Haycock Township, Pa

     Saturday, December 2, 2023: This trip became a bit of a personal trip for me because my mother was born in Haycock Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, in 1925. I wouldn’t give the exact address because since 1937, different people have lived here through the years. According to my mother and her siblings, when they lived there in the 1920s and ‘30s, the house was a two-story log cabin with a tin roof and a root cellar, and the grounds contained about 20 acres. A few times in the 1960s, my parents would drive by this location, and my mother pointed out the house, which by the 1960s had changed a lot. Recently, using the views on Google Earth as a reference, we drove by this place first on the date above, and we noticed even more changes. Then we headed to our first destination: Raven’s Nest Tavern, 625 Old Bethlehem Road, Haycock (or it is listed as Quakertown because Haycock Township uses the Quakertown Post Office), (215-536-5369). In this place that dated from the 1700s, I ate a reasonably priced lunch, and the staff seemed friendly and efficient. Afterward, we stopped at Lake Towhee Park, 800 Old Bethlehem Road (215-757-0571). This Bucks County park offered chances to go boating, fishing, and hiking, as well as a playground for children, a ballfield, and a picnicking area. Finally, I stopped at an event run by the Haycock Historical Society: Kringle Christmas Shoppe at the Haycock Community Center, 1014 Old Bethlehem Road. This has been the 20th year that the Historical Society played host to this event during the first weekend in December where I saw plenty of vendors selling different merchandise in arts & crafts, clothing, jewelry, holiday decorations, books, edible stuff, and other things. Overall, this made for a pleasant day, and it was not far from Quakertown and the Quakertown Farmers’ Market!          

Philcon 2023

     Friday, November 17, 2023: During this time of year, I went to the Philadelphia Science Fiction Conference (Philcon), Double Tree by Hilton, Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Again, as in other years, I lived close enough to commute there for each of the three days. So I didn’t have to stay at the hotel. Therefore, after I registered, I visited 1) the Dealers’ Room. Here, over 50% of the dealers sold reading materials of books, magazines, comic books, and fanzines. The rest of the dealers sold other merchandise: jewelry, costumes, and other accessories, as well as t-shirts, tote bags, games, and so forth. Then, I visited 2) the Con Suite that supplied snack foods and soft drinks as well as chances to talk with other science fiction (SF) fans while overlooking the traffic down on Route 70. Soon it was time for me to get down to the mezzanine level and attend my first panel, 3) How the Heck Do I Do This? Diane Kovalcin and Alex Welsher ran this panel to help anyone who needed help with his or her costume. That night, they talked about quilting, hall costumes vs. masquerade costumes, what fabrics worked best, and advised someone about fixing her prop spear. Next door, 4) Money, Morals, and Financial AI included a panel of the following people: Ian Randal Strock, Jeff Warner, and Gil Cnaan. This panel asked: What should be regulated? What kind of AI could make us poorer? The panel did mention that there were still things that humans could do that AI couldn’t, especially in some forms of creativity. Meanwhile, according to some people in the field, the biggest fear we have had from AIs was the reactions humans had from getting false information and acting on it. Back down on the main floor, I listened in on 5) CisLunar Orbits and Lunar Bases: What’s Coming Next? where Bob Hranek, Ed the Engineer, Tobias Cabral, Earl Bennett, and Cosplay Joe defined CisLunar Orbits (the volume of space lying between the Earth and the Moon or the Moon’s orbit). Then they discussed going back to the Moon; about the costs of these space efforts by government and private companies; and about people living, working, and visiting in space as well as the Moon. This led to the next panel: 6) What Skills Do Space Explorers Need? These panelists, Tobias Cabral, Lawrence Kramer, Dr. Jim Prego, and LJ Cohan talked about how future astronauts would have to be multi-skilled. In addition to being skilled in piloting, different sciences, and engineering, those explorers would also have to know how to do ordinary repairs in the ship, certain medical skills, psychology, even the arts—for moral. They would also have to know farming, especially in hydroponics, for food. By the time the colonies in space, on the Moon, or on Mars became more established, other groups could be specialists in a lesser number of skills. 

     Saturday, November 18: In case anybody noticed, my favorite program tracks involved space science, costuming, art, and other subjects--in that order. On Philcon’s busiest day, I started by sitting in on this panel: 7) Nuclear Fusion: Stars in a Bottle. Here, the panel, Ed the Engineer, John Ashmead, and Earl Bennett, defined fusion, mentioned how failure could be a learning experience, the care & feeding of plasma, how the moon has plenty of Helium 3 for fuel, and other similar subjects. The next event had James L. Cambias covering this subject: 8) Designing for Inclusivity in Orbit and Beyond. This would be a very important subject because in addition to people who had disabilities before going into space, healthy people could also develop some health problems in space due to no gravity. Meanwhile, future astronauts may also have to learn to read in Braille—in case the lights on the space ship went out. Therefore, the labels in the ship and any instructions could also be in Braille. Sign language would be another needed skill in the event of the ship being too noisy to hear one another. Finally, we were reminded that all humans have been at a disadvantage in space because they needed oxygen up there and radiation shielding. Still in the subject of space, 9) Inge Heyer showed us updates on Space Science via her PowerPoint presentation. Much of it compared the two space telescopes: Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Besides comparing the two telescopes and their abilities, we also saw the pictures that the HST took of the cosmos compared with the much more detailed images that the JWST took. It was very impressive! Inge Heyer also talked about future missions and about the April 2024 Total Solar Eclipse. Before going to dinner, I attended one more event: 10) AI in Science Fiction, Before and After ChatGPT. Thus, Jon McGoran, Jennifer Povey, Storm Humbert, and Rebecca Robare mentioned that many SF stories had themes dealing with AIs, but how far have AIs advanced in the real world? How would this affect future SF stories? As for AI taking over, some people said, “Cut the power.” This panel also covered the recent script writers’ strike and of how people have already been disappointed with AI in other fields from the arts to self-checkout in stores. One of the advantages to AI: It could do simple jobs that would be long and boring for humans.

     Saturday night: I went to the 11) Art Show room where, as in other years, fantasy dominated over SF and space by about three-quarters, and the same percentage applied to paintings and drawings over other kinds of art: sculptures, jewelry, tote bags, holiday decorations, etc. Nevertheless, I came here to mainly see a Speed Painting Demo. Using acrylic paint, the artist Guest of Honor, Rob Carlos, first added some background colors to the canvas before he drew a sun on the background. He then drew a dragon as the main subject by first drawing an outline and shape of the dragon before adding details—and he did this within an hour. After this, I never tried to miss the next event: 12) the Masquerade. Although there were only 10 costume entries, two of them wore SF costumes: a boy as an astronaut, and a man as a Buzzard Ramjet. The two costumes that impressed me the most, however, were a woman in a light-blue lame gown and another woman in a mostly red and gold colored Empire-styled gown. I also stayed around to see some SF, fantasy, and horror film trailers before the judges awarded the costumers. Thus, the judges gave awards in different categories: young fan (under 13), novice (never won in a masquerade), journeymen (won a minor prize in a past masquerade), master (won three minor prizes or a major prize in past masquerades), and best of show (or best costume overall).  

     Sunday, November 19: Things started winding down on this day. Anyway, similar to the last few years, during this weekend, Philcon had a multi-track program of different subjects to listen in on, take part in, or just watch involving SF, fantasy, horror, and science, as well as readings by authors, gaming, anime videos, and parties. SF fans were free to be as active or inactive as they wanted. For this day, I chose to go to a panel called 13) Solarpunk and the Livable Future. Here, Ed the Engineer and John Monahan tried to find some positive stuff about the future despite the doom & gloom that others predicted. They mentioned SF stories that presented a better future, especially stories that described a more sustainable future. Someone quoted the popular saying “Think globally. Act locally.” Among the subjects these two men covered included energy saving, urban gardening, hybrid & electric cars, and that currently more people have been employed in wind and solar energy than in coal mining. There have been more LED lights and 3-D printers, but more needed to be done. The next panel 14) Generative “AI”: Limitations and Liabilities, Bob Hranek, Nate Hoffelder, John Ashmead, Neil Clarke, and Rebecca Robare discussed machine learning, what it could and couldn’t do, and that ChatGPT could only do one level of a story compared to a good human writer who could write on different levels. Somebody then suggested that if you gave an AI a “nonsense” question, it could destroy it. They also suspected that some humans would misuse AI no matter what. At my final panel, 15) This is How You Lose the Space Race, Cosplay Joe, Ed the Engineer, Tobias Cabral, and Earl Bennett talked about this week’s launch, things that went wrong with different launches in the past, why space centers have been in certain parts of the USA, about NASA and private space companies, and spaceships that landed up right “like God and Robert Heinlein intended spaceships to land.” Overall, we have not been losing the space race, we have been in an “inter race.” Anyway, the question has been—where do we go and how do we go to the Moon, Mars, and beyond? How do we define winning? Finally before going home, the 16) Feedback Session included some members of the Philcon staff who answered questions, listened to suggestions, comments, and complaints that SF fans told them. There were some things beyond the committee’s control, but what they could change for the better, they would.    

                      

Chatsworth, New Jersey

      Sunday, October 22, 2023: Even though I have visited the New Jersey Pinelands for much of my life, I had never been to Chatsworth, NJ. According to the author of the 1968 book, The Pine Barrens, John McPhee called Chatsworth “the capital of the Pines.” I read the book a few times, and one of the chapters covered Chatsworth and especially Buzby’s General Store, 3959 Main Street (Route 563) (609-894-9529). If you arrived in this town at any other time of the year, aside from the traffic on Main Street, Chatsworth would be a quiet town, and the place to go to would be Buzby’s. (Nowadays, new owners run this place, and it’s mainly a restaurant, but they do sell a few food items for retail on the side.) On the other hand, during the third weekend in October, however, it would be a different story! That’s when the largest cranberry festival in NJ happened: Chatsworth Cranberry Festival. Even though we arrived around opening time, already several blocks along the street where free parking was allowed were filled. Therefore, we found it worthwhile to pay the $10 to park at certain parking lots (car parks) located much closer to the festival. Anyhow, I did plenty of walking, and I also observed that most of the vendors were similar to those I’ve seen at different flea markets. Nevertheless, I noticed that some vendors sold cranberries and products made from cranberries, and other vendor tents displayed arts & crafts. If you were pressed for time, I would suggest looking at the sales tables in front of the Whitehorse Inn, the headquarters of the group running this festival. Here, they sold several cranberry products: jars of food, baked goods, and ice cream, as well as commemorative festival items of shirts, aprons, and tote bags. Overall, I found this event was definitely worth visiting once. (Believe me, this area is surrounded by cranberry bogs.)          

Burlington County Farmers' Market

      Saturday, September 9, 2023: I’ve still been a sucker for farmers’ markets. The date above found me browsing and sometimes buying from around 40 vendors at the Burlington County Farmers Market located in the Burlington County Agricultural Center, 500 Centerton Road, Moorestown, New Jersey (856-642-3850). From May through November, this market operated, rain or shine, containing vendors selling produce, prepared foods, and baked goods, as well as meats, dairy, and non-edible goods such as flowers and arts & crafts. Nearby, a band played, and the kind of music you heard depended on the date you were there. When I was there, I listened to a classic rock band. It was also tomato day, and I saw some signs giving different facts about tomatoes, and several vendors were selling them. One vendor was selling tomatoes grown from farms that used to sell to Campbell’s Soup when they still had a factory in Camden, NJ. (Nowadays, Campbell’s moved their factory elsewhere, but the headquarters is still in Camden.) I also noticed other tomatoes that the vendor told me had been grown from Burpee Seeds. Then, I bought some tomatoes that the vendor said I could eat as a snack. Now I have not been a big fan of raw tomatoes; I could take or leave them. I preferred tomatoes cooked in many ways, and I liked tomato products and sauces. Anyway, once home, I took a bite of one, and the vendor was right. It did taste good! Overall, this outing made for a pleasant day.

Middletown Grange Fair

      Wednesday, August 16, 2023: An event that looked special came along, and it caught my interest: Middletown Grange Fair, 576 Penns Park Road, Wrightstown (Bucks County), Pennsylvania (215-598-7240). This fair was the closest Bucks County had to a county fair, and they must be doing something right because the Middletown Grange has been running this fair since 1948! I arrived on opening day, and the first thing I noticed were amusement rides that looked similar to the ones I’ve seen at the New Jersey State Fair and the Warren County, New Jersey Farmers Fair. (I wrote about both fairs in The State I’m In issue #5—NJ State Fair and Dotty’s Dimensions: The Column issue #1—Warren County Farmers Fair.) Next, I walked through about a half dozen buildings displaying many different things: animal, vegetable, and other stuff. Among the things I saw were displays of plenty of produce, flowers, and other plants that included a hydroponics plant growing area, as well as canned & baked foods, needle crafts in clothing, quilts, samplers, knitted & crocheted items, etc.—and that was the first and second building. After I ate lunch that I bought from one of the many food vendors, I went to the rest of the buildings where I observed livestock and other animals: horses, mules, cattle, goats, sheep, llamas, alpacas, pigs, rabbits, guinea pigs, and so on. Outside, I looked at a lot of tractors and other farm equipment, pony rides for children, and other areas of interest for children to keep active while at the fair. Meanwhile, throughout the day, this fair offered a full day’s worth of special events: contests, animal and tractor races, instructional demonstrations, and so forth. In other words, the Middletown Grange Fair has something for almost everyone for those five days in mid-August.          

Special Notice

I have kind of semi-retired on my traveling and going to science fiction and space events.
Therefore, I have limited most of my travels to within Camden County and Burlington County, NJ and Bucks County, PA.
As for SF cons and space events, I am mainly going to Philcon.
If you read my past publications and blogs, you can see that I have traveled through much of the USA and Canada as well as going overseas--especially to England.  I have also gone to many different kinds of science fiction conventions and space exploration events.
Nevertheless, if something special happens outside of these counties, I will attend  that event.
I will not fully retire!

Audubon Crossings

     Thursday, July 18, 2023: I was born in Audubon, Camden County, New Jersey in a small hospital. (In later years, those in power tore down the building and built a new building that became an insurance company. Then, early in the 21st century, it became a medical building again.) Anyway, I grew up in Clementon, NJ. Therefore, the only memories I have of Audubon as a child were when my parents drove through Audubon on Route 30, the White Horse Pike, and they would point out the hospital as they drove by—or in later years, where it once was; and the other memory was more clear to me: taking me to the Black Horse Pike Shopping Center. This outdoor mall opened in 1960, and I remembered the anchor stores being Korvettes, Penny’s, and Woolworth’s. In addition, there were plenty of smaller stores and a good deli. Through the years, different stores replaced many of the original stores, and in 2005, the new owners demolished this shopping center. Then a little later, another shopping center replaced it: Audubon Crossings, 130 Black Horse Pike, Route 168, Audubon (610-277-8899). On the date above, I visited here, and at first glance, it seemed like a shadow of its former self in looks. Instead of an outdoor shopping mall, it currently has been a U-shaped strip mall with Walmart located in the bottom of the U. The large parking lot (car park) filled in the center of the U-shape. As I took a closer look, I saw the following big discount stores on one side: Goodwill, Five Below, Marshall’s, and Ross—among a few other businesses. (At least in my mind they are honest discount stores—not outlet stores pretending to sell designer clothes!) On the other side, I looked at Lane Bryant, Rainbow, and a few others, along with some restaurants: two Asian restaurants, one pizza place, and a few fast food places. I did find a few bargains and had a good lunch in one of the Asian restaurants. Thus, I’d suggest giving this place a chance.