her late 40s.  Boy, did my wife and I miss her.  She never had the chance to see any of her grandkids or get to see Carol and I as we grew together in our marriage. I still remember this great smile she always had when I knocked on the door of their apartment to see my sweetheart. Neatest mother-in-law a fellow could have.  Still miss her!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Applesauce with a Beret" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Found out that another applesauce company is moving to town to produce applesauce made from our local apples and packaging it in a new type of package.  The company is a French company by the name of Charles et Alice which will have a U.S. division named Charles & Alice USA.  Then I began to wonder what French applesauce will taste like.  I reasoned that I like French toast, French bread, French fries and French croissants, so why not French applesauce.  Oh yeah, I also love French vanilla ice cream, but that tastes like almost all other vanilla ice creams to me so maybe French applesauce will taste like most other applesauce.  Anyway, they are going to use apples from our local Hess Brother's Fruit Company and use apples grown on trees in Lancaster County, so my guess is it will taste like Lancaster applesauce, with a French flair.  

Part of my daily meal intake.

Applesauce has been a staple with just about every meal I eat, so I'm excited about this brand-new applesauce that will invade our stores in the near future.  The French company is going to spend $10.6 million to renovate and equip a vacant building near our Kellogg's plant along SR30 in Hempfield Township.  Wonder if they will put a chain-link fence around the new property just like the one around the cereal company.  Not long ago Carol and I were driving past the Kellogg's plant and I asked her why they needed such a tall fence with barbed-wire on top of it.  She said, "Probably to keep out all the cereal killers!"  Had to pull to the side of the road until I recovered from the answer.   The state of Pennsylvania gave the company many tax incentives as well as grants to help set up the plant and train the new employees.  The type of package they will make will feature pouches holding 3.2 ounces to 4.0 ounces of applesauce and they anticipate making 40 million per year.  Should be enough for me!  They will make the product in the pouches with the hopes of attracting children as customers.  No sugar will be added to the applesauce so parents will be more apt to buy the pouches for their children.  Grocery stores and fast-food stores will be targeted for sales.  The company has been successful in developing a light weight pouch with a barrier protection on all surfaces as well as a special super lock membrane seal to ensure an almost non-existent oxygen transmission.  The super lock seal will guarantee that the product will last longer on the shelves so they can sell the product year round, even when apples aren't in season.  I just hope they will make a jar with a screw-off so I don't have to squeeze all those pouches for my daily applesauce fix.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Tales of the American Boychoir" Story

The American Boychoir.  Jayden is 3rd row, 3rd from left.

It was an ordinary day.  Sitting in the bleachers of Landis Run Inter- mediate School listening to the American Boy Choir sing.  Heavenly is probably the best word that can describe it.  A few weeks ago I saw a story in the local newspaper telling the community that the choir was making a stop in Lancaster, since one of the boys in the choir, Jayden Browne, was from Lancaster.  

Jayden's 6th grade yearbook photo.

Read a bit more and realized that I had taken the boy's photo quite a few times last year for the yearbook at Landis Run.  This year he would have moved to the Middle School, but it seems he had other plans.  His love and passion are music and being a member of the American Boychoir can only enhance his chances of continuing in the field of music in the future.  The choir is recognized as one of the finest musical ensembles in the country.  The choir is composed of boys from fourth through eighth grade and has performed throughout the world.  The choir is in its 76th year and has been invited to sing for every sitting U.S. President since John F. Kennedy.  

The American Boychoir performing for the 5th and 6th
grade classes at Landis Run Intermediate School.

The prestigious school, located in Princeton, has 42 boys from all over the world.  To be accepted into the choir was a major accomplish- ment for Jayden.  He is no stranger to music though, having listened to his dad play guitar at home as well as singing in the Children's Choir of Lancaster and the Popovksy Performance Choir.  Princeton is about two hours from Lancaster so Jayden does get to see his family more often that perhaps most boys in the choir.  

One chorister sings a solo for the Boychoir.

So far this year he has toured in South Korea as well as cities throughout the northeast and southern regions of the U.S. The tour he is on right now will take him, besides his concert this afternoon for his former school and a concert tonight at Manheim Township High School for the general public, across the American Midwest.  In June the boys travel to Normandy, France to commemorate the 79th anniversary of D-Day.  The choir also filmed the movie "Boychoir" starring Dustin Hoffman.  

Poster and note inside the entrance to
the Landis Run Intermediate School.

The boys will be featured in both the movie and the soundtrack.  What a thrill it must be for Jayden to see the world as well as get to sing as some of the biggest and most impressive venues there are.  As I watched the 32 boys on the risers, I started to feel some envy that I never had the chance to do that.  Singing in the St. James Boys as a young boy was fun and traveling to Philadelphia and other nearby cities to sing was thrilling, but singing in this choir would be the pinnacle of anyone's singing career as a youth.  Jayden has another year to sing with the choir if he chooses, but whether he sings again or not, the experiences he is gaining in his young life this year are unforgettable.  But, I can still think …. if only….!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Latest Craze In Farming" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Carol was telling me about her breakfast meeting with her former boss at the Parish Resource Center in Lancaster, PA.  Scott is an ordained minister who was hired to be the executive director of the center about 3 years ago.  At the time he was hired he didn't realize how close the center was to closing because of financial difficulties.  He tried his best to raise needed funds, but the economy was such that it wasn't going to happen on his watch.  During his tenure the physical building where the center is located was sold and part of it leased back to the center.  This move, made under Scott, managed to keep the center solvent for a few more years, but the board of directors asked Scott to resign.  Carol has kept in touch with him and today got to hear about Scott and his wife's plans for the future.  

Entrance to the Cuisinart Hydroponic Farm.

While talking he mentioned to her about his daughter and her boyfriend who share an apartment where they have begun hydroponic farming on a small scale. Seems hydroponic farming is starting to become a hobby for many people even though they know very little about agricultural farming.  Here in Lancaster a local garden center gives introductory talks to interested people about how to get started in hydroponic farming.  You can grow tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, Swiss chard and kale in hydroponic beds.  In hydroponic farming the plant's roots are drenched with nutrient-rich water for perhaps three to four minutes every 30 minutes.  

Vegetable beds at the hydroponic farm.

No earth is needed to complete this type of farming of fruits and vegetables.  Hydroponic farming offers high yields per square foot, fast growth and generally fewer diseases than soil crops.  No animal byproducts, such as manure, are needed in the plant growth.  

Dr. Resh showing Carol and me the root system.

The downside to hydroponic farming is the water must be enriched to provide the trace elements that plants need, such as zinc and copper, which occur naturally in soil.  You can buy kits to get started which include water pumps, tables to hold the water and growing lights.  Carol and I were introduced to hydroponic farming in 2009 while on a trip to the Caribbean.  

Another view of the root system under
a smaller tray of vegetables.

During a stay on St. Martin we took a day trip to nearby Anguilla where we visited the Cuisinart Resort.  The resort had their own hydroponic farm that was run by world renown hydroponic farmer Dr. Harold Resh.  He ran Cuisinart's Hydroponic Farm which produced fresh tomatoes, European cucumbers, sweet bell peppers of all colors, lettuce, bok choy and herbs for their guests so they could have "backyard garden" flavors with their meals.  The farm was located in a very large greenhouse on the resort's property.  Dr. Resh gave us a tour of the farm and explained the entire procedure to us.  At the time hydroponic farming was a novelty, but has been growing ever since as shown by the our local garden centers offering classes in getting started.  We did get to try a few of the vegetables right off the vine tat Dr. Resh had grown and they were delicious.  Can't get any more fresh that that.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  PS - a few more photos and a video showing hydroponic farming with Dr. Resh.

Lettuce growing in the farm.

You can see the size of the tomatoes that are growing in the hydroponic farm in Anguilla.

The "Squashed Toads" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Heading past the pond on our way to the barn, and then it's only a few blocks and we'll be home.  For years Carol and I walked for exercise around the neighborhood, but our favorite destination was Overlook Park which is a short distance from our front door.  

Stretch of road in the park where the toads are squashed.

Great walking path with plenty of wildlife, wild flowers and trees to admire on our journey.  But, as we walked through the park we had to cross an area of paved road where in the spring of the year we would find many squashed toads on the pavement.  The location was directly next to a large pond where the trilling noises from the toads were at times deafening.  

This is the large pond where the migrating American
toads call home.  They cross the road to find other to
mate with and lay their eggs.

Come dark, especially on rainy spring evenings, the migrating amphibians begin looking for mates and a place to lay eggs.  As they cross back and forth between the small nearby stream and the pond, they are candidates for road kill.  And many end up that way.  

Small stream-bed can be seen.  This is the destination of the toads. 

Shovels-full are killed each year during the spring.  So, a few years ago the Lancaster Herpeto- logical Society got involved and when it's time for the migration they get online and request the help of volunteers to show up at the park and usher the American toads across the stretch famous for the devastation.   This year about 100 volunteers showed up and it was reported that 0 toads were squashed to date. The volunteers will have to return for a few more evenings until the migration has ended.   I'll tell you, it makes it so much easier to walk that stretch without having to side-step all the dead toads.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an oridnary guy.  

The "Basic Rules For A Clothesline" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Just finished making a small frame with a neat little verse in it.  Title of the verse was "Basic Rules For A Clothesline" and I found the catchy idioms hanging on a kitchen wall at the home of friends Hal and Jennie while visiting for dessert.  Directly under the title was the subtitle which read: Always wash the line before hanging any clothes - Walk the entire lengths of each line with a damp cloth.  Then the five individual sentences that followed are spaced geometrically on the paper.  They read:

1. Washday is on a Monday!  Never hang clothes on Sunday.
2. Hang the clothes in a certain order.  Hang whites with whites and hang them first.
3. In sub zero weather, Clothes can "freeze-dry" once without damage.
4. Hang the sheets and towels on the outside lines.  Hide your unmentionables in the middle.
5. Never hang a shirt by the shoulders.  Always by the tail.
6. If you're short on pins, Line the clothes up so each item can share a pin with the next one.

Ever hear this before?  I did years ago and when I saw it hanging on the wall at Hal and Jeannie's house, I knew I just had to make one for myself.  It's something like the daily list that was supposed to be known by every woman that went:  

• Monday: Wash Day
• Tuesday: Ironing Day
• Wednesday: Sewing Day
• Thursday: Market Day
• Friday: Cleaning Day
• Saturday: Baking Day
• Sunday: Day of Rest

This washer was similar to the one that my mom
used when I was younger.

I can remember my mom reciting the last list when I was a kid in the 1950s.  And today, in Lancaster County, it still rings true.  Primarily in the rolling hills of Lancaster County which is considered Amish Country and is filled with farm after farm.  Mom used to use an electric washing machine that had a ringer on the top that after washing, she would take the wash and run it manually through the ringer to extract all the remaining water before she would hang the wash on the line in the backyard.  She would wash all the colored clothing separate from the whites.  Wise woman, since I have found out it doesn't work any other way.  Then she would hang the wash exactly as it said above, with clothes sharing a clothes pin with the next piece of laundry on the line.  In the middle of the wash was where she would hang our underwear, so nobody could see it.  On rainy days she would carry the wash basket through my bedroom to the rear second-floor porch to hang the clothes out of the rain.  And, always on a Monday.  And, we weren't even Amish!  

It's Monday and the wash is hanging on the line at this Amish
farm in Lancaster County.  Notice the pulley at the very
top right.  the line ran from the house to the top of the barn.  

Not sure anymore if she ironed on Tuesday, but she may have.  Monday after Easter I hopped in the car and took a drive around Lancaster County to see if wash day is still the custom on Mondays.  Yep!  But most Amish families hang their wash on lines that have a pulley on either end of the line so they can stand in one spot to hang the wash.  May have more than one line, but all have have a pulley system rigged for hanging.  

Another Amish farm in Lancaster County.  Here the wash is
strung from the house to a large pole by use of a pulley.
Fresh smelling wash is one of my favorite smells.

How do I know which farms are Amish and which are not?  The farms that have no electric lines leading down the farm lane are Amish, since they do not believe in being connected to the outside world by electricity.  Well, my framed project looks neat and if it isn't given as a gift, will hang in our laundry room so we can remember how it used to be done.  Must admit that since my wife works most days and I have a flexible schedule, I do the laundry.  And, always on a ....... Friday.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.