A Sunset

This is what Monday had for me. "What?", you say, "There are no deer in this picture." That IS what Monday had for me. Welcome to Pennsylvania. Somebody was seeing deer, at least in the morning. The afternoon was quiet. For me the whole day was quiet. Things started off crisp and frozen. The afternoon, although warmer, was still comfortably chilly. Lets do it all again today. Except for the 'see no deer' part. I'm off to the woods again.

What Will Today Bring?

Today is a Pennsylvania holiday. It is the first day of rifle deer season. (That would be the first day you can hunt deer with rifles) (I mean, the hunters have rifles, not the deer) Hopefully this day is better than the last several years and we actually see A deer. Soon the PA Game Commission will either kill off all the deer in the state (They're getting close to that now), or they'll piss off enough hunters that less and less people will be in the woods. Let's hope someone see the light in the new administration and things get turned around before it's too late. Good luck everyone.

Relaxing

Spent a little time this week just chilling out. It's not that I have nothing to do, just no desire to do it. So here I sit in the middle of an extra long extended weekend, maybe I can accomplish something before it's back to work.

OC Boardwalk

I said earlier this week that I enjoy being on the beach when the sun comes up. But standing on the Ocean City Boardwalk is not one of my favorite spots to be. No. Not a big fan. I spent the evening just shooting neon.

Under Construction: Newburg Hopewell

No "Name that Station", today. I figured everyone was sleeping off turkey this morning so we are skipping the game today. What I have for you all is some pictures I took just last weekend. The sun, unfortunately, was still behind the building. This is Newburg Hopewell Volunteer Fire Company's new station. Construction just started, on the building, about a month ago. I checked their website but found no information on when they plan on being in the building. This is easily 5 times bigger that the old renovated schoolhouse they have occupied since 1957. Newburg Hopewell is Cumberland County Company 51.

Sun Up at the Pier

Happy Thanksgiving People!

Alternate title for this post would be Sun Up 10/10/10

Yes, as a matter of fact, being on the beach and watching the sun come up is one of my favorite things. You see it on here all the time and I have enough of them to last me through next summer. Hope everyone is enjoying the day with friends and family. And hoping everyone eats too, too, much.

Gyros, Biscuits & Gravy, Veggie Pita, Mexican Omlets (PG 158)

This is one of two Gentleman I shot through the window of the truck as we drove on Interstate 70 through Idaho Springs, Colorado. I don't know the name of the restaurant and I don't know the address but just one look at the menu posted right there on the wall makes me want to stop in for breakfast sometime. Anytime.
ps... a look on Google Earth shows that this may be part of the Westwinds Tavern on Miners Street at 17th Street.

Conowingo Dam Trip

They say that the week of Thanksgiving is the best time to see the Bald Eagles at Conowingo Dam. They missed it this year. On Sunday, Brad and I drove down to the dam on the Susquehanna River just south of the Mason Dixon Line. The parking lot just wasn't full enough to get excited. The cameras were there. But the birds just weren't cooperating. We saw, maybe, 25 eagles. I think only a half dozen actually flew close enough to us to get some pictures. Even the gull attendance to the party was lower than in the past. But the Black Vulture population was well represented. These are some of the few decent pictures I got.

Ring-necked Pheasant

If you are younger than twenty and live in south central Pennsylvania you may never have seen this bird in real life. Once abundant around these parts they have nearly vanished. I remember hunting them growing up. Even, God forbid, we would have the shotgun in our car at school so we could hit the field as soon as school was over. A lot of things will never be the same.

While driving back from another birding expedition yesterday this guy was standing in the middle of the road. (That is not why the aren't around anymore) We drove slowly closer for better shots. We were in the money when he hit the top of the roadside bank.

It's Almost Thanksgiving

I never did stop by for a sample, it was always early in the morning that we'd pass by here. I can imagine the drive through though...

KFC schzzz... Would you like to try our new Hot Fresh Liver Double Down?
ME Ah, no thanks.
KFC schzzz... May I take your order please?
ME I'd like a snack box with the Popcorn Gizzards and potato wedges. And a Dr Pepper.
KFC shzzz... Any dipping sauce with that?
ME Ah, no thanks
KFC schzzz... OK, please pull around to the first window.

In the words of the immortal Julia Child (or was it Dan Ackroyd, playing Julia Child on SNL, trying to put a tourniquet on a severed artery), "SAVE the Giblets!"

Stellar's Jay

While hunting elk in Colorado, I also had an eye out for birds. Birds that I don't see at home. One of those was the Stellar's Jay. I got a fuzzy picture of one two years ago, so I was looking for something better. This was taken Saturday afternoon. I had hiked up a steep hillside and worked my way down and set up overlooking a bench. About four of these worked their way through and past me. I also saw a small mule deer buck while sitting here. The optics I saw him with didn't shoot pictures. I let him walk.

19. Cumberland County Fire Stations

Thanks, again, to Wally for supplying the before shots this week. How's everyone do?

First station is Rescue Hook and Ladder Company # 1 in Mechanicsburg. Formerly Cumberland County Company 29. This one sits on West Main Street. The Rescue Hook and Ladder was founded in 1888 and later merged with the Citizen's Fire & Rescue Co. No. 2 in 1975. The old station house is now Jo Jo's Pizza.

Second station is Creekside Volunteer Fire Company. Cumberland County Company 21. Creekside is part of the East Pennsboro Township Fire Department. Located at 13 East Dulles Drive, Camp Hill. Incorporated in 1974 to protect the portion of East Pennsboro Township that was isolated from the rest of the township on the south side of the Conodoguinet Creek. The building was built in 1974.

Third station is West Enola Fire Company. Cumberland County Company 19. Company 19 is also a part of the East Pennsboro Fire Department. Located at 118 Chester Road, Enola. Organized in 1943, I'm not sure when the building was built.

Name That Station 19

It's back. The Outskirts of Suburbia's favorite blog game... Name That Station! Remember the rules from way back when, I could be combining Cumberland and Franklin stations as needed. Also the answers will be posted at one this afternoon so that you all can look at them over lunch. The only other rule this week is that Sparky and Wally are not allowed to guess. This pictures were sent to me from Wally's collection (through Sparky). If I had to guess these were taken in the late 70's. Good luck and Thank You Wally.

Click here for the Answers

The City in the Mirror

Last weekend I found myself driving south on 11/15 along the West Shore of the Susquehanna River. Just after I passed the M. Harvey Taylor Bridge I was greeted with this view and a need to find a parking space. As I dodged traffic to get to the other side of Front Street, I sat down on the guide rail and snapped a bunch of pictures of Harrisburg and it's reflection in the still Susquehanna. Right place. Right time.

B & L or B & G's Auto & Truck Repair (PG 157)

Heading south to Myrtle Beach for the first time. Drove all night and hit the South Carolina border just after the sun came up. We had a lot of time to waste, since we couldn't check in until after lunch so I jumped off of I-95 onto SC Route 9. Small towns, slow speeds, the real south. I think I woke everyone up when I hit the brakes and pulled the truck off the road in front of this place. Isn't this awesome. How many Mountain Dew painted advertisement have you ever seen? And a Pepsi over there to the right.

The Covered Bridge at Messiah College

Sometimes Google doesn't know everything. I found little information on this old covered bridge. I'm sure it has a better name than "The Covered Bridge at Messiah College" but that is literally the only name I found for it. Just being there, though, I can tell you that it spans the Yellow Breeches Creek and connects Messiah College, in Grantham, Pa., to the athletic fields.

2nd Alarm Assignment

We interupt this blog to bring you breaking news. Late Sunday afternoon the Shippensburg Fire Department was dispatched to a house fire just a block up and half a block off King Street from the Vigilant's house. After some time you learn what is going on by listening to the dispatch. They didn't say, "Smoke in a house" or "Report of a house fire". No, they said, "House Fire". Drop what you're doing and head in the direction of the smoke column. A quick knock down and a long overhaul were in order. The call quickly went to a second alarm, mainly just to get fresh bodies on the scene. All companies did a fine job and things got wrapped up for the fire departments in less than two and a half hours.

Morning Wave Crashers

Back to Myrtle. Some of my feathered friends from the sunrise shelling expeditions. A herring gull, a lesser yellowlegs and a sanderling.