More Sexy Ford Tractor Pictures

Check out the headlights on that one. Wow, that's just wrong. Here's some more tractor pictures from last weekend's camping trip. Of course, the gratuitous headlight shot, the front grill and the front end steering mechanism.

Evening Service

This is the Presbyterian Church on the south west corner of King and Prince Street in Shippensburg, PA. I was out late last week playing with some timed exposure shots on the tripod this one is probably the best of what I was looking for. This intersection turned out to be too lit up. I'll have to find a darker corner and try again.

Baseball Hall of Fame, Another Look

Another look at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and the inductions, last July, of Cal Ripken, Jr. and Tony Gwynn, Sr. The pictures are of their plaques that hang in the Hall and the individual display cases of each inductees career highlights.

Bucktail Fire Department, Driftwood, PA

I don't know much about the Bucktail Volunteer Fire Department, so I did what I do best, I Googled. But Google does you no good when it comes to a small town fire department out in the sticks of north central PA. Heck, I didn't even have cell service here. Driftwood sets at the intersection of Route 120 and Route 555 in Cameron County. I did find out Googling, that they recently merged with the Sinnemahoning Volunteer Fire Department. I looked in the windows last weekend and the trucks are still parked here but with all the grass growing in front of the doors I don't think they have been outside in a while. I've read that the SVFD station will be expanded to house the old BVFD equipment. Volunteer fire departments nationwide are having trouble filling their boots. It used to be you caught a kid when he was young, you kept him interested and motivated and he was here to stay or at least until he discovered girls or cars. These days, though, there are too many distractions, kids have better things to do, nobody wants to make the commitment required to train and raise money. These days a new firefighter trains for 6 months to a year before he even gets to fight fire. And this training isn't free. Some departments are blessed with municipal funding but in remote areas like Driftwood they barely have enough to keep the roads plowed in the winter. So next time you see your local volunteers out fundraising help them out every little bit helps. To the Bucktail's and Sinnemahoning I raise my glass to you for a long and prosperous union. And, hey, lets be safe out there and see that Everyone Goes Home.

The Wine is Great, But Where Do You Grow the Beer?

I like this quote, even if it came from someone more annoying than Paula Dean. It came from her sons in their "Gee, I wonder how they got a show?" show. These pictures are from the Wagner Valley Vineyards on the east side of Seneca Lake north of Watkins Glen, NY. Wagner Valley also runs a brewery here. We did a wine tasting, winery tour and a beer tasting while visiting. Like I said, I'm not much of a wino so the beer making thing helped me decide to stop here. Very nice place with a huge deck you could easily relax on. We hit 3 or 4 other wineries this day some were straight up business and some were in the crack-you-up business. We asked questions to get them to open up and we heard some good stories about mice in the grape pickers and throwing snakes at the tractor drivers. I didn't buy any wine, but Mom did. I'm sure come the holidays I'll get another taste of Seneca Lake wine country.

Peduzzi's in Mt. Union, The Real Thing (PG XXIV)

Painted Gentleman No. 24 comes to us from the southwest corner of Jefferson Street and Shirley Street in beautiful downtown Mount Union, PA. I don't know anything about Peduzzi's, I was just passing through when I saw this old Coke sign and even if the sun was behind the building I needed to get this picture. It was Labor Day afternoon and I'm not even sure if they were open. Along with the painting there was a Coke sign over the side rear door and beautiful tile work on the front entrance. Apparently Peduzzi's was at one time or another a soda shop, in the classic sense. Maybe next time I'm passing through I'll stop in and find out.

Thank You, Charlotte

These little cob webs were everywhere. And with the morning dew they looked awesome. These prompted me to figure out my macro. They were no bigger than 4 or 5 inches and basket shaped. I kept looking but never did find an spider in one.