The "The Glorius Cathredral On Cristo Street" Story

It was an ordinary day.  That was until I walked into one of the most beautiful churches I have ever seen.  And to top that off, it is the second oldest church in the Western Hemisphere and the oldest church on U.S. soil.  Goes all the way back to when Christopher Columbus landed in Puerto Rico in 1493 and christened it San Juan Bautista.  

Catedral de San Juan Bautista on Calle del Cristo is the seat of the Archdiocese of Puerto Rico and dates back to 1521.  The building that I am standing in is not the original church, since that thatched-roof church was destroyed in the hurricane of 1529.  This church dates to 1540, but has been altered several times over the years as well as being subjected to looting by troops under the Earl of Cumberland who raided the city in 1598.  As I walked throughout the cathedral I marveled at the beautiful stained glass windows and the myriad of chapel altars.  Mass was being offered in one chapel and the music echoed off the stone and marble walls.  

I found the location of the remains of the conquis- tador Ponce de Leon who was the first governor of Puerto Rico and famous for chasing after the Fountain of Youth and also found the glass box that holds the wax-covered mummified remains of St. Pio, a Roman martyr killed for his faith and placed in the church.  Must say it was rather spooky standing in front of the box seeing what at one time was a living person.  The Gothic-inspired architecture of the Cathedral makes it Puerto Rico's grandest religious building.  The massive doors leading into the church were one of the highlights of my photo session in this remarkable church.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

Remains of Ponce de Leon are in this marble tomb.

The towers of a few of the chapels can be seen above the roof.

One of the many chapels off of the main church.

The main altar. 

The beautiful arches and architecture above the altar.

A service in being offered in another chapel of the church.

The wax-covered mummified remains of St. Pio.

To the right as you enter the Cathedral is this altar.

A beautiful statue of Jesus on the other side of the entrance.

The magnificent entrance into the Cathedral.

  

The "Forgotten Memories" Story

Lancaster County, Pennsylvania farmland.

It was an ordinary day.  Going through my treasure trove of photographs I have taken over this past summer and have never used for a story or my scrapbook.  Decided to share some with you before I delete them from my iPhoto program on my computer.  I am in need of deleting the 6,000 plus images to help make the program run a little better.  So, here are some of my photos that I thought you may enjoy.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  PS - remember to click on photos to enlarge them.

Sunrise at Stone Harbor, NJ.

July 4th at the Lititz, PA Moravian Church.

A visitor to our back deck in the middle of the summer.

Our cat Creamsicle wearing a Donald Trump wig made from his own brushed hair. (My wife's idea!)

Nighttime backyard visitors.

A Daddy Longlegs at Mount Gretna, PA.

Carol's beautiful garden filled with night blooming day lilies surrounding our pond.

A little girl, Kennedy, who makes visits to our home.

Early morning heading to the beach at Stone Harbor, NJ.

Neat guy looking at visitors to the Cape May Zoo in New Jersey.

When was the last time you saw a Praying Mantis?  This guy was looking at me on the rear deck of the house we were staying in Stone Harbor, NJ. 

Neat design seen in glass bricks.

I have taken this photo many times in the last 30 years of the dilapidated pier in the marshlands as you enter Stone Harbor, NJ.

Another sunrise shot along the Atlantic Ocean.

You know how much I enjoy taking photos of flowers and this one is a beauty.

Sunset over the marshlands at Stone Harbor, NJ.

Sunrise at Stone Harbor, NJ.

Railroad car in Manheim, PA.

The "Preserving Family History" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Working at Grebinger Gallery, finishing one of the most unusual framing jobs for a customer.  Keith, the owner and former student and yearbook photographer of mine at Manheim Township High School, called me into the gallery to show me a job that had just come into the shop.  There laying on the counter was a .22 rifle.  Seems a customer brought in a rifle that his grandfather's had given to him.  Since he didn't want to use it himself, he thought he would have it framed to hang on his wall.  

The final product.

Something that Keith and I had never worked with before and certainly one of the heaviest items we have ever framed.  The customer had picked out a rather deep shadowbox frame to go with a black suede mat to be used behind the gun and along the edges of the shadow box frame.  How to hold it in place and make the hangers look as unoffensive as possible was a problem.  I made a drawing of the stock and measured the diameter of the barrel and told Keith I would make some wooden pieces at school where I still worked in the print shop.  Used a 2x4 and traced the pattern onto the flat surface, cut it on the band saw and sanded the edges.  On one of the pieces I drilled a hole for the barrel to slide through.  Then I sprayed painted the pieces with a flat black paint.  I must admit, against the black suede they were slightly visible, but not obtrusive.  The frame had to be cut, glued, nailed and metal under-pinners put in place.  Frame size ended being 48" long and 12" high.  Most mat board comes in 40" lengths as does glass, so Keith had to order oversized mat board and glass.  I cut the piece of glass, inserted it into the frame and lined the sides of the frame with 1/4" foam board to hold the glass in place.  

Here you can see the wooden pieces that hold the stock and barrel in place.
the plaque on the right tells the story of the rifle that is held by it's owner.

Then a layer of black suede was put over the foam.  We have no equipment to manually cut lengths of mat board longer than 40", so I figured out how to do the task on our computerized mat cutter.  After these pieces were in place I worked on the board that would hold the rifle.  Glued the suede mat board on a piece of 3/8" plywood for stability and laid the gun on top of it.  Placed the pieces of wood I had made in place and fastened them with glue and screws from the reverse side.  Now, the barrel was held in place, but the stock could still slip from the wood supports I made if I turned the gun over to put in in the frame.  I decided to use heavy picture wire to tie the stock in place by running it through the leather strap grommet and then through the wood behind it.  Presto, it worked fine!  The final touch was a small brass plate telling the story of the rifle which I placed under the barrel on a layer of suede.  Cleaned the suede and placed the two units together.  Fastened the units in place with metal holders, covered the rear of the frame with protective paper and put "wall buddies" hangers in place to hold it to the wall.   Proud of the way it turned out and Keith just emailed me a photo he took of the customer holding the project.  It will look great on his wall.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  

The "Once & Done" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading in the newspaper and watching on TV stories about the start of this year's high school football season.  Big time of the year with the start of school and the first football game of the year.  Nothing seems to rouse up school spirit then the first football game.  The band is excited, the team is prepared and parents and friends all anticipate the opening kickoff on Friday night.  For me, football goes back to my freshman year in high school.  I decided, after never having played the sport before, to try out for the football team.  

Photo of my team when I was a freshman in high school.  I'm
#68 in the middle and my friend Jerry is #72 on the right.
Jerry was the center and I was a quarterback even though
the number on my jersey doesn't reflect a quarterback number.

At Manheim Township you were automati- cally on the team as long as you survived the practices and games.  As a freshman I realized I wasn't going to get to play Varsity football, but that all changed one hot Saturday afternoon in October 1958.  The game was a runaway for the Township Blue Streaks when the coach, Mr. Paul Weinrich, pointed to me and motioned for me to come stand next to him.  I grabbed my helmet and ran to his side.   It was the final minute of the game and we were ahead by plenty when he told me I was going in on defense on the next play for some player whom I don't remember his name.  

#72 on the left and #68 on the right.
Taken over 50 years later.

The play ended and I ran onto the field to what I thought was the middle linebacker spot.  The play began and someone knocked me to the turf as the guy with the ball passed by me.  That was the only high school game and play that I ever was involved in during my football career.  I was in way over my head since I weighed maybe 140 pounds and was a skinny 6 foot.  Not sure why I ever wanted to play football, but I found out after that season that it wasn't ever going to happen again.  I did get to play in a simulated game during halftime a few weeks before my fateful game, when the freshmen divided into two teams and I got to quarterback one of the teams for 4 downs.  My center was none other than my lifetime friend Jerry.  We started at the 10 yard line and in no time he led the way as I scored a touchdown.  Four years later Township had a new head coach in Gene Kruis and a championship team that went 9-0.  I watched from the stands as the team totally dominated that year.  Mr. Kruis was a magician and motivator as a coach.  He seemed to always find a way to win and much of it had to do with head games.  All began with the football program where he deducted about 20 to 30 pounds off of everyones weight and made everyone on the team a few inches shorter.  Told the team that when the other teams get our program they won't practice as hard since we are so undersized.  Worked!  

Legendary Township coach Gene Kruis.

Year after year it worked!  Or, maybe it was because he was such a good coach.  I eventually printed the programs for him when I returned to the school as a teacher and he still had allegedly small kids beating the crap out of the other team.  Well, today's paper had an article from their archives telling about a season opener in 1977.  Team had quite a few players back from a great team the year before including a guy by the name of Glenn Gallagher who went on to play quarterback for Clemson and ended up playing professional baseball.   Coach Kruis was complaining to the press that he had his work cut out for him, since his team was so undersized and would never be able to repeat their championship.  The newspaper picked Township to win their opener against York Suburban by a 26-20 score.  Yep, they did win, but 14-6 and went on to win the Section Championship once again.  Gene Kruis became a coaching legend at Manheim Township, with a record of 142-55-10, as well as in Lancaster County and Pennsylvania.  As good as he was in football, I was just as bad and my 1958 season was a once and done affair.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Faces of Strangers: #36" Story

Marielys

It was an ordinary day.  Standing in Gallery #3 of the Museo de Las Americas in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico admiring the artwork of native son Antonia Martorell.  At the entrance to #3 I found several displays of the artist's woodcuts of varying sizes, some taller than myself.  As I was admiring the display a young girl approached me and began telling me about Antonio.  She seemed to know just about everything about the artist and how he produced the art on display in several of the gallery rooms.  I began talking with this young girl, telling her that at one time I taught the graphic arts in high school and my classes produced wood cuts.  She stuck with me as we passed from one display to another, telling me all about how the artist created the pieces I was viewing.  I asked her about herself and how she became so involved with the arts and working as a guide in this museum.  Told me her name was Marielys and she was born and raised in Puerto Rico, went to elementary through high school on the island and entered the University of Puerto Rico's Carolina Campus to study Cultural Tourism.  This young girl, born in 1992, was impressing me more and more as we spoke.  She was certainly well prepared for her position she now holds and her English, in a country that speaks Spanish, was impeccable.  After about half and hour of listening to her stories about how different mediums were used by the artist for his creations, I thanked her for her interest in both me and the arts.  She truly is a fantastic ambassador for Puerto Rico and the Museo de Las Americas.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Breakfast In The Rain" Story

Central Market in Lancaster, Pennsylvania

It was an ordinary day.  Market day and today historic Central Market in Lancaster, PA is serving breakfast.  Lancaster's Central Market at Penn Square in downtown Lancaster is America's oldest public market and since the early 1700s farmers have been bringing their meats and vegetables to the market for sale to residents of the county as visitors alike.  

Market vendors have stands available for breakfast.

Every year on the first Saturday in October for more than a quarter-century, rain or shine, stand holders take their baked goods, cooked items and drinks outside along Market Alley for what is called "Harvest Breakfast."  Event runs from 8:00 am until noon and the place usually gets packed.  

People line up to buy their favorites.

Hard to find a parking place in any of the nearby lots unless you arrive early as I did this morning.  Today will be one of the biggest selling days for the vendors in the market being they are holding breakfast as well as Lancaster County harvest season being in full swing this time of year.  Only bad part this year is that it's raining.  

These three college students are enjoying french toast
made with cinnamon bread and sausages.

Not a downpour, but the drizzle keeps the market from placing tables on Market Alley for the patrons to use for seating.  Many are standing under umbrellas attempting to eat their purchases or walk into the market proper where tables line the south wall of the market and a second floor balcony has a few stand-up tables.  

Sign in one stand inside the market telling of breakfast.

I snapped a few outdoor photos and headed inside to my favorite stand, Shady Maple Bakery where they have "made from scratch baking."  My favorite treat is the cream-filled "Long Johns" which are something like cream-filled donuts except stretched out straight instead of in a circle.  When baked fresh they are fantastic.  

High above the market stands are two guitarists
known as "Second Hand Suits" playing for the crowds.

Stopped last week and purchased a dozen to share with my wife, kids and grandson and ate the rest.  This week I only bought three to share with my wife.  Carol likes the chocolate covered while I like the peanut butter, vanilla, powdered and the chocolate.  They feel as if they weigh about a half-pound each and cost $1 each.  I hurried home to cut my peanut butter one and take a photo so I could eat it.  Boy was I disappointed when I cut it open.  No Filling!  Then I examined it more and realized they stuff the filling in from both sides and I happened to cut it where the filling stopped from each end.  Dunked it in a big cup of milk!!  Well, my day was a success and I got to see everyone enjoying breakfast even in the rain.  Waiting for my next trip to Central Market and another stop at Shady Maple Bakery.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

This young girl is preparing pumpkins for sale outside the market house.

Inside the maker a line has formed to get coffee.

Patrons line the aisles at the market house.

There is more than food for sale at Central Market.  Here is a stand selling Amish goods.

Another stand has T-shirts for sale.

This young Amish girl is eating her breakfast indoors.

This is my favorite stand in Central Market.  Some trips, such as today, it is my only stop.  Stand is called Shady Maple Bakery and sells plenty of stuff that certainly can't be good for you, including the cream-filled "Long Johns".

Once at home I prepare for my breakfast of dunking.

The "Japanese Connection" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Scanning a photo of my oldest son, Derek, and his church youth group which was taken in Japan.  The year was 1986 and he was in 9th grade and a member of the St. James Episcopal Church youth group.  The youth group took semi-annual mission tours which were financed  through performances by the youth given at the church before they toured.  All three of our children were fortunate enough to travel through their high school years, but Derek managed to travel the longest distance when in March of that year they traveled to Japan.  Not sure anymore what city they traveled to, but they were housed by Japanese families from a sister church in Japan.  

Derek is pictured in the left rear.  The yellow arrow points to his photo.

For months the youth group of about 30 members prepared a musical and then presented it to the congregation of St. James.  Money raised during the performance was used to help with the costs of the trip.  Upon arrival in Japan each student was assigned to a home of one of the members of the Japanese church.  That home family was to supply the student with a place to sleep and with meals.  Derek came home after about two weeks quite a bit slimmer than when he had left.  His host families menu of fish and rice just about every meal wasn't the same as his mom's cooking.  While in Japan they gave several performances as well as had a chance to tour and shop for souvenirs.  Before Derek left we talked about purchasing a Japanese 35mm SLR camera which he could use while touring Japan and for taking the photography course that I taught at the high school where he was also a student.  Found out they cost more in Japan than they did in the United States, so he didn't come home with many photos.  He did enjoy his journey, but not the food.  The assistant minister at our church, The Rev. Mary Lou Broucht, was the leader of the group and she traveled with other chaperones from the church as well as Diane Imboden, the wife of the rector of our church.  Derek, as well as our other two children, managed to travel twice during their high school careers to places such as England and Italy, as well as Japan.  The souvenir that my son brought back with him from Japan for me .... a Japanese Playboy Magazine!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. 

The "Traveling To The Accomac" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Just finished reading Steph Knudson's blog titled "109 Love Letters - The discovered collection."  You can access it at https://109loveletters.wordpress.com if you care to read it.  The blog features letters written by a young woman who was a teacher who lived in Lancaster, PA in the early 1900s.  She was writing to her future boyfriend who lived in the midwest.  Her letters were all in longhand, but Steph has typed them to make them easier to read.  The actual letters are posted at the end of each letter she adds.  

Steph's letters she found at a flea market and is sharing.

Steph found the letters at a flea market and is now sharing them with the world.  I found the letter dated June 11, 1908 to be very interesting.  The writer, Daisy Holzwarth talks about traveling to Accomac, a little resort on the other side of the Susquehanna River, with fifty people. Left at 5:00 pm and arrived at 7:00 pm for chicken and supper. She said the river was a deep shade of pink, very calm and covered with tiny little launches.  As it grew dark the Marietta and Columbia side of the river reminded her of Reverie Beach with its tiny lights all along the bank.  From her letter I'm assuming she and her friends may have gone to the Accomac Inn for supper.  It is a lovely place along the river which Carol and I have been to a few times.  After reading the letter we hopped in the car for a return visit to see where Daisy may have gone.  

The Accomac Inn along the Susquehanna River.

In 1722 the Accomac Inn had its beginnings when a 200-acre tract called "The Partner's Adventure" was first surveyed for Philip Syng and Thomas Brown.  Ten years later a Patent was granted by Maryland for the 200 acres to these gentlemen.  During these years the Susquehannock and Nanticoke Indians resided in the area.  There were Indian villages on the side where the property was located and another Indian settlement on the opposite of the river in what is now Columbia, PA.  The land in question where the Inn would be located was fought over by Maryland and Pennsylvania.  

Entrance to the Inn is on the north side of the Inn.

Pennsylvania operated under a self-imposed restriction of not granting land for settlement until the Indians agreed to it.  Maryland did not.  The battle between the two states was not settled until 1763 when Mason and Dixon completed a survey for the Royal Court in London which put the land alledgely owned by Syng and Brown in Pennsylvania.  In 1759 Philip Syng sold his half of the land to James Anderson who owned all the land contiguous to this tract.  Evidently Anderson ran a ferry along the river and in 1742 received an official charter from Thomas Penn, Willam's son, for 35 acres on the west side of the river and by 1775 the Accomac Inn had been built. I have no idea whatever happened to Thomas Brown.  

James Anderson's Ferry was what the Accomac Inn was
originally known as in late 1700's.  Click to enlarge.

It was when our Nation's government was in York during 1777 and 1778 that many of those in the Continental Congress stayed at the Inn.  Eventually the Inn was purchased in 1863 by Jacob Glatz and then the following year purchased by John Coyle.  When Coyle's Ferry became known as the Accomac Inn is not known, but probably happened in 1875.  In 1889 James Duffy purchased the Inn and was run my Amos Grove.  In 1892 a flyer was circulated about the Inn and its famous "Chicken and waffles."  By 1909, after Ford had invented the Model T, the Inn became more of a restaurant with people being able to travel to and from in one day.  In 1915 Norman Pickle took possession of the Accomac Inn and revived the rundown property.  

After the Accomac Inn was destroyed by fire in 1935, it was
rebuilt using the original stone from the old building
and stone from the Witmer Bridge.

On May 16, 1935 fire destroyed the Inn.  Mr. Pickle rebuilt the Inn using original stone from the building and new stone from the old Witmer Bridge in Lancaster County.  Four months later the Inn opened once again.  In 1952 Mr. and Mrs Morton Nauss purchased the Inn, a year after the death of Mr. Pickle.  The Nauss family sold the Inn to Vance and Vivian Lehman in 1960 and then they sold it to the current owner, H. Douglas Campbell in 1971.  This truly grand building has a remarkable history dating back to the beginnings of our country.  To dine here is a real treat and I'm hoping this was the location that Daisy and her friends visited in 1908.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.