Saturday, February 17, 2018

Squirrels 'n Ice

Does this remind you of someone?


Are they squirrels?  Or Chipmunks?
 Well....there's no doubt about this one:


Admiring these unique works of art, I couldn't help but wonder about Sneaky.  Do you recall when he was a daily source of annoyance...ahem....entertainment here?
  
Well, ever since we had the deck redone, Sneaky hasn't been the least bit interested in my feeders. 
Occasionally I look out and see him romping around the backyard. 


And it's obvious to me that Sneaky has snuck quite a stash of nuts in my yard, since I've watched him dig with exuberance, and reward himself with a tasty snack!



But we haven't had any face to face run-ins this year although I must admit that I haven't spent much time near the window this year.

Or, it could be that Sneaky has seen my window ledge and is worried that if he gets in my face, he might join his comrades in my kitchen.









Obviously, I'm not the only person enamored by squirrels, since Sneaky's likeness was captured in a couple of ice sculptures today, and I found them to be quite entertaining.

But we saw much more than just frozen squirrels today!  We were in Lititz, a charming little town near us, who was hosting its annual Fire & Ice Event.  And the weather was perfect.  

When we decided to head out this morning, the temperature was definitely brisk, but the sun was shining, so it felt a bit warmer.  Perfect for us.  Not the best environment to assure the longevity of an ice sculpture.  But I'd venture to guess that most of them didn't sustain too much thawing today. 

But I digress.  I took a lot of photos today, so I'm going to just delight you mostly with photos,  as most are pretty self explanatory. 

That's a little girl kissing a duck. 

A turtle

A toy truck featured in front of a toy store.
Clever....don't you think?

A strawberry outside of a candy shop.

Beauty Salon Scissors

Heart

Duck


Here you see a Bar Tap standing on the sidewalk outside of the Bulls Head Pub.



The "ewe" in the window was our clue regarding this sheep.



It stood outside of a yarn shop.  How entertaining is this?




Flowers

Tow Truck


This stood outside of an olive oil shop


Fire Flame

Saw & Hammer


wrenches

Guitar

Serpent




Listerine Bottle

UPMC Chair




Piggy




Rose

Love

Bow & Arrow

Here you see a hummingbird feeding from a flower.


And, just to give you an idea of the size, I had Marty stand next to it.


Cupcake

St. Bernard


Olypmics

Dressform

Gotcha....didn't I?


Movie film & soda

Statue of Liberty


Lighthouse
And, finally, the Pharmacy sculpture.



I enjoyed the fact that many of the businesses chose sculptures to enhance their picture windows as I felt that it added to the charm of the experience.  And, I'm glad that we chose this morning to check out this event, as we've since had 6 inches of snow fall on us.

I'd say that in this case.....timing was everything!





Sunday, January 14, 2018

Welcome Home PFC Harold Patrick Hannon

The weather was frigid; the winds were gusty,  but the sleet prediction of Friday night teetered out somewhere mid-state, so Marty and I decided to venture out early Saturday morning, to Scranton, with our destination being The Nativity of Our Lord Catholic Church.


 Our purpose was to attend the funeral and reinterment of PFC Harold Patrick Hannon.


If you follow my blog, then you are aware that I have been actively involved with World War II MIA research, and I was asked by the non profit organization, History Flight, to come on board to help find families of MIA's whose bodies had been recovered on an island of Tarawa Atoll.  Although I was not involved with this particular family, I was asked to attend the service as a representative of the organization that was ultimately responsible for bringing closure to yet one more family.

I must say that it truly was an honor to be among those who witnessed Saturday's events unfold, and I am ever so grateful that the weather held out, and that my husband, Marty, was more than willing to drive the two hour trip in order for us to be present.

The bitter cold weather and icy roads didn't seem to be a factor for many. An amazing number of people came to show their respect to this man who perished in Nov. 1943, in the invasion of the island of Betio.

PFC Hannon was a Marine rifleman,  and so it seemed only fitting that so many local Marine Veterans were among those in attendance.

The Marine Honor Guard was on duty, acting as pall bearers for their fellow comrade.





They reverently escorted the casket from the hearse into the church while the music of bagpipes bellowed in the background. 

Once inside,  the flag was removed 


and a white linen pall was draped over the casket, which was then sprinkled with holy water by the priest, both a reminder of Harold's baptism. 


Upon entering the church, I had been surprised to see the Sanctuary decorated for the Christmas Season. As a past church decorator for 22 years, I had been trained to remove the decorations shortly after the Baptism of the Lord, which had been on Monday.  But the priest explained that he had chosen to leave them up, specifically for Hannon's final tribute, to recognize the 74 Christmases that had passed since the Marine had been listed as Missing in Action. 


And I don't think that he could have asked for a more fitting tribute.  

During the entire service, a smiling photo of Hannon stood out for all to see, reminding us of the man who was now being honored and remembered.


The priest presented an excellent sermon, sharing a personal story about Harold, who had been affectionately known as "Tidly" among his loved ones.  Apparently Tidly loved to play Tiddlywinks while growing up, and the nickname had stuck with him into his young adulthood.  


Father used the analogy, that like the game of Tiddlywinks, where one "skips" the pieces into a pot, Tidly had skipped himself, so to speak, into the lives of many who hadn't had the least inkling of who Tidly was. "His memory, who he was, will never disappear, from the littlest to the oldest; from the strongest to the weakest."  He was home now, and his memory was alive once again. 
Father's words were quite telling:  "Even though Tidly sounds kind of like a kid's game, which it is, there is nothing kiddish about it.  Is it?  Losing one's life in the way that Harold Patrick Hannon did....there is nothing kiddish about it at all."

Mass concluded with incense, traditionally considered a sign of honor to the body of the deceased.  A sign of our prayers for the deceased as we say farewell.  



It was time for "Tidly" to make his journey to his final resting place. The congregation joined the musicians in singing "God Bless America" as we made our way to the back of the church



where the honor guard was waiting.




The casket was once again draped with the flag, and PFC Harold P. Hannon was gently carried from the church.


Outside, veteran marines lined the walkway, standing at attention.


The church bells were ringing and the bagpipe was playing as PFC made his final decent from the church.  


The motorcade to the cemetery was 35 cars long, and we traveled quite a distance, weaving through various streets in the town.  I was touched to see one man stop his snow shoveling and put his hand over his heart, in reverence, as we approached the cemetery.


We then drove to the mausoleum for final prayers.

The honor guard and bagpiper were waiting.


PFC Hannon was carefully transferred from the hearse to the chapel while the Marine Hymn was played on the bagpipe in tribute.


Once inside, the casket was set for all to see. 



The flag was held while the gun salute could be heard outside, followed by the playing of taps.


Then, the flag was meticulously folded.




And presented to the nephew of PFC Hannon along with words of gratitude for his service. 


Finally, PFC Hannon was removed to the hearse



where he was taken to his final resting place.  Once again, the marines were waiting at attention.



They carried the casket through the snow


to the plot where his mother and father are buried. There was room to bury him at the foot of his parents, which is where he will now lay.



Rest in peace, PFC Hannon.  It was obvious to me that your memory has touched the lives of many.  And, I for one, am proud to have been part of your final sendoff.