NORTHERN EXPOSURE, Part 2

Sometimes My Little Corner of the World is a bit further north than most of the rest of the year. This is the country I grew up in as a small child and again as a teen, going into my college years.

We managed to take part of one day to run down to Rockport, one of my favorite spots. I don't care how hot it is in YOUR yard, it is always cool next to this stream. Just a little beyond this, maybe 50 feet, the creek drops down another falls into the river.

The river is the Lehigh and flows about than 800 feet from our house. The Pennsylvania (?)railroad built their tracks along the river which used to be navigable up as far as White Haven and some say even beyond. Now the old RR bed is used for bikers and hikers. They bring 'em in by the bus load from the camps and resorts. Just up the road a piece is this house... I had to take that pic from the road while driving - no place to stop... See the guard rail? Talk about a "white noise" machine to help you sleep! Can you imagine? But my favorite sleeping sound is still the surf and a fog horn. Oh well. Maybe once again before I die... But, until then, waterfalls will do.

Never let it be said -all play and no work (sorry!)- what is a vacation without work? Or what is an OLD house without work? I found this nasty place on the front porch. That is a 9 foot drop to the cellar level porch. Ouch. Does it look like a rotten board to you? It looks like a law suit in waiting to me - so - off to the lumber yard and a sheet of plywood nailed over the hole until my brother can get up there to put in some new tongue and groove. Not very pretty, I know - but at 3/4 an inch - nobody can go thru that hole without pulling up the plywood. So between that and the poison sumac that has been allowed to grow into the yard and driveway up back, I was pretty busy, and pretty lucky to have a chance to take a quick drive down to the river. That sumac is well over 6 feet tall. This is after I cut some of it, and the grass, back. This little opening used to be wide enough to drive my van thru. Some of the grass has not been cut this year at all. In fact, it looks like it wasn't cut last fall, either.

Sigh... Anybody wanna buy a house in the Poconos? e-mail me, make me a deal.