The Big Day!

The weather was cold with rain showers in the morning, but they still went forward with this outside wedding. The gamble paid off as the sun did come out, but the winds also picked up making it a very cool affair. The wedding was nice, and the reception an all night celebration where the drinks flowed much heavier than the rains earlier that day. The brides father came from a family with 14 kids and Rachel has nearly as many brothers and sisters, so the wedding was nearly all "Smiths", but I was glad she had the stong support from her family and the wedding she had dreamed of.

Ryan & Rachel's Wedding

Friday night, Tony was very kind and included us in the rehearsal dinner at a WONDERFUL Italian Restaurant in Red Bank, NJ. The food served family style was tasty and plentiful. The atmosphere was perfect for such a special occasion. It was a perfect evening.

Hickory Run Park

Yesterday was a rainy day with 40 mph gusts of wind, so we spent it doing laundry, playing gin and just generally relaxing.

Today, we wanted to get back to exploring the Poconos, so we drove to Hickory Run State Park for some hiking. First we took a 1.5 mile trail to Hawk falls. The path was easy and painted with the colors of fall as the leaves fell before our eyes. We enjoyed that walk so much, that we then decided to do a more ambitious 7 mile walk to Boulder Field. The last pic will show you why it as that name and is the icon and National natural landmark for this park.

Water Fall Walk

Yesterday, Gary and I both took care of paperwork in the morning and just relaxed in the afternoon. After a week of hard work and being on the run, the down time felt good.

Today, we drove 35 miles east and north to "Bushkill Falls" the "Niagara of Pennsylvania. We hiked miles of wooden bridges and walkways through the beautiful lush forests of the Poconos, passing by several nice waterfalls. The fresh air, exercise and peacful surrounding of the woods, made for a perfect day.

We Are Here!

Finished the drive to Lake Harmony, PA today and what a beautiful drive it was. The next week is the peak of the fall foliage for this area. it is as beautiful as any calendar pic I've seen. Am looking forward to long hikes and just soaking in the beauty of the season. The best news of the day is that I get to add a new pin to my "kiss" map.

Road Trip

Got away about 11 am after taking care of a few loose ends. We traveled through Illinois, Indiana and Ohio today ending just north of Akron in Kent. We went through Columbus just as the buckeyes were gearing up for a football game. I'd almost forgotten how much fun the traffic associated with College football can be from my years in Lawrence.

Still not yet in a new state for adding pins to my map. Gary came with me when Shauna was attending CCAD.

The brisk air, blowing leaves, dried fields and almost full moon playing hide and seek behind dark clouds reminds me that Halloween is not far off.

#8 Sherry Dr.

TGIF

The work week is over - Yippee! A brisk cool day, but I spent most of it inside flipping #8 Sherry Dr. We met the tenant at 8am this morning to inspect the house and settle his deposit. Then it was time to get busy. I stained the deck, patched nail holes, painted, replaced the caulking in the bathroom, and cleaned, cleaned cleaned.

Tonight was a special treat when I got to meet Ludy as she and Charlie stopped by our hotel on their way home to Henderson, KY. It was a brief visit, but a nice change from the "vegging" we usually do after a hard days work. You hear about someone for years and see them in Christmas photos, but it just isn't the same as meeting them in person. What a great end to what had already been a very productive week.

Tomorrow morning we check out of the hotel and head to Akron,Ohio for the night before driving the remaining way to Lake Harmony, PA on Sunday.

Rainy Day

After completing the project of super-insulating all 21 homes on Tuesday, we were feeling great! Wednesday was spent trimming limbs and shrubs and cleaning up the property so we could "chipper - shred"today. I liked the days when you could just burn a wood & leaf pile, but that's not allowed here anymore.

When we woke today, we were surprised to find the rains were arriving earlier than expected. We rushed to rent the shredder and quickly worked our way through several mounds of debris, but managed to finish in less than 3 hrs. and before the rain began pouring. I completed the "maintenance-man shower project I had promised a tenant then took the afternoon to dry out, warm up and do travel agent work. I am looking forward to the New England fall foliage next week. Hope the trees have turned in PA so I can post some beautiful fall pics. Today, all you get is before and after of the trimming I did behind #4 Sherry Dr.