Birthday, Boating and Basking

Wednesday, September 30, 2015  
It hardly seems possible but it was 19 years ago today that our first grandchild was born - Jackson MacRae Guilfoyle.  I had just arrived in Florida and gone to the care center where my mother had just been moved following a stroke. when the phone rang in her room.  It was Sue calling to say he had been born.  What joy at the same time as sadness.  It was my mom's first great grandchild and the prognosis was not wonderful.  I wondered if she would even live to meet this little guy.  She did get to see him once when Sue made the trip down for my Dad's funeral four years later.  It put a smile on her face despite all the sorrow and her poor physical condition.  Happy Birthday, Jackson!!!!  (here he is with his mom)

Meanwhile, Ken and I enjoyed a boat trip on Lake Arthur at the Moraine State Park here in Pennsylvania.  We joined thirty 55 and up members of the Over the Speed Limit group at Dan's church, Westminster Presbyterian, for the two hour tour of the lake that included lunch and a running commentary about the vicinity and things we were seeing. (Dan enjoyed the afternoon with all of us)

It was a gray day after two days of continuous rain.  The temperatures had taken a bit of drop but it didn't dampen our enthusiasm!  This lake was created back in 1969 when a dam was built allowing five creeks to flow in and fill a huge area that had once been farms and the small town of Isle.  (Below is the earthen dam with a spillway going into Muddy Creek)

The buildings were removed except for the church on a hill that still stands today and is the only piece of private property in what is now the 5th largest state park in Pennsylvania.  The lake itself is seven miles long with arms stretching in a variety of directions creating 42 miles of shoreline.

A couple of people on our trip remember when it was being created and watching the old 422 highway slowly being covered over by water as well as land they had grown up traveling on.  There was alot of controversy over this partially because of the loss of farms that had been in families for many years. The guide told us about a couple that had been on this same trip awhile back when celebrating their wedding anniversary.  They had been married in the church that remains and had traveled the road that was slowly being covered by water to get to their reception.  The pastor who left well after the rest of the party got stuck in the water and had to be rescued.

There are now several marinas, a couple of beaches, and miles of bicycle paths plus lots and lots of trees attracting all kinds of wild life life including a variety of birds.  A pair of eagles have made their home here along with lots of ospry, heron, turkey vultures, ducks and geese.  Corcomants use this as a stopping point as they travel south in the fall and return north in the spring. Below is a blue heron heading for shore.

The colors of fall were just beginning to pop up in a variety of spots adding to the beauty of the landscape

Ken and Noelle went to the church in the evening for choir practice while I stayed home and played a game of Qwirkle with Rachel.  Then when they returned the girls again enjoyed watching Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune with us before heading back into the house for bed.  What fun it has been having the girls come for visits - we truly are basking in the joy of being so close so we can spend time with them like this.  Abbi is starting to feel a little bit better so we hope we'll be able to get in some good visit time with her too before we leave.