The "She's the Devil in Disguise" Story

It was an ordinary day. Just arriving home from a visit to our daughter's house in Urbana, Maryland. Went down to visit for the weekend and to watch our granddaughters play softball. And, naturally for a little R and R. That would be Rocco and Ruby. Rocco is their dog and Ruby is their cat. Rocco was adopted about two years ago from a rescue. He is mostly wire-haired terrier and stands about two feet high and weighs about 50 pounds. Just the neatest dog who loves his family. But, I'm not so sure weather he loves Ruby or not. She is a tough one to warm up to. Rocco and Ruby seem to accept each other, but Ruby believes she is the boss. She has lived in the household for about twice as long as Rocco, and rules the house. As lovable and affectionate as Rocco is, Ruby is the exact opposite. When I walk past her she will try to jump out at me and bite my leg or bat at me with her paws. Try to touch her or pet her and she goes berserk and tries to bite you. She was also adopted from a shelter. She had been found searching a dumpster behind a McDonalds for food years ago and taken to the animal shelter. How they ever caught her is a mystery to me. She is a beautiful cat, medium gray in color with a white bib under her chin and white on her paws. She has green eyes with one white whisker that pops out on her right forehead. She just loves Brynn, our daughter and puts up with our two granddaughters. Doesn't get along well with Dave, our son-in-law. He coaches high school football and when the coaches gather at their house on Sundays to prepare for the next game, Ruby sits in front of the TV and dares any of them to make her move. They are all afraid of her, and she knows it. She is a house cat, but from time to time escapes through the door. Brynn yells to Rocco, "Go get the kitty!" and opens the door for him. Minutes later Ruby hustles back in with Rocco in pursuit. I constantly try to be friends with Ruby, giving her treats, but she hisses and makes all kind of threatening noises as she takes the treats from my hand. I think she is what Elvis had in mind when he sang the song "Devil in Disguise." It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Bringing Light to the Market" Story

It was an ordinary day. Just got back from Central Market in downtown Lancaster. I was impressed. They are almost finished with the $7 million renovations to the 122-year-old market house that they started over a year ago. Some of the renovations you can't see, such as the heating and cooling systems which are all new, but there are some that are noticeable as soon as you walk in one of the entrances. There are actually windows above some of the doorways. They were always there, but were covered for the last 40 years with the heating units. The new heating units were moved into the two towers that are on the south side of the market. The inside of the market used to be rather dark, especially on a rainy or cloudy day. The couple hundred lights that they used to have suspended from the ceiling have been replaced with 40 high efficiency lights. The ceiling is now lit with lights that shine on the wooden beams that grace the ceiling. I just stood inside the door for a few minutes and looked at all the new features. Time to check out the stand holders and see if any have what I came after. My favorites are the bread lady, candy stand, Willow Valley Bakery, and the Amishman with the items in jars such as pickles, honey, beets, etc. The renovations to the exterior are almost complete, also. The sconces at the entrance doors will be removed and replaced with in-ground lights along the perimeter of the building that will shine up the side of the building. Can hardly wait for that. Think that will make a neat photo! New pavers, benches and planters will finish the exterior. Plans are for the grand opening to occur the first Friday in June. Lancaster had celebrated "First Friday" for a few years now, and this should really bring out the people. What's really neat is that "strawberry and company" will feature my Polaroid prints of the city along the sidewalk, outside the market. Now, if only Kathy's Seafood hadn't closed their market stand. She always saved me a piece of Chilean Sea Bass on Fridays. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - photos from the top are: south side of Central Market with one of the two towers as well as the tall Griest Building in the background, interior of the market building showing the bright lights and windows, the olive stand, the Amishman's stand, and the sconces that will disappear shortly with the completion of the exterior.

The "A Tough Decision to Make" Story

It was an ordinary day. Heading home from Ephrata, PA after a stop to pick up name plates for some photos I'm making. After passing the Oregon Dairy store on RT 272S, I hit a stretch of road which is 1.75 miles long and where the speed limit is 45 MPH, but where there have been three fatal accidents in the past few years. Two of the three involved motorists turning into the Mission Hills neighborhood. A few years ago, a carload of Manheim Township HS students were heading north on this stretch, RT 272N, turned left into the neighborhood, and were struck by a speeding motorcyclist who had his daughter on the cycle with him. The accident resulted in multiple deaths. The motorcyclist who died had been drinking before the accident happened. Shortly thereafter, at the intersection of St. Thomas Road and RT 272, a roadside collection of memorabilia had grown to cover the entire corner where the accident took place. Today, almost 10 years later, it stills bears a stone monument and wooden cross at the same spot. The owners of the property at that corner evidently allowed this monument to be placed on their property in memory of the boys who died. Would you allow this on your property? Tough decision to make! What happens when you are ready to sell your property and no one is interested because you have a roadside memorial at the corner of it? Seems to be a big controversy about what to do if asked to allow a memorial on your property. And they’re not limited to roads and highways. On city street corners, candles, photos and stuffed animals can be found paying tribute to a victim of violence. Why do people feel a need to build them? Would I feel the same need if someone in my family met an unwanted death? Tough decision to make! If a monument is placed on public property, it could be illegal if it includes a Christian cross or other religious symbols. Violates the constitution. When you are driving and you see a roadside memorial, does it make you slow down or are you more safety minded because of it? In New Mexico, they have made it a crime to remove or vandalize a homemade shrine. Some people are offended by them and regard them as an unwanted intrusion into their personal space. In 1991, Andy Bechtold, a junior baseball player at Manheim Township High School and my daughter's boyfriend at the time, died shortly after visiting her at our home in an automobile accident. His family could have chosen to erect a roadside memorial, but instead had a memorial placed on the scoreboard at the baseball field. To me that is a much more fitting tribute to a fine young man than plastic flowers, or even a stone marker, along some road. I know he died along some road, but is his spirit still at that spot? You can believe or think what you want about roadside memorials, monuments, graves, or whatever you want to call them, but they will never go away. And, they won't affect you until ....... Going to be a tough decision to make,isn't it? It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Baseball Runs In Their Blood" Story

It was an ordinary day. Watching a baseball game at Westfield Park at Manheim Township High School. This is the stadium that I helped to dig the holes for the outfield fence and carry cement blocks for a press box when my son was playing for the Blue Streaks over 20 years ago. Today it is one of the finest high school baseball parks in Pennsylvania. I'm sitting in the press box watching MT beat Lebanon High. Great place to watch a game and I have a lifetime pass to watch from the press box since I help build it and still print the Baseball Yearbook. I saw half a dozen pro scouts lining the area behind home plate as I entered the press box. Catching for Township today is a senior named Cameron Gallagher. He is the third in the Gallagher family who will probably be drafted by the pros. In 1978 I had Glenn Gallagher in my Graphic Arts class. He was fun to have in class, since he was a super baseball player and I enjoyed baseball. We spent many classes going over his opponent for the day. He finished his high school career with 4 shutouts to his credit, one behind my son Derek who played for MT 10 years later. He also finished his career with an ERA of 1.16, right ahead of my son's 1.40. In the 1978 MLB Draft, right after his senior year, Glenn was selected in the 4th round by the LA Dodgers, but decided to attend Div. I Clemson on a football scholarship. His first year he played both football and baseball, but concentrated on baseball after his freshman season and got to pitch in the College World Series. In 1981 he was again drafted, this time by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 3rd round, right before Tony Gwynn. He pitched in the Toronto minor leagues for 4 seasons reaching Double A ball before suffering a career ending arm injury. Today is the owner of the Gallagher School Of Baseball in Lancaster. He coached Div III Franklin and Marshall and also Div II Millersville University, leading them to the College World Series. I talked today with Glenn about his oldest son, Austin, who graduated in 2007 from MT and was drafted in the 3rd round by the LA Dodgers. He is playing in his 5th pro year this summer in California for Rancho Cucamonga. He is a left-handed batter who is playing both 3rd and 1st base. Austin holds the career records for MT in the following: Games (95), AB (275), Runs (102), Hits (131), Doubles (34), HR (24), RBI (105), BA (.476), Slugging % (.862), OBP (.584), TB(237), and BB (79). He not only holds those records, he is, in some categories, more than double the second best player!! Well, as I sit watching Cameron Gallagher catching, I wonder what is in store for him. He already has signed a letter of intent to play for DivI East Carolina University. But, his dream is to play professional baseball. All 30 major league teams have been in contact with Cameron. One major league scout at the game said he should go in one of the first three rounds. Bill Sassaman, Township's coach who had both Austin and Cameron, said "His arm strength is outstanding." He has moved him to lead-off to get him to plate as often as he can. I can remember when Willie Mays was moved to lead-off for the same reason. The season is only half over and he is pushing his brother for career batting records. Really neat to sit and watch a possible big league player as he develops into something special. Wow, you should have seen that throw to second to catch the runner stealing. Ball got there when the runner was 20 feet away! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - pixs from top are: Glenn talking with a scout, Austin Gallagher in his Dodgers uniform, pro scout timing Cameron's throw to second, Cameron making a throw to second base, Cameron behind the plate, in the on deck circle, Cameron lining a hit to center (you can see the blurred ball one chain link above the pitcher's head).

The "Is Your Preference Wind or Sun?" Story

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

The "I'm Starting to see the Light!" Story

It was an ordinary day. I had just posted a story a short time ago about visiting my Aunt Virginia. She told me during my visit that she has seen my Uncle Bob, her husband, several times in the past years. Uncle Bob died years ago! At first I thought she was a little wacky, but while sitting in church on Easter and listening to the The Holy Gospel, I starting to believe her! I guess she has the "Sixth Sense" that is talked about. Same thing as people who were born blind and during a near-death experience, can see for a short time. The Gospel for Easter came from John 20:1-18 and tells about Mary Magdalene coming to the tomb of Jesus and seeing that the stone in front of the tomb had been removed. She feared to enter and stood weeping outside the tomb. Eventually she bent down and looked into the tomb and saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been. Think she must have been freaked out! The angels asked her why she was weeping and she told them, "They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him." She then turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but did not know it was him. She thought it was the gardener. He asked her why she was weeping. She told Jesus that if he had moved the body, tell her where and she will take him away. He then said, "Mary, do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my god and your God.'" She went and told the disciples that, "I have see the Lord." As soon as I heard this story for the umpteenth time or more in church, it finally struck me, I believe Aunt Virginia actually saw her dead husband. Why not. Some people must have this power. I can remember watching Montel Williams when he would have Sylvia Brown as a guest and she would tell about seeing certain people appear out of a white light. Boy was she nuts! Or now I'm wondering. Maybe she wasn't. I recently read that about 5% of people on earth have near-death experiences where they die and float above their body until they eventually go back into the body and survive. WOW! Then it struck me that when I was younger and playing football at the Lancaster Train Station I was knocked to the ground and someone landed on me. I can remember seeing my body lying on the ground and remembering events from the past. Eventually I was back in my body and heading home. You know, this para-normal stuff sometimes seems like science fiction. But ....... It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "My Dream Is Working!" Story

It was an ordinary day. After heading out for my morning newspaper, I decided to, for some strange reason, check my mailbox. I know that my mail doesn't come until after lunch, but for some reason I felt I should check the mailbox. There was a Fed Ex mailing envelope in it with my name on it. Sealed, but not delivered by Fed Ex. They would never put any envelope in a US Postage mailbox. Opened it and was pleasantly surprised to see a Spring 2011 newspetter from the "Driendl Group". Hand printed across the top of the page one was: Hey Larry -- It's Jerry Driendl. Take a Look ...... My Dream is Working! Written in red ink. I have written in the past about former students that I have had in class, and Jerry was one of them. Jerry was an extremely talented artist when it came to photography, but he didn't find it necessary to pass most of his classes in school. He didn't qualify for graduation when he should have, and as he repeated his senior year at Manheim Township High School, the administration asked me if he could spend more time with me in my classroom during his senior year. Jerry spent mornings repeating the necessary classes needed for graduation while most every afternoons he was in my graphics room working on perfecting his photography. I gave him extra assignments that my normal photography classes did not have, primarily to keep him busy. By the time the National Art, Photography and Writing Competition contest rolled around the end of January, Jerry had an unbelievable amount of quality photography to be entered in the competition. So many photos that the local competition initiated an award just for him for having the most artwork accepted in the show. Somewhere over 100 photos were judged to be superior enough for show. He did so well at the local and national level his senior year that he received a full four-year paid scholarship to the Savannah School of Art and Design. Jerry was a hustler and he had a dream that someday he would get rich from his photography. He was that talented that he had me convinced that he could do it. It was only a matter of time. One of his photographs he did for one of my extra assignments was taken of an Amish buggy during a snow storm which he titled "Homeward Bound". He eventually had it printed in poster form and was one of his biggest sellers. After graduation, he entered Savannah, but after a short time started working in the photography industry. He started taking photos of city skylines. He told me that he figured that one thing that would sell in cities would be photos of that city, so he traveled around taking skyline shots of major cites. I invited him back to my classes often to talk to my students and try to instill in them his infectious attitude toward photography. After my youngest son graduated from Antonelli's School of Photography in Philadelphia, he went to work with Jerry, who by now had moved back to Lancaster and based his business in his home in Manheim Township. From time to time he would call me to tell me about his ideas of running a stock company. Taking photos that he could sell over and over to people that would use the photos in ads, billboards, magazines, etc. Wanted to know if I wanted to take photos he could use. Well, today, in my mailbox, I found that he is well on his way to his dream. I opened his website and realized he has over two dozen photographers that he submits photos for through his business. Jerry and his photographers that he has assembled, market their work strickly through The Getty Group. A word about The Getty Group from their website: Getty Images is the world’s leading creator and distributor of still imagery, footage and multi-media products, as well as a recognized provider of other forms of premium digital content, including music. Getty Images serves business customers in more than 100 countries and is the first place creative and media professionals turn to discover, purchase and manage images and other digital content. Its award-winning photographers and imagery help customers produce inspiring work which appears every day in the world’s most influential newspapers, magazines, advertising campaigns, films, television programs, books and websites. Visit Getty Images at http://www.gettyimages.com to learn more about how the company is advancing the unique role of digital media in communications and business, and enabling creative ideas to come to life. Jerry is now one of the top 40 photographers at Getty Images and is represented by National Geographic Society as well as Panoramic Images. One of his panoramic skyline images was featured on the cover of "Time Magazine" on August 12, 2002. He even had 41 pages of listings on Google! So you see, Jerry is making a believer out of me! His dream is working!! And ..... I guess it is time to really consider taking photos and being part of Driendl Group. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - pixs from the top are, cover of Jerry's newsletter, photo he took for my class that he had made into a poster, cover of "Time Magazine" featuring one of his NY skylines, and Getty Images poster when the Phillies won the 2008 World Series.

The "Long Forgotten Treasures" Story

It was an ordinary day. Trying to eliminate some of my mother's collection of clothing and antiques that occupy my basement. I have had flooding in the basement twice since we have lived here and would prefer to minimize the amount of material that I have to store in the basement. When mom moved from assisted living, where she had her own room with big closet as well as a storage locker in another area of the building, to personal care, where she has 6 drawers and a closet one foot wide, I had to find space in my house to store her belongings. I have 4 suitcases as well as about a dozen and a half big boxes filled with her belongings as well as a long closet in our spare bedroom filled with clothes. In the past three years mom has lost about 40 pounds and most of the clothes I have stored as well most of the clothes in the suitcases no longer fits. We have been purchasing new clothes as the seasons call for them. Therefore, we find it is helpful to sort out what will not be used and donate it to Goodwill. As far as the large boxes go, I have been bringing one or two boxes a night upstairs with me and Carol and I sit and go through the boxes to see what can be salvage and what can be discarded. Have found some really neat stuff! A 1922 calendar with drawings of some of the neatest cars from that year such as the Overland, Essex, Earl andStar. Opened it to August and there was mom's birth date circled with "Dot's birthday" next to it. Also found a box with Christmas decorations in it. A laminated wooden nativity scene with accompanied wooden camels held together with small chain were in the box as well as a few nutcrackers. A small ceramic Christmas Tree that played a "Oh, Christmas Tree" when you pushed a button on one of the stars on the tree. Ornaments, some hand-made, were in a small bag. But, the item that interested me the most was the bag of wax choirboys and candles that my dad and I received in the 1950s from Mr. McConnell, our church organist and choirmaster. I was a young boy in the boy's choir and dad was the bass soloist in the men's choir and every Christmas Mr. McConnell would give us wax choirboys filled with candy or a was choirboy candle. I knew mom and dad still had them, but could never find them ..... until now. Wow, what a treat, and it's not even Christmas. Also found the red glass roosterthat my Nannan (my father's mother) used to have sitting on her kitchen table filled with jelly. What a treat that was to find that. More treasures will come as i continue to go through the boxes. Now, the down side of the "finds". We found a half-used Fleet enema bottle, a bag that Moravian Manor had marked as weapons that mom must have been keeping for who knows what that includeda letter opener and a scissors, and a sock filled with coins and tied which could be used to hit someone with. Found an address book listing all mom and dad's friends and relatives and changes in addresses as they occurred as well as being crossed off and marked "deceased" as they died. But the box that I opened and immediately found old towels with mice turds all over them rally drew my attention. I checked to see if there were any holes in the bottom of the box and found none. As I removed items and put them in the trash, I kept thinking about what I was going to find at the bottom. Then came the red and green foil wrappers that were on Hershey Kisses that had been eaten. Now, I raised all sorts of animals when I was younger including mice and rats,but I always knew what I could expect. I was getting more excited as I removed a metal can filled with coughdrops, a box of lightbulbs and a few bars of soap. Then at the bottom were flattened candy wrappers. I just knew what I was going to find when I lifted them out of the box. But ..... nothing. Whatever was in the box had left! Probably one of the 4 mice I caught in the area above my ceiling tiles right after the holidays this past December. The treasures I have found are part of my family's history, but the excitement and intrigue of finding them is priceless. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Sights and Sounds of Roots: Part 3" Story

It was an ordinary day. Finishing the last entry in my Root's Market story. It is a great place to visit and if you are not a resident of the area, if you ever get a chance to visit Lancaster County, don't miss one of the best farmer's markets in the area. It was an extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

Not many local items for sale yet. With the weather getting warmer and wetter, quite a bit should find it's way to Root's in the near future.

Do you know anyone who eats parsnips or Japeleno Hot Peppers? Great price at only 99 cents a pound.

One of my favorite spring vegetables.

Apples are everywhere, all year round.

These look so good to me. Probably because I'm not supposed to eat them. Interferes with one of my meds.

Amish stand that sells hundreds of pies every Tuesday. Shoo-Fly is my favorite from this stand.

I know these boxes say Bananas, but they are the ugliest ones if in fact they really are bananas. They are bones that are for large dogs. Not sure what type of animal they came from, but it must have been large.

One of my all-time favorite stands. Loads of 1/18" scale cars and trucks available for the collector.

Air pistols are available at one of the vendors, but I'm almost positive that if you talked with the vendor, he could find you one that shot more than air!

You know you can't head home without some fries or a baked potato from Potato Express.

The "Still Alive and Kicking!" Story

Forward: The final part of the Roots Market Story will appear tomorrow, hopefully. Read on ..... It was an ordinary day. Having some juice problems, though. Struggling with the 220v electricity on the French side of St. Martin. Arrived 4 days ago and within a few hours I blew all the circuits in the villa. The realtor told me to use the converter that was supplied on the kitchen counter. OK! She left and I plugged my power strip into the converter. Supposed to convert 220v current to 110v current which is what most of you reading this use in your house. As soon as I plugged the power strip into the converter all the lights went out. Finally found the power panel in the villa, opened it, and IT WAS IN FRENCH! Holy S*#t! Now what? I started pushing buttons and moving levers! Finally Carol yelled, "It's on!" Cheers from my end. Then I got the Radio Shack converter, that I brought with me just in case, out of my suitcase. Plugged that into their converter and then plugged the power strip into my converter. Lights remained on! Hurrah!! Plugged the computer into the power cord and added another story to my blog, then turned off the computer. Sunday morning, while Carol was still in bed, I thought I would add another story. Took the computer outside to the table on the patio so I would be inspired by the beach view. After about 10 minutes it died and I saw that the battery was dead. Back inside to plug it into the power cord to finish my story. NO JUICE. Was my computer dead for good? I tried everything. Then it hit me. The cord running from the power strip to my computer, which has many holes in it from our cat, Otis, chewing on it, must be bad. Had to be the answer. I found a pocket knife and cut the bad section out of the cord and attached the two ends together. Had no electrical tape so I used a Bandaid! Tried again and ..... no luck. Computer still would not turn on. Guess my repair job didn't work. Traveled to Philipsburg, capital of the Dutch side of St. Martin, and found a new cord. Hooked it up between the power strip and the computer and ....... STILL DEAD! Called Stephane, one of the realtors and he told me the name of the computer guy they use. Next day made a visit to see him and his cord worked. Must be the new cord I bought. IT STILL DIDN'T WORK. And, I figured my blog junkies were getting impatient. As I was sitting by the computer cursing, Carol said, "Are you sure you didn't ruin the power strip when you plugged it into their converter?" A light came on in my head. Yeah, must have been the answer! She plugged her razor into the power strip and viola! It didn't work. I FRIED my power strip. The reason nothing was working. Another call to the Realtor brought Stephane to the villa. He helped get me straight and I'm in business again. To think I almost went back into Philipsburg and bought another computer. Carol saved the day!! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. Actually 3 extraordinary days!

The "Sights and Sounds of Roots: Part 2" Story

It was an ordinary day. Just finishing adding some more photos to my collection from yesterday showing Root's Country Market in East Petersburg. Tough to leave without having something to eat. Just look around and you'll see almost everyone having something to eat. Many people having more than one item to eat. Their size tells how often they visit Root's. One of my favorite food stands is Hahn's Seafood Sandwiches. Always have the Single Oyster sandwich on white bread with tartar sauce. Drips of sauce, grease, and oyster juice tend to get all over you when you eat one of these. Used to get the Double Oyster sandwich, but that certainly can't be good for you. Tomorrow will finish my entry with photos of more "stuff" found at Root's Country Market. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

One of my favorite stands at Root's: Hahn's Seafood Sandwiches.

Girl at Burkhart's getting me my Long Johns.

Toy stand in the middle of the main promenode.

Jewelry and clothing vendor with her dog.

Interior view of one of the many buildings that hold countless vendors.

Testing station for cheese dips.

Spring flowers give a colorful look to Root's.

You'll not only find flowers of all varieties, but vegetables also.

You can find all your favorite candies in the multitude of candy vendors.

If you've never had a funnel cake, you gotta try one at least once in your life. Fried, sweet dough!