Happy New Year, Readers!
It's Eloise bringing you
the annual
Lamp Post Year in Review,
2024 edition.
I've been working on it for days,
sifting through photos
and moments of the past year.
Grab a cup of your favorite drink,
and settle in
for a walk down memory lane
of the Lamp Post happenings
from the beginning of January
through the end of December 2024,
and all the seasons
in between.
For 879 Friday nights
I've posted photos and weekly reviews.
I truly enjoy the process
of sharing love,
happiness,
and bits of wisdom I pick up
making my way through life.
In the process,
I learn a lot about myself.
Living out the human experience
is one big exercise in
self-discovery.
...lanterns or a blinky light hat.
I've learned a lot this year.
I learn more from my students
than I could ever teach them.
I received the honor of
being Emma's Senior Selection Teacher!
I love watching children at play,
especially outdoors.
They will never learn to care for the environment
unless they spend time in it.
Lots of my energy goes to planning for student learning
and fostering their special interests.
One of the major things I determined
about myself this year is that
my personality profile is that of an
Extraverted Introvert
This is me:
If you think you
have a similar personality to mine,
see if these apply to you:
The good thing about people like us
is that we have lots of interests
and many hobbies.
Finding time to pursue
my introverted hobbies
is a treasure to my soul.
Carve out some time
to seek out something that interests you.
I discovered I love growing things!
Mr. Lamp Post surprised me with this
perfect greenhouse in October.
I named her The Orchid,
which is a Dharma Station
from my favorite TV show LOST,
the original inspiration for this blog.
Here she is decorated for Christmas.
And here she is after our Thanksgiving weekend
Lake Effect Storm!
My 2024 ode to Flora
My special interest
is in planting flowering plants
that benefit the bees,
butterflies,
and birds.
I highly recommend the free Merlin Bird App
which was recommended by Friend Jen.
Here are some I added to my collection.
One of my favorite
pastimes is grabbing my camera
and heading out into the natural world
to capture photos of animals.
I miss hundreds more than I actually get--
I'm not super quiet,
I always sneeze,
and have a couple of pitbull mixes
who wear small cowbells on their collars
in tow.
Here are the animals I didn't seem to bother.
Our pets bring me the most joy.
Penny and Hazel
They are good girls!
Well,
except for when Penny brings me
presents like this!
She left it on my pillow.
Ellen's cat Gus frequents the Lamp Post
when she is home for college breaks.
He snuck out the door this fall,
and I earned my single day step record
as I walked 13 miles around our yard
looking for him.
He returned home in time for breakfast
safe and sound.
Grandma and Grandpa have
Charlie
and Lucy
who live next door.
Stealth,
my feral cat
and her gang still live in the chicken coop.
I just made them a swanky new
straw pad
for additional winter protection
on the barn porch.
When I'm not hunting animals with my lens
my eyes are on the sky and water.
Storms are cool,
so is fog.
Foggy sunrise at camp over the mountain.
This was the sky during Sam's Senior Photo shoot.
This is how it turned out!
Thank you, Matt and Megan!
I highly recommend Matt Kleck Photography.
We got to see the Northern Lights from Erie!
I watched Lake Erie turn from this,
to this
in less than 5 minutes
as a storm rolled in.
Erie was in the path of totality
for the April Full Solar Eclipse.
Of course the Lamp Post had a gathering,
complete with snacks.
It was neat to talk with people
who came to Erie from Texas
to experience the Eclipse at 6 Mile Cellars.
6 Mile got me on this
April Fool's joke.
I was all set to volunteer to feed the racoons.
I was bummed when I realizedit was just a joke.
Aside from the Eclipse,
there were many other Noteworthy events
in 2024:
Harbor Creek High School's
Advanced Technologies Group
was featured on the Today Show
with reporter Harry Smith.
They contacted the International Space Station
with equipment that they built themselves.
Louie was inducted into the
Erie Bowling Hall of Fame.
Mr. Lamp Post celebrated his 55th birthday,
then turned in his retirement papers the next day.
He retired from the North East School District
after 32 years.
His assistance with Natalie
and her career at
the Dobbins Cafeteria
at Penn State Behrend
is extremely helpful.
Sam will be attending Behrend next year
and will be living on campus,
so Natalie will make sure he
is eating healthy at lunchtime.
Sam enters college
as Ellen will graduate from her 6 year program
in Speech Pathology.
She is heading into her externships
at Clark and Klein Schools
and Brevillier Village.
Mr. Lamp Post also took a job as the
Whitford Park Supervisor
Whitford Park Supervisor
where he will work with Sam.
We completed the Erie Oz Themed
Scavenger Hunt with Cousin Bonnie in June.
We had a fast finishing time!
The Lady Huskies softball team
claimed the State Title!
Grandma got the Wordle in one!
She's a real beaut!
Sam was named Homecoming King in October.
This is my favorite video clip from that night.
Life is best experienced with others--
family,
old friends,
and new friends.
Ellen's Grad School program
allowed us to meet new friends from
Pennsylvania and New York,
and as far away
as Canada,
Colorado,
and Alaska!
They really enjoyed time at our camp
hiking
and hanging out.
We tried to show them as much of the area
as we could while they were together.
Elizabeth, Anna, Amber,
and the entire Speech Pathology Gang--
we wisth you all the bethst.
I got to reconnect with old friends this year--
from as far back as elementary school!
Tracy C traveled in from South Carolina
but I forgot to get our selfie.
Instead, I'll post this spoon
that she sent me as part of my
Christmas gift!
We found Linnie in St Mary's.
Jen and I went to Marcy's
Woods and River Coffee Shop in Oil City.
Keri and I shared a special moment
remembering her brother.
The High School Sports World
is where I spend most of my free time.
Sam is fun to watch in basketball,
baseball,
and football.
Sam was featured on a billboard
to promote the return of
The Battle of the Bridge.
The Battle of the Bridge.
The Mom Squad pulled off a spaghetti dinner
at the Lamp Post for the entire team
and coaches.
It is hard to fathom how he went from this
to this
in the tweet of a whistle.
His senior season ended with a win.
We won some and lost some
and ended the season 5-5.
The big loss though
was the other half of Slam and Truck.
Truck got a dent in the first half
of the first game.
He was out for the season with a broken foot.
We love all sporting events
and will continue to support Harbor Creek Sports
even after Sam graduates.
We are looking forward to cheering on
the next generation.
We recognize that true success comes
from the support of the fans.
Natalie beat the Beast again in September
and is swizzling away at Gliding Stars,
all with the support of her dear friend Alex.
Caitlin Clark took the basketball world by storm
and the Lamp Posters were big fans.
So was Tim McGraw!
We enjoyed every minute of the summer Olympics.
The gymnastics teams were our favorite.
I learned about Kinkeeping
and understand that all behind-the-scenes work
that women do to develop families,
often unrecognized,
has a name.
Kinkeeping.
I love that name.
Here are some special occasions
that I helped organize this year.
It couldn't be a Year-End blog
without the mention of my favorite books of the year.
I had a book hangover after
All the Colors of the Dark
I also finally read The Hobbit,
at the urging of my students.
I learned that I am basically a Hobbit,
in all but size!
Reading takes me everywhere!
I've been to the Soviet Union
to Middle Earth.
There are times I can travel though,
and here are some places we've been:
Marienville, PA
to the Creekside Cabin
The Gingerbread Festival in Cook Forest
Maple Syrup Fest in Edinboro.
I got to hold the Newberry Medal!
We went to a rodeo at the Wattsburg Fair.
We stopped at every coffee shop we could.
Purrista Cat Cafe was Natalie's favorite.
This was mine in Oil City.
Stop and see Marcy, Class of 89ers!
This is a great one out in Edinboro.
Check out Audrey's Overlook
at Leo's Landing on Presque Isle.
Help the scientists and post a photo.
It's where I found the eagles
in the earlier photographs.
I got to see Harbor Creek graduate
Paul Weitz's space suit
on display Glenn Science Center
in Cleveland, OH.
He grew up on Firman Road.
We highly recommend!
On the Autism Front
we continue to make a good life
for Natalie and Erik.
They love to find Geocaches!
Funny Things of the year:
Richter's farm dog, Walter
Natalie had a trip to the gynecologist
to establish a relationship with her,
now that Natalie is 26.
I was a bit nervous about the appointment
I was a bit nervous about the appointment
and how Natalie would handle it.
I looked down while in the waiting room
and found that Natalie had chosen
these Fireball Whiskey socks
to wear.
When the doctor asked Natalie what foods she
liked to eat,
she replied
bacon
and moonshine.
I can't end the year
without showing you my favorite
photos,
narrowed down from nearly 200,000 shots.
Sam's sweetheart Anna B
gave me permission to share this snapshot
of her as a child.
This is the essence of Anna.
I prefer fun shots like this one
that capture moments.
Niece Lauren gets credit for this one.
Eloise is not a fan of posed photos,
especially group shots,
but this one of the fun LaFuria clan,
taken recently by phone camera timer
at the Holly Trail
is a favorite.
Truby and the Girls
is my name for this one.
What a memorable weekend.
Another camp shot of Friendy Wendy is a favorite
of her standing in the morning fog.
The still photo doesn't do the scene justice.
Check out this video of the fog.
My mom gets photo credit for the last one--
no iPhone16 in 1969.
This is Dad
sitting atop his truck on our property line--
the future Community Park entrance
is just beyond the truck bed.
This is the essence of Dad.
I'll wind up the 2024 Year in Review
with the worlds of Harry Smith,
as he retired this year
(featuring the ATG Group as one of his favorite stories ever).
I'll meet you all at the Lamp Post
on Friday 1-3-25!
May you have a peaceful entry
into the New Year.
Eloise
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