Footer Review 2010

It's time for my annual footer review. These pictures that I put at the bottom of the web page, like the headers, disappear at the end of the month. Unlike the pictures in each post these do not get saved. So I dust them off once a year to explain them to all my viewers. Both of you.

January 2010; A little Photoshop going on there. This is the Conowingo Dam in northern Maryland along the Susquehanna River and one of the eagles I captured in my November 2009 trip.

February 2010; Chinatown, New York City. Taken when I was up in August of 2009. I didn't know the Verizon "Can you hear me now" guy spoke Chinese.

March 2010; St. Patrick's Cathedral on State Street in Harrisburg, Pa. for St. Patrick's Day.

April 2010; The TV room at the firehouse and all the guys watching their favorite show.

May 2010; A passing train. I think this was in Mt. Holly Springs, Pa. April 2009.

June 2010; Stop sign out at the State Game Lands. Apparently no one else sees deer out there either.

July 2010; The Amtrak station in Harpers Ferry West Virginia.

August 2010; Another door at the old University Lodge in Shippensburg. The Lodge was demolished in August 2010.

September 2010; Yes, there actually is a Village called Haneyville. Someone thought I photoshopped that part of the sign.

October 2010; How to stay warm at 10,737 feet above sea level. The cook tent at Main Camp. White River National Forest, Colorado. November 2008.

November 2010; Interstate 70 westbound. I think this was Exit 379 somewhere in the eastern plains of Colorado. Taken October 2010.

December 2010; West End Fire & Rescue, Shippensburg, Pa. Just after taking pictures of their Christmas lights they got a call for an auto accident. I took these pictures of Squad 15 from my truck window. December 2009.

The First Run of 2011

The New Year brought the same stuff. Just after lunch the bells rang out for an auto accident. I wasn't at home so I made the long drive in to the scene and started shooting. It was nice being able to get some pictures in the daylight for a change. The most surprising thing about these was getting an email from the local newspaper asking for a picture from the incident for them to use. And Tuesday when I got to work my boss told me he saw my pictures on the morning news from this crash (only the first 6 pictures on the Channel 8 sight were mine). I checked their website and they used it there also. My daughter texted at lunchtime and told me she saw it on the news at noon. And to think I was gonna take a nap after lunch.

The Bowmansdale Bridge

For SkyWatch today we are going to travel back in time to last November. This is the Bowmansdale Bridge on the campus of Messiah College in Grantham , Pennsylvania. The bridge lived along time somewhere else but was moved in 1973 to the campus where it spans the Yellow Breeches Creek and provides access to the athletic fields.

PFD Engine 20 Ladder 23 (PG 161)

My end of the year road trip to Philly wasn't all fun and cheesesteaks. I had several other things in mind to pass the time. One was to take pictures of an old firehouse on Race Street. We never found it, they must have tore it down. The next assignment was Engine 20 Ladder 23 on North 10th Street at Cherry Street and the big dragon mural painted along their ramp. It was a nice day so the doors were up; Bonus. Notice the "Test Your Smoke Detectors" sign, it is written in Chinese. Engine 20 covers Chinatown if you haven't figured that out.

Tommy Dinic's Roast Pork Goodness

Stop number two on the Great Philly Cheesesteak Road Trip didn't even involve a cheesesteak. After finding a parking garage that didn't cost half a pay check we wandered down to the square or whatever it is that they call the area out in front of city hall. From there we made our way over to the Reading Terminal Market. Wow. Elbow to elbow. And more food than you can shake a stick at. We finally found Dinic's Roast Pork and Beef. Yep. This is the place. But the line starts around that corner, back along the counter, past the Cajun place to the back side of the fish market. My question to my son (my accomplice in all of this), "Well, what do you want to do?" His response? "This is what we came for." Time: 1:48 PM. Waiting. Waiting. Hey that gator gumbo over there looks good. Waiting. Waiting. That's Tommy Dinic, himself, behind the counter isn't it? Waiting. Waiting. May I take your order? Yes, a Roast Pork sandwich with broccoli rabe, no cheese, a root beer and a cherry coke. Time: 2:41 PM. No where to sit, let's head for the car. Six blocks away. Sit down, open up and take a bite. Well worth... let me emphasize that, WELL worth a 53 minute wait. That was the single best sandwich I can remember eating in a long time. It was awesome. And it will be included on the second attempt at the Ulimate Philly Cheesesteak Road Trip, Take 2. Coming soon to a belly near you.

The Great Philly Cheesesteak Road Trip

Fail. We drove two and a half hours for a cheesesteak or two or three. But circumstances beyond my control limited us to just two of the four stops we planned. Our first stop was Tony Luke's. Tony sits on East Oregon Avenue within sight of Citizens Bank Park and Lincoln Financial Field. We hit here at just the right time. There were only three groups in front of us so the ordering line was pretty short. The wait for food was probably 20 minutes. The line when we left (near noon) was long, barely in the door. The sandwich was very good. This was my first experience with the infamous "Cheesesteak Whiz". That would be a steak sandwich with Cheese Whiz. In redneck terminology it tastes like Hamburger Helper Cheeseburger Macaroni. Which isn't at all a bad thing. I do plan on hitting here again on our second attempt at the road trip. Tony Luke, Jr. was there at the table next to us talking to some of the patrons. Tomorrow... stop number two.

Christmas Doors 2010, part 2

This is the second part of my Christmas doors of the churches in Shippensburg.

No. 5; Grace United Church of Christ at the corner of East Orange Street and South Prince Street. No. 6; Memorial Lutheran Church at the intersection of East Orange Street and South Penn Street. No. 7; Messiah United Methodist Church at South Penn Street and East Neff Avenue. No. 8; Shippensburg Church of the Brethren at South Washington Street and East Garfield Street. And No. 9; Shippensburg Community Church on South Penn Street at Lutz Avenue.

Maybe I can inspire myself to get out earlier next year and find some more doors of Christmas.