A Saturday in Loretto, PA

I spent a very hot Saturday taking pictures of the day's activities during Saint Francis University's Alumni weekend.   This week's blog is of some of the sights that didn't include people.

It seems that, in one way or another, some of us always seem to be connected to one tragedy or another during our lifetimes.

Exercise balls in the DiSepio Center for Rural Health and Wellness on the campus of Saint Francis University.
 

Red Bromeliad

Fish in an aquarium.

St. Bonaventure Hall, the original home of Charles Schwab.

Sierra Cottage at the West gate of the Schwab Estate in Loretto, PA.

Immergrun Golf Course -- Bob Hahn Pro Shop

Shotgun start to a golf tournament, Saint Francis University alumni weekend.

Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art on the campus of Saint Francis University.

Pieta in the Grotto area behind Giles Hall.

Stairway to heaven

Formal gardens on the grounds of the Franciscan Friars, formerly Schwab Estate.

The new addition which was built to house retired Franciscan Friars.  It was built onto the old Schwab Mansion.

Stained glass windows in the chapel.

This is called the grand staircase.  I used available light.

People's Choice Festival

There are two art festivals that compete with each other the same weekend of July in Centre County, Pennsylvania.  Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts is held in State College and features artists from all over the country.  The People's Choice Festival is held in Boalsburg and features Pennsylvania artisans only. We spent Friday in Boalsburg.

The best time to visit the festival is the first thing in the morning when the temperatures are still cool and the crowd is light enough that you can get into all the displays to see the artists.

Whimsical, steampunkish, hot air balloon.

A picture is worth a thousand words.

In the children's area there was a display of various "hands-on" science activites for the kids.  This one featured lots of balls that kids could try to place on top of the air stream being forced from the pipe.

The festival is held on the grounds of the Pennsylvania Military Museum. 

The Military Museum is open for guided tours during the festival.

Nature Photographer Extraordinare Shedrick Sloane, Harrisburg, PA.

Close-up of the gear on a Sherman tank.

John Broniak, Woodcarver.

Fish sculpture by unknown artist.

Handcarved, also by unknown artist.

Metal sculpture by Ron Stinson of Carlisle, PA.

Reflection in tiled mirror on the side of one of the vendor booths.

Sherman tank standing at the entrance to the Pennsylvania Military Museum at Boalsburg, PA.

Road Trip to Montgomery County, PA

Sunday we drove to Fort Washington so my wife could attend the Library Manager's Institute at Arcadia University, in Glenside, PA.  On Sunday we visited my wife's nephew and his wife.  On Monday and Tuesday, while she attended meetings, I toured around the area and visited a friend I went to school with.

Sunday, 10 July 2011

Hillside along the Pennsylvania Turnpike somewhere after Bedford, PA.

We've seen a lot of Subway restaurants around the state but this is the first we've seen built using two railroad cars.

The next few shots were taken in the historic district of Langhorne, PA

This house, which was built in 1890, still wears its Fourth of July decorations.

Most of the houses in this area were built in the mid to late 1800s.

The Historic Langhorne Association is housed in what was the original Langhorne Library.  It was built in 1888.  It later served as a branch of the Bucks County Free Library.

Monday -- 11 July 2011

SEPTA train coming into the Fort Washington station.

SEPTA trains along this line run from downtown Philadelphia to Doylestown, PA.

Advertisement on the east bound side of the tracks.

William Penn Inn on Dekalb Pike in Lower Gwynedd, PA.  Originally a public house which provided refreshments for people traveling along the road, it opened in 1714.

This is a SEPTA train at the Fortuna Station, North Broad Street and Cowpath Road in Hatfield, PA.

I found this birdhouse at the William Kindig Environmental Center, which was dedicated in the summer of 2010.

Two Stoned Cats.

Tuesday -- 12 July 2011

The entrance to Arcadia University in Glenside, PA.

Side entrance of Grey Towers, a castle on the campus of Arcadia University.

Front portico of Grey Towers.

Mirror Room of Grey Towers.

Lamp at the bottom of the grand staircase in the central Great Hall.

Landman Library

Reading Room in the Landman Library.

There are at least 18 of these gargoyle faces on the outside walls of the portico area of the castle alone.   Here are three of them.

Murphy Hall predates the castle as one of the original buildings on the estate of the Franklin Sugar Refinery co-owner, William Welsh Harrison.

Easton Hall, Cafe area.

Spruance Fine Arts Center includes the former power house of the Harrison estate which provided the electrical power to the main house, Grey Towers Castle.

A view of Grey Towers Castle from near the soccer field.