Recently in Around town Category

I can't say enough, today of all days, how much I appreciate the service of the men and women of York County and beyond to our country in the Armed Forces.

The last few months have been filled with reminders in my life of close friends and family members who have served.

The pastor who baptized me, a lifelong Yorker who joined the Army in 1941 and was wounded at Anzio. He wrote me a letter last December, telling me a bit about his life and including a note that he remembered me - one of 589 people he'd baptized in his work as a United Methodist minister. After all his service, that he would remember me meant a lot.

A very good friend from high school, who came home in early October after 10 years in the Air Force, most recently serving in Afghanistan. I didn't know until he got home where he'd been assigned, and I'm so thankful - I'd have been even more terrified than I already was for him.

My brother-in-law, who recently attended the dedication of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial at the Expo Center. As a kid, I knew he was in the military, but didn't really think about it much. As an adult, knowing more than I used to about what went on in Vietnam, I respect his service so much more.

My eighth-grade Algebra teacher, who came into the newspaper's office toward the end of summer. I wasn't sure he remembered me, but he told me the one thing that made me sure he did - "I remember you, and I remember your daddy, too." He and Dad served together in the Army Reserves for many years. Next to his dedicated service, the big hug he gave me was the best gift I could imagine.

And most of all, my father himself. He's been gone since 1993, but he's still the first thing I think of when I think "USA." He enlisted early - lying about his age - to fight in Korea. He served for many years in the military police. He went everywhere - including to Italy, where our family is from. And once he "retired" from active duty, he joined the Reserves, where he did supply-chain training up until the year he died. Amazingly, he was called to active service again in the first Gulf War, back when I was in elementary school. I was going through my scrapbooks just the other day and realized I still have all the newspaper clippings of every detail of that conflict, and all the letters Dad sent me while he was away.

Wrapped in all these people is the gift of service to country that most of us might never fully understand. I'm thankful to everyone who serves, and today of all day, my thoughts are with our service members, their families, and the families of those who made the ultimate sacrifice. My life in York County is a happy one, and for those of you who've traveled far from home here to keep it so... my endless thanks.

Faithful readers of this blog know that I split my grocery shopping between Weis, Giant and Walmart depending on what's on sale. (In fact, I'm pretty fanatical about it.)

One thing I noticed while at Weis recently is worth mentioning: their campaign to help the local food banks, as the weather turns colder and the holidays approach.

They have an option where you can buy a bag of prepackaged "most-needed" food, which they will deliver to a local food bank.

There is also an option at the checkout to easily add a donation of $3, $5 or $10 to your order, which netted me the nice sticker pictured here. You can read more about the program on Weis' Web site, here.

I'll be excited to receive a news release at the end of the campaign, telling how much was raised. I'm hoping that even in the tough economy, it'll be pretty significant.

Hubby took me for a "fair date" tonight. Best date ever!! He won me a Kit-Kat and Starburst playing the candy spinner game, and then... I introduced him to the infamous Boxall's I Got It... and I won!

I chose a very lovely new lasagna/roasting pan as my prize.

Other cool trivia: Among the other contestants/spectators were Congressman Todd Platts and his family. (And I'm happy to say someone in his family won a prize a few rounds before me, too.) Only in York County indeed!

Well, no one bit on my "pop quiz" when I posted earlier this week about free bowling.

That's OK, I want to show this off anyway, because it's cool. When we were there a while ago, here is what the Colony Park Lanes North "bowling pin backdrop" looked like:

Now, take a look at how it looked more recently, in two parts:

It's been Yorkified! This part features a Harley and the Bobb Log House Golden Plough Tavern - oops, messed that up; thanks to commenter Bill for the fix! And you can see Central Market's tower in the background. And the part below shows the York Fair in the distance, and the Colonial Courthouse.

How cool is that? I don't know if it was done for a particular event (I know there is or was a big PBA event this month), or just to brighten it up, but I hope it stays. It's pretty cool. Has anyone else seen it?

Yesterday evening, Hubby, Sarah and I took Coby the dog for a LONG walk on the rail trail.

We parked at Brillhart Station and headed two miles to the Howard Tunnel to find our next letterbox (this was No. 6), then hiked back.

What a walk! Even the dog was beat by the end. Here are Coby and Sarah at the tunnel (halfway point).

The good news is, while walking, we ran into my doctor and a friend, also walking. So next time he says I should exercise more... Hahaha!

While Joan recuperates from a nasty stomach bug (And doesn't everyone know at least one friend or family member who has "the bug" right now?), I took car-lover Sarah out to partake in a York County tradition and see the street rods this morning.

She had herself a checklist of cars she wanted to find and have me photograph -- red, purple, black, multicolored, etc. Finding a white car actually turned out to be one of the toughest tasks. Not too many all-white rods, I guess. Tough to keep 'em clean?

We eventually did find everything on the list, so the mission was a success.

Now, Sarah, who is still in "school mode" despite that fact that her last day was this past Friday and she's now a rising fourth-grader, wants to put together a poster about the street rods, using today's photos and information she plans to research about street rods on the Internet. She's a smart cookie!

P.S. -- I just noticed that sign outside the York Fairgrounds (top photo) reads "STEET ROD NAT'SEAST" ... Only in York County, indeed.

... and insert various other goose puns here!

Remember these guys from last Wednesday?

Well, Amy might have been the only person to take a guess, but she was right! I took this in the Meadowbrook Village shopping center near Border's and the old Circuit City. We had gone to that Isaac's for lunch and were on our way down to Border's when we saw this goose family plus another one.

Also, a special shout-out to my father-in-law, John, for his goose puns. This punny nature, by the way, he passed along to Hubby, who I'm surprised didn't pipe in with his own tributes to wordplay.

While "Pappy John," as my daughter calls him, is from Rhode Island and would have no idea where in York County this was, he did make several suggestions. You know, like Quacker Lane? Honkers Alley? Gooseberry Plaza?

Let the groaning begin!