Journal
Nescopeck State Park, Another Greater Hazleton Area Treasure.
Although we continue to lose a lot of our wooded areas to development, those of us living here in the the Hazleton area of Northeastern Pennsylvania are fortunate to have many wonderful state parks which we can visit. And this morning I visited one of them The Nescopeck State Park. Located about 10 miles north…
Read MoreWeissport Canal A Walk Along The Lehigh River
Last Sunday I hiked the Weissport Canal and haven’t had a chance to upload the photographs. It was a perfect June morning with clear blue skies and bright sunshine. The trail starts in the historic town of Weissport. This town was the site of Fort Allen, built by Benjamin Franklin, yep, the kite flying Benjamin…
Read MoreThe Tower Lines Are Gone, But Not The Memories.
It was probably on a day in July, similar to today , that my friends and I first hiked out the “black road” to the ‘tower lines’ in search of blueberries, known in these parts, as huckleberries. I am guessing I was around 10 years old. The “black road” is gone a victim to the…
Read MoreDay Three: Scandinavian Adventure. A Walking Tour Of Malmo
I had planned on either renting a car or taking a train to see some more of the Swedish countryside today, but overcast skies, light rain and little sleep kept me in the city of Malmo. And I am glad I stayed put. I wasn’t going to let the weather keep me inside so I…
Read MoreDay Four. Scandinavia Adventure. The Rain Didn’t Spoil My Arrival In Copenhagen.
Sorry folks I started this last night but, wanted to get some sleep, and didn’t finish it. My thoughts will now be influenced from the delightful walk I just took through the parks of Copenhagen. And, I found a wonderful statue of the famous Hans Christian Andersen. As my Facebook friends would know, I posted…
Read MoreDay Four. Scandinavia Adventure. The Rain Didn't Spoil My Arrival In Copenhagen.
Swords Into Plowshares, Danish Style. Scandinavian Adventure. Day Five. A Morning Walk Through Some Beautiful Parks.
Well not sure how much I’m going to say tonight. Just back from a nice dinner and evening walk after a long day here in Copenhagen. Met up with my sister and the rest of our group. Going to be a fun day tomorrow. And today was too. I was up early and decided to…
Read MoreEnd Of Summer Hikes, Acorns, Ferns And A Hognose Snake,
We still have about eight hours of Summer left here in the Northern Hemisphere but a couple of walks in the woods the past two days without knowing the actual date could fool you into thinking Fall has arrived. As usual this time of year I went out looking for mushrooms even though the weather…
Read MoreA Most Memorable Day In My Life: The Election Of Pope Francis.
Pope Francis’s arrival in the United States yesterday and his appearances in Washington today have caught the entire world’s attention. His message of preserving this beautiful world God gave us and caring for the poor are welcome in our Nation and our planet. It was with much emotion that watched this humble and peaceful man…
Read MoreNorth Dakota, Never Would Have Guessed How Beautiful this Place Is.
After returning from my recent trip to Scandinavia, which was wonderful, traveling with my sister and a group of friends, I was tired and overwhelmed by how much we saw in a few short days. I learned so much and had a great time but really didn’t get a lot of alone time. Even the…
Read MoreExploring The Backroads Of North Dakota, Well I Guess They’re All Backroads Up Here, But They Sure Are Worth Exploring.
I’m up early in the small Canadian town of Boissevain, and another lovely town it is. More about this place later. Yesterday i was up early too and decided, as I often do, to walk the streets of Devil’s Lake. I learn so much about a city and area by walking the streets in the…
Read MoreExploring The Backroads Of North Dakota, Well I Guess They're All Backroads Up Here, But They Sure Are Worth Exploring.
PPL Wetlands: Getting Ready For The Long Winter Sleep
It was cloudy, and cooler than it has been this past week, but the temperatures remained in the low 50’s, still a nice day for November in Northeastern Pennsylvania. I decided to head to the PPL Riverlands and Wetlands one more time before before the snow and cold arrives. It won’t be long now. …
Read MoreBackyard Critters On A Cold Sunny November Day In Northeastern PA
It turned colder overnight here in northeastern Pennsylvania. A cold front brought clear blues skies and more seasonable temperatures, mid 30’s, to my backyard this morning. So I was surprised to see this robin still hanging around in my backyard. Although some robins spend the winters in the creeks and along the rivers I never…
Read MoreAustralia Day Eleven: A Ferry Ride On The Swan River And Across The Indian Ocean To The Unspoiled, And Spectacular Beauty Of Rottnest Island
I awoke early my first full day in Perth and began to decide what to do. I had no definite plans and there was just so many choices. I decided to take a ferry from Perth to Rottnest Island. I read the island was beautiful, and I would not only see a lot of the…
Read MoreAustralia Day Fifteen: Uluru 30,000 Years Of Tradition Is Hard To Comprehend And Appreciate In A Day
It was another early start at the Ayers Rock Resort, most activities occur early in the morning and late in the afternoon, avoiding the brutal heat of the central Australian summer afternoon. I decided to explore Uluru on my own. I was going to take the Uluru express shuttle to watch the sunrise and then…
Read MoreAustralia Day Sixteen: Farewell To The Desert Heat, Some Delays, And A Late Night Arrival In Much Cooler Tasmania
I awoke early on my last day in Central Australia, wanting to see the spectacular Milky Way and alignment of planets, one last time before I left this wonderful area. It was worth it and I enjoyed the nighttime sky until it slowly faded in the twilight of the approaching sunrise. Lastly only brilliant Venus…
Read MoreAustralia Day Seventeen. Hobart: Ocean, Boats, Markets, Produce, Flowers, And Beaches. It Was Love At First Sight
As a child, Tasmania was always some far off exotic place, home of that despicable cartoon character from the Bugs Bunny cartoon, the Tasmanian devil. I read a little about the island, off the southern Australian mainland, before my trip and knew there were a lot of forests and wilderness areas but still wasn’t quite…
Read MoreAfrica 2016: Days 1 And 2: A Long Flight To Arabia And A Quick Tour Of Doha Qatar.
As some of you who follow my blog and Facebook posts may know, there is a lot going on in my life these days which has prevented me from posting on my blog. It also had me a little unprepared for my recent trip to Africa. I usually read about my destinations and try to…
Read MoreAfrica 2016: Day 3 And 4: Another Long Flight To The Center Of Africa, Kigali, Rwanda
I awoke before 5 a.m again on Tuesday morning in Doha, as we had an early flight to Kigali, Rwanda. The sun was again rising through the mist as we drove to the modern Doha airport. Temperatures at night were still near 80 degrees in the Arabian desert, even this close to the sea. At…
Read MoreAll Of Spring And Summer’s Efforts Fade Away: A Fall Walks At Community Park
Once again the Earth revolves around our Sun and the seasons change. Here in Northeastern Pennsylvania, in the Northern Hemisphere, that means shorter days, longer nights and colder weather. And an end to all of the growth put forth by the trees, plants and flowers. It seems like just yesterday these leaves, now dead and…
Read MoreAll Of Spring And Summer's Efforts Fade Away: A Fall Walks At Community Park
Africa Day 4: The Kigali Genocide Memorial: The Horror That Was Rwanda. When Will We Ever Learn.
I can’t believe it’s been over three week since I returned from my trip to Africa. Time goes so fast as it is , and the pressures and commitments of our busy life here in the industrialized world, makes it go even faster. We are here for such a short time. I have had little…
Read MoreAfrica Day Nine: Botswana: More Wildlife In Chobe National Park
After returning from our cruise on the Chobe River, we had a nice lunch at the Chobe Safari Lodge and I had a few minutes to relax a bit. We were soon off to the Chobe National Park for a safari through another area known for it’s high concentration of wildlife. And it didn’t take…
Read MoreSilver Spring And Washington D.C. : It’s Been Awhile , A Long Overdo Visit.
Time. How often we forget that each of us is only allotted a limited amount of this precious gift. Everyone reading this post just lost a few of the approximately 22 million seconds we are given in our lifetime. And I had time to reflect on this on this truth during my visit to Silver…
Read MoreSilver Spring And Washington D.C. : It's Been Awhile , A Long Overdo Visit.
This Snow Is For The Birds
Well they got this one right, we got the blizzard they predicated here in Northeastern Pennsylvania. As I type this post, there is almost 20 inches of snow in my backyard here in Hazle Township. I am glad I filled the bird feeders yesterday. The birds found a lot of their food sources under almost…
Read MorePoland: The Journey Begins. A Return To The Land Of My Father’s Parents.
Anyone who follows my blog will know it is obvious I love to travel. Whether it is to the ocean, the mountains, a foreign country on a far off continent or a small neighboring town I love to look for anything, flora, fauna, scenery or history, I can find on my adventures. Well this…
Read MorePoland: The Journey Begins. A Return To The Land Of My Father's Parents.
Poland Day Five. Hiking In The Beautiful Tatra National Park
I awoke early the next day, and, looking out my window to check the weather I saw that there were a number of deer in the fields outside of the hotel. I watched them graze on the newly sprouting grass and noticed they were also feeding on the many wild crocuses that were scattered, wilted…
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