In God We Trust (And A Few Of The Rest Of You.)

     FRIDAY, JULY 17TH

     IN GOD WE TRUST
(And a few of the rest of you!)

   The top was down as my wife
and I headed out for an afternoon
drive yesterday.
   We were just north of Tunkhannock
when I spotted the "Farm Market"
sign and what looked like some good
looking produce on display.
    There were tomatoes, watermelons,
onions, potatoes, and a nice supply of
recently picked sweet corn.
     They were all set out on a large
cart that could be resupplied and
hauled to storage when the day was
done.
     We did notice one thing missing!
A farmer. Or, if you will, a clerk.
Little hand made signs were tacked
above each of the produce bins with
the price of the items clearly marked.
     And, at one end of the cart, we
found a locked tool box with small
slits cut into the metal so costumers,
like us, could insert the money for
the products we were buying.
     I saw a similar set up at an apple
orchard a year or so ago. Apples
set out on a shelf in a small shed
and a lock box where you could
make your payments after picking
the number and type of the apples
you wanted.
     I suppose stands like these
sometimes get some folks who
take without paying. But I'll bet
the majority of customers not
only pay their way, but aren't
looking for change if they've
inserted a dollar for 75 cents
worth of product.
    Guess Anne Frank had it
right! "Despite everything, I
believe that people are really
good at heart."
     Hope these tomatoes taste
as good as they look and that
all your NEWS is good!

  

Right On Target!

     THURSDAY, JULY 16TH

       RIGHT ON TARGET!

  I went along as my grandson started
his lessons last evening. No. He hasn't
gone back to school already. But he
did do some studying.
  He's interested in archery. So his mom
and I took him to an archery store and
range in Throop where he could learn
the basics of safety and shooting.
  He had actually taken some instruction
from me a while back. Don't laugh! I
was an archery instructor at the YMCA
in Hazleton many moons ago and a
former State Champion had been my
teacher!
   Of course times have changed and my
style of archery is now a sort of ancient
history. There's a new math these days,
And there's a new archery too.
   Back in the day I bent my bow to
attach the string, pulled back with all
my might and held that tightened
string until I was ready to let my
arrow fly. I looked at the target and
tried to anticipate the flight of my
arrow.
   Now archers use compound bows.
One you pull back on the string the
bow holds the weight and you look
through a sight similar to that on a
rifle to help you home in on the target.
There's even a "trigger" on the bows
to let the arrow go.
   Robin Hood and his Merry Men
would have taken just a day to knock
off the Sheriff of Nottingham with this
kind of equipment! William Tell
could have split a seed in the apple on
his son's head!
  And Cupid? Well he'd never miss!
   My grandson did well. He learned
a few things, made some good shots,
and had some fun!
   Maybe I'll pull out my old bow and
take some practice shots myself. I'm
pretty sure I can still hit the  target. I'm
just not sure I can see it any more!
    Hope you get the point and that all
your NEWS is good!

   

  

You Never Know Where You're Going!

       WEDNESDAY, JULY 15TH

YOU NEVER KNOW WHERE YOU'RE GOING!        

   There's an old song that sums up much
of my travel extremely well. "You Never
Know Where You're Going Till You Get
There."
    As a kid I would load up in the car
whenever my Dad and Mom were ready
to head out on the road. And true to those
lyrics, I never knew where we were going
till we got there.
    I guess it's in my blood. After our
wedding reception I asked my wife where
she wanted to go. She pointed in what
turned out to be a northerly direction. So
that's the way our Honeymoon began.
    And we're still doing it! Yesterday two
of our closest friends called and asked if
we wanted to head out "somewhere" to
get a bite to eat. We immediately replied
in the affirmative!
    After a brief discussion we decided on
a favorite pizza place. It's in New Jersey.
But, just as we were heading out, another
favorite spot, generally in the opposite
direction came to mind and we headed
south.
     It's nice to know that, currently,
whichever way you choose to go, you'll
probably run into a Penndot construction
project and a traffic tie up. We were not
disappointed in that regard! But after
all three lanes managed to merge into
one we were on our way again.
    We did enjoy a great dinner at our
favorite restaurant La Dolce Casa
in Tamaqua. But, for a few moments,
I thought I was going to be stuck there
indefinitely! After a visit to the restroom
I spotted a sign with read "Employees
Must Wash Hands." I waited for awhile.
But no employees showed up so I decided
to wash my hands myself.
    Then, when most people probably
would have started home, we headed
out in another direction eventually
arriving at Heisler's Cloverleaf Dairy.
There were no cloverleaves to be found.
But, fortunately, there was a great
supply of excellent ice cream! We
helped deplete the stock!
    Who really cares where you're
heading when you end up in places
like those?
     Hope you get just as "lost" one
of these days and that all your NEWS
is good!

A Bicycle Built For....You!

     TUESDAY, JULY 14TH.

  A Bicycle Built For.......You!

   I've see a lot of bicycles in my day.
My first two wheeler, inherited from
my brother, was a 40's something
vintage Monarch with a built in push
button horn, large fenders, and a
battery powered headlight up front.
    It was the greatest looking bike
around and the slowest! It probably
weighted 30 pounds or so!
    I remember when my parents
finally allowed me to get a brand
new English bike with hand brakes,
three speeds, and an electric
generator that rolled against the rear
tire and powered a very trim headlight!
    Over the years I bought my son a
couple of bicycles when he got
involved in BMX racing. A couple
were, I thought, a bit expensive.
    Yesterday I met Rich Hayes. Rich
was a guest on my weekly television
show I do for Electric City TV in
Scranton. Later this month he'll do
another long ride to raise money for
the Griffin Pond Animal Shelter.
    He brought his bike to the studio.
It didn't look, or weigh as much, as
my old Monarch. And it's got more
gears than most tractor trailers!
     Bikes, it seems, have come a
long way. And that, in effect, has
allowed modern riders to go a long
way!
      Rich, for instance, will be riding
over a hundred miles for the 6th
straight year! I think I did about 7
miles on my English beauty when
I was a kid. And then I had to call
somebody to come and bring me
back home!
      Rich's bike is built of carbon
fibber and probably weighs only
12 pounds! Again, a big difference
from my old rides.
     You probably won't find many
of those old Monarchs around
anymore. But you can still find
those old English 3-speeds on
ebay for a few hundred dollars.
     I asked Rich how much he's
got invested in his two wheeler.
"About $3000" he replied!
Egads!!!!! We paid less for our
last used car! Of course it only
has three speeds come to think of
it.
     Anyway, hope Rich has a
successful ride and that all your
NEWS is good!

Test Drive

          TEST DRIVE!

   As most of you know I got my
Miata back last week after some
engine repair work. Although the
weather has been great our schedule
had us teamed up with several
people each day so the sports car
was not an option. Not until late
yesterday afternoon.
  My wife and I decided we had
waited long enough to make sure
the car was back in good working
order. So, we took it for a test
drive.
    You can't take on a challenge
like that without energy so our
first stop was at our favorite ice
cream shop in Nescopeck. Got
there just fine and, as long as we
did, we gave ourselves a treat.
    Heading back we happen to
swing by the Garden Drive In
Theater. In order to test our
ability to negotiate in tight
quarters we bought a couple of
tickets and weaved our way in
between the pickups and SUVs
to a perfect vantage point to
watch the show! Being a test
drive is very challenging!
    The way we see it, the ice
cream was great, the pop corn
and French fries were delicious,
and the Minion movie was
funny!
    And, of yes, the car drove
like a dream!
    Hope we get to do another
test real soon...and that all
your NEWS is good! 

Ride Watcher!

   We spent a good part of Saturday
with family members at Knoebels
Amusement Park. My daughter-in-
law's company sponsored a day at
the park for employees and their
families, complete with a picnic
lunch, a prize drawing, and ride
tickets for the kids.
    Technically, the ride tickets
were for anyone in the family. But
I have officially become a "Ride
Watcher" as opposed to a "Ride
Rider."
    There are several reasons for
this decision and a bit of rationalizing
as well.
    First, with regard to the rides on
which I'd feel safe, it might look a
bit strange to be sitting with three
and four year old children.
    There are many other rides
available. But I'm come to realize
that either common sense or fear
makes me a far better watcher then
rider! I still use the excuse that I
stand taller than the measurement
on the sign reading...."You must
be this tall to ride this ride."
     I saw another sign that, at first,
surprised me. It is posted at the
giant Ferris Wheel. Apparently
only married couples are allowed
to ride! The sign reads..."No single
riders allowed on giant wheel."
    My daughter-in-law didn't
ride either. She's due to deliver
my newest grandson very soon.
We didn't want a situation where
she'd need only one ticket to get
on a ride but a second to get off!
    I will admit to boarding one
ride yesterday. Just before we left
for the day I joined the family on
the train ride. I thought I handled
that pretty well. Guess that proves
I'm not a wimp!
     Hope the rest of you enjoy the
coasters and that all your NEWS
is good!

   

Left In The Larch!

     SATURDAY, JULY 11TH

        LEFT IN THE LARCH!

     My wife, grandson, and I spent
part of our Friday at Francis Slocum
State Park. We boys decided some
fishing was in order and, as it happens,
I keep my yacht moored at the lake
there. Well.....OK....it's actually an
8 foot Jon Boat and it's sort of chained
to a pole there along with assorted
boats, canoes, and kayaks.
      It's amazing how much you can
fit into my small vessel. A grandson,
a grandpa, two life vests, two oars,
two tackle boxes, two fishing rods,
one plastic container with about a
half dozen worms, and a live bait
bucket with a dozen medium sized
minnows.
     I should note that a couple of
the worms and minnows lost their
lives during the making of this story.
One of the worms, for instance, fell
victim to a 5-inch crappie that
apparently viewed him as lunch.
     My grandson caught the fish.
It was, in fact, our only catch of
the afternoon.
      I was left in the Larch! No, not
the Lurch. The Larch. It's a species
of trees you'll find throughout
Francis Slocum Park. You'll know
the one I was "left" in. My red and
white fishing bobber is hanging
from one of its lower branches. It's
the biggest tree I ever caught! And
that's no fish story!
      Hope I reeled you in with this
one and that all your NEWS is good!