March 16th – 17th
I was born in Philadelphia, as were my mother and father, and we lived there until I was 8 years old. Virginia was born in Asheville North Carolina because our dad was stationed there during WWII. My father’s parents had a chicken farm in Bucks County near the small unincorporated town of Rushland. I can remember going there every year until I was in my early 20’s. When I was 8 years old, we moved to Michigan, but we still drove east to the farm every summer. I remember my grandmother even though she died when I was 5. My grandfather came from Budapest at the age of 18 and always had a very strong accent. I remember being his translator when I would go shopping with him! I was 21 when he died.
After leaving Baltimore, I drove north through Pennsylvania, went around Philadelphia, and headed toward Rushland in Bucks County. It was such a tiny town, and there weren’t any new buildings over the past 50 years as far as I can remember! I commented on that in the feed store, and the woman there agreed! She said “but there’s a lot more traffic now!” I walked around the town (took about 5 minutes) and then I drove down Swamp Rd. to Smith Rd. and could see my grandfather’s farmhouse. In 2005 Virginia and I visited the people who bought it from my grandfather, but I didn’t think it looked like the same people were there now so I just took pictures. There have been a number of changes, but it still brings back so many memories. We used to regularly have family gatherings there with my aunts, uncles, and cousins. I remember walking through corn that was waaaayyyyy taller than I was. I remember watching my grandfather butcher chickens for sale. He would drive his small van into Philadelphia every week to deliver fresh farm products. I would help him count the coins when he came home. Spending a lot of time on a farm was something that inspired us to raise chickens, as well as horses, goats, etc. on Lopez. That was where I learned to ride a bike (and had a concussion when I went downhill before I had learned to use the brakes!), and I remember driving my grandfather’s pickup truck when I was 16. There were For Sale signs next to the fields around the house, but not next to the house itself. Those fields all used to be part of the farm, and are still undeveloped.
From there I drove into Doylestown. Again, I had lots of memories of going there to the tiny library, and for groceries, and other things. It was the largest town around. There is a large castle that has been turned into the Mercer Museum and now houses the library: a six-story reinforced concrete castle designed by Henry Mercer (1856-1930). As I headed north from there, I went through a town named Ferndale, PA. I always take note because Virginia and I grew up in Ferndale, MI! From there I headed into New York, drove along the Hudson River, and passed through Albany. There was a lot of traffic and some wonderful buildings. I continued north, had a corned beef sandwich in honor of St. Patrick’s Day, and stayed overnight in Londonderry VT. Next stop, New Hampshire.
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