IN THE FIELD: Front Lawn Decor

 

There seems to be no boundaries when it comes to exhibiting objects on front lawns.

Some of the more common items seen around these parts are the retro pink flamingos, windmills, lighthouses, wishing wells, and gazing balls. And then there are the ceramic frogs and toadstools, and various critters from the forest. Small cement human figures holding lanterns, and concrete deer stuck in a pose that lasts an eternity make occasional appearances. Oh, and lest we forget the garden gnomes. I mean, what’s a garden without a few dozen garden gnomes?

And what’s with the two sections of fence at the end of driveways that seem to have no meaning. Are these supposed to tell others where the corner of the lawn may or may not be? Or was the homeowner intending on fencing the whole property and just quit right there? We may never know.

I wondered for about a minute whether geography plays a part in what one may see on front lawns. Apparently it doesn’t. This supersized Texas Longhorn skull is not exhibited on an expansive ranch out west where it would more likely be seen. Nope, it’s back East. This lawn ornament resides in front of a home in a residential area of a small town. Across the street from the home is an apartment complex and a block down the street is a grocery store. 

A curiosity…certainly. Quirky….absolutely!

 

 

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IN THE FIELD: Rural Road Sightings

 

A couple of weeks ago I took a drive to the city with my best friend. We decided to run the back roads rather than the major highways. Back roads are way less stressful than running on the amateur race tracks. Besides, by driving the back roads, if you see something of interest and want to stop and check it out, it’s way easier to pull over and explore. Try doing that when other vehicles are zooming past at 50 to 70 miles per hour.

We were only about 15 minutes from our destination, still on back roads when we crested the last hill and lo and behold was the sight you see pictured. This brought out roars of laughter and various uttered reasons for putting the bicycles in the tree. My friend had the funniest one. 

“Well them there bikes are for sale and I just got tired of the gosh darn things constantly falling over in the front yard. So I just hung ‘em up in the tree.”

It just goes to show…you never know what you’ll see out there driving the back roads.

IN THE FIELD: OLEY VALLEY COMMUNITY FAIR

A few weeks ago I paid a visit to the Oley Valley Community Fair. This fair has been a community tradition for 72 years.

First a bit of history…

The Oley valley is a fertile farming area in southeastern Pennsylvania where all sorts of livestock is raised and crops are grown. The valley encompasses several townships. In fact the history of the Oley Valley goes way back to the first German settlers of the early 1700’s. The township of Oley was formed in 1740 and in 1983 the entire township was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Daniel Boone was born in the valley. His family had a small farm where he lived until his early teens.

There are some neat old homes in fine condition in the town of Oley and many historic farmsteads in the valley.

Now back to the fair. I visited on the second day of the fair just as the gates where opening. Good thing I did because several exhibiters I was chatting with, mentioned that in a few hours mobs of people would descend on the fairgrounds.

 

There were several buildings/exhibit halls filled with baked goods, home canned goods, quilts, crafts, photography, examples of veggies, fruit crops, and all sorts of plants and flowers, all grown or made by adults as well as children. Local business were represented in yet another building. Outside in the fairgrounds, tractors and farm equipment were on display as were other forms of recreational equipment such as boats and all terrain vehicles. Open air buildings and tents housed exhibits of sheep, goats, pigs, cows, and rabbits to be observed and even petted if you wished. Ribbons and some cash prizes were awarded for the best of the best. 

There was a bandstand where one could sit and listen to various musical groups while resting one’s feet. Food is another big thing at this fair. I seriously doubt you could go hungry. The amusement rides and the tractor pulls were a big draw along with the antique and classic car show. I missed the really big tractor pulls which were held the day before, but it was still fun to watch the smaller ones. And by the way, what is a community fair with out a pumpkin growing contest? Well I have to admit I have never seen in person so many huge pumpkins. The winner was a huge 799 pounder. 

It was a great day for meandering around the fairgrounds and I am looking forward to visiting again next year. Maybe I’ll even try some of the famous French fries…it was a little early in the morning this time around.

 

IN THE FIELD: It’s A Jungle Out There

It was a long way up there, and the views were terrific… but I have to say it was a relief to be back on the ground.

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IN THE FIELD: Memories

A few months ago we moved into our new home and have been periodically unpacking the few remaining boxes of stuff we have accumulated over the years. I was storing my countless boxes of slides from long ago and came across several that were tagged Maine photos. Well…I just had to take a quick peek. I found shots of boats, gardens, scenics, and probably my all-time favorite photo from that time in my life. It’s not the best photo I have taken, but it sure brings back a flood of wonderful memories.

Here is the story behind the photo in this post. My wife and I were camping for a few weeks on Mount Desert Island in Maine. We spent most of our time exploring the area on foot and by car.

Backtracking a bit…before we left on our trip I asked my Mom where the lobster pound she and my father had taken our family to for dinner one night when we were just little kids. And from what my Mom could remember, it may have been in Bernard Maine, Southwest Harbor, or maybe even Bass Harbor. Or somewhere in that general vicinity. The lobster pound was a place named “Black’s”.

Now, back to the camping trip. One evening we took a break from cooking over a campfire and went on a quest to find the lobster pound named “Black’s”. Rather than looking in a local phone book for the address like most folks would have done…yes back then there where phone books in roadside phone booths… we aimlessly drove around the countryside looking for this dining establishment named Black’s.

As we came around a bend in the road, we saw the gentleman in the photo standing near one of the many docks in the area. I pulled over and we got out of the car to ask him if he knew where Black’s was located. I mentioned I had been there as a young boy and wanted to take my wife there to experience a fresh out of the water lobster meal.

Well, much to our dismay, the man told us Black’s was closed for the season. Slumped shoulders ensued. Then he said, “if you’re looking for lobsters, mine are coming in on that boat right now. You are welcome to come over to my place and my wife and I will fix you dinner.”

That was an offer we just couldn’t refuse. We followed him over to his restaurant/diner/cafe/one room eating establishment. As he turned up the fire on the big steamer that was outside, we headed inside to place our order. We were greeted by the man’s wife and after some chit-chat she made some recommendations for our meal. We decided on the same meal for each of us. One lobster, along with an ear of fresh steamed corn, one dozen mussels and one dozen clams. Plus two cold beers each. After hiking all day we figured all that should fill us up. The lady then suggested to us to have the best seat in the house. The picnic table out on the front porch. So that’s where we headed.

We sat down at the table and our host brought out a cold beer for each of us. Shortly after that she brought out the feast. After a few minutes of splurging on fresh seafood dipped in warm butter, the man and his wife, along with their cat sat down to join us. We shared many stories, laughed a lot…it’s good for the digestion…and just had a grand time together. We may not have found “Blacks” that day, but we sure did find a gem!

IN THE FIELD: Does Your Dog Have A License?

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IN THE FIELD: Honey, Where Are The Car Keys?

IN THE FIELD: New Discovery

In our travels last weekend, we discovered a farmers market that is new to us. We enjoy shopping in places like this for several reasons. Not only is the food grown or raised locally, but it is also educational. The folks there love to chat about their farms and products they sell.

It is a rather lengthly list of what venders were marketing, but here are some examples. They were selling fruits and vegetables, homemade noodles and pasta, fresh meats, baked goods, honey, fresh homemade cheeses, and other dairy products, jams, jellies, and other canned/preserved items. One family operation was selling various kinds of flour that is grown, harvested, and milled at their farm.

This display of colorful woven baskets was just outside the entrance. We couldn’t resist buying one to carry all our purchases. It is harvest season, so our basket will be put to good use in the weeks ahead.

IN THE FIELD: Oh, to Be A Kid Again

Back in the day I took a boat trip down the Intercoastal Waterway from Maryland to Florida. This photo was taken when we were in the Albemarle Sound, North Carolina. It is the largest freshwater sound in North America, roughly 50 – 60 miles across.

I was head cook on this voyage, and normally when I was down below preparing meals, the guys went easy on me. After all, it was up to me to feed them. On this particular afternoon lunch detail, something was a little different. Judging by the sounds of the engines and the pounding of the boat on the waves, I knew we were moving along at a good clip. Ripping across large bodies of water like this at full throttle can make food prep a challenge.

I heard conversations from up on deck which explained a few things.

“Dad, can we head over this way?” “How about over here?” “Can I turn the boat real hard and make it lean?”

“Ok Son, just go easy. Uncle David is down below trying to make us lunch.”

I came up from my station below decks with a pot of steaming shrimp we had bought fresh a few hours before. And there was my eight year old nephew at the helm, kneeling on the seat with the biggest grin I have ever seen on his face.

In fact, we got some pretty amazing looks and smiles from other boaters as the young boater zoomed past them…at a safe distance of course.

Well, that novice boater who had the smile from ear to ear while running the boat has grown up to be a fine young man. He is getting married in a few weeks and he still gets that big Cheshire grin whenever we bring up stories of boating and running at full throttle.

IN THE FIELD: Those Magnificent Flying Machines

I have a fascination with aircraft of any kind, and to me, vintage airplanes have the biggest attraction. There is something about a machine constructed of wood, fabric, and metal in perfect form and function, which allows a human to fly.

I was driving by a small privately-run airfield and noticed this biplane on final approach for a landing. It wasn’t easy to miss the bright yellow paint against the blue sky. I pulled over, grabbed the camera and ran up to the fence to get a couple of shots. I wasn’t in time to get photos of the plane while in flight, but I did get a few as it taxied back to the hanger.

This is a Boeing-Stearman. They were made in the 1930’ thru the 1940‘s and used primarily as training aircraft.