shelter meal donations

Tomorrow I am taking dinner to the shelter. I'm making a bean and meat chili with brown rice on the side, and a toppings bar. I think the ladies might like that. I'm even taking jalapeños and hot sauce.  I'm feeding about 18.

This idea came about because I was given these 2 bags of chili from one of my sisters clients. She got it in a food box. It's supposed to serve three. Her and her aide ate it for several days. She also donated beans. She's over chili.

The pouch above has sauce and "meat". Add your own beans. I wasn't sure what the proportion of meat to juice was so I bought ground beef. I also plan of adding a can of my own tomatoes and some leftover salsa I had in the fridge. (Actually, I might have some in the freezer too. Better check.)

I'm going to put it all together in a crock pot.

This afternoon I decide to read the pouch. In big letters it said lower sodium. Cool, I though. I checked the sodium on the NF's and it was 29%, nearly 700 mg. Gulp. Hope nobody has high blood pressure. Good thing I'm adding all that other stuff to it. Sadly they lowered it from nearly 1,000 mg! ( I try and keep my sodium under 10%.)

Then I read the ingredients. Water is #1. Then it says "Seasoned chili meat with textured vegetable protein".  That's the vegan/vegetarian meat. Modified food starch is also on the list which means it's not gluten free.

Hopefully I can doctor this enough to reduce the salt per person. I am planning on freezing the leftover.

good deed?

Wednesday night I came home from work and there was something all over the yard. I decide it can wait till morning. Maybe the skunks were having a party.

I forgot about it until Thursday morning when I came back from my walk. I came up the alley and went to turn into the yard and said "What the heck is this mess." There was a huge box, and a long streamer of brown packing paper. "Thank goodness it's recycle day tomorrow" I said to myself.

As I role up this whole huge roll of brown paper I see the little white box above. Inside there is three small boxes with silver envelopes. I'm thinking maybe a shake of some sort.  I didn't see any markings.

When I left for school, everything was a mess again. I picked up the box and there was an address. Initially I thought it was the people next door. And there was actually two small boxes. One was oranges for the house in the alley. (all the boxes were open!). I walked it down and placed it on the porch.

I was driving to school when I realized that it was an even number as the house address, and we live on the odd side of the street. When I returned home at 9:30 I turned on the flashlight on my phone, and looked again. It was a whole block away.

This morning I went out to clean up the mess again. The small white box (above) had an address on it. I walked it to the house. THe big box is empty, I filled with with the brown paper and left it out there. Next week, if it's still there, I'll put it out for recycle.

My guess: Someone stole packages from porches, and dumped the stuff they didn't want in the alley. It somehow ended up at my house.

I hope I did the right thing. Maybe I should have tossed it. Maybe I should have called the cops. Who knows. Everyone I asked had a different opinion.

What is the protocol for this situation?

art walk

I've mostly been walking in the hood, and from the most remote parking lot at school. Today I had a hairdresser appointment at 9th and Walnut in Allentown. I decided to walk Hamilton Street.

Hamilton Street is a tale of two downtown's. From 9th east it is abuzz with construction, renovation and new projects. From 9th west it is dead and dying. So many empty buildings. time heals. But can the downtown recover?

I had an hour on the meter, and headed up to Hamilton. I was sure to click my clicker at the PP&L Plaza (Hess's). I headed east and took a lot of typography photos. It was sunny and so much of the fake facades have been removed that the buildings are coming back to their 19th century splendor. Really. Look at those doors.

And look at this window divider at Zollinger's. I worked there and never notice it. It's fantastic. The only reason I notice it today was that the windows are bowing out. I sense disaster coming their way.

Heck, even the Americus has store in the first level again. And they are booking weddings. I've been in that ballroom, a thousand years ago, and it was gorgeous. If they bring it "back", it will be a fantastic wedding venue. Parking, however, will stink.

Once I reached 5th, I turned down and came back thru the Art's Park and Artist's alley. This is the side of a parking deck. I lost Dave and Barb in this deck once.

In the alleys green space, and in the paved "shopping" area, there are these iron posts that are decorated on all four side. Some with quotes. But my phone was out of juice so I only took one side. There are nine more not in this picture.

Then it was back up Hamilton, and past Tucker's (Which is never open when I walk past. Probably a good thing.), back down to Walnut and back to the car.

Miles/Steps: A hair under two.
Bathrooms:  None. But nearly every store had a "bathrooms for customers only" or "no public restrooms" sign
Wildlife:       None. Not even a freaking pigeon.
Weather:     Overcast. Probably in the high 30s. Very windy, especially headed north.
Extras:        Next stop" Fairgrounds Farmer's Market.

get out-lehigh valley swag

If you completed 10 walks last year, you were to earn a pack of local trail maps. Think brochure rack size, individual parks. They were nice. They had a folder that they fit in. I worked hard to get in my 10 walks so I could get those maps. Imagine my surprise today when we got the map above. It's a map-map. Big, clumsy, not something you'd use at the destination. Maybe to plan a trip, but I doubt it. It has limited roads and towns. Just what you need to get from point A to point B.

As you can see the LV is represented by the D&L, IRT, Nor-Bath, Palmer Rail Trail. No Bethlehem Greenway.

We also got a little LL Bean flashlight. It will last 11 hours on steady mode and 16 blinking. That should get a lost person found even in the dead of winter. It's also waterproof and submersible. Does 25 lumens mean anything to you? I will hook it to my back pack. My backpack will soon need more hooks. Maybe I'll ad a big ring.

One person is also given a grand prize from the finishers. The prize was a set of hiking poles. Clearly I didn't win.

get out-lehigh valley — stone soup

Today was the first Get Out LV walk for the new year. I signed up thru June. The theme today was Stone Soup. Each person had to bring something plant-based to contribute to the pot.  Last night I cooked quinoa and brown rice. I like soup with lots of guts.

In the meantime, a work party to help Lydia get settled into her house was formed. I told them I could come after the walk. The weather has been so crappy that i haven't gotten a decent walk in all week.

I arrived at the walk about 9:50. The parking lot was full. There must have been 100 people including children and dogs. It was packed.

There were a lot of donations for the pot. Someone was even smart enough to bring bread and butter.

When I left the house I checked my phone to be sure I have enough batteries for the event. I didn't want a repeat of my South Mountain and farm show dead battery adventures.  It was in the 50s. I plugged it into the car and when I arrived it was 69%. I took a few pics at the gathering point and then put the phone to sleep.

We broke into two groups (should have been 3) and ours started on the boardwalk trail Not usually much to see there that I haven't taken pics of before. But we heard a lot of kingfisher calls. I pulled out the phone hoping to get a shot. It was dead. F*^k. Not again. How is this possible? And yes I would have had a clear shot. He parked on a branch right across from us.

After the boardwalk trail we picked up pheasant run trail, and then the backyard trail.

On the backyard trail we saw these great bee boxes. It's pieces of cork with holes drilled in. Apparently native Pennsylvania bees like this kind of box when they don't have rotten trees. They plug the holes with mud. The kind of boxes we're familiar with are European boxes. This is more like what Winnie The Pooh stuck his paws in. This one, and several others like it were built by a Girl Scout for her gold project.

Wait, you say. You had no camera. How did you take this picture? After the walk I went to the car, started the engine to see if I could get the phone on. It came right on and said it had 39% battery. So I walked back to the bee boxes and took the picture.

Then I walked over and took a pic of the bird blind. Built by, you guessed it, Boy Scouts.  (What would non profits do without scouts?) And then the phone went dead again.

Here's 1 pot of the soup. I stole this from the Facebook page. I don't know who took it. It looks really good, and healthy too.

My containers were empty, so I grabbed them and head towards Lydia. Originally I was going to stay for lunch but there was work to be done. I stopped at Wawa and got hoagies and headed to Lydia's. I plugged the phone in again, and no life at all. I was nearly to Lyds when it turned on. 8%.

Clearly my battery has issues. I checked the Apple recall list and it didn't come up. I'm going to have to take it in.

I worked another 2.5-3 hours at Lyds and then came home to do paying work. Four classes, and a freelance project. Gonna be another long night.

I read on FB, that the Idita-Walk registration has begun again. Another set of people is doing it this year, a dog group. Clearly the program is in shambles since the Boy Scouts left. They are trying out yet another new system. I'll give it a try.

Miles/Steps: Only 3 miles. You've got to be kidding.
Bathrooms:  I-4.5. They were inside the environmental ed center. First thing in the AM.
Wildlife:       Kingfishers -- several heard, 1 saw. Red Belly Woodpecker nest, Blue heron.
Weather:     Overcast. Probably in the high 40s. Sure wasn't winter. Muddy.
Extras:        Stone soup cooked in cast iron skillets on a charcoal grill.

another mooooooving weekend

My niece has been living with me since the beginning of December. She couldn't find anyone to help so she hired a couple of guys to do the heavy lifting. I got to carry bags and boxes and up and down the stairs and halls. For a while one of the guys and I were handing boxes and bags over the porch rail.

She moved 5 blocks away from me on Ontario street. Her excuses for not walking are gone.

At 3, I drove to Newark in fog and a snow storm. Just an average Saturday.

This morning I took my walk over the bridge and back. I kept it short since I'd spend the afternoon moooooving, again.  Personally I would have been out before 8.

I'm sure her half double was bought by a flipper and updated. I noticed both the door knocker (top) and this small section of wallpaper yesterday. Today was another day of emptying cars and handing bags and boxes over the rail. I also walked the dog three times.

Sunday Walk Stats:
Miles/Steps: More than 5 miles
Bathrooms:  I-5 Nobody has used it yet. Brand new.
Wildlife:       None
Weather:     No too cold, overcast.
Extras:        Moving is a PIA.

stroudsburg

I have no idea how or why, but I was asked to judge an art show in Stroudsburg on Thursday. I said yes. My CV needs a boost.

My sister and I headed for Stroudsburg about 9:30. We found the gallery, and eventually a parking space on Main Street. Like a lot of the towns in the rust belt, Main Street has lots of bars, empty stores, and vacant lots. Good thing the university is still there.

We parked right in front of this very long, painted wall. I found out later that it's 80 feet. I took pictures of the whole thing. And yes, you have to look at the entire thing. This blogger is an "artist". Pat chose to wait in the car.  I walked to the gallery.

 (Stan Turrell)

On the way I noticed other murals. I made mental notes and headed for the gallery. The gallery director thought she had a map, but there were none left. Map or not on the way back I started shooting. Needless to say I took the scenic route.

This is painted. Not a print. I've seen the ad before, but never done by hand.

 This door is painted. Yes, the swish is broken mirror glass.

Then down the alley I noticed this one. It is much different than the others. I'd like to go back and hunt and shoot more. The gallery director said they stretch into East Stroudsburg.

I checked online. It was a 2-part project called "Project Street Art".  In 2014 they created the 80 foot wall. In 2015 then did 10 additional murals which included the train, but not the pop art one. Hey Bonnie ... I have the addresses.  Whatcha doing this spring?

Thursday Walk Stats:
Miles/Steps: About 3 miles
Bathrooms:  none
Wildlife:       none
Weather:     Not too cold, wet, damp
Extras:        Before you move, purge, purge, purge, purge.

farm show

Every year, for the past god knows how many years, my sister has watched the Pennsylvania Farm Show on PCN (Pa. Cable Network) Television. She loves it. Horses pulling stuff, rodeo, 4-H, and especially Sheep to Shawl. Okay, I'll admit, I love sheep to shawl too.

Each year I say something like, one year I'm going there. But work is usually in the way. This year I'm not working so I thought, why not? I asked Angel if she wanted to go walking someplace silly—the farm show. She said yes. Yes, we are weird.

So we went right after her doctors appt. yesterday. It snowed on the way to Harrisburg. I didn't download directions and the highways were well marked. We followed the signs to a parking lot, and got on a shuttle bus. First we took a picture of the parking lot sign, and the bus shelter number.

We arrived at the farm show and were greeted by a giant cow on the front lawn. It was the Turkey Hill cow. It had little friends.

We entered the building and came into a big lobby. We went left and up the escalator and ended up in an arena where alpacas or llamas were doing an agility course.  We left and went somewhere else. Then we found Clydesdale horses getting ready to pull huge wagons of cinder blocks. No thanks.

We walked around the corridor of the arena where merchants were set up selling everything "western". Clearly, we were in the wrong place. Where were the cows and ducks and pigs and 4H?

Finally we followed a sign for chickens. We ended up with cows, then horses, then bunnies. We never did find the chickens and ducks. We did find a former colleague and her family near the bunnies. And the 4H stuff. Never found the quilts or the weavers. Oh and the auctioning of pigs.

The farm show complex is a maze. You go out one door and you're in another space. You go out the door you think you came in and you're in yet another space. There were also a lot of children and teens there. I guess people take off from school for the farm show. I know the tween wanted to ditch school to go.

We rode the carousel. It was steep at $2 bucks, but the money went to some scholarship fund for kids studying agriculture. And it was a decent length ride. (That's PJ the bear in the pic with Angel. It's a long story. He does have his own web page.)

We wandered for about 2.5 hours. And then got back on the bus and headed back to the lot.

I don't know what I was expecting. It was fun, but I was a tad disappointed. It was like Ag Hall at the Fair, on steroids.

Tuesday Walk Stats:
Miles/Steps: About 3 miles
Bathrooms:  I-3.5.
Wildlife:       There better not be it was a farm show. Plenty of cows, horses, pigs, bunnies, llamas, peacocks ...
Weather:     No too cold, overcast, snowing a little. Inside was either toasty warm or cold. You need to keep your coat.
Extras:        Turkey Hill was giving out single serving size salted caramel ice cream.
                   I only took 2 pics.

oops, I did it again.

Today I took Adonis out for his morning walk. We were coming back up the hill and something caught his attention. He crossed in front of me and then stopped on a dime. I tripped over the leash and ended up on the sidewalk.

I'm laying on the sidewalk and he starts walking home. Excuse me dog. You're not going to get very far without me.

Tomorrow were walking at the farm show. Never been there. It will probably be lame. But I bet we'll walk a lot.

terrifying 30 seconds.

A terrifying 30 seconds. And no, it wasn't when I was lost in the woods. That's a different part of the story.

Yesterday I went to South Mountain Preserve, the trail head in Emmaus called the Robert Rodale Gateway. Makes sense, it's right off of Minor Street where Rodale Publishing is. I took my phone, but it was at about 49%. 100 would have been better, but I should still have been plenty of juice. I took a picture of the trail map, so I knew where I was going. What could go wrong?

The trail to the next trail head is about a mile. It's well groomed, and has fancy bridges and things. But I wanted to do more than two miles.  At the Alpine Street trail head there is another map. I picked the red (or is it orange) Alpine Street trail. This is a natural trail. I didn't realize at first how natural, natural was. If Lyd was a long we would have turned around.

It was 1.7 miles and a big loop. That should have given me about a 4-mile walk.  The trail is well used by bikes, people, dogs, and deer. Lots of footprints to follow. The trails are also well marked. Flashing on the trees. Also colored triangles with the path name in them. You have to be right on top to read them. Or maybe I need new glasses. And my hiking stick.

The deeper I got into the woods I got, the more ice, snow and wooden bridges there were. Also a lot more rocks. My phone was pinging. What the heck? I pull it out and I'm at 10%. Ut oh. I am deep into the woods with no phone.  I've hiked alone before in the woods without a phone. I don't need no stinking phone.

 Before I reached the creek I ran into one man with his dog. After crossing the creek I met another. I was thinking that the trail should be turning. So I asked him if the red trail went to the left soon. He told me I was on the orange trail. Really? Clearly the sun has faded the red markers.

This is the last pic I took. Then the phone died. It is a board. With a nail. Laying on top of a field of rocks. I had to cross it. Shit. I have no balance what-so-ever. I also had no walking stick. No assistant. No courage. When I stepped on it it sank down. I walked as fast as I could. About 3/4 of the way I felt like I was going to tumble. I. Cannot. Fall. I don't have a phone. I don't have a friend. And it's 28 degrees out. I jumped off onto a rock. Wiggled for balance. And made it. The scariest 30 seconds of my life. It was probably really 10.

It remained rocky for a long time. Welcome to Pennsylvania.

Then it was up the trail I went. One went left, one straight. As many footprints for both. There was houses to the right. I remembered the map saying that there was houses at the top curve. I went a few steps looking for the trail markers and instead saw "Private Property. No bikes or hikers". I turned around and continued on the trail.

All was going well until I came to another sign. The road was a Y. One went further up the hill. The other said "Bolder Outcrop". Both had red markers. I forgot that they had words. I didn't look. I did not want to climb on boulders in ice and snow. I took the tight fork and was headed east and going up, up, up. I had wondered how close I was to the top. I could see the city below. Probably Allentown. I soon had to go down and west.

There were many trail signage huts, but none had maps. I was becoming concerned. But the trail was still red. So I continued. Then I caught a glimpse of one of the trail markers. It said something like "Buck Trout Trail". Shit. I picked up another trail.  Do I move forward, or go back. I had no phone to call Bonnie, nor did I know where I was. My last communication was posting a trailhead sign on Instagram. That's all a search party would have to work with.

I had to go all the way back to the "Boulder Outcrop" sign to pick up the right trail. It probably took me 1/2 hour, 45 minutes to climb that hill, and 10 minutes to go back.

I was starting to get worried. The sun was lowering in the west. No phone, no watch I thought it was after 3. Would I get out of the woods in time? I was not dressed for a night in the woods. Thankfully I had not seen any bear prints. I carefully followed the Alpine Street trail reading every sign, and worked my way back toward the trail head. I heard a noise, and then an "excuse me". I jumped. It was two bikers. At the trail head, I headed back to the Emmaus trail head. It was 3:00.

Sunday Walk Stats:
Miles/Steps: Over 6 miles
Bathrooms:  None. Thank goodness for Wawa.
Wildlife:       None. Does a wiener dog count? Lydia would have been pissed. He was off a leash. The owner was carrying it.
Weather:     About 28 degrees and very windy. The wind chill made the temp much lower. 
Extras:        Great view of the city from the top of the wrong trail..

fuzzy hat is back!

 It finally became cold and snowed on the same day. It was time for the return of fuzzy hat! I asked Lydia to take this picture so the fuzzy hat was on full view. (I meant just my back up, but she got my butt. And it looks pretty decent, if I must say so myself.) I think it's the hats third winter. My sister Barb made it for me and I love wearing it. Sometimes I forget to take it off.

Since Lydia had to go to the credit union, and I had to go to Staples/Dollar Tree, we picked the two paths at Monocacy Park. The nature trail has a new sign box built as a Eagle Award project. If  I've said it once, I've said it a million times, Boy and Girl Scouts keep these trails going. This one was way overdue for a sign. Trial markings would be helpful also.

At times the trail gets really close to the waters edge. There were one or two spots that I could have easily fallen in. But I didn't.

 Lydia on the nature trail.

Locks on the pedestrian bridge like at the Pont des Arts bridge in Paris. There are many more than the last time I was here. Of course, they have removed the ones on the Pont de Arts bridge because it was so heavy the rails could break.

 The waterfall over the dam. No ice yet. Not cold, long enough.


Saturday Walk Stats:
Miles/Steps: Didn't measure. Probably about 2 miles + dog walks
Bathrooms:  Not open. Locked for the winter
Wildlife:       2 cardinals, 1 blue jay, and 1 noisy Canadian goose
Weather:     Light snow, cold and damp. About 23 degrees. 😃
Extras:        In this weather the "No Swimming" signs were funny.

new stairs!

The Fahy bridge is under renovations. The right side has all new decking, and rails, and now they are working on the stairs! I can't wait to use them. The old ones were steep and narrow. Hard to go up. Harder to go down. I'm  not sure if these are going to have a landing, and then go back toward the street, or if it will be one long rise. But look how wide they are.  And look at the size of the deck.

In another interesting note, for walkers anyway, is that the tunnel from Third Street is gone. You'd come down the sidewalk, go thru the tunnel, and then up stairs to go south to north. The entrance and exits are now blocked in with concrete. Now you'll have to cross the ramp to enter the sidewalk. Much like you have to do on the Hill To Hill's new ramp.

I'm guessing that the ones to Sand Island will be similar. I went past there right before Christmas and they were still putting in the pilings.

Thursday Walk Stats:
Miles/Steps: about 2 miles
Bathrooms:  None needed
Wildlife:       None
Weather:     Warm and damp, but no rain. 😃
Extras:        The crossing guard crossed me at the 5 points, and another at
                  "The Fabric Center".

the week so far

I had a car appointment on Monday. It was supposed to take all day. It was a potpourri of things that needed to be done: a recall, inspection, oil change, 30K checkup, and the handle fell off the seat.

My original plan was to ask Bonnie to meet me at the dealer and bring me home. Then, when it was time to get the car, I'd walk over to the bus station and take the bus and get the car.

It poured. And I forgot to call Bonnie. I took the bus home. Two buses and no walk.

I have ridden many buses over the years. At one time I commuted to work using the bus. In large cities I use the bus often. ,However, I have not rode a Lanta bus in a long time.  Not since they changed to silly numbers. The first bus, (202) Union Blvd, was wonderful. The driver was polite, the bus clean. The Bethlehem bus station was disgusting. Especially in the rain. The (108) Fountain Hill bus made the bus station look clean. It smelled like shit and vomit. I had to look at the seats to find one to sit on. The driver was silent. Not a great experience. (My bus riding sister says this is typical of the FH bus —"the pigs" bus. It is clean if you ride before 8 am, after that it is a crap shoot.)

Bonnie, thankfully, took me back to pick up my car.  Other than dog-walks, there was no walks on Monday. Tuesday more rain and dog walks. Wednesday I actually got to go on a walk in the hood, without a dog. Plus two with the dog.

Today the sun is out. It's cold and I can't wait to go out.

Wednesday Walk Stats:
Miles/Steps: about 3 miles
Bathrooms:  None 😞
Wildlife:       Do squirrels and bunnies count?
Weather:     Warm and damp, but no rain. 😃
Extras:        The crossing guard crossed me twice at the 5 points.

my very own blood pressure machine

For years I have been sharing a blood pressure machine with my sister/roommate. Like, with the rest of her life, she has rules for use. She prefers if you do it first thing in the morning, on a day she picks. She hates mid-day or evening readings. But what I'm trying to do is give the doctor a broad spectrum of results so he can determine if he can lower or remove any meds. We fight over the BP machine.

The other day I went to take my blood pressure and it was wacky. Off the charts wacky. Time to go to the hospital wacky.  I said to her, have you been having odd readings? Grumble. I took it three times. I never moved an inch and it went up dramatically each time. When was the last time you changed the batteries? Grumble. I think there is something wrong with the machine. Then she let loose. She was convinced that my astronomical readings were saved in the machine and her doctor would see them and she'd get upset? Huh. Where did that come from? They only stay in the machine if you save them to the memory.

Then next day she went to take her BP and declared the machine broken. I asked again about the batteries. She went and got some from the cupboard. Still nothing. She starts looking in the ads for coupon and BP machine sales.  I said, why not try new-from-the-store batteries. Grumble. When I go out I bring home batteries and put them in. It worked. Grumble.

I decided then and there that I'd buy my own machine. I have hidden in my room. All hell will break loose if she knows it exists. I bought the CVS brand because it was cheaper, and also I get an addition 20% off with my Aetna CVS card.

first day hike -- beltzville state park

 Every year, the state park system holds a "first hike" on January first. Part of it is to enter the new year healthy. Park is to show off our super state parks and programs. Last year Angel's family and I did the one in French Creek. Today Lydia and I did the one at Beltzville in Lehighton. I don't think I've ever been there. The hike was advertised as "easy", "all ages", and "2.5 miles"

We found it pretty easily but it became clear, really quickly, that this was a popular event. There was at least 80 people there, and nowhere to park. It was 1:55, so I dropped Lyd off to sign us in, and then headed to the lot near the lake.

 On the way back I found a covered bridge. Cool, right? (According to the DCNP website "At the suggestion of local residents, the original covered bridge, built across Pohopoco Creek in 1841 by local craftsman Jacob Buck, has been relocated between the picnic areas and the beach for public use and enjoyment. This bridge was first used by horse and buggy traffic and later by one-lane car traffic. It is now for pedestrian use only.")

The naturalist that was running the walk, told us that we'd be going to the dam breast. It's usually a restricted area, but he obtained permission from the Army Corp of Engineers.

And then we were off. There was a lot of snow. Some hard and icy. Some slushy. Lots of mud. It was clear I wore the wrong footwear and should have brought my hiking stick. I also should have thrown dry socks and shoes in the car.

We first went thru a gate that was open, and then as we approached the bridge, we ran into these signs. We strolled right past them and onto the dam.

 One thing I noticed immediately was the water level. Summer took a beating on this man-made lake. Look at the arrow I drew. It's pointing to a dock. The end of the white is the edge of the water.

Crossing the dam it was apparent this was a much longer walk than advertised. The dam itself was at least a mile long.

The we retraced our steps and returned to the environmental ed center for water and hot cocoa. On the way back, I slipped and went splat. Right on Lydia's foot.

Inside the center they were selling Pennsylvania State Park passports. Something I've wanted for maybe two years. I have the national park one. Neither will ever be filled. But it's all about the chase, isn't it?

In 2017 I'm going to try and include stats about each walk. If you don't care about them, don't read them.

Walk Stats:
Miles/Steps: about 5 miles
Bathrooms:  I-3.5
Wildlife:       None 😞
Weather:     Beautiful, sunny, with snow on the ground 😃
Extras:        None