In the living section of today's paper, you'll see the results of our third annual summer photo contest.
In keeping with that theme, I thought I'd share one of my summer photos here. This one was taken during a weekend I spent in the town of Ohiopyle.
For more great photos, check out YDR photographer Bil Bowden's blog.
Ken, Cindy and Jason Roach pose for a photograph in front of the Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau, Alaksa. The Washington Township family took a 12-day cruise to Alaksa in May to celebrate Jason's graduation from Lebanon Valley College with a music education degree.
Their travel tips: Get off the cruise ship and explore. Book your excursions several months before you leave on your trip so it won't be sold out. Plan ahead -- Alaska trips sell out quickly!
If you haven't made it over to WIlliams Grove this week for the annual Grangers Steam Engine Festival, you have two more days to get there.
I went last weekend with my sister and my niece, and even though I'm not much interested in trains, it was pretty cool to see the old steam engines and the old-timey festival atmosphere.
We took my niece, Lilyana, on a train ride and got some chicken barbecue for lunch. If you have kids -- and if any of them have the least bit of interest in trains or tractors -- I'd say this is a must-do.
Admission is $2 for adults and train rides are $3. You can't get cheaper entertainment than that!
Josh Rowand, right, shares a camel ride with Benjamin Lee in Israel during a three-week scholarship program called "Israel Experience" run by Eagles Wings Ministeries.
Rowand, 19, of Dover Township, attends Valley Forge Christian College. Lee attends Georgetown University. The pair were in a Bedouin camp in the southern Israeli desert the first week of August when this photo was taken.
His travel tip: Drink A LOT of water. It's very easy to get dehydrated, and Israel is very hot and dry. Also, go during our summer months. It doesn't rain there. Ever. We had great weather every day for the three weeks we were there.
What, you ask, is an Amish VIP?
An Amish person with motorized wheels or electricity? One who get to schmooze with the bigwigs?
Robyn Pottorff of Spring Garden Township took this photo about 6 a.m. off Shawan Road in Hunt Valley, Md. earlier this month. She was on her way to work in Owings Mills, Md.
Her travel tip: You don't have to travel all over the world to see beautiful things. By driving only half an hour away, you'll find gorgeous horse farms and serenity. If you happen to drive on Shawan Road and follow it until it turns into Tufton, right around sun up or sun down, you will see the most beautiful sight.
Brett Pottorff of Spring Garden Township snapped this picture of a saxophone player in New York City's Central Park in July during a childless overnight escape with his wife, Robyn.
His travel tip: "Tip Before You Click." If you find a great musician or performer who you'd like to take a picture of, always tip them (all have a tip box). Then they never mind if you take their picture -- or a few.
One of America's favorite board games is going global.
Hasbro is swapping Broadway and Park Place for Montreal and Riga. (Do you even know where that is? I didn't. Answer at the end of this post) for a new Monopoly: World Edition.
New York City still made the cut, but it's the only U.S. city to do so. More than 5 million Monopoly fans voted online earlier this year for the cities they wanted to see in the new edition.
Here's the official line from a company press release: "We are thrilled that the first-ever global game board includes an interesting mix of cities that showcases the dynamic cultures, sights and history of the planet."
Next, I'm waiting to read about some goal-oriented traveler on a mission to visit each of the cities on the new board.
It might be hard to believe -- considering the price of admission, parking, a hot dog and Sno cone -- but amusement parks nationwide are reporting revenues that are more than 2 percent less than last year's season.
A press release that came across my desk said the bad economy and deferred investment in new rides and facilities are mostly to blame. To help combat the effects of fewer American visitors, parks such as Walt Disney World and Disneyland are making a big push into foreign markets.
Are you still heading to amusement parks? Are you cutting back on the number of visits or how much you spend when you're there?
Check out this photo of Hersheypark at night, taken from the hill across Hersheypark Drive. Had I brought my real camera and a tripod, you can imagine the results would have been even better! For more cool photos, check out YDR photographer Bil Bowden's blog.
A couple of years ago, I wrote a story about pennies -- how some people think we ought to do away with the one-cent coin, while others feel strongly that we should keep it in circulation.
It was during research for that story that I learned there was a squished penny museum in Washington, D.C. (It's now closed)
Now and then, I'd smash a penny at one of those machines you find at touristy places, but it wasn't a must-have souvenir. Lately, I've been seeing more and more of the machines at places I've been visiting. HersheyPark, Ohiopyle State Park, Mount Gretna...
Sunday morning, I drug myself out of bed early to go to Williams Grove.
The former amusement park and picnic grounds in Cumberland County's rural Monroe Township closed down a few years back, but the place has found new life with a weekend flea market in a beautiful setting.
I got more peaches than I can eat in a week for $1.50, a bunch of homegrown tomatoes for a dollar and a beautiful green pepper for less than 50 cents. You'll also find vendors selling yard-sale-type items, antiques, plants and more amid the remnants of rides.
Williams Grove is also the site of the annual Grangers steam-engine festival, set for this weekend. I've never been to it, but I'll probably go -- if nothing else than to watch my 14-month-old niece ride on the trains she's obsessed with.
And to get more peaches before summer's over!
My birthday fell on a Tuesday this year, so the best way I could think to celebrate was to invite a group of friends to join me for dinner at a place I have wanted to check out for some time now: Bube's Brewery.
About half an hour from York in the small town of Mt. Joy, the historic brewery complex offers a variety of dining options in a very cool setting.
We were supposed to dine in the Biergarten, but the weather looked threatening, so they put us in a room on the second floor of the main complex, right next to an old-fashioned general store of sorts.
Saturday, I, Jennifer Vogelsong, a non-beer-drinker, took a bronze medal in an event in the Beer Olympics (disclaimer: This event was not in any way, shape or form related to the official Olympic Games now on televison sets everywhere) hosted by friends of friends.
It was the keg toss -- the only event in which drinking beer was not required!
I went because I had heard the organizers put impressive effort into the event and I couldn't pass up a chance to check out something as crazy-sounding as this. I wasn't disappointed.
If you haven't seen photos of Julian Beever's two-dimensional sidewalk chalk drawings that seem like they're 3-D, you'll want to take two minutes to check out this YouTube montage of his work. This guy is awesome!
Wouldn't it be cool if he came to York as a special guest for the YorkFest chalk art competition at the end of this month? Now that would be some serious inspiration. Wonder if he ever does workshops or lessons?
Carole and Don Davis of West Manchester Township took a trip to Istanbul, Turkey, and Egypt in February and March. The highlights were a Nile River cruise, a short flight to Jordan and a tour of Amman, a float in the Dead Sea and the sights of Petra. They also visited Alexandria, Cairo and Abu Simbel.
Their travel tips: Pack light and give away your clothing as you travel. This will give you space in your luggage to bring hom new treasures. Take many pictures and keep a daily journal.
I spotted these "Life is Crap" T-shirts in Ocean City, N.J. when I was there for a day last week to celebrate my (gulp!) 31st birthday.
Apparently, there's a bit of backlash by folks who are fed up with the popular motto's cheery attitude. You knew it would happen sooner or later!
Sunday afternoon, some friends and I hiked to an observation tower near the resort town of Mount Gretna and climbed the narrow rusty ladders to the top, where you can supposedly see parts of four counties on a clear day.
It's not super well-known -- the Park at Governor Dick isn't a state or county park and I heard of it for the first time when friends mentioned it. We had a bit of difficulty figuring out which roads would take us to the trail head, and the trail itself wasn't well-marked, but we figured it out.
It was a nice excursion, but we were a little frustrated at the lack of on-site information about the tower and the park. We like to learn a little when we're visiting new places.
Now, for the ice-cream...
Friday night, I did something I've been wanting to do on a Friday night for some time now.
I walked to Eckel's drug store in Mechanicsburg for an ice-cream cone.
The town landmark still makes milkshakes with those lime-green mixers and whips up some of the tastiest floats and flavored sodas around. It was the setting for filming of some scenes in the movie "Girl Interrupted" in early 1999.
It's one of the reasons I love living in a small town. If you've never been there, it's definitely worth the 35-minute drive from York.
I know you can't resist reading a blog post with a headline like that!
Two colleagues and I accompanied members of the York Daily Record/Sunday News's Teen Takeover staff to a York Revolution baseball game Monday night.
It was a monkey magic Monday at Sovereign Bank Stadium and I took full advantage!
In the first photo, you'll see me peeking behind the back of magician/illusionist Eli Georgaras to see if I can spot any secret moves as he performed a card trick. (I couldn't -- he was pretty swift.)
In the second photo, you'll see Django, a 17-year-old capuchin monkey, perched on my shoulder.
Django and I go way back.
Check out my story in today's paper about the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore. Friend and coworker Melissa Burke (YDR's religion reporter and a Baltimore resident) raved about the current exhibit and suggested the museum might make a good backyard travel for cash-strapped locals looking for a nearby day trip.
I wasn't disappointed. Here are some photos from my visit that we didn't have space for in the paper:
Jan Bortner of Jacobus sent in this photo of friend Hilda Miller, 92, snagging a ride on the back of Mickey Pantano's motorcycle during a Fourth of July picnic in Jacobus last month.
Miller, originally from Shrewsbury, is a resident of Senior Commons at Powder Mill. She had her own motorcycle and rode until she turned 65.
Summer isn't summer for me without a visit to Cowans Gap State Park near McConnellsburg.
Earlier this month, my family rented a cabin there for a week and I spent a weekend there. Here are three photos that show my favorite parts of camping:
The rowboat that got me hooked on being on the water and taught me how to steer a boat. It was my inspiration for buying a kayak two years ago. I wanted to be able to go out and paddle around on my own.
The campfire. Oh, the stories, the silliness. The sticky marshmallow S'morey goodness. This glowing fire probably has coals that are perfect for cooking mountain pies.
And lastly, the view. The relaxing scenery by the lake is a sight for sore urban/suburban stressed eyes.
