Thank You To My Family

  This has been long over due, but I will publicly say it here. I am extremely Thankful for my family.  Ours may not be a perfect story book family, but, from my own personal observations, I would not trade them in for anything.  Ours like most now is a global family. We all were based from one city.  But, in part to modern technology and just the way the world operates, we have grown up, and out ward.

  First, my oldest brother, went to a seminary for his High School education, and to finally determine if the life of the priesthood would be for him. As it is in nature, he was the first to fly the coop as it were. Upon graduation from High School, he came back home for a bit, and was working back in the home town.  At this time, Viet Nam was starting to warm up, and he enlisted in the Air Force.  That was his big step in moving away.

  Next in line was my oldest sister, she went to Columbus Ohio, first as I understood it to live and help my uncle and his family there.  She decided to live there when she moved out on her own. Due to circumstances, she did decide to come back to Erie, and started a life on her own. She made her own life but stayed in same area as her birth.

  Middle brother stayed, and went to college, upon graduation, he had a job landed, and started a family.  At first, he too made a life in hometown area.  But, Work had offered him a promotion but was far from hometown.  Eventually, he did come back but after some years, and another job, he moved away out of state once again.  Thankfully, to a neighboring state, and was close enough to visit.

  Middle sister started out on her own in home town, but life circumstances came in and opportunity arose to move to town where middle brother and his wife and family were.  She stayed with them for a bit, and moved out on her own and has stayed in that state ever since.

  Next came I, and there is one that never leaves the nest as it were, and that is myself.  I stayed here, and as luck would have it, for 49 years now, I am still in the same apartment where the family radiated from. I have stayed here, and I guess, afraid to move away.  I cannot break the paradigm of where my comfort zone is.

  That leaves one more. Youngest sister met someone moved out of the nest to start out on her own. Due in part to the technologies mentioned back in the beginning, she met some one from far away from the nest, and  she made a choice to expand her horizons, and move away from the nest. Eventually  she too moved back closer to the original nest, but still out of state.

  After all this long introduction, I have to say that no matter that we found ourselves spread all out across the USA, we all still kept in contact.  First, there were cards and letters, you know, snail mail.  There were always phone calls as well, but that was mostly for holidays, and other special events.  With the technology of the internet, we, although still far apart, were brought closer just due the instant communications. This had brought us closer even over the miles, and thousands of miles apart.

  Like all families, we have our disagreements and arguments, and even can throw a huff at one another, but as times and troubles hit we would always band back together to deal with it. We always look out for one another.  After the time when both of our parents have passed, I have hit a rough patch with a job. And here from my observations, and not of others, I will give some examples.  My siblings have helped me monetarily while I have been dealing with this. My youngest sister has mother-henned me some, and I will admit it here, and I had accepted.  My older brother and his wife have blessed me with a  used vehicle, the other vehicle I had was becoming a very deep money pit.  All have contributed in some way.  I say this maybe out of rotation in the events of life, but, I wanted to show how great a family I have.

  We may fight, and we may argue, but we always have, and always will be family.  Some of my friends family cannot claim the same, some have siblings that they have disowned, or just will never talk to again, Some have moved away, and their family does not even know where they are. I can boast that ours has never been this way.  And for that I am forever thankful.

I SPY WITH MY OWN EYE........ GOOGLE GOOGLEING NEIGHBORHOOD

 Have you ever wondered how Google ever got a photo of your house for street level maps on Google Maps?  Well, I do know the answer!  I was on an undercover mission, and my mission was to find out how Google did this!  Due to my sneakiness and stealth, I caught them in the act!

  Actually, I was out and about to shoot some Fall foilage as well as steel head trout coming up stream to spawn.  We have been hitting 50 degree weather of late at night, and that generally marks the time when the trout and salmon will come back into the streams to do their fall spawn.

  Anyway, I was getting sidetracked there for a moment. On my way out and about, I espied this vehicle and it pulled out infront of my brother and I.  What was that on the roof?  So, we got a bit close, and we caught Google Googeling a Fairview PA neighborhood.  There is an antenna mounted to the roof, and there are 4 cameras as well pointing to the four directions.  If you get to look closer on the third photo, you will see that the decorations on the vehicle is actually a map.

My Next Imaginary Profession

 Last week, my imaginary calling, or profession was to be MacGyver.  Well, Life moves on, and like a youngster, I dream of what I want to be when I grow up.  I have changed my mind due to unforeseen circumstances.  MacGyver came about by a real life experience, and today was no exception.  It started on Friday.  AS I went to go out and go to the bank, I clicked my clicker, and I did hear the clicks of my car doors unlocking.  Life is normal! 

  Or, so I thought.  thinking and looks both can be deceiving.  I got to the drivers side door, and without a thought, put my hand into the handle and went to open the door.  It stuck, and did not open.  Pulled my hand back in pain.  I had thought I broke my fingers.  My door was locked. I tried the clicker again, and same results, only this time I watched the button go up and down. And yet, door was still shut tight.

 Going old style, I inserted the key into the lock, and yest the same results. Manually, I went around the car, and each of the other 3 doors open as they should. Just not the cursed drivers door.  Grr. Well, I need to get in and on my way.  I attempted different entries into the car.  After many trials and errors, I found the easiest way for me to enter the car, is to climb into the car from back seat, and reaching my hand in against the drivers door, I hit the switch to recline the drivers seat fully, and then climb in over it.  As to exiting the car, I just would recline the seat, and crawl back and exit thru the rear drivers side door.  It is too cold to just leave window open and enter as a NASCAR driver. I called my Monro Pit crew, but the soonest they could get me in was on Sunday morning.  

  Rest of the weekend, I would open the back door, climb over the reclined seat and get into drivers position, and then would raise up the back of the seat to drive. When I got to my destination, I would recline the seat and contort to climb out of the back seat.  It was a sight to see.  I am starting to get used to it.  I must admit, it does bring some curious stares from people as they watch me.  

  Going back to when I made my call to my Pit Crew, They had told me that in order to work on the mechanism, they would have to remove the door panel, and I agreed that would be the best way.  But, to remove the door panel, they need the door open.  I said I knew that, and that was why I was calling them.  

  I arrived early for the appointment.  This is not a normal job that they perform, they had brought in an outsider who has experience.  That being said, with a Slim Jim, it still took over two hours to get the door open, and panel removed and parts in hand.  Here is where it is getting interesting.  N ow with part in hand, it will be my job to find a replacement. If I go to the dealer, and if they have the part, it will be more than an arm and a leg.  So, I am tasked with finding a replacement via an Auto Reclamation center.  Sounds much better than say Junk Yard, doesn't it?  

  Now you must be thinking, with the works removed from the door panel, how am I going to keep the door closed and latched.  American Ingenuity!  That's how.  No, It is not Duct Tape.  Not this time anyway....Yet. No, I have it lashed to the back door with a bungee cord.  To get in, I climb into front passenger seat, reach across, and unhook, then go and climb in normally. This will be my ingress and egress until I get the part. Below are a few photos.  If you look closely on last two photos, you can see the bungee cord in the upper left corner of the photos.

  For my brother Mike, does not the second from the bottom photo remind you of the "Thunder Chicken?" So, for this week, I want to be a NASCAR driver.  Look for me on a track near you soon!

MacGyver Lives On

 Last night, as evening is due to close, I went to the home library to do a little a little light reading and take a shower before calling it a night.  the time is 10:50 PM.  As I contemplate the world, and just relax a little, my phone goes off in the living room.  If you are familiar with my new phone, as it starts to ring with an incoming call, It also announces who is calling, if they are on my address list, or, at the very least, the number who is calling.

  As the number is being called off, I wonder what sort of trouble "Dalton" could be getting into this time. Wait, wait, it is not Dalton, it is Aunt Mary, and she is in trouble. I run naked from bathroom to living room to get the phone.  She is really in a jamb.  Her bathroom door is locked. She cannot make entry.  I hurry back, and get some clothes on before I go to investigate in person.

 I arrive and find Aunt Mary in her night gown awaiting my arrival.  She has her house keys in hand, but cannot unlock the door.  What suspense!  Hmm, what to do?  All I have for tools on me is my Swiss Army Knife on my belt. But, there are no blades for opening locked bathroom doors.  What would MacGyver do?  looking around to see what was on hand, I see I have my ball point pen in my shirt pocket.  An Inspiration! Eureka!  I got it!  Just as Mac would do, I disassemble the ink pen, take the spring off of the nib of the pen, and insert the pen insert nib first into the hole on the knob.  Feeling around, I feel it in the indent inside the knob, and with gentle pressure, I indent the spring while carefully turning the knob, and voila, the knob turns and we are IN!  Wahoo!  Proceeded next to unlock the door from inside and allow Aunt Mary to take care of business. Another case solved, and the damsel in distress is rescued.

THAT'S JUST NOT FUNNY

I am going to quote one of  my favorite sisters today.


" OH, OH, That's Just Not Right! On So Many Levels"

 Today when I was out, and on my way home from work, I had stopped in a parking lot, and below are some photos of a vehicle I was parked next to.  I had to look twice to be sure I saw what I saw.  Included below are three photos of the front end of a car.  Who would think this was even cute?  I do not know if the rhinestones were glued on, or bolted thru the hood, but I just could not get over this. Some one had attached eye lashes over their front headlights.  Yes, you heard me correctly, Eye lashes over the headlights of a car. When I told a friend about this, I was informed this was not new, they had seen it once before.

  Laugh, or weep, that is up to the individual, but for me, What a waste.

MILESTONES

 Today is one of those days upon which we reach a milestone in our lives.  today, Wednesday, 08-08-2012, was such a day for me.I have driven the Honda CR-V for a number of years now, and thru many mishaps and injuries to the vehicle.  You can refer to older blogs about some of these events.  Now, like everyone, we all need our periodic maintenance.  For vehicles, it is oil, fluids, tires etc.  Well, car is a bit weaker now thru age.  It was born and still is only a 4 cylinder vehicle.  It is showing its age.  Rust is coming thru, Unexplainable knocks and wheezes and loss of some power. But, thru all that this vehicle has seen, it has achieved a milestone.  I have added two photos below in order to share with you.  This is a 1999 Honda CR-V of which today has hit the 200,000 mile mark.

Sunset Over Lake Erie

  On Friday evening, 7-20-2012,on the anniversary date of man landing on the moon, it had finally stopped raining.  It had rained for two days straight in Erie.  At last, we had a fair day.  It had threatened rain all day, and temperatures dropped from high 80's down to low 70's. I had decided to take a ride to the Peninsula to have a bite to eat, and to see the sunset.  I had arrived around 7:30 PM, and this was still a bit early for the sun to set, so, I stopped over on the bay side of the peninsula and I was watching out back towards the city.

  I had a visitor who espied me enjoying some fries.  he sure made it known that I owed him some.  We were enjoying the view, and the local ferry boat was making a evening cruise of the bay.  AS the sun was setting over the lake, it provided a natural spotlight on the ferry.

 It was a little choppy on the bay.  The wind was coming from the south, so it was blowing towards me and that is what created the chop.  Another view back across the bay was what we locals call "THE DOCK." It now has this friendship tower erected at the end so it is easy to find across the bay.  I am over a mile away from it.

  After I had eaten, I moved along a bit further, and found some more animal friends.  First was a wild hare enjoying it's evening dinner.  After that, I came to the "commons".  These Purple Martins sure do like to live community style.  Notice that the apartments have numbers on them.

    It was getting closer to 8:30 now, so I headed over to the lake side of the Peninsula, so that I would be able to watch the sunset.  As you can see, i was not alone.  There was not the usual crowds still at the water, because as I mentioned earlier, we still had a very good chance of rain that day.  Was still nice to see some souls there with me.

Now, it was showtime!  Not only people had shown up to watch Mother Nature, but also too the birds came to watch. I sat to relax, and I was at the tree line, and as you will notice, a couple had taken advantage of the lifeguard seat to also enjoy the sunset. You will see a series of shots and I will not bore you with any more writing, just enjoy the sun setting with me.

TRANSFORMERS: More Than What Meets The Eye

 Today, I was out in the country a bit, and lo and behold, I came across an artists residence.  He is a welder and manufacturer of welded products.  He is also an artist.  He displays his creations in his front yard.  I am posting the photos of his ART.

Father's Day Travel

 On Father's Day of this year, I opted to go and visit my Dad's grave. I try to make it down a couple of times a year.  Each time I go down, I try to go by the old family homestead. Still standing! Alas, no one currently lives in it at this time.  It does bring back memories.  Just inside of the front porch, used to sit a couch, and a rocker as well as a few chairs.  This room was paneled with wood veneer. It always gave off a comfy feeling. Just inside of the front windows sat a desk.  There was a small lamp, as well as an old radio.  Also covering almost half the desk were flowers. There were always some Christmas cactus's as well as African Violets. Just inside the door and to the left were more flowers. Against the back wall and near the far side was a bookshelf with many years of National Geographic Magazines.  How much time we used to spend in that room when we visited.  I will not give you a description of the whole house or the stories of it, but, as I viewed the photo as I posted it, it just did bring back so many memories.  The tall shrub inb the foreground is a Rhododendron  It is a domestic version of our state flower.  Our State flower is called Mountain Laurel.  The leaves almost look identical, but the flowers are different.  One thing about Mountain Laurel is that it only grows above a certain elevation. Even though the house is in the Allegheny Mountains, Mountain Laurel will not grow where the houses are.  It does grow on our hill, but, only near the summit.  I only brought this up here, is because later in my day, I was driving along  sightseeing, and I did come across Mountain Laurel, and I was lucky enough to catch it in bloom.  You may get bored with how many photos I may have included in the posting.  Just warning ya!

  The photo above was a view of the village of Sheffield PA as viewed from the Cemetery.  With everything green, it is hard to see the village.  Although I did not take any photos, I did stop up to the barn,  Always have to look in on it.  As always, I drove up close to the barn and drove up to the tree line before turning around.  In just that short time looking at the property, One of the neighbors came out to see who was driving up there.  It was our neighbor Jerry Borden.  Thanks to him, he has been cutting the grass around the barn area and where the vegetable garden used to be.  he really does keep the property looking great!  Always have to reminisce about days gone by and how he used to get into trouble for not doing his own chores whenever dad came to watch the grass grow.

  From there, I went the back way into Kinzua Dam area.  This is a higher elevation, and that is where I espied the Mountain Laurel in bloom. Here are some of the photos.

  With the sightseeing about done, I was starting to head west and back towards Erie and home.  As I was driving, I saw this cut out in the trees on the east side of Warren and I had always been curious as to how to get there. I had gotten a hint from a local I knew, and was told it was Liberty Park. And was told i just needed to drive up Liberty Street, and near the top of the hill I would find it.  Well, that is not quite true.  I drove up to the top, and over the hill, yet I never  got to see Warren from this vantage point.  So, I doubled back, and came across a sign for Washington Park.  It was a narrow one was dirt track, but after you got in a ways, it indeed was the cut i had viewed from below on the highways so many times.  So, I proceeded to Take some photos from there.  I had used the Panoramic setting on the camera for some of these.  Was really a sight to see. Am so thankful that I was able to finally find this place.  I am sure I will make this a place I visit again!

 As you view the map below, North is to the top of the map, and East to the left side.  Just trying to orient you is all.  Coming from Erie, we normally come in from the East.  I had just found this map on the day I posted this entry.  I am sorry I was unable to enlarge the map to show more of Warren, but this will serve for my purposes.

  The first photos are viewing Warren headed East looking down like 4th Avenue there.  That is towards the main business district.  Also you can see here and there bits of the Allegheny River, and some of the bridges crossing it. Last two photos, are zoomed in shots of the Warren General Hospital. 

 Was sad to have to visit dad in a cemetery rather than live, but, spirits rose with some of the views along the way.  If you would like to see any of the photos full sized, just click on them, and you can see the original size of the photos.