While the Yough is a beautiful recreational river, the area surrounding it has a dirtier past. We were reminded of this yesterday in little ways that took a while to sink in. For instance, we would be peddling on the GAP and all of a sudden hit a clearing of houses near the river or […]
Biking the Yough
Unlike the Monongahela, the Youghiogheny (or Yough, sounding like ‘Yawk,’), is not a river of industry. It is a river of pleasure. Boating, fishing, swimming and nature watching are a stark contrast to the upstream rivers of the open hearth. On the old beds of the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie (PL&E) Railroad, this part of […]
Le Tour de Geezers: Appreciating a Legacy
The first day on the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) was a travel in contrasts. It started in a reborn great city and ended in a tiny village where we had a wonderful meal.After a simple breakfast at our hotel, we loaded up our bikes, hoping that we didn’t pack too much and headed off to […]
Bill, Ted, Carol, and Erik (for dinner)
What is wonderful about Pittsburgh today is that its lovely rebirth matches the nostalgic remembrances of my youth. The dirty memories of a young man introducing his bride to his Quaker State relatives are gone replaced by music, art and cleanliness. After seeing my Aunt Dorothy, my cousins Bill and Carol took Ted and I […]
Erik and Ted’s Excellent Adventure
As we drive through Eastern Pennsylvania toward Pittsburgh, I wonder how we should refer to our journey. Will it be: Erik and Ted’s Excellent AdventureBrokeback Mountain BikeRocky Road Horror Picture ShowDeliverance (from breakdowns and bad weather)Geezers on Wheels I’m inclined to go with the first reference as with the classic slacker movie, “Bill and Ted’s […]
And now for something completely different . . .
GroHappy has been dedicated to the pursuit of gardening and how horticultural therapy can positively influence people. But for the next few weeks postings will be more frequent and the topic will be different as the focus of this blog will pivot to bicycle touring as my friend Ted and I stretch our 60-year-old legs […]
Final plantings
When my father planted tomatoes, he told me that the best time for them to go into the ground was when, "the size of an oak leaf is the size of a squirrel's paw." At best this is an approximation as it is difficult to have a squirrel hold still to compare its paw with […]
Red, white and green
Different seasons stimulate different senses. The Spring shocks the sight into recognizing colors that could only be imaged a few months prior. Early May is the apex of that stimulation with the simultaneous flowering of trees, shrubs and bushes. We get some teasers of color in early Spring with different colored crocuses or the blue […]
Early eats
May is the first month when the garden begins to become more reliable for food. There have been years where the cold frame has provided early March greens, and sometimes dormant carrots and leeks that have been left in the soil after last Fall’s harvest can be pulled as a unfrozen treat. But newly grown […]
Nature is the best medicine
“Isn’t the Spanish moss lovely? I just love the ways it hangs from the trees,” said Nancy, looking upward. We were at Lake Seminole park, a short 15 minute drive from where she lives in St. Petersburg, FL. This morning when I came to visit her I suggested that we have a picnic to take […]