After leaving our ship, we went by bus to the San Lorenzo Fort. Here we saw the ruins of the fort which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The fort was built by the Spanish around 1590 to stop entry into the Chagres River. The blocks were made from cut coral and the fort was fortified with lots of cannons.
However two different pirates were able to get by the fort. In fact, Henry Morgan in 1671 was able to set the fort ablaze, led his men up the Chagres River, and went on to ransack the original Panama City. For over 100 years the fort was used as a prison then in 1848 it was briefly a campground for prospectors during the gold rush. In the 1980’s UNESCO restored the fort to its present condition. It is an excellent example of 1600-1700 Spanish military construction.
Ruins at San Lorenzo Ft. Notice the Chagres River and the Caribbean in the background.
Posing in one of the watch towers.
Frank is lighting his lighter. What can I say?
After viewing the fort, we boarded our bus to go the 50 miles to Panama City. On the way we saw some interesting sites from the bus.
This bus is called a Red Devil. They are old school buses from the U.S. that are wildly painted and are available for charter trips and used in Panama City as transportation.
On a busy highway near Panama City we saw vendors selling snacks to motorists in traffic. What a way to make a living!
We stopped for lunch at the Allbrook Mall outside of Panama City. The mall was thriving with lots of shoppers, not like our dying malls here in the U.S.
After some free time for shopping, those who wanted went with our guide Kenny to take a subway ride and then caught a Red Devil bus to meet back with our tour bus in Panama City. Of course, I didn’t want to miss out. Frank opted to stay with the bus.
The subway opened about two years ago and was modern, clean and very efficient. The ride on the Red Devil was unforgettable. Loud latin music was blaring with a music video on the large screen monitor. Scantily clad big hipped dancers were really shaking their butts to the rhythm. The fare was 50 cents so the busses are used for the working people.
After getting off the subway, we walked several blocks, then boarded the Red Devil pictured above.
What an experience! We were really immersed in the life of the real city folks! Can you see those almost naked ladies?
Here’s our group at a restaurant near our hotel for our Farewell Dinner. What great food and great group to explore Panama.!
Posing with our bus driver Benny. He was our driver for most of the trip and even transferred us for our early morning flight back to Newark on Jan. 29th. Benny was the best!
Here Frank is enjoying his breakfast on our flight. Thanks to our friend Andy’s vouchers, we flew in business class. It was a first for us. Frank is feeling very upper crust!
Descending into Newark, we flew over New York and the Statue of Liberty. Almost home, Frank!
All in all, our trip to Panama was great. I had originally thought that seeing the Panama Canal would be boring and that the country would be a lot like Peru. It was definitely interesting and very different. I highly recommend this O.A.T. tour if you are interested in seeing the Panama Canal because you will see the seventh wonder of the modern world and a whole lot more.
As soon as I woke up, I could feel our ship moving. Scheduled to go through the locks at 6, I didn’t want to miss anything. A tug boat pulled along side of the Discovery and a pilot hopped on board. A pilot must accompany the captain going through the locks. Notice the big ship ahead of us was the “O’Dori”.
The tanker “O’Dori” entered the lock first.
It was a slow process. On the big cargo ship, metal cables attached to train engines on both sides hooked to the boat to keep it centered. Since we were entering on the Pacific side, the two sets of locks would raise our boat 85 feet to the level of Lake Gatun. The first set are the Miraflores Locks and then the Pedro Miguel Locks.
When the gates closed you could see there were actually two gates in case one would fail. Next the water level started to rise.
This is the Miraflores Locks Visitors Center that we visited on Friday taken from the our ship. The observation deck we were on was at the top floor.
This is our captain. He was steering on this wheel which was on the right side of the ship while we were in the locks.
Our captain at the helm as we were leaving the first set of locks.
The gates were closing when we entered the middle lock. Notice the water level is the same.
We passed through the Culebra Cut. It is an artificial valley cut through the Continental Divide. Culebra is the name of the mountain ridge it cuts through linking Gatun Lake to the Gulf of Panama.
We dropped anchor in Gatun Lake where we docked for the night. Then it was time for some fun. I am getting ready to kayak. Right up my alley!
I was in the yellow kayak with Dean. It was his first time kayaking; he was a quick learner.
We also went out on the zodiacs looking for wild life. Frank is on the left and our tour guide Kenny on the right. We spotted monkeys, three toed sloths, toucans, and parrots. One of the groups even saw a crocodile. What a way to experience the Panama Canal!
The next morning, we went by zodiac to the Agua Clara Visitor’s Center. This is one of the new wider locks on the Atlantic side. We got to see a ship going through the lock. Instead of using two engines to stabilize the ship, tug boats maneuvered the ship. There are three holding tanks for water, so it can be used again. About 40% of the water is recycled.
Here a Carnival cruise ship going through the Aqua Clara locks. Notice the retention ponds on the left.
After touring the Agua Clara locks, the M/S Discovery made it’s way to the Gatun Locks, which would bring us out to the Carribean.
Here a crew member is releasing the rope that kept our boat centered in the lock. There was a worker on top of the lock who pulled it back up.
A pelican followed us as our boat left the last set of locks into the Carribean.
Coming out of the canal channel we passed under the Atlantic Bridge. The bridge opened in August of 2019 and is the third bridge over the canal.
Our ship docked in Shelter Bay Marina for the night. We then took a nature walk with our cruise director Joshua. We saw a group of Capuchin monkeys.
We also watched a parade of leafcutter ants carrying leaf pieces to their underground nest. Leaf cutters are the only insect to farm their own food, a fungus which grows on the decaying leaves. Can you find them them on the curb?
After our walk, we had time to relax until our Captain’s Farewell dinner. We were scheduled to disembark after breakfast the next day.
Frank posing with the cook( right) and her assistant in the gallery.
Uh, oh . Look what we saw on our galley tour!
Our tour group of 22 with our tour leader Kenny and the captain and crew of the M/S Discovery. Can you find Frank and me?
What a great way to experience the Panama Canal on the M/S Discovery! O.A.T. is the only tour company that stays inside the canal for a night. We saw and did so many interesting things. I now know why the canal is considered one of the seven wonders of the modern world!
We boarded our bus early for a 45 minute bus ride to the Panama Rain Forest Discovery Center. We had to take a much smaller bus in order to drive on the narrow roads inside the center. The thick growth of the rainforest is home to 10% of the world’s birds, colorful butterflies and other insects , monkeys, sloths and crocodiles.
This is the walkway in the rainforest. Thick vegetation surrounded the path.
I saw several blue morpho butterflies but they change directions so quickly they were impossible to photograph.
We saw a group of Howler monkeys in a tree, . This too was a picture from the internet. They make a sound like a roaring lion. It scared me to death the first time I heard one.
This one is my picture of a howler monkey!
I climbed 120 steps up a tower to see above the canopy. The view was amazing!
View from the top of the tower.
Going back down the staircase was easier.
We headed back to our hotel, ate lunch and were off again. This time to the Miraflores Locks Visitors Center. We watched a documentary in the IMAX theater on the building of the Panama Canal.
France began work on a canal in 1881 but stopped because of engineering problems and so many of the workers dying. The U.S. took over the project in 1904 and the canal open in 1914. This was the biggest and most difficult engineering project ever done. The health problems of yellow fever and malaria had to be addressed. A doctor figured out that mosquitoes were causing malaria. Getting rid of every last mosquito solved the problem.
Digging a sea level canal through the thick jungle was an overwhelming task. The expression “Another Day, Another Dollar” comes from the canal construction workers who were supposedly paid a dollar a day.
Finally an engineer came up with the idea of damming the Chagres River, forming Lake Gatun. Then locks were made on the Carribean and the Pacific sides to bring ships up and down from the 80 foot level of the lake. This idea meant a lot less digging and blasting to make the canal.
It takes about 11-12 hours to pass through the canal. The America Society of Civil Engineers has cited the canal as one of the seven wonders of the modern world. Another wider lock was opened in 2016 to accommodate bigger ships. It only has one lane so the direction of the ships going through the canal changes on a set schedule.
From the observation deck at the Visitor’s Center we could watch ships pass through the locks. At the classic Miraflores Lock there are two channels. One for going north and one going south.
On Saturday, we toured the area around Clayton. This is the administration building for the canal which is now run by Panamanian government.
We ate lunch in a cafeteria in the canal zone area. Here Frank is enjoying an ice cream come with Dean.
We stopped at a Nature Center along the Causeway outside the city to see their frog exhibit. Then we went to the marina where we were tendered to our ship that was our base for the next three nights crossing through the canal.
Part of our group on their way to board the M/S Discovery. Our ship- the M/S Discovery
Once we were all aboard, we got assigned our rooms. We had to attend a safety orientation and then were introduced to the crew.
Our cabin was small with just enough room to squeeze out and around the bed. Guess who got the narrow side?
We then tendered to the pier on Taboga Island. It is known as the “Island of Flowers” because of the many colorful flowers that flourish here. Our cruise director Joshua led us on a walking tour. The artist Paul Gauguin once visited the island and afterward began adding bright colors to his paintings.
Here I am on Taboga Island. This island served as a retreat for the canal workers for over thirty years.
When we got back on board our boat, strong winds made it rock back and forth. Although I quickly took a Bonine, I felt sick when it was time for dinner. A staff member got me a Coke and chicken soup while the rest of our group enjoyed the Captain’s Welcome Dinner. I felt much better when we anchored for the night. We were scheduled to go through the Pacific entrance of the canal at 6 am. Time to call it a day. Don’t want to miss any of the action through the locks!
This morning we took an hour and a half bus ride to Corotu pier. There our group donned life jackets and embarked in dugout canoes for the Embera Drua Village which was about a 45 minute ride south on the Chagres River. The settlement of about a 100 people is one of Panama’s seven indigenous tribes. They hold onto their traditional way of life and customs that have been carried on for generations.
The Emberas have allowed tourism since the midninties. About 90% of the children remain in the village as adults. The tribe originally was located along another river but had to relocate to their present site in 70’s because their land was turned into a National Park.
Our group divided in three boats to travel to the village. When we arrived we were greeted by colorfully clad villagers. Our guide said then when we leave, these clothes will come off!We were greeted by music from this band. Andrea welcomed our group to her village and spoke to us about their customs and traditions. She was fluent in Spanish so Kenny, our tour guide, translated her words to English. She is showing us the typical men’s attire using this young man as a model.
Andrea would like to teach in the village. She has her teaching degree, but the government requires that you must complete four years of teaching called an entitlement at an assigned school in order to be certified. Even though there is a teacher shortage, she has been waiting for over four years for an assignment. She is not allowed to teach in the village until she has her certification.
The government requires that all lessons are taught in Spanish. The students enter school speaking their native tongue. As a result, the older children talk to each other in Spanish when they are playing. They are also required to wear the official school uniforms. It is sad to think that these requirements in time may undermine the tribe’s efforts to preserve their way of life.
Children were gathered around the roofed pavilion where we were seated. I had to laugh. They were having fun playing wheelbarrow in spite of the damp, muddy ground from the light rain. Kids are kids anywhere!The villagers prepared us lunch. It was a piece of fried fish and fried plantains wrapped in a palm leaf with watermelon or pineapple for dessert. The fish was quite tasty, but messy to eat. No napkins for this meal!Frank and I smiled with full tummies! This was NOT Frank’s typical lunch of a baloney sandwich and chips.
Our travel company has a foundation that is set up to help people around the world where they have tours. The Grand Circle Foundation provided funds for improvements to the village. The Panama government requires the village to have a school. Just recently the foundation paid for the construction of a two room block building to house the teachers. They are employed by the government and come Monday morning and stay until Friday afternoon. The school year is from March to December. Their “summer” vacation is January and February. The foundation also built restrooms for the tourists.
Here is one of the classrooms of the school built by the government. There were two, one for the lower grades and one for the higher grades up to eighth. This is the block housing for the teachers built by the G.C. Foundation. . One of the housing units of the villageThis was my view as we traveled in the canoes back to the Corotu pier to our bus. This is the Holiday Inn, at Clayton, where we stayed for three nights. Clayton is a town within the canal zone which was a five mile stip on both sides of the canal that the US controlled until the canal was turned over to Panama in 1997. Many of the buildings have typical U.S. base architecture. Our hotel is on the south side of the canal directly behind the Miraflores Locks.
After we returned from the village, we had free time to relax before walking to a nearby restaurant for supper. We had a lot to share with our fellow travelers, but the locals were so loud we had to shout to each other. In spite of that challenge, we all felt that our trip to the Embera village was one we would never forget.
On Monday morning, we checked out of the Panama Central Hotel and went on a walking tour of El Chorillo, a subdivision of the city often considered “off limits” to tourists. It is the neighborhood that was bombed when the U.S. invaded Panama on Dec. 20th, 1989 because dictator Noriega’s headquarters was there. Noriega escaped the bombing but finally surrendered a few weeks later. We were given a tour by Victor, a local Panamanian, who is trying to improve the neighborhood. We walked through the streets and got to talk to Mario, a man who lost his wife and other family members during the U.S. invasion.
Walking along a street in El Chorillo, a poor area of Panama City. Another picture of housing in El Chorillo
We stopped at a community pavilion. I got to play dominoes with others from our group just like the locals.
Mario, the man on the left, shared what he remembered of the Operation Just Cause when he was young. He did concede that during Noriega’s regime he feared for his life to walk the streets at night, but that he feels safe now.
After our tour of the neighborhood we boarded our bus where we were shown a documentary on Operation Just Cause done by the British Broadcasting Company. It gave the other side of Just Cause. We don’t often hear about what led up to the military strike or the number of civilian casualties. From the film, the US was definitely portrayed as the aggressor. It was thought provoking to see the Panamanian side of an issue.
On our hour and a half bus ride to Chitre, a small town on the Azuero Peninsula west of Panama City, we saw this truck. Wonder how the horse felt about his breezy ride?
Our bus driver Benny spotted something moving in the trees as we drove toward Chitre. He stopped, backed up, and this is what we saw. A whole group of howler monkeys were in the tree. It was unusual to see them in the countryside since they normally live in the rainforests and tend to stick in the higher canopies.
This howler monkey was crossing the highway using the electric lines. We saw three of them cross, two with their babies on their backs.
After checking into the Cubita Hotel, those of us who wanted to go to a local bar for a drink reboarded the bus. Of course, I couldn’t miss this opportunity to taste the local beer, called Aztec. It was a light beer and quite tasty. Frank opted to rest in our room. Our group ate dinner on the patio of our hotel. It was still light and the temperatures were in the 70’s, much more comfortable than the daytime. After our meal, we were entertained by this local dancer who performed a “devil dance”. When the Spanish conquered this area, they told stories of the devil to scare the people to convert to Catholicism. The dances are still performed today for festivals, parades and special occasions.
On Tuesday morning, we headed to a local artisan who makes elaborate masks out of painted paper-mache for the devil dancers, parades and festivals. I thought this was going to be boring, but it turned out to be quite fascinating. Two guys from our group even joined in making clay molds which make the base to apply the three layers of glued paper strips. After the paper-mache dries, the mask is then cut in half, removed from the mold, rejoined, and then painted. The masks were varied but were true works of art. A mask can cost over $400 depending on the design and details.
One of the masks on displayFrank trying on a mask. Scary, isn’t he?Kathleen, a petite gal in our group, dressed up as a devil dancer. She even clacked castanets like the performer we saw last night. Our group attracted the local police force when we were at the mask shop. Although trouble usually finds me, I was NOT in trouble this time. Frank and I are posing with the local police chief and his assistant.
Our tour company, OAT, specializes in a “Day in the Life” which means activities with the local folks. After the mask making demonstration we headed to our home hosted lunch.
First we stopped at a small town square. We were broken into groups of 4 or 5, given $5 and were instructed to go shopping at the market for the items we needed to make the food for our home hosted lunch. My group was assigned tomatoes and peppers. Luckily Aimee in our group spoke Spanish so we had our items quickly, but we were not the first group back or the ones with the most change. Maybe next time.
Frank and I were given the task of peeling and cutting plantains. Miguel from our group fried them in oil, then we smashed them into cakes and they were fried again. They were crunchy and bland. Frank was not very excited about the meal. Can you see our fried plantains? What, no meat and potatoes? After our meal, Belkis and her husband Willia showed us how they make polleras in their home. Polleras are the traditional Panamanian dresses which are white with a full two tiered skirt with hand embroidery like the women we saw at the hotel restaurant. It takes up to two years to complete and costs from hundreds to $8,000. I did not order one. In the picture Diana is trying on a traditional blouse and skirt. Next we stopped to see a local traditional dance school performance. This little guy was the dance school’s instructor. He was really good!Of course, audience participation followed their dancing. I think I could have used a few lessons!On our way back to Panama City on Wednesday, we stopped at La Pintada for a pinat’o or painted hat demonstration. This is artisan Reinaldo Quiros. He showed us how he makes his hats from five different plants and swamp mud. UNESCO has added these hats to their intangible cultural heritage list. The pinat’o is not a Panama hat; they are made in Ecuador. A lot of folks from our group purchased hats which ranged from $40-$150 . They were beautiful!Right outside the hat shop, a motorcycle pulled up with a cooler of ice cream. Frank got a two scoop ice cream cone for 75 cents. What a bargain!
Our next stop was to our hotel in Clayton, the Holiday Inn. The Miraflores locks are directly in front of the hotel. Kenny took us on an orientation walk near the hotel. We finished the day with a buffet dinner at our hotel. We spent the next three nights here as our base for more exploring. As you can see, Panama is much more than just the canal.
Frank and I headed to Panama City to start our tour of Panama with Overseas Adventure Travel, O.A.T. Of course snow was in the forecast for today. Yesterday I received an email from United saying that we could reschedule our flight without a fee. After spending quite a long time on the phone and checking the forecast, I decided to change our flight to a red eye leaving at 11:59 pm and arriving at 5:20 am. (Of course, our original flight was delayed but was not canceled. Figures!)
A driver met us at the Panama City airport to transfer us to our hotel. We checked into our room by 6:30, ate breakfast and attended the first meeting of our group at 8am. What a way to start our tour!
Kenny Weeks is our tour guide. He is a native Panamanian. He speaks English without an accent because he grew up in the canal zone and his teachers were Americans. He will be with us throughout our entire tour.
After our introductory meeting, we were scheduled for a bus tour of Panama City. Even though we hadn’t gotten a lot of sleep on the plane, we decided to go on the tour. Panama City is the capital of Panama. It has a population of 900,000. Located at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, it is the political, banking and commercial center for the country.
This is one of the modern office buildings in Panama City.
We headed for Panama Viejo, Old Panama. This first settlement was founded in 1510 by a Spanish conquistador Pedro Arias Davila. From here expeditions went to conquer the Incas in Peru. It was also through this port that gold and silver was taken and sent back to Spain.
Old Panama was added to the UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997; many of the ruins were undergoing restoration. In 1671, a pirate named Henry Morgan and his men attacked, looted, and burned the city. It was rebuilt in 1673 but in a new locationabout five miles southwest of the first one.
\
Returning from Old Panama, we had lunch at a restaurant near our hotel. The Central Hotel Panama is located in Casco Viejo or Old Quarter. This is the where Panama City was relocated in 1673 after the first settlement was destroyed. It was built on a pennisula where walls could be built around it. It was designated as World Heritage Site in 1997. There are strict laws that prohibit changing the original style of the buildings in this area.
The Panama Canal museum is on the left and part of our hotel is on the right. In the foreground is the Plaza of Independence.
This is an arch inside the remains of the Society of Jesus Convent. These stands are selling Mola, a traditional textile craft that uses brightly colored fabric to make patterns and shapes. On our walking tour we saw this young lady. The young man was taking her picture. We assumed she was dressed for her Quinceanera, the celebration for a girl’s fifteenth birthday to mark her entry into young womanhood. Frank and I ate dinner at our hotel, These ladies came in wearing the traditional Panamanian dresses called a polleras. I asked it I could take their picture, then they motioned for me to join in the next picture. I pointed to my shorts and shook my head. Don’t you like their solution?
Our hotel at night taken from the plaza.
Frank and I were really exhausted when our heads hit the pillow that night. We couldn’t believe that we made it through the whole day. It was a tiring, but a good start on our tour of Panama.
It was New Year’s Eve. Frank and I were headed to Portland to visit our daughter Kate and her boyfriend Dan. Getting up at 3:15 am to get to Philadelphia to catch our 6:50 Southwest flight to Portland, I received a text message at 3:45 that our flight was cancelled. Going to the Southwest website, I rescheduled our flight for the next day. To make a long story short, later that morning I changed that flight for one leaving later that day. It left at 4:50 pm heading to Phoenix and then on to Portland, which wound up adding about 3 hours flight time. To make matters worse, I had unknowingly contacted a travel company thinking it was Southwest and paid a fee for switching the tickets, which I found out later Southwest never does. I guess getting up at 3:15 made my brain even foggier than usual! I did report the problem to our credit card and they will be investigating the charge. I now know that to reschedule you need to go to that airline’s website for the correct contact number. Why do I always have to learn the hard way? Ugh….
Rather than a day by day account, I will show some pictures of the unique things I experienced in Portland.
Here I am climbing a wall at the gym. Kate was an excellent spotter. I should have gone higher. Next time!
I’m feeding Farmer Kate’s chickens dried meal worms. They love them. She now has seven hens. It rained almost every day of our visit. Portland’s climate is a rainforest with temperatures over the winter usually 45 to 50 F. Can you tell from all the moss on this tree trunk? Here we are at Council Crest. It is a high point in southwest Portland with a great views of the city and five surrounding mountain peaks. Of course, it was cloudy!Some of evergreens are huge in Portland. Don’t I look small next to the trunk?This is Bob’s Red Mill flagship store. It is noted for selling natural foods in bulk. So many different choices. Portland is certainly a different market than Berks County, PA.We had lunch at Bob’s Red Mill. I ordered ratatouille soup. It is a French soup with vegetables in a tomato broth. This was a first for me and was quite tasty . This is a replica of Wright brothers plane at the Evergreen Aviation Museum in McMinnville, OR, about an hour south of Portland. A replica of the Spirit of St. Louis that Charles Lindbergh used to make his solo non-stop flight over the Atlantic in 1927.The Evergreen Aviation Museum houses Howard Hughes’ original Spruce Goose made during WWII, It is so huge that I had to take three different pictures to capture it. The wing span is as big as a football field! It was made to carry cargo and troops but the war ended before it was finished. Harold Hughes did fly it one time in 1947 but the project never advanced from this first model. Here is one of the wings of Spruce Goose. Lunch at Slappy Cakes. Each table had a griddle and making your own pancakes is the draw. We had buttermilk and gingerbread pancakes with lemon curd, chocolate chips, and cinnamon butter toppings. Kate’s hiker friends, Action Pack and Butter Beans joined us for this adventure.
In spite of the rainy weather we had a good visit with Kate and Dan experiencing first hand more of Portland. “Keep Portland Weird” is one of the its mottos. Very fitting since Portland never ceases to amaze me. So unique and so much fun exploring it’s funky side!
Frank and I were off on another road trip. This one to Wellsboro, PA which is about 170 miles north west of Fleetwood. It is almost to the New York state line, I have heard that Wellsboro is a cute little old fashioned town with gas lantern lights.
On the first Saturday in December Wellsboro has a festival called “Dickens of a Christmas “. Transforming into a Victorian marketplace, the town offers street performers, singers, musicians, craft vendors, food carts, a movie and a performance of “A Christmas Carol “. Folks throughout the town are dressed in era attire. I can’t wait to experience it!
We drove to Mansfield , PA which is about a twenty minute drive from Wellsboro. After we checked in our hotel in we went to a Perkins for dinner. It had snowed in the area several days ago so the ground was covered with about six inches of snow and it was flurrying as we entered Perkins.
Our friends Robin and Bill and Rick and Kim were joining us for the weekend, but would not arrive until later. Our group met for breakfast on Saturday morning, then we headed to Wellsboro. When we arrived in the town, I could see why everyone called it quaint. It reminded me of the small town in the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life.”
The town’s parking lots were full when we arrived, so we had to park at the high school and take a shuttle to town. There were lots of people walking the streets looking at hundreds of vendors like a church bazaar on steroids. It cost $200 to rent a space. Wow, I would have had to sell a ton of Bunny Brother books to make a profit The crafts we saw were quite a variety and unique, but it was so crowded that it was difficult to see them.
Performers on the Main Street stage. Dancers in front of the stage, swinging arm and arm with the music.
It was about 30 degrees as we walked along the streets. The tips of my fingers were cold and numb. The Episcopal Church along Main Street had performers singing Christmas songs, so we went in to watch for a while, giving us a chance to warm up. Of course, there were more vendors inside the social hall as well as food.
Throughout the town many folks were dressed in Victorian garb. There was a Victorian Stroll down Main Street at 2:00 pm and judging for the “best dressed couple or group” afterwards.
I suspect these ladies were the “Best Dressed” winners.
There were performances throughout the day of Dicken’s Christmas Carol in two different locations. Unfortunately, by the time we found the theaters, the shows were sold out. Evidently tickets were on sale ahead of time on-line.
On Main Street there was an old fashioned style movie theater. There were showings throughout the day of “The Man Who Saved Christmas”. The theater each year picks a Christmas movie. Since it was a hundred minutes long, we decided not to buy tickets. It the morning this might have been tempting just to be warm, but now it was sunny and warmer.
The Wellsboro Women’s Chorus sang a variety of Christmas melodies. One song was about marshmallows flying in the air, and the ladies threw some into the audience. Can you spy any in the foreground? What? A phone booth? Wellsboro indeed is a town from the past!
The Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania is about eight miles out of town. We tried to go see it but the road to the visitor’s center was covered with ice. Not a wise choice, after all.
Wellsboro is also known as the “Town Who Saved Christmas”. In fact next weekend, Wellsboro has another festival called just that featuring these Shiny Brites!
During WWII after Hitler invaded Poland, folks could not purchase glass ornaments from Germany. So they started making them in a factory in Wellsboro. Above is a box of Shiny Brite ornaments.
The Penn Wells Lodge along Main Street has a flag on display made with the Shiny Brite ornaments. A quaint house decorated for Christmas. The snow covered yards and roofs indeed painted a scene of a “Dickens of a Christmas”. By the afternoon, the crowds thinned. It was warmer, more relaxed, and pleasant to stroll by the vendors. I even purchased an adorable snowman as a souvenir. Waiting for the shuttle back to the high school, we smiled for the camera. Could it be that Frank was glad to be leaving Wellsboro?
If you are a local and thinking of going next year to Wellsboro’s Dickens of a Christmas, I do have some pointers. Make you hotel reservations in January, since the area hotels sell out fast. Buy tickets for “A Christmas Carol” on-line or get them first thing that day. Ask where things are located. There was a trolly tour to Highland Chocolates, an indoor book sale at the library, and an art exhibit that we missed. (Frank was probably glad.)
All in all, it was an interesting day in Wellsboro. The town decked out in it’s Victorian finery with a coating of snow and its gas lanterns made for a picture perfect Old English Christmas village. Wellsboro’s “Dickens of a Christmas” is worth seeing at least once. Who knows? It just may be a warmer day, too!
On Monday the 28th, Kate and Dan had to go to work, so Frank and I were once again on our own. Back to aqua class for me. I also enjoyed checking out the local houses and other things that are different when I walked back and forth to the Columbia Pool, about four blocks away from Kate’s house in North Portland.
A lot of the houses are small. Probably built in the 50 or 60’s. Most are very different looking. Lots are small. I loved this house’s Halloween decorations. See the eyes in the front window?Here are two new houses built on one lot. Not a lot of curb appeal, but this is Portland and housing is in demand. The prices of the homes are high. The house to the left is directly across from Kate’s. I took this picture last August. It is hard to even see the house. There was also a sign that said “Certified Backyard Habitat”. Look at that house now. Wow! You can see both the house and the “Certified Backyard Habitat” sign. Amazing! These trees were at their peak. Just beautiful!I noticed this sign on my walk. Portland is a very liberal city. I never saw this sign in any of the yards here in Fleetwood.Kate,Dan, and Frank continued working on the Frank Lyold Wright Fallingwater puzzle after dinner. It was way too hard for me so I worked on my blog. This puzzle was a real challenge even for this seasoned puzzler trio.
We all went to bed by 9. Kate was taking us the Portland Airport to catch our 6:30 am flight. We left her house at 5. Our Delta flight was a two leg one, first stopping at Minneapolis, then changing planes to Philadelphia.
I did not get TSA precheck this time. Evidently our five years expired in May. Frank did have it and was through in no time. I hated having to take off my coat and shoes, then having to pull out all of my toiletries. TSA precheck spoils you. I have now applied for Global Entry passes for both of us, so soon this problem will be solved for another five years.
I am happy to report that all went just as scheduled on our flights. Getting into Philadelphia by 4, we faced rush hour traffic so it took two hours to get home. (Frank sighed loud and long frequently, but he survived. )
By Wednesday morning, we received this picture from Kate.
Kate and Dan finished the Fallingwater puzzle! One piece was still missing but Dan found it the next day. Doubt whether they’ll ever want to tackle this one again.
All in all, it was a great trip to visit Kate and Dan in Portland. Until next time…
What? Two sunny days in a row in Portland? Not wanting to miss doing something outside, we decided to go for a bike ride. Kate located two city bikes near her house for us.
Daughter Kate is entering her credit card information to rent the bikes. Frank is staying out of her way.
We were doing a loop around Katie’s neighborhood, a ride along the Willamette, and then along a slough or backwater of the Columbia River. It was pretty cold at first but warmed up as we rode.
Stopping to check out the view along the Williamette River. There were warehouses and two ship building industries on the other side of the river. The ducks and geese were out for a swim. They didn’t seem to mind that the water was low. This is the bike path along the slough. It was right beside the Portland racetrack. We could hear the roar of engines as the cars lapped around the track. Not being a huge NASCAR fan, it detracted from the serenity of the trail. Here are Frank and I in front of Katie’s house. We made it all in one piece. Kate and Dan returned the rental bikes while we took a much needed break. (Notice the inflatable black cat on top of her neighbor’s roof. His name is Midnight! )Of course I had to visit the chickens. Kate gave them some apple peelings and meal worms, Fog Horn, T-Bone and Bakewell got really excited! We missed spending time with Kate’s two cats, Scarfy and Fred. Sadly they both had to be put down about a month ago, one week apart. Dan made this frame in memory of their beloved feline companions. In the picture they look like they were best friends. In reality, not so much! At Fred Meyer we saw Mochi which are Japanese ice cream balls covered with dough. Kate brought four for us to try. This is a vanilla blueberry mochi cut in half. It was delicious. Kate surprised us with Dungeness crabs for our supper. They were huge compared to the ones we had to throw back yesterday. Frank thought the whole process was messy and a lot of work, but we all agreed the crab meat was delicious.
After dinner we went to see a local theatrical group’s production called Gumbo… a steel magnolia in the Rose City. It was written and performed by Kate’s next door neighbor, the one with the black cat on the roof. It was a series of humorous skits about her growing up in New Orleans with her Cajun family. It was very entertaining.
Her Shelly is doing a cooking show skit making of course, “gumbo”!Apple crustato with carmel sauce made by Chef Kate. It was a flat crusted apple pie. Very yummy!
All in all, we had another great day visiting Kate and Dan. With a full belly, I called it a day. I knew I wouldn’t have any problem sleeping tonight.
