Rails To Trails

I've lived in the same town in Pennsylvania since I was a child. The house I grew up in sat directly behind a railroad track. It was part of the Reading Railroad line (yes, the same Reading Railroad from the Monopoly game). I can remember waking up in the middle of the night to a train roaring and shaking our house.

Now, as an adult, that same railroad track has been converted into a community trail for walking, jogging, biking and dog walking thanks to the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC). The RTC works with local communities to map multi-use trails out of obsolete railroads.

The trail in our area (known as the Rail Trail) is 1.75 miles long. When weather permits, I walk the rail trail from one end to the other and back for a healthy 3.5 mile walk at least three times per week. Over the past few years it's become my therapy. Forget shrinks and yoga, just give me an mp3 player and a pair of sneakers and all my troubles melt away.

For information on trails in your area, visit www.traillink.com .

Beautiful Wedding

My husband and I attended a beautiful wedding this weekend. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera (not unlike me at all), but I was able to get a few good pictures from my cell phone.

The bride and groom were my husband's cousin and his girlfriend of four years. They were married outdoors at the groom's parents house. The walkway was lined with pots of chrysanthemums, the minister was the same man who married the groom's parents 35 years ago and the best man was the groom's sister. The groom wore sandals, the bride's dress was made of deer hide (custom made by a woman who uses the hides of deer that are killed on the road) and the rain (as if on cue) stopped in time for the ceremony.

The reception was serenaded by the Manatawny Creek Ramblers (a local bluegrass band), the catered buffet included a pig roast (the unlucky pig was a corn-fed porker from a few towns up the road), the best man/woman gave a toast that left everyone misty-eyed, the wedding tent was in a field and the view was cornfields and sky.




I would say the event was as unique and wonderful as the couple themselves. It was a truly special day and I hope the first of many to come for this great couple. Congratulations Aleks & Mia 9-12-09!