Canoeing the Yough
In clean, clear  water we swim
With fish, without care.
Wow, was I impressed from the get-go when we decided to rent three canoes yesterday and canoe the seven miles trip from Smithton to West Newton.  We rented boats and the guy at Youghiogheny Outfitters was a godsend, helping us out with cooler reorganization, assistance [...]

As someone very unfamiliar with anything rural, the Amish culture has always fascinated me. My experience with them consisted mainly of passing them in my car on the drive back to college. I was curious about their Amish rules and culture, ‘how did they live without electricity?’ or ‘are they ever allowed to shave [...]

Western Pennsylvania, blessed with more overcast than sunny days (well it sometimes seems that way), has a shining gem of band that plays music that brings to mind blazing white sands and dancing for a week during Carnival.
Led by Eric Schrader, the Greenville High School Steel Drum Band has performed as featured soloists with the [...]

Last year at this time I wrote a blog post about the upcoming trout season and my plans to camp at Little Pine State Park. This year I am even more excited about the fishing prospects. Our fellow trout anglers in south eastern Pennsylvania have already had their opening day. Now it’s our turn here [...]

So the Lehigh Valley is covered in snow, which reminds me of the first time I tried skiing. I was in 7th grade when I signed up to go on a ski trip with my church youth group to Bear Creek Mountain Resort (although back then it was called Doe Mountain). As we pulled up to the base [...]

In the last week, a good portion of Pennsylvania has seen a significant amount of snowfall. While the snow can be pretty, it can also mean that you become stuck in your own home for days at a time while waiting to be plowed out. And, while the first couple of hours can be fun, [...]

The Schuylkill Valley Model Railroad Open House is “fun for kids of all ages”. Train lovers young and old will see freight and passenger car trains rumbling over 700 feet of track, over high trestle bridges, through towns, around mountains and through tunnels along the right of way from Reading to Philadelphia. Hundreds of buildings, [...]

I never presume to think that I’ve “seen it all,” no matter how frequently I visit a place. But in truth, once I get a good feel for a place, most surprises are fairly small. Which makes the big ones all the more incredible.
Saturday was cold – 28 degrees cold – at sunrise, [...]

Whenever we head “up county” from our home in Lancaster County, we always take our dog, Chloe. Unfortunately, this means we have to get creative about stopping anywhere along the way, as we generally dislike leaving her in the car for any significant amount of time. Once, we picked up some sandwiches and picnicked on [...]

After discovering Muhlenberg College’s Summer Music Theatre program last month during its performance of “The Sound of Music,” I was anxious to go back for another show. So last night I saw “Forever Plaid,” a show about a four-party harmony singing group of guys from the 1960’s who return from the afterlife for one last show.