Delaware Cruise Continues to the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon

After our visit to camp we made our way to Fern Hall in Forest City where we had dinner and lodging reservations.  Fern Hall  a grand stone building, was once the summer estate of the Johnsons of Band Aids.  Our room was large, and decorated with antiques.  We had a small balcony and private bath.  We enjoyed cocktails in the ground floor bar followed by a delicious dinner.  It was  a perfect day and evening.

Breakfast was included at Fern Hall so we filled up on cooked to order eggs and bacon, in addition to a fine continental breakfast.  We were sated when we rolled out on the BMW K16, into a fine mist, which stayed with us most of the day, as we traveled route 6. Tall plumes of goldenrod and purple aster framed the country roads.   The weather did not hinder our view of corn and soy fields, huge silos, red barns, cows and horses grazing on the rolling pastures.      


drive  by under clear skies

 

 I was nice and toasty with my electric jacket and rain gear on. But when the Iron Skillet came into view and looked so welcoming and dry we stopped for a rest and some  hot cocoa.    We grabbed a window seat, and watched as the mist turn into a hard rain.  We slowly sipped our cocoa.  When we finished we could hardly believe that the rain stopped and by the time we arrived in Wellsboro the air was dry and sun bright as it descended into the west.We checked into the Penn Wells Hotel on Main Street, hung our rain gear to dry, peeled off a few  layers, and walked out into the quaint old town, founded in 1806, for dinner. 

 

In the cool of the morning we rode out under blue skies and puffy white clouds to Colton Point State Park  on the west rim of the Pine Creek Gorge.  Up the mountain to the highest view point where we found ourselves alone to see mountains blanketed with green trees and a meandering creek far below. 

We stood alone in awe knowing that a giant, icy, glacier cut the gorge.  We took full deep breaths of mountain fresh air.   Then we backtracked down the mountain, over the creek and back up the other side of the gorge to Leonard Harrison State Park, full of people, most likely due to the gift shop, and visitor center with a little museum.  The museum exhibited information about local wild life and how in the 1930s the parks and facilities were reforested and constructed by members of the Civilian Conservation Corp, under the leadership of Franklin D Roosevelt.     We pondered the power of men and the power and beauty of nature until it was time to ride back to the Penn Wells, enjoy a cocktail and dinner in the hotel lounge, and rest up for the day trip home.   

MaraBella Strikes a Pose with Lucky Lindy

It was too cold for the motorcycle, so we took the car and MaraBella out with us on our search for more Oxen.  This is Lucky Lindy.  Of course our silly girl is not so well behaved that she could be off leash, so I had to do a little work to grab her and her shadow.  Made Lucky the background. Then I used the magic wand in CS3 to grab MaraBella and her shadow.  Applied it as a layer on top of Lucky. Couldn't do it without getting some of Furman who was holding her on the leash, in the pick so I applied a Mask and then removed what was not necessary.  It truly is amazing what can be done in Photoshop and I feel that after 2 years of playing with it...I am just scratching the surface.

Delaware gets caught up in the STAMPEDE

I have photographed 67 of the 68 Oxen around Hopewell.  It seems as if vandals have had their way with the poor beasts of burden and one was not where it was supposed to be......Some of them are located in places that make it difficult to photograph...so I moved this one across the street from where I found it and put it safely behind the fence. 

How?  Well, in CS3 I used the magic wand to cut it out.  Copied and pasted it on top of the fall background and then used a mask to reveal the parts of the fence that the Mooer was covering.