Where there is charity and wisdom, there is neither fear nor ignorance. St. Francis of Assisi We participated in the 5K Walk/Run Festival of Light at Hartwood Acres on November 19th. It was great! This is the only night folks can just walk and enjoy the lights and music and share the excitement with kids and adults. Driving through the park had been interesting in previous years, but this was awesome. Point of interest, each year brand new lights are used to avoid time consuming replacements. Click here to learn more. Hardwood Acres Park Allegheny Co Parks List of Events ... read more

Quotations Rarchel Carson : Those who dwell, as scientists or laymen, among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life. Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. If I had influence with the good fairy who is supposed to preside over the christening of all children, I should ask that her gift to each child in the world be a sense of wonder so indestructible that it would last throughout life. RACHEL CARSON Rachel Carson Homestead Rachel Carson Council Rachel Carson Homestead The Rachel Carson Homestead is the birthplace and early home of scientist and author, Rachel Carson (1907-1964). ... read more

The town of Bushmills, N. Ireland to Dublin, Ireland to Holyhead, Scotland This is day 100 of our trip... and after much discussion, today we begin our trip back to the US. This has been a amazing adventure, with many challenges, wonderful people, memories, and experiences, but for Kel (Maureen) it is time to Go Home. Not to bore you, our "subscribers"-- that have followed us on this trip, but we want to let you know how we managed to find our way home. It will take some doing, but we plan to store the Bothan in Leese, Germany. Bob worked 34 years with a company in Butler, PA and his "old" company has an office/plant in Germany. So we drove from Bushmills to Dublin and took the ferry across to Holyhead, Scotland ( 7/17-18 overnight ... read more

July 15, 2008, Tuesday Derry into Londonderry (or Derry), on to Bushmills, Northern Ireland Ballyness Caravan Caravan Park We shared a taxi, the first one this trip, with our fellow campers into Derry/Londonderry(?). A walking tour of this historic walled city was our first introduction. Martin, our guide, although fast talking, was very knowledgeable about the city and its history. The "ups and downs" of Derry read like the NY stock market. There has been lots of blood shed, and lots of anger and violence over the centuries; English lords and poor Irish farmers, catholic and protestant battling as recent as 1970's 1980's. Today the city is trying to "move on" , but issues still remain that must be resolved. It is difficult for me to be neutral. There were so many injustices and atrocities ... read more

July 13, 2008 Galway to Connemara to Castlebar, County Mayo, Ireland Oscar Wilde described Connemara as a "savage beauty", and its patchwork of lakes, rugged mountains and windswept bogs certainly give a sense of splendid isolation. Ireland, but especially NW Ireland is a fisherman's delight. This is for you Dave Geis, you would love the fishing... the lakes, the rivers and the ocean fishing is incredible...from trout to salmon and many others in between. Irish is the everyday language in this area, folks send their children here to learn Irish (Gaelic) in the summer. Many signs are only in Irish. This is July 13 and we are wearing fleece and raincoats as we approach the Connemara National Park, and we are chilly. Because of the rain and fog, the rangers asked that we not hike to ... read more