29 Apr: We awoke in Wilmington, Delaware. This was another unusual day because we started riding in Wilmington to join John at the Longwood Gardens (click here). WOW !! The flowers are amazing, and it is another surprise that Pierre S. DuPont merged fountains, flowers and music into such an incredible spectacle. (His organ has 10,010 pipes (click here) and can be played by a computer.) I have to suggest a visit to my opera-afficinado friend Ed. Flowers, flowers and more flowers. What a perfect time of year and a perfect year to visit the gardens. The recent warmth and rains have undoubtedly enhanced the displays. John showed us the behind-the-scenes views of the organ, before we listened to the computer play several show tune medleys. A light display helps the computer know which pedals to push and which keys to play - or maybe that is for the audience. It was better for me to close my eyes, and listen to the music undistracted. We were able to order a small lunch salad from their cafeteria. By 2:30 it was decided that we had best depart promptly if we wished to avoid rush hour traffic. That tactic was marginally successful although Ron wandered around enough trying to find a pleasant route that we did not arrive back to the Seminary until 4:30.
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| Gov. Printz and a couple of Colonial lovelies |
28 Apr, Sunday: Not our normal Sunday. We walked to church with umbrella in hand to ward off the looming rainclouds. Then we merely picked up salads at Fresh Market and hustled off on the motorcycle to ride south and west to the Doubletree in Wilmington, delighted to arrive there dry. (Ron likes to quip that God helps those who help themselves, and we helped out by postponed eating until after arriving.) We then walked through a bad neighborhood for a few blocks to the Holy Trinity (Old Swedes) Church in Wilmington (click here). There we were informed that we needed to walk another couple of blocks to our destination, Fort Christina (click here) on the banks of the Delaware, where the Swedes first landed in 1638. We spent a couple of hours at Fort Christina, enjoying the Spring Swedish Festival and enjoyed seeing and hearing SCS Gov. John Tepe, dressed in Colonial peasant clothing, give a brief speech. Our reason for riding to Wilmington was to join MIT alums Ed and Joel for dinner after their afternoon opera. Ed and Joel were roommates, which added a dimension of interest to the delightful conversation.
27 Apr: Ugh! Arising at 6:00 AM is not pleasant but Ron is committed to joining in the 5K walk with Joel. Ron judiciously exercised, oatmealed, turned up the heat in the house before riding off on the motorcycle in a surprisingly warm 50-degree morning for the 5K Multiple Myeloma Run/Walk. Cynthia opted out after learning the temperature was forecast to be 44 degrees. Had she known that it was actually 50 degrees she might have braved the chill. The walk was very enjoyable, and Ron chatted extensively with Joel's co-worker for half of the walk. The highlight was meeting the ever-ephemeral Susan and new pup Sophia. Annnnddd: here is the photo of the Runners/Walkers:
Ron's ride back to the Seminary was a delight. Spring is blossoming everywhere in Philadelphia, and the chosen route was blocked off once and wrong way once so that the GPS directed Ron onto a couple of lovely streets with mansions and marvelous grounds abounding around.
26 Apr: Rain, Rain, Rain, with blue skies in time for lunch at McMenamin’s with John P., who brought his umbrella, just in case. We made it back to the seminary dry! 5:00 the ominous black clouds rolled in accompanied by a lightning show and roaring thunder. A ferocious downpour lasted a short twenty minutes. We were able to walk home dry by the usual 7 pm.
25 Apr: Two weeks ago Ron looked out the bedroom window and was delighted to see green on the "fingertips" of the trees; today nearly everything was green. Cynthia's transplanted iris look like they will survive the uprooting trauma. We are told that the drain man returneth to continue repairs. Ron has spent the morning recording receipts into his spreadsheet (so that he knows where he's been) and updating the blog. He was delighted to find new news about Mexico Beach (click here). Now his seat is getting sore, and he needs to move. Movement led to salads at Fresh Market - ambience is lacking, but salads are nearly perfect, made to order by us. And, now that the receipts are recorded and the blog is updated, Ron can return to appointed work.
24 Apr: The Drain Man is Here! and opines that tree roots are causing the drain to back up when laundry follows shower. Ron and Cynthia are hard at work in the Archives. (Ron is finally recording receipts into his spreadsheet after a month of intentions.) We took a two-hour lunch break to walk to Fresh Market. Pastor D. Made Spaetzel with water and no salt for our dinner. It is tasty and white, like fat rice. Ron and Pastor added beans and lentils to theirs; Cynthia added only enough to cool hers down from scalding to warm.
23 Apr: Repeating Monday in the Archives. Ed R., Terry B. and Kim-Eric also worked in the Archives. John P. joined Kim-Eric, Ed and us for lunch at McMenamin's. (Ron loves to drink lunch there - 22 oz Hefeweisens.) Terry brought her own sack lunch. Pastor David returned from his road trip to Cleveland this evening, but tells me that he leaves again on Thursday to Minneapolis.
22 Apr: Ron spent the day in the Archives, while Cynthia cleaned and supervised both the window washers and the installer of a mini window air conditioner in our bedroom. After Cynthia's jobs were complete, she showered and started a load of laundry. The wash cycled fine, but during rinse, disaster struck; the kitchen floor flooded with water from somewhere. Cynthia used a million rags or two to soak up the flood. As soon as Ron returned and asked about the damp rags draped over everything, Cynthia told her story, and Ron immediately went to the guest bathroom to discover that the downstairs commode had also backed up and flooded that room with water and unidentified detritus. Ron insisted that he scrub up the mess (after a bowl of oat meal, evening pills, toothbrushing, etc.) and used the last bits of the Spic & Span water to do so. The worst part was water under the wood flooring - now drying out with big fans. WEll! The house is mighty clean. As Ron is wont to repeat far too often, "If this is the worst thing that happens this year, it won't be a bad year."
21 Apr, Easter Sunday: Happy Easter! We hope your Easter was a joyous celebration! We walked into Chestnut Hill to the Lutheran Church, amidst springtime delight! The dogwoods, redbuds, were bursting with blossoms, and the cherry blossoms looked like pink cotton candy! Spring is greening beautifully, too. The service was a very ”high church” with all of the whistles and bells. The congregation had a reaffirmation of baptism, and the choir was magnificent. The neatest part was leaving with church bells ringing from many churches. I felt like we should be singing, Easter Parade! Cynthia felt like she was in the musical Easter Parade...! After lunch at Fresh Market, we shopped at Walmart. Once home, Ron scrubbed the kitchen and bathroom floors. Cynthia transplanted flowers into the newly weeded bed; they could be flowering weeds? If so, they look better than the weeds that were there.
20 Apr: We worked in the Archives all day, Cynthia left early enough to prepare a flower bed next to the front entry.
19 Apr: Yes, even on Good Friday, our work in the Archives continues. We started at ten AM. Ron finished at eight PM. Cynthia ordered Easter Lilys delivered and mailed Easter cards. Dinner at Jansen was delicious. As soon as we arrived home, Cynthia stripped Ron of his clothing! Imagine! She insisted on doing laundry despite having washed Ron’s clothes just last year!
18 Apr: Joel G, an MIT alum, walked from his house to join us for lunch at Fresh Market. We plan to join him in a 5K walk/run a week from Sat. As usual, Ron climbed on the Pritikin healthful eating and exercising band wagon. Thanks to a new puppy, Joel is already walking quite a lot on a daily basis.
17 Apr: New Sweden, PA, United Lutheran Seminary Archives. Kim-E, John T. will lunch with us at McMenamin's. We are working intensely from 9:30 to 7 PM, taking a two-hour break for lunch; we walk to Fresh Market and back.
16 Apr: The AC arrived; the installer arrives next Monday. The regular archivists are working in the Archives; they need to move the shelving for their projects, preventing Cynthia from the book inventory until they leave at six PM. We had lunch with John T. at McMenamin's and dinner at the
Trolley Car Diner with Jim Z.
15 Apr: The massive fire at the Cathedral of Notre Dame is heartbreaking. Spring reverses once again, presenting us with a very chilly day! And Cynthia’s air conditioner was scheduled to arrive within the hour. But, it did not arrive. Do we need an AC? John T. came after lunch to help in the Archives. It was a long day’s journey into the night. We finished work in the archives at 9:00 PM.
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| Dogwoods |
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| Wisteria |
Sunday Offering...
The passion story from the Gospel of Luke grips my soul with Thanksgiving. Thank the Lord, the Almighty, for the bread, the wine, the body and blood of Jesus given for me! For ME! How wonderful to worship with palm branches and sing Hosanna! How incredible to grasp the ultimate reason, the justification, for why we are Christians, played out during the next seven days of the holiest week of our lives. Do you get it, too?
13 Apr: The landscape is changing daily. Tomorrow we must get photos of the 50’ tall ethereal white dogwood trees! The tulip trees are equally magnificent. After hours in the Archives, it is exciting to see the kaleidoscope of change outdoors. Jean C. joined us for a lovely dinner tonight at Scoogi’s. She looks so happy.
12 Apr: Spring is springing again. Walking to Chestnut Hill was a feast for our eyes. One street was flooded with green, pink, yellow, gold, lavender, and purple flowers - plus rows of white dogwood trees floated down the street. It was quite warm walking in the bright sunshine to Fresh Market, but we felt cooler returning because of cloud cover.
11 Apr: Spring retreated. Winter returned and Cynthia is NOT a happy camper. On the other hand, this was the first day thatRon looked out the bedroom window and saw obvious hints of green on the fingertips of the trees. However, she is now closer to God, atop the rolling stairs that allow access to the top shelves in the Archives. Ron has written and responded to e-mails, so it is time to sign in as his alter ego, JamesLeaCobbsCreek, to continue editing Cynthia's next book. We walked "home" to eat our leftover salads so that now there is room in the refrigerator. (Did Philco make refrigerators? Google says Philco started producing refrigerators in 1939.) Ron should think about going on a TV game show. We walked to Fresh Market for groceries, stopping for a disappointing meal at the Trolley Stop Diner. Ron's omelet was slathered in Oil!
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| Gov. Printz Park in Essington, DE. The New Sweden Farmstead relocation progresses. |
9 Apr: Ron attempted to help Alex, the maintenance man, by holding the plumbing snake steady, while Alex wound 60' of hose down into the drain. Pulling the snake back out of the drain was a problem because the snake would fly loose causing Alex to cry out for help, ”Oh, Jesus!” Ron thought it best to give up being assisting plumber. Ron's next AM job was a surgeon. The splinter in Cynthia’s heel became a big problem overnight. Ron operated in the archives, with Cynthia on the floor, holding her heel high in the air. Thanks to good lighting at the Archives, Ron was able to employ one hand to hold a magnifying glass and the other hand to the needle from his sewing kit, and worked wonders. The patient survived despite the odds. Kim-Eric joined us for lunch at McMenamin’s to discuss theology and political correctness. (Ron drank his favorite lunch hereabouts. They actually provide us a good salad too.) John T. had just arrived at the Archives when we returned. Cynthia turned into a sugar addict, eating an entire bag of bite-size cookies. Ron caught her in the act of eating contraband. John stayed late to finish adding one more forefather application to his Family Tree Maker files. Now it is Ron's turn to consolidate all of those. The snake was deemed successful, so we can again use the water in the house.
8 Apr: After yesterday's rain and today's sunshine, the flowering trees are quite magnificent. We walked to Fresh Market for lunch, returning to discover that our house has plumbing issues. The pipes are clogged someplace, backing up the washing machine and plumbing. We are unable to use the water until it is fixed. Who knows, we might have to go to a hotel after all. At least, the laundry is done for this week and we returned to the archives for a fierce attack at our many projects. Night came, we didn't have to go to a hotel, yet. Alex, the maintenance guy is returning on the morrow with a sewer roto-rooter. And just before bed, Cynthia got a large wood sliver of wood on the bottom of her heel. She broke it off removing it.
7 April, Sunday, a day of rest and walking and buying groceries! We rode the motorcycle on back roads to King of Prussia to a Walmart and were disappointed that it is not a supercenter with great groceries. On the upside, we were delighted to re-discover a Ruby Tuesday’s Restaurant nearby in Plymouth Meeting. YAY! For those interested, the back way from Mt. Airy to Plymouth Meeting is the epitome of simplicity; take Stenton Ave west through its many turns, but do check it out in advance because several of the turns are unexpected..
6 Apr: Kim and Ruth gave us a ride to the Swedish Colonial Society Forefather's Luncheon, a great success. It was located in Essington, PA, near Governor Prinz Park, which we toured after the luncheon. Cynthia ate contraband. Ron was delighted that the staff found a big plate of vegetables and fruit for him. Great job, Ron. That evening, several seminary students joined us at David's house to celebrate Jim Z’s birthday.
5 Apr: The great news of the day: the economy is booming, the March jobs report is remarkable, and the stock market continues its climb. On the downside, it rained/ sleeted lightly before noon and changed to a cold, light drizzle by evening. On another upside, Ron finished another Swedish Colonial package today about the Steelman family. Jim Z. and John P. joined us for dinner at Jansen’s, the new restaurant in the stone cottage vacated by the Caribbean restaurant that closed four years ago. We sang happy birthday to Jim.
4 Apr: After the usual morning activity, we are on a roll this gorgeous day. Cynthia's first AM project was placing an Amazon order for a hairdryer, Fiber D’lish bars, and misc. Her second project is working on a DNA essay (with a shout out of thanks to a dear friend in Iowa who helps her with edits!). Two lovely archive volunteers, Linda and Phyllis, are quite a delight. We walked to Fresh Market, bringing back lunch for Jim Z. We attended the seminary student dinner and worship service, but we didn’t stay long because of the noise and acoustics.
3 Apr: In New Sweden (aka Philadelphia) ... slept late, stretches done, oatmealed and now getting back to work! Ron has three projects going: the James Lea Book, the Swedish Colonial Society family group sheets, and verifying the Craig Collection source notations. We achieved our 10,000+ steps by two PM, walking to Fresh Market in Chestnut Hill for lunch.
2 Apr: New Sweden, PA, where the Swedes first landed, is famously known as Philadelphia. United Lutheran Seminary is located in a suburb of 'New Sweden.' We are back at work in the Seminary Archives, and we enjoyed lunch at McMinimins Tavern with Kim Eric. Ron refers to our escapades here as "drinking lunch." (He orders a large salad and a 22 oz. Hefeweizen.) Our host, David, prepared an awesome salmon dinner for us last night.
1 April: No fooling! Negligence reigns! We haven't blogged in a few days. The weather forecast wasn’t fooling, either. The ride was really cold from Rehoboth Beach on Highway 1 north to a Ruby Tuesday’s restaurant near Wilmington, Delaware. No fooling. Warmed with food, and with only two hours remaining to ride, our spirits were lifted. Ron forgot DE 1 is a toll road north of Wilmington, but it was too late and too wet to change plans, so we took the toll road north until turning northwest onto I-95 until exit 8 onto US 202 north to West Chester (where we espied many familiar sights.) Then we meandered around through Conshohocken to Mt. Airy as directed by the GPS (including Matsonford Road, Fayette, E. Elm, Apple, E. Hector, Barren Hill, Harts, Church, and finally Germantown Pike with its cobblestones. We arrived at the United Lutheran Seminary in Mt. Airy, Pennsylvania, our home for the next few months. We are sharing a house with another pastor.
