Tag Archives: Pennsylvania

Pagoda

Posted on September 20, 2016 by vanbytheriver

It was a teenage hangout. We went here for 3 reasons. To climb the mountain, to make out, to eat at the first McDonald’s in our area. Not sure of the order of importance. Fast food was never allowed in … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Entertainment, Family, Food, Movies, Music, Travel | Tagged , , , , | 35 Comments

The Farmhouse

Posted on January 3, 2016 by vanbytheriver

The obsession started with the anniversary of Pearl Harbor, December 7. I wanted to know the exact years my dad had been involved in WWII. I found that he was there from 1942-end of war, as reflected on his enlistment … Continue reading →

Posted in Childhood, Depression, Family, home | Tagged , , , , , , , | 80 Comments

The Tire Swing

Posted on December 20, 2015 by vanbytheriver

My daughter and her husband are buying their first home this week. She made sure to tell me that it has a rope swing with a tire in the back yard. It was an important selling point. As always. It … Continue reading →

Posted in Childhood, Entertainment, Family, home, Nature | Tagged , , , , , , , | 48 Comments

I, Immigrant

Posted on December 10, 2015 by vanbytheriver

My mother’s family emigrated from Germany in the 1700’s, from Ireland in the 1800’s, landing in Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love. My father’s family were among those “huddled masses” of the early 1900’s, escaping eastern Europe for a better … Continue reading →

Posted in Family, History, News, Random Thoughts | Tagged , , , , , , , | 47 Comments

Camping

Posted on October 29, 2015 by vanbytheriver

I was hooked from the very first time. October, 1962. As Monster Mash hit the charts, we prepared for sleep away camp. Girl Scouts. We rolled corrugated cardboard strips into empty tuna fish cans, covered them in melted paraffin and … Continue reading →

Posted in Childhood, Entertainment, Family, Nature | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 58 Comments

Kuchen

Posted on September 11, 2015 by vanbytheriver

Today, I will bake. I will remember, I will be sad, I will meditate. I will honor the tragic memory of  September 11, 2001. But I won’t write about it. Not today. Instead, I’ll share a memory, and a recipe. … Continue reading →

Posted in Childhood, Education, Food, History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 39 Comments

Meeting Grandma

Posted on July 8, 2015 by vanbytheriver

It was one of the sweetest gestures ever, and it came from the tiny hands of my son, 15 months old. We were back on the east coast for the first time in many years. My mother had passed away … Continue reading →

Posted in Childhood, Family, Inspiration | Tagged , , , , , | 53 Comments

The Taylor Tape

Posted on May 28, 2015 by vanbytheriver

Taylor Swift’s father was her best promoter, and maybe the most dedicated father ever. I met Scott Swift in 2004, just a while after he moved his family to Nashville to pursue Taylor’s country music career. He was a frequent … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, Music, Work and Career | Tagged , , , , , , | 42 Comments

The Crick

Posted on May 23, 2015 by vanbytheriver

It was the forbidden place. A small creek at the end of our unpaved alley. Filled with all sorts of dangers, it was our second home. The parents might have known about it, and looked the other way. There was … Continue reading →

Posted in Childhood, Entertainment, home | Tagged , , , , , | 38 Comments

Madison Men

Posted on May 18, 2015 by vanbytheriver

Hats off to Matthew Weiner for a brilliant but surprising ending to the award-winning series Mad Men, named for the advertising creatives of 1960’s Madison Avenue. There was a more important Madison for me; I grew up with the steelworkers … Continue reading →

Posted in Childhood, Entertainment, Family, home | Tagged , , , , , , , | 21 Comments