The Alternate Plan

A view across Neshaminy Creek at Tyler

Geese on the creek

  Up until Friday, the plan was to do a hike at Island Beach State Park in New Jersey.  However, because of commitments with the children and some home projects, we decided to keep it near home and do a hike at Tyler State Park.  This allowed them to take care of business at home, and also to bring their wives and kids along.  We all ended up doing a fairly short late afternoon walk through Tyler.   I was looking forward to going to the shore, but this worked just as well for me, too.  I was up for a few hours in the middle of the night, and this allowed me to go back to sleep at 6 and get up at 9.  

  It was a little cold, but still a nice November day to go outside.   Most of the leaves have now fallen from the trees, and what still remains on the branches has now turned brown and will soon be gone as well.   Up until about two weeks ago, there were still a lot leaves on the trees, and still a lot of orange, yellow, and red.  But now late autumn has set in, and winter will soon arrive.

Heading to the Shore on Saturday

This Saturday, I plan on taking a day trip to Island Beach State Park in New Jersey, and do some hiking on the trails around the park with my brothers.  The attached photo shows the southern end of the park.  I took that picture from a jetty by the Barnegat Lighthouse, which is across the inlet.  What’s pictured is actually the southernmost point of a long spit, another part of the east coast barrier islands.  The northern end, I believe, joins the mainland Point Pleasant Beach.  I was at Island Beach Park only once before when I was in high school, for a day trip.  I don’t remember much about it, except that it that got cut short by a thunderstorm.  Hopefully, there won’t be any problems this time.  Last I checked, Saturday’s weather is supposed to be mostly sunny.

    I haven’t really studied the route we’ll be taking yet, but a good part of it will go through the Pine Barrens, and will probably border the huge area consisting of the Fort Dix, Maguire AFB, and Lakehurst military bases.  We’ll go through Toms River and then across the Barnegat Bay to Seaside Heights, which has recently been put on the map by a popular reality show.   From there, we’ll drive down to the park.  I don’t know much about the trails we’ll be taking, but since they’re short, I think we’ll be going along several of them.

   Aside from its use as a beach and seaside park, I learned something that I found interesting about Island Beach.  It may not be known as a popular filming location, but I know of at least one movie, or at least part of a movie that was shot there.  When I watched the third segment of Creepshow, I noticed that it looked more like it was shot on the east coast than along the Pacific.  When I checked it out on IMDB, I found it was shot at Island Beach Park.  I didn’t make out clearly the lighthouse in the background, but next time I check out the movie on YouTube, I’ll look for the familiar half red and half white colors of the Barnegat Lighthouse.

     As far as I can remember, I have been to Toms River twice, once when I was passing through on the way to Island Beach Park, and one more time about 15 years ago.  A friend took me to visit his parents’ house, which was a part of the motel they owned on Route 9.  I knew we were near the shore, but it was dark by the time we got there, and Route 9 is a few miles inland.  We stayed a few house, and then were on our way back to Pennsylvania.  Other than that, there are two things I remember about Toms River.  One was that the original Amityville Horror movie was shot there.  The technical crew found a house in the town that was nearly identical with the haunted house in Long Island that was the subject of the film.  The other thing I remember happened more recently, when their little league team won the World Series in Williamsport, Pa.  The stretch of Route 37 running through Toms River is named after the hometown heroes.

  Assuming all goes as planned, I’ll be there on Saturday, and sometime next week I’ll have some pictures and a story posted.  I’ll try to remember to do a little more research on where we’ll be going and the trails we’ll be taking, so I’ll have a better idea. 

 

  

Changing of Seasons at Peddler's Village

    I got out to Peddler’s Village on Friday and took a few pictures.   Right now, it seems like they are between big events, as it seems most of them come in the fall.  Their annual Scarecrow Competition was in October, and the annual Apple Festival usually occurs in early November, probably last weekend.  The next big event is the Illumination Ceremony where all the Holiday lights will go up around the park, which will probably remain lit until New Years.  And, of course, it will kick off their busiest season.  There is also the Gingerbread competition, where all the entries, or at least the highest ranking ones, will be on display in the gazebo.  The most basic rule of the competition is that every visual element of the display must be edible.  I managed to sneak in between these events, and there was still at least some fall foliage left.

  The temperatures were in the 50s and 60s, but with the wind, it felt a little colder, more like a milder winter day.  Since it was Friday, and Veterans Day, a lot of people had off, and there was no school.  There were a good number of children, at least in the enclosed section known as Giggleberry Fair.  There were plenty of people in the carousel area and in the arcades.  Just one small problem I remember. While I was in the bathroom, I heard a child mumbling something to himself, and he didn’t sound good.  As I was walking out the door, I heard him saying something about his stomach not feeling good, which sent up alarms in me right away.  I was suddenly just a little afraid of touching anything or getting too near to anybody there, in case anything was spreading around.  But so far, I am still feeling normal.  But it’s a reminder that that time of year is approaching.

  I saw some people working in the Village Green as I was walking through, probably setting up displays for the Holiday season.  There are already lights set up around the mill house, ready to be fired up on Friday night to start the season.  The transition is underway, and the season will get kicked off Friday night.

Snow Day

  It’s a little early for snow in my area, but yesterday, we got about 2-3 inches.   The forecast had called for rain mixed with some snow, but until Friday night, I don’t remember hearing any talk of accumulation.   Sometime around 9:30-10 am, I started to notice some snowflakes falling in what had started as rain. Soon, it looked like mostly snow, and I figured I had better get out and do my shopping at that time, so I quickly took off and got what we needed.    The snow was just starting to cover the ground when I got back home.

  Once I got inside, I noticed the roads were getting messy, and I wondered if this would turn out to be a surprise snowstorm that caught everyone unaware.  Not long after that, I was getting reports of downed wires and spinouts on the roadways.  The fire siren went off a few times, and every so often I would hear emergency vehicles passing by.  Apparently people weren’t expecting the snow to come until later in the day, and it was now causing a mess.   But since today is supposed to be sunny all day, I think most of it will melt off.  By midweek, we should be back to more seasonable temperatures in the 60’s.

  I remember once back when I was I middle school when we got a few inches of snow in early October.  But between then and now, I don’t remember any real snowy days before November.   It’s usually late December or January before we get any major snowstorms.  Where we live at is just close enough to the ocean to get somewhat milder winters than the rest of the state.  We get plenty of cold weather, but precipitation usually comes with a warm front, so the temperature often warms to around 40 degrees, and it often arrives as rain.

  I guess I’ll take living here over some areas.  Montana and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan are two places I’d like to visit sometime, but only during the summer, or in early fall.  My brothers once encountered snow in June as they crossed the Montana Rockies during a cross-country trip.  That’s unheard of here.  The furthest west I’ve ever been was Indianapolis, and that was on a Labor Day weekend about 9 years ago.  I have taken trips to Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, but both of those journeys were during the summer, as well.  I’ve never been beyond the East Coast during the winter.  I like snow sometimes.  Snow can make anything look nice, and I don’t mind seeing it in October once in a while.  But I don’t want to live in a place where I can’t see the ground between November and April.

Some Fall Pictures from Playwicki Farm

   

 I finally remembered my camera when I went out, and got some fall pictures at Playwicki Farm near my home.  There is something I look forward to as September approaches, and somewhere in late August or early September, we get our first blast of cool air.  Then, as September rolls on into October, I watch as the leaves change and always hope I’ll get a chance to take some pictures once the peak comes.  On Tuesday I was able to take advantage of the opportunity.

  I also noticed that Playwicki Farm has its own scarecrow display somewhat like Peddler’s Village, although I didn’t take any pictures of it.  They seem to just be stuffed leaf figures, and not as elaborate as the contest at Peddler’s Village, and I don’t know if it is an actual contest.   I didn’t notice any awards or indications that it was a competition.   Peddler’s Village, of course, is a popular tourist spot, and is well known along the east coast.  People from all over place entries in the scarecrow contest, and go all out with their designs, modeling them after famous people or characters.  Maybe Playwicki’s display was just designed by park patrons or schoolchildren.  I’ll try to remember to check again soon to see if it is.

My Memories of September 11, a Little Late for the 10th Anniversary

The flag hanging from our porch

  Everyone who remembers September 11, 2001 can recall exactly where they were when they heard the news.  I’m a little late on this, but I’ll share some of my memories of that day.  I was fairly new at my job, having been there about four months.  It was a little humid, but it looked like it was going to be a nice pleasant day as I drove along I-95 to my workplace in Princeton, NJ.  Everything was going as normal for the first few hours, but I started to notice something as I saw all the supervisors and managers talking with each other with concerned looks on their faces.  It wasn’t long before I found out what it was about, as I walked by a woman who had a radio at her desk.  I thought I heard the radio announcer saying something about a plane crashing into one of the World Trade Center towers, and I knew something had happened  I also heard a woman saying that the Capitol Mall was on fire.  I finally put it all together when I asked my friend Bernard, who worked next to me, and he confirmed that two hijacked planes had crashed into the World Trade Center towers, making it obvious there had been a terrorist attack like none other before or, so far, since.  

  A while later, an all staff meeting was called in the main auditorium/conference rooms, the chairs were arranged with two monitors set up showing live footage from ground zero.  By that time, both towers had collapsed.  I then found out it was the Pentagon, not the Capitol Mall that was on fire, although the Capitol Building was later revealed as an intended target.  I forget exactly when and how I heard about flight 93 crashing in western Pennsylvania.  We were addressed by the CEO, a good man who had friends working in the World Trade Center.   After addressing the situation, he closed up shop for the day, and I was soon on my way home.  I had no idea what might happen next.  I had a feeling that theterrorists might not be finished yet, and since there are several nuclear power plants within 200 miles of me, my concern was that they might be the next target.

    Back home, I spent the rest of the day watching the news, on television and online.  I walked out onto the golf course near my home that night, and since all planes had been grounded, the sky was unusually silent.  Since I live in a metropolitan area, near several airports and military bases, the sky was normally full of lights from low flying planes, but not that night.  All aircraft had been grounded, and the highways of the air were closed.

  Although business would soon return to normal, there were some things that would not be the same again.  If nothing else, we now had a reason to always be looking over our shoulders.  Something like this didn’t seem unthinkable to me, but just so highly unlikely that I didn’t think it was much to worry about.  It did happen, however.  And it did provide some inspiration and patriotism.  In the aftermath, outgoing New York mayor Rudy Giuliani was transformed from tabloid fodder to a national hero.  The NYPD and FDNY, to whom risking life and limb was their livelihood, would get hero status as well.  It became fashionable to display American flags, although it was apparent many people weren’t familiar with flag etiquette.  The words “God Bless America” began showing up on signs everywhere.  Perhaps a spirit of patriotism could help today.  It won’t make the economy better by itself, of course, but it may inspire something positive that can make a difference.  

Historic Fallsington Day

Travis loves heavy machinery

The give and take jugglers

  Last Saturday, I visited nearby Fallsington for their annual Historic Fallsington Day.  Since my sister-in-law grew up across the main road from the village, she goes there every year.  Beside that, it offers her yet another chance to catch up with her many friends.  I’m a fan of small towns, and these kinds of main street block parties, so I came along.  As with most block parties like this, the streets were lined mainly with concession stands and arts and crafts vendors.  There were plenty of hot dog stands, since hot dogs are easy to make and a good way to raise money at events like this. The center stage was at a large x-shaped intersection known as Meetinghouse Square, which was probably the center of the village back in colonial times, when it actually was a small village surrounded by farmland. 

  These kinds of events are naturally family-oriented, so there was plenty of family entertainment.  Several entertainers were on the program, but we were just there long enough to see a set by the Give and Take Jugglers, and a children’s folksinger whose name I forgot.  When we parked in the grass at the elementary school, we pulled up next to a young woman in unusual looking tight clothes who was freaked out by a spider she saw in her car. The insect had disappeared, but remained somewhere inside the car and now she couldn’t find it.  I saw her a little while later. It turned out she was a gymnast and trapeze artist who performed with the jugglers.  I didn’t get a picture of her performing, because I didn’t have the camera on hand at the time.  But I did get about half of her on the edge of one of my photos, while she was off to the side.

  We headed back home after about two hours.  The program lasted until about 3 or 4 in the afternoon, and there were several more shows to go at the main stage.  My sister-in-law didn’t get to meet all her friends, but since we had the baby, we were on his schedule, and had to get him home for a nap.  We were soon on our way, and that was it for this year.