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At 30,000 feet, I look back upon the wonderful trip I had over hill and dale through the different cities and towns of (primarily) Pennsylvania. There are many of the beautiful towns, and I imagine what their grand pasts held when each town was a little agricultural or industrial center for producing the myriad items consumed throughout the country and world. Unfortunately, times have changed, and many of the main streets have transformed to trades catering to the tourist and service economy and the factories are all shuttered and overgrown. But the memories pour forth, and some of my best times are driving through the Appalachian Mountains to see all sorts of the city and (mostly) country folk.

But a leisurely drive across the old roads of Pennsylvania was a refreshing way to end my trip back east. I look forward to returning home to Bellingham, and although my life will be stress filled with continuing to build out businesses, I am overjoyed with being able to bike everywhere and not be car dependent (how awful), and not having to spend my days choosing between sweltering heat or frigid air conditioning. I will gladly trade the east coast stress for that of the west.

But as much as I miss parts of Pennsylvania, Washington is now my home, and with the rigors of the east being behind me, I can now begin my summer vacation in Bellingham. Although I get all mushy over the fun times I have (in Clarks Summit and beyond) and wax nostalgic, I fortunately love returning to my Washington home. And the views of the peaks of Mt. Adams, Hood, Rainier and St. Helens are second to none while flying in to SeaTac.

Bedford, PA

As in most of my journeys around Pennsylvania by car, I usually take the low road when the opportunity presents itself. Today was one such opportunity, and I gave myself enough time to take the Lincoln Highway across much of lower Pennsylvania. This trip back east was much better than my stay in Pittsburgh, and today I wound down my trip and look forward to my return to Bellingham. The weather here has been very Bellingham like (rainy cloudy and cooler) , while the weather in Bellingham has been beautiful.

Yet still, I enjoy how lush everything is, and the smells of life bursting forth. The spring weather can be nasty here and last Friday a horendous fron blew through with winds gusting to 60+ miles per hour. I was a litle concerned because my tent was pitched quite near the Susquehanna River and if it didn't get washed away, I feard it would get blown away. Fortunately, I staked it, and when I went to check it in the evening, it was bone dry inside and solidly pitched. I also bought the ground cloth for it, which probaly also helped keep it intact. Not bad for a hundred dollar tent.

Oh well, the highway beckons so my time in Beford at this little coffee shop will be very short lived. Bedford is like a thousand other little quaint towns that dot the landscape of Pennsylvania. Off to a friend's place in the Laurel Highlands (on my way back) before I stay at my sister's for a very early flight home. It's nice living in a town like Bllingham (and working at a job) that you really look forward to coming home to.

Poconos

A bit of time spent in Cleveland, a city of which I have generally fond memories and spent many summer plying its lake aboard my little Catalina 25. Back across the beautiful rolling hills covering Pennsylvania. No matter where you are in Pennsylvania, you can always see rolling-tree-covered hills.

And last night we met at a roadhouse in Mt. Pocono - a friend that lived down the street from me for many years that I hadn't seen in fifteen years or so - for drinks and catching up. I camped at Hickory Run State Park (see picture, although I really saw nothing except the bathrooms) and left this morning to pitch my tent on the Susquehanna River near Lake Winola and Falls, PA.

An odd thing: I rarely watched television, but while falling asleep on someone's couch, I was watching an old black and white movie called "A Place in the Sun." The next day I told my aunt how I missed the old movies like that and she told me how that movie was based upon an event that actually happened at Harvey's Lake, only a few miles away from where she lived for many decades. I dunno. I thought that was odd.

Back in the town I call my 'home town' of Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania. Down time spent at the library and a daytime of mellow fun to follow. Fortunately my trip has turn around entirely for the better.

Shadyside

Of the three attractive women in Pittsburgh that are not overweight, I think two of them can be found in Shadyside, a place I frequented and lived during much of my ten dark years spent in Pittsburgh in the nineties. So I went there for some coffee and business meetings this morning there in hopes of raising my spirits of an otherwise dismal visit to this forlorn city.

It didn't work, as the pervasive pall continued to suppress my usually resilient spirit. Other than a few glimmers of enjoyment (via friends and family), my time spent in Pittsburgh was depressing and despairing and my departure from Pittsburgh will not come soon enough. Tomorrow is thankfully off to Cleveland to visit more family. (The best part of my visit to Pittsburgh is frequently the "Welcome to Ohio" sign.) With the start to my vacation being so bad, it can only get better.

The beautiful stay in the Laurel Highlands so far the highlight of the trip and I wished I could have stayed there longer. But the Steel City drew me back like a bad relationship; tomorrow's itinerary looks brighter once I leave this rusty and deteriorating city. Off to sleep: the sooner I fall asleep, the sooner I can wake up and leave here.

Decompress

No picture, but maybe I will add one later. The weather turned beautiful here this afternoon, as I took a Westmoreland Transit bus out to Mount Pleasant last night and some friends picked me up and we relaxed entirely at their wonderful mountain home on the western ridge of the Laurel Highlands: an enclave of older houses set on large wooded lots. I used to cross country ski up here in the nineties and today is a wonderful way to spend the day here with old friends.

It's funny how the smells can recollect such vivid memories of bygone years and distant adventures. Running errands with them this morning was quite enjoyable - they stopped at all these little stores along Rt. 31 for the various locally-made (or grown) ingredients for the meal tonight.

Gotta get back outside to enjoy the day...

Incline

An uneventful flight into Pittsburgh yesterday. I am spoiled when my flights actually depart on time and arrive early. I was in a relaxed mood and flying (so infrequently) actually makes for a pleasurable time. My return to my old haunts of Pittsburgh are usually without much joy, and although I seek out some semblance of fondness for this town and its inhabitants, I fail to uncover it.

Business and family bring me here, and will not miss seeing it in my rear-view mirror as I depart early next week. Sad to say, but I cannot sugarcoat my feelings here. This city is dirty, worn and forlorn, and I miss the warmth of Bellingham already. I feel like Phaedrus on his return to Montana and the reemerging specters of the past. But I think you need a few crummy years in life to truly appreciate the good ones. And it's not really the city of Pittsburgh, but moreso the time in my life when I spent here.

But I did meet up with an old friend this morning, and was able to take the Mon Incline into town. A hot, humid day today with soupy skies. Off to visit a friend in the Laurel Highlands this evening. Then back tomorrow for more family.

Chickens.

The chickens have moved to the back outbuilding attached to the garage. I think they liked the comfort of living in the home, but I am sure they will adapt. How sad that I sit here thinking about these animals huddled in the corner of their dark new home subjected to the wilds of this urban evening. Opossums, raccoons, cats,...I think they are safe in their new home. They'll be okay. The bantam is quite fiesty, and always jumping the fence in the back coop. I was told that he will eventually get too big. He crows in the morning, and I hope the neighbors are okay with that, as it get light around 4:30am here in the morning.

But on a brighter note, I did get some straw for the chickens (so far a single egg cost me sixty bucks), along with more cardboard to cover with the fir, pine and spruce wood chips in the front and side yards. I think the neighbors said they were okay with me covering their yard too. A hugely productive day, and hopefully an equally productive tomorow, so I am not stressed when I am trying to relax on my quasi-holiday set to begin in the latter part of the week.

Oh, and the picture of the bantie up top is not ours. Did you know that bantam chickens are amoung the oldest domesticated animals in the world?