Cinco de Mayo 08

It was a happy circumstance that had us pulling into Van Hoy Farms and Campground in Union Grove (just north of Charlotte off Rt 77), North Carolina, on a Sunday afternoon for a one night lay over on the way to Dahlonega, GA. It was Sunday, May 04. This farm is the site of the North Carolina Fiddle Festival- made me think of the country version of Woodstock. (That will be held at another time). Some nice camp sites surrounded by an expansive farm with lots and lots of grass fields. We wondered what all that grass was for, that is until the cars started coming in to celebrate the Carolina version of the Mexican Cinco de Mayo Festival. Parking! That's what all that grass is for! Now we were thinking Woodstock, a Fiddle Festival, and a Mexican National Fiesta all rolled in to one. What a bonus. The owner greeted us and gave us a pass to the party. I love Cinco de Mayo festivities and this was a great party. Best we could tell, we were the only non Mexican attendees, but we didn't care a bit and they didn't seem to either. It was easy to understand what was going on and plenty of warm smiles throughout the crowd made this a real blast for all!

The pavilion that houses the festivities is enormous. What a great venue for a large festival. Plenty of outside space and mucho under cover space as well. As the crowd gathered under the" big top", the size of the place was appreciable.

The dancers warmed up. Old and young joined in the family fun...

The band got in its groove. They were excellent. Big sound. Made us all dance. No standing still during this performance!

The stage where the band performed overlooks a bull holding pen which in tum overlooks a rodeo ring, which in turn overlooks a dance floor. If you are getting the idea the place is big....Si!

Five girls (Cinco Mujeres) from the audience volunteered for the first contest. Chug one cerveza (that would be beer in case you don't know), run across the corral, put your hand on top of a soda bottle and rotate around it 12 times as fast as you can go, then stand up and run back to the finish line. The winner made it look easy, but there were plenty of laughs, chills and spills as most of the contestants had a hard time with the effort. Beats a bull fight any day!

There were all kinds of Mexican treats and snacks available in case you got hungry. It smelled really good there!

I uploaded three short video clips, maybe just enough to give you a sense of the event. One is the winning run of the "Cinco Mujeres" contest, one is of the band in full groove, and finally the riding of the bull. Enjoy!

Another New Blog Feature Map

As we head back south from Pennsylvania for a while, I've been working to catch up the blog postings and add some new features as I get a chance. I went nearly three weeks without adding anything on line owing to an eye infection- the treatment for which clouded my vision so much I found it extremely difficult to do anything on the computer that wasn't absolutely necessary. Antibiotics are wonderful, but when they are in cream form and you must put them in your eye to work- what a pain! Never take vision for granted!

Our trip toward the south again is so that we can hook up with the GPAA (Gold Prospectors of America) and do some prospecting with that organization in Georgia and North Carolina, and then again later, in South Carolina.

In preparation for those events, and because I really really like prospecting in general, I have added another tracking map on the left side of the posts, "States Where We Found Gold." There's only three right now, but hopefully there will be three more soon, and I have it in my head that I might just try to find gold in every state in much the same fashion as we hope to first visit every state. I got the idea to try that when we inadvertently found some gold in our pan in Florida- the state regarded as the most difficult place to find it. For now, I'm looking for 49 states. We'll deal with Hawaii later!

Ain't Easy Being Green

Kermit the Frog, of Muppet fame, made popular the song, "It 's Not Easy Being Green." Kermit was more than likely introducing kids to the idea that some things are different- like say skin color- and that different is sometimes a bit difficult. That is all well and good, but when someone in the here and now starts talking about "being Green," they are more than likely hitting on the topics of global warming, co2 build up in the atmosphere, drilling for oil in sensitive locales, depletion of the earth's resources and the like.

It's a complicated discussion to say the least and we won't resolve it here, but there are some thoughts that might serve us all well to take into account. I think the basic goal of "Living Green" should be to use what we have wisely, diversify into other means as they become available and practical, protect that that needs protecting, and improving our own lot where ever and when ever we can. But having said that, I do think you can take some "green issues" too far. Some would have you abandon petroleum use all together. That would be foolish and counter productive. Solar is nice, but to be effective you must employ massive batteries to store the energy as it is developed. Those batteries require perhaps more energy to build than the oil they save in the process. Surely the technology will catch up at some point, but that has not happened yet and it will be a while. And disposing of those batteries when they can no longer function is perhaps the least Green thing we could possibly do at this point and time. Wind energy strikes my fancy as well, but it has many of the holdbacks of solar development. We can burn coal; it puts pollutants in the air. We can burn wood; same problem. We can develop nuclear, but we all know there is currently no prospect for safely storing the waste products which last next to forever. Green. A wonderful idea that is tough to achieve. Certainly truly living in this fashion involves some compromise with some of the comforts we have come to call "normal."

However! It's not a new concept. There are "folk" who have lived this way for centuries. Shunned mechanization in part or full. Avoided anything unnatural. Forsaken many creature comforts that demand the unsustainable consumption of resources and causes pollution. Steered clear of the modern in favor of the traditional.

I am speaking of course of the Amish people. They live simply, and close to the earth. I see similarities between the way they live and the way the Native Americans lived before the white man made things problematic and virtually impossible to continue. Close to the land. Sustained by the land and their own energy which comes back to them in the form of food and a way of live which itself is sustainable.

Where I grew up, the Amish buggies were part of the ordinary life. I always enjoyed seeing them but was never surprised by seeing them. It is their basic form of transportation. Where do you think the rating of "horse power" comes from? A one horse power buggy can haul a small family to church, the store, to visit neighbors. The horse eats the grass that grows on the farm. The waste products of what the horse eats nourishes the soil which grows the food for the family. The family sells the excess food or hay and uses the proceeds to meet their minimal needs like material for making clothing.

A two horse buggy can haul the family and the neighbors and a few of the kids from the nearby farms. Again, the horses eat the grass on the farm or the hay from the field. The by products enrich the soil which grows even better crops and the cycle continues. Very efficient. Provides all their needs, unless of course they were to need a TV, an iPod, a computer, a Ford or Chevy van, a John Deer tractor, a flashy suit with shiny shoes, a washer and dryer or even electricity!- all of which they do not need, do not want, and do not have. They live a simple life. They live Green. It is hard to do. It is a hard life. But for them it is the right life and a good life and we would do well to take a serious look at what Green is really all about.

There are exceptions to every rule. But there are also some basics that are worth mentioning. Most Amish live on farms that are from 40 to 60 acres. That is enough land, God willing, to grow enough of a crop to feed the family with a small left over for sale, and graze 40 to 60 head of dairy cattle. The milk from the cows is generally the cash crop of the family and again helps to provide nourishment for the family. A farm that size is large enough to provide for the family and still small enough to be worked by "horsepower." Horses, as we have seen, provide the transportation. They also power the mowers for cutting the hay, tilling and harrowing the fields, and hauling the crops back to the barn when the harvest is ready.

The beauty of the countryside in what we lovingly call "Dutch" country is breathtakingly pastoral. I found these gents sitting on a bench in Lancaster County contemplating the beauty of the Amish farm land before them. If you can sit and look out over the farm lands and watch the plows pulled by horse teams in the field and not get relaxed and happy, you probably have little possibility of achieving either any time soon.
Not only the life of these people is simple, but so too is their clothing. Uniform-like in its "uniformity" and nearly always black and white- no flashing colors here- it is pleasing to the eye and a treat to see, especially on the children as they come and go to school, to work, to church in their bonnets and straw hats...

On a hazy morning in April, this Amish farm boy plows the field with his eight horse power machinery...
At the Shady Maple, the largest of the area farmers' markets, there is plenty to see, buy, sell....or eat. We visit the farmers' markets everywhere we go. These are some of the best. Farm produce is cheaper here than anywhere else I have ever seen. It is produced at a lower cost by simple means and thus can sell for less at market. A simple, a Green, concept!
Work is a family affair. If you are old enough to eat, you are nearly old enough to work in this community. See the kids stroll out to meet the work team in the field.
Wash day is every day when there is sunshine. Solar Dryer! How Green is that?
I always wondered what it was like to ride in one of those carriages!

We contracted with an Amish gentleman to take us for a ride in his buggy. He spoke openly and freely about his lifestyle. About farming methods. About waste in our society. This was a rare and candid access to this relatively closed society. We visited a farm on our jaunt in the carriage (photos below) and learned a lot. In all the years I spent here growing up, I never had this close of an access to the culture of the Amish. It made for an eye opening and fascinating day down on the farm.

"I'll show you how, little one, then you try it..."
The first alfalfa cutting of the year...in a perfect year you can get as many as five cuttings...
"Welcome to our humble home"
Our driver and guide gave permission for a photo (and all of the others for that matter). As a general rule, the Amish prefer not to have their picture taken. Certainly not without permission!

My artsy shot: "Amish Turn Signal"
The Greener we hope to live in this world the more sh-- we might have to put up with. Always remember the basic Green principle: Turn the sh-- into fertilizer and make it work for you! Spread it around....

This is the Green version of "If life gives you lemons, make lemonade!"

Agility Trials and Tribulations

We were going to an agility trial for dogs and we were relatively certain that we had followed the directions we had been given pretty well, so I was surprised to see this sign on the entry gate to the activity field and two course setups! Still, signs are often funny, misleading, double meaning or otherwise interesting so I am never truly surprised I guess.In the center of the picture below, you will see the gate with the "No Dogs" sign. OK. But a "no dumping" sign as well? With hundreds of dogs spending two days running at the site? Some body's gotta be a kidder!
This was the first time we were able to catch up with Marilyn's sister Julie at one of the many agility trials she runs with her two dogs. We had hoped to see her, make that "them", run in Phoenix, but plans had to change and so this trip to Bainbridge near Harrisburg was the next best available date and venue for us. Timing is everything. And speaking of that, here's Julie with the timing instrument at one of the judges' stations in the master's ring.

There's more to it than I am going to explain, but basically the dogs compete to see which one can run the obstacle course in the fastest time and with the least amount of contact with the jumps. I found it rather like a horse jumping show, but with a twist, as I have never seen a horse run through a tunnel or scramble over an A-frame or even across a narrow little bridge.

It was a wonderful day with Julie and the dogs and a lot of her friends who share the same sport. Generally, it was a laid back day, but not entirely. I couldn't help but notice that some of the trainers tried to psych out the competition by leaving the tailgate of the transport vehicle open with all those pretty and impressive ribbons displayed to the fullest. Some will say it is just a matter of taking pride in the accomplishments of the dog and trainer team. (But I ain't buying it...)

Here Julie puts one of the dogs through its paces. It's either Ranger or Strider- but truthfully I can't tell you which one is which. I'm hoping that neither the sister-in-law nor the dogs are offended by this shortcoming! I like to think they are going just soooo fast that no one can tell them apart.

After each round of the trial the course is changed. From what I could tell, the change was rather radical- enough so that neither the trainer nor the dog knew what to expect when it came time for them to run. A brief time period is given for the trainers to walk, or run as the case may be, the course before the competition starts again. I had almost as much fun watching the trainers and their various techniques of learning and preparing for the new course as I did when the dogs ran. I don't think it's necessarily supposed to be that way, but it worked for me.

I especially liked the "bob and weave poles" (for seven points if I remember correctly). I don't think they were actually called that, but I think you'll get the idea. Kind of like an up close and personal equivalent of the barrel weave at a rodeo. Border collies are some fast! And agile! And that's exactly the point!

Some family photos are better than others, eh, Julie? And this one- well, it rates right up there...
OK! Big finish now. Quick! Before the buzzer goes off!

The Best of Spring Gardens

Every year or two we make it a point to visit Longwood Gardens on the former Dupont Estate in Pennsylvania, but very near the village of Kennett Square and the Delaware border. This year we traveled the extra few miles to visit Delaware and add that state to our states traveled map.

Longwood is one of the most fantastic garden displays in the world. The garden changes with the season and specialty shows coincide with holidays and special events. There are casual gardens, formal gardens, inside and outside gardens, waterfalls and ponds, streams, bell towers, garden planning areas, local summer garden idea centers...and on and on. If you love gardening, this is a must see stop on your travels. There is a modest fee to enter the enormous grounds and complex. There is something spectacular to see in every direction at all times. You will not be disappointed!

Spring was just beginning to "spring" on this trip. But not to worry, plenty of color and beauty...

In the main Spring garden area, some 250,000 bulbs were coming into bloom. Every size and shape and color imaginable is on display. There are often nearly as many photographers on location as there are flowers- but still plenty of room so that you won't feel crowded at all. Ever.


The solarium always has magnificent displays going. There are so many rooms in the building that nearly every garden environment can be displayed and explored- tropical, desert, temperate, rain forest, just to name a few. My favorite is always the lush bromeliad room, with its streams, waterfalls, misting heads and incredible layout. I could live in that room! (not shown here)

The orchid room is a real winner as well. You will see varieties here that you may not find anywhere else! Period.
Bird room? Bird of Paradise, yes. Flying birds? No.

Above and below, young and old alike can get good ideas in the Imagine Garden.
All of the species shown here are readily available and relatively easy to grow.
The massive formal gardens are meticulously kept and provide year round enjoyment. NOTHING is ever out of place in Longwood Gardens and this is especially true in "the formals." Put it on your list as "Gotta Do!"

Mushroom Musings

After graduating from college, West Chester State University in West Chester, PA, with a BS in English Literature and Education (that was a Bachelor of Science degree despite the rumors that the BS stood for something else entirely), I got my first job as a Teacher of English To Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) at nearby Kennett Square School District. My day was divided between teaching English as a second language to migrant workers in the morning and teaching Special Education in the afternoons. I did this for a couple years, and this background has always given me a totally different perspective on non English speaking guests, residents, and aliens in this country. So many people complain that they don't speak English! My experience says that they would LOVE to learn to speak English, and that in fact they will do so if given the opportunity. Bilingual education in this country is a big can of worms right now, and my intention was not to open that can at the moment, but just to mention my slant on things. I find that all too often those who are most critical of non English speaking people in the country are coming at the issue from somewhere other than working with them - perhaps having them work for them (which is entirely a different thing all together). Rather, I worked with them, and always found them to be willing, even anxious to learn as much English as they could. Too often the real problem was that the work moved and so did they. Learning a language takes consistency, repetition, and access to good schools; this is often sadly lacking in our migrant population. I truly enjoyed that teaching English portion of my job there. And I have always wondered how many languages are spoken by those who think everyone SHOULD and MUST learn theirs. But all this is by way of saying: I worked, day in and day out, with migrant workers. Some Mexican. Most Puerto Rican. Some Chinese. A a handful of other nationalities. My job was to teach them all English...and I did. I can't name one student who didn't go into the course with gusto. But what brought them all to Kennett Square was mushrooms. Every single one of my students, no matter their age, their brothers and sisters, their mothers and fathers, and yes, cousins too, picked mushrooms in dark, dank strong smelling cinder block houses like the ones below. No fresh air really. No sunlight. No windows. Long shifts rooting with their hands through composted horse manure which is the basic ingredient for the soil in which the mushrooms are grown. It's a dirty job! But like many dirty jobs, someone has to do it if the product is as prized as the mushroom is. I learned to respect those that labor hard in poor conditions and for relatively low wages to produce something that is good. I know that many of them are always looking for the opportunity to improve their lot in life-a goal shared by nearly everyone in the country I would think.

I drove to the High School to show Marilyn where my first post grad job was and to give her a sense of the place and the culture. Not much has changed. The poor are still poor and working hard. The rich are richer and the number of big houses has grown tremendously in the area. The mushroom houses all look alike and all look the same as they did 40 years ago. I have nothing against rich or poor, so long as opportunity is the focus of our going forward. It should be.


If you would like to learn more about mushrooms, the Mushroom Capital of the World, or the annual mushroom Festival, give this link a try.

Willy Wonka's Favorite Vacation Spot

Even Willy Wonka would love to vacation in Lititz, PA, home of the world famous Wilbur Chocolate Factory and Candy Americana Museum. From almost anywhere in town, you can catch the smell of chocolate wafting through the air. It's a candy lover's paradise. Where Hershey Chocolate has gone "theme park" and moved part of their operations oversees over the years, Wilbur keeps true to its candy roots, turning out, according to the Amish Country News, "100 million pounds of chocolate products a year" and furnishing product to America's largest and best known food processors. I have friends and family in the area who say it's the best chocolate in the world. Who am I to argue? The factory is a short walk away from the country's first hard pretzel factory and both are in the heart of the Pennsylvania Dutch (Amish, Mennonite, Quaker, Brethren) Country. So a stop in and around Lititz will provide a veritable plethora of fun and educational adventures and opportunities.

The museum displays hundreds, if not thousands, of cocoa tins, antique candy molds and holiday novelties, along with original art work and photographs, candy making equipment and other items of interest to the company and the area. There is an "area" of candy making open to the public, but not the entire factory. Still we had a great visit, enjoyed some excellent samples and got to talk with some of the candy makers.

One of the companies first products back in the 1860's was hard candy which was made for the train boys to sell on the trains (the tracks run right by the factory- the old station is now the information center). They still crank it out today.

We spent quite a while talking with candy specialty maker Kathy Blankenbiller. It is always so wonderful to speak with a person who loves her job. The excitement and enthusiasm they have for their work reflects well not only on themselves but on the company as well, and for sure Kathy is one talented girl! Her one of a kind creations are something to behold (if not eat).

In the photo above of the ice cream sundae, everything is some form of chocolate and completely edible. Same is true of the mask, fruit, eggs, coins in the photo below...

and in this nearly life size sowing basket below. Even looking at it close up, you could not be sure it wasn't the real thing. Amazing work!
All of these "works of art" are behind the sanitary glass half wall that separates the product from the public. Good thing! I didn't have to worry about whether or not Marilyn was going to lick the goodies...