Pohick

The Pohick Files

2011-06-15T03:41:00.000-05:00

Have you ever wondered what the X-Files would have been like if only they had a little more budget to work with? Now you know.

2010-10-01T19:55:00.001-05:00

At bob jones football game.

FWD:

2010-09-30T18:13:00.000-05:00

more parade

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FWD:

2010-09-30T18:05:00.001-05:00

at homecoming parade.

Justice Dept. approves United-Continental merger

2010-08-27T20:35:00.000-05:00

According to USA today, Continental and United airlines won Justice Department approval of their proposed merger on Friday, after agreeing to lease landing and takeoff rights at Newark Liberty International Airport to discounter Southwest Airlines.

Justice said late Friday that it has closed its antitrust review of the United-Continental merger because it is satisfied with the carriers' deal to reduce their combined market dominance and increase competition at Newark. Continental currently operates a hub there and has the largest market share in the greater New York air travel market, the USA's largest. In addition to Newark, New York is served by LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy airports. Together United and Continental currently offer 442 daily flights at Newark.

Becca's Trip to Europe

2010-05-27T15:11:00.000-05:00

I dropped Rebecca off at the airport this morning for her trip to Europe. There are 12 students and two adults going off on the trip. Rebecca is very excited and has been looking forward to this for a long time.

2010-04-29T20:33:00.001-05:00

At becca's concert.

2010-02-12T08:09:00.001-06:00

Checked in at the colorado springs airport. So far it looks like my flights are on time today.Wish me luck.

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2010-02-08T18:27:00.000-06:00

Made it safely to colorado. Its snowing. I don't think i will be doing much site seeing this week.

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Winter Comes to Alabama

2010-01-07T19:47:00.000-06:00

Winter has officially come to Alabama. Like much of the nation, Alabama is in the middle of a deep freeze and today the freeze was reinforced with some snow. The schools sent the girls home at noon today and they decided to take advantage of the snow with a bit of frolicking. Molly is refusing to have anything to do with the snow refused to leave the house all day.

Snug Wow

2010-01-05T20:59:00.000-06:00

What do you get if you mix together a Snuggie and a Sham Wow. Watch the video and find out. This is hilarious.

Outback Bowl Half Time Show

2010-01-03T17:24:00.000-06:00

Scribbles and her marching band performed as part of this years Outback Bowl Half Time Show in Tampa Florida. There were approximately 2000 performers including marching band members, color guard, and dance teams. The bands performed a number of Beach Tunes. The only downside was the unseasonably cold temperature and rain. The show was great though.

Outback Bowl Parade

2010-01-01T17:25:00.001-06:00

The night before the Outback Bowl the band marching in the Outback Bowl parade where they were declared the parade grand champions!

2010-01-01T11:47:00.001-06:00

Half time at outback bowl

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Busch Gardens - Tampa style

2009-12-31T21:42:00.000-06:00

Even though Wednesday was zoo day, we could not keep Jake from playing with the animals. Today he was practicing his grooming techniques with the chimps. We were suprised to find that Busch Gardens had such a wide selection of animals to see. Typically people relate the Amusement park with their rides. The most popular at Busch Gardens Tampa are: Gwazi (wooden roller coaster), Kumba (roller coaster), Rhino Rally (safari ride), SheiKra (coaster), and Montu (coaster). Jake was brave enough to try SheiKra and Kumba with friends - Molly and Sarah cheered them on! We hear that Scribbles is trying out Gwazi as this is being written!

This white tiger had us covered - literally. The tiger enclosure had a really cool feature - you could go under it and pop your head up in a plexi-glass box in the enclosure. It just so happened that there was a tiger laying on the box while we were inside it... we got an interesting picture of a tiger belly. All the while the tiger just laid there looking a bit bored.

Jake got this shot of the full moon over the Morocco Palace. We had just finished catching a few of the musical shows offered in the park when we looked up, and there was the moon begging us to take its picture. It was a stellar -or lunar- way to end a busy day.

Tampa Critters

2009-12-30T19:24:00.000-06:00

On our first full day in Tampa, Jake, Molly and Sarah went to the Lowry Park Zoo while Scribbles did whatever the band was doing. We found some cool critters there. Jake was racing through the zoo trying to see everything. We got him to slow down long enough to make friends with a few sting rays though.

So we can only assume this guy is thinking "What's the deal with all the unhairy critters looking at me?"

We wanted to include Scribbles today since it is because of her we are in Tampa. She's somewhere in this photo of the band on the competition field. They put on a great show. We will find out tomorrow evening how they scored - the highest scoring band gets to do the pre-game show on New Year's Day. Cross your fingers!

Welcome to Florida!

2009-12-29T18:48:00.000-06:00

Scribbles' band is competing in a competition in Tampa, Fl so the entire Pohick family decided that would be a great place for a getaway. Little did we know in the planning stages that the trip would require a 3:30 AM wake-up and 4:30 drop off for Scribbles. Since the rest of the family was up already, they took to the Pohick mobile and started their adventure - pausing only briefly on the 11 or so hour drive for this photo!

Christmas in Pohick

2009-12-26T16:10:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas from Pohick Ya'll. We had a great Christmas this year. We celebrated Christmas with a candlelight service at Messiah Lutheran Church in Madison, Alabama. After church, it was home to hang the stockings by the chimney with care in hope that Saint Nicholas would soon be there.

The girls are obviously getting old because this year instead of waking up Jake and Molly, Jake and Molly had to wake up the girls. Jake waited until he just couldn't stand it any longer. After opening up some gifts, we celebrated with a traditional Christmas dinner of stuffed shells and garlic bread. What? Who says that isn't traditional. Since we had a large traditional turkey dinner while Jake's mother was here last week, we decided to have something just a little different. For the rest of the day, we just hung out and enjoyed each others company. A perfect Christmas.

To Boldly Go

2009-12-18T05:32:00.000-06:00

While Grandma was visiting from Pittsburgh, PA, we didn't just make cookies the whole time. We also did some of the touristy stuff in Huntsville, AL. Our visits included the Galaxy of Lights and The US Space and Rocket Center. While at the Rocket Center we received our very own VIP Tour from our very own personal VIP Tour Guide. On Saturday we plan to head up to Burritt on the Mountain.

Cookies with Grandma

2009-12-18T05:13:00.000-06:00

For the last several weeks, Grandma has been visiting us from Pittsburgh, PA. We have enjoyed having her stay with us. Last week she and the girls conducted a cookie making marathon. They made sugar cookies, chocolate chip cookies, butter scotch cookies, peanut butter cookies, and gingerbread cookies. Jake can eat a prodigious number of cookies, but even he has admitted that he has met his match.

Thanksgiving in Kansas

2009-11-26T10:04:00.002-06:00

Turkey stuffing. Who says TR doesn't have a sense of humor? And he is a mighty fine cook as well.

Halloween 2009

2009-11-01T21:12:00.000-06:00

Alas another Halloween has come and gone in Pohick. It was a good year though. Last year we only had 27 Trick or Treaters. This year we more than doubled the number of ghoulies and ghosties with 66. There were two really large groups who came as a pack. Safety in numbers I guess.

So what was new this year you may ask. Well, First we added 7 new songs to the sound track. These songs included:

A Nightmare On My Street
This Is Halloween
(Nightmare Before Christmas)
Ghostbusters (From "Ghostbusters")
Thriller
Werewolves Of London (LP Version)
The Purple People Eater
Love Potion Number 9

Next we synchronized the light display with our updated soundtrack. We also added a new fog machine. The old one hadn't been working right for a couple of years. We also added some plastic but realistic looking Jack-O-Lanterns. Many of the folks who stopped by commented that Jake had the best decorated house in the neighborhood. This of course went straight to Jake's head and he is already trying to figure out what he can do next year to top this year's "Show". Hmmmm... Does anyone know if it is legal to import live vampire bats? Gonna have to think about that for a bit.

2009-10-16T08:34:00.001-05:00

The view from my hotel room in denver.

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A River Runs Through It

2009-09-30T21:09:00.000-05:00

When we first arrived in Alabama two years ago, the state was in the middle of an extended drought. According to the US Drought Monitor, the drought in our area has been over officially for quite some time now. After the rain we been having this month, we have decided to endorse the US Drought Monitor assessment. The little trickle of a stream behind our house has been busting at it's seams the last while. We considered going rafting in the stream, but there have been too many stories in the news lately about folks being sucked into drainage pipes. We decided that as much fun as rafting in the stream would be, it would be awfully embarrassing to end up as a statistic on the nightly news. I guess we really haven't hit the 40 days and 40 nights stage yet, but it is starting to feel like that.

I'm with the Band

2009-09-30T19:46:00.001-05:00

This may not be a surprise to those of you who have been members of a marching band or who have had children in a marching band, but marching band is very time consuming. This was a surprise to Jake who was never in the marching band. Marching band started in July with two four hour practices each day. That's right. Four hours in the morning and another four hours in the evening. These practices were conducted before the school semester even began. Once school was in session, band became even more intense with band class every day, rehearsals after school twice a week and a football game every Friday night. But wait, there's more. The band also participates in parades and has three band competitions scheduled for the year. Now we just found out that the band has been invited to participate in a college bowl game which is going to cost a not insignificant amount of money. Of course the kids have been given to an opportunity to sell pecans to help pay for their trip. Pecans? Really? Do you know how many pecans it takes to send a 200 member band plus staff to a college bowl game for a week? But at least the football season will mercifully end in November right? Wrong! The football team has gone undefeated during their first 5 games and is likely to advance well into the playoffs if not all the way to the state championship. And did I tell you that Jake and Mary are supporting the band by selling hot dogs and pop corn the in concession stand? Yep. There were 6000 people at the game last week. Do you know how many hot dogs and boxes of pop corn 6000 people can consume? Lots! It's OK though, because Jake has always wanted to utter the phrase, "I'm with the band." And now he gets to say it every week. At least until the football season is over. "Go Team!"

Green Tree Frog

2009-09-20T20:16:00.000-05:00

We've had a large number of Green Tree Frogs hanging out on our house today. This is something which we have not seen in the past. We can only assume that the abnormally high rainfall we've experienced lately is causing them to move to the high ground. Green treefrogs live primarily in the southeastern United States, from Delaware, south through eastern Maryland, Virginia, and the Carolinas, southern Georgia, across all of Florida, west to eastern Texas and areas north along the Mississippi Valley to southern Illinois. In Alabama their distribution is essentially statewide. Green treefrogs prefer wet or moist areas such as swamps, lake sides and the edges of streams. Occasionally they are found in brackish water. During the day they are often found on vegetation near water or in other moist shady areas sitting quietly with their feet folded neatly beneath them. Breeding in Alabama usually begins in April and extends into August. Green treefrogs tend to congregate in extremely large groups. At night, males begin calling just before dark. The male’s call is a harsh, nasal “quank-quank-quank . . .” repeated about once per second. From a distance, these calls sometimes sound bell-like, which accounts for the local name “cowbell frog.” Females are attracted to the male’s location in a swamp, pond, or other water source where they deposit their eggs, 10 to 20 at a time in a jelly like envelope that is attached to floating or submerged vegetation. Females may lay up to 400 eggs. Fertilization takes place externally. Calling and egg-laying are particularly frequent after rainstorms. Larvae hatch in about a week, with tadpoles metamorphosing into adults 55 to 63 days after hatching.

Adults are opportunistic feeders, eating a variety of insects and small arthropods. They are often seen on houses around windows or exterior lights searching for insects. Tadpoles feed on algae.

Other wildlife we've seen in around our house:

International Talk Like A Pirate Day

2009-09-20T19:44:00.000-05:00

Well shiver me timbers. It be September 19th. Did you know that September 19th is International Talk Like A Pirate Day?

Other great things that have happened on September 19th:
1778 – The Continental Congress passes the first budget of the United States.
1961 – Betty and Barney Hill claim that they saw a mysterious craft in the sky and that it tried to abduct them.
1959 – Nikita Khrushchev is barred from visiting Disneyland.

But the best thing that ever happened on September 19th was Jake and Molly getting hitched. When they got engaged, Jake didn't come up with the most romantic proposal. He basically said to Molly, "If you aren't doing anything for the next 20 years or so would you like to get married?" For whatever reason, despite that lame proposal, Molly agreed to marry Jake, and this year marked their 20th anniversary. So since Jake had technically only asked Molly to marry him for 20 years, this year marked the end of the contract. Jake took Molly out to a nice dinner and asked for a 20 year contract extension. Did Molly agree to the contract extension???? Yes.

So, what do Jake and Molly have planned for the next 20 years? Jake is trying to get Molly to agree to incorporate Talking Like a Pirate into their anniversary celebrations. Molly hasn't agreed to that yet, but Jake is still trying. Yo ho, yo ho, the pirate's life for me.

Walk to Defeat ALS

2009-08-29T22:28:00.004-05:00

Today, the Pohick familiy joined over 700 people from the local area to participate in the Walk to Defeat ALS.

According to the ALS Association there are 30,000 cases across the county and every 90 seconds someone dies from ALS, a disease that has no treatment, no cure and the cause is unknown.

Many people in the community hope that won't be the case for long as they participated in the annual ALS Walk in Huntsville.

"ALS is a neuromuscular disease that affects the voluntary muscles. What happens is basically all your muscles die off and you become trapped within your body so your mind remains in tact the whole time," said Janet Wright the ALS Association Director.

2009-08-29T10:21:00.001-05:00

Walk to defeat ALS

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We are Borg

2009-08-29T07:51:00.003-05:00

The Borg are a fictional pseudo-race of cybernetic organisms depicted in the Star Trek universe. The Borg are cybernetically enhanced humanoid drones who are linked together against their will with a bunch of technology and wires. Much like the gentleman in this picture. The Borg have become a symbol in popular culture for any juggernaut against which "resistance is futile".

For years, Molly has berated Jake for what she considers to be his extremely loud snoring. Jake tried to explain to her that everyone snores, but like the saying goes, "Resistance is Futile." Jake finally acquiesced and asked his doctor if there was anything that could be done about his snoring. Jake's doctor referred him to a specialist who explained that he may be suffering from something called sleep apnea in which the snoring becomes extreme enough to have an impact on restful sleep. In order to determine if Jake actually has sleep apnea, he would have to undergo a series of tests to evaluate what is going on while he sleeps. Jake agreed to the tests without really knowing what he was getting himself into. The tests are conducted in what is euphemistically called a sleep center. I say euphemistically, because the first night Jake spent there, he did not sleep even a wink. Perhaps it was the weirdness of being wired up with all of the latest technology including a EKG, EEG, Pulse oximeter, microphones, airflow meters that kept Jake from being able to turn his brain off. Or perhaps it was the fact that he could not relax because he was thinking about the people who were starring at him all night using night vision cameras. In any event the first night was a total bust and Jake was feeling a little loseresque as he lamented that he couldn't even sleep right. Jake has now done three nights at the sleep center and has gotten much better about actually sleeping at the sleep clinic. It is much easier to sleep there when you just think of it as a hotel room which is indeed what it looks like. It is also easier to sleep there when you know what to expect. He also know all of the techs on a first name basis and could probably hook up and install all of the monitoring equipment himself if he was pressed to do so. Jake took along his own pillows, a good book, watched some TV and slipped into a blissful slumber. We must now wait for a diagnosis from the doctor, but we'll let you know how that goes. In the mean time, just remember, "Resistance is Futile"!

2009-08-28T18:51:00.001-05:00

Friday night lights

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2009-08-26T16:30:00.001-05:00

More garden

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2009-08-26T16:11:00.001-05:00

More garden of he gods

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2009-08-26T15:22:00.001-05:00

Garden of the Gods

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2009-08-25T18:24:00.001-05:00

Once more up the big scary hill. Or as Jack likes to call it: 1:15 on the ultimate stairmaster while in a vacuum chamber.

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I Think I Married Kristy McNichol

2009-08-18T20:57:00.002-05:00

Ok, so Jake had one of those ah-ha moments just now. When he was a pre-teen, he had a crush on the actress Kristy McNichol. Just one of those innocent pre-teen sorts of things. But years later, he met and fell deeply in love with Molly, the girl of his dreams. As he was flipping through a box of old pictures today, he found a picture of Molly. Or was it Kristy? I don't know. You decide. What does this mean?

Rough Green Snake

2009-08-14T13:51:00.006-05:00

Today in honor of Molly's Birthday, Jake took the day off and took Molly on a hike along the Tennessee River. We started off at Ditto Landing and hike North along the Aldridge Creek Greenway.

Along the hiked, Molly found a new friend. It was a little green snake who was certainly more friendly than the Black Racer Snake that she found last year. Molly was afraid that the snake would be stepped on or run over by a bicycle, so she was determined to scoot the snake off of the trail. He wasn't inclined to move out of the way though so we just went about our business.

Rough Green Snakes are fairly long – to 32 in (81 cm) – slender, bright green snakes with yellow or whitish bellies that spend much of their time climbing in vegetation. Their bright green color easily distinguishes them from all other snakes in Georgia and South Carolina but the similar Smooth Green Snake replaces this species in the Appalachian Mountains and the Northeast. Rough Green Snakes have keeled scales and large eyes. After death the color of green snakes fades to blue or black and dead individuals may resemble small black racers. Young Green Snakes resemble adults.

Range and Habitat: Rough Green Snakes are found throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast from the Pine Barrens of New Jersey west to central Texas and south throughout Florida . They are common in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain but are absent from the higher elevations of the mountains.

Rough green snakes can be found in a variety of habitats but are most common in open forests and edge habitats. They can be particularly abundant along the margins of wetlands and rivers, where they search overhanging vegetation for insects.

Habits: Rough Green Snakes are probably the most arboreal snakes in our region and spend the majority of their time hunting for insects, spiders, and other invertebrates in vegetation well above the ground. When encountered, green snakes often freeze, relying on their green coloration for camouflage. At night, Green Snakes can often be found sleeping coiled in shrubs, vine tangles, or thick vegetation. During cool weather Green Snakes often take refuge on the ground and can sometimes be found hiding beneath logs, rocks, or debris. They mate in the spring and females lay 3 – 12 eggs in the early summer.

Conservation Status: Rough Green Snakes are generally common and are not protected. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that this species may be declining in some areas, particularly southern Florida.

Le Pew

2009-08-12T07:06:00.003-05:00

Jake got a little surprise this morning when he was out for his morning run. He always greets the people and creatures that he meets along his running route. He greets the people and dogs. He greets the cats and cows and horses. This morning he saw what he thought was a little cat. Just to be neighborly, he greeted the cat with his customary, "Good Morning Kitty Kitty Kitty." The cat upon hearing this, came running over to Jake, which Jake thought was very friendly and he prepared to pet the kitty. That was until he noticed that the kitty had an unusual white stripe down his back. Jake started backing up rapidly, but the kitty kept coming towards him. Jake had called to the kitty after all. By this point Jake was madly running down the street screaming. "LE PEW! LE PEW!"

The morale to this story is that you should use a certain degree of caution when petting black and white cats in the twilight hours.

Cirque Du Soleil

2009-08-08T18:40:00.004-05:00

Who say's you can't have fun after 40? Certainly not Jake and Molly as they rehearse for their new Cirque Du Soleil act.

Cirque du Soleil (French for "Circus of the Sun,") is a Canadian entertainment company. Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy Laliberté and Daniel Gauthier.

Each show is a synthesis of circus styles from around the world, with its own central theme and storyline. They draw the audience into the performance through continuous live music, with performers rather than stagehands changing the props. After critical and financial successes (Los Angeles Arts Festival) and failures in the late 1980s, Nouvelle Expérience was created – with the direction of Franco Dragone – which not only made Cirque profitable by 1990, but allowed it to create new shows.

Cirque expanded rapidly through the 1990s and 2000s, going from one show to approximately 3,500 employees from over 40 countries producing 15 shows over every continent except Africa and Antarctica, with an estimated annual revenue exceeding US$600 million.The multiple permanent Las Vegas shows alone play to more than 9,000 people a night, 5% of the city's visitors, adding to the 70+ million people who have experienced Cirque. In 2000, Laliberté bought out Gauthier, and with 95% ownership, has continued to expand the brand. Several more shows are in development around the world, along with a television deal, women's clothing line and the possible venture into other mediums such as spas, restaurants and nightclubs.

Cirque's creations have been awarded numerous prizes and distinctions, including Bambi, Rose d'Or, three Gemini Awards and four Primetime Emmy Awards.

This May Hurt A Bit

2009-08-08T17:57:00.003-05:00

When Nurse McGillicuddy prepares to perform a procedure, we all get just a little bit frightened.

Actually Molly is preparing her world famous Chicken Pot Pie. This is a bit of a misnomer, because it isn't actually a pie at all. It's more of a chicken stew with big flat homemade noodles floating around in it. Though it isn't pie, it is quite yummy with all of it's rich chickeny hot and steamy deliciousness.

Yard Sale

2009-08-01T19:04:00.003-05:00

Molly: I think we should do a yard sale.

Jake: I am not doing a yard sale. If you want to sell things, put them on EBAY.

Molly: I already paid for the ad in the newspaper. We are having a yard sale.

Jake: Whatever, I'm not helping.

Molly: Can you help me move my tables and things outside for the yard sale?

Jake: Grumble, Grumble, Grumble...........

-~-~ Flash forward in time -~-~

Molly: Can you help me move my things back into the house?

Jake: Why do you still have so much stuff left? Did you make enough to pay for the ad in the newspaper.

Molly: Shut up!

Jake: Can we do EBAY next year or just donate the stuff to a homeless shelter? At least we could get a receipt for the donation.

Molly: Shut up!

Jake: Grumble, Grumble, Grumble...........................

Braces

2009-07-30T20:15:00.002-05:00

Well I guess Sarah Ray is going to have to be careful around large magnets for the next while. Today she had her braces installed. We'll see if she is still smiling a couple of years from now. :)

2009-07-19T13:19:00.001-05:00

Welcome (back) to Alabama.

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2009-07-19T11:10:00.001-05:00

Welcome to tennesee. 1964 miles.

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2009-07-19T09:08:00.001-05:00

Abraham lincoln birthplace

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2009-07-19T08:14:00.001-05:00

I can't hear you. I have a bananna in my ear.

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2009-07-18T15:57:00.001-05:00

Welcome to Kentucky. 1716 miles into our trip.

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2009-07-18T13:20:00.001-05:00

Aunt donna

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2009-07-18T09:15:00.001-05:00

National air force museum at wright patterson afb.

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2009-07-18T05:51:00.001-05:00

Breakfast in ohio. 1463 miles into the trip and all is well.

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2009-07-17T13:16:00.001-05:00

Uss requin 481

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2009-07-17T09:45:00.000-05:00

More science

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2009-07-17T09:38:00.000-05:00

Making waves

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2009-07-17T09:33:00.000-05:00

Carnegie science center

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2009-07-16T14:01:00.001-05:00

Choo choo

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2009-07-16T13:07:00.001-05:00

Resting after lunch

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2009-07-16T11:40:00.001-05:00

Waiting for soda.

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2009-07-16T11:05:00.001-05:00

Not riding

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2009-07-16T11:00:00.001-05:00

Kennywood park

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2009-07-15T18:32:00.001-05:00

Giving grandma a ride.

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2009-07-15T12:40:00.001-05:00

Indiana University of Pennsylvania

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2009-07-15T10:53:00.001-05:00

Stopped to see Punxsutawney Phil and met some of his family scattered around town. 1183 miles done.

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2009-07-15T08:36:00.001-05:00

Snowshoe pennsylvania

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2009-07-15T07:31:00.001-05:00

On the road again. 1047 miles. Heading west towards Indiana, PA.

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2009-07-14T13:32:00.001-05:00

Happiest place on earth. Free beer.

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2009-07-14T09:53:00.001-05:00

Statue of famous author John O'hara in pottsville.

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2009-07-14T09:44:00.001-05:00

Missed the first tour so we are walking around pottsville.

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2009-07-14T08:46:00.001-05:00

On our way to the Yuengling brewery. came to a stop at a construction site. enough time to jump out and take a picture.

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Shower Racing

2009-07-14T06:58:00.003-05:00

Jake tried a little psychology this morning to get everyone moving. He invented shower racing. The idea is that everyone will be timed while they are in the shower and whoever gets out in the fastest time will be the winner. Jake was in and out in 2 minutes and 55 seconds. Sarah Ray was out in 4 minutes 55 seconds. Scribbles is still in there at 10 minutes and counting. I don't think shower racing is going to catch on as an Olympic event. Back to the drawing board.

Dinner Day 3

2009-07-13T16:54:00.002-05:00

Yummy. Dinner at the Boyardee's House.

2009-07-13T13:02:00.002-05:00

Swingers. Or two old ladies on the porch. You decide. After our ice cream treat we went to a local park to let the kids burn off some excess energy.

2009-07-13T12:44:00.001-05:00

Icecream

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Continental Breakfast

2009-07-13T07:32:00.002-05:00

Continental breakfast. Yes, we got another slow start today. Heck, It is our vacation after all.

Continental breakfast is an institutional meal plan based on lighter Mediterranean breakfast traditions. It is a light meal meant to satisfy you until lunch. A typical Continental breakfast consists of coffee and milk (often mixed as Cappuccino or latte) or hot chocolate with a variety of sweet cakes such as brioche and pastries such as croissant, often with a sweet jam, cream, or chocolate filling. It is often served with juice. The continental breakfast may also include sliced cold meats, such as salami or ham, and yogurt or cereal. Some countries of Europe, such as The Netherlands and those in Scandinavia, add a bit of fruit and cheese to the bread menu, occasionally even a boiled egg or a little salami.

The Continental Breakfast concept is not limited to Europe, as evidenced by the numerous hotel chains that offer this service worldwide.

After Dinner Fun

2009-07-12T19:18:00.002-05:00

After dinner rough housing at the hotel.

Dinner with the Folks

2009-07-12T18:30:00.003-05:00

Dinner at the Country Cupboard with Mr. and Mrs. boyardee. The Country Cupboard restaurant is always our destination when we are in the Lewisburg area. All of the folks in this picture as well as many other members of the family have worked for the Country Cupboard over the years. The food is good, the service is good, and they don't even get upset when we get rowdy and spill drinks on the table.

Susquehanna River

2009-07-12T16:43:00.002-05:00

Driving along the Susquehanna River. 870 miles. The Susquehanna River (originally "Sasquesahanough" according to the 1612 John Smith map) is a river located in the northeastern United States. At approximately 444 mi (715 km) long, it is the longest river on the American east coast, the 16th longest in the United States, and the longest river in the continental United States without commercial boat traffic. The Susquehanna forms from two main branches, with the North Branch, which rises in upstate New York often regarded as an extension of the main branch. The shorter West Branch, which rises in western Pennsylvania, is sometimes regarded as the principal tributary, joining the North Branch near Northumberland in central Pennsylvania. The river drains 27,500 square miles (71,225 km²), covering nearly half of the land area of Pennsylvania and portions of New York and Maryland. The drainage basin (watershed) includes portions of the Allegheny Plateau region of the Appalachian Mountains, cutting through water gaps in the lateral mountain ridges in a broad zigzag course to flow across the rural heartland of southeastern Pennsylvania and northeastern Maryland. The river empties into the northern end of the Chesapeake Bay, the ria of the Susquehanna, providing half of the freshwater inflow for the entire Chesapeake Bay.

Back on the the road

2009-07-12T15:43:00.001-05:00

Back on the the road and heading north. 820 miles.

2009-07-12T14:56:00.001-05:00

Still at hershey world.

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Hershey's Chocolate World

2009-07-12T14:00:00.002-05:00

Hershey's Chocolate World. The last time we were at Hershey's Chocolate World was April 2006. It hasn't changed, but the chocolate is still tasty. Hershey's Chocolate World was built as a replacement of the Hershey chocolate plant tour. This tour was discontinued as it was no longer able to handle the large numbers of visitors per year. The newly-opened facility took inspiration from World's Fair pavilions.

In 1979, a mosaic from the original Hershey Creamery was moved to Chocolate World. It was placed next to the entrance of the ride, and lasted until 1999, when the retail area named Everything Hershey's was opened. Over the years, the tour ride has gone through several revisions and renovations, the first of which took place in 1978 to add a series of nostalgic shops to the building. On June 1, 1986, the visitor's center welcomed its 20 millionth visitor.

A $4.5 million update to the chocolate-making tour ride opened in 1988, featuring a curious robot for a host. In the mid-1990s, the ride saw numerous revisions on a small scale, including the removal of several show elements. The last renovation occurred in early 2006 when several scenes in the chocolate tour ride were replaced with singing, animatronic cows. Today, there are still portions of the ride that have changed very little from the 1978 updated version, including the sorting and cleaning, roll refining, and chocolate conch scenes.

2009-07-12T12:13:00.001-05:00

In etters pa

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Welcome to Pennsylvania. 721 miles.

2009-07-12T10:55:00.001-05:00

Welcome to Pennsylvania. 721 miles.

2009-07-12T10:45:00.001-05:00

Lunch at taco bell.

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Stopping For Gas In Maryland

2009-07-12T10:33:00.003-05:00

Stopping for gas in Maryland. 712 miles. $2.49 per gallon.

Welcome to Maryland. 707 miles.

2009-07-12T10:21:00.001-05:00

Welcome to Maryland. 707 miles.

Welcome to West Virginia. 681

2009-07-12T09:59:00.001-05:00

Welcome to West Virginia. 681 miles.

2009-07-12T09:45:00.002-05:00

Help! My child has been grabbed by a giant King Kong at dinosaur land.

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Dinosaur Land

2009-07-12T09:42:00.002-05:00

Our first side trip of the day was to Dinosaur Land. This is classic roadside america. Tons of dinosaurs made of concrete and spray painted. We all of loved it. 662 miles

This classic dinosaur park remains frozen in time, or at least faithful to the original vision of Joseph Geraci, who opened it over 40 years ago. Geraci was reportedly impressed by the fiberglass dinosaurs at a putt-putt golf course in Florida, and reasoned that prehistoric monsters would work just as well outside of his Rebel Corner gift shop in Virginia.

Geraci started dinosaur creation in the mid-1960s, and quickly realized that they should be the main attraction of his place. He renamed his place "Dinosaur Land" in large letters that resembled California's "Disneyland" sign, and added a toothy dinosaur mouth photo-op entrance (like the gaping jaws outside of Florida's Gatorland). These earliest incarnations still stand, along with a purplish Apatosaurus and an orange-green T. rex that skulks beside the highway, enticing travelers to pull over for a quick devouring.

2009-07-12T07:40:00.001-05:00

Round 2 of the drive. Jake took control of the Pohickmobile as we departed at 8:30. 573 miles behind us many more to go.

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Good Morning - Day 2

2009-07-12T06:33:00.002-05:00

Well, it is just about 07:30am and we really haven't started moving yet. Getting up at 4am yesterday and driving all day has apparently taken it's toll on us. Luckily we are not on a tight schedule today. It is a vaction after all. It might possibly be the best vacation ever. We only have to drive about 270 miles to reach today's destinaton. Of course we will probably make a few small side trips on the way. We'll see you in a litte while after we get moving.

Dinner - Day 1

2009-07-11T17:34:00.002-05:00

After a brief rest we walked down the hill from the hotel to get some dinner. And the yes, Jake is drinking a big glass of wine. He may have two..... Scribbles said that all of the incessant picture taking makes her feel like she is being followed by paparazzi.

At the Hotel - Day 1

2009-07-11T16:34:00.003-05:00

Day 1 is in the books and the family tuckered out. We are in Staunton, Va.

Declared by Southern Living as "the perfect place to base any exploration of the valley," Staunton is conveniently located in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Known for its historic architecture packed into five National Historic Districts, Staunton is best explored by foot. Its compact downtown features over one hundred unique shops, art galleries and restaurants. Enjoy a night of theater at the Blackfriars Playhouse, the only re-creation in the world of Shakespeare’s legendary indoor theatre. Experience the Frontier Culture Museum, a living history museum illustrating the daily lives of Shenandoah Valley’s early settlers or discover the life and legacy of Woodrow Wilson at his birthplace, museum and research library, which is the only presidential library in Virginia.

King Kong

2009-07-11T16:00:00.000-05:00

King Kong at the pink cadillac diner. 526 miles. In Natural Bridge, Va.

Starting to hear a chorus

2009-07-11T15:00:00.001-05:00

Starting to hear a chorus of "are we there yet". And the answer is no. 492 miles. Near Roanoke, Va.

Biggest Pencil

2009-07-11T13:53:00.002-05:00

World's biggest pencil in wytheville, VA. 417 miles. If only we could find the World's biggest pencil sharpener.

Longest rest stop in history.

2009-07-11T12:20:00.001-05:00

Longest rest stop in history. First lunch at the mall. then a potty break, then gas, then another potty break. moving now 343 miles

Lunch

2009-07-11T11:33:00.002-05:00

Guess where we are eating lunch.

Welcome to Virginia

2009-07-11T11:18:00.002-05:00

Welcome to Virginia. 341 miles.

Grand Guitar

2009-07-11T11:08:00.002-05:00

Bonus stop 1 - world's biggest (only) guitar shaped museum. Didn't stay for the tour. Jake got the pic and away we go!

Moving again. RV in the

2009-07-11T10:46:00.001-05:00

Moving again. RV in the grass was the tie up.

Traffic Jam

2009-07-11T10:28:00.003-05:00

The trip was going too smoothly. At 315 miles we came to a dead stop. Near kingsport, TN.