As this past week drew to a close, I began to think that while I've had a wonderful time being off these past two weeks and doing all of the fun things we've done (visiting Chris' uncle, going shopping, going to the movies, visiting the train garden, going to Cabela's and Chocolate World), we hadn't really done anything "educational" in the past two weeks. We hadn't learned anything. Well, I'm sure we've learned some things over the past two weeks; we did watch a few episodes of Modern Marvels, after all. But I mean, we didn't actively seek out knowledge.
Until yesterday!
Wednesday, I mentioned to Chris that on Friday I wanted to go do something "educational." I didn't know what that was yet, but I wanted him to be prepared for a sojourn of some kind. As late as Thursday night, I was thinking we'd ride up to Kinzua Bridge State Park to check out the new Sky Walk. But then yesterday morning, as I was doing some additional research, I noticed the forecast for that part of the state: rain showers and 38. Yuck.
So instead, I pulled up a map of Pennsylvania and just started looking at what's around us. That's when I saw the city of Johnstown and realized in my 7+ years as a PA resident, I've never been to Johnstown. Better yet, I knew there'd been a flood (or two...or three!) in Johnstown and that it was a major part of the city's history. A few Google searches later and our destination was set: Johnstown! I discovered that the Johnstown Area Heritage Association operates three facilities in the area and that when you purchase admission at one venue, you actually get admission to all three. We decided to visit two of the three - the Flood Museum and the Heritage Discovery Center.
It was only about a 90 minute ride from our house to the museum. We paid $2 to park in the lot adjacent to the museum and headed for the entrance.
The museum is located in the old library building. This building was built in 1891 - a gift from Andrew Carnegie - to the town of Johnstown as the original library was lost in the 1889 flood. This 1889 flood was what we were just about to discover. The museum has exhibits on the first floor and a theater on the second floor which shows a film about the flood. The film starts on the hour. We arrived at 11:30 AM, so we spent the first 25 minutes of our visit on the first floor taking in as many exhibits as possible before we made our way upstairs to watch the film. While we were there, there were two other couples and one single woman at the museum. No worries about crowds!
Chris takes in the exhibits along the back wall which is meant to look like the massive piles of debris that were left over after the flood.
A bottle of flood water collected by a woman visiting Johnstown with her husband.
This map in the center of the museum depicts the timeline of events as well as the path of the flood. The neon green represents the water traveling down toward Johnstown.
This tool chest and its contents were found on the outskirts of Pittsburgh following the flood. Since telegraph lines were down, the first indication that folks down-river had of the tragedy was debris floating down the river.
Facts about the flood. Click on the picture to bring up a larger image. You should be able to read all of them. The facts are astonishing.
Morgue logs like this one were kept as bodies were brought in. Because of the fear of disease, bodies were catalogued and then quickly buried. Survivors looking for loved ones had to comb through this books looking for their relatives based on the descriptions recorded in these logs. Successful IDs meant bodies were exhumed and properly buried. Over 700 of the bodies were never claimed/identified.
Benefits were held to raise funds for flood victims. I was struck by this poster and its gratuitous use of the exclamation point. (Jake Jarmel would not approve.)
"A burning pile of humanity." <shudder> But it's true...after the flood swept through Johnstown, a fire broke out among the debris. People who'd survived the flood but were trapped in the debris met the horrible fate of burning to death.
Many books were written about the Johnstown Flood of 1889; the first one was written just seven days after the event!
This quilt was started by women who met on the afternoon of the flood (before it occurred). One of the ladies was killed walking home from their quilting meet and their quilt was finished in her honor. The "Mrs. E. Clark" (no relation) - that's not her name, that's the name of the lady that finished the quilt.
After watching the film on the second floor, we finished viewing the exhibits on the first floor. We'd managed to get through about 75% of the first floor exhibits before the film. Once we were "flooded with knowledge," we left the museum and grabbed a quick lunch at the nearby McDonald's. After lunch we dialed up the Heritage Discovery Center on the GPS and made our way there.
A flock of geese flew overhead as we headed toward the center's entrance.
This dog statue stands outside of the entrance. It is constructed of tile and glass and is quite sharp! It's a "no touch" statue.
The courtyard of the center.
The entrance to the center.
The main exhibit at the Heritage Discovery Center is located on the first floor of the center and chronicles the trials and tribulations of immigrants who came to the Johnstown Area in the late 1800s and early 1900s. This immigrants were primarily from Eastern and Southern Europe. It is an interactive display that portrays "America: Through Immigrant Eyes." The exhibit was really fascinating. Eastern European farmhands - accustomed to (literally!) green pastures - came to America expecting the same (literally and figuratively); instead they found a dirty city with iron company jobs rather than farm jobs. Wives took on boarders to earn money for their families - six boarders in two beds! Boarders were taken on based on the shifts they worked so they could sleep in shifts as well!
Notice the "phones" on the displays and the plastic domes suspended from the ceiling. You could hear different conversations and stories at the various stations throughout the exhibit. The screen on the left where the plastic domes are hanging...that was an interactive display where you inserted a card and the person on the screen spoke to you as if you were an immigrant arriving in Johnstown.
Chris takes in the displays.
This display depicted the dangers of working in the coal mines. Notice the hand under the car!
Chris watches the film about local residents and their recollection of their parents' and grandparents' experiences coming to Johnstown.
The Heritage Discovery Center has a few other floors of exhibits - local artifacts are on floors 2 and 5, the 4th floor is an ethnic social club only open for private events, and the 3rd floor is the Johnstown Children's Museum. We visited the 2nd, 3rd, and 5th floors (staying on the 3rd only long enough to go outside to the rooftop garden to take a few pictures).
The 5th floor was exhibits of goods made in Johnstown.
Century Stoves
Sani-Dairy milk and ice cream
Johnstown beers/breweries
Views from the Rooftop Garden off the Children's Museum on the 3rd Floor.
Old churches - no longer open.
The second floor had an exhibit about pattern makers.
The second floor also had a "Did You Know" exhibit about Johnstown history and little known facts. This famous WWII pilot was from Johnstown. When he died in the war, the local newspaper handed out photographs of him (the headshot of him smoking a pipe on the right above) to all its subscribers and to anyone who stopped into the offices to request one.
A safety statue from Cambria Iron Company.
Once we were done in the main part of the center, we walked over to the "Iron & Steel Gallery and Theater." There we took in the film "The Mystery of Steel" which chronicled the growth of the Cambria Iron Company and the introduction of the Kelly/Bessemer process of turning iron into steel, which helped CIC flourish.
The theater - we were treated to a private showing. In fact, I had to return to the main desk to ask them to start the film for us, since it wasn't running on a schedule.
The gallery of photographs taken at old iron and steel mills in Pennsylvania.
Chris checks out the old steel converter.
After our visit to the Heritage Discovery Center was over, there was enough daylight left to visit the Johnstown Flood National Memorial (operated by the National Park Service). This memorial is located at the South Fork Dam (what's left of it, at least) - the site of the breach that caused the Johnstown Flood of 1889. The dam was located on the property of the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club (basically the lake houses of the robber barons of the Industrial Age) and was improperly maintained. While the Club members were never found liable for the flood, at least one (Carnegie) did make contributions toward the recovery and rebirth of Johnstown following the flood.
That big, gaping hole? Yeah...that's where the earthen dam failed.
The spillway that wasn't such a great spillway.
All of this used to be Lake Conemaugh before the flood.
Looking over to the south side of the dam.
Railroad tracks and a river now flow were a mighty lake once stood.
Chris takes in the scenery.
Here, I'm all smiles because we did some learnin' today!
The visitor's center at the memorial; we didn't visit.
Do you see Scooby?!?
10X zoom...there's Scooby!
Back in the town of St. Michael (just off what used to be the shoreline of the lake), the old South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club clubhouse still stands.
This is a guest house of the old club.
Having seen all there was to see at the memorial site (at least all we could see with what daylight remained), we decided to head home. We left our house just before 10 AM and arrived back home right around 6 PM. We had a great time learning all about the Johnstown Flood and exploring the Heritage Discovery Center. We learned something yesterday...and we had a great day together doing so!
When I was a kid, my dad used to take my brother and me to the Wise Avenue Fire Station in Dundalk, MD to see their annual Christmas train garden. My brother and his wife, as well as my parents, still visit each year. Last Monday, Chris and I went to the Centre County Visitors' Center to pick up some brochures to get ideas of things we might do/place we might visit during my two weeks off during the holidays.
One of the booklets I picked up was "Pennsylvania Where/When" and in it I saw a listing for the Clinton Central Model Railroad Club's Open House. It was open last Tuesday when we were already over that way visiting Chris' uncle who lives south of Williamsport (hi, Denny!) but it didn't open until 6 PM and even after spending some time at the Grizzly Store, Gander Mountain, and Wheels of Williamsport, it was still only 4:30 as we went by the Lock Haven/Castanea exit on US 220 last week. We didn't want to kill 90 minutes in/around Lock Haven, so we decided to return today (the next day it would be open).
We left the house at 5 PM tonight and arrived just after 6 PM (tonight's hours were 6 - 9 PM). The Model Railroad Club occupies the old train station on Logan Avenue in Castanea. We entered the station with another family; we were all first-time visitors. The gentleman at the front desk explained that we were in an old rail station dating back to 1884. He pointed to the "Lock Haven" station sign hanging above his head and indicated that it was the original sign for the station. He explained that this year's garden theme was "Thomas the Tank Engine - that there was a small train running under the club's Christmas tree and a few others up on the main garden.
Spanish influenza of 1918? Oh noes!!!
We made our way into the main garden room and spent about 40 minutes admiring the train garden.
The little boy in this picture reminded me of my brother when he was little. He analyzed every train that went by. He inspected every detail of the layout that was in front of him. And one of the gentlemen in the club said to the boy's mother, "Back again?" She laughed and nodded. Clearly, this little boy loves the train garden!
I was really curious about the handheld controllers the club members were using to control the trains. I'm used to the boxy transformers/controllers from my dad's and brother's gardens.
Switch map
Another switch map and a white board layout of the roundhouse.
Another switchboard. Talk about complicated!
We had a great time visiting the Open House. All that was missing was cheap orange drink and butter cookies and it would have felt like the Wise Avenue of yesteryear. (I understand it's bigger and better and very crowded these days.)
I said to Chris as we were getting out of the car to head into the station tonight, "I'm glad we went to the visitors' center last week; we wouldn't know about this otherwise." Let that be a lesson! Even in your hometown, it doesn't hurt to hit the visitors' center from time to time to see what's new and/or what you might be missing!!!
This year for Christmas - having just visited our families in Baltimore for Thanksgiving and not feeling like we'd get to have quality visits with our families with the 17 places they all needed to be today and tomorrow (seriously, some of their "itineraries" read like war plans!) - we decided we were staying home for Christmas this year. Couple that with the fact that my last work day for 2011 was back on Friday, December 16th and it's been a bit of a Christmas stay-cation here at The Homestead. And you know what? It's been lovely! But I'll get to all of that in another blog post...this is about Christmas!
Yesterday - Christmas Eve - I got up early and was out of the house by 8 AM. I stopped at Wegmans to pick up a few last minute stocking stuffers for Chris, as well as a few accoutrements for our Christmas meals. From there I ran over to Kohl's to pick up two last minute gifts. I was in and out of Wegmans and Kohl's by 9 AM and on my way downtown to Designer's Denn for my Christmas Eve "signature facial." It was wonderful! Before my services got underway, I spent some time relaxing and sipping cucumber water in the "quiet room" where they have a rain wall and candles. My facial started with a back massage; followed by all of the cleansing, toning, and moisturizing of the facial; and also included a face massage and a paraffin wax hand treatment. Afterward, I spent a little more time in the "quiet room" sipping a green tea and just thinking - about how wonderful it had been to have our Christmas Open House the week prior, how nice it was to be "done" with all of the rush stuff (baking, wrapping, decorating, etc.), and how this facial (or a similarly relaxing spa service) could become my new Christmas Eve norm!
Following my facial, I came home and whipped up the breakfast casserole for this morning. And by "whipped up" I mean I took my sweet time...I was still quite loosey-goosey from my spa treatments. Following that, I made my bruschetta pizza bites for our game time snack while watching the Steelers game.
Breakfast casserole ready to be refrigerated overnight.
Slice a baguette, toast the slices under the broiler, top with Wegmans bruschetta topping and a slice of fresh mozzarella. Broil for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Enjoy!
After the Steelers game ended, I walked next door to drop off a pound cake and some coconut marshmallows to the next door neighbors. Chris and Oscar drove over to pick me up and we rode to the Mondocks to drop off a pound cake to them, as well as a thank you note from Oscar to Marissa (she sent a present to Oscar with her parents when they came to our Open House last weekend). We visited with Tara and Marty for a few minutes; they were getting ready to eat dinner, so we didn't stay long. Just wanted to pop over, drop off dessert, and bid our friends a Merry Christmas!
When we got back home, I started working on our own Christmas Eve dinner - roasted Cornish game hens, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and gravy. It was delicious!
A delicious Christmas Eve dinner for two.
Following dinner, I poured our traditional Christmas Eve drinks - eggnog for Chris and Kahlua and cream for me. We then settled in to watch "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation." We followed that up with "Sabado Gigante" which is quickly becoming our favorite program to watch on Saturday nights! I only pick up bits and pieces of the dialogue, but we both still find it wildly entertaining! Not wanting to risk Santa skipping our house because we were still awake, we went to bed just before 11 PM.
This morning, we woke up a little after 7 AM, but didn't get out of bed until 8. "The Clarks were nestled...all snug in our bed." All three of us were under the covers (we just made the switch to flannel sheets yesterday) and were quite snuggly and warm! Finally, excitement and anticipation got the best of Chris and we decided to get up. We came down, let Oscar out, preheated the oven, put on the tea kettle, and lit the Christmas tree. Once Oscar was back inside, the casserole in the oven, a hot tea brewed, and the stockings removed from the banister, it was time to open presents!
We started with our stockings and we got each other the typical stocking fodder - candy, lip balm, toothbrush, a lighter, razor blades, and Advil PM for Chris; Kleenex, hairspray, cotton rounds, mousse, and an orchid for me. Yup! I got a mini-orchid! Not exactly IN my stocking, but nearby! Next, we let Oscar open a few presents. He makes out like a bandit every year! He got a package of treat in his stocking, followed by another package of treats as a wrapped gift. He got two wrapped boxes of cookies - one box of flavored Milk Bones and one box of Scooby Snacks. Finally, he got a new Flying Squirrel and a stuff lion, which was quickly named "Brian the Flyin' Lion" since it will surely been very soon that Brian is shaken and flies through the air in the living room!
Oscar opens a package of treats.
Oscar waits patiently for more presents.
Oscar wrangles his new stuffed lion out of its gift bag.
Chris shows off his new pork pie hat.
My boys.
Chris and I took turns opening our gifts. Chris gave me an Annalee Christmas walrus, a SilpatXacto knife set, a helping hand magnifier, and a pork pie hat. Oscar gave Chris a Swiss Army toiletry bag, which Chris graciously accepted despite the fact that he already has an LL Bean one. But there was a method to my and Oscar's madness - and it came in the form of Chris' final gift.
Yup. I got Chris a cannon! Chris' friend, Jerry, has a cannon and every since the camping trip when Jerry fired the cannon a few times, Chris has been researching small cannons and talking about getting one someday. Little did he know that shortly after the camping trip, I e-mailed Jerry and asked if his brother-in-law would be able to make one for Chris. The answer was (obviously) yes and Jerry brought the cannon over last weekend when he and Leisa came to our party. We need to get a few more accoutrements from Lowe's tomorrow - a dowel rod and some mounting blocks - and then we'll make the neighborhood go boom! (The toiletry bag Oscar bought for Chris was meant to be a storage bag for the cannon; it even has a compartment on the bottom with small bottles where Chris can keep premeasured black powder!)
Just as we finished opening our presents, the oven beeped to indicate breakfast was ready. We each enjoyed a piece of breakfast casserole and a cranberry-orange muffin for breakfast and then it was off to the showers. Once we were cleaned up and dressed, I called my mom and brother, while Chris' mom called him. We watched the Disney Parks Christmas Parade until 2 PM when we had lunch and watched the Annie Moses Band perform on PBS. I bought a split turkey breast and a small boneless ham for our Christmas "meats" as well as some macaroni salad and some Cole slaw, so we fixed sandwiches and had some salads.
Yummy breakfast casserole and clean cranberry-orange muffins.
Just enough "Christmas meats" for two.
My handsome boys!
We left the house at 3:20 for a 4 PM showing of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo." I knew that movie theaters were open on Christmas Day, but I never knew just how busy they are. Well, no...wait. That's a lie, I guess. Thinking about it just now, I do remember driving down I-95 coming home from Aunt Beverly's house on Christmas night and seeing how packed the movie theater at White Marsh used to be. Anyhoo...the College 9 theater was quite crowded and our theater was probably 75% full (Chris says 68.5% full). The movie was great! Mind you, I've not finished reading the book yet (although I will...soon!) and I've not seen the original Swedish versions...but what we saw this afternoon, we both really enjoyed!
From the movie theater, we drove down Atherton Street - noting that the College Buffet was open in case our intended destination was not. Thankfully, we found the lights on and the staff happy at the Authentic China Wok at Northland Center. Chris got a General Tso's combo and I got a beef-broccoli combo to go. We came home with our Chinese take-out and watched 60 Minutes while we enjoyed our Christmas dinner!
Pork fried rice, beef-broccoli, an egg roll, and a fortune cookie.
Chris gets ready to snarf on some General Tso noms!
Now we're chilling on the couches watching the Packers/Bears game while Oscar snoozes in his chair. Ahhhhh!!! What a fantastic Christmas! We certainly missed seeing our families today, but we'd rather wait and see them when we'll all have some quality time together rather than harried itineraries. I'd rather spend quality time with our families on an ordinary weekend than a rushed visit "just because it's Christmas." I said to Chris earlier, "Not to disregard all of the time we've spent with our families over the years at Christmas, but I really think this has been one of the best Christmases." We did what we wanted, when we wanted. We didn't have to pack up our suitcases and all of Oscar's stuff and drive three hours...and then try to squeeze in visits with two families with multiple relatives who have other places to be/people to see. We're not someone(s) for whom our family members will change their plans to make sure they see us; we get that. So rather than try to cater to everyone else's schedules, we made up our own...and we loved it!
Our 2011 Christmas tree.
Celebrating our 19th Christmas together - and our first one "just the two of us."
