The, Alexander's Band Reflecting On Provo" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Visiting the Facebook page of Tom McDowell who I had the honor of meeting while on vacation twice to the island of Providenciales (Provo).  Tom is not only a fantastic guy, but a remarkable photographer.  Does it as a hobby!  During our recent visit to Provo, I had the chance to sit down with Tom and look at a sampling of his work that he had taken during his three month visit to Provo.  Many of his photos I recently shared with you in a post, but in case you didn't manage to see them, I will post just a few more that I have found to be inspiring.  Tom managed to capture a double rainbow which he took the day before we arrived.  Would have loved to have seen and capture an image, but I am glad Tom has shared his photo with me.  The double rainbow was visible over South Dock.  The second band, or outer band has the reverse color pattern as the primary or inner band which has a more intense color.  The darker area between the bands is called Alexander's band.  A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky.  The light appears in the form of a multicolored arc.  The double rainbow has many meanings, one telling that it is considered a symbol of transformation and is a sign in eastern cultures of good fortune.  The lower arc represents the material world while the outer arc signifies the spiritual realm.  A double rainbow forms due to an optical illusion when sunlight enters a raindrop and creates two internal reflections before the rays exit the droplet.  I have included a few more photos from Tom which will give you an idea as to how creative and dynamic his photography really is.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

This heart of shells was evidently made from shells washed up on shore.  Providenciales is known as the Conch Island and this is the perfect photo to show that.  There were 8 hearts made from conch shells with the largest being about 70'x100'.  Tom suggests it might have been from a Beachcombers Wedding???  The following photos are all Tom's creations helped by the sunset.  Remember to click on the images to enlarge.

The "The Shot Heard Round The World" Story

Bobby Thomson of the New York Giants has just hit a homerun off
Ralph Branca of the Broklyn Dodgers to win the 1951 National League.

It was an ordinary day.  My dad is screaming at the TV!  "He did it!  He did it!" he screamed over and over.  Mom came running from the kitchen thinking it must have been something I did that made dad mad.  Not so!  I never did a thing my dad didn't like!!  Just ask my brother who calls me Moses.  Seems dad and I were watching the final game of the 1951 National League Playoffs to determine who would play the hated New York Yankees in the World Series.  Dad loved watching baseball games on TV, but in this case he had the radio on also, since he liked listening to announcer Russ Hodges give the play-by-play description of the game.  Our favorite, the Philadelphia Phillies, had faded into a distant third late in the season so dad and I had to root for the Giants.  

Bobby Thomson of the New York Giants.

The Giants were playing the equally hated, at least in our house, Dodgers when a Giants player, Bobby Thomson, hit a 3-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning winning the ball game and sending the Giants to the World Series.  The game was the first ever nationally televised game and we were watching it on our little black and white television.  On the chimney, atop our two-story duplex, was the neatest contraption that made our TV picture much easier to see.  Dad had climbed up on the roof earlier in the summer to attach it to the chimney.  In the bottom of the ninth the home-team Giants were behind by three runs.  They scored a quick run and after one out, had two men on base.  The Dodger's pitcher, Don Newcombe, was pulled and Ralph Branca was brought in to pitch to Bobby Thomson.  

Ralph Branca of the Brooklyn Dodgers.

On deck for the Giant's was my all-time favorite player, Willie Mays, who was in the running for "Rookie of the Year." It was decided to pitch to Thomson instead of walking him and pitch to Mays, even though Branca had struck-out Mays twice in the first game of the three game series a few days ago.  Well, the rest is history as they say!  On the second pitch, a fast ball inside, Thomson hit it over the left field fence at the Polo Grounds.  Radio announcer Russ Hodges called the play … There's a long drive … it's gonna be, I believe … The Giants win the pennant!  The Giants win the pennant!  The Giants win the pennant!  The Giants win the pennant!  Bobby Thomson hits into the lower deck of the left-field stands!  The Giants win the pennant!  Mom came running, screaming what was wrong.  Well, I tell you this story today since Ralph Branca, the goat of the game, died a few days ago at the age of 90.  I don't remember much of the game except for the screaming on the radio and of course mom and dad screaming. Many stories flew around during the ensuing years after the game.  Thomson's home run became entangled in accusations  of a sign stealing operation conducted by the Giants.  Several players, it was reported, had confirmed that they stole opposing catcher's signals for much of the season via a buzzer system using a "spy" telescope in the center field clubhouse at the Polo Grounds.  

Bobby Thomson crossing home plate after his home run.

Thomson said no one ever told him what pitch Branca was going to throw to him.  Branca disagreed when he heard the accusa- tions.  He said Thomson knew exactly what pitch was coming.  Over the years Branca and Thomson appeared together at old-timers' games, baseball dinners and autograph shows.  Much of the money they made was donated to charity.  They became close friends and at one appearance on the 40th anniversary of the history homerun, Thomson remarked that "Ralph didn't run away and hide."  Branca responded, "I lost a game, but made a friend."  Branca eventually grew resigned to being known solely as the classic goat of baseball history.  Not many know that he won 21 games when he was 21 years old or that at the age of 25 he had accumulated 75 wins.  Great baseball player in any person's mind.  And … Bobby finally cleared his conscience by telling Ralph that he knew what pitch was coming that fateful day.  Bobby Thomson died in 2010 at the age of 86 and a few days ago the other part of the historic story duo died at the age of 90.  The homerun was known as "The Shot Heard 'Round The World" and the game is one of the few memories I have of my very early childhood.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  PS - check out the video of the play.





  

The "One Last Time. Gonna Miss It! Story

Bathers and spectators await the KLM 747 for the last time.
This photo was taken from MahoBeachCam.com.  Check it out.

It was an ordinary day.  Checking out the latest YouTube videos featuring the final landing of the KLM 747 landing at Sint Maarten's Princess Juliana Airport.  The 747 had flown that route since 1990 from the Netherlands, landing on the airport's runway which is directly behind Maho Beach on the island of Sint Maarten/St. Martin.  

My photo from 2004.

Carol and I have been visiting the island for close to fifteen years now and just love making a visit to the Sunset Beach Bar, recently renamed Sunset Bar and Grill, to watch the planes land about 100 feet or less above the bathers on the beach below them.  I must have taken hundreds of photos of planes landing and love when the sky blue colored double-decker, four engine behometh lands on Runway 12.

Ready to take-off for the final time.  This is also a
shot from MahoBeachCam.com.   Check it out.

 Not going to happen anymore since the final flight KL 784 landed in Sint Maarten at 10:55 am on October 28.  Now the flights will be operated by the smaller, but still pretty neat, Airbus A330.  I'm going miss that beautiful sight emerging through the clouds, but the flights were changed to cut the arrival times.  

And, one final shot from the beach cam.  This shows the
people being blown away from the jet blast of the KLM
as it powers up for its last takeoff.

In the past the plane would fly from Amsterdam, make a stop in Curacao and then to Sint Maarten.  Now each location will have a flight of its own.  The landing has been rated as one of the scariest of any airport in the world.  The pilots can actually see the eyes of the spectators, some with cameras in hand, as they fly just above their heads before landing on the end of the runway.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "A Visit To Cheshire Hall" Story

Joe, our tour guide at Cheshire Hall.

It was an ordinary day.  Listening to our tour guide, Joe, tell us why a few feet were added to the top of the well in the early 2000s that was located on Cheshire Hall in the Blue Hill area of Providenciales (Provo).  Seems that every island in the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea that Carol and I have visited in the past fifteen years has a story to tell.  

Entrance to Cheshire Hall Cotton Plantation.

The island of Provo is no different.  During our country's Revolu- 
tionary War, many of those who owned land in the southern states were originally Loyalists or those faithful to England during the Revolution.  Then, in 1778, when the British armies pulled out of the south, many of the Loyalist abandoned their land and fled, along with their slaves, to British-held Florida.  

This is a replica of what the slave cabin would look like.

Later they found their way to into the Bahamas which at the time included the Turks & Caicos Islands.  Thomas Stubbs was one such person who settled on Provo, which at the time was known as Blue Caicos.  He was inspired by his brother Wade, who had a successful cotton plantation on North Caicos, and purchased land in the late 1700s and built a property that included a Main House, slave cabins, kitchen, cistern, well and a cotton press base.  

Joe is showing us how they would grind the
corn for use as meal or perhaps flour, if
ground fine enough.

Named it Cheshire after the area in his home country of England.  During it's heyday, Cheshire Hall consisted of close to 5,000 acres and had about 1000 slaves.  The land was used for cotton farming as well as to grow food for the owner, slaves and animals.  All went well until the soil became depleted and there were infestations of the chenille worm and red bug.  Thomas ended up selling his plantation to his brother Wade in 1810.  In 1822 Wade Stubbs died and left behind his property as well as 384 slaves.  It sat as ruins until Provo created a National Trust and took over what property remained and tried to return the plantation to its original condition.  A replica of a slave cabin was created, unearthed relics have been used where possible and the crumbling limestone ruins have been stabilized.  

A well was dug closely to supply the plantation with water.

In 2003 Cheshire Hall was once again opened, but this time for public tours.  As we walked around the grounds, Joe told us the story of the plantation and showed us the remains of the buildings that at one time made the plantation the jewel of Provo.  I have included some of the photos I took and describe what they may be.  Oh, yeah .... they added the extra foot or two to the top of the well before they opened the property to the public so that school children wouldn't get to close to the ground level well and fall into it.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary day. 

This cannon was used to protect the island from invaders.  It was moved to this spot, from the waterfront, just for display. 

This was a storage building for the plantation.  On the interior walls can be seen openings where wooden shelves had been placed to hold supplies.

The remains of the plantation owners house.  Remarkable how buildings were built without the use of modern equipment.  Cheshire Hall must have been an amazing working cotton plantation.  It is such a shame that the government didn't see fit to preserve it before it's preservation was almost impossible to achieve.  So much history has been lost since this historical site wasn't opened until about ten years ago.  

The "Abbeville: A Historic Mansion" Story

Abbeville Mansion, Lancaster, Pennsylvania

It was an ordinary day.  Traveling on what is known as the Lincoln Highway which passes through the center of Lancaster, PA.  Used to be Rt. 30, but after an east-west expressway was added to the north of Lancaster and was labeled Rt. 30, the old Rt. 30, or Lincoln Highway, also known to Lancasterians as Columbia Pike, was relabeled as Rt. 462.  I approached the city of Lancaster from the west when I passed one of the most beautiful old homes in Lancaster County known as Abbeville.  

Photo taken from the side of the mansion.

It's majestic entrance leading to a circular drive in the front of the house frames the house that at one time was known as Mt. Pleasant.  About a quarter mile to the north of Abbeville stands the stately mansion known as Wheatland which I have written about before.  Wheatland was the home of Pennsylvania's only United States President, James Buchanan and is located on President Avenue.  

Historic Wheatland, home of President James Buchanan.

Wheatland was built on wheat covered fields in 1828, but Abbeville predates Wheatland by 38 years having been built in 1790.  Before Abbeville occupied the land at 1140 Columbia Ave., a much smaller stone building was built there in 1756.  34 years later a very prosperous miller, John Stoner, enlarged the building to a 2 1/2 story, five bay by three bay Georgian style home which he had built in front of the earlier stone building.  

Wrought Iron fencework meant to
prevent people from me from entering

Mr. Stoner sold his home to Langdon Cheves in 1826 who added side-wings on either side of the home.  Mr. Cheves used the home as a summer retreat to escape the heat of South Carolina.  Langdon served three terms in Congress starting in 1810 and was the chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means as well as Speaker of the House.  Cheves named his home at 1140 Columbia Ave. Abbeville Mansion in honor of his home in South Carolina.  He eventually sold the home to Lancaster County/Lebanon County Ironmaster William Coleman in 1829.  Then from 1835 to 1840 the home was used as a private school run by Dr. William Augustus Muhlenberg who was co-rector of St. James Episcopal Church, my family's church.  

2004 photo of the Maple Grove grist and saw mill.  It
originally was also known as Abbeville.

1140 was also home at one time or another to Johnannes and Barbara Steiner who owned a grist and saw mill near Abbyville, Judge Alexander Hayes, local businessman Christopher Hagar who founded Hager's Department Store and also build the Fulton Opera House, Dr. John W. Appel Jr., C. Dudley Armstrong who was vice-president of Armstrong Cork Company, Dr. John Farmer and now Robert and Ruth Ecklin who purchased 1140 Columbia Ave. in 1995.  

November 24, 2005 photo showing Maple Grove mill burning.

I naturally had to stop, turn right into the winding driveway and take a few photos of this magnificent mansion.  But wait, the story doesn't end here.  John Stoner who purchased the property in 1790 also purchased a grist and saw mill about a quarter mile to the west of Abbeville in 1729.  He bought the mill from Hans Brubaker who had built the mill sometime between 1717 and 1729.  As far as I can determine, the Steiners must have bought the grist and saw mill from John Stoner, since a datestone at the mill indicates that a new mill was built in 1767 by the Steiners who owned Abbeyville Mansion at the time.  

Photograph I recently took showing the lastest mill building.

It too passed through a few families and later was called Maple Grove since one owner, Aaron H. Summy had planted many maple trees near the mill.  In 2001, Robert Ecklin, the current owner of Abbeville, bought the mill from Lancaster County., planning to turn it into an office building.  On November 24, 2005 the mill was destroyed by a fire allegedly started by a homeless person.  The mill was rebuilt in 2013 and stands vacant at present.  My story has finally come to an end after also stopping at the new mill for a few photos.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "A Path By Any Name Is Still A Path" Story

Sign in Lancaster County Park

It was an ordinary day.  Heading south on Prince Street towards the small town of Willow Street.  After passing the Meadia Heights Golf Club on SR222 South, I turned left onto Golf Road.  Wasn't long before I passed the clubhouse and headed toward Lancaster County  Central Park.  As I rounded a sweeping right turn, there on the hill in front of me, to the right, was the sign.  Big green sign declared: "Great Indian Warrior Trading Path."  Seems that Lancaster County, Pennsylvania was part of the path that led thousands of colonial Americans south to settle in Virginia and the Carolina's.  The bright green plaque says the road was the most heavily traveled road in Colonial America that linked areas from the Great Lakes to Augusta, Georgia.  

Drawing showing The Great Wagon Road

The path, or road, was laid on ancient animal and Native American trading and warrior routes.  The plaque doesn't say that Golf Road was the actual path, but that it was in the vicinity of what was alleged to be the path.  Nearby, in 1979, archaeologists unearthed Native American graves that led people to believe that this possibly was the actual path that transported people from north to south.  The pathway actually was called the Great Philadelphia Wagon Road and passed by Philadelphia, Lancaster, York and Gettysburg.  The path was also known as the Great Wagon Road.  Many a Conestoga Wagon traveled on the road during the eighteenth century as new immigrants traveled along the road searching for more plentiful and cheaper land.  Many Mennonites found their way to Virgina's Shenandoah Valley while Pennsylvania Moravians settled in Salem, North Carolina.  Fifteen years ago it was decided by the National Society Daughters of the American Colonists that one marker would be erected in each state along the Great Wagon Road.  Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Clark were responsible for the signs and it was decided, since Mrs. Clark's ancestors used the road to get from Lancaster to Virginia, that the sign in Pennsylvania would be in Lancaster.  Since Native Indian remains and artifacts were found on the archaeological dig in Lancaster County Park, it would be a great location to mark the Great Indian Warrior Trading Path.  No one will ever know if the plaque is actually located on the original path, but it's as good a place as any other place along the alleged trail.  It was documented that the trail ran on an Indian path through nearby Willow Street and Conestoga Indian Town to Washington Boro.  The trial was developed through Indian Treaties among the Governors of New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia as well as 19 chiefs of Iroquois League of Five Nations in 1685 and 1722 according to the plaque.  What at one time were dirt trails traveled by ancient behomoths, Native American Indians and wagon trains are now asphalt covered roads that carry vehicles that were only visions in the minds of those travelers.  And now I can add my name to the list of travelers who perhaps at one time wandered this trading path in search of the American Dream.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.   

The "For The Love Of Photography! - Part III" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Posting my third and final edition of photographs from a recent trip to Providenciales in the Turks & Caicos Islands.  Was an interesting trip this year with plenty of rain, but also had quite a few sunny days of beach time.  Final part of the trip was dedicated to helping my wife recover from her appendectomy which overcame her while walking on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world, Grace Bay Beach.  I hope my three days of photos will give you an idea as to the beauty of the island.  At the end of the photos from today, you can continue too the next two stories which will show you the photographs I posted the two previous days.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - Click on photos to enlarge them.

The "For The Love Of Photography! - Part II" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Making a few more selections from my photo library of our latest trip to the warmer climate of Turks & Caicos.  Some of my photos were taken with my Sony DSLR while others were taken with my iPhone.  Some of the photos taken with the iPhone were with the macro attachment I recently ordered.  Photographs encompass all realms of the island of Providenciales.  Hope you enjoy a few of them.  Tomorrow will be the final edition of photos for your viewing.  Remember to click on the photos to enlarge them.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.