Lititz, Pennsylania

I drove in last night in the rain. It was dark, which happens frequently at night in these parts.

It's Amish country. N0 street lights. No house lights. I didn't even see lines painted on the roads.

Makes it hard to dodge the buggies.

I'm spending two nights in Lititz, two days in Lancaster. Then back home to rest.

Paramus, New Jersey

I'm staying in Paramus, working in Oradell. Oradell is close to the Hudson River, and almost directly across from Yonkers. The straight line distance is not that far, but driving would take a long time -- either downstream to the George Washington Bridge, or upstream to the Tappan Zee.

This is a crowded area; lots of people going in different directions. There are plenty of restaurants and stores, many visable from the hotel; all hard to get to.

Blairsville, Georgia

The Appalachian Trail starts (or ends, depending on your perspective) at Springers Mountain, a few miles south of where I am this week. If you're interested in a little virtual hiking check out the the Appalachian Trail Conservancy's Web site for an interactive map. You can zoom into the map at any location and see the topography.

At approximately the half-way point you could zoom to Duncannon, Pennsylvania and see where the trail crosses my river (the Juniata), and then the Susquehanna River at Clark's Ferry.

Or, you could zoom at the Southern end of the trail and see what the landscape is like where I'm working this week -- in the Northwest Georgia mountains.

I could walk to work if I wanted to. Except that it would take six months to get here!

First Fire

It's cold around here this week.

It's been raining the past few days, and so cold that I decided to get a jump on the season and build a fire.

In the workshop, not in the Wilderness Room.

Bonzi watched the proceedings from the passenger seat in the Rhino. He wasn't interested in getting close to the fire until I made him a platform out of an old lawn chair with a coat for a cushion. He was suspicious at first then realized it wasn't too bad and he curled up and went to sleep.

It was fun.

Jonesboro, Georgia

I'm here for the week.

The Civil War Battle of Jonesborough (now renamed to make spelling easier) was fought here in 1864. You can read all about it here.

Jonesboro is the county seat for Clayton County, Georgia. The book Gone With The Wind featured several scenes that take place in Clayton County. There are some GWTW touristy things here -- a "Road to Tara" vistor center in Jonesboro (a converted old train station), reconstructions of the typical plantations and other fun stuff.

I have no time though -- gotta work.

I remember when Lindsay first saw GWTW. She was horrified that anyone could behave the way Scarlett did.

Yonkers, New York Redux

Back in Yonkers. It hasn't changed much since I was here last. Traffic, road construction, horns blowing.

It's not Perry County, but it's a nice change of pace.

Next week, Atlanta -- and a different style of traffic. Can't wait!

Tractor Battery

I had to replace the battery in the tractor this week. The old one didn't work anymore.

I am not cut out for mechanical farm chores.