Lesson 491: What's Next?

Hello, Readers.

It's Eloise with few lines to text to inspire you this weekend.

But what could possibly be inspirational about this horrible news?

The idea of locomotive production leaving the Erie plant

has been talked about for many years,

but did we ever believe we'd actually see the day come?

The heartbreak hit home hard this week.

We are all very upset.

Closing up shop seems to be the topic of discussion in my hometown.

My gosh,

What's Next?

I wonder what's next for this guy?

A fellow beach goer found him on Beach 10 and decided he needed a raft.

Even the gulls looked concerned.

Only the Good Lord knows what next.

And we have to trust in that.

Rely on your faith.

What's next for my nephew, Jack?

We all pondered this question as we watched him stare out at the vast city

he'll soon inhabit as a college student this fall.

Work hard 

and 

have faith, Jack.

You will do just fine.

Sam seems to be having the hardest time with the thought of Jack leaving.

Will Jack ever be able to see me play football?

I'm sure Jack will make a game or two, Sam.

This was Jack's reaction right after I told him,

that one of us would be down to visit every single weekend.

We toured beautiful Duquesne University in the morning,

and had the rest of the day open.

What was next?

A Duck Tour of Pittsburgh!

If you haven't made your way over to Station Square

to purchase a ticket for a ride on these amphibious vehicles,

do so very soon!

Equipped to give you the best views of Pittsburgh

via land

 and water,

a ride on one of these is all it's quacked up to be.

Sam got to captain it for awhile.

After the tour,

we rode up the incline to view the city from the hillside.

This is how good

the standard lens is

on the Canon SX60.

Wow!

Another Wow of the Week 

was my trivia team placing second in the Harbor House Trivia Night!

If you received a text from us to be our sixth player,

don't be flattered.

We didn't call you because we thought you were smart.

We called you because you are old.

We are gamers, you see,

and the theme of the night was the 1950's.

We were looking for our Ringer.

Grandma!

You didn't hear the phone ring!

I can't wait to see what the next theme is!

We'll be looking to secure first place, next round.

Eloise is working on her Erie Rocks! painted rocks.

Mine are special,

and there will be prizes for finding mine.

I'll be hiding some distant ones over the next week.

When I return, 

the local set will appear for my Readers to find.

Check back next week to find out more.

What's next for this guy?

I found him at a rest stop on I-79 on the way home from Pittsburgh 

earlier this week.

The cool part is this rock is part of the PSL Rocks! collection

from Port St. Lucie, Florida!

He's moving from the warm Florida, Atlantic coast 

to the chillier north coast,

but he'll have a happy home at a great Harborcreek beach to visit.

Look for it, Readers,

at a place where sunglasses are very cool.

What's next in the world of music?

Check out this up and coming star,

Chase Goehring.

Quite excellent.

Have a wonderful weekend.

ELOISE

Lesson 490: Famous

Hello, Readers!




The Lamp Post Little League Season ended last evening.
The boys did great.
You wouldn't know by this end of game pile up that they actually lost.
They were one terrific team!

Just a game shy of making States,

these boys certainly can be proud of their earned accomplishments.

Strong families stand behind this team,

which is a big part of their success.

I've spent a good number of years watching little league

and I'm really starting to appreciate the game.

Old Eloise isn't one much for score keeping and rule learning.

I enjoy watching all of it--

they players and the fans of all ages.

The game spans generations.

The love of the game is passed down from parent 

to child

to grandchild.

Baseball and softball are so American.

You can't help but feel patriotic when they recite the Little League Pledge.

And I'm learning to love the dirt.

The games were broadcast on the radio.

Cousin Eli was able to listen to the game in North Carolina.

Aunt Susan in North Dakota.

Ben in Philly.

That was pretty cool.

They boys were interviewed after a win earlier this week

and enjoyed their little bit of fame.

The town of North East, PA is famous for their grapes,

but also for their cherry pies!

Sam and his friend Jacob
made a night time loop of the Cherry Festival
 after one of their games this week.

Ellen's friend refers to the boys as Sam Squared
because they look and act so much alike.
The pretty teen asked for a photo with the two ten year old hot shots.
The duo was very happy to oblige.

First stop--
the dunk tank.

Luckily for us, 

one of our most famous former students,

now a grown man with kids of his own,

 was sitting atop the crossbar.

Hubby and I sprung for the whole bucket of balls

and turned the boys loose!

We helped stimulate Erie recreation by taking a trip here this week.

If you ever get the itch to go to the zoo,

take Natalie!

She loves the zoo more than anything.

I came to see this animal peculiarity.

I saw it reported on the local news that a zebra and a donkey

were sharing the same living quarters,

so I had to come and see for myself.

If zebras are calm animals and are known for keeping other animals calm,

then that must transfer to people!

Look how calm Sam and I could get if we had our own donkey to care for!

Donkeys for therapy!

We'd be famous!

Come on, Louie!

Build me a donkey house!

I know the readers would find me a donkey.

If you build it, they will come.

It would be my very own Field of Dreams!

Here's a group that will be uncomfortable with their fame:

26 Amish people were on my zoo train.

If you've been reading the Lamp Post for awhile,

you'll recall my long standing beef with the Amish.

According to what I've read,

the Amish cannot be photographed 

as they believe the camera will steal their soul.

Twice I've photographed the Amish

in a snarky attempt to prove it all hogwash.

Twice my camera has broken directly afterwards.

Honest Abe.

Or just ask Ellen Louise.

She was there.

She's as close to Honest Abe as you can get.

Looks like the third time is the charm--

my camera is still alive.

It's been a busy week,

and as we gazed in this enclosure,

I had to admire this guy.

The slow moving life of the rhino also looked appealing.

Not his butt, though.

I don't want to be famous for a butt like that.

I guess that's why I sign up for the Erie Half Marathon each July.

My sister talked me into it 7 years ago,

and I've been signing up ever since.

My completion time will never make me famous,

but the half marathon really is a race for anyone

as you are racing against yourself and the games

your mind starts to play with you along those 13 miles.

Ellen Louise laced up her shoes this year and made the loop.

Her five weeks of early Sunday morning practice runs paid off.

Everyone in my group crossed the finish line with smiles.

Hubby enjoyed a bit of fame for his high school sports career.

The awards dinner was this evening.

He had to give an acceptance speech.

Sam warned him not to make it too long

because there were a lot of inductees this year.

Sam timed him.

2 minutes, 52 seconds

in a five minute time allotment.

Touchdown!

Swish!

Home run!

Here they are before we headed out this evening.

I didn't notice until just now that Sam was holding his glove.

It hasn't been much out of his hand today.

And so the love for sports continues.

It's in their blood, I guess.

When I overheard the chatter from Sam's ball team this past week,

there are always conversations that begin like this,

"When I play for the MLB, I want drafted by the Pirates!"

How would you choose your fame if you could?
How would you live your life if money was not a factor?

Weekend homework:
Watch this video.

Maybe it will help make you famous,

in the best way possible:

finding your passion and living it.

Enjoy your weekend.

ELOISE