wherever you go...there you are

Wiccaco, Moyamensing, Passyunk, New Sweden, Southwark, Bella Vista, Queen Village; how the names of this place has changed over the years, and I always thought it was just South Philly.  Pat's and Geno's Steaks were always in South Philly. So is the Italian Market. So is the South Philly Tap Room, right? But the Steaks are in Passyunk... I think... The market, whose official name is the South 9th Street Curb Market, and where Rocky loped along feinting and bobbing in the movie, is in a neighborhood called Bella Vista. And, the South Philly Tap Room is in Newbold, which really is in a section of town called Point Breeze, but the owner of this fantastic bar pushed to change the name of his little slice of paradise on Mifflin Street. Don't ask where you'd be able to find Chickie's and Pete's. 

Indeed. Wherever you go...there you are.... 

where am I?

Until the 1854 Act of Consolidation that dissolved all the little townships and boroughs and various unincorporated communities in the county of Philadelphia and brought them under one entity as the city of Philadelphia the city's boundaries were Vine Street and South Street. This act helped combat lawlessness in the area as someone used to be able to commit a crime in Philadelphia and quickly cross the border to avoid arrest. The area beyond South Street and Center City Philadelphia was a suburb of this bastion of Brotherly Love. It was called Wiccaco by the indigenous Lenni Lenape Indians, or "Pleasant Place". As the population of Philadelphia grew new inhabitants tended to stay along the Delaware River instead of going west as was the urban planning that William Penn intended. Settled by the Quakers, which forbade theaters and other nightlife within the city's borders, Wiccaco became a natural location for all such devilish trade. When the Swedes came over and colonized the area it was called "New Sweden".  When the British pushed out the Swedes they named it "Southwark", after a section of Old Londontown. Another area, Moyamensing, the Lenni Lenape word for "pigeon droppings" was the site of a debtors prison. The entire city of Philadelphia is sectioned into several neighborhoods large and small, with colorful names and boundaries that sometimes overlap and none of them officially recognized by the city. Sections of Philadelphia like Northern Liberties and Kensington and Fishtown to name just a few all possess their own rich history and peculiarities and attractions, but it is South Philly that brought team VFH to town one day recently.

Pat's King of Steaks

Of course, any discussion by this lowly reporter and relative outsider about South Philly and the menage of the neighborhoods there will inspire others to correct him, so suffice it to say this part of town is a rich, cultural area, its population swelled by waves of immigrants over the 
centuries. It is the home of Pat's and Geno's, two of the more famous cheese steak joints in town, all of the Philadelphia sport franchises and it is the home of the Mummers...don't ask about this one... But, this once gritty area has been undergoing a revitalization of sorts as younger people move into the area. Coffee shops, restaurants and bars have made South Philadelphia ... or wherever the hell part of town you happen to find yourself in ... a vibrant destination. 

South Philly Tap Room

Readers of this blog know that a favored bar down here is the South Philly Tap Room. The menu and the beer list is worth the effort of looking for a parking spot. A recent peek at their beer list shows an array of brews from across the U.S., Belgium and Germany. Standard fare for SPTR are wild boar tacos and perhaps the best grass-fed beef cheeseburger that ever graced Team VFH's gullet. But we were off to a new place this one recent visit to South Philadelphia.
 SOUTH PHILLY TAP ROOM

Overlook the tattoos and ear gauges and odd hair-dos when you enter the Pub on Passyunk East, or POPE for short. It is a gritty but decent neighborhood bar. The beer list is impressive. Go to the website to download their list. Online reviews are mixed about the food, but sidle up to the bar with a couple of old guys and some hipsters and allow the menacing looking but pleasant bartender to patiently await your selection of  beer.There are 14 taps and nearly 80 bottles; almost too many!! Philadelphia is a great town for beer and the POPE can be a welcome pilgrimage. 

Pub on Passyunk East

Team VFH recently trekked along the streets of whatever part of South Philadelphia we were in with Janet's daughter and honorary Team VFH member and dumpster diving aficionado, Charlotte.  We helped her move into the area that day. Our reward for our labors was a visit to the POPE. We didn't mind walking in the rain as we marveled at all the restaurants and nightclubs and little shops, making mental notes to revisit the area.  Charlotte was very happy to show us a slice of the world she was moving into and said the POPE was one of her favorite destinations. We were happy for the inside information; we might never have ventured into the POPE without her recommendation.  The area seemed vibrant and cool and we'll have to revisit with some further updates for you. It is a great area for kids like Charlotte to live, and a nice place for old folks like us to visit.

Okay... since you might be wondering. But, I warned you....
MUMMERS 

I feel pretty

Crawling from the wreckage

So... we're still here. The world did not end on the winter solstice as predicted by the Mayans. Glad I didn't take any extreme "doomsday" steps. I'm thinking I must have looked pretty cool as I calmly awaited the impending doom without a blink of the eye. (I knew it wasn't going to happen.) Yep....the world  was supposed to end or at best Earth was going to have a pole shift and we were going to be screwed. Well, that didn't happen did it... or at least not yet... I guess that's why I waited so long to write something new in this blog, just to be sure we were safe.

We may have survived the end of days, but sadly, you know what this means? I still have to pay my mortgage and all the rest of my bills. Ugh.

But, seriously, when faced with your own mortality, whether inspired by celestial happenings  or paranoid hypochondria, you are still left pondering the inevitable. After all, none of us gets out of here alive. So, we might as well make the best of it.

What to do? How to make our time in Eden purposeful, that when faced with the abyss we can look back with fondness? I suppose love more. Smile more. Be friendlier.
If anything, this will help with the mooching. You'll get those invites to parties if you're pleasant and smiling and loving... well, maybe you'll just get your face slapped with the loving bit, but that is worth the effort. 

Resolve to see more, experience more. 
Remember... work isn't an end, but a means to enjoy life. 
Spend more time looking at the heavens; not to guess if that rapidly growing object is going to hit the planet, but to smile at the enormity of life and our fleeting timelines. 

There's much to see and more to do. Find joy in everything, because it's there. Crawl out from the wreckage and get moving already.

All Dogs Go To Heaven

I certainly hope so. I hope all dogs go to heaven, because my dog was a devil here on Earth. 

 a very young pup

She passed away of old age the other day, just two months shy of her 17th birthday, and throughout her life she was a pain in the butt. She was a Treeing Walker Coon Hound bred for endurance, intelligence and tenacity and at every opportunity this hound exhibited her high-strung nature. Demanding attention and exercise, her howling and barking were incessant and insistent until we would relent and give in to her. She was a terror off the lead and would hurtle through the woods chasing scents and with us following her baying all the while muttering, "this is what she's supposed to do." There was no solace in that. 

everyone should have their
dog on a mug

Elly May, had she been born a male we would have named her Jethro, required attention and stimulus and exercise and without it got into a lot of trouble. She learned how to open the door to the pantry and the door to the patio. Thankfully she did not have opposable thumbs, no telling what she would have done. She tore through screens. She would figure out ways to trick us for cookies. She was competitive and a game of throw and catch became a taunt with her as she would run up with the ball and scurry away when we tried to retrieve the toy. She once ate a bar of chocolate foolishly left on the table and devoured it with no ill effects. Evidently  the theobromine in chocolate is deadly to dogs, but not to her. She lived almost 17 years. Miss Elly was the runt of her litter but the biggest pain in the ass.

When the mood hit her, and it was often, she would flee the house. We're across the street from woods and she'd chase deer or wild turkey there or trot down to the development on the other hill. I once got a phone call from some fellows who had "saved" my dog. They were terrified and upset because the dog would not stop barking.  I could hear her baying in the background. "Come get your beast!" he cried over the phone. I chuckled, happy she was someone's problem for at least a small while.

Even as she got older and slowed down considerably, she was still gregarious and up for wanton adventures. The vet said she was an old hound dog that wanted to sleep and in her final years she slumbered through a lot of it, but she was ready for a walk anytime. The last couple of summers the heat took a toll on her, but with the cooler months she was more vivacious. She liked to be around people and once came to one of Janet's parties. We tied balloons to her collar and she happily weaved around the guests cleaning the floor. I was never able to tether her outside to quickly run into a store without her crying out frenetically like a child with abandonment issues. Nearly 17 years, and I can't believe she's gone.

RUN!

Last Sunday I ran my 9th marathon and the first in 9 years. I did not train for the 26.3 mile endurance run technically. I actually haven't been running with any sort of goal in mind for quite a number of years now, but when I discovered the Bucks County Marathon I had to enter the race.  No, it wasn't a high profile race like New York City, Philadelphia or Washington, D.C.'s Marine Corps Marathon that would coax me out of my eating frenzied retirement. It was a race that literally ran past my town. It started at Washington's Crossing State Park and ran along the canal on the Pennsylvania side up through New Hope and beyond before turning around. With only 500 entries available I cast aside my worries about my lack of training and signed up for it. The allure of running in an event so close to home and in such a beautiful area was too strong to allow a lack of training to get in the way.

23 miles in

Let me tell you sports fans out there in cyber world, running a marathon is not for the faint of heart. It's raw will power that keeps one going for the hours that it takes to cover 26 miles. Everything hurts by the end of the marathon, but completing it swells one's heart with pride at the accomplishment. Yes, will power played a prominent part of my race last week, especially since I had no real training. The longest training run I had completed was just 12 miles and I did that the Monday before race day. This race had the potential to be a disaster, but I ran smart taking "salt" shots before and during the race and power shots of some gel pack they handed out along the course as well as drinking water and gatorade at every opportunity. They all helped, but the smartest thing I did race day was my pacing. Slow and steady does not necessarily mean you win a marathon, but it does guarantee you finish. Running slowly I was able to avoid any serious cramping. Cramping is a concern for me and I've suffered from it in every one of my 8 previous marathons. Even when I was in fantastic shape I could not escape cramping. But, this race I was able to or lucky enough I guess to avoid cramping. My time was 5:25, much slower than my Personal Record of 3:40, but I was extremely happy with the finish. And, though this is a competition with oneself, it is still a race and when my pacing allowed me to chug along and pass around 10 other "walking dead" racers in the final 6 miles, it was as if I had won the race outright. 

where's the beer?

The lunacy that inspired me to run 26 + miles after effectively getting out of bed is strong and not the first time I had done something like this. I completed my first marathon, the Marine Corps Marathon, in 1985 despite a similar lack of training. I beat four hours in that one, but I was also in my 20's. I paid for that dearly and did not walk very well for a good two weeks afterwards. Here it is Friday, and I'm doing okay, although I'm not going to run for another few days

But then I'm going to get ready for my 10th marathon! 

worth the wait..er run

 But, not until I drink a couple of celebratory beers. 

My 9 races:
1) Marine Corps Marathon
2) Marine Corps Marathon
3) Marine Corps Marathon
4) Atlantic City Marathon
5) Honolulu Marathon 
6) Honolulu Marathon
7) Philadelphia Marathon
8) Jersey Shore Marathon
9) Bucks County Marathon

be safe!

NYC subway

Everyone I know who lives in the tri-state area of New Jersey, New York and Connecticut, as well as friends in Delaware and Pennsylvania have been affected by Hurricane Sandy. The mayhem unleashed by this storm is unprecedented and images of the destruction are frightening. Lives were lost, homes destroyed. New York City had tunnels flooded and hundreds of homes in Breezy Point, Queens burned. The entire coast of New Jersey was hit. boardwalks and piers were torn apart. A new inlet to Barnegat Bay was ripped through homes and lives at Mantoloking and Route 35 was severed.  If your're interested in seeing more pictures of the devastation go here:
 Hurricane Sandy aftermath

a new inlet

Comparatively Team VFH escaped the wrath of Hurricane Sandy relatively unscathed. Janet had no interruption of power and except for her school shutting down two days, life has remained normal. Though I did not suffer any damage in Lambertville I did lose electricity on Monday night and at this writing on Saturday evening, I am still in the dark. The entire city will be without power much longer than anticipated. We are all in this together though and the city government continually posts updates on their website and offer advice for things like where to find shelter and showers. The state also is offering online help at http://nj.gov/ . The NJ Office of Emergency Management (NJOEM) provides essential information to seek help from FEMA and Hurricane Sandy Recovery efforts offered by the state.  My situation is better than most, but because I have a well I am unable to draw water without electricity. (I guess I should break down and purchase a generator?) Without these essentials I am living in a high priced cave. Thankfully Janet has allowed me to stay at her place. It could be worse for me and when I hear tale after tale of misfortune and loss and watch the news about the devastation, I have to consider myself lucky.

Because there are many others throughout the region who have suffered now is the time to offer support or lend a hand whenever feasible, sort of like reverse mooching. Even the smallest act of kindness would be appreciated. Vacations From Home's strength though is not hammering nails but finding free things to share and in this time of need these may be especially helpful. Hopefully this blog will help those in need and if you fair reader have also discovered a way to help others, please share it with your friends.

FREE STORAGE AT U-HAUL
The U-Haul company is offering 30 days free self-storage and U-Box pod moving and self-storage to Hurricane Sandy victims throughout the Northeast. If you have to store things after being evacuated this could help! Follow the link to find one of the regional centers to assist you. Be mindful though that some smaller locations are still out of commission after the storm.

SHOWER AT MySports
The MySportsClubs franchise is making a very generous offer to victims of the Hurricane. Located all along the east coast from Boston to Washington, D.C., MySportsClubs is offering full access to their facilities. You can work out or just take a much needed hot shower. Their only requirement is that you bring your own towel. Again, be mindful that some facilities have also suffered from the Hurricane and may not be open.

HELP FROM MyAssist
MyAssist is a leading live-agent personal assistance and concierge service for individuals and companies. Now this may sound frivolous, but victims of the Hurricane can call 855-899-7161 and MyAssist agents can help arrange emergency travel reservations/accomodations, coordinate emergency medical assistance, communicate with family, friends and emergency response groups and assist in helping with any emergency needs.

FREE WI-FI
Who can't live without the internet? Well Comcast for a time will allow anyone to access their Xfinity wi-fi hotspots in several states affected by the Hurricane. Normally there is a fee, but until November 7 find an "xfinitywifi" and click on the "not a subscriber" and select "complimentary trial session". Follow the link above to find wi-fi hotspot locations in your area. 

TREES
A neighbor in Lambertville had a tree crash into the top floor of their home. A colleague at work narrowly had his car crushed by a falling tree. I have had a large limb of the Tulip tree outside my house break off and take out a light and damage some of my siding. If you have lost a tree because of the Hurricane Fast-Growing-Tree.com will replace it for you. Click the link, provide a picture of your fallen tree and they will send a new one to you, offering their prayers for a safe and speedy recovery.

FEMA

This government organization has come a long way since the Hurricane Katrina fiasco. They have been a large presence in the tri-state area offering assistance. You should contact them for help. Last year after Hurricane Irene a representative came to the house and offered much needed support. I recommend contacting them.

We at VFH Central hope these tidbits help in some way. Share with your friends and neighbors and let us know if this helped in some way.
love
greg and Janet

"but can it core an apple...."

Team VFH went green this past weekend, or should I say red. Over the years Janet and I have enjoyed going out to pick apples. It is a tradition that has carried over from when my kids were younger.  We usually go to a silly sounding place in Port Murray, NJ... Tree-Licious. Set on a picturesque farm in western NJ for 7 generations, Tree-Licious not only grows apples, but plums, pears, apricots and cherries. You can visit their website to get a schedule of what is ripe. They are very friendly and encourage lingering over picnics on their land. 
TREE-LICIOUS

I have very fond memories of visiting Tree-Licious with the kids climbing the trees or scouring for the best apples while communicating with walkie-talkies. Sometimes one of the Golden Retrievers that lived at the orchard would traipse along with us as we plucked more apples than we could ever possibly eat. With hands sticky from the apples we would eat while we gathered, it usually took two of us to carry the baskets heavy with the fruit down to the rustic shanty that served as the main building to pay. The drive itself from Lambertville is nice too, along the Muscetong River, which is a prime destination for fly fishing, and past farms. 

I also have fond memories of introducing Janet to this idyllic way to spend an afternoon; she had never picked apples before and was thrilled with the day. As kids growing up in our respective cities picking apples was an unattainable dream, but moving out to the country I was able to make it a reality. I am very proud that I have introduced my children, honorary members of Team VFH, and Janet, to this simple joy.

The most charming aspect of Tree-Licious is it's unpretentious way. There often is no staff around. You grab a basket and start off without guidance. Sometimes when you are finished you have to wait for a rattling truck to drive up in order to pay for your harvest. Sometimes the guy who drives up has both straps of his overalls properly cinched. Though they are supposedly only open on the weekends we would often talk our way in during the week because at the time I often worked weekends. The conversation was always brief and amiable. One year when Janet and I went up there, far too late in the season, we were told the apples were finished but were allowed to stroll the grounds. The  charm of Tree-Licious Orchards is in it's haphazard serendipity.

But work this fall has been pressing and time is limited. Port Murray is a bit of a distance from Lambertville and for some reason this year we decided to telephone first before making the trek. Turned out their last official "picking" day was mid-September with an Apple Fall Festival held just the week prior. We were out of luck.  Team VFH is resolute though and found a solution. Janet did a quick search and found the Disneyland of Apple Orchards, Terhune in Princeton, NJ. It is much closer to Lambertville and on Sunday they were holding some fall festival that was very well attended. The parking lot brimmed with late model expensive cars and the slick production offered pumpkins and apples and flowers, wine tasting in a perfectly decorated open barn, and a very fine, appropriately rustic country store with a lot of Terhune Orchard labeled products for sale was crowded elbow to elbow. They even had two perfectly appropriate Yellow Labs bounding about the grounds having escaped their pen. And, all this hilarity was before you had to pay to get into the actual festival! Incredible. Beyond the white picket fence entrance guarded by teens wearing money aprons were kids galore being chased by their parents as they bounded from the animal petting pen to the face painting table, from the pumpkin patch to the tractor rides.

Apple trees can be surly 

We of course did not dare pay for this. It is always always always comforting to see Janet screw up her face and roll her eyes when confronted with opening her wallet...or mine...for needless expenditures. It makes a cheapskate proud. But, we weren't here for a festival after all, we were here for apples. Turns out the apple picking area of Terhune Orchards is down the road and around the corner. It's an incredible expanse of land in a densely populated area of central NJ, just down the road from both Princeton and Trenton. After driving a bit through a suburban neighborhood we arrived at the orchard area of Terhune. The girl at the booth gave us a map that listed several varieties of apples and circled which ones were ripe for the picking. She then handed us a paper bag and explained that one would hold 20 pounds. We then joined the legions of others taking in this lovely Sunday afternoon. The place was packed with people. Some walked in, others took the little tractor ride they offered, incredibly for free!  We made a point of not picking too many apples and limited ourselves to about ten pounds. Though the season at Tree-Licious was finished there were plenty of apples at Terhune on this final Sunday in September. The rows were neat, the varieties clearly marked. It was like shopping in a supermarket. After tasting and approving the apple varieties we plucked just a few for the bag. Don't worry the ratio of eating to plucking was better than 2 to 1...we're not that bad. I did not feel like making apple pies this year, but we did take some for cooking and later that evening made baked apples.

We ended up having a good time at Terhune Orchards and despite the crowded aisles never felt pressed. It was fairly close to Lambertville so that was nice. Still there was an assembly line feel to the whole process at Terhune and they could never match the pastoral Eden Tree-Licious offered. I got the impression from many of the people visiting Terhune that day that this little slice of nature, no matter it's cellophane packaging, was good enough.
TERHUNE ORCHARDS

I leave you now fair readers of a clip that has something to do with apples.... It is from the Honeymooners. ... The "Chef of the Future" skit. Another example of a "better life through television..."
 CHEF OF THE FUTURE

zombies R us

It's coming...you know it's coming... the apocalypse will be here before you know it, but will you be prepared? With zombies trolling the earth looking for brains will you survive or will you be bait?

The better you are prepared today, the easier tomorrow will be. With all this yammering about the end of days, Mayan calendar stuff, the apocalypse is hurtling towards us this December! Team VFH's attitude though is typical, we don't really believe it, but hedging, one can never be too sure. So, what better way to prepare than to take a Zombie Survival Course.  

uh oh

Offered at $179 a day or $450 for a more comprehensive weekend training camp at the Zombie Survival Course in South Jersey, one can gain the skills needed to survive when everyone else is no longer here. And, there are plenty of things to know! Weapons like guns and crossbows and clubs (affectionately known as melee weapons) are used. Survival training like finding shelter and food, first aid, as well learning how to hot wire a car are part of the festivities. They'll teach you how surviving the first 48 hours of the apocalypse is extremely important to your future.

Though this all sounds extreme, the good people at the ZSC base camp don't really think the world is ending in December either. Their website shows available courses starting in March 2013 and claims this is not physically demanding and appropriate for anyone at least 15 years old and ZSC will cater to private groups as well as bachelor and bachelotte parties or for a corporate team building exercise. (Not to quip here, but do you really want your CEO covering your ass when you run out of ammo?)

Fully insured and offering trained professionals, ZSC can be a way to learn something while having fun as you bond with your kids. The Zombie Survival Course is held somewhere in South Jersey. If you're interested in living while the rest of your neighborhood is devoured contact them!  zombie survival course

Of course, coming up is the other side of the hilarity. On October 6th in Asbury Park, NJ the 5th annual Zombie walk will be held. This is your chance to mingle with the undead. Participants get "made up" (they're not really dead) and shuffle along the boardwalk. Evidently it is the largest "walk" in the world and recognized by the people at Guinness as such. In 2010 over 4,000 walking corpses ambled by the sea in Asbury Park. For particulars on how to see this free event and join in the revelery visit their website: THE ZOMBIES ARE COMING

Hopefully ZSC doesn't decide to visit Asbury Park October 6th to take in some Indian Summer sunshine!