Month: August 2024

The Grange Fair

150th edition!

We were pleased to attend the 150th annual Centre County Grange Encampment and Fair this week. The historic affair started in 1874 as an extension of the National Grange to improve the economic wellbeing of farmers, a group particularly hard hit by the aftermath of the Civil War and economic downturn.

It was lovely. It was not stinking hot, nor humid, nor rainy, nor muddy, nor particularly crowded. And! It was Seniors Day, so our admission was gratefully free!

But it was not our first visit. In 1976, the singing/touring group I was a part of, Re-Creation, performed on the Grange Stage with a patriotic afternoon show in our red-white-and-blues, and in the evening, in our gowns and leisure suits with our Christian program. What I remember most was that it was quite cold that evening: we guys buttoned up our lime green leisure suits right to the neck, covering up our lusciously large, pointy-lapelled shirts with the large green triangles on them. What you can’t see from this image is our two-toned green vinyl shoes!

For comparison, here’s a pic of the same stage this week with the famous Van-Dells performing in their farewell tour. As you can see, the little shed situated right on the stage deck is gone, and they’ve built a full-sized grandstand. The only thing’s the same, even though you can’t see it, is the mountain in the distance.

Anyway, we enjoyed viewing the competitive crafts, canned goods, fresh vegetables, prize-winning boxes of hay, and livestock – even the light farm tractor pulls. You can’t see those just anywhere anymore. Here are a few views of the wares and encampment. Sorry no animal pics this time, although we did visit the beef and dairy cows, goats, rabbits, chickens, sheep, and swine stalls.

Vancouver!

modern city – and rainforest island!

As the last major stop in our western summer tour of official duties (professional meetings and conferences in Salt Lake City and Seattle), we took the train to Vancouver, BC for a few days of vacation to visit our son who lives in nearby Burnaby.

He had recently moved from a basement apartment with little ambient light to the tenth floor of a high-rise with floor-to-ceiling glass. My mind cues up the theme song to the 70s sitcom The Jeffersons: Moving On Up! And from his balcony, I see the present-day skyline of The Jetsons, complete with futuristic transportation clamor. Instead of a vehicle that folds into a briefcase, however, our son has an e-bike to maneuver the ultra-urban landscape. Nearby his tower is a huge piece of modern art made from canoes.

One day we rented an Evo car and rode the two-hour ferry from Tsawwassen to Vancouver Island, threading through the many islands in the Strait of Georgia. It was a gray day with a cold July wind, but the ship was huge and comfortable.

On Vancouver Island we headed to British Columbia’s quaint capital, Victoria. We visited second cousins, and were able to celebrate with them in the opening night of their daughter’s new restaurant, Emmaline’s.

But we also had time to visit Victoria’s picturesque downtown harbor, with its Parliament buildings, water taxis and houseboats, among many other attractions.

The weather cleared and we could see Washington’s Olympic Mountains from the southernmost tip in Clover Point Park at Point Zero.

From Victoria, we drove an hour north to Brentwood Bay to visit the renowned Butchart Gardens: an astounding cultivated landscape built in the remains of a worked out limestone quarry. The Sunken Garden, just one portion of the 55-acre complex, built inside the quarry hole itself, is stunning—and hard to believe it was once just cliffs and bare rock. Our photos do not do the magnificent estate justice.

Upon concluding our second day on Vancouver Island, we fled eastward against the setting sun back to the mainland. Once again, we maneuvered through the dozens of formidable islands clogging the passage, but from this direction, we could witness the rising appearance of Washington’s snow-covered stratovolcano Mount Baker, before pulling in to the ferry terminal at Tsawwassen Port.

Next: more from Vancouver, including its famous Stanley Park.

Seattle: where the point of view is the point!

My son once critiqued a movie as just a series of people staring at things. And I think he was justified in that one. But in our recent first-time visit to Seattle, Washington, we found that staring at things is what we did most productively.

First, I had a professional purpose to the trip: the city was hosting Greater & Greener, a biennial international urban parks conference for urban planners, park innovators, and policymakers. (I missed the last forum two years ago, hosted in Philadelphia in my home state, because that’s the week I suffered a passing-out case of covid!)

So the prime point of view was first to learn from the expertise and vision of those around the globe who are doing remarkable work in harnessing the power of parks to create more sustainable, resilient, vibrant, and equitable cities. Its opening reception was held at Pier 62 Waterfront Park, and its closing reception at the Seattle landmark and National Register of Historic Place Gas Works Park at Lake Union. Enlightening and beautiful!

But of course, while we were there, we took in the peculiar, picturesque sights of the city—starting with the famous Space Needle, with views from the ground, our hotel window, and from its top—from its rotating glass floor.

We toured The Marketplace, with its crowded cacophony of fishy smells, offbeat wares, cafes, retail niches, and sideshows. We rode the city’s famous Monorail, built for the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair, sitting right up front next to the young driver who engaged us in conversation about its unique history. We walked the fascinating streets, marveling at the variety of transportation methods, its quaint nooks, and its gleaming modernity. We gaped at the Norwegian Bliss, a cruise ship of 22 decks (!) docked at the terminal on Pier 66.

We particularly enjoyed the Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum featuring the career work of artist Dale Chihuly in eight galleries, a centerpiece Glasshouse, and a lush garden.

We very much found Seattle—with its uncommonly good weather during our stay—a particularly enticing city with a rich palette of intellectual, visual, cultural, and historic vistas. 5 stars.

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