The "Underground Wonders Beneath Our Feet" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Talking with my wife about some of the really neat vacations we have been lucky enough to have taken since my retirement over 20 years ago.  We talked about one of our trips to Hawaii and the fun times we had while driving the road to Hana on the island of Maui.  

The end of a lava tube in a cave in Hawaii.

At one point we stopped and found our way through some lava caves until we reached a black sand beach.  While on a trip to Barbados we took a tour and one of the stops saw us descend stairs into a series of caves that led to the shore line on the north side of the island.  This particular cave was known as the Animal Flower Cave and was located under the cliffs at North Point, St. Lucy and is the island's lone accessible sea cave.  Another cave system on Barbados was known as Harrison's Cave and also was very interesting.  During our underground experience at Harrison's Cave we rode an electric tram along a path when viewing stalactites from above and stalagmites that rose from the earth.  

Opening in Animal Flower Cave in Barbados.

This particular cave was opened in 1981 and is a massive stream cave system that is almost a mile and a half  mile long.  Parts of it rise to a height of almost 50 feet.  It is a limestone cave and known as a solutional cave which is created when water mixed with a weak acid dissolves away rocks such as limestone.  Besides sea caves and solutional caves, there are lava caves that are created by the cooling of lava.  

Harrison's Cave in Barbados.

In this case a crust forms as lava cools and when the molten lava drains away, it leaves behind long tubes.  In the United States about one-fifth of the land has this type of landscape, called karst, where this kind of cave can form.  Have you ever visited a cave?  

This is a cave entrance along Bottom Bay Beach in Barbados.
I have found very little about it, but as you can see, it is very large.

Were you frightened as you walked through it?  Much of what we know about the first days of people on Earth we learned from cave discoveries.  Cave paintings existed long before paper was invented.  The layers of the earth and the materials that formed them were discovered in caves.  There are more than 40,000 caves in the United States.  Carol and I have visited Penn's Cave near State College during visits to our friends Jere and Sue.  

Heading into Penn's Cave near State College, PA.

It is America's only all-water cavern and is toured by boat.  The columns that grow from the roof and floor of the cave are known as speleothems.  They consist of stalactites which hang from the ceiling and have sharp points and look like icicles while the stalagmites rise from the floor and are formed by water dripping from stalactites and have rounded tops.  If and when they reach other, the formation is known as a column.

Riding through Harrison's Cave in Barbados.

 It is tough to live in a cave and there are very few cave dwellers.  These cave dwellers are animals that have adapted to the under- ground life of the cave.  Most are blind and could not survive above ground.  A few examples are cave fish, cave shrimp, millipedes and cave salamanders.  These cave dwellers tend to live in the part of the cave known as the dark zone.  Other species of mammals, insects, birds and amphibians make frequent visits to the caves or may live in them part-time and include raccoons, skunks, frogs, bats, crickets and earthworms.  If you have never visited a cave, give it a try if you are within driving distance.  You will be amazed at the underground wonders that can be found under your feet.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "A Mother's Unconditional Love Is Forever" Story

It was an ordinary day.  My wife, Carol, is talking on the phone with her friend Margaret about Margaret's granddaughter who is a sophomore in high school and is going with the school band to Disney World in Florida to perform.  She wasn't sure she wanted to go, but her friends and mother told her how much fun she would have if she went.  Becca is a homebody and doesn't like to stay away from her mom for any length of time.  When Carol told me the latest news about her trip to Florida, we began a conversation about our daughter and her also being a homebody.  When BW, our daughter, was in high school she was a member of the youth group at St. James Episcopal Church and they were heading to Italy for exploring and sightseeing.  She was a junior in high school and it was all we could do to get her to climb on the bus to head to Philadelphia airport to get on the plane to Italy.  This was back in the mid 1990's and there was no means of communication such as we have today to talk with her while she was in Italy.  But, one day Carol heard the phone ring and upon picking up the phone found it to be BW.  She told Carol she wanted to come home.  "They can't keep me here," she said. Carol told her, "You have to stay for the length of the trip.  Talk with a few of your friends and you will be fine."  She made it through the trip, but it didn't end there.  After graduating from high school we made plans for BW to go to Millersville University to obtain her teaching degree.  She was going to stay in the dormitory with a friend whom she had known from her softball playing days.  It did not go well. She missed home and after 2 weeks we relented and she became a commuter.  We received some credit for the room and board, but not an entire refund.  The following year she asked if she could stay in an off-campus apartment complex near school with a high school friend who was also going to Millersville and we agreed to that, hoping she might get over her fear of being away from home and her mom.  She did do well and graduated with her teaching degree.  The following year she took a teaching job, but moved back home.  But, by then she was madly in love with this fine young man who was also going to teach in Lancaster County.  His home was in Maryland.  She talked us into allowing DM to move into the spare bedroom and by the end of the school year they were engaged.  Well, it's been over 20 years since then and BW now has a daughter who will be heading off to college next year.  And...you guessed it...she doesn't want to move away from home and her mom.  She was hoping to go to a local college so she could be near her mom.  So, the saga continues!  I know about all of this since Carol and BW talk on the phone just about EVERY evening.  Something about a mother and her daughter.  And, I certainly don't mind. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "On Becoming A United States Citizen" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading in the newspaper about the new United States citizens who have just been approved for citizenship in the city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  Takes quite a bit of work in order to become a U.S. citizen unless you have been born in the United States or born to a U.S. citizen and are automatically a citizen.  Those hoping to become citizens must take a test which requires them to pass a Speaking Test, Reading Test, Writing Test and a Civics Test. The Speaking Test checks your ability to speak English.  The Reading Test checks to see if you can read aloud one out of three sentences correctly in English.  In the Writing Test you must write one out of three sentences correctly to demonstrate an ability to write in English.  The Civics Test requires you to answer up to 10 questions from a list of 100.  You need to answer 6 of the 10 questions correctly to past the test.  Being that I am already a citizen of the United States, I thought I would check out the questions to see how many questions I really knew the answer to in order to become a citizen.  If you care to try it, pull up the test at 100 civics questions on the naturalization test (PDF, 296 KB) and give it a try.  I have included a few of the questions to give you an idea of the type of questions that are asked of a person if they care to be a U.S. citizen.   It was interesting for me to try to answer the questions since I haven't had a history course since 1964 while a student at Millersville State Teachers College.  See how well you can do on some of my sample questions.  After the questions are the correct answers...don't look at the answers until you try to answer the questions. 

(1) Who did the United States fight in WWII?            Japan, Germany and Italy.

(2) Name one of the two longest rivers in the Unites States.             Missouri River, Mississippi River.

(3) What is the supreme law of the land?             The Constitution

(3) What is an amendment?             A change to the Constitution,  an addition to the Constitution

(4) Name one branch or part of the government.           Congress, legislature, President, executive, the courts, judicial

(5) We elect a U.S. Representative for how many years?             Two

(6) We elect a President of how many years?            Four

(7) What is the highest court in the United States?            The Supreme Court

(8) What is one responsibility that is only for United State citizens?             Serve on a jury, vote in a federal election

(9) Who lived in America before the Europeans arrived?            American Indians, Native Americans

(10) Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?            Thomas Jefferson

(11) What did Susan B. Anthony do?            Fought for women's rights, fought for civil rights

(12)  Who was the President during WWI?            Woodrow Wilson

(13). What movement tried to end racial discrimination?            Civil rights

(14)  What is the Capital of the United States?             Washington, D.C.

(15)  What is the name of the national anthem?            The Star-Spangled Banner

Did you do well?  Not as easy as you thought.  You need to study hard if you want to become a United States citizen!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Notable Native Americans: Part II - John Rollin Ridge" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading a few accounts of the murder of John Ridge who was one of the signers of the Treaty of New Echota, which Congress affirmed in early 1836, that ceded Native Cherokee lands east of the Mississippi River and led to the "Trail of Tears" which refers to the forced relocation between 1836 and 1839 of the Cherokee Nation and their roughly 1,600 black slaves from their lands in Georgia, South and North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama and Oklahoma and the resultant deaths along the way at the end of the movement of an estimated 4,000 Cherokee.  The Cherokee have come to call the event "Nu na da ul tsun yi" or "the place where they cried."  John Ridge was an influential Cherokee who came from a Native American family who was often accused of reaping rewards from division among the Cherokee. It was said that John Ridge, as well as his father "Major Ridge", signed away the land in exchange for money as well as land in the West in what would be called Indian Territory.  John Ridge had a son, John Rollin Ridge who was born in New Echota, Georgia and who, one day in early 1836, saw his father hauled out of their house and killed by a group of fellow Cherokee men who didn't take lightly to the senior Ridge signing away all the Cherokee land to the U.S. Government in 1835.  

John Rollin Ridge, aka "Yellow Bird".

The signing naturally led to the deaths of thousands of Cherokee as they were forced from their homeland.  But, young John Rollin Ridge vowed to avenge his father's murder some day.  That determination laid the foundation for Ridge's adult life.  He was a stanch anti-abolitionist and advocated for Native American empowerment, but who happened to also own slaves.  He became the first Native American to write and publish an English novel in 1854.  His literary legacy, The Life and Adventures of Joaquin Murieta, the Celebrated California Bandit, was a hit.  Ridge studied at Great Barrington Academy in Massachusetts and later studied law in Fayetteville, Arkansas where he married a White woman and had a child. They eventually owned a farm and two slaves.  One day Ridge killed his neighbor after accusing him of horse theft.  Seems it may have been set up by anti-Ridge Cherokees in hopes of getting him imprisoned.  Ridge claimed self-defense and fled to Missouri and then to California in 1850 during the "Gold Rush."  The dream of getting rich by panning for gold never worked out so Ridge wrote his first novel.  

John Rollin Ridge's first novel.

He used the pen name of "Yellow Bird," perhaps to keep his true identity hidden.  The book told the violent story of a Mexican immigrant who was driven from his land, stole from California's elite and defended the rights of the poor.  His novel was a hit, but he got very little from the sales due to the fact that the book was reprinted and distributed without his permission.  He ended up being the first editor of the newspaper, The Sacramento Bee, as well as writing poetry and fiction.  In his writings he opposed President Lincoln but supported preserving the Union while upholding slavery.  After the Civil War he tried to get the Cherokee region in California admitted into the Union, but that proved unsuccessful.  He died at the age of 40 of "brain fever."  His wife posthumously published his poems. I happened to come across this interesting person while researching another topic, but thought it interesting enough to write about John Ridge and his contribution to literature.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Notable Native Americans: Part I - Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading about the plight of a young Native American girl who had to watch, helplessly, as an elderly woman, living on the Omaha Reservation in the northeast corner of Nebraska, struggled to breathe and eventually died before her eyes, since the White doctor, living nearby, refused to come and doctor to her.  Miss Susan La Flesche Picotte vowed the night of the woman's death to do whatever it took to become a doctor.  The year was 1873 and it took nearly two decades before Susan La Flesche Picotte became a doctor.  

Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte

In 1889 she became the first Native American to graduate from medical school.  It would be another 35 years before the U.S. Government recognized Native Americans as citizens of the United States and 32 more years before Susan La Flesche Picotte was allowed to vote in the United States.  She became known as "A Warrior of the People" who would doctor to anyone and everyone no matter what race, color or what God they worshipped.  It has been said that "There was nobody like her in the history of America—not before, and not since."  Her mother was Mary Gale (aka One Woman) and her father was Chief Joseph La Flesche (aka Iron Eye) who was a prohibitionist who taught his four daughters Native customs, but insisted they only speak English so as to adapt to the White world for their own survival.  

A book written about Dr. Susan La Flesche.

At the age of 14 her father sent her to the Elizabeth Institute for Young Ladies in New Jersey and then to the Hampton Institute (Hampton University) in Virginia where she was second in her class.  White women at both schools were impressed with this young woman's drive and intellect.  They helped her earn a spot at the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania where she graduated as class valedictorian.  She turned down many lucrative jobs so she could doctor to the Native American community.  At the time she was still only 24 and the only physician, man or woman, for more than 1,200 patients spread over 1,350 square miles.  She used a horse and buggy to make house calls.  She delivered babies as well as treated cholera and TB on the reservation as well as surrounding White towns.  

The first building that housed the Woman's Medical College
of Pennsylvania, c. 1850.

Then in 1913, with $9,000, she opened the first-of-its kind reservation hospital in Walthill, Nebraska.  But, many tribe members resented her willingness to assimilate White and Native America culture.  Being the daughter of mixed-race parents, she was accused of not being White enough for some people therefore many U.S. history textbooks have overlooked Susan La Flesche Picotte who died of bone cancer in 1915 at the age of 50.  Today, the Susan La Flesche Picotte Memorial Hospital still stands, a national historic landmark honoring the country's first Native American doctor.  

Decatur, Nebraska, circa 1910.  A group gathered for what
is believed to be a revival, including Dr. Susan La Flesche
Picotte who is in the second row wearing a wide-brimmed hat.

Patients have not been treated at the hospital since the 1940's and it had fallen into disrepair.  It is now being repurposed as a museum and offices for the Omaha tribe.  The Susan La Flesche Picotte legacy will live on with the belief that health care should be a fundamental right afforded to all, regardless of race, class or gender.  Have you ever heard of this pioneer in medicine?  If not, why?  I never heard of Susan La Flesche Picotte until I came upon her name while looking for information about the Women's National Indian Association.  To me, she should be considered a Hero for all races, classes or gender.  I certainly will remember her name!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Heroes Of The Arizona" Story

The USS Arizona Memorial sits above the remains of
the Arizona battleship that was sunk at Pearl Harbor
by Japanese planes on December 7, 1941.

It was an ordinary day.  Making one more visit to the USS Arizona Memorial which is located on the island of Hawaii.  Carol and I have visited the Hawaiian Islands several times and never miss visiting the memorial which is in Honolulu, Hawaii.  It is always a moving experience to stand on the Arizona Memorial and look out over the surrounding waters and try to imagine the horror of December 7, 1941 when Japanese planes pierced the quiet sunny morning at Pearl Harbor and rained bombs on the battleships lined up below.  

Mr. Lauren Bruner, a survivor of the USS Arizona, died
recently and his ashes were recently placed
n the wreckage of the ship.

This past Pearl Harbor Day, December 7, a few of those remain- ing service- men who escaped the carnage, made a visit to honor those who perished 78 years ago with a moment of silence at 7:55 a.m., the exact time the assault began.  It was that attack that launched the U.S. into World War II.  One survivor recently died and his ashes were placed inside the battleship's wreckage this past weekend.  

Another view of the Arizona Memorial

Lauren Bruner was a 21-year-old sailor when an enemy plane dropped a bomb on the USS Arizona.  The bomb ignited an enormous explosion in the battleship's ammunition storage compartment.  Lauren survived and lived to be 98 years old.  The Southern California man was the 44th and last crew member to be interred in accordance with this rare Navy ritual.  

The USS Arizona before it returned to the sea.

The final three living Arizona survivors plan to be laid to rest with their families.  Lauren Bruner wanted to return to his ship because few people visit cemeteries, while more than 1 million people visit the Arizona each year.  He was prepared to join his old friends who never made it off the warship.  He had traveled many times in the past to the Memorial to attend anniversary events, but this trip will be his last.  

The oil leaking from the sunken battleship are known
as "tears". They rise to the surface from below.
Less than a quart of oil escapes the tanks of the ship
each year and it will take our lifetime and longer
 before all the oil escapes the tanks of the ship.  

The Navy began inter- ring Pearl Harbor survivors on their old ships in 1982.  Only two vessels remain in Pearl Harbor; the Arizona and USS Utah.  Survivors of those two ships are the only ones who have the option to be laid to rest this way.  

View from inside the Arizona Memorial.

Of the 1,177 USS Arizona sailors and Marines killed at Pearl Harbor, more than 900 could not be recovered and remain entombed on the ship, which sank in nine minutes.  Mr. Bruner's ashes were placed aboard the Arizona following a sunset ceremony on the anniversary of the attack.  If you enjoy traveling, try and make a visit to Pearl Harbor and visit the Arizona Memorial.  You will find it very moving and it will make you appreciate our armed forces so much more.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Is 'Thanksgiving' An American Holiday Only?" Story

It was an ordinary day.  It was a week or two before our Thanksgiving holiday in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and I was corresponding with a friend via email that Carol and I got to know who lives on the island of Sint Maarten.  Barbara Cannegieter and  her husband Dee live on a hill overlooking the capital of the Dutch side of the island, Philipsburg.  Barbara at one time lived in Williamsport, Pennsylvania so I was interested as to whether she and Dee celebrate Thanksgiving as she did when she lived in Williamsport many years ago.  She returned my email and told me the island does not celebrate Thanksgiving as we do in the United States, but that they have so many visitors from the United States to the island in the Caribbean that many of the restaurants will serve the traditional Thanksgiving meal on Thanksgiving Day.  Great for business and gives those from the states a chance to have a celebratory Thanksgiving meal.  Carol and I began to talk and wondered if there are any other countries that celebrate the holiday that I assumed was an American holiday since it was the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians that shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies.  Well, it seems there are eight other countries that celebrate Thanksgiving, or at least a form of Thanksgiving.  They are as follows:

1. Liberia.  Liberia brought the Thanksgiving tradition directly from America, owing to its beginnings as a resettlement colony for freed black Americans. The West African country declared its independence in 1847, but it American connection is still seen in its national flag which mirrors the U.S. design.  They celebrate Thanksgiving on the first Thursday in November.
2. Canada.  Canadian Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday of October and integrates a number of traditions, including turkey although regional dishes such as salmon are common.  They also connect their holiday with the fall harvest, since their homeland is separated from America by just a border line.  They also celebrate the day with a football game and a big parade.
3. Australia.  Their Thanksgiving is just like American Thanksgiving with a turkey dinner.  It really is celebrated as a direct result of sailors and whaling ships bringing the tradition to Norfolk Island, which is an Australian territory.  They celebrate Thanksgiving on the last Wednesday of November as well as in July when they have Thanksgiving and Christmas-style festivities because that's when the weather Down Under is closest to that of winter in Europe and America.
4. Japan.  Japan has what is known as the harvest celebration of Niiname-no-Matsuri, which was a Shinto ritual enacted by the Emperor.  It got the name of Labor Thanksgiving Day during the post-World War II occupation of Japan by the United States.  Their interpretation of the holiday commemorates labor , production and peace.  School children make card for public servants like health care workers, police, firefighters and members of the Japanese Self-Defense Force and Coast Guard.  
5. United Kingdom.  The harvest Festival of Thanksgiving is the closest thing to the American Thanksgiving.  The official date is set for September or October and collecting food to donate to charities is a common activity.  The celebration, which goes back to ancient Britain, is in the form of a community gathering.
6. Germany.  Erntedankfest is celebrated on the first Sunday of October.  It too is a harvest celebration, but is largely religious in nature.  The holiday is a debate, gratitude-oriented affair.  
7. India.  The Harvest Thanksgiving Festival of India is called Thai Pongal (or Ponkal).  It is a four-day affair held in January to praise the Sun God.  Its history goes back ten centuries.  Rice is central to the celebration with the boiling of the first rice of the harvest season.
8. Philippines.  As an American colony they held their American version of Thanksgiving.  During WWII, when Japan occupied the islands, the celebration went underground.  Then President Ferdinand Marcos reinstituted it as a September observation under his reign.  When he left in 1986 it was discontinued, but brought back by the SM Supermalls chain of shopping centers.  They now offer big Thanksgiving sales around September which is the kick-off to the Christmas Season.  And, we think we overdo it at Christmas!

I would have never guessed there were this many countries that celebrate Thanksgiving.  Perhaps America stole the term from one of these eight countries, since many of them seem to be older than the United States of America.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Product Of Imagination And Creativity" Story

Lancaster Train Station in Lancaster, Pennsylvania

It was an ordinary day.  Once again making a visit to the Lancaster Train Station to view an art display sponsored by Lancaster Public Art.  It was just shy of a year ago that a display of felt sculptures graced the several showcases that line the center of the waiting area in Lancaster's Train Station.  

Waiting area where the artwork is displayed

The artist's name who created the felt sculptures was Paolo Puck who was born in England, but currently lived in the United States.  The artist who currently has work on display at the Lancaster Train Station is Dmitrii Volkov.  He has several carbon steel sculptures on display in the showcases.  His work is very interesting so to learn more about him and his artwork, I Googled him.  The following is part of the website that I found telling about his art and his life.  

Dear Visitor,

My name is Dmitrii Volkov. I have been creating an Art objects since 1996. My workshop called Art Studio Dmitri Volkov. I design and create sculptures and jewelers made of steel, silver, copper, bronze, wood, and glass. I was born and educated in Saint-Petersburg, Russia. In 1993, I graduated from The Nicholas Roerich Art School in Art Design and Book Illustration. In 2000, I graduated from The Schtieglitz State Academy of Art and Industry in Metalworking and Jewelry.  

One of Mr. Volkov's work on display

In my work I focus on combinations of volumes, patterns, colors or all together. They should interact, agree or disagree with each other. Listening to this conversation and forming this relationship are the most exciting things in art. Volumes often interact within a piece of art through crossing facets or absence of facets, polished planes and projecting parts as well as escape to the deep dark cavities and hollows. At times an object can be seen as a human, partially imperfect but constantly striving for perfection. I always treat objects and parts of objects as humans or groups of humans being unique individuals. My favorite material is carbon steel. It proves amazingly deep in case of natural treatment, i.e. waxing, polishing, and patination. It is oxidation ability that makes carbon steel far richer than precious metal in terms of its expressive properties. Traditionally, it is considered to be a disadvantage, yet indeed is a benefit due to the fact that kind of makes up for what the painter did not paint thus making a piece of art beautiful and expressive.

Thank you for your interest!

Respectfully,

Dmitrii Volkov

More of Mr. Volkov's work on display.  Click to enlarge.

The sculptures were very interesting, but didn't seem to draw many viewers from the crowd gathered in the waiting area of the train station.  Lancaster Public Art, who sponsored the display, began their art displays in the train station a year ago.  They are working to position Lancaster, PA as a city distinguished by public artwork and engage the community in that artwork.  Mr. Volkov stated his views in a small card attached to his work that read:  In the hustle and bustle of modern living, it is easy to lose the thread that connects us to our dreams.  Art reminds us of a higher purpose, of making the most of our lives.  The city of Lancaster is doing just that with the many displays of artwork that can be viewed in this city that was one of the first inland cities in the United States.  it was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. 

The "Lucky To Live In Lancaster!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Thinking of all the good reasons to live in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  First of all it is one of the best places in the country in which to retire due to all the retirement communities we have in Lancaster.  Second, it is known as the "Garden Spot of America" due to its rich, fertile soil that is farmed by  Amish, Mennonite and a wide variety of other farm families.  And, now I have one more reason to live in the city I call home.  Lancaster County will have its own Proton therapy center in the United States.  

The Ann B. Barshinger Center in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

The Ann B. Barshinger Center, part of Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health will build a $48 million, one room facility that will be able to treat 30 patients a day.  Doesn't sound to be such a big deal until you realize that the 8,000 square foot center will house a massive piece of therapy equipment in a building with very few windows and extremely thick concrete walls.  It will be only the second proton therapy center in Pennsylvania and will work in partnership with Penn's center in Philadelphia that is described as "the largest and most advanced in the world."  Residents who now live in Lancaster County, as well as surrounding counties, now have to travel to Philadelphia for cancer treatments.  At times their therapy might take many consecutive days of treatment and it can be extremely tiring to make the trip to Philadelphia on a daily basis.  Eventually we will be able to receive treatment in our home county.  Proton therapy is most useful in combination with other treatments such as chemotherapy and immunotherapy.  And, when the building is completed, Lancaster patients will be given a chance to take part in clinical trials and expanding use of precision medicine that is using increasingly targeted approaches.  My wife went through cancer treatments recently and had to spend part of Monday thru Friday at the Barshinger Center for a month.  Having to drive to Philadelphia daily for a month would have been taxing for both she and I, so having a new center in Lancaster will be a definite benefit for local residents.  

The proposed new one room proton therapy center.

Proton therapy costs about twice what other types of radiation therapy cost and at present isn't totally covered by insurance, if at all.  After seeing the benefits of the new therapy, the insurance companies may see the benefit in paying more for the treatments.  Proton therapy is also a shorter treatment time period then other treatments, thus less of an expense time wise.  That might be  another reason to want to cover the treatments with insurance coverage.  As I read more about the therapy, I found that it can be used for eye, brain and spinal tumors as well as pediatric cancers.  It is projected as a therapy for lung, gynecological, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal cancers.  The new center will not open until the fall of 2021, but it gives those in the immediate area hope that if they might develop a proton treated disease, they will get first class treatments in Lancaster County.  Another plus for living in Lancaster. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Vacation Musings: Ocean City, New Jersey!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Downloading summer vacation photographs from both my iPhone and Nikon DSLR camera to the desktop of my MacBook Air.  Carol and I took a week-long vacation to Ocean City, New Jersey with our daughter Brynn and her family of hubby Dave and daughters Courtney and Camille.  For years we have been visiting Ocean City with our family, during the summer, but last year, with the grandkids getting older and trying to coordinate jobs and vacations, the summer passed before we had taken a vacation.  This year our son Derek and his family couldn't go to the shore until youth baseball season was over since he and grandson Caden were both involved, so daughter-in-law Barb also missed the trip.  Our son Tad had every intention of visiting a few days, but his work schedule changed and he wasn't able to visit.  Those that did make it had a great time with a vacation rental on Pennlyn Street on the north side of the town.  Happened to be located halfway between Brown's Donuts and Oves Donuts, so I loved the place.  One evening we traveled to Stone Harbor, NJ for supper at Mirabella's Italian Restaurant and a bit of shopping after supper.  We had plans for all of us to travel to Cape May, NJ for a day of shopping and lunch at the Lobster House, but ended up just being Carol, Brynn and myself.  The Ocean City beach was too enticing for the others.  As you are well aware, I cannot visit anywhere unless I take a thousand photographs or more, but this trip I managed to push the shutter release only a few hundred times.  Some of the results were used to illustrate a few stories you may have already read at the end of the summer, and the rest I have rummaged through and posted them at the end of this story.  Hope you find a few you enjoy.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

One evening we heard loud noises outside our rental.  Walked onto the street
and was serenaded to about 20 minutes of fireworks to the west of our rental.

I walked into the street where neighbors were gathering.  By the time the
fireworks were over, we all knew each other's names and where we lived.
Neat way to bring a neighborhood together, though it wasn't the idea
behind the fireworks.  Or was it!

While on the Ocean City Boardwalk I saw these two seagulls waiting for an
an unsuspecting person who had just purchased a piece of pizza or perhaps fries.

It amazes me how people just don't think the postings are for them!

One day I took my close-up lens for my iPhone with me to the beach.
The results are shown above and below.

Really neat what the simple, inexpensive snap-on lens can do.

While visiting Cape May, Brynn, Carol and I visited Cape Atlantic Book Co. which
is co-owned by our good friends Jere and Sue's son Tony and friend Patrick.  One of
the very few actual book stores on the shores of New Jersey.

Plenty of shelves and choices to make in the store.
The puzzles they have are also fantastic.

While in Cape May, Carol, Brynn and I had lunch at The Lobster House.  My wife's lunch
selection was salmon, vegetables and mashed potatoes on a wooden plank.

My favorite!  A one pound lobster-tail which was soooooo good!

Carol with granddaughters Camille (seated) and Courtney.

One day on the beach Carol and I were some of the last few visitors.
I tried to add a book to my Kindle and forgot I needed to
connect to the Internet. When I tried to connect, I found my choices were what you see
above.  Notice one was an FBI surveillance van.  I looked all over to try and see it without any success, but...

when I looked at my Kindle a minute or two later...it was gone.  Someone trying
to keep an eye on me?  Maybe its one of the Russians that constantly
log on to this site you are now reading.

The "Bridges Of Yesteryear" Story

It was an ordinary day. Driving around Lancaster County on a Sunday afternoon, looking for a few interesting photographs I could take to show fall crops or perhaps an Amish church service. Naturally crossed a few covered bridges as I passed through the county. I have my favorites, but driving across any covered bridge is always an interesting experience. I recently learned there are nine things that many people don't known about the covered bridges in Lancaster County. Since I now know all nine, I thought I would share them with you. (1) First off, at one time there were more than 130 covered bridges in the county and as many as 12,000 nationwide. That was back in the mid-1800s when there were 1,500 in Pennsylvania alone. (2) Today there are 29 bridges that still stand in Lancaster County which makes the county #1 in Pennsylvania and #2 nationwide with Parke County in Indiana having 31.

Neff's Mill Bridge

(3) Neff's Mill Bridge that connects West Lampeter with Strasburg Townships is allegedly the oldest covered bridge in Lancaster County.  It was first built in 1824 and reconstructed in 1875.  (4) The Miller's Farm Bridge and Good's Fording Bridges were demolished and their remains were used to build the bridge that stands near the Amish Farm & House tourist attraction.  

The newest covered bridge; Willow Mill Bridge.

It was built in 1962 and therefore is considered the newest covered bridge.  (5) As you drive around Lancaster County looking for covered bridges you will notice one thing in common; they are all red but one.  That one exception is the Keller's Mill Bridge over the Cocalico Creek in Ephrata Township which happens to be painted white.  The paint on many of the red-colored bridges has faded over time, but they are still red!  (6) On August 31, 2018 I posted a story telling about the two main types of covered bridges.  One was the Burr arch trust and the other the  king post style construction.  Only one of the covered bridges in Lancaster County used the king post construction and that one is the Landis Mill bridge which is located one block from Park City Center.  All the others used the Burr arch trust method of construction which was developed by Theodore Burr in 1804.  (7) Elias McMellen takes claim to being the builder of almost all the covered bridges in Lancaster County, since seven of the remaining bridges were built by him.  (8) 23 of the remaining bridges are open to vehicle traffic while the other six are just for pedestrian use.  

Covered Bridges were built single lane and meant for one vehicle.

(9) If you have ever traveled over a covered bridge you know that they were made for going one direction only.  They are just one lane!  And, if you happen upon a covered bridge, travel slowly up the incline to the bridge to see if anyone is coming through it already.  When it is your turn, pass through it slowly in case someone might be headed toward you.  If someone is in front of you and enters a covered bridge, do not begin to follow them until they have exited the bridge.  The wooden bridges are sturdy, but not designed for heavy vehicle traffic, thus the old wooden beams can't stand the weight of more than one vehicle at a time.  The nine facts I have just listed are facts that you may not have known in the past, but may help with your exploration of the covered bridges in Lancaster County.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "A Tall Guy In A Neat Car" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Searching the web for nothing in particular when I came across a photo of a young fellow sitting in an old car with fire passengers and a dapper young guy holding onto the front headlight while standing along the roadway.  Not sure what key I may have struck on the keyboard of my MacBook Air, but the photograph was really neat.  It was part of a story I found on "The Old Motor" website which is an entertaining and informative vintage automobile internet magazine.  Was actually searching for a page about the Maserati automobile which my son, Tad, told me he has a chance to buy.  Neat car, but the old 1903-1906 Rambler two-cylinder five passenger Surrey pictured on "The Old Motor" website was almost as neat.  The Rambler was a popular early car built by Thomas B. Jeffrey.  The chassis had one of the first overhead valve four-cylinder units to be made by the company.  

George Russel Kersey with his Rambler and family.

The steering column may seem to be made a bit higher for the size of the driver, but it evidently is standard size for all the Ramblers.  I began to read the short story printed next to the old black and white photograph and found the guy sitting behind the very large steering wheel on the right-hand side of the car was a fellow from Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  His name was George Russel Kersey and he had quite a history about him.  At the age of 13 he was said to have been the tallest boy in the United States at the time.  He was 7-feet tall!  In his youth he was a drum major in a high school marching band and later was the tall man in a traveling circus run by Adam Forbach.  He eventually decided to take up the profession in which his dad worked, dentistry.  After years of schooling he became a dentist in Elizabethtown which is about a 20 minute drive from Lancaster, PA.  Being he was now a professional with a well-respected occupation, he felt he should drive an automobile, or "horseless carriage."  He purchased the automobile pictured in the photograph I have enclosed with my story.  

Another neat Rambler from the same time period.

The story I was reading said it appears to be a 1906 Rambler, but after reading a bit more on other web- sites, it may really be a 1903.  I'm not sure what the difference may be, but the second site pointed out a few differences.  Hey. I would take either one of them.  The photo in "The Old Motor" was taken by Mary Meszaros who happened to be at the spot at the right time.  She was Mr. Kersey's great granddaughter.  The others in the photograph were from the left: his sister, daughter and his wife Beda—to his right are, another daughter and son and his brother-in-law.  I love classic cars and was pleasantly surprised when I came upon this photograph.  The car shown in this story is rather unique, but I must admit that it isn't as neat as a Maserati!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  

The "A Solution For Those Afraid Of Lightning!" Story

It was an ordinary day,  Sometime in the spring of 1711 seven men came with their families to establish homes in what was at the time the western edge of Pennsylvania.  They traveled along the "Great Conestoga Road" which is now a part of the county of Lancaster.  Eight years later one of these men, Hans Herr, built what is known to us Lancastrians today as the "Hans Herr House."

The Hans Herr House near Willow Street.  This image is
one that I created using Polaroid film with alterations.

 He and his wife Elizabeth lived in the home as did several of his children.  In the early 1900's it was converted into a barn and storage shed.  In the early 1970's it was restored to its current condition.   But, sometime in the early 1900's the area was struck by lightning which started a fire that destroyed multiple outbuildings at the Hans Herr estate in nearby Willow Street, PA.  Then in 1924 Lancaster's famed architect, C. Emlen Urban designed Lancaster'f first skyscraper in downtown Lancaster.  By 1925 it was completed.  The building was fourteen stores tall and had a steel framework faced in granite, limestone and terra cotta.  

A picture postcard sowing Lancaster's
first skyscraper which was built in
1924-25 in downtown Lancaster, PA.

It measured 66 feet by 55 feet and had 36,000 square feet.  The 12th floor once housed a 300 seat auditorium with a green and gold frescoed ceiling.  A 53 foot tower was added later to the top of the building.  It was named in honor of W.W. Griest who was a former Pennsylvania representative.  And, in 1929 it was thought that areas around the large building would be safe from lightning strikes, since they would surely strike the Griest Building before something else in the city.  It was even suggested that the Hans Herr House be moved into the city due to it's historical value.  One fellow who favored the move said it would be a good idea to build more skyscrapers in the city to help with lightning strikes.  

A view of today's W.W. Griest Building in
downtown Lancaster.  Behind the building
is history Lancaster' Central Market.

At the time tests were being conducted in the "New England laboratory of a great electric company," in which the behavior of lightening in rural versus urban areas was studied closely.  Evidence showed that tall buildings with steel construction elements provided a "cone of protection" for smaller buildings nearby, with the apex of the tallest buildings's topmost point, and the radius two to four times the height of the building. Therefore, the Griest Building would give protection to businesses in the city block around it.  Certainly wouldn't have helped to move the Hans Herr House, since there was no space close to the Griest Building that was available.  That was over 90 years ago and the Hans Herr House, still located in nearby Willow Street, still hasn't burned down and the Griest Building looks as good as ever.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  

The "I Could See It Coming!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Saturday, November 23 and the daily edition of the LNP had it on the top left of page A2.  Headline read "Rutter returns for 'Greatest Show.'  The "Rutter" in this headline would be a former student at the school where I taught for 34 years, Manheim Township High School in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Brad had his locker right outside my classroom when he was a student at MTHS and I got to see him on a daily basis.  He was a member of the "Quiz Bowl" team which was sponsored by a good friend and fellow teacher, Anne Clouser.  Her entire team of students loved her and she in turn returned that love, but as tough love which led her team to yearly wins in the county. Brad graduated from Manheim Township in 1995 and, as the newspaper article proclaimed, dazzled the "Jeopardy!" world in 2000 winning five straight nights of competition.  

Brad Rutter when he returned to Lancaster to help with
a benefit to raise money for the Manheim Twp. Public Library.

For those of you who may not know what Jeopardy! is, it is a classic game show...with a twist.  The answers are given first, and the contestants must supply the questions.  And, the answers aren't easy...at least for me.  At the time in history when Brad competed, you could only win five times before you were "retired" from the show.  Perhaps with the rules of today's show, he could have gone on forever, but we will never know.  After winning about $55,000 he was retired.  Well, he is going to compete in "The Greatest of All Time" competition that will pit Brad against Ken Jennings, who won 74 straight nights and recent champion James James Holzhauer who seemed to know everything about everything.  

Alex Trebeck, host of "Jeopardy!"

Brad won an all-time top amount of $4.7 million which includes his many "champion" tourna- ments he has returned to compete in over the years.  Brad has never been defeated by a human, but did lose, along with Jennings, to the IBM computer "Watson."  Ken Jennings is no slouch either, winning a total of $3.5 million during his 74 games as well as other tournaments on the show.  

Brad competing against the Quiz Bowl Team from the
Manheim Township High School at the MT Library.

As far as James goes, well he was very impressive during his time on the show.  He earned $2.7 million, surprising audiences with his high stakes betting on the daily doubles which are part of the daily games.  Host Alex Trebek will do the honors once again as the host of the show that will see the three highest all-time winners battle it out.   Will being away from the show for some time hurt or help Brad?  We will find out beginning on Tuesday, January 7 at 8:00 p.m. when the champs battle it out.  The game continues night after night until one contestant wins three matches and claims the $1 million prize.  The two others will each get $250,000.  Not bad for having a mind like a human computer.  Go Brad, Go!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.