At the Bruce House, Cumberland, Maryland

Fireplace in the parlor of The Bruce House, Cumberland, Maryland

We went to hear Mountainside Baroque's concert, "Lessons and Carols," in Cumberland, Maryland this weekend. The music was superb, and the setting, Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Cumberland was beautiful.  We had a very pleasant stay at the Bruce House Inn .  Our room was furnished tastefully with antiques, the breakfast was delicious as well as beautifully presented, and the company (the other guests and host, Pam) were so pleasant to be with.  It was fun going to the concert and seeing our host and fellow guests there!  If you plan to go next year, go a half hour early.  The church was packed and it was hard to find a seat ten minutes before the performance.

Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania

Children's Lake at Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania

Dan and I enjoyed some good meals in Boiling Springs, on our way home to Ohio after a visit to my family in New Jersey. We had an excellent dinner at the Boiling Springs Tavern Saturday evening. (Oysters Rockefeller, followed by veal main dishes), and then lunch on Monday afternoon at Cafe 101, where we had peppermint lattes and tuna melt sandwiches with a beautiful view.

Coincidentally, Boiling Springs is the birthplace of Henry Warstler, who was the first settler in Stark County, Ohio, where we now live. There is a Henry Warstler Cemetery about a mile from our home.

Memorial Plaque for Professor Hans-Dietrich Meurer

Commemorative Plaque honoring Professor Hans-Dietrich Meurer who taught at Shippensburg University from 1966 to 2003.  I learned German from Professor Meurer, and also acquired a deep appreciation of Bach Cantatas from him, during my senior year in college in 1977.  He was a patient, knowledgeable, and skillful educator, who was held in great esteem by his students and colleagues. His great sense of humor kept us all coming to class regularly, despite our early 8:00 a.m. class!  The plaque lies next to a tree planted by the German Club in his honor.

A Place on the Stewart Hall Memorial Pathway

In 2020, Shippensburg University completed its two-year Stewart Hall Restoration Project. The project features a memorial pathway in front of the building and includes a brick in honor of  Professor Meurer.  He once told me that Ein Feste Burg (A Mighty Fortress, BWV 80) was his favorite cantata, hence the inscription.

In 2003, the university German club planted a Northern Red Oak in his honor. The tree is located behind Stewart Hall,  between Kriner Dining Hall and the Huber Art Building. (Photo updated 23 July 2015.)

Hans-Dietrich Meurer, 1974.

Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott, BWV 80, by Johann Sebastian Bach

Please feel free to leave a comment below and share your memories.

Memorial Lutheran Church at night, Shippensburg, Pennsylvania

Memorial Lutheran Church at night, Shippensburg, Pennsylvania

New York Skyline, from West Orange, New Jersey

New York Skyline, from my brother's house in West Orange, New Jersey.  Midtown is to the left. Can you see the Empire State Building?   Downtown is to the right. (Tallest building: World Trade Center) 

New York Skyline, from where I grew up on Woodside Terrace, West Orange, New Jersey.  In the 1970s, from our kitchen window, we could see the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center as they were being built, and after September 11th, 2001, the smoking ruins.  Now you can see the new 1776 foot World Trade Center.

Christkindl Market in Mifflinburg, Pennsylvania

Christkindl Market in Mifflinburg, Pennsylvania

Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio

Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio

Now that the dams have been removed, the river runs faster and cleaner.  We're quite proud of the Cuyahoga Falls, as they drop 250 feet, whereas Niagara Falls only drops 170 feet. Well, okay, our waterfall does take 3 miles to do the drop, whereas Niagara does it all at once!

November Milkweed

Spring Visit to Shippensburg

Some photos from our visit to Shippensburg:

Branch Creek beside the McLean House on King Street

The Fountain at Old Main on the campus of Shippensburg University

An Amish Buggy traveling along King Street in front of Christ United Methodist Church

The Appalachian Trail near Big Flat on South Mountain

Fishing for trout in the Yellow Breeches Creek

The Martin Luther Stained Glass Window at Memorial Lutheran Church in Shippensburg

Enjoy a moment at the Old Main Fountain:

At Gervasi Vineyard

Tulips from the Garden

This morning's sketch: Spring lambs

Baby Robins

Watercolor Postcards from Captiva Island

Just back from our time on Captiva Island, Florida.  The internet connectivity was almost non-existent, so I am only now getting a chance to post the rest of the watercolor postcards I painted for my mother while we were away.

Day 21: Seven-armed starfish found on the beach after a storm.

Day 20:  Waterlily.  There were some lilies in a pond by the pool, but this one was an exercise from an art book.

Day 19: Tall Ship which we spotted from the deck of the Key West Express on our way back.

Day 18:  Shell seeker in the pose known as the "Sanibel Stoop". There are so many shells here!

Day 17: Late night cup of tea after a chilly day

Day 16:  Had to scrounge around for something to paint on today.  This paper was a bit hard to work with, so I just splashed puddles of paint on it, then pressed a crinkled plastic wrap into the wet paint and let it dry.  Afterwards, I used watercolor pencil to find hidden objects in the underwater world formed by the plastic wrap.

Day 15:  Dan found this Cerith shell one morning on the beach. It had a tiny crab inside!

Day 14:  Dan, resting on the beach after a long walk.

Day 13: Box of geraniums by the pool

Day 12:  Black-eyed Susan in the dunes

Day 11:  Brown Pelican coming in for a landing at the Marina

Day 10:  The Lindbergh Cottage at the Tween Waters Resort.  The 1955 classic for women, Gift from the Sea was written by Anne Morrow Lindbergh, wife of aviator Charles Lindbergh. They spent their winters on Captiva Island.

Day 9:  Captiva Air Taxi - One morning I saw a gull carrying a huge fish back to its nest!

Day 8:  Willet.  This solitary willet was on the beach every morning.  My favorite shore bird.

Day 7:  Captiva Sunset, viewed from The Mucky Duck restaurant with Meredith, Will, and Dan.

Day 6: Florida Fighting Conch. We didn't find as many of these this year as we have in past years.

Day 5: Coconuts in a palm tree.

Day 4:  Double hibiscus by the pool. 

Day 3: Sanibel Island Shells. Sanibel and Captiva Islands are known for their great seashells.

Day 2: Christmas Palm branch off our balcony. As the month went on, many more red berries appeared.

Day 1:  The dunes are quite wide and are home to many plants and flowers and chunks of coral.

Captiva Sunset

Florida Fighting Conch

Dune Panorama