Today has been busy busy busy.
Partly work but also scrapping commitments and picture editing. I HAVE to get on with editing these pictures, reducing the numbers and resizing for my blog. It is taking an age but will be so good when it is done.
I have some new scrapping to share today - a page made as part f my DT work for A Trip Down Memory Lane
I received a gorgeous DT parcel with Halloween papers and Disney papers and travel papers and have been loving creating with them. They are all Simple Stories papers and if you check out the store HERE you can see their full range of papers in stock and there are pages of them. I love them.
This was made using Simple Stories Say Cheese II - a fab set and made for your Disney pages. For years at school I used my full set of Disney Winnie the Pooh soft toys - yes I have them all, Pooh, Pigley, Kanga, Roo, Tigger, Owl, Rabbit and Eeyore - as a focus for assemblies as there are so many good teaching points in the stories and their friendship. Winnie the Pooh has been a huge favourite of mine and so I was thrilled to be able to meet him in person (OK stick with me here) at both The Crystal Palace and again at 1910 Park Fair. Nothing beats a Pooh cuddle I can tell you.
Today I am thankful
- that I have completed Day 8 of photos (we were away for 24 days ... gulp)
- that my expertise was recognised at work and I was invited to take on additional responsibilities ... maybe not quite on the scrap heap yet
- that antibiotics seem to be working and I feel so much better
Sunday 21st October
The One Where we Saw the Buggies
We were up at the crack of dawn ... no wait, that’s a lie again, dawn hadn’t even cracked. We walked through empty streets ... New Jersey on a Sunday at 6.00 am ... to the city diner. It wasn’t quite as photogenic as the roundabout dinner but it was lovely and Michael Bouble serenaded us through breakfast. The food was huge and very well presented and prepared.
We were back at the hotel, loaded on our borrowed trolley and downstairs and I waited with the luggage whilst Nigel went to get the car. We then took a short detour ... which was very very bizarre ... through docks at Bayonne to see the teardrop memorial, a gift from the Russians to mark an end to terrorism. It was a beautiful memorial, and one we had never heard of, but we had never been anywhere which was so windy and by windy I mean you almost could not stand up. I have never seen a water fountain blowing horizontally before. But it was almost worth it for the view. Plus there were great views of the Statue of Liberty
I was so sad as it was the first day my hair had looked ok (American soft water doesn’t suit it) and I looked, quite literally, like I had been dragged through a hedge backwards and forwards again. It didn’t bring out the best in me. It resulted in me telling Nigel he didn’t understand because I was a GIRL and he wasn’t.
We travelled through New Jersey and into Pennsylvania, stopping for gas and a Starbucks before pressing on, via a very very odd route which Flossie deemed to be the fastest and to Centralia. We had read about Centralia some 20 years ago, in a Bill Bryson book; the town that was built on an anthracite mine, as so many in the area were, where the mine caught fire in the 1960s and it is still burning today. Since reading about it we always wanted to go and today was the day. I am not sure quite what we expected ... certainly not for it to take as long as it did and that didn’t bring out the best in me as I was worried we wouldn’t have so much time in Amish country. The fire wasn’t only burning underground in Centralia. The temperature in the tour bus was pretty high too, words were said, tempers frayed but, in true Leahy style, our disagreements are feisty but short lived. We did see a bit of graffiti highway, but nothing else and so it turned out we had taken a three hour round trip detour for no real reason. We live and learn and we moved on, physically and mentally.
It turned out we were right to leave early ... we did have just the right amount of time in Amish country. We saw our first buggy before we entered Lancaster county ...I so wanted to see a buggy ... and we were amazed at the small towns and the open countryside. It seemed like a very very affluent neighbourhood. We were quite surprised and both of us had a preconceived idea that the Amish farmers would be poor. We were very wrong. Simple and poor don’t always equate. Of course, not everyone in Lancaster County by any means is Amish or Mennonite.
As we drove on a fairly extensive loop we had pre-planned we enjoyed the beautiful countryside. Lovely farmhouses peppered the landscape, as did covered bridges and, I am pleased to say, buggies. We even saw a buggy hire/sale venue where they had dozens of them, I had worried that as it was Sunday everyone would be at church or quietly at home. In fact, it was possibly the opposite. Sunday was a chance to socialise with the other members of their community and we subsequently learnt they do not have churches but meet in each other’s houses on a rota basis. When you host church the bench wagon arrives a few days earlier as there are likely to be 60 plus people coming to your home and you need seats to seat them and tables for the meal you will provide afterwards. We saw how the benches and tables combined for ease and people would eat in shifts. I love the idea of going round to a different house each week for real community worship in the truest meaning of ‘church’ and I know you would only host every couple of months but the thought of feeding 60 people would terrify me. Possibly because I can’t cook I guess.
We enjoyed our preplanned driving tour but decided we would investigate one of the Amish tours. I had disregarded these out of hand initially as I said they would be very touristy and tacky and not at all authentic, but we realised there was no other way to learn anything and we did genuinely want to learn. So we ended up at The Amish Village and booked a tour of the house and the schoolroom. We spent a very pleasant three-quarters of an hour in the gift shop ... well, it was warm and they had free WiFi ...whilst we waited for the tour. We didn’t have high hopes as it seemed a little like Papa Lazaru’s Amish school and farmhouse .. Apologies for those of you who are not League of Gentlemen fans ... but in actual fact, it was very very good. The same girl who had sold us our tickets conducted the tour, but she was very knowledgeable, answered questions fully and it was both enjoyable and informative. The first part was in the school room which was interesting and we learned that school finishes as a very young age for the Amish and that they are all taught in one room school-houses by unqualified teachers ... usually, young women before they get married. I was fascinated at this very different take on education, but could see that they focus on the education needed for the lifestyle they live and that education happens out of the schoolroom just as much as within it.
We then went into the house and learned a great deal about how they dressed, what they would have in their home and interesting facts like they would have a telephone if it were needed for business etc but it was not in the house, but in a separate little outhouse so that it did not become a distraction.
We were fascinated with the concept of rumspringa. Which literally means running about. Amish teenagers have a bit more freedom when they are deemed to have reached maturity but have not yet chosen to be baptised, these youngsters are usually between 15 and 19 and they are allowed to experience different things to know the world a little. Clothing restrictions are less severe, they are all allowed to read other books, go out etc. It sounded very vague and I did wonder if it made it even harder for these youngsters to sample a less severe or strict type, of lifestyle and then have to give those freedoms back up again. However, I am guessing that their faith, their reliance on community and family is such that they find it easier than I might imagine to give these material things up.
Filled with Amish knowledge we then headed for something to eat. Not a huge range to chose from so we opted for IHOP. The menu was appealing for us in that it was similar to Denny’s but I have no idea why but we both felt a bit grim. The first booth we sat at was vibrating ... very odd. We both felt it and neither of us said anything for a while and then Nigel said, ‘does it feel like the floor is vibrating’ and I said yes, relieved I wasn’t going mad. We asked to move and the reaction of the waitress was that we were both mad ... clearly. We were also both freezing. I have no idea why ... it wasn’t that cold and we hadn’t been outside for ages or anything but it ended up being a quick meal and then such a quick check in to the hotel and an early night because we were cold and tired that neither of us can remember what the hotel was like at all.
Nigel's journal
Sunday 21st October
For breakfast this morning we have been looking forward to the City Diner that Karen had found in her research for suitable food in the area. We checked it was open early and the menu was suitable and both boxes had gotten ticks.
Turns out that one of us was actually not convinced when the time came to leave the hotel and was considering options of places we might be more familiar with!
She was just not sure
With encouragement we DID take the short walk just two and a bit blocks and it proved to be well worth it.
A Sunday morning in New York was something we enjoyed many years ago and have oft pondered that these quiet morning strolls amongst awakening cities have occurred often on our travels and have punctuated several previous trips.
Today’s was just as pleasant as the city was still partially slumbering. It was dark and a little cold but the streets were somehow inviting, with the lights from the adjacent buildings shining down and the sun beginning to make its first appearance.
At first sight the diner looked as though it might be closed as the window lights were around the corner from our approach. I held my breath long enough to be rewarded with the welcome glow of warmth and activity within as we reached the door.
Indeed, it was a most warming sight and the food smelled good as we entered.
A friendly welcome and just a sprinkling of other customers, making a similarly early 6.00am start, soon made us feel relaxed and we admired the décor which had been one of the attractions in the first place. It was rather typical but not so dated as the Roundabout Diner, on our first day, but it was lovely to experience the authenticity of the place and to blend in, once more, with the ‘locals’.
After a hearty meal, we made our way back to the hotel as the sunrise was taking effect, of course, pausing for photos along the way. After all, we had to record the diner itself and there was the inevitable stop at the waterfront for yet more of the Manhattan skyline. Sunrise was not as dramatic as the sunset last night but we captured it anyway.
Retrieving the car was simple and I very much approved of the spacious and secure parking garage, just another short walk away. I am even more pleased when I reach the very helpful attendant and the advertised fee of $25 dollars, for the overnight stay, is all that she requires. Somehow I felt there might just be a catch!
Our luggage was already safely stowed on the ‘borrowed’ trolley so we were swift in getting loaded up and away from the front entrance of the Hyatt.
Our first stop today will be at a little known monument just south of our location and deep in the cruise terminal serving Jersey City at Bayonne.
The memorial, ‘To the struggle against World terrorism’ perhaps casually known as the ‘Teardrop Memorial’ had been another find during our research. A Bold 40ft chrome teardrop is captured ‘weeping’ amidst a gash in the brick wall which stands 100ft high like an imposing monolith. It is in a small garden of remembrance and despite its imposing and thought provoking appearance has not received critical acclaim. In fact only a petition of local residents has kept it in place when the terminal was being developed into a container port.
We had practiced our route to get there and with our guidance working overtime due to a new road layout we soon were in the right area.
There was an air of foreboding as we entered the terminal. Everything seemed to suggest that this was a restricted area and we were expecting to be turned away at any moment!
Undeterred, we pressed on and thanks to the practice session on street view we negotiated the twists and turns and, without so much as one single official to prevent us, we pulled up in the empty parking lot.
This morning is windy and as Karen opens her passenger door a powerful gust flings it wide and we were glad there was no vehicles close by that it might have hit!
I don’t appreciate the coldness and windiness so endure the next ten minutes or so in just a T-Shirt while we frantically snap away from all angles. Karen is windblown to the extreme and having spent time getting herself ready is distraught that she feels wrecked within a mile or two of leaving for the rest of day.
There is an iciness in our van despite the warming effects of the heater as we depart the terminal preparing for our next stop.
We learned from Bill Bryson that there is a town in Pennsylvania called Centralia that has become a ghost town and is largely abandoned due to an underground strip mine that caught fire.
The blaze began in 1962 and, incredibly is STILL burning. It ignited our interest as a place to see and, with our route taking us within a half hour of the place, it seemed like a no brainer.
Our plan is to drive via Centralia into Amish country deeper in the state and to get a feel for both places, time permitting.
The journey to Centralia seems to be taking longer than anticipated, following the guidance is convoluted and involves some minor roads. It is already approaching mid-morning and we have a distance to go!
Of course, being largely deserted, there are no signs to the area and we are simply following Wikipedia descriptions of what to look for. As always we have done the dummy run on street view but it’s all rather vague.
Eventually we know we are close-by and some recognizable features come in to view. We are looking, primarily, for the closed section of highway now known as graffiti highway. I spot the location and it confirms itself with the number of parked cars and one or two people climbing over the embankment!
We join them and pick our way through the bushes and lo and behold there it is. Just as we had seen in the pictures, it’s a highly painted road, now buckled and broken due to subsidence.
In reality, there is not much to see but we photograph the moment and content ourselves that we have made it this far to see Centralia!
Time is short now and we decide together, although probably not at the same time, to abandon hopes of seeing much more here and head off to find the Amish.
Navigation takes over and we are soon in the heart of a farming community and it becomes obvious pretty quickly that these people are not quite the poor puritans that we had expected.
We spy several Amish buggies trotting their way along the highway at regular intervals but the most impressive part is the homes!
We have planned an elaborate loop to catch site of the area and take in several covered bridges. This proves mostly useless as road signs and route numbers are at a premium so we do our best to follow our noses. We actually make a good job of it seeing all we had hoped for and getting the feel for the place.
By now, it is well into the afternoon so fearing we will run out of time we head to the Amish Experience at Bird in Hand.
This turns out to be a rewarding experience despite first impression that it might be pretty tacky.
The young girl in the gift shop takes our booking for a tour of the schoolhouse which is due to start in around 20 mins. It’s a 40min commitment but we figure we should do it.
It transpires the same girl is our guide and she meets us at the front door. To our surprise, there are another half dozen people joining us to complete a pleasant group.
The girl is very knowledgeable and presents the story of the school and the Amish way of life extremely well. We feel we have learnt and understand it a lot better. We also know how to tell an Amish house from the rest, not just by the lack of electricity wires, but, by the little outhouse in the garden that must be used for any telephone calls!
Some of these homes with outhouses are such splendid mansions that it shows the money saved on technology is obviously well used for construction.
We leave the museum satisfied and feel that we have really seen what we came to see. Now its time for food so we make a beeline for the IHop we had already selected as our option as it is nearby and OPEN on a Sunday!
A strange experience awaits us on arrival. We both admit to feeling frozen and snuggle up in our fleece jackets. Independently we both reveal that it feels like the restaurant is vibrating, so much so we actually ask to move to a different table. It doesn’t solve the problem though and it merely convinces us that it is US that is vibrating not the surroundings!
The food is good and we feel warmer when we leave. The heater is on full blast in the van as we head for our hotel and by the time we arrive and check in to our room we feel thawed out but, to maintain our comfort, we have to turn up the heating in the room. Now there’s a first, I can’t recall ever before having to turn the dial to ‘heat’ in an American hotel!
Thank god for electricity and technology eh?
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