Pearl S. Buck House

     Wednesday, November 12, 2008: Despite making a few wrong turns here and there, I finally found my way to the Pearl S. Buck House, 520 Dublin Road, Perkasie, PA (215-249-0100). The famous humanitarian and author, Pearl S. Buck (1892-1973), bought this 1835 stone farmhouse in the 1930s. Upon my arrival, I viewed a short video that gave a biography about her life, her writings, and her lasting legacy--especially toward mixed-race children. Then I took a one-hour guided tour of her house. Because I visited during the 2008 Festival of Trees Holiday House Tour, many local businesses, churches, and schools donated theme-Christmas trees, wreaths, and garlands as well as centerpieces and other Christmas and Hanukkah decorations. Thus, I noticed those festive decorations throughout her house in addition to the permanent collection of Pennsylvania Country furniture and many Asian items, especially Chinese: furniture, household items, and decorative items. I especially remembered seeing the Chinese-styled desk where she wrote most of her books and articles and the typewriter that she used to write one of her most famous books, The Good Earth. In another room, I looked at the many rewards and gifts that several famous people and organizations gave to her. Even the surrounding grounds looked lovely in the hilly Pennsylvania countryside and included her graveside and a water garden. Nevertheless, the people who benefited best by Pearl S. Buck were the many mixed-race children that she adopted, raised as foster children, or paved the way for other people to adopt.

DDC #6

 DDC #6

1. New York City
2. Philadelphia
3. Philcon

Peddlers' Village 2008

     Saturday, October 11, 2008: In Lahaska, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, where Routes 202 and 263 meet, has been the location of a re-created, 18th-century-styled village: Peddlers' Village (215-794-4000). Although the buildings looked as though they dated back to the 1700s, they really date back to the 1960s. Except for the antique and collectable shops, the merchants sold 21st-century merchandise. Because I'm not an impulse shopper, after lunch, I browsed inside some of those shops. (The restaurants in Peddlers' Village offered many kinds of food from upscale to fast food.) I especially liked looking at the art galleries; my favorite art gallery was the Thomas Kinkade Gallery. (I'd like to see someone turn those places in his paintings into a theme park!) Besides art galleries, antique shops, and collectable shops, other merchants sold clothing, home decor, and jewelry as well as food, toys, and other items. The landscaping here looked great too and included many colorful flowers, a waterwheel, a windmill, and a gazebo to sit in and relax for a few minutes. Throughout the year, this place plays host to different festivals and events. When I was there, I saw several scarecrows made out of almost any and every kind of material.

New Hope, PA

   DOTTY’S DIMENSIONS:THE BLOGS
   By Dorothy Kurtz
     Wednesday, September 10, 2008: I spent the day at New Hope, Pennsylvania. After picking up a town map at the Visitors Center, I walked toward the New Hope branch of the James A. Michener Art Museum, 500 Union Sq. Dr. (215-862-7633). (The main museum is in Doylestown, PA.) In the museum's two galleries, I spent a few hours. The first gallery displayed temporary art themes. When I was there, the museum presented "New Hope: Art and the River." Here, I looked at paintings of the nearby Delaware River, Delaware Canal, and the town of New Hope dating from the 19th century to the present. In addition, this gallery exhibited some photographs of the above subjects that photographers took in the 20th and 21st centuries. A more active second gallery showcased the different artists, writers, and actors who lived in Bucks County, PA, from the 18th century to the late 20th century. Thus, via pictures, texts, and videos as well as audio presentations, hands-on exhibits, and a cinema, I learned about how much these actors, writers, and artists made our culture much richer. I especially spent much of my time in the cinema--about an hour--watching film clips from different films that a Bucks County writer wrote either the screenplay or music or a Bucks County performer acted in. Later, I walked along the main streets with its quaint-looking 18th- and 19th-century architecture that contained shops and restaurants. With a few exceptions, most of the stores were boutiques, antiques shops, or arts and crafts galleries. It made for an interesting browsing experience!

Harvard Hall 2008

     July 2008: The next day, after my visit to Harvard, I saw the sights along Boston's Freedom Trail. My favorites included the Old State House, Washington St. and State St. (617-720-1713) and nearby Faneuil Hall. First, I found that Boston seemed to differ from Philadelphia concerning its historic buildings. Whereas Philly in most cases put some distance between many of their historical buildings and more modern buildings, Boston in many cases had skyscrapers build very close to their historical buildings. I also found this true with the Old State House. Inside, however, the building contained a museum of Boston history. They especially included exhibit items and multi-media presentations about Boston just before and during the American Revolutionary War. Later, I entered Faneuil Hall and at first, I wasn't very impressed with the ground floor; it looked like a tourist-trap shopping center. Then, as I walked through, I saw a closed-circuit video showing the floor above. Therefore, I walked upstairs and stepped into their 18th-century-interior meeting hall. Here, a National Park Ranger told the story of the events that happened in this room, especially in the 1700s.

Massachusetts Hall 2008

   July 2008: I can finally say that I've been to Harvard! To tell the truth, I spent three nights in Boston, Massachusetts, and I rode their subway, that the locals call the T, across the river to Cambridge, MA. Once there, I made a beeline to Harvard Yard long enough to take pictures of the two oldest buildings at Harvard University: Massachusetts Hall (1720) and Harvard Hall (1765). Then, I visited the Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford St. (617-495-3045). Although the museum offered its share of the history of Earth via floral, fauna, and minerals, the one area that made this museum unique was the display of about 3,000 realistic glass flowers and plants. This was no guidebook hype. They looked so much like real plants, but they couldn't be because real plants would have dried up in those glass display cases long ago. In the area displaying rocks, minerals, and meteorites, I found it interesting to note that the museum still used old-fashioned, wood-and-glass cases. Admission also included the adjoining Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology. This place had a sizable collection of exhibit items as well as texts and pictures covering past civilizations and the Peabody showed exhibits areas about more recent groups of people, especially Native Americans.

DDC #5

 DDC #5

1. New York City
2. Balticon

Washington D.C. 4-11-08 to 4-13-08

   MCT 2008

1. The Supreme Court of the United States
2. The Hirshhorn Museum
3. The Naval Heritage Center
4. The Decatur House

The State I'm In #3

 Issue #3

1. Atlantic County
2. Essex County
3. Passaic County
4. Cape May County
5. Monmouth County
6. Sussex County
7. Burlington County
8. Middlesex County
9. Union County
10. Bergen County