Merchants' Exchange Building was kinda strange. It is a bit boring on the front ,but the back is round. Or is that the other way round? :)
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Walking around Philidelphia
On a recent trip to Pennsylvania, I had a chance to briefly explore Philidelphia. The day I was there, it happened to be some celebration as taking place in front of the First Bank of the United States.
Merchants' Exchange Building was kinda strange. It is a bit boring on the front ,but the back is round. Or is that the other way round? :)
Independence Hall from the backside (again, really, is this the back?).
Manhole cover in front of the Independence Hall...wait, I mean, to the building's rear...oh never mind. I thought this would make for an interesting angle of a shot.
Maybe I'll get more time to explore this city and its long history at some later date.
Merchants' Exchange Building was kinda strange. It is a bit boring on the front ,but the back is round. Or is that the other way round? :)
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Recent trip to Lancaster, PA
Well, of all the things not on my bucket list that I got to experience anyway, I woulda never have guessed that I'd passing an Amish horse-and-buggy on state and city roads. Yet, there I was in Lancaster, PA, the heart of Amish Country.
I was in Lancaster, PA for a SolidWorks 2013 rollout event to show off the newest version of SolidWorks to our customers. I don't normally talk about SolidWorks on this blog too much because it's a bit specific to my career, but this story would be incomplete without mentioning it.
On some roads in Amish Country, there are special lanes where trails of horse "exhaust" mark the way, showing clearly which lanes are for cars, and which are for carriages. There was a lively conversation on a my Facebook posting about driving through Intercourse, PA.
A funny thing about the Lancaster area are the references to Dutch culture. This is a bit odd since Dutch influence on Pennsylvania is a bit light. There is a substantial German population in the Lancaster region who are sometimes referred to as Pennsylvania Dutch, but this is a misnomer that comes from the archaic term that refers to people from Germany. They aren't Dutch we know from the Netherlands. Even still, images of old fashion windmills are invoked. Maybe I'm missing something here.
Another thing that impressed me about this region as its beauty. I took no pictures to demonstrate this beauty, unfortunately. Rolling hills of farms and trees and rustic buildings meld together like a series of landscape paintings I've only seen in books. Words (and even simple photographs) could not due it justice.
Would I go back to this region? Prolly not going out of my way to visit it again. I am glad I got a chance to see it, though.
At Hersey Restaurant and Inn (no where near Hersey, PA)
I was in Lancaster, PA for a SolidWorks 2013 rollout event to show off the newest version of SolidWorks to our customers. I don't normally talk about SolidWorks on this blog too much because it's a bit specific to my career, but this story would be incomplete without mentioning it.
SolidWorks 2013 rollout event
Fun in our downtime
On some roads in Amish Country, there are special lanes where trails of horse "exhaust" mark the way, showing clearly which lanes are for cars, and which are for carriages. There was a lively conversation on a my Facebook posting about driving through Intercourse, PA.
Amish horse and buggy
A funny thing about the Lancaster area are the references to Dutch culture. This is a bit odd since Dutch influence on Pennsylvania is a bit light. There is a substantial German population in the Lancaster region who are sometimes referred to as Pennsylvania Dutch, but this is a misnomer that comes from the archaic term that refers to people from Germany. They aren't Dutch we know from the Netherlands. Even still, images of old fashion windmills are invoked. Maybe I'm missing something here.
Another thing that impressed me about this region as its beauty. I took no pictures to demonstrate this beauty, unfortunately. Rolling hills of farms and trees and rustic buildings meld together like a series of landscape paintings I've only seen in books. Words (and even simple photographs) could not due it justice.
Would I go back to this region? Prolly not going out of my way to visit it again. I am glad I got a chance to see it, though.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Great New England Earthquake of 2012
Yesterday, some lake in Hollis, Maine was the epicenter of the Great New England Earthquake of 2012. The best local news interview quote of the night about the little 4.0 earthquake? Some guy really did say, "I felt my toes tingle a little bit."
Additional comments about this on Facebook here.
Additional comments about this on Facebook here.
