Away We Go

I set the wrong date to publish this post. It was written the day we left on a tour and meant to be published next week, but I mistakenly selected an earlier post date.

This blog is taking a short break as we are off on a new adventure. We're currently on a 9-day tour sponsored by NH PBS (Public Broadcasting System) to the Yorkshire Dales countryside and visiting some of the locales featured in the popular TV series, All Creatures Great and Small. 

This popular show revolves around a trio of vets working in the Yorkshire Dales in the late 1930s and 1940s. The show is based on a series of books about a Yorkshire veterinary surgeon written by Alf Wight under the pen name of James Herriot. 

A quick synopsis is that eccentric Yorkshire veterinarian Siegfried Farnon hires James Herriot, a newly graduated Scottish vet, to work at his Skeldale House practice in the fictional town of Darrowby. Herriot soon learns to handle tough farm animals and skeptical locals In addition to Siegfried and Herriot, the cast includes Siegfried's younger brother, Tristan, their housekeeper, Mrs Hall and Helen, a local farmer's daughter who marries James as well as many other locals.

There's been two versions of this show. The current PBS series debuted in 2020 as a new adaptation of Wight's books. It's currently run for six seasons with a 7th due in January 2027. The series followed an earlier BBC series of 90 episodes that ran from 1978 to 1990. Both series were filmed in the Yorkshire Dales.

Our group flight departed from Logan Airport, Boston for an overnight flight to Dublin with a connecting flight to Manchester, UK, followed by a bus trip to Harrogate and arrival at the Yorkshire Hotel, our hotel for the entire tour. Anyone who has ever traveled on a multi-day group tour will appreciate having a single accommodation for the entire trip.

1940s attire is featured in Grassington for the annual festival

One of the highlights of trip includes a day trip to Grassington for a 1940s festival held annually in September. This Yorkshire Dales town has been the main filming location for the fictional market town of Darrowby in both productions of All Creatures Great and Small. 

Producers transformed its cobbled market square and historic shop fronts into the series 1940s setting. The festival transforms the town into a snapshot of England in the 1940s. The festival features a collection of vintage vehicles, live entertainment, and a replica Spitfire displayed in the Main Square.

As the series is based on the practice of a country veterinary surgeon it's no surprise that the tour includes a visit to the Nidderdale Agricultural show in Bewerley Park, Pateley Bridge for a traditional Dales agricultural event known as the Pateley Show. 

Poster for 2026 Pateley Bridge agricultural show

This show is one of the county's foremost agricultural shows which attracts crowds of over 15,000. Features events include sheep dog trials, show jumping, livestock classes and a demonstration cricket match. The Nidderdale Show traditionally marks the end of the agricultural show season.

Fish & Chips & mushy peas

We will also be visiting the market town of Skipton which will include having dinner at Bizzie Lizzie's Fish and Chips. The unusual name of this family-run business combined the middle name of its founder, Jean Ritson, with what was hoped the restaurant would be — busy, then applying poetic license for the name of Bizzie Lizzie's. In 1999, it won the National Fish & Chip Award. We're first ate mushy peas several years ago on a London visit; yes, we liked them.

Other places toured on this trip include some of those listed below. Future posts will contain more detailed descriptions.

Castle Howard

Castle Howard is an English country house in Henderskelfe, North Yorkshire. Large portions of the Castle Howard mansion are open to tourists as a public attraction. It remains a private residence as family members maintain a private wing of the house, preserving it as a functioning family home which has been the home of the Carlisle branch of the Howard family for over 300 years. It has been a filming location for British films and TV shows. In this way, it's similar to Highclere Castle in Hampshire, the filming location for the Downton Abbey series and films.

Whitby Abbey ruins

Whitby is a historic seaside town and fishing port in North Yorkshire, England, famous for its dramatic clifftop abbey. The ruins of Whitby Abbey are on a clifftop over the town. The abbey was a 7th-century Christian monastery that became a Benedictine abbey. The abbey and its possessions were confiscated by the crown under Henry VIII during the dissolution of the monasteries between 1536 and 1545. The abbey ruins have been used by sailors as a landmark. The substantial ruins of the church are a historical landmark in the care of English Heritage. (English Heritage is a registered charity that manages the National Heritage Collection of more than 400 historic sites, monuments, and properties across England.)

Bolton Castle in Wensleydale

Bolton Castle is a 14th-century castle in Wensleydale, Yorkshire, England. The castle was built between 1378 and 1399 by Richard, 1st Baron Scrope of Bolton, and is an example of a quadrangular castle. It has never been sold and remains in the ownership of descendants of the Scrope family. There is a garden including a maze, herb garden, wild flower meadow, rose garden and a vineyard on the site. The castle is a tourist attraction and rented out for events. Part of the structure is a ruin, another section has been restored. Several film and TV productions have used it as a location, including the All Creatures Great and Small series.

The 3-stages of Aysgarth Falls

Aysgarth Falls are a triple flight of waterfalls, surrounded by woodland and farmland, carved out by the River Ure over an almost 1-mile stretch on its descent to mid-Wensleydale in the Yorkshire Dales, near the village Aysgarth. After heavy rainfall as thousands of gallons of water cascade over the series of broad limestone steps, divided into three stages — Upper Force, Middle Force and Lower Force.

The walls of York

The city of York, a historic cathedral city in North Yorkshire, is known for its Roman
origins, Viking heritage, and well-preserved medieval architecture. Since Roman times, York has been defended by city walls of one type or another. Today, substantial portions of the walls remain. York has more miles of intact walls than any other city in England, which are referred to as York City Walls, the Bar Walls and the Roman Walls.

The majestic York Minster

While famed for its numerous historic buildings, castle and city walls, the most famous structure here is the Yorkshire Minster. This looming Gothic cathedral is not only the largest such structure in England, but the largest Gothic church north of the Alps. York Minster has more original medieval glass all other churches in England. The Minster is famous for its 15th-century stained glass, especially its Great East Window, the size of a tennis court. 

The ruins of Fountains Abbey

Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal in North Yorkshire has a history that spans nearly 900 years. The ruins at Fountains Abbey are the largest monastic ruins in England. The abbey was a Cistercian house founded in 1132. Over four centuries it became one of the wealthiest monasteries in England due to large and diverse landholdings. The abbey was ruined after the 1539 Dissolution of the Monasteries during the English Reformation. In the 18th century, it was incorporated into the designed landscape of Studley Royal, a historic 800-acre estate. Even in its ruined condition, Fountains has been described as the best preserved of English abbeys. Open to the public, it's owned by the National Trust and maintained by English Heritage. In 1986, it was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

Alf Wight

The final tour stop will be to tour The World of James Herriot, a museum and visitor center in Thirsk, North Yorkshire. It's housed in the former home and veterinary surgery of Alf Wight, known as James Herriot. Our tour of this 1940s home and surgery will include a walk through restored rooms that include a consulting room, dispensary and family living quarters. The items on display will include veterinary instruments and Wight's personal belongings. Vintage Austin Seven cars featured in the series will also be on display.

The World of James Herriot Museum

All of the photos in this post were obtained from Internet sources as we are still on our travels.

25 Years Ago . . .

It hardly seems possible that today marks a quarter of a century since two hijacked planes struck the Twin Towers in NYC causing both to collapse, destroying the global business complex and killing nearly 3,000 people. 

Remembering the Twin Towers as they were and against the skyline of NYC before 2001.

Last December, I visited NYC and photographed One World Trade Center, now known as the Freedom Tower. In January, a post about my visit to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum brought back so many memories.

And, this is view shows the NYC skyline photographed in December 2025, forever changed.

The words Never Forget remain in our collective memory no matter how many years go by. Like so many others, I can recall where and what I was doing in my native NJ that fateful morning. 

Today, people, here in the U.S. and worldwide, will take time to recall the tragedies that resulted in the deaths of so many people, not only in NYC but in Washington, DC, and Shanksville, PA. We remember all of them and will Never Forget.

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FYI — Blogger seems to be having a new issue this week as fellow bloggers, including myself were having trouble uploading photos. That's what happened earlier when composing this post. I resolved it by dragging and dropping photos into the draft, not a permanent solution. Apparently, this latest issue has since been resolved — for now.

Holiday Downsizing

What's become to regarded as the unofficial last day of summer, Labor Day, was celebrated this past Monday with a 3-day weekend. 

Traditionally, this day is time for picnics, family get togethers and getaways. We'd considered a road trip, but increasing gas prices, dealing with holiday traffic and last minute vacationeers made us re-think that plan. Instead, we stayed home, aside from a trip to the supermarket and a walk outdoors. 

It was a good weekend to tackle Christmas holiday downsizing. Believe me, empty containers are a very good thing especially at this stage of our lives when less is much better. We wil still enjoy Christmas, but with a lot less to put up and take down, which will also be good.

Empty containers are a very good thing

Grenville hauled five of these containers from storage and we spent time sorting through Christmas stuff — this 'n that, stockings & holders, wooden signs, Nativity, tree skirts, lights. One tote had styrofoam pieces (now discarded) and Buffalo snow (artificial snow to be donated) that were used for the holiday village, which won't be set up this year. 

There were too many ornaments, so a decision was made to keep special ones like those given by family (only one each of grandpa and grandma ornaments needed, not 3 sets). Also kept were ones bought at craft shows or when on travels. 

Progress was made, two containers were emptied and then there were three, not five. These totes definitely need to be relabeled much neater once this project is completed.

These three containers will soon become two

The to go items were boxed, loaded into a cart and taken to a large thrift store yesterday — the sooner the better. When donating Christmas holiday items it's best not to wait until right before the holidays. That's when thrift stores will be inundated and may not accept giveaways, which could then become toss-aways. The start of October is a good time.

All of this went to a thrift store this week

Sorting will be ongoing with the goal to reduce Christmas items into two containers before Grenville returns them to storage. It's handy that in the absence of a garage or attic, a storage unit is just down the hall from our apartment. Of course, the goal is to not add more stuff.

In between the holiday downsizing, a mini scarecrows and pumpkins display was set up outside our apartment entry — it was downsized from previous years.

Your Turn — Do you have excess holiday — if so, any downsizing plans?

Rough and Tumble

This is one a post that's been in draft form since an early spring road trip to Lancaster, PA, to visit family. We had a day of exploring as family was either working or in school. We've been in this area before, yet always find something new to us.

It seemed appropriate to post it on Labor Day weekend, a U.S. holiday celebrated annually on the first Monday of September to mark the achievements of American workers. A PA museum we visited focused on agriculture, industry and workers.

Founded in 1948, the Rough and Tumble Engineer Historical Association, is a non-profit, all-volunteer PA museum that celebrated its 78th year in 2026. Located in Kinzer, PA, Lancaster County, it's one of the first and longest running organizations of its type in the U.S. 

The museum celebrates agricultural and industrial history and the men who worked steam and gas-powered farm equipment. Called threshermen, they operated steam or gas-powered threshing machines to loosen and separate grain or seeds from stalks and husks. 

Threshermen would travel between farms with heavy equipment to bring in and thresh the wheat harvest, usually processing crops for multiple homesteads. Crews covered several states and hundreds of miles within a single harvest season. Sadly, the development of the combine harvester in the 1940s and 1950s lead to the demise of the threshermen and their equipment.

The association's name derives from this 1891 text

The rough and tumble name derives from the above 1890s guide for farm machinery, Rough and Tumble Engineering: A Book of Instructions for Operators of Farm and Traction Engines by James H. Maggard. This book was an operational manual for heavy steam and traction engines. 

Rough and Tumble has one of the world’s largest collections of old traction engines on site. There's antique farm implements and machinery and three barns of old steam engines and stationary gas engines, including an Otto-Langen Engine, one of the world’s few surviving examples of the first commercially successful gas engines. Most of these machines are kept in operating condition.

Some vintage steam-powered tractors

Exhibits include a collection of steam tractors, including a restored 1886 Schiedler engine, one of the oldest running steam traction engines in the U.S. There's a working sawmill and shingle mill, a traditional blacksmith shop, a line shaft machine shop, and a detailed model shop. Another building houses a collection of vintage automobiles and commercial trucks. 

One building holds vintage cars and trucks on permanent display

On the grounds there's a large display of kerosene, gasoline and oil-powered tractors from the early 1900s onward, featuring brands like John Deere and Rumely. The machinery is maintained in operating condition and run during the annual Threshermen’s Reunion and other shows. 

Some steam-powered threshers on display

The museum didn't begin as a collection of memorabilia, but as an event. After crops were harvested, steam threshermen and farm families would gather for a reunion and picnic. Manufacturers and salesmen would show new models. Farm equipment dealers, farmers and threshermen organized The Pennsylvania Threshermen and Farmers' Protective Association (PTFPA).

Then, as the days of the steam-powered traction engine waned, two local threshermen's chapters voted to spend remaining funds on a Threshermen's Reunion. 

In 1948, the first reunion was held on the grounds of farm equipment dealer, Arthur Young, across Route 30 from the present location. The son of a custom thresherman, Young operated a steam traction engine during harvest season, before opening a farm machinery business. The PTFPA provided food and advertising for the first event. In 1950, before the second reunion, Young recommended the Rough and Tumble name to the Board of Directors.

In 1951, Rough and Tumble developed a national reputation through promotion in The Iron Men Album magazine (now Steam Traction Magazine) devoted to preserving the heritage of threshing and farm life. Interest grew and the organization began to collect, preserve, restore and exhibit artifacts of agricultural and rural society. 

Rough and Tumble Engineers Historical Association (from website)

In the mid-1950s, contributors established a fund that allowed the organization to purchase land on the north side of Route 30. Nine acres were initially purchased. Today, Rough and Tumble has expanded to 33 acres and 15 buildings.

Farm equipment isn't the only attraction here. Two working railroads operate on the property. Adults and children can ride around the grounds on a coal-fired 2/3 scale Shay side-geared steam locomotive. 

A 2/3 scale Shay steam engine takes visitors on a ride 

A Shay locomotive is a geared steam engine that originated and was primarily used in the U.S. It's named after Ephraim Shay who invented it in the late 19th century for logging, mining, and steep mountain railways. Unlike standard locomotives that use side-rods connected directly to driving wheels, a Shay uses a side-mounted drive shaft and bevel gears to power every single wheel on the engine and tender.

Little Toot is a smaller ridable steam locomotive for younger visitors.

Throughout the years, Rough and Tumble has hosted events in response to popular demand such as a two-day “Steam School” of hands-on learning, an Antique Tractor Pull, a Spring Steam-Up Day, Blacksmith Days and a celebration of the harvest in October. 

The Rough and Tumble Engineers Historical Association is located in Kinzer, PA, on historic Lincoln Highway (U.S. Route 30). There's an admission charge and a separate fee to ride the steam train. We found this excursion was well the cost to explore. If you plan to visit, be sure to check when Rough and Tumble is open as this is a volunteer-run operation.

Other than dates for special events, the Rough and Tumble grounds are generally open for visitors the first Saturday of the month from May through the Time of Harvest event in October. After that, there's no exhibits on the grounds until the Spring Antique Tractor Pull in April.

Best Wishes to U.S. blog friends on this Labor Day Holiday

No holiday travel  for us. Our far-away travels are next week

Blog Commenting, Not

Fellow bloggers, it seems there is some sort of glitch going on in blogger. Comments are not publishing.

UPDATE: As of this morning, I have been able to leave comments, so it seems that this universal issue has been resolved. — at least for now.

Earlier today, I tried leaving comments on many blogs, only to have the Publishing button stay on and on and no results. A comment simply would not publish. So, while I have read your recent posts, there's no way to comment.

I read that other bloggers had expressed the same frustration.

A fellow blogger (Kathy) stated in a blog post that she had this issue in the past. She said she went through several new blogs, but would not recommend doing this. Not only did it not help, but you would lose your main blog.

This is the first time that this issue has presented itself for myself being unable to publish a blog comment. Similarly, any reply to a previous comment also will not publish.

So, after doing an online search, AI came back with this statement:

If your Blogger comments are not publishing as of September 4, 2026, this is a known technical hurdle that frequently occurs due to recent browser security upgrades, cookie policies, or specific dashboard configurations. No widespread global server outage is currently reported for Google's platform.

One of the suggested fixes was to in your browser settings (Chrome, Firefox, or Safari), turn off Enhanced Tracking Protection for your blog site, or explicitly add blogger.com to your browser's cookie "Allow" whitelist. 

My browser is Safari and I do have Enhanced Tracking Protection turned on and it will remain that way. Also, an online checked came back that Safari does not have a built-in allowed cookie whitelist that lets you block all cookies by default while permitting specific websites.

Fellow blogger, Kathy, reported going through this issue for weeks and through an online search found that Google no longer supports this platform.

Doing another online search, I queried whether blogger is still supported with these results:

Yes, Google Blogger still exists and remains active. You can still sign in, create new blogs on blogspot.com subdomains, and manage old posts using a Google account. While it is rarely used for major new marketing campaigns or high-end commercial projects, hobbyists and personal diarists still use it. It receives very few modern updates compared to competitors like WordPress or Substack, leaving its interface and SEO tools feeling dated.

Google Blogger is largely outdated and rarely chosen for new professional projects, though it remains functional for basic, personal hobby sites.

WordPress.org remains the best overall blogging platform in 2026 because it offers complete ownership, unmatched customization, and superior search engine optimization (SEO) capabilities. 

Also, I found this question (dated April 2026) on a blogger community help platform:

I regularly publish posts on a weekly basis and currently have over 100 posts on Blogger (Blogspot). I wanted to know if there is any possibility that the Blogspot platform might be shut down in the future, even if not immediately.

And, this answer from a Diamond Product expert:

 

Sometimes between today and the heat death of the Universe, Blogger will surely shut down. Google has not announced plans to do so before then. It's still a good idea to back up your blog regularly.

Finally, I did a check on many blogs listed on my sidebar, most comments on these blogs were left a day or so before today, September 4.

Just wondering how many other fellow bloggers have noticed this no comment issue. 

Of course, I realize that you will not be able to comment below, so perhaps can do so in your own blog post. 

Hopefully, this is a temporary glitch, but who knows?

Art in the Park

This weekend was perfect weather to stroll an art show in a local park and that's what we did on Sunday.

The Greeley Park Art Show in Nashua, NH

The 73rd annual Greeley Art Show sponsored by the Nashua Area Arts Association was held in Greeley Park, Nashua, NH. This annual 2-day event is always held on the last weekend in August featuring work from local artists and from other New England states.

The Greeley Park stone house

This public park sits on 125 acres on property originally bought in 1801 by Joseph Greeley. In 1896, his grandson deeded the land to the City of Nashua 1896. In 1901, a local businessman donated $5,000 matched by city funds, to change the Greeley Farm into a public park. The monies were used to create a stone and cement rest house, fountain, shallow pond, gravel walk and flower beds. The park includes hiking trails, horseshoe pits, ball fields, tennis courts and a community garden.  

Some art on display at the Greeley Park art show

Over 50 artists exhibited their work throughout the weekend including painters, water colorists, woodworkers, photographers and mixed media artists. 

Ornaments and lamps crafted from old books

One of the most unique displays was this one which features various items including animal figures, snowmen, ornaments and lamps made from old books. The artist told me that after her mother-law-passed away, a couple thousand books were in her home and that these provided the material for this craft.

The weekend event featured live performances by area musicians such as Electrik Soul (above) as well as artist demonstrations, children's games and a raffle.

This year's exhibitors included painters, photographers, woodworkers, potters, water colorists and mixed media.

Woodworker Ronald Marcoux presented live demonstrations of his craft during the two-day show and was very animated in discussing his craft.

I've learned from previous art shows that while some artisans don't mind photos being taken of their work, others are much less accommodating and have even posted signage, no photos allowed. Unfortunately, there are some who would seek to copy another's work. Therefore, I don't linger too long or take many individual photos.

Hopefully, you had a good weekend for anything outdoors. 

Welcome to a new month.

Friday Funnies

Every now and then you see a photo opp(ortunity) which has some distractions in the way. 

This post has a couple of examples. The photos were taken last weekend in Alton Bay, NH, after we went to Pop’s Clam Shell and stayed to watch a water skiing competition.

This canine has one paw on the wheel as he/she snoozed on the dashboard.

Shortly after the first photo was taken, the pup woke up still keeping a paw on the wheel.

This license plate aptly describes this post and, ironically, was spotted the same day.

Enjoy Your Weekend, Everyone

 We're going to the 73rd annual art show of the Nashua Area Artists association

in Greeley Park, Nashua, NH

Homemade Dutch Oven

I enjoy baking fresh bread at and admittedly do less in the summer months.

But, now that cooler weather is arriving, a return to home baking is coming not only in the form of bread, but also popovers, pizza, muffins and more. 

Baking is true comfort, not only does it provide me with a sense of accomplishment, but we get to eat the results. There's nothing quite like fresh-baked bread with butter or enjoyed with a meal.

Years ago, I owned a bread machine (long gone) and also have used a cast iron Dutch oven. But, there's nothing more needed than loaf pans and metal binder clips to bake an easy, no-knead, quick-rising bread. 

The recipe is mixed in a single bowl and baked in a homemade dutch oven created from two 9x5-inch loaf pans and two metal binder clips. 

Other things needed are a plastic mixing spoon, spatula, salt, instant yeast, bread flour, water, glass bowl, measuring cup, sesame seeds (optional):

• 12 oz warm water
• 1 tsp instant yeast
• 1-1/2 tsp salt
• 3 C bread flour
• sesame seeds (optional)

Turn on the hot water, when it gets warm, rinse a glass bowl then dry. Fill the measuring cup with 14 oz warm water (105°F to 110°F) and pour into bowl.

Sprinkle instant yeast on top of the water, add salt, stir to combine. Add bread flour by dropping it along the side of the bowl so it doesn't splash.

Stir to combine using the spoon handle, scrape bowl along the sides to bring the flour into the center of bowl. Scrape the bowl side with the spatula.

Tumble the dough with the spoon handle to thoroughly mix wet and dry dough. The dough will be what's called a shaggy dough.

Cover the dough bowl with plastic wrap and place it in a warm spot to rise. Hint: an oven with the door closed and the light turned on is a perfect proofing spot.

Proof for 1-1/2 hours, after this time the dough should have doubled.

Spray the two loaf pans with a non-stick spray.

Use the spoon handle to pull and de-gas the dough, scrape the bowl sides with a spatula. Sprinkle some flour on the dough and roll to coat. Sprinkle 2 TBSP of sesame seeds (optional) on top of the wet dough. 

Pour the dough into the prepared pan. There's no need to shape the dough to the pan as it will expand with the second rise. 

Place the second loaf pan on top, secure the ends with two binder clips. Keep pans clipped together and proof 30 minutes for second rise.

Before the end of the second rise, move an oven rack to the lower third position and preheat to 400℉.

Bake 35 minutes at 400℉ with the top pan on. Carefully remove the clips and top pan using oven proof gloves. Bake for 5-10 minutes to finish the crust.

Remove from pan and cool completely on rack before cutting and enjoying homemade bread.

Recipe courtesy of Steve Gamelin who hosts a YouTube channel, artisanbreadwithsteve.