The "HO Village At Woodcrest Villa" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Sitting in my chair by my computer preparing to write yet another story.  Trying to decide what to write today when I looked at the corner of my Mac and saw the dozen or so photographs I had recently taken of the hugh HO train layout that is in the main building of Woodcrest Villa where I now live.  The layout was started a few years ago by another resident of Woodcrest Villa, Paul Troutman.  He is constantly updating his layout which is totally made by hand from scratch.  Every building, bridge, mountain, etc. is made by Paul in HO scale and it is amazing what he has done in only four years.   Starting to go through the photographs and thought you may enjoy looking at some of the photos from the train layout.  So, follow along as I take you to the little HO town at Woodcrest Villa!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. 

 

The "The Horned Marsupial Frog Is Clinging To Life!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading a story titled "Clinging to Life" in my latest Smithsonian Magazine which dealt with the surprise rediscovery of a rare frog known as the horned marsupial frog.  The story began with the word "Marsupial" which usually evokes a kangaroo or perhaps a koala, something furry and warm-blooded, that protects its babies in a pouch.  But a surprising variety of creatures have evolved this unusual means of parental care, including crustaceans, seahorses and frogs.  The frogs have jaunty peaks that stick up from it's eyelids that help to camouflage it as a dry leaf.  The frog is a fascinating creature that people can't wrap their heads around.  Instead of laying thousand of eggs in water, like most frogs, the female horned marsupial frog produces only ten or fewer of the largest amphibian eggs in the world, with a whopping diameter of one centimeter.  Males then fertilize these eggs and place them into a pouch on the mother's back, which is what earns the species, and dozens of related frogs, the "marsupial" moniker.  As the embryos grow, they develop structures similar to mammalian placentas through which their mother delivers oxygen, water and possibly nutrients.  After a few months, horned marsupial frog eggs hatch as forest-ready froglets, remarkably skipping the tadpole stage.  This remarkable adaptation frees them from the need to find ponds or streams for egg-laying.  They spend their lives high up in the trees of Central and South American rainforests where the humid air is thought to keep their skin from drying out.

But, since the second half of the 20th century, these forests have been devastated by logging and plantation usage.  For decades the Marsupial frog had been feared extinct in both Costa Rica and south to Equador.  Than one evening in 2013, a Costa Rican herpetologist named Stanley Salazzar said he heard the frog call he'd been hoping to hear.  He cut a path through the forest toward the call with his machete and turned off his flashlight.  Then he heard the call!  He used his flashlight and behold, when he heard the frog call again, it was right in front of him!  Before long he had seen the Marsupial frog!  

Mom and her youngsters.

Then in Equador, in 2018, researchers headed to a little studied region of the Chacó that narrowly escaped destruction due to logging.  They had heard and seen the horned Marsupial frogs!  They were so loud you could hear them throughout the jungle.  They were once again clinging to life!  What a rare find!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.     

The "Sad Times Are Upon Us...Will They Ever Go Away? Story"

It was an ordinary day.  Sunny, but a bit on the cool side.  Not long before Christmas will arrive in my town of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  I have been doing my Christmas shopping as well as wrapping the gifts and hiding them the best I can until Christmas arrives.  Life is Good!  Still enjoy writing my life's stories and hoping you enjoy reading them.  But, the more I read other's online stories and comments, the more I read about unsettled times with angry families and school children.  All has to do with their computers, laptops, etc.  Seems that they are being kept from accessing websites they feel they need to access to be a successful person or a successful student in school.  Certain topics have been censored by their school districts and they can't stand it!  They want to see and read everything, whether it be good for them or not.  Well...what I'm about to type will sound strange to some while others will think I am ancient and old and out of touch with the world.  Hey...go ahead and think that, but I am a happy survivor which at present, many are having a hard time doing so.  When I was a student in elementary school, there was no Internet...actually there was nothing that was known as a computer!  When I was a student in Jr. High School... there was no Internet...actually there was noting that was known as a computer!  When I was a student in High School.... there was no Internet...actually there was noting that was known as a computer!  When I went to college for four years.... I still don't remember using a computer or the internet!  Yeah...I know, I'm old, but I never had to gripe and complain all the time about my computer or not being able to access this website or that website or etc., etc., etc.  Stop all your complaining and learn as I learned.  You do know there are textbooks with information in them and most schools have a library with research material that you can use as long as they haven't been checked out at the time.  And, most of my friends, as well as myself and my own children, had an encyclopedia.  Ever hear of one of them?  Yeah...they had photos of naked people in them, but nothing like the Internet does!  Our world seems to be so advanced in just about everything, but that doesn't mean it's all good!  What will the world be like in 50 more years?  Luckily I won't know...Thank Goodness!  Life used to be so easy and filled with happiness and fun.  Not that long ago I enjoyed getting up, going to school and teaching  photography and Graphic Arts to my students.  We had the best of times and many fun days while learning what I taught to them.  And then one day....computers began to arrive and life has never been as simple since that time.  People now try to steal information from others by infiltrating their computers.  Or...they send them unwanted photos just for the fun of it.  And if you're not a whiz with  your computer, such as me...You can't do anything about it except turn it off and forget about it.  Yes, I know...I could never have had the chance to type this story today and instantly send it to you had I not had a computer and the internet, but at least I am not publishing awful information and photographs as happens many times every day.  And, what is so sad is that it will never go away!  There will always be that person who has to post a questionable or filthy comment or an obscene photo which can never be traced.  Oh, for the good old days!!  Ever hear that before?  There really  were good old days at one time, believe it or not!  But, I'm not so sure with all the amazing technology we now have, that it will ever be possible again.  And...that's so very, very sad!  Really...so very sad!!  And it will never end!  Amen!!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.         

The "Iconic Stray Cats To Be Relocated Could Be A Disaster!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Leafing through my morning newspaper when I came upon a story titled "Iconic stray cats to be relocated."  Story came out of SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico and was written by Dánica Coto who writes for The Associated Press.  The subhead that followed was...Feral felines will be removed from grounds surrounding historic fortress.  Hey...why do they think the historic fortress is such a great place to visit?  And...why do so many cat lovers find it a special place?  Guess by now you know that I love cats and am responding to the plan with dismay!  The agency that plans to remove the cats said it will contract an animal welfare organization to remove the 200 cats estimated to live on the 75 acres surrounding a fortress at the San Juan National Historic Site that the federal agency operates in Old San Juan.  Did I read that right...75 ACRES?  And...just how many rats do they think might live on those 75 waterfront acres?  As of today...not many...due to the 200 cats that inhabit the 75 acres around the waterfront property that attracts all those visitors and money to the property.  And...if the organization hired to get rid of the cats doesn't do their job within 6 months, the park service will have to hire a removal service that will more than likely eliminate the cats.  And, what do they mean by "eliminate" them?  Hey...anyone who has ever owned a cat or two knows that they will never be eliminated especially along a waterfront property.  As of now, cats of all sizes, colors and temperaments meander the seaside trails that surround the 16th Century fortress known as "El Morro" which overlooks an expanse of deep turquoise waters in the northwestern point of the San Juan capital.  They are believed to be the descendants of colonial-era cats, while others were brought to the capital by legendary San Juan Mayor Felisa Ricón de Gautier to kill the rats in the mid-20th century.  Since that time they have multiplied in numbers to the enchantment of some residents and to the disgust of others.  One thing they do bring to the area are visitors who love to take photos of the cats and perhaps spend a few bucks in the process.  Volunteers with the group "Save a Gato" tend to the felines.  The group feeds, spays and neuters the cats and places them up for adoption.  Seems the cat population has grown too large and now the visitors will no longer come to spend their money.  So...the cats must go!  And, perhaps along with the cats will go the tourists?  Anyone ever think of that?  Many who live in the area that attracts tourists and their money realize that many of the tourists that bring with them a big wallet do so because they want to see the cats!  One of the residents of the area described the cats as "one of the 'Wonders of Old San Juan'".  The cats even have their own statue in the history area where they roam.  "These cats are unique to San Juan," resident Danna Wakefield said.  She visits the cats weekly and said, "Me and many other people love that walk because of the cats.  Otherwise, it would be a boring walk."  Her favorite cat is a black one with golden eyes that she calls "Cross."  And...people want to get rid of them??   As of now...the U.S. Park Service plans to remove feeding stations.  Some claim the stations draw rats.  Duh!!  And...don't the rats draw cats?  You get rid of all the cats and in no time you will be overrun with rats!  Which would you rather have?  I do understand that many residents evidently abandon their cats at feeding stations, but whose fault is that?  The people!  Perhaps a heafty fine for the people who abandon their cats might be a better idea.  An animal welfare service has a plan of trapping the cats and placing them up for adoption.  Hopefully that plan will work and the stray cats will find a good home in the near future.  But, totally removing all the cats could be a disaster for the tourist trade of the town and a boom for the rat infestation of the town.  I guess...time will tell.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.            

"The Trailblazing Companion Story"

It was an ordinary day.  Reading about Thaddeus Stevens' trailblazing female partner.  Lady's name was Lydia Hamilton Smith who is often referred to as Thaddeus Stevens' housekeeper and perhaps common-law wife.  Lydia was actually a great deal more being she was a successful real estate entrepreneur, a fervent Catholic, an Underground Railroad participant and perhaps Thaddeus' common-law wife.  Lydia was born near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania around 1815 to a white father and a mother of both African and European heritage.  Lydia was married about the age of 20 to a barber and musician named Jacob Smith, with whom she had two sons.  She eventually left Jacob, allegedly due to his being abusive, and in 1844 moved with her two boys to Lancaster, Pennsylvania where she began working for Thaddeus.  Her duties were expansive.  She had to oversee Stevens' houses in Lancaster as well as those in Washington D.C.  She also counseled him on business affairs and was his constant companion at social events.  At local town gatherings, she was constantly spoken of as Mrs. Stevens, according to stories in the Lancaster Intelligencer newspaper.  

Lydia Hamilton Smith

In 1860, Lydia bought her first property from Stevens for $500.  On his death in 1868, Stevens left her with a $500 annuity, which she used to enlarge upon her prosperous real estate business.  Smith was, as was Stevens, dedicated to Black libration and is believed to have helped her boss shelter enslaved people seeking freedom.  Mr. Stevens' physician, Dr. Henry Carpenter, said that the lawmaker's life "was prolonged six to eight years due to faithful nursing and close attention from Lydia.  Due to that fact, Lydia was said to have changed the course of American history.  It was during those extra years of life that Thaddeus was able to survive, due to Lydia, that he advocated for the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments to the United States Constitution.  Lydia died in 1884 and her obituary noted that her outstanding reputation crossed racial lines.  Among the people of Washington D.C., both white and colored, she was highly respected just as her boss, Thaddeus Stevens.  Lydia was buried in Lancaster, Pennsylvania at St. Mary's Catholic Church.  As a  final sign of her unfailing bond with Thaddeus Stevens, she bequeathed $500 for the continued upkeep of his gravesite.  To this day...the gravesite of Thaddeus Stevens is in remarkable condition and evidently is visited by many who live in Lancaster as well as others from locations near and far.  Lydia Hamilton Smith...you did a good job taking care of one of Lancaster's own...Thaddeus Stevens, a true hero and Lancaster homeboy.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  

The "Clearing The Files...If You Don't Mind" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Going through the many "saved" photographs of Lancaster City and Lancaster County I have collected over the years in case I might haven needed one for a story.  Some are more interesting than others and I just might have wanted to use one in the future, but my stack has grown so much that I felt it was necessary to delete a few of the photographs that I know by now that I will probably never write a story about...or I have already written a story about and didn't need the accompanied photograph. Perhaps you may recognize one or more of the photos, but if not...maybe the line under it will help give you where it may have been taken or the reason I saved it from the past.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. 

As stated...The resident of John Rohrer, 402 N. Queen in Lancaster,  PA
Why I saved this one I don't remember!

Lancaster's old St. Joseph's Hospital around early1950s.
 It is to be made into apartments in the future.

Lancaster Press...I often wondered if this was the press located in
the building that sat next to my home at 929 N. Queen St.

They used to let their doors open in summer and I would wander

into the pressroom to see what they were working

on at the time.  They would often tell me to help myself

to the used slugs of type which I in turn would place on

 an ink pad and print to see what the slug was about. 

Siple's News Stand in downtown Lancaster.

Lancaster Central Market House near Lancaster Square.

I still make visits for fresh fruit and vegetables on Tues. and Sat.

Circa 1880's trading card from Shaub and Burns fine
shoes located at 24 N. Queen St. in downtown Lancaster.

Taken when I was a teenage driver on the
streets of Lancaster (known as "The Loop").
Did get stopped several times for cruising', but never
got a ticket.  The police knew my car and
that I lived one block from
"The Loop."   Just lucky I guess! 

The historic Brunswick Hotel in downtown Lancaster.
My choir director at nearby St. James Episcopal Church,
Mr. Frank McConnell, would take his boy's choir members
to the Brunswick for lunch to thank us for being ushers for
his Saturday afternoon organ recitals.

The "Wildcat" at Rocky Springs Park in Lancaster.  Rode

this coaster many times with my friend whose granddad

ran the ride.  After work on Friday evenings

 at the Acme Supermarket,  we would go

to the park and ride the Wildcat.  His granddad would just

let it go around and around without stopping it if there 

were no customers standing in line.  At times we had to

signal him to stop if we were getting a bit to dizzy or

were feeling sick!

1943 photograph of Lancaster J.P. McCaskey High School

1969 photograph of Lancaster intersection at Queen and Orange Streets

From the movie "Witness" which was filmed in Lancaster, PA...40 years ago

1860 photo of John Wise inflating his hot air balloon in downtown Lancaster.

Darmstaetter's where my parents had their photos developed.
Located in downtown Lancaster at 59 N. Queen St.  No longer in business.

1925 photograph of Lancaster's downtown....center city.

Lancaster's famous Center Square is on the lower left.

The Oldest Known Photograph of Lancaster, PA

It was an ordinary day.  Reading an article that was part of the website "unchartedlancaster.com."  Story was titled "Oldest known photo taken in Lancaster County."  The story began with..."Step back in time with this captivating 1845 tintype by Dr. William Fahnestock!  According to LancasterHistory, it is the oldest known photograph taken in Lancaster County. 

Tintype view of West King St. looking towards Penn Square.
This photo was taken in 1845 by William B. Fahnestock.

The image looks up the first block of West King Street as it unfolds eastward towards Penn Square and the second "official" courthouse - a mesmerizing glimpse into Lancaster County's past.  Lancaster's first official courthouse was built in 1739. It served the needs of the community for 45 years before being destroyed by fire.  The structure was a two-story brick building with a clock tower and cupola on top, a sizable brick-paved courtroom on the first floor, and several meeting rooms above.  The coat-of-arms of the King of Great Britain was painted above the judge's chair until the Revolution.  The pillory, stocks, and whipping post stood outside in the square, which was often a muddy duck pond in wet weather.  In those days, no one ever accused Lancaster's constables of being soft on crime as the pillory, stocks, and whipping-post were in constant use. 

Justice was swift and severe in colonial America when judged by modern standards.  A common tool of punishment was the pillory, where the unfortunate wrong-doer was fastened by neck and wrists in the public square to be ridiculed and sometimes abused.  Most colonial communities had a pillory. Lancaster was no different.  It's pillory and whipping post were located in the northwestern corner of Centre square near the courthouse.  It was here that lawbreakers could be displayed in agonizing positions, often with bare backs streaked with dried blood and purple welts.  In these early days, horse stealing was a frequent crime but still a serious offense.  It was usually punished by public whipping.  On one occasion, a man accused of sedition against the King was sentenced to stand for an hour in the pillory and to receive 15 lashes across his bare back. 

Woman were not immune from such punishment either.  Publish punishment, whether on the scaffold or the pillory, was believed to provide a warning to everyone that crime does not pay.  Counterfeiting was a fairly frequent offense, and one counterfeiter was sentenced to twenty lashes at the whipping post and to have both of his ears cut off.  Thieves were publicly whipped and wore a large letter "T" on their coats for six months.  Even persons "who should be clamorous with their tongues" by shouting or scolding could be sentenced to be gagged and made to stand in the pillory.  It was the practice at the time that all county trials be held on the county seat.  During most of the 1700s, Lancaster County extended over a large area of almost 5,000 square miles.  As a result, many of the offenders were strangers to Lancaster and easy targets of abuse by town residents or mischievous pranksters while trapped in the pillory.  And, many think they have it tough now!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "When Rosalynn Carter was just an unknown person" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Just finished reading the Lancaster, Sunday News column titled "I Know A Story."  The column is for readers of the newspaper who have a special story they might like to share with other readers of the newspaper.  Today's story was sent in by Jean Rutter and was titled "She remembers Rosalynn Carter's visit in 1976."  At the start of the story was an Editor's note that read: According to LNP archives, former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, who died Nov. 19, visited Lancaster on April 16, 1976, to open Jimmy's Carter's presidential campaign headquarters on West King Street.  She wore a red rose corsage; sniped a green ribbon to open the headquarters; visited Lancaster Central Market, where she bought a bouquet of pink carnations; had lunch at the Hotel Brunswick; shook hands with shoppers at Park City; greeted Elizabethtown station employee Charles Smith (an old friend from Georgia) and spoke with reporters at the Conestoga Elks Lodge on Duke Street, local news stories about the visit said.   Jean's story went on to tell that:

I remember it was Good Friday in 1976 and I had off work for the Easter spring break holiday.  The previous day, there was an article in the Lancaster New Era about Rosalynn Carter campaigning for her husband, Gov. Jimmy Carter, for president, saying she would be leaving at the Lancaster Airport about 2 p.m. Friday.  My husband and I lived on East Oregon Road in Neffsville, so I told him I would walk across the cornfield to the airport to see Mrs. Carter.  When I got to the airport I expected to see a crowd, but there was no one there!  I asked the desk clerk if Mrs. Carter had arrived, and he had no idea who she was.  So, I waited about 10 minutes alone, and two black limousines pulled up.  One had a banner that said "Carter for President!"  Four men were in the first one and two men...I believe they were Secret Service detail...and two women were in the second car.  I asked if I could speak to Mrs. Carter and one gentleman said, "Sure, She'd be glad to talk to you."  So, after introductions, Rosalynn Carter and I sat on a bench inside the airport and had a 20-minute conversation while waiting for the airplane to arrive.  I remember she said that Jimmy Carter's mother, "Miss Lillian," was volunteering in the Peace Corps in India.  She also said she was anxious to get home to Plains, Georgia because her daughter, Amy, was home from school for the holiday.  We also talked about family and mental health.  I asked if she knew that Lancaster was a Republican county.  She said, "Oh, yes, I realize that...there was a very small turnout at the rally."  We talked very little about politics, mostly about the spring and good times to come.  She was a strong, loving wife, doing what she could to support her husband.  After a while, the airplane landed and they boarded and I waved goodbye.  I later talked to friends about Jimmy Carter running for President, and no one had ever heard of him at that time.  It was early in the campaign.  I will always remember talking to this very gracious lady.  Little did I know she would be the next First Lady.  She was the most famous person I ever carried on a conversation with in my life.  The author lives in nearby Lititz, Pennsylvania. 

I enjoy so much the stories that are written by readers of the Sunday newspaper and are shared every week with the readers of the newspaper.  Not a single week goes by that I don't grab my "Living Section" as soon as I open the newspaper and see whom might have sent in a story to the "I Know A Story" column and what the story might be about that particular Sunday.  I'm going to have to take the time some week and send in one of my stories to the newspaper.  I must admit that the first thing I do every single morning is open my front door, retrieve my newspaper, and head to my lounge chair with my cat in tow so we can sit on the chair, recline, and share the morning paper together.  Now...what can be better than that?  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.       

The " A Pencil Is More Than A Piece Of Wood With Lead In It!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading an article in one of my latest Smithsonian magazines titled "The Write Stuff."  Any guess what the story might be about?  Well....if you guessed pencils, you are a good guesser!  First sentence in the story began with...Wood passes through the loud whine of saws spinning at 8,000 revolutions per minute.  Pencils clack-clack-clack as they shoot through a paint box and assume their various hues,  Next is the din of ratcheting as aluminum ferrules and erasers are punched onto ends.   Now and then a blast of air clears the machinery's crevices so the conveyor belts remain in constant, fluid motion.  But near the end of the assembly line, in a nook where pencils are imprinted with their logos, the sound is no more than the soft clink of the perfect little sticks falling into a heap.  A worker plucks one from the bin and looks at the name freshly stamped in silvery foil.  The stamping is the world's smallest billboard!  The location is the Musgrave Pencil Company in Shelbyville, Tennessee, about 60 miles south of Nashville, where the municipal seal bears the words "The Pencil City."  I've often wondered how and where that yellow stick with the lead appearing from the one end was made. It all began when a fellow named James Raford Musgrave founded a pencil-wood mill in Shelbyville in 1916.  They were made at that location since there was an abundance of virgin eastern red cedar, the slow-growing, premier pencil stock that is used in the pencil industry.  Musgrave has been manufacturing pencils since 1923, launching what's thought to be the first pencil manufacturer in the South.  Wasn't long before other manufacturers arrived in town!  Today Musgrave stands on the same spot where it all began, inside a two-story warehouse, unadorned but for a 25-foot-long No. 2 pencil painted on the outside where nearly 100 employees produce around 72 million pencils a year.   Today there are less expensive imports with the U.S. now importing 3.7 billion pencils from China, Brazil and elsewhere.  This isn't the first upheaval in the long history of the pencil industry.  The first came in 1564, after a high-quality deposit of graphite was found in England and quickly supplanted the graphite used in earlier writing instruments.  Pencil making began in the U.S. around 1812.  The late 19th century brought the yellow pencil and the built-in eraser.  By 1937 Shelbyville was producing 10% of our nation's pencils or roughly 100 million a year.  The industry reached it highest point in the mid-20th century.  Musgrave has managed to escape history's jaws, if not its grip.   Most of the materials it once sourced locally or domestically now come from China.  One thing it has done..... taking advantage of the seemingly paradoxical forces of digital marketing and traditional artisan goods, is selling branded ways directly to the public, in addition to its longstanding business done mostly through wholesalers and distributors.  Musgrave's branded pencil designs, from the No. 2 to thicker carpenter pencils, to the rotund Choo-Choo has been gaining a  reputation for quality and unstuffy craftsmanship among a new audience.  The Musgrave pencils appeal to "people who are serious pencil-users" but aren't really snobs about it, since their stuff is affordable, it's beautiful and it ticks all the boxes!  In 2019 Musgave started selling its Tennessee Red, a naturally fragrant, marbled throwback to the early U.S. pencil industry and the hallowed wood that put Shelbyville on the map.  "It is the most American pencil that one could possibly buy."  And those who do buy a box will find, when their package arrives, another timeless, uncommonly earnest artifact: a handwritten thank-you note, in pencil or pen!  Can't top that folks.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The #2 Musgrave pencil

Graphite for carpenter's pencils

The "The Lady With The Lucky Key...or Gentleman With The Lucky Ring!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading short stories in my monthly Reader's Digest.  Story after story...some, a few pages, while others were perhaps a half, or even just a third of a page long.  Then I came upon a few stories that were labeled as "Your True Stories."  Read a few than I began to read one titled "Lucky No. 92."  It most certainly was...a lucky day... for a Florida woman whose favorite radio station was giving away a Mustang convertible.  The woman's name was Lyn and she was one of 103 callers to win a key from a Florida radio station who was giving away a Mustang convertible.  Only one of the 103 callers had the key that would start the car.  Lyn's confidence rose as those before her tried their keys and failed.  After key 91 cranked and busted, Lyn stood up to the Mustang, confidently waved the DJs away from the hood, and announced, "I'm taking this baby home tonight!"  The crowd hooted as she opened the door, boldly buckled the seat belt (which no one else had dared to do), settled into the driver's seat, turned her key.....and fired up the engine!!  The radio station played her scream of joy over and over for weeks.  Could this ever happen to you...or maybe me?  I think that all the time!  Perhaps I will enter a contest and be the grand prize winner!  Maybe I will pick the special key out of a bottle and win a vacation to the Caribbean.  Maybe I too could win a Mustang Convertible!!   I'd even settle for a motorcycle!  How about a candy bar?  Or a stick of gum?  I can't remember EVER winning anything!!  Now wait a minute...I do remember one fine moment years and years ago when I held the hand of this beautiful girl and placed a ring on her finger and she said, "I DO."  No one could EVER be as lucky as I was that special day!  We've been married for 56 wonderful years now, and I'm hoping she might be the one to win that special car for us!  Hey..I found out anyone can be extremely lucky!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. 

   

The "Someone Wasn't Thinking Very Clearly!!" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Opened my computer and up popped a photograph of a huge truck stuck in one of Lancaster County's historic covered bridges.  How can anyone with any common sense drive a Semi-Tractor Trailer truck over a small enclosed wooden bridge?  The online story read:  WEST EARL TOWNSHIP, Pa. - A covered bridge dating back to the 1800s in Lancaster County will be closed until further notice after a tractor-trailer ran into it on Monday.

Semi-tractor trailer truck stuck in historical wooden bridge

The refrigerated box truck struck the Bitzer's Mill Covered Bridge, which spans the Conestoga Creek in West Earl Township, on Monday morning.  Not only is the truck too tall for the bridge, but it is said to be two tons over the weight limit posted on the bridge.  Hopefully the driver will face significant fines...and made to pay for all repair costs, which could be plenty!  The bridge is located near the intersection of Cider Mill Road and Covered Bridge Road.  The Farmersville Fire Company shared photos with WGAL-TV of the truck stuck inside the bridge.  Tuesday morning, PennDOT released a statement saying they are developing a repair plan and the bridge would remain closed for now.  A detour is in place using Farmersville Road, Route 322 and Pleasant Valley Road.  The covered bridge was built in 1846 and is thought to be the oldest covered bridge in Lancaster County that is still in use.  That is until now!!  This isn't the first time that semi-drivers have done the same thing in Lancaster.  I have no idea what they are thinking when they approach a narrow, wooden bridge with their monstrous trucks.  These historic bridges can't be replaced and are a part of the history of Lancaster County.  All it takes is a little common sense to know that what you are driving will not fit into the single lane wooden bridge with a roof on it.  Here's hoping that the historical bridge will be able to be repaired to the point where it can be crossed once again by normal traffic.  And...perhaps the semi-driver's insurance should pay to have the bridge repaired!  The picture that follows was from WGAL-TV the day after the bridge closed.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

 

The "One Of Lancaster's Best Professional Photographers" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Just picked up my morning newspaper that was standing in the front doorway of my villa at Woodcrest Villa in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  Sat in my lounge chair and before long my cat, "The Gray Lady" was on my lap, anxiously awaiting for me to read the paper.  The Lancaster morning newspaper has been a permanent part of my daily routine every morning.  Love the stories that fill the pages of the newspaper, written by some of the best journalists in Pennsylvania, but my favorite part of the daily paper is the collection of photographs that help describe many of the stories that cover the pages of the paper.  Front page photographs that describe the big events such as accidents, fires, well-known visitors to our city as well as special stories about those whom live and work in our beautiful city and naturally the sporting events that had occurred the previous day in and around our city as well as surrounding cities and townships.  Lancaster has been blessed with some of the best and extremely talented photographers in the State of Pennsylvania.  I have written in the past about a few of them, but today I would like to recognize one more photographer who has won various awards for his fantastic photography.  His name is Chris Knight who has won many awards for his unbelievable photographs he has taken for the pages of Lancaster's Daily as well as Sunday News papers.  He recently won a 2023 Keystone Media Award - First Place for "Sports Action Photographs - Division 1.  Not an easy job to win awards such as this.  It takes a special person who knows just the right time, location and instant to push the shutter release for the top notch photos that will appear in the newspaper.  I so much enjoy the photographs that accompany all the stories in the newspaper, since I taught high school photography for close to 30 years at Manheim Township High School in Lancaster County, and know that you have to be a special person with special skills to be able to win prizes such as Chris recently did.  When I was teaching, my students always loved to talk with and see the work of the many talented photographers that came into my classroom to talk with my students.  I have included a few of Chris' photographs for you to view at the end of my story today.  Hope you enjoy them as much as I did.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  PS.... And now...take a look at some of the work that Chris Knight has completed in the past...

Chris in the foreground with his co-horts