Second Anniversary: Meet and Greet

Dear Readers:

Another year has rolled around, and tomorrow Roses to Rainbows celebrates its second anniversary in the blogosphere.  Last year I listed for you the things I had learned during my first year of blogging, and introduced you to some of the people I had met.

This year I would like you to introduce yourselves to me.  I would like to meet those of you who pop in and leave without a trace.  This is not the FBI, but you are all on my most wanted list.

So whether you drop in regularly or this is your first visit, please look around and make yourself at home.  There's a pot of coffee on for you morning folks, and a glass of wine for the evening crowd.  Don't be shy now - you are among friends here.

You are all important to me.  I want to thank the regular R2R crowd for sticking with me, and invite everyone else to join in the fun.

Cheers, everyone!

The Quote of the Week will return next Monday.

Signs of the Season

This little leaf caught on the remnants of a spider web, danced for me in the breeze.

The Tulip Poplar is the first to release her leaves.

Pretty red Dogwood seeds will feed the birds this winter.

 Sunlight plays on these bushes turning them golden.

 Mother Nature highlighted these leaves on an otherwise green tree.

Written for Friday Flash 55.

Pennsylvania Part 2: Ephrata

Yay!  We finally made it to Ephrata.  My best friend, Ashley, and her family moved here last Spring.  Having had some time to adjust, they have decided that they love the area.  The schools, parks, shopping and the library are close to their house.

Ephrata Borough, Lancaster Co., PA

As you can see, it is a quaint town that make you feel like you have stepped back in time, and when you see the horses and buggies of the Amish you may think you have.  This was taken at the local Walmart.  

Horse and Buggy parking only!

This year was exceptionally hot with days of triple digit heat indexes.  Like many areas in the northern part of the country, very few homes have central air.  But winter is coming, and the boys are looking forward to the snow.  They have already located a good hill for sledding/snow boarding.

Main Street in Ephrata

There is a nice park just blocks away from Ashley's house with a large picnic shelter, playground, a walking path along the creek, and plenty of benches to sit and watch the kids play or just relax with nature.

A park within walking distance

When you have kids, knowing where all the parks and playgrounds are becomes important.  This park has a ball field, playground, and walking paths, one of which leads to this pretty lake.  It was late afternoon, and the sun was playing off the trees and their reflections in the water.

Just a few miles down the road from Ephrata is another small town called Lititz.  It was a nice day to stroll up and down Main Street and visit the Wilbur Chocolate Company.  From the moment you step inside your senses are assaulted with the fragrance of chocolate.  They sell a huge variety of chocolaty treats, which are made upstairs above the shop.

There is a natural spring in Lititz Springs Park.  It flows into a pool and then down a shallow "stream" with stacked rock walls on either side.  It is filled with ducks, coming and going.  It looks like a lazy river ride - ducks just walk over to the edge and plop in.

A lazy river for ducks!

Here is a short video of the ducks swimming up and/or downstream.

This is a natural spring and the water is quite cold, and very clear.  When I looked into the spring where the water was still, I actually couldn't tell there was water there.

This tells more about the history of the spring and the park.

Here is the lion guarding the spring.  I believe the original lion was carved into the rock below, but has worn away over time.

After walking through the park, and sampling chocolates at Wilbur's we enjoyed some great pizza at a Roma Pizza on Main Street.

On another day, we visited Ephrata's Green Dragon.  The Green Dragon is a farmer's market and flea market all rolled into one.  There are many vendors including the Amish.  You can find just about anything there from fresh baked goods, fresh fruits and vegetables, meats and cheeses to clothing, sunglasses, household goods and too much more to list.  People come from miles around to shop here, and it only operates on Fridays.

Image Source:  The Green Dragon website

Quote of the Week

Image Source: Wikipedia

Every moment and every event of every man's life on earth plants something in his soul.    
- Thomas Merton

No matter whether it is big or small, tragic or joyful, there is something to be gained from each moment lived.  We are the sum total of all of our moments.

Where Were You?

We all remember September 11, 2001 - the worst terrorist attack on American soil.  As with all life changing events, it is natural to remember what was going at that instant in your life.  No matter how mundane the task, it is cemented into your brain.  This is how I remember it.

We were vacationing in Madeira Beach, FL, as we do most years.  It was a beautiful morning with barely a cloud in the sky, and nothing to portend what was about to happen.

Hubs and I had gone to John's Pass to buy him some flip flops.  We walked into the beach shop and as usual, there was a radio on.  However, it wasn't blaring the usual Top 40, rock, rap, or whatever was the clerk's choice that day.

Instead what we heard was news.  We heard words like "attack" and "World Trade Tower".  "Is that real" we asked?  A quiet 'yes' was the response.

Like everyone else we strained to hear every detail.  Our country was under attack.  There had been attacks on Americans before, but this was larger and more deadly than anything previously in my lifetime.

For me, stunned and shaken were understatements.  Already there were three planes down, thousands of lives lost, and the landmark World Trade Towers lay in ruins.  The terrorists used our planes as weapons against us.  At that moment no one knew the full extent of the attack.  Would there be more?  The situation was frightening and there were questions on everyone's minds and concern on their lips. 

Outside the skies were silent.  It was an eerie sound.  Yes, silence was an eerie sound that day.  On any given day you would see planes coming and going over the Gulf, some pulling advertising banners, others carrying passengers far and wide. Instead of the roar of the jets and buzz of single engines, silence ensued.  All planes were grounded. 

We seldom watched TV on vacation but now the TV was nearly always on.  It was heartbreaking to watch as we suffered with those who lost friends and family.  We felt pride for New Yorkers, and for heroic citizens everywhere as they pulled together.  The wave of fear that washed over our nation was quickly replaced with outrage.

This tragic event brought about much grief and suffering, but it also united a country against those determined to destroy us.  Americans are strong.  We won't be broken, and we won't back down.  

We will always remember where we were that day.  As a nation, it has been carved into the steel of our resolve.

Written for the Tribal Blogs 9/11 Tribute.