1. A derecho blew through here Tuesday evening with sustained 52 mph winds, with gusts to 62 mph, shearing off about 9 utility poles nearby. About half of the county lost electrical power, including us. We were fortunate to be among the first to be restored after 32 hours. Some are still waiting.
2. Our cherry tree split off one of its larger branches.
3. Which gave me reason to pull out and use my grandfather’s 5-ft tree saw; probably unsharpened during the past 70 years, but still quite effective.
4. My restful view from flat on my back upon completing the task.
Rise up a genuine leader Who is driven by moral character and integrity Who commits to truth and responsibility Who models personal discipline and accountability Who earns respect by giving it Who is humble in self-imperfections and gracious in others’ Who nurtures trust and collaboration
Rise up a genuine leader Who is we-oriented, not me-oriented Who articulates vision with clarity and infuses pride in purpose Who disables barriers to people development Who confronts social ills with positive solutions Who seeks understanding and resolutions in contentions Who fosters creativity and inspires hope
Rise up a genuine leader Who can undo chaos and create order Who is composed instead of clamorous Who promotes diversity of viewpoints in unity of purpose Who invests in people and worthy dreams Who is transparent, trustworthy, and teachable Who upholds faith in a better future and spurs actions toward it
Rise up a genuine leader Who values people and ideas over profit Who knows virtue sustains character, but its absence destroys it Who is considerate instead of caustic Who brings competence with candor Who discerns realities with compassion and directs resolutions with care Who influences people to mutually elevate lives, institutions, and ideals.
Rise up a genuine leader Who is attentive to needs of the people and builds their spirit Who overcomes personal ego, arrogance, and unethical behavior Who rejects conflict mongering Who is consistent and persistent in value-added contributions Who equips and empowers other leaders Who builds an enduring legacy of transformational results
My grandmother Carrie was born on this date 125 years ago. She was the fourth child of Charles and Ida, proud carriers of the Von Steuben family name, and collateral descendants of the Revolutionary War hero, Baron Von Steuben, Inspector General of the Continental Army at Valley Forge.
Carrie Von Steuben on her wedding day June 30, 1923.
But her entire life was completely influenced by the death of her father four months before she was born. On September 6, 1899, The Easton Daily Express reported the tragic news:
STEUBEN’S INJURIES FATAL Charles Steuben, 28 years old, of Nazareth, the brakeman on the Easton & Northern railroad who had his skull fractured last week by being struck by an overhead bridge at Nazareth, died at that place at 4 o’clock this morning. He was standing on top of a freight car at the time the accident occurred. The deceased man leaves a widow and three children.
Charles Von Steuben’s photo added to an image of the memorial flowers from the Railroad’s Freight Crew.
That’s a three-sentence summation of a three-second accident that has eternal ramifications for those who survived, as well as many who were yet to be born.
One month later, the Northampton County Orphans Court appointed a guardian “for the purposes of executing a release in behalf of the aforesaid minors to the Bangor & Portland Railway Company, releasing and discharging any and all damages or actions for damages for an injury received by the said Charles A. Von Steuben, while in the Employ of the Bangor & Portland Railway Company and resulting in his death, in consideration of Twenty Five dollars a month for a period of ten years.”
But despite the Court’s assistance, grandma Carrie was born into hardship January 24, 1900, which unfortunately grew quickly worse. Just months later, her two brothers, Floyd, 7, and Barron, 5, died 31 days apart, likely from a common childhood disease, leaving just one sibling, sister Elnora. I can’t help wonder if such stresses contributed to widow Ida’s untimely death at the young age of 34, leaving Carrie orphaned at age 9.
Carrie’s older siblings: Floyd, Barron, and Elnora Von Steuben
The poor sisters were placed in foster homes, not so much to assimilate into families, as to work for them. Carrie went to work for the Fritz family in the Victorian-era farmhouse in rural Moore Township, near the bottom of the hill leading up to Chapman Quarries.
And there’s where Charles’ fateful day continues a legacy that affects me personally. For if Carrie hadn’t been orphaned, she likely wouldn’t have moved out of the family home, or enrolled in the Chapman Quarries schoolhouse, or met her husband Joe Herd, or raised her own herd of Herds. And the rest, as they say, wouldn’t have been history.
Books have brought me into worlds I wouldn’t otherwise know
This past year’s reading has brought me into worlds and cultures I wouldn’t otherwise know. I have visited Nazi Germany (three times), ancient Palestine, Soviet Russia, Revolutionary Russia, Cold War Europe, South Africa, Victorian Australia, Spanish colonization, Antarctica, even those spheres of oppression, depression, gene editing, scientific research, cosmology, and quantum physics.
These books have taught me more about myself and those around me. I have reveled in the wonders of my own body, and have gained insights into wellness, happiness, and better working and personal relationships.
These books have ignited my imagination through creative storytelling. I’ve entered several classic tales for the first time, and have revisited some inspiring old favorites.
These books have expanded my knowledge in a great many subjects: natural, geologic, and cultural history; economics, public policy, activism; exploitation, greed, commerce, philanthropy; psychology, volunteer organizing, and leadership in philosophical differences and changing cultures. And so much more!
My favorites and recommendations are noted with an asterisk. But here are my special mentions:
Most satisfying ending: Angel of Vengeance
Most surprising over what I thought I knew about it: Tarzan of the Apes
Most over my head: The Physics of Immortality
Most annoying: HHhH (author reports true things, then confesses he made them up)
Most wide-ranging scope: Saving the Redwoods
Most spiritually revealing: New Morning Mercies
Most enjoyable biography/memoir: Sunday Nights at Seven: The Jack Benny Story
* Destined to Witness: Growing Up Black in Nazi Germany, Hans J. Massaquoi
The Handbook for Health: 5 Essential Pillars for Optimized Wellness, Dr. Christopher Turnpaugh with Dr. Cynthia West
The 6 Types of Working Genius: a Better Way to Understand Your Frustrations and Your Team, Patrick Lencioni
* The Body: a Guide for Occupants, Bill Bryson
* Only One Year: How Joseph Stalin’s Daughter Broke Through the Iron Curtain, Svetlana Alliluyeva
The Millionaires, Brad Meltzner
Name All the Animals: a Memoir, Alison Smith
* The Blue Zones of Happiness: Lessons from the World’s Happiest People, Dan Buettner
* The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing and the Future of the Human Race, Walter Isaacson
* From the Earth to the Moon, Jules Vern
A Sand County Almanac and Sketches Here and There, Aldo Leopold
* Inkheart, Cornelia Funke
* Inkspell, Cornelia Funke
* Inkdeath, Cornelia Funke
* The Noticer, Andy Andrews
HHhH “Himmler’s brain is called Heydrich”, Laurent Binet
Bethlehem, Karen Kelly
Homecoming, Kate Morton
The Trail, Robert Whitlow
Cry, the Beloved Country, Alan Paton
* The Last Days of Night, Graham Moore
* Still Life With Crows, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
* Shackleton’s Stowaway, Victoria McKernan
The Magician’s Nephew, C.S. Lewis
White Fire, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
Three Sisters, Heather Morris
* Tuck Everlasting, Natalie Babbitt
Murder in the Lincoln Bedroom, Elliot Roosevelt
* The Scorpion’s Tail, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
The Leader’s Greatest Return: Attracting, Developing and Multiplying Leaders, John C. Maxwell
Mayday, Nelson DeMille and Thomas Block
* The Oath, Frank Peretti
Community Recreation and Parks Handbook, Sue Landes
Financing Municipal Recreation and Parks, Sue Landes
Absolute Friends, John le Carré
* The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland, Jim DeFede
Humorous Stories and Sketches, Mark Twain
Murders on Alcatraz, George DeVincenzi
* Palisades Park, Alan Brennert
Skin: Revenge is Beautiful, Ted Dekker
* A Gentleman in Moscow, Amor Towles
* Tarzan of the Apes, Edgar Rice Burroughes
Just Tell Them I Love Them: a Hospice Chaplain’s Invitation to Live Well, Helen Burke
* Take This Cup, Bodie and Brock Thoene
The First 90 Days: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter, Michael D. Watkins
* Saving the Redwoods: The Movement to Rescue a Wonder of the Natural World, Joseph H. Engbeck, Jr.
* Eternal, Lisa Scottoline
* Sunday Nights at Seven: The Jack Benny Story by Jack Benny and his daughter Joan
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Barbara Roobinson
* Healing Stones, Nancy Rue and Stephen Arterburn
* Angel of Vengeance, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
The Physics of Immortality: Modern Cosmology, God and the Resurrection of the Dead, Frank J. Tippler
* New Morning Mercies: A Daily Gospel Devotional, Paul David Tripp
From Vancouver, we drove north along the coast to picturesque Porteau Cove Provincial Marine Park. Situated on the most southerly fjord in North America, the park offers waterfront campsites with a view over Howe Sound to the mountains beyond. Purposely sunk in the cove is an old boat to attract scuba divers and other marine life.
But our main objective that day was the Britannia Mine Museum National Historic Site at Britannia Beach. Once an isolated company town, it supported one of the largest copper producing mines in the British Empire—with 240 km of tunnels in the mountains above it. It lies within the territory of the Squamish Nation, who had lived along the river banks for thousands of years, but had no permanent large settlements because of the mountains’ steep slopes right into the water.
The third and largest mill built on that site was erected 101 years ago, and processed 2,500 tons of ore per day, but eventually closed down in 1974. The raw ore entered at the top of the 20-story mill that crushed and ground it in each successive floor until the valuable metals and minerals were separated from the waste rock.
Before we entered the mill, though, we enjoyed a short tour by mine car through a section of the tunnel system. As we entered the bottom floor of the old mill built into the side of the mountain, we gaped up at its enormity. But the most memorable part of that visit was a truly clever and engaging light, sound, and live-action immersive show that interpreted how the old mill operated within that architectural marvel. (I’ve been in the educational/interpretational field for more than 40 years, and that’s the best presentation I’ve ever seen. If you’re going out of your way to coastal British Columbia, I recommend the tour!)
After the tour, we stopped at Shannon Falls Provincial Park to once again gaze upward toward mount and sky to soak in the sights and sounds of the gushing falls and rushing river.
Before we flew cross-country home, we made it a day in Vancouver’s famous Stanley Park. Larger than New York City’s Central Park (the natives are proud to boast!), the west coastal rainforest offers fantastic interaction with scenic waterfronts, majestic trees and mountains, and an abundance of cherished natural assets and cultural/historic riches.
We leisurely clopped along in an hour-long horse-drawn carriage tour, pulled by a pair of Percherons, with stops at Deadman’s Island, Totem Poles, Brockton Point Lighthouse, Lumberman’s Arch, and the Girl in the Wetsuit Statue—a takeoff of Denmark’s famous little mermaid. On our own power, we also visited the Lions Gate Bridge, the Vancouver Aquarium, Prospect Point, Third Beach, and Jericho Beach. From our elevated position, we were able to watch an enormous cargo ship leaving the Vancouver harbor.
Our red-eye flight home left at midnight from Vancouver, with a three-hour layover in Chicago starting at dawn, circling down over Lake Michigan. We arrived home via an Uber ride from our local airport at 12:30 pm. We ended our adventures with a drop-dead nap in our own bed, but with glad and thankful hearts for the full, enriching experience.
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.
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.
Fifty years ago today, I graduated from high school. Photographic proof: My sideburns and me accepting our diploma from the school board president.
Northampton Area High School does a classy thing each year when it invites alumni who had graduated 50 years previously to attend the current class’s Commencement exercises.
More than 100 of my classmates returned to a reception in our honor, and mingled with vaguely familiar people who reminded us of old friends we used to know! (What a half-century can do to a person!)
Under perfect weather for an evening outdoors, we were privileged to sit behind the graduating class in the very same stadium in which we had last assembled. Each of us was respectfully introduced by name, before ceremonies moved forward with the speeches and business at hand. And at sunset, we stood and sang the Alma Mater with our younger mates, with lyrics that—remarkably!—came back to mind.
Speaking of privilege, the historic day’s other momentous event must be called out. 80 years ago, and 30 years prior to our own day in the sun, boys about the same age that we were then died in the D-Day Operation of June 6, 1944, in the largest amphibious invasion in military history. The sacrifices of our parents’ generation for ours, and for those of today, cannot be overappreciated. We stand on the crucial—and at times sacrificial and heroic—work of those who have preceded us. May it ever be so with each generation’s contributions to the future good of society. Here’s to the Class of 2024!
Four years ago today my organization canceled its largest-ever statewide conference, just four days before it was to begin, due to the emerging pandemic.
Today is the start of this year‘s conference. And we have returned to same venue for the first time since the “Greatest Conference That Ever Wasn’t.”
And when I opened my daily devotional this morning (New Morning Mercies, by Paul David Tripp), I see my note in the margin from the last time I used this book four years ago.
Tripp’s particularly timely reminder for this day: “You are always facing the unexpected. Almost daily you are required to deal with something you wouldn’t have chosen for your life…“
Today, and every time you face the unexpected, I wish you grace.
the history, lore, and how-to behind this sweet treat
If you’re a fan of maple syrup, you’ll love my little book about the history, lore, and how-to behind this unique North American treat. Learn the Natives’ stories, the methods of the colonists, and the modern innovations that make syruping a $1.4 billion global industry.
But if you’d like to try a little do-it-yourself sugaring in your backyard, this is also the source to help identify your maples, properly tap them, and boil off the sap to make your own home-grown sweetness. Recipes included!
And even if not, you’ll still want to get out and enjoy a maple festival near you, conducted by your friendly neighborhood naturalist.
Storey Publishing outdid itself in the highly attractive design of this perennial favorite, and I remain grateful to their fantastic editorial and production staff!
