Built 1865, a country church on a woodsy dirt road. A nice view across farmland to the east.
Buildings
At Dad’s on Gareth’s birthday weekend
Gareth’s shot of all present:
Then a long, gray drive home. After 90 minutes east to Altoona, here I started south.
Dad’s kitchen window
Bradford Pears
Hadn’t realized the Bradford Pear would get this big. Nor did the city. The cafe is the Recreation Center (opposite Bike Works), where Erin says you get the best chili dog in Fredericksburg. Friend Morgan of Tree Fredericksburg says they are not good trees (despite their beauty); they tend to split and are very messy. “Bradford Pears are a disaster… grow way too tall to be planted under power lines!”
Entering Fredericksburg after crossing the Rappahannock River by the Chatham Bridge. That’s Saint George’s on the left, behind the Old Stone Warehouse, then Bike Works in the middle, and William Street as the avenue of Bradford Pears. Below, having turned right onto Sophia Street then looking back over the river into Stafford County, see Chatham Manor up on the hill, where Lincoln addressed the troops and Walt Whitman served as a Civil War hospital volunteer.
Christmas lights
Johnstown Trip
On July 24, 2016, Dad and I visited the museum commemorating the Great Flood of 1889 which killed 2,209 people. Johnstown then was a coal, steel, and railroad town of 30,000 people, many immigrants from either Wales or Germany. It is about 70 miles east of Pittsburgh, among the western ridges of the Appalachian Mountains. I only took one flood-related photo, near the lower entrance to the incline railway, maybe 25 feet above street level. When the floodwaters from a failed dam hit the city, the force was said to have been comparable to the Mississippi River. The destruction of the city and people portrayed by the museum is hard to watch.
Beside the flood, Johnstown is also known for its incline railway built just after the flood. We parked nearby, then walked very slowly in hot sun and perhaps 90F, 32C, across this pedestrian bridge to the lower station. As senior citizens, we could ride for nothing. Each car can carry 60 people, or 6 motorcycles, or one car. A single journey takes about ninety minutes. At one time it carried a million people a year, mostly commuting from homes above to industry below.
We know how much power it takes to do all that lifting.
So we were glad to find some excellent refreshment at the top.
David’s 95th birthday weekend
Above and the next two photos were taken by Elspeth. Old 95 Sweet and Strong Ale was specially brewed by Tim to celebrate David’s 95th birthday. Sandy took the first four in the bottom row, and Elspeth the last one. Click to enlarge or start the slideshow.
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Moving-In Day
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Christmas lights
Almost time to take them down.
General Election
Working the polls at Hartwood Church