Northern Red Oak (Quercus Rubra)

We were in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania this past week to hear the third Festival Chamber Orchestra Concert at the Shippensburg University Luhrs Performing Arts Center.  On the program was Mozart's Requiem and Schubert's 3rd Symphony, both performed magnificently!

We had stopped in Shippensburg on the way home from visiting family in New Jersey, and as soon as we got to the hotel, Dan got a call from work and found he needed to spend a couple hours reviewing a contract proposal. So I went up to campus to get a better photo for a blog post I made last December. The weather was so comfortable -- 70 degrees and sunny, so I decided to sit awhile and do some sketches. 

Feeling at home in the Cumberland Valley again

We are passing through Shippensburg again.  Tonight we had dinner at the Boiling Springs Tavern up near Carlisle, and after dinner, we finally found the spring that the town is named after. It's right behind the tavern! 

The water actually does seem to bubble and boil right out of the ground:

Afterwards, we drove back to our hotel in Shippensburg and took a stroll up Orange Street.  The Martin Luther stained glass window at Memorial Lutheran Church was especially beautiful tonight, because I am in the midst of reading Here I Stand, a biography of Luther by Roland Bainton.

I can't decide if I like it better from the outside or from the inside (photo below taken in May 2014).  I will have to get better photos next time we are in town.

Martin Luther window, from indside, at Memorial Lutheran Church, Shippensburg, Pa.

We passed by this sign at Messiah United Methodist Church.  Sounds like good advice! 

EDM Sketch #7: An Envelope

EDM Every Day in May Facebook Group Sketch #7: An Envelope

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

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: