Spending Christmas in South Carolina

As we prepare for Christmas we are thinking of you. We are wishing you a Merry Christmas. These photos of the Webbers are recent showing them getting ready for Santa Claus.

Photos of California's visit to the Low Country

California's visit to the Low Country

Besides for the birth of Sarah, one of the greatest highlights of this year was being all together with Chuck, Becky and Lucy along with Amy, Jason, Noah and Sarah here in the Low Country of South Carolina in June.

Aunt Albina's passing

We lost the last of a great generation in our family. Albina was 93 and passed away on December 17. Over the years we were able to spend time with her, first in Vermont at the old farm house then at Lake St. Catherine where she and Harold moved later on. When her husband, Harold, passed away she moved to upstate NY to be near her daughters. Sue and I did get to visit her a number of times in upstate NY, most recently this past summer. We all have our own memories of her as she was a very special lady.

Thanksgiving

Spending Thanksgiving with the Webbers for the past 2 years has us convinced that Amy and Jason will do a fine Thanksgiving in the future. This year Dr. Apple joined us once again along with their neighbors, Ed and Lynda and their children, Scott and Danielle. Brenda and Josh from Hilton Head came up for the dinner as well. It was a great day as the children were all in good moods and were well rested. The photo of Sarah reminded Sue of how Amy looked at that age.

Danielle Lee Henry

Part of our originals plans to be back in SC this time of year was to help Lynda and Ed with their son, Scott, when the new baby arrived. The Henrys are Amy and Jason's neighbor and Scott is just 4 months younger than Noah. They both attend Starfish Day Care Center and are good buddies. Scotty calls Bob "Papa" and truly believes he is since Noah calls Bob "Papa" as well. Early Monday, Nov. 2nd, Lynda called and Bob went over to their house to be with Scotty. Bob took Scotty to day care and Lynda and Ed headed to the hospital. Danielle arrived at 3:49 p.m. She was 7 lbs. 5ozs. and 19 3/4 inches long. Everyone is doing well and we could not be happier for them. Sarah will now have a playmate next door to play with too.

Trick or Treat

Halloween celebrations started at day care on Friday, Oct. 30. There was a parade and goodies which were enjoyed by all. We have loved being involved with the activities at the day care center. We pick the kids up often from day care so that we can enjoy them for a few hours each day. Noah loves his animals, especially alligators and that was what he wanted to be at Halloween. Sarah was a monkey and she filled out the costume much better than Noah did a few years ago. Scotty, the fireman, joined us for trick or treating since his mother was expecting a baby at any time. Bob took the boys in hand and Amy carried Sarah around the immediate neighborhood. The boys were good about saying trick or treat and thank you but needed to be urged to leave. It was a fun evening. Of course, in true holiday tradition, Sue made cut out cookies for the kids to frost and decorate. Noah, Scott and Griffin had lots of fun frosting the cookies and adding sprinkles for decoration before consuming them.

Pumpkin Patch

A visit to the Pumpkin Patch with Noah, Sarah, their friend Griffin, along with Amy and Stacey was fun. The Pumpkin Patch had an amusement area for the kids along with a hay ride through a field decorated with many holiday themes. The boys enjoyed many of the inflatables but the big pillow that they could run on top of was their favorite. Bob will try to post a video but he is not certain if it will work. The day ended, of course, with treats and getting the pumpkins in the patch for Halloween.

Shrimp

SC is known for its shrimp. The shrimp season for recreational shrimpers is from the 2nd week in September to Nov. 10 this year. Bob has always wanted to learn how to shrimp. Trip and Dean Anderson, friends at the campground, showed Bob how to get shrimp, clean shrimp, correctly freeze shrimp and the southern ways to prepare and cook it. Recreational shrimping is done from a boat using bait and casting a net. You are allowed to set 10 poles which are used to mark where one drops the bait. When the shrimp come to the bait, you cast the net and pull in the shrimp. This may sound easy but it's not. Some shrimping seasons you can get shrimp during the day but this year it has been better at night in the dark. Dean and Trip took Bob out to McClellanville where they met with their friend, Randy. Bob drove Randy's boat and Dean and Trip took their boat and they went out to Muddy Bay to shrimp. The first thing that they did was to set 10 poles in a straight line in the mud. They pushed the poles a few feet in the mud in order to set them. They were in about 5 feet of water. Next they set bait balls at each pole. A bait ball is composed of fish meal and clay that is mixed and roll into balls. Randy then said that he would show Bob how to pull the boat up so that he could throw the net. They pulled up to the first pole and Randy threw the net and there were shrimp already there. They were very fortunate and Bob's training was over. They then went to each pole and after 6 runs they had a cooler with 48 quarts full. That is the limit for a day. Bob then went into Trip and Dean's boat and shrimped with then into the night. They set glow lights on the poles so that you can see them in order to shrimp in the dark. Cleaning the shrimp requires pulling off the heads slow in order to remove the vein. Since you ice the shrimp when you catch them, the colder they are the easier it seems to remove the vein. You keep the shrimp iced at all times and you wash them in ice water a number of times. Dean and Trip then put them in containers, filling the containers with iced water and then immediately freezing them. We have eaten our share of fresh shrimp this season and do have some in the freezer for later.

Arrival in SC on September 15, 2009

Jason had his back surgery on September 22 and is now recuperating. We have been able to help them with Noah and Sarah and have had a wonderful time reacquainting ourselves with them after being gone during the summer months. The children have grown a lot and Noah is taller and definitely more verbal than ever. Sarah is about 20 lbs. now and is a bundle of joy and is very sweet.

Harpers Ferry, Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad and Antietam Battlefield

We stopped in WVA for a few nights and decided to see a few additional national historical sites. Harpers Ferry is a multi-layered involving a diverse number of people and events that influenced the course of our nation's history. Harpers Ferry witnessed the first successful application of interchangeable parts, the arrival of the first successful American railroad, John Brown's attack on slavery, the largest surrender of federal troops during the civil war, and the education of former slaves in one of the earliest integrated schools in the U.S. Many believe that John Brown's attack was actually the start of the civil war. Chesapeake and Ohio Canal's construction began in 1828 and by the time construction ended in 1850 progress had left the canal behind and the canal was then obsolete. By 1850 new railroad technology had made great strides. The canal did serve a purpose until it closed in 1924 which was moving freight and passengers. Some of the canal is still in tact and much of the canal area is now used by hikers, campers, bicyclists, boaters and others.
Antietam's battle was the site of the bloodiest one day battle of the American Civil War. The Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg, MD) took place on September 17, 1862 and had a lasting impact on reshaping the logistics of field medicine.
As seeing any battlefield and reading the history of this event, gives you a sense of what actually took place there. On the day that we visited there was a reenactment with much cannon fire. There was also a college professor who was currently writing a book on this battle who gave a detailed history concerning this memorable battle.

Visiting with friends

The opportunity to visit with our good friends Barbara and Joe Graziano in Rome, New York presented itself. We had met Joe and Barbara in SC as they also have a daughter in that area. We had lunch with them on September 10. On September 11, we had dinner with Georgia Frank and her family. She is a professor at Colgate Univ. Suzanne met her when she was finishing her doctorate and was an adjunct prof. at Holy Cross. Sue has kept in contact with her since she left Holy Cross. We had a wonderful visit with our friends before heading south.

9/2 - 9/9 Sodus Point

Visit to Ontario, NY 9/2 to 9/9
Bob has a 92 year old aunt whom we got to spend much time which was the main reason for our visit. Pat Connorton, who is his aunt’s daughter, was able to visit much of the week with us as well. Bob’s other cousin from Minnesota, George Selvestra and his wife, Arlyne, who also camp in a motor home, were with us for 3 nights. We had not seen George since 1989. This was a great opportunity to reacquaint ourselves with all of them. We had not been in upstate NY since 2007. Aunt Albina’s grandson, David, along with his wife, Peggy, and 4 children hosted a dinner for us at their home. We found Aunt Al still very sharp for her age and we hope that our minds are as good as hers is when we get older. She is an amazing lady.

08/19 - 09/02 Watkins Glen

Watkins Glen Area
We enjoyed ourselves staying the Watkins Glen area. Bob was able to kayak right from the campground in the canal which also led into Seneca Lake. He took advantage of this and kayaked almost each day of the 2 weeks that we stayed there. Local fresh vegetables and fruit were plentiful at local farm stands and we enjoyed them as well. Driving through the nearby countryside we were able to view the many farms and wine vineyards. There is still a lot of open country in this part of NY state. Bob was able to spend a day at a Blue Grass festival in Lodi, NY held at a sheep ranch. The festival is named Blue Grass in the Pasture and the owners of the ranch are musicians of blue grass music as well. The bands were excellent. From the campground we were also able to walk into town and attend 2 concerts in the local park.

08/27/09 Watkins Glen State Park

Watkins Glen State Park
The park has a 1.5 mile gorge trail with over 800 stone steps. Bob hiked the trail up and then back. There are many water sculptured rocks along the trail and 19 waterfalls to view. We visited this gorge back in 1993 or 94 and, at that time, there was a laser show on the rock wall of the gorge. The laser show is no longer available and no-one was quite certain when this show ended.

08/21 Women's Rights

Women’s Rights National Historical Park, Seneca Falls, NY 13148
In 1848 Elizabeth Cady Stanton and 4 other women invited the public to the First Women’s Rights Convention to discuss expanding the role of women in America. At the end of the 2 days, 100 people made a public commitment to work together to improve women’s quality of life. While women have achieved greater equality with the vote, property rights and education, the revolution continues today.
At this National Historical Park one can view the park film, “Dreams of Equality”, a dramatization of the lst Women’s Rights Convention, stand face to face with the convention organizers at “The First Wave” statue exhibit and explore the park’s permanent interactive exhibit area.
The remains of the Wesleyan Chapel are immediately adjacent to the Visitors Center. This was the site of the First Women’s Rights Convention and one can read the Declaration of Sentiments engraved on the water wall next to the Visitors Center which declared that “all men and women are created equal.” The document goes on to demand equal rights for women in property and custody laws, educational opportunities, and participation in the church, professions and politics. Women’s wages were garnished by their spouses or employers at one time and that the 19th Amendment was not ratified until 1920.
We got introduced to so many women who made this convention possible and some of them I had never heard of such as Martha Wright and Jane Hunt. The key figure, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, I did remember.
This park is definitely worth visiting if one is passing through Seneca Falls, NY.

8/15 - 8/18 Wilderness PA

Kane, PA -- Allegheny National Forest Area
This is truly a rural part of Pennsylvania that receives a sizable amount of snow in the wintertime. Foote Campground where we are staying is a lovely campground that hosts not only travelers and a good number of seasonals but also is home to wild rabbits who think nothing of munching the grass on your site. They’re fed bread by the locals here who make certain that they are taken care of in the winter time as well.
The Allegheny National Forest is nearby and Bob took advantage of putting his kayak in the huge reservoir here and had a nice excursion for himself. There is a large dam here too that we visited called the Kinzua Dam. The scenery in this area is beautiful and we certainly enjoyed our time visiting the forest area.
We also took time to attend a Swedish Festival in Mt. Jewett nearby and enjoyed a delicious barbeque chicken dinner.

08/12 Ohiopyle State Park PA

Ohiopyle State Park, Ohiopyle, PA
This state park has 19,052 acres and serves as the gateway to the Laurel Mountains. The focal point of the park is the l4 miles of the Youghiogheny River Gorge that passes through the heart of the park. The area below the falls is excellent for river activities. The whitewater rafting companies are right adjacent to the park which is in the center of the town. Most of the rafting trips were less miles than the one that Bob did in WVA. He was tempted to do another whitewater rafting trip but will probably not do another one alone so he will have to wait until the grandchildren are old enough to go providing that he’s not too old by then.

08/12 Fort Ligonier

The gun is a 1/2 pound gun.

Fort Ligonier, Ft. Ligonier, PA
In the middle of the 18th Century, the 2 European powers engaged in a contest for ownership of the immense inner basin of North America. This area was west of the Allegheny Mountains, from Canada to New Orleans. In 1758, John Forbes, Brigadier General, was given the task to drive the French from the forks of the Ohio. Fort Ligonier was one of a number of forts that was built on the roadway that was needed in order to bring supplies and troops in order to drive the French out. This in the U.S. was known as the French and Indian War. The conflict between Great Britain and France was carried all over the globe. It was known elsewhere at the Seven Years’ War. Sue and I had very little knowledge as to how involved the Seven Years’ War was. The museum here dedicated a large part to the conflicts and battles fought elsewhere. We both feel that someday that reading a history book on the global affects of the Seven Years’ War would be worth it.

08/09 Pittsburgh

Andy Warhol Museum and Primanti Brothers Restaurant, Pittsburgh, PA
Anytime we are near a large city, I love to take a ride in to see the sights. Bob has been very good about accommodating me on this request and I know that it isn’t his favorite way to spend a day. Yesterday, we took a ride into Pittsburgh to see the Andy Warhol Museum and I was not at all disappointed. There we found a collection of his works that we were familiar with before from his creation of works that drew from commercial and pop-cultural images, most famously his Campbell’s Soup Can portraits. The collection at the museum also includes thousand of films, audio tapes, posters, books and other works that he created in his lifetime all nicely archived and displayed for viewing.
We had lunch at an eatery in Pittsburgh called the Primanti Brothers Restaurant which is noted for the 6” high sandwiches that they serve piled high with meat, cheese, coleslaw, tomato and French fries. Unlike anything we have ever had before, it was delicious. This sandwich was invented by the Primanti Bros. back in the 30’s for the night shift workers and truck drivers could work with one hand and eat with the other.

08/07 Fort Necessity NB

Fort Necessity National Battlefield
George Washington, newly commissioned Lt. Colonel, started westward from Alexandria, VA with part of a regiment of VA frontiersmen, to build a road to Red Stone Creek on the Monongahela. This was a movement to help drive the French from the Ohio Valley. George Washington was 22 years of age at the time. At dawn on May 28, 1754, he encountered a French encampment. The French were taken by surprise and 10 were killed including the commander, one wounded and 21 were made prisoners. This was the start of the French war.
George Washington knew that the French would find revenge. He moved back to an open area, referred to as the “great meadows.” Ft. Necessity was circular in shape measuring 53 feet in diameter and enclosing a small store house. The overall perimeter was 168 feet. The French attacked on July 3 and the French, with the aid of the Indians, overpowered George Washington. He was allowed to surrender with honor and retreat from the area. The road that he had cut became part of the first national road.

08/06 Fallingwater

Fallingwater, Mill Run, PA
Fallingwater, one of Frank L. Wright’s most widely acclaimed works was designed in 1935 for the family of the Pittsburgh department store owner, Edgar J. Kauffman. The key to the setting of the house is the waterfall over which it is built. Completed with guest and service wing in 1939, Fallingwater was constructed of sandstone quarry on the property and was built by local craftsmen. The stone serves to separate reinforced concrete “trays,” dramatically cantilevered over the stream. The design blended into the natural mountainside and the massive amount of glass gives great views of the countryside and tree tops. The stone walls, which are both exterior and interior, make this a massive structure. You see the concrete, stone which is offset by the red steel window frames which was FLW’s signature color. Edgar Kauffman, Jr. entrusted the house, its contents and grounds to the Western PA Conservancy in 1963.

7/30 Thoughts from West Virgina

Southwest West Virginia
We took advantage of a local theater group performing the “Hatfields & McCoys” at the Grandview spot of the National Park. It was an outdoor theater and they have been performing at this theater for over 40 years, including this particular performance.
Bob decided that he was going to go white water rafting. He chose to do it with a guide group that was doing the lower New River. There were 48 in his group along with 6 guides. Each raft held 8 persons and a guide. The float was about 14 miles and they put in at 11:00 a.m. and got out about 4:00 p.m. with an hour’s break for lunch. This stretch of the river had Class 2, 3, and 4 rapids. The guide group made sure that everyone got bounced or turned into the water. Bob’s raft flipped completely over and the only scary moment was being under the raft itself. Bob was the oldest person on the trip with most of the rafters being of the ages 14 thru 17. He was a little tired and sore but no worst for the trip taken.
As we have traveled in the U.S. we have seen many areas which rely on one industry for existence but none as great as West Virginia relying on coal mining. The controversy over the environmental effects of coal mining is very evident in West Virginia. As far as the coal miners are concerned you are either for them or against them. They do realize that coal mining will come to an end and West Virginia will be ever poorer than it is today. You can see West Virginia trying to build itself a tourist trade in order to exist but it is difficult with the negative feelings towards coal mining.

08/04 Friendship Hill NM

Friendship Hill National Monument
Albert Gallatin was born in Geneva, Switzerland and came to the U.S. at the age of 19 in 1780. From 1789 until he died in 1849 he dedicated his life to politics. He is probably best known for being the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury from 1801-14 under the Jefferson and Madison presidencies. He brought the country out of debt and financed the Louisiana Purchase and funded the Lewis and Clark Expedition. I must say that Sue and I knew very little about this great man until we visited this national site. His financial planning played a key part in financial stability of the government and some of the larger national banks. The grounds were lovely and the house was well furnished with items from the Robert E Lee Mansion in Virginia which is currently under restoration.

08/03 Allegheny Portage RR NM

Allegheny Portage Railroad
During the time of using canals to transport goods, Pennsylvania decided to build a canal from Baltimore to Pittsburgh. By 1831 most of the canal had been built but getting over the Allegheny mountain had still not been addressed. The steam engines used by the railroads, at that time, were not powerful enough to go over the mountain. It was decided that canal boats, passengers and goods would be moved to railroad cars and towed up by stationary steam engines up a huge staircase of 5 incline planes. On the descent they would be let down 5 more planes and then transferred once again to canal boats. If you look at the photos you can see that pulling the cars up the incline that they did not use a conventional railroad track. They used a flat piece of metal on a wood beam so that the cars were easily controlled. When they were let down on the descent side, conventional railroad track was used. In 6 hours the 36 mile travel would be accomplished, ascending 1398 feet and descending l,172 feet. There were many concerns for safety and this system was abandoning after the Pennsylvania Railroad was able to build a track system over the mountain. The water from the lake that was involved in the Johnstown flood was to be used in this canal system but was never needed before the system was abandoned.

8/2 Polish

Slovac/Polish Festival, Sunday August 2, Connellsville, PA
This Sunday we attended a festival which was being held on the church grounds of St. John the Evangelist. We ate some great polish foods such as pieroghi, kielbasa and golumkis and listened to 2 bands playing polkas and other music. The food was delicious and we enjoyed the day very much

08/01 Flight 93 NM

Flight 93 National Memorial, Shanksville, PA
I am sure that September 11, 2001 has stuck in our minds for many reasons, the loss of lives, the injuries sustained, the fear of terrorism and other personal feelings. More than half of the money for the Flight 93 National Memorial has been privately raised and construction should begin this Fall. While visiting this makeshift memorial, it gave Sue and I a chance to reflect on 9/11 and the independence and freedom we are allowed to have in this country despite being threatened by others.

8/1 Johnstown Flood NM

Johnstown Flood, May 31, 1889
Lake Conemaugh was formed by the railroad company when they built the South Fork Dam. The purpose of the water was to keep a constant level of water in the canals that were used to bring boats from Baltimore to Pittsburgh. By the time the dam was completed the water was no longer needed since the canal system was replaced by a railroad line. The lake and dam changed ownership a number of times and the maintenance of the dam was severely neglected. The ownership of the dam, when it failed, was a privately owned hunt and fish club. They made repairs to the dam which some say did not bring the dam to the original design. The members of the club were wealthy Pittsburg people. After unusually heavy rains occurred in the spring of 1889, the dam failed on the afternoon of May 31, 1889 sending 20 million tons of water crashing down the narrow valley below. The dam emptied in 45 minutes and a wall of water 36 feet high would use chunks of debris moving 40 mile per hour which consumed everything in its path until after Johnstown. More than 2,200 people were dead and over 1000 more injured. It was the worst inland flood in the nation’s history. Bob has looked at many dams over the years and there is still a great number that do not receive the proper maintenance. The major difference now is that the flood controlled dams are well maintained because they are used for hydroelectric.