Reading Viaduct

Yesterday I visited the Reading Viaduct in Philly. It's an old elevated train line that's been abandoned, but you can sneak up onto it and explore, and as you can see by the pics, many people have before. There's a lot of gorgeous graffiti, flowers (mostly weeds, but still), and fun swings that people have rigged up. There is a conversation happening in Philly about making this into a park like the High Line in NYC (readingviaduct.org) but there are property ownership and funding issues to tackle first. Enjoy the pics!

Maine, Revisited

People that build their houses inland,

   People that buy a plot of ground
Shaped like a house, and build a house there,
   Far from the sea-board, far from the sound

Of water sucking the hollow ledges,
   Tons of water striking the shore,--
What do they long for, as I long for
   One salt smell of the sea once more?

People the waves have not awakened,
   Spanking the boats at the harbour's head,
What do they long for, as I long for,--
   Starting up in my inland bed,

Beating the narrow walls, and finding
   Neither a window nor a door,
Screaming to God for death by drowning,--
   One salt taste of the sea once more?

- "Inland" by Edna St. Vincent Millay

Portland and Monhegan Island, Maine, May 2013

A walk in the woods.

Today was my first day off from work since Easter and I'm happy to say I made the most of it. I got to spend time outside with a few of my favorite family and friends, hiking in the Wissahickon, barbecuing, and eating ice cream. Perfecto!

Planning for Planting in Nebraska

This week I'm immersing myself in trees and tree people at the Municipal Forestry Institute at the Arbor Day Farm in Nebraska City, Nebraska.  It's a week of intensive training on how to be a leader in the field of urban forestry.  It's pretty rad, and it comes at a perfect time for me in my career.  Plus, this place is gorgeous!  Check out the sunset pics I took yesterday.  It's supposed to snow pretty hard on Thursday, so I may have more photos of an entirely different nature at the end of the week.

Leaf peeping weekend

This is the last weekend I have free from work until Thanksgiving, so M and I decided to head outdoors and enjoy the incredible fall weather. We managed to catch the end of a grass-fed beef competition at Wyebrook Farm in Honey Brook, PA, enjoy a housewarming party at a friends' farm in Southwest Philly (complete with marshmallow roasting!) and peep some leaves at the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge near the Philadelphia airport.

* Heinz NWR *

 

 

 

 

 

* Heading out to the Farm *

 

* Our jack-o-lantern didn't make it to Halloween :( *

 

* Wyebrook Farm *

Perfect Day

Yesterday was the first day of Fall! M and I spent the day at Highland Orchard, in Westchester PA where we picked a half bushel of apples that I plan to make into pies, butter, and preserves. When we returned we went straight to our friends' house for dinner, which turned out to be a surprise party for me for my 30th birthday! Yup, a perfect day.

 

A Walk in the Wissahickon

M and I did a little hometown exploring this weekend. We joined a hike in Wissahickon Valley Park led by a volunteer Trail Ambassador from the Friends of the Wissahickon, a non profit that works to improve the park. We learned about the history of usage in the park - the mills that used to line the creek, the geology and quarrying, and the amazing structures that were built by the WPA during the Depression.

The Wissahickon is one of five watershed parks in Philly, and we've spent some time exploring it in the past. This time we drove to the far northwestern edge to walk along Forbidden Drive, so named because at the turn of the century they decided not to allow cars on it.

The Wissahickon is home to some incredible features, including this covered bridge, the only one left in a major American city.

There are also two statues set into the hillsides along the creek - this is the "Indian" statue, sculpted out of marble in 1902 and meant to depict a member of the Native American tribe the Lenape, looking westward at the departing members of his tribe as they are pushed out of the area by the colonists. He has a feather "war bonnet" on, which is historically inaccurate for the Lenape.

After being locked up in my office in front of the computer for the winter, it's nice to actually be out in the park exploring and learning about it!

It's Fall!

That crisp is in the air again, it's my favorite time of the year! But before we can address any fall-type things, let's do a quick recap. The last time I posted I was working with UC Green to raise funds for their fall planting. Many thanks to everyone who helped us reach our goal, we raised more than our $4K target and UC Green will have plenty of funds for their fall planting. I was also starting my brand new job at Philadelphia Parks & Recreation where I've now been working for almost 6 months! It's a wonderful learning experience and I love the work and my coworkers. What more could a girl ask for?

In the intervening months a lot of other things happened . . .

. . . M and I got married!!!! . . .





(wedding pictures are by Tiffany Atlas, Atlas Wedding Photography)



. . . We went on a wonderful honeymoon to Maine . . .



. . . I spent the 4th of July at my friend Alex's family place on a lake near Ithaca, NY . . .



. . . Alex, Katie and I joined my mom and Emmy for another Berryfest weekend . . .



. . . plus two new cousins were born (baby knitting project posts to come), M and I joined his family for a lake vacation in Maryland, and we went to my annual family reunion at the Delaware River.

A very full summer indeed. I'm finding it difficult to balance my full time job and my outside-of-work life, so the blog and my reading of other blogs has completely fallen by the wayside. But I hope to pick it up again, especially since this cool weather makes it easier to spend time sitting at my desk at the computer (which was unbearable during the summer months in our un-air-conditioned home). My posts will certainly be less frequent than in the past, but I promise to check back periodically and I hope to start reading all of your blogs again soon!

I'm glad to be back!

Right now

Right now I am thankful for . . .



. . . a weekend spent immersed in new traditions, culture, and history (Good Yomtov!) . . .



. . . a love that grows stronger with each new experience . . .



. . . poetry . . .



. . . thrifting with M and enjoying our finds (a satin LA Lakers jacket for $10!) . . .



. . . exploring a new community garden (more to come!) . . .



. . . our cherry tree blossoms . . .



. . . hard work paying off at the Walnut Hill Mini-Farm (more to come!) . . .



. . . and sunlight.