Outdoors
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What I Didn’t Say About the Blizzard
My sister K. followed Rip Van Winkle. She moved from our hometown in the Allegheny Mountains to a camp in the Catskill Mountains. She stayed there for two years. On Valentine’s Day 2003…
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The Mountains in My Backyard
“He’s wearing my jeans!” A woman walked up to me at the register of the menswear store where I worked and pointed to the man with her. We were right off of the…
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Someone Else’s Road Trip
This is our Christmas card photo. Shawnee State Park in Bedford County. A Gaffron family favorite. The Pennsylvania Turnpike passes Shawnee. So does Route 30 – the Lincoln Highway. And Route 31. I…
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Is This An Eagle? (Adventures on the Clarion River)
Jonathan and I saw this bird flying around the morning after our nephew Peanut was born in early November. The Clarion River drew a line between us and this bird. We were in…
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Holiday Cooking Story
Not my cooking. I wasn’t there. I heard this story from my dad. Decades ago – I think that this was during the 60’s, when my dad was a teenager – one of…
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This Place Could Be Haunted
3 Things about this photo: 1.) Jonathan took this in the aftermath of a severe thunderstorm in early July 2013. 2.) This is the former site of the Grandview Point Hotel. I, personally,…
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Pennsylvania Water Platters
I guess that tonight’s hard rain put me in the mood to blog about water platters. I saw them at two different conservatories / gardens on opposite sides of Pennsylvania this summer. Yesterday…
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Vultures
I can’t believe that I’m blogging about vultures. I’m no raptor expert. I learned almost everything that I know about vultures from Jim Henson’s “The Dark Crystal.” (BTW, I fell in love with “The…
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7 Things to Know About Mount Davis in Somerset County
1.) Mount Davis is the highest point in Pennsylvania. 2.) Mount Davis is the absolute best place to leaf peep in Pennsylvania. 3.) A 50 foot metal observation tower / fire tower sits a…
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Lake Huron Nature Preserve Recap
Jonathan tweeted this week about our visits to two nature preserves along Lake Huron in Northern Michigan. I know that at least one person wants more details, so here they are: The John…