Just a dashboard decoration

Thought this group of six Amish youngsters was bringing home a tree to plant when spotted along the highway near Strasburg, Lancaster County.

Nope, they were out for a Sunday ride and wanted to decorate their buggy with a bamboo shoot. Certainly turned some heads.

They wanted to see the pictures when they stopped at my car and all had a good laugh.

All three teams win

 All three of the baseball/softball teams in district three competition won Thursday in Millersville.

All three were nail-biters, if you'll excuse the cliche', but the Central game was terrific.

The game was scoreless through the regular seven innings, and the game stretched on. In the bottom of the ninth, with a runner on first base, a Central batter missed the bunt sign.  Moments later, she connected on the longest fly ball of the game--over the left fielder's head--and the runner, a freshman, scored.  Game over. Oh, and by the way, the pitcher threw a no-hitter.

The West York boys scored five runs in the first inning, and then hung on to beat Lancaster Catholic. The Dallastown girls pulled out another close one with a 3-2 win over Wilson. For more photos, click here to see more photos on the York Dispatch gallery pages.

New Jersey bike ride

Biked a part of  New Jersey's Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park bike path over the weekend. A perfect day for outdoor anything, probably, but the biking was superb.

The canal parallels the Delaware River on the New Jersey side, and there's another trail on the Pennsylvania side that buzzes through New Hope, a little town that its chamber of commerce calls "sophisticated yet country-casual town". There are plenty of elegant, trendy shops, a tourist train and scenic beauty along the river.  Bring your credit cards or a thick wallet.

On June 2, the New Hope Historical Society Garden Tour kicks off, with tours of six private gardens from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cost is $30.  New Hope is about 120 miles from York, and a 2.5 hour drive

Arrive early in New Hope and Lambertville, because tourist season is here, and parking is tough to find already. Unfortunately, last year's storm ripped the area, and the bike trail in Pennsylvania is still not fully repaired. Check locally for more updates.

In New Jersey, the flat trail is packed well and shaded, so even in mid summer, the ride would be a pleasant one. Like York County's Heritage Rail Trail, small towns along the trail offer a place for relief of sore bottoms and dry throats, or a place to spend the night and make the return trip the next day.

Stopped at Frenchtown for lunch, and while it wasn't nearly as crowded as New Hope and Lambertville, we paid $12 for a hamburger and fries. For anything more, I'd have to leave my bike as collateral. Lambertville is famous for its many antique shops.

On the way back, we stopped at a couple iris flower farms and bought a few to decorate the houses. Don't know why, but there are plenty of area farms that specialize in irises at which to pick your favorite color.

Just playin'

Photoshop is a graphic artist's workshop, with all its tools and effects. A barn near Hanover was pretty, but needed 'something', so I tried to make it a painting with PS. Unhappily, it often happens that a scene seen through my eyes is so superior to whatever I'd get with a camera-- no matter how much time or resources I put into it.  It's frustrating...

Mother's Day Truck Convoy

More than 400 trucks of all shapes and sizes wailed their way up and down Lancaster County's route 222 Sunday for the 23rd annual Make-A-Wish Mother's Day Truck Convoy.  

From the website-- Since 1980, the Make-A-Wish Foundation has enriched the lives of children with life-threatening medical conditions through its wish-granting work. The Make-A-Wish Foundation was founded in 1980 after a little boy named Chris Greicius realized his heartfelt wish to become a police officer. Since its humble beginnings, the organization has blossomed into a worldwide phenomenon, reaching more than 250,000 children around the world.

 While the big rig 18-wheelers were the stars of the show, ambulances, fire trucks, and commercial trucks belonging to plumbers, lawn maintenance companies, bakers and home remodelers made as much noise as possible, to the delight of most of the crowd.

Parade fans were strung along the route, some bringing lawn chairs to watch in the high grass, while others stayed in their cars and out of the hot sun.

A large Amish crowd gathered at the Oregon Pike exit, with their buggies parallel-parked along the road.

Walk a Mile in Her Shoes

 While Friday's Walk a Mile in Her Shoes through downtown York was all in good fun, why it was necessary-- to call attention to rising domestic abuse-- was terribly serious.


Sabrina Duke told her story about how her relationship went sour, and then went downright dangerous when one day she feared for her life.


Men wobbling down the sidewalks was a comical sight, and some of the guys went a step further, including wigs, snappy dresses and makeup.

Ben Seebold's costume captured most of the 'looks'.Ben's before and after photo is at left.  The 13-year old's wig of long blonde hair, electric red hat, heels, short skirt and snappy parasol would probably attract a lot of grief from his classmates at school, except that he's a black belt in karate.   Definitely not the guy to pick on.

   From CNN's website--  Recent reports indicate that rates of reported domestic violence incidents are on the rise.
   Many point to the economic recession as a factor causing the spike, such as the Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation which found that 75 percent of domestic violence shelters in the U.S. reported an increase in women seeking help since September. The report concluded that 73 percent of these shelters attribute this rise to financial issues.

Ah, 'tis the rose

  
If I had a rose for every time I thought
 of you, I'd be picking roses for a lifetime.

 The rose, in all its graceful and mellow, or electric and startling colors can be a burden if you don't enjoy getting your hands dirty. But it's only work when you'd rather be doing something else. In the scorching days of summer, I tend roses like some people tend their children.


For a list of all the different meanings of the different colors of roses, click here.  For more information about roses, check with the American Rose Society.

Roses are a hobby, and I tend about 10 bushes of mostly hybrid tea roses, which are generally the largest flowered, most common. The grandiflora and floribunda are loaded with more blossoms and therefore more color, but flowers aren't as big. The low-care bush roses are becoming quite popular because they don't require constant 'supervision' and a watchful eye for bugs and disease.

The photos above are of a Mr. Lincoln, right, a Pristine in the center, and an unknown grandiflora at left.

I'd rather have roses on my table
 than diamonds on my neck.

Garden Club of York coloring the city

Summer is never far behind when the Garden Club of York hangs 122 baskets of colorful petunias and begonias throughout downtown York.

Kayaking the Conestoga River/Creek

 Took on the mighty Conestoga River, with the help of some friends, many of whom play Pickle Ball in the Lititz Rec Center.

Pickle Ball? That's another story for a later time.

Eleven of us maneuvered down the creek to the Lancaster County Park, and even those who had never sat in a kayak before finished safely.  There were a few rapids, more like wrinkles, and we scraped the bottom with our paddles most of the three-hour trip. The water was very low.

To contact the Lancaster Canoe Club, click here. For information about a York club, the Conewago Canoe Club, click here.

Even if we had dumped, it wouldn't have been much of a problem. Rocks were more of a hazard than the water, and Bob, our fearless leader and scout, had his kayak jammed against a rock. As shown in the top photo, the water wasn't knee-deep, so he got out and dragged it away from the rock.

It's a good bit of water on which to test out whether you want to take up kayaking or canoeing. And there is plenty in York County as well, including the Codorus Creek, Conewago Creek, Muddy Creek and of course, the Susquehanna River and the lakes at Pinchot and Codorus State Parks.

By the way, some of our group didn't wear personal floatation devices (safety vests). But they all had them in the boat, and I'd suggest wearing them ALL the time, no matter how deep or fast the water.

Grazing the fields

50's and 60's dance at Aldersgate Methodist

A few scenes from Aldergate United Methodist Church's ageless 50s and 60s night on Friday. York Little Theater's Spotlight Singers provided the entertainment, including surfing songs, love songs that even the men could dance to, car songs and all the others that those in attendance remembered from their youth.   Bury's Hamburgers, coney island hot dogs and fries were served before the dance. Was good fun, and the hamburgers were a nice touch.