Snapshots of Pennsylvania

Our granddaughter Emma has been under the weather, so I headed over today to be with her today.  She's already missed three days of school this week, with her dad and mom working remotely to stay with her, but today they both needed to be in their real offices.

With sniffles and cough, school protocols call for a Covid-19 test before returning to the classroom.  

Emma had that test on Monday and received negative results --- she doesn't have Covid-19 --- on Tuesday, but in any case, she still has symptoms that would result in her being sent home if she did go in.

Coming on two months since Julie and I arrived in Pennsylvania from Montana via South Dakota, this is a good chance to share a bunch of photos from this new era.

Emma's Self-Prepared Lunch Today: Sushi, Eggs and Peppers

The Neighborhood

An Evening Concert in the Park in Late August

Little Round-about Gardens at Stop Signs Slow Down Traffic

With Plenty of Rain and Sunshine,Flowers Bloom All Over

The Homestead

Merion Golf Manor Creek With Ducks

Labor Day Weekend

Ladies Embarking for Back-to-School Shopping Spree

We tried out our barbecue on Labor Day.  Julie made lots of delicious side dishes.  We watched the new version of  "Cinderella" on Amazon Prime.  We really enjoyed the fresh musical reteimagining of the classic story with a talented, youthful cast....well, maybe not so much true for Laszlo.

The music was so catchy, I got up to dance, leading Julie to tell me to sit down, only to have Gina and Emma join me in dancing.  Soon, Julie was dancing too.

Labor Day Barbecue of sausages, turkey hot dogs and scallops,
with lots of delicious side dishes, including a cheese ball!

9/11

We walked to an all-day concert with assorted bands, singers and comedians that celebrated first responders on the anniversary of 9/11.  A few days earlier, I spotted a 9/11 Memorial off the road on my way to Costco and stopped in to pay my respects.

It marks the convergence of several flight plans, including United Flight 93, on which passengers seized control from Al-Qaeda hijackers who intended to crash into the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington D.C.  The heroes saved the Capitol Building but died with the villains when the plane crashed in rural Pennsylvania.

I happened on this momument on my way to Costco.

9/11 Memorial In King of Prussia

My Birthday

Amy came down from Jersey City to spend a few days before my birthday.  She rode with Lukas to Edison, where he works, and then took the Jersey Transit train over to Trenton, where Julie and I picked her up.  She had to work remotely much of the time, but it was wonderful having her come stay and break in the room we prepared for her to visit us.

Lukas drove down to join us on Friday night after work.  Gina, Laszlo and Emma make the shorter trip over from Merion Station, and we enjoyed a wonderful weekend together.

The highlight was a big barbecue followed by a walk to a local park.  Asked what movie I would like to rent, I said, "1776," a musical I have never gotten around to watching.  

Gina's Chip and Dip Desert Scene and Blue Lagoon Jello

Dry-Rubbed BBQ Pork Roast, Hot Sausages, Vegan Sausages,
Eggplant Parmesian, Baked Beans, Watermelon, Salad and More!

Hiking In the Area 

Haverford College Nature Trail

Saunders Woods Preserve

Haverford Reserve

Ridley Creek State Park

Wes's Folly:

Viator Self-Guided Scavenger Hunt In Philadelphia

With Theater Arts Theme

High Hopes at Merion Station

In the final analysis, too long and hot for Emma

This summer day was one of those times when I can safely say that all three of us were really excited to be going, except Emma and Julie.  

It turned out to be a hot day by the time we made it out the door of Emma's home.

Then we had trouble with the software.

And by that point, the trip turned into a marathon of running through the clues.

A stop for Dippin' Dots Ice Cream also didn't interest Emma, but Julie and I enjoyed the treat.

In my opinion, this could be a fun way to see sights around Philadelphia, but it proved to be too hot and tiring on this particular day.  I think if Gina and Laszlo didn't have to work that day and instead joined us, we could have made it work.

Laszlo in particular loves old movies.  He's been watching classic videos beginning with the silent era over the last couple of years, and he has now reached the mid-1930s, so he would recognize several names.

Throughout Philadelphia, you can find a series of landmark signs denoting history, and this Viator Tour took us past signposts for famous families of theater, movie stars and related historic buildings.

In those signs, we learned password needed to reveal the next destination, with the final result being to solve a fictional murder mystery. It may have been Miss Scarlett in the Ballroom with the rope, but we'll never know.  Anyway, here are some photos snapped in racing past the sign posts to the next clue before we caught the train back home.