Our heat could be worse

 It's late July, so it shouldn't be surprising that the heat has been turned up to just below 'volcanic'. York is hovering around the 90 degree mark almost daily-- down from last week's near 100-- and humidity seems equally oppressing. 

Often, just to feel somewhat lucky, I check weather in Quitman, Texas, where friends Jim and Glenda Schill enjoy their summer. For the next 10 days, temps there will hit at least 100-- it'll be 107 Monday, Tuesday AND Wednesday.  Of course, fortunes will change in mid-February when we're shoveling knee-deep snow and they're enjoying calmer weather.

Surviving the recent heat wave is as easy as jumping into the Graham Aquatic Center pool. Campers at Camp Pennwood, Nate (above)  and Jose and other campers hit the pool once a week during the six-week camp. The camp was donated a major improvement this year, central air conditioning for the main building.  For the first time in the camp's 50-year history, campers can enjoy the cool of camp. A terrific camp suddenly got even better.

From the Arc's web site-- Since it was founded in 1962, Camp Pennwood has provided children with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to enjoy a traditional day camp. Our campers, ages 6 to 21, enjoy age-appropriate activities such as arts and crafts, archery, swimming, horseback riding and musical activities during camp's six-week summer run.

Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro

Most look up and admire the stars. A champion climbs a mountain and grabs one.

Chris Glass, a former photography colleague of mine at the York Daily Record and now the communications director at IMA World Health, is heading for Africa. In his current position, he travels the world, capturing the good deeds his organization does. Can't imagine a better gig.

But in September, he's taking his job a step further. He'll climb 19,000'  Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa to raise funds for cancer care and research. To help Chris with his work and donate a few bucks, check his blog here. The York Dispatch, my current part-time employer, ran a video this morning that I put together on Chris. 

Camp Pennwood 2011

From The Arc of York County's website-- Since it was founded in 1962, Camp Pennwood has provided children with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to enjoy a traditional day camp. Campers, ages 6 to 21, enjoy age-appropriate activities such as arts and crafts, archery, swimming, horseback riding and musical activities during camp's six-week summer run.

Among the camp-wide activities this summer, the York Revolution's mascot, Downtown, stopped for a visit, played a board game and even slid into the kitchen to find what was for lunch.

The Steven Courtney band entertained the campers on one morning. “I strive to write songs that kids and parents can be entertained by, while they are together, enjoying each other’s company,” says the Pennsylvania-based songwriter. “It’s magnificent to really enjoy music with your child and not have to pretend!

McGruff, the Crime Dog, is always a big hit. The York Area United Fire and Rescue wets down the parking lot with the campers taking aim with the fire hose.  The 4-H Petting Zoo, Nixon County Park and volunteers who make lunch, teach archery and bring their service dogs all make camp work, as it has for nearly 40 years.

Cat Appreciation Day

In honor of today's Cat Appreciation Day, undoubtedly designated a special day by someone with too much time on their hands,  I present to you "Izzy".  She's the second prettiest cat I've ever seen.

Izzy is my cat, although two cats make our house their home. Sport is the other, a 15-year old with a giant personality and energy to put most kittens to shame.  But Izzy is mine.

She was once a wild cat, living under the neighbor's porch for two years. Through snow, cold, rain, she lived there, and how she managed to keep herself beautiful -- not caked in mud -- is a mystery.

Began putting food out for her, then in winter added a small warming blanket. She was always around, adopting us slowly, and we always wondered,  "Is he out there?"   "Is he", became Izzy. One spring, we discovered Izzy was being especially friendly to the neighborhood tom cats, guessed Izzy was in fact a female (duh!) had her fixed, and officially changed her name to Isabella.

At about the same time we moved into a new house, we lost Bernadette, a dear 17-year old cat. We wanted a pair of cats so they could play, so we picked up Izzy and introduced her to the new house.

Never did I think she would submit to living inside, after being outdoors her entire life. But we gave it a shot. Five years ago, I put her down on the thick, soft carpet and she's not stepped outside since.  You could see the thoughts-- "Hm, carpet, regular food, soft places to sleep, no dogs, no snow, people who love me. Life is good."

She was a svelte feline when she adopted us, but five years of good food has made her blossom. Although she doesn't appreciate the nickname "Wide Load" and gives a dirty look to whoever calls her that, it's true.  She's double Sport's weight. We wanted another cat so Sport would have a playmate.  Sport plays, Izzy watches.

Izzy isn't the lap cat I had hoped for, because her first two years spent dodging pit bulls, cars, kids on bikes made her very careful and timid. She hears everything, and is wary of even the tiniest squeak or creak in the house.

But every night, she sneaks up on the bed, and I brush her long hair for a few minutes. She purrs, I purr, and life is good.



* * * * * * *

Signs that your cat is too fat, from the web site   http://www.joke-archives.com/cats.html

• Confused guests constantly mistaking her for beanbag chair.
• Fewer calls to the fire department, but a sudden upsurge in broken branches.
• No longer cleans itself unless coated in Cheese Whiz.
• Catfood dish replaced with Rush Limbaugh trough.
• It's no longer safe to lift her without a spotter.
• Waits for the third bowl of food to get finicky.
• She only catches mice that get trapped in her gravitational pull.
• Enormous gut keeps your hardwood floors freshly buffed.
• Has more chins than lives.

 

They want to be millionaires

"Who Wants to Be  a Millionaire" pulled into Harrisburg Monday, luring hundreds of people wanting to become wealthy.

Some fans had waited since midnight for the chance to take a 10-minute, 30-question test that would get them one step closer to a million dollars. For the 40 or so lucky ones who passed the test in each session (out of about 400), a personal interview-- looking for dynamic personalities-- followed. 

Reality TV has wandered into the area twice in the last month, the first being Extreme Makeover Home Edition and now Millionaire. 

But 'reality' certainly shouldn't be included in the description. There was very little real about the show's production. Both were choreographed to the minute. It was rather disheartening to see it.

Float down the Codorus Creek

 Steve Swope owns and operates Codorus Creek Outfitters, taking rafters, floaters and kayakers down the creek to his takeout point at Days Mill Road and the Heritage Rail Trail.

  Now, the Codorus Creek has long been known as something other than a recreational paradise, but Swope is doing what he can to change its image, giving people a chance to float quietly downstream and through some pretty country.

The Codorus is not dangerous--in a whitewater rafting kind of way--since it's only ankle to waist deep and the 'rapids' are more like ripples that would make whitewater experts snicker.

Don't expect the excitement of the Snake River or even the Cheat or Youghiogheny Rivers. In this section of the creek, the Codorus is a floater. But for a quiet, cooling summer day trip, it might be the perfect way to spend a day off with the kids.

Happy Fourth of July

Fireworks from a country western music festival near Buffalo were quite a sight, some of the most beautiful ever seen. But there wasn't a place from which to get something in the foreground to make the fireworks snap.

Photoshop to the rescue. The lighthouse was from somewhere on the Atlantic coast, pasted onto the fireworks. For all the time it took for this non-graphic artist to piece this together, I could have painted it quicker.

I apologize for the cutting and pasting, but the holiday sentiment is the same-- hope you had a happy and safe Fourth, and you remembered and thanked our military personel for their service.