Dare I Say Spring?

Let me tell you about at typical February in Southeastern Pennsylvania. 

It is usually a month I dread. 

Grey Skies 

Cold 

Shoveling Snow 

Scraping Ice

Bitter Winds 

The dreaded "Wintry Mix" 

which consists of a delightful blend of rain, sleet and snow all mixed together. 

And lots of feeling blue by the fire while wishing for spring to come.

But February 2012 has been a whole new experience. 

(And I like it.) 

We have had more blue skies than not 

No mentionable snow accumulation

Lovely springlike afternoons

Spring bulbs that started blooming in early February - 

You know, the ones we don't usually see til March at best.


(Same photo different edit.)

So I am here to tell you that the 

whole ground hog thing on February 2 

is just a myth, 

'cause that darn rodent predicted 6 more weeks of winter. 

HA!

(Maybe I should knock on wood or something right about now.)

And yesterday, 

in Philadelphia 

I saw Cherry Blossoms!  

Yes, that was February 27 and there were Cherry Blossoms! 

Heavenly Cherry Blossoms

blooming over my head.

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Penitence

Noun

penitence (uncountable)

1. Condition of being penitent.
2. Feeling of regret or remorse for doing wrong or sinning.

It was an idea that overtook the prison systems 

 in the early 19th Century in the United States. 

Prisons should become a place that would inspire penitence,  

thus the name Penitentiary. 

In Philadelphia, 

the Eastern State Penitentiary sits like a medieval castle. 

And in its day, it was a state of the art castle! 

The prisoners here had the luxury of 

running water and central heat long before most Americans did, 

even before the man living in the White House! 

The prisoners also enjoyed

skylights and beautiful architectural details! 

Instead of being placed in group cells, 

a prisoner would now have his own cell 

in which to be alone with his thoughts, 

thus enabling penitence. 



The Barber's Chair

The prison was slated for redevelopment after it closed 

in 1970, but later Mayor Wilson Good intervened. 

Today, the prison is considered a historic site and 

operates as a museum. 

 Tons of photographers are

attracted to the deteriorating cells inside the prison walls. 

You could spend hours here! 
If you go, take a tripod and dress for the weather.
2027 Fairmount Avenue  Philadelphia, PA 19130
(215) 236-3300

More of my photos from the prison can be seen here.

Fastnacht Day

Or, the Night (Nacht) before the Fast (Fast) 

is celebrated in German cultures.

American Germans celebrate it 

the day before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday.
That will always be on a Tuesday.

My husband's family 

operates a German bakery in Philadelphia, 

Haegele's Bakery.

And Fastnacht Day is a big deal.
Several news venues cover the event
at Haegele's Bakery each year.

In fact it is so popular, 

that the bakery opens on the Monday before Fastnacht Day 

to help alleviate the lines on Tuesday.

The Fastnachts made at Haegele's 

are diamond shaped and covered in sugar.  

Haegele's Fastnachts are handmade entirely from scratch!
Below, Aaron Haegele coats donuts in sugar.



Then two donuts are tapped together to remove the excess sugar.



He is assisted by his Great-Uncle Erich Haegele.

Erich and his brother, Richard, have been doing this
for over half a century
since they were children.
That's a lot of Fastnachts.



The Bakery was started in 1930
by the brother's German parents,
August and Helen Haegele.
It is still going strong today.




And one thing I love...besides the dirndls the ladies wear,
they still box your items and tie the box up with string...
just like the old days.



Now if you'll excuse me,
 there is a Fastnacht waiting for me.
More bakery photos can be viewed here.

Here's a News Clip of Fastnacht Day 2011

Haegele's Bakery
Glen and Cheryl Haegele
4164 Barnett Street
Philadelphia, PA 19135
215-624-0117

If you missed Fastnacht Day...
Today, the bakery begins serving up
Hot Cross Buns!

Deep, Dead Water

Pënëpèkw...that is what the Leni Lenape called the Pennypack Creek 

that runs through three counties before joining the Delaware River in Philadelphia.  

The land around the creek was built up with several mills. 

As mill power declined in use 

the land was converted to parkland. 

Now THAT was foresight.

Notice those stone pillars? 
I wonder what they supported.

I recently discovered the area around the Pennypack Creek.

Sadly it is one of those places I always lived around...

Well you know the story.

You live by something your whole life 

but because it was always there you never really noticed it.

Well, I just noticed it.

It is beautiful! 

Large! 

Interesting!

You could spend hours days here.

And then, BEHOLD, I fell in love.
{Insert Angels singing}



And guess what?



Yep, it's for sale!
Pitter Patter!

So my husband and I took a closer look.



Just look at this back patio, double french doors, picture window...
And the inside?
Completely refurbished.



This house was once a mill.
Sigh.
You know what that means?
Water, lots of water.
Potential flooding.
Headaches.
Our first house was by a babbling creek...
so  we KNOW what THAT is like.
:(
But the house is charming!
Really charming.

I decided I will just have to live in this house in my dreams.
I ♥ dreams!

Flowering Tea

I love tea... ♥ 

No coffee for me, blech!

Twinings is my usual pick in teas... 

♥ Prince of Wales ♥ Irish Breakfast ♥ Lady Grey ♥ 

The Chinese have a fun way of serving tea. 

They wrap dried tea leaves around a flower.

When the tea is placed in hot water 

it unfurls, or blooms. 

The tea is usually steeped in a glass teapot 

in order to view the process. 

It only takes a few minutes. 






No it's time to sit back and relax.  
Mmmmm.

♥ 

♫ .♥.•* ★¨`*•♫.•´*.¸.•´♥ ♫
☀ Happy ☀ Valentine's ☀ Day ☀☀
♫ .♥.•* ☀¨`*•♫.•´*.¸☀.•´♥

Katherine's Corner
http://www.crispphotoworks.com/food-photography/

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