2020 Friday Field Trips

 August through November 2020, so much fun going on field trips to check out PA State Parks and counties!

8/21/2020 Samuel S. Lewis State Park (12 mi. east of York) website

York County

I'd just had my first cataract surgery, thus the no glasses look!

8/28/2020 Presque Isle State Park, Erie, PA website

Erie County

Meadville, PA Road Sign Mural Fence

home of Allegheny College

Crawford County

Maurice K. Goddard State Park, on Lake Wilhelm, in Sandy Lake, PA website

Mercer County

Pymatuning State Park website

Crawford County

Largest State Park in PA

8/29/2020

A Quick Trip Across the Border into West Virginia....Homer Laughlin!!

Not many shopping opportunities on these trips

Raccoon Creek State Park website

Beaver County

The kids and Laura went on a hike and I enjoyed nature, reading, writing, and the butterfly garden.  No internet access at all!  Nice campground.

Hillman State Park website

Washington County

Not much of nothin', pretty country, though

Ebenezer Covered Bridge

Mingo Creek County Park, Washington, PA

9/4/2020

Swatara State Park website

Lebanon and Schuylkill Counties

lots of biking opportunities

Memorial Lake State Park website (north of Hershey)

Lebanon County

surrounded by Fort Indiantown Gap, headquarters for PA Army & Air Force National Guard

There were a couple different picnic/hiking areas with huge parking lots....liked it here a lot.

Cassel Vineyards of Hershey (in Hummelstown)

Dauphin County

Boyd Big Tree Preserve Conservation Area

Dauphin County

Hiking, quiet,

9/13/2020

Ricketts Glen State Park website

in three counties - mostly Luzerne County

famous for its many waterfalls and scenic views

Colonel Ricketts Hard Cider, Benton PA

Columbia County

A little antique shopping in Benton.....

again, in Columbia County

World's End State Park, Forksville Borough website

Sullivan County

Dinner at a Covered Bridge TakeOut famous for its cheesesteaks (YUM!)

Big Mike's Steaks & Hoagies, Forksville, PA

9/14/2020

Some Great Letterboxing Today!

Jessica Hicks Memorial in Picture Rocks, PA

Lycoming County

Lycoming County Master Gardeners Sensory Garden

542 County Farm Road

Montoursville, PA

(Loyalsock Township)

9/19/2020 

Cape May (NJ) Trip

Garrett Family Preserve

Beach Plum Farm

Lunch - Wasn't very "covid friendly," but we sat on the deck and enjoyed our seafood...

Afternoon at the BEACH!

Cape May Point State Park

Vineyards (unfortunately we couldn't go in for a tasting...I think they were preparing for an event)

9/20/2020

Ridley Creek State Park website

Delaware County

We LOVED it here!

16 miles from Philadelphia City Center

Letterboxes and Colleges...

Villanova...Bryn Mawr....Haverford....Swarthmore??

Chester County

Marsh Creek State Park  website

Chester County  

French Creek State Park website

Elverson, PA

Chester & Berks Counties

Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site

It was almost dark, and closed , MUST go back!

10/3/2020

S. B. Elliott State Park website

Clearfield County

I can't believe I don't have any photos here.  It was a picnic area with old buildings, but we had no picnic yet and just drove around....

Parker Dam State Park website

Clearfield County  

Wapitri Ridge Wine Cellars

Ended the day with a wine tasting, and a bottle to drink at the hotel tonight!

Elk Country!!!  And sharp-eyed Ella had an ELK SITING!!

10/4/2020

Kinzua Bridge State Park website

McKean County

I loved it here.  Laura not so much - she's not good with heights.

She took quite a few really nice photos of the kids here.

Super busy , lots and lots of people, but we got here early enough that it wasn't too crazy yet.

Later that day....Flickerwood Wine Cellars

Kane, PA

Chapman State Park website

Warren County

Gorgeous views!

Love this photo, also at Chapman State Park

10/5/2020

Black Moshannon State Park  website

Centre County

Great boardwalk walk through the swamp/marsh

"Bog Trail"

Another photo I love....

Whipple Dam State Park website

Huntingdon County

Completely closed the day we were there

We at lunch in the car at the closed entrance, as we'd planned to picnic here.  Bummer.

141. The Lost Husband by Katherine Center

Audio

2013

304 pgs.
Adult CRF
Finished 11/13/2020
Goodreads rating: 3.85
My rating: 3.9
Setting: contemporary Texas

My comments: Don't like the title of this, it was misleading.  There were so many things I enjoyed about this story and just a few things that I didn't.  The protagonist went from an almost-whiny, afraid of everything kind of woman to a much braver, smarter one a little bit too rapidly.  She went from immediately wanting to scrub her hands after meeting O'Connor to never mentioning the original grumpy feeling for him again.  The big secret that her aunt and mother had kept from her, including the history of the "haunted house" wasn't such a big secret if she had had any kind of sense at all.  The frustration of having your child bullied over and over again and the helpless feeling that goes along with it were very real and written quite well.  And...I'm still not sure about Sunshine, the tabloid bimbo who is now a goth weirdo, close friend, confidant and coworker....I think Ms. Center wanted to create as many quirky characters as she possibly could.  It WAS good reading.  Not quite a 4.

Goodreads synopsis:  "Dear Libby, It occurs to me that you and your two children have been living with your mother for -- Dear Lord! -- two whole years, and I'm writing to see if you'd like to be rescued." The letter comes out of the blue, and just in time for Libby Moran, who, after the sudden death of her husband, Danny, went to stay with her hypercritical mother. Now her crazy Aunt Jean has offered Libby an escape, a job and a place to live on her farm in the Texas Hill Country. Before she can talk herself out of it, Libby is packing the minivan, grabbing the kids, and hitting the road.

Life on Aunt Jean's goat farm is both more wonderful and more mysterious than Libby could have imagined. Beyond the animals and the strenuous work, there is quiet, deep, country quiet. But there is also a shaggy, gruff (though purportedly handsome, under all that hair) farm manager with a tragic home life, a formerly famous feed-store clerk who claims she can contact Danny "on the other side," and the eccentric aunt Libby never really knew but who turns out to be exactly what she's been looking for. And despite everything she's lost, Libby soon realizes how much more she's found. Libby hasn't just traded one kind of crazy for another; she may actually have found the place to bring her little family, and herself, back to life.

A Short Stay in Williamsburg, Virginia

November 8 - 11, 2020

Photos below

Laura and I decided to take the kids down to Williamsburg back in August, but decided against it because of the pandemic.  We thought it would be less busy in November (it was) but still pleasant weather.  Were we ever right!  We had perfect weather, great accommodations at a Hampton Inn/Hilton (really clean) quite close to Colonial Williamsburg, and the opportunity to visit, if even for  short time, with one of my former fifth graders, Emily Doherty, who now has the dream job of being a docent/writer/presenter at Colonial Williamsburg.

We drove down on Sunday, arriving before dark to check in and find an outdoor venue to eat dinner.  We found the perfect place, a wonderful pizza place at the end of the mile-long central strip of Colonial Williamsburg, Mellow Marshmallow.  We enjoyed it so much that we decided to eat there again on Tuesday night.  Great food, wonderful wait staff, we loved it.

First thing Monday morning, we met up with Emily outside the Governor's Palace.  She hasn't changed one iota, what a sweetheart.  She even gifted us with free tickets for our two-day stay.  She says it's one of the perks of employment, and she hasn't had the opportunity to give many away this year!  

Our first "tour" was of the governor's palace, which was super enjoyable.  I spent a week here on a Teacher Education Opportunity back in 2001, and remembered some of the places here so fondly.  During that week we saw so much behind-the-scenes and gleaned a huge knowledge of how to share this incredible place with kids.  I remembered the entrance to the palace, full of swords, knives, and firearms.  Tristan sure enjoyed it!  

Even though inside touring was limited, small groups got to see a dozen or so of the authentic settings.  Docents were more than happy to answer questions, including those relating to working there.  We learned about blacksmithing, silversmithing, brickmaking, millinery, and the two different courts of law available to the residents of Williamsburg back in "the day."  It was laid-back, engrossing, and so much fun.  Both kids enjoyed it greatly.

We spent Monday morning and Tuesday morning at Williamsburg.

On Monday afternoon we went to Jamestown, one part of the Colonial National Historic Park "triangle."  Unfortunately, the movie and museum were (of course) closed, which lessened the information for the kids greatly.  Next time...

On Tuesday afternoon we headed to Yorktown.  Again, no museum or movie, but interesting.  Kids got to hike around both places, but Williamsburg was the super hit of this trip.

Mellow Mushroom

Just Arrived

We felt like we had the entire place to ourselves!

Fall in Colonial Williamsburg

Inside the courthouse

Masks the whole time, of course

Walkway bridge with benches at Jamestown.

Biden Wins! Harris Wins! America Wins!`

 I can't believe that PENNSYLVANIA has the last AND most important word!  I was watching MSNBC at about 11:27 when they called it, 3 1/2 long days after election day and four years after one of the biggest disappointments of my life!

135. When She Was Good by Michael Robotham

#2 Cyrus Haven
borrowed from Library and listened on Libby
narrated by Joe Jameson
Unabridged audio (11:25)
2020
352 pgs.
Adult Mystery
Finished 10/28/2020
Goodreads rating: 4.33 - 4181 ratings
My rating: 5
Setting: Contemporary Nottingham/Manchester, England

First line/s: "Late spring.  Morning cold.  A small wooden boat emerges from the mist, sliding forward with each pull of the oars."

What I posted on Goodreads:  Part two in a 2-part mystery, finished quite satisfactorily.  Great narration, wonderful mystery.

My comments: Part two, finishing a story begun in a prior book (Good Girl, Bad Girl) quite satisfactorily.  I enjoyed the way it flip-flops between the two man characters, a forensic psychiatrist and an 18-year-old girl who has been abused and/or on the run for most of her remembered life.  The setting of Nottingham/Manchester, England and the perfectly accented and accentuated male reader enhanced my reading experience.  Plot, setting, characterization, and narration worked perfectly together in this excellent mystery.

Goodreads synopsis:  Criminal psychologist Cyrus Haven and Evie Cormac return in this new thriller from author Michael Robotham. Who is Evie, the girl with no past, running from? She was discovered hiding in a secret room in the aftermath of a terrible crime. Her ability to tell when someone is lying helped Cyrus crack an impenetrable case in Good Girl, Bad Girl. Now, the closer Cyrus gets to uncovering answers about Evie’s dark history, the more he exposes Evie to danger, giving her no choice but to run. Ultimately, both will have to decide if some secrets are better left buried and some monsters should never be named...

134. We Are Not From Here by Jenny Torres Sanchez

read on my iPhone/Kindle/Book/Audible
narrated by Marisa Blake
Unabridged audio (9:31)
2020
326 pgs.
Adult/YA CRF 
Finished 10/15/2020
Goodreads rating: 4.56 - 1060 ratings
My rating: 4
Setting: contemporary migration from Guatemala to US

First line/s: "When you live in a place like this you're always planning your escape."

What I posted on Goodreads:  Horrifying story of three young people (12, 14, and 16) who make the arduous, perilous journey from their barrio in Guatemala to the U.S.

My comments: What a horrifying story!  Three young people (12, 14, 16) make the arduous journey from their barrio in Guatemala to the United States.  Their dreams are huge but reality is more than harsh.  One loses their life, the other two come very close.   Fleeing horrors like we can't imagine into different horrors that are just as fatal and terrifying.  It shows, with what I am sure is harsh accuracy, what happens to children that are caught on the border and detained in cages.  This was an extremely difficult book to read.  After living in southern Arizona for so many years, I can feel the heat of the desert and now that if I still lived there I would get up in the morning and go find an agency where I could physically actually do something to help the plight of these incredibly brave people. A hard book to get through and finish.  What a story.

Goodreads synopsis:  A ripped-from-the-headlines novel of desperation, escape, and survival across the U.S.-Mexico border.
          Pulga, Chico, and Pequeña have no false illusions about the town they've grown up in and the dangers that surround them. Though their families--both biological and found--create a warm community for them, threats lurk around every corner. And when those threats become all too real, the three teens know they have no choice but to run: for the border, for the hope of freedom, and for their very lives.
          Crossing from Guatemala through Mexico with their eyes on the U.S. border, they follow the route of La Bestia, a system of trains that promise the hope of freedom--if they are lucky enough to survive the harrowing journey. With nothing but the bags on their backs and the desperation that courses through their very veins, Pulga, Chico, and Pequeña know that there's no turning back, dangerous though the road ahead might be.
          In this powerful story inspired by real--and current--events, the plight at our southern border is brought to painful, poignant life.