My nephew, Jonna, will very shortly be deployed to Afghanistan. He expects to see action very soon. It is his choice, how he wants to spend his life. It is not easy for the rest of us, as proud of him as we are. His grandmother’s reaction when she heard he was signing up was, “He’ll be very good, he’s bright, intelligent, can climb trees like a monkey and sit still like a ninja”.
God speed Jonna.
with love.
Lichen
The lichen in the title heading above is growing on a foundation stone from a house believed to have been built in about 1628 by John Alden in Duxbury, MA. I removed my previous header images but they may be see HERE.
First Tomato of 2009
I know there are all sorts of considerations in growing tomatoes but one of our major worries is to beat the squirrels to them. Many times we watch and watch as the tomato ripens and then go out to pick it only to see a big chunk eaten away. Guess we aren’t the only ones watching. But at least this year the first tomato is perfect.
Rained all morning
More on the way!
Bird Bath in a corner of the garden, after the rain.
Another train shot
Strasburg Railroad
Saturday was hot and we decided to get out of town. Jane and Drew came up and we drove to Strasburg PA in Lancaster to the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania and the Strasburg Railroad. Bob has been into model trains since he was little—this led to the model building and set construction he does with his photography. I featured his model trains on one of our holiday cards. A chance to see the BIG BOYS has been on the list for a long time.
Oiling the Strasburg train
We also stopped at the Strasburg Train Shop which is a very large model shop, had lunch at the little cafe nearby and drove by the Red Caboose Motel where one could stay overnight in a real caboose if one so desired—we didn’t but it’s something to see. Nearly 50 refurbished cabooses, all painted with their original colors and logos (we’re designers so logo’s are important) set up in the Pennsylvania Dutch country side is a hoot.
Pipes and Terrariums
A few months ago I was going through some old photographs at my mother’s and came across the pictures below of my grandfather, Curtin Hummel Reinhardt (Gramp to me), taken in about 1940.
I knew he was a man who always had hobbies and that when he did he got into them in depth. I knew that he collected fish and when my mother met him he had over 29 aquariums at home, the one in the second picture and the rest in an enclosed porch. I didn’t know he also had terrariums like the one beside him on the table. I believe my father was the photographer, taking pictures of his dad with his things.
Gramp also carved pipes. In this photo he is holding one of them. A picture of my mom, his future daughter in law, is on the table behind him as is a humidor with more of his pipes. (I never saw him smoke a pipe.) Beside him is the terrarium he is working on in the second picture and my Dad’s dog, Muggsy. continued . . .
