Life's Little Adventures

The Eye Has to Travel

Pizzazz! Divine! The 2012 movie "Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel," which just came out on DVD a few days ago, has really taken me back into the milieu inhabited by Richard Avedon during the years that I assisted him, 1952-1965. To watch this documentary, made from period clips, is to understand a great deal more about the world he moved in. There are interviews with him, and clips from the 1957 feature film "Funny Face," loosely based on his life — in which the imaginary role of Avedon was played by Fred Astaire and that of Diana Vreeland by Kay Thompson.

Read all about the connection between Mrs. Vreeland and Avedon here. And check out the movie here.

And while you're at it, check out my blog at www.assistingavedon.com.

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ASSISTING AVEDON

My Assisting Avedon app for the iPad, iPhone, and iPodTouch is now up and running on Apple's iTunes.

CHECK IT OUT HERE, then download to find all about the great photographer's early years, and a lot more as well.

There's also more on my other blog, www.assistingavedon.com.

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I've been admiring Veronica Hill's travel app "California Essential," a fine example of just what a travel app can aspire to. Veronica is one of my fellow authors at Sutro Media, and she is indeed setting a new standard for us all. Where most of us provide links to videos produced by others, she has gone the whole nine yards and produced some of her own. CLICK HERE for her introductory video, which is especially good.

So, if you're California bound AND have an iPad, iPhone, or iPodTouch, do yourself a favor and check out her page on Apple's iTunes store.

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The Future of Publishing

I’ve been writing travel guides for over thirty years now, and have had many little adventures during that time — some of which are recounted on these pages.

Now Comes the Biggest Adventure of All!

e-Guides!

The entire world of travel guides is changing completely, almost overnight, from pages printed on paper to interactive digital files kept constantly up to date and delivered via the internet or cellular phone system to such hand-held devices as Amazon’s Kindle, Barnes & Noble’s Nook, Sony’s Reader, Samsung’s Galaxy — and most notably for travelers, Apple’s iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch.

Are these just a digitized version of traditional guidebooks? They could be, and unfortunately some are. But that’s missing the point. Those who create them are re-inventing the whole idea of travel guides to take advantage of exciting new possibilities. Here’s an example of how this might work:

Check This Out!

Let’s say you’re walking down the street in a strange city, not sure of what’s there, what to visit next, or even how to get to it. You simply pull out your handy i-Phone (or other such device), open the application (“app”) for that town, and browse. For every attraction there’s an interactive entry, complete with photos and a live Google map that can pinpoint the exact spot you want, fill the whole screen, and can be expanded into neighboring streets with the flick of a finger. Want to know what that museum has to offer? Just touch its name and all is revealed. Want to know still more? A touch on the screen over its website address opens that for your perusing.

Hungry? The guide suggests various restaurants. Touch their names and their files open. Another touch takes you to their website, where you can examine a menu, check prices, hours of operation, and more.

Want to know how to get to that out-of-town attraction without a car? It will tell you, and then connect to the correct schedules.

How did we ever do without this?

Recently I’ve begun investigating just how best to use this technology to present my travel information. Some early observations are:

A few months ago I purchased a Kindle, the model with both 3G and WiFi connectivity, and downloaded several travel guides into it. The Kindle is great because its e-ink screen is easy to read under almost all light conditions, the unit is lightweight and small enough to carry easily, and connects to the internet over both cellular and WiFi systems. Photos and maps, however, are in black-and-white only, and have a very limited range of tones. So far, the maps that I’ve seen on it are taken from the printed book versions of the guides, making them quite difficult to read. This could be overcome by creating special maps with larger type and more contrast. If I decide to put my guidebooks on the Kindle, I will certainly draw new maps. The reading material is sold by Amazon.

Recently I acquired an Apple iPod Touch, which is quite similar to their iPhone except that you can’t make calls from it, and its connectivity to the internet is by WiFi only. This is not a really serious drawback as once text and images are downloaded there is no need for a net connection. And it is much, much cheaper. The beauty of this device, and of the iPhone, is its tiny size. It can easily be carried in a shirt pocket, yet the text, photos, and maps are entirely readable. Apple’s iPad is a bit larger and heavier, but still easy to carry as you go about exploring. Travel guides and other books, plus music, are sold on Apple’s iTunes store. A good selection of recent travel guides is available online through Sutro Media. The photo on the left is of me holding my new toy as it displays a European travel website.

Now I must get to work! More will follow as things develop. Stay tuned.

 

SO, just what Little Adventure am I up to now in 2012? Why, just the most challenging one of them all! CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT

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Getting Started on Little Adventures

My very first "Little Adventure" happened a long, long time before I even thought of starting this blog. In 1936, to be exact. I was all of two years old and already wanting to see the world. That summer my parents took me along to a summer camp, probably run by a church group, at Peck’s Pond in Pike County near the northeast corner of Pennsylvania. This “pond” is actually a fair-sized lake, created in 1906 by damming up Bushkill Creek in the heart of the Pocono Mountains, right off Route 402. One night, while they were fast asleep, I decided to go looking for bears. Cute little bears. Sneaking out of the cabin, I wandered by moonlight into the woods alone. Fortunately, no bear had me for a midnight snack. I wouldn't have tasted very good anyway, as I was a skinny little brat.

My parents soon realized I was gone, and sounded the alarm. Moments later the entire camp went looking for me, and found me down by the water’s edge. After that they never left me out of their sight. 

By the age of four I became fascinated by motor vehicles, as most boys at that time were. So I took “driving lessons” on an old abandoned truck at the farm of my mother’s Uncle Sam (photo, above). Somehow the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania did not deem this sufficient for a driver’s license, so I had to wait another twelve years.

In the meantime I yearned to fly, so in 1939 my dad took me on a sightseeing flight from the local airport, Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton (ABE) (Now Lehigh Valley International, LVI). The aircraft used was already ancient, dating from 1927. It was a Ford Trimotor, commonly known as the “Tin Goose” because it used all-metal construction, and had wicker seats for the 8 passengers. We circled the Allentown area at a low-enough altitude so all could see the sights, such as they were. (photo above).

Another event in 1939 that could qualify as an “adventure,” at least to a impressionable five-year-old boy, was the fabulous New York World’s Fair, an international extravaganza celebrating the transition of the World of Today into the futuristic World of Tomorrow. My dad took me there, mostly because he wanted to see it himself. We rode a Lehigh Valley Railroad steam train from Allentown, Pennsylvania, to Penn Station in New York City, stopping at Newark to change to an electric locomotive. Once there, it was the subway to Flushing Meadows in Queens. The most memorable sight was the Trylon and Perisphere (stamp picture, left) , but to me the best were the roller coaster rides in the amusement area.

As World War II progressed I became ever more fascinated with aviation. For Christmas 1944 Santa brought me a toy cockpit made of cardboard, complete with working pedals, and a wheel on a movable stick. The instruction book showed me how to take off, bank and turn, level off, and land. Then, our primary school held a contest to see which kid could sell the most war bonds, a government plan for financing the conflict. The first prize was a flying lesson with the Civil Air Patrol. Since my dad sympathized with my desires and considered these bonds to be a good investment, he bought a bunch from me, and I won. 

The war was not yet over when the day of my lesson arrived. We took a bus out to ABE Airport and I climbed into the front seat of a 1937 Piper T3 trainer (photo, right), commonly called a “Piper Cub.”  The instructor sat in the seat behind me, with another set of controls. He, of course, did the takeoff and landing, but once at altitude he let me take over for a few minutes. What a thrill as I flew low over our neighborhood!

Thank you, Dad. Thank you for everything.

So those were my earliest real adventures, which prepared me for many more in later years. Some of these now fill the entries on this blog.

Text copyright © 2010 Earl Steinbicker

 

SO, just what Little Adventure am I up to now in 2013? Why, just the most challenging one of them all! CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT.

 

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The Avedon Years, Part XLVIV

       IN MEMORIAM

Frank Finocchio (May 6, 1924 - Sept. 18, 2010)

My mentor and friend joined the Avedon studio in September 1953 as Studio Manager and remained in that position until leaving in early 1962.

Frank's credit line on Avedon's 1959 book Observations reads in part:

"We want to thank Frank Finocchio, a wine-loving Sicilian who sings Puccini as he works at his work of photographic printing, a craft in which he has set new standards of excellence..." 

It was Frank who taught me nearly everything I know about studio lighting and darkroom magic. And about the sheer joy he brought to our work. 

Thanks, Frank. It was good to know you.

 

SO, just what Little Adventure am I up to now in 2013? Why, just the most challenging one of them all! CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT.

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Lansdale's Wonderful Nature Trail

Not long ago, in 2008, the Borough of Lansdale, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia, opened a new park. Now, Lansdale was already awash in parks, but this one is special in that it has a magnificent nature trail meandering through dense woodland. Stony Creek Park, as it is called, is a real treat in such a highly urbanized area. It is, in my opinion, the nearest thing to Heaven that you'll find in Lansdale.

 

Click on map to enlarge. Numbers on the map correspond to numbers in the text.

The Nature Trail:
A good appreciation of this amenity begins with a stroll of about a mile, level all the way. Starting at the parking lot (1) it follows a paved trail parallel to Hancock Street past a large pond (2) with a fountain and a statue (below) of three children fishing. The pond’s perimeter features native vegetation, various little wildlife, and geese. 

As the trail curves to the right, leave it and follow the sidewalk on Hancock Street to the Nature Trail entrance (3). If it’s a hot day you’ll immediately notice welcome relief under a golden canopy of moist leaves. I’ve walked here even in 95º weather and remained comfortable. The dense foliage, at times radiating in arboreal splendor, is especially nice on a sunny day during the Fall Foliage season.

A perfect musical accompaniment to this walk, if you happen to be carrying an audio device, is Forest Murmurs from Wagner's opera Siegfried. Another good choice would be Debussy's Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun.

You’ll soon pass over an elevated wooden walkway protecting your feet from a short patch of soggy ground, then a wooden bench beside the crushed-stone trail. Turn left at the intersection (4), where there is another bench, and continue over another elevated walkway. The trail meanders around quite a bit through the Woodland area, then turns right to a second intersection (5).

Whoever designed this trail clearly understood the visual impact of the S-curve, a basic concept in both painting and photography. This place is full of them.

A left turn here leads out of the woods and onto a gravel road with an overhead power line. Just across this, mostly buried in the overgrowth, is an abandoned rail line (6) (photo, right) that was once a freight spur to long-since-vanished factories. To the right, just beyond the end of the gravel road, a nearly hidden path leads back into the woods. There are small clearings there where, I imagine, kids can go to hide and play. I know that we would have, way back when we were all of eight years old. This is exactly the kind of place where we built our “forts.”

While again exploring that hidden path today (Sept. 7, 2010) I noticed a large lean-to in the clearing, recently made of fallen branches. Some adventurous kids must have been building their "fort," just as we did 70 years ago! Hooray for them!

The active rail line just ahead now carries freight only, but prior to 1951 was the route of the Liberty Bell Limited, an interurban trolley car that ran from Allentown to Philadelphia.

Return to the intersection (5) and turn left. After curving around quite a bit among mature trees and dense forest, the trail enters its Wetlands stage. At this point it becomes an elevated wooden walkway (photo, above) for quite a distance, wandering around above tiny rivulets that come to life after a heavy rain.

Back on dry land, you’ll notice several small clearings between the tall, old trees. This scene just cries out for a gingerbread house, complete with Hänsel und Gretel and the Wicked Witch of Grimm’s fairy tale and Humperdinck’s opera. 

After the second sharp bend to the right following the wooden walkway a well-defined path leads off to the left and deep into the woods. The earth here is quite eroded from heavy rains, with a great many tree roots exposed. Again, this is a great place for kids to hide.

Turn left at the next intersection (7) and enter the treeless Meadows section of the trail. Here you can walk in the sun, soaking up Vitamin D to strengthen your bones. There’s both a bench and an explanatory sign along the way, but keep an eye out for bees!

Here the Nature Trail ends as you step into the park proper.

Park Facilities:

An overview of the entire park can be enjoyed from the top of a small rise (8), reached by a curving path to the right. After the exhausting 14-foot climb to the top you’ll be happy to see a bench, and for the curious a binocular gadget mounted on a pole.

Click on panoramic photo to make it really, really big

Below this is an enclosed playground (9) for very young kids, with all sorts of safe activities in a naturalistic environment sure to engage children’s vivid imaginations. 

The Pavilion (10) (photo, above) is a nice, shady place for an alfresco lunch, with both sheltered and open picnic benches provided along with two grills. It may be reserved for private affairs by contacting the Parks Department (link below), but most of the time is open to the general public. There is a convenient drinking fountain just outside the structure.

Finally, a most unusual and enlightening feature. The Labyrinth (11) reflects both the spiritual and philosophical aspects of medieval thought. The original design dates to around 400 BC and became widely used during the Middle Ages. Symbolically, it represents a single path to a deity in a clearly defined center reached from only one entrance, often thought of as birth. As well as spiritual salvation, that center goal can also be enlightenment. Meandering along the twists and turns causes a loss of direction and a sense of the outer world, thus quieting the mind. Or so they say.

Here’s a satellite view (above) of the Stony Creek Labyrinth. See if you can follow the route to the rock in its center. It’s tricky. And here's a view from inside the labyrinth (below).

Wildlife:

One day while walking along the Woodland section of the trail I saw a deer — a fawn, really — standing in the path watching me.  As I resumed walking it scampered off into the woods. Encounters like this enhance the experience of being in a natural environment, yet so close to busy urban life. Other wildlife includes rabbits, squirrels, and of course mosquitoes. For the latter it is wise to use a spray deterrent before setting out. Lastly, I once got stung by a bee in the neck, back in the Meadows area next to the sign explaining how bees pollinate the plant life.

A Plea to the Powers-That-Be:

Please leave the Nature Trail as it is. Don’t make it pretty. Remove only the fallen trees that actually cross the trail. Let Mother Nature do Her own thing. And please replace the missing shrubs in the labyrinth. That is all. Thank you.

Practicalities:

Hancock Street is only two lanes wide and is extremely busy in both directions during rush hours. Exiting the park, those making a left turn may have a long wait for a break in traffic. It may be easier to make a right turn, then a left at Church Road.

Pending construction of proper restroom facilities there is a porta-potty outhouse in the parking lot.

Be sure to use bug spray if you’re walking on the Nature Trail during summer. Mosquitoes abound.

There are two free dispensers of plastic dog waste bags, one by the parking lot and the other at the Hancock Street trail entrance.

How the Park Came To Be:

Stony Creek Park is part of the proposed Liberty Bell Trail, a string of parks and trails following the route taken by America’s Liberty Bell in 1777 as it was spirited off to a safe hiding place in Allentown during the Revolutionary War. Only a few of these parks have opened as yet, but more are on the way.  It also closely follows the route of the former Liberty Bell Limited, an interurban trolley car that connected Allentown with Philadelphia from around 1900 until 1951. As a child, I used to ride this back in the 1930s and '40s. Starting from a depot at 8th and Hamilton streets in Allentown, it crossed a long bridge over the Little Lehigh, then followed old route 309 (now 145) across South Mountain and down into Quakertown, Sellersville, Telford, Souderton, Hatfield, Lansdale (where it stopped across the street from the present SEPTA train station), West Point, East Norriton, Norristown, and down into Philadelphia. 

A Living Blog:

My plan is to keep this blog alive with frequent updates and fresh observations as the seasons change and in all kinds of weather — always, of course, with new photos. The latest entries are at the bottom, just before Local Links.So keep coming back by noting this direct link:

 http://lifeslittleadventures.typepad.com/lifes_little_adventures/2010/08/lansdales-wonderful-nature-trail.html

These images are/will be copyrighted and available for use by others only with my permission. Non-commercial use will be free as long as attribution or a link to this blog is made; commercial use may require a fee. Nearly all of the photos are/will be available from me in high definition jpeg files suitable for reproduction.

Here's the lean-to I mentioned above. 

Current Observations:

Thurs., Sept. 9, 2010, 10:15 am. This morning there were "working on the railroad" sounds coming from the freight line west of the park. I followed these around to the abandoned rail line (6) and turned right. Up there a CSX crew was busy servicing their line with a strange device mounted on a truck that ran on both rails and roads. Returning to the intersection (5) I was startled when what I swear was a coyote (or maybe a fox) darted out from the woods, crossed the trail, and dashed into the dense underbrush to the east.

Fri., Sept. 24, 2010, 1:15 pm. Today I revisited the rock in the center of the magical Labyrinth. To some this represents God, to others Wisdom. To most, however, it's just a rock.

Another thought came to me on the trail. Why not occasionally leave the "beaten path" and just go off into the woods to really commune with nature, maybe becoming more one with the Universe. I tried it, and it works. 

Here's what the "Wetlands" part of the trail looked like on this, the day following the Autumnal Equinox:

Here'a a bend in the trail near position 5 on the map, in Autumn:

Click on it to enlarge.

Friday, Oct. 1, 2010, 10:30 a.m. Rain, glorious rain. After months of semi-drought came the downpour. From early yesterday morning until noon today something like 6 to 8 inches fell. Naturally, I had to rush out to see what the "Wetlands" part of the trail looked like. Along the way I had to climb over a fallen branch and wade through a shallow-but-wide puddle at the same spot where two days earlier I had seen a deer crossing the trail. Below is a little bit of it, looking down from the elevated walkway:

Finally, the "Wetlands" is wet! And by the next morning the fallen branches and puddles were gone. Good work, guys!

Tues., Oct 5, 2010, 10:00 a.m. The rain continues, with the "Meadow" area impassable without walking through wide-but-shallow puddles. So I got my feet wet. The elevated walkway through the "Wetlands" area carries walkers above roaring streams of water, a welcome change after a summer of baked, cracked earth. The "Woodlands" is, well, just dripping wet but easy to negotiate. I saw a fawn, leaping like a gazelle across the trail and gracefully bounding off into the woods. Others have seen as many a three young or female deer at a time, but never a buck. Wonder where he hides? 

Thursday, Oct 14, 2010, 3:00 p.m. More and more rain. This time I wandered through with my camera, determined to make it look as wet as it actually was. The photo above is of the "Wetland" sign, the elevated trail, and a flowing rivulet. Yesterday I got a fleeting glimpse of a strange animal as it dashed across the trail. It was solid black, looking like a very large cat, but with a huge, bushy tail. Wonder what that was?

Below is a new picture of the pond, taken the other day:

Sunday, Oct. 24, 2010, 12:30 p.m. Vandalism! The first act of deliberate vandalism and unlawful behavior that I have ever witnessed at Stony Creek occurred today. Four or five guys in their late teens or early 20s jumped out of a Nissan car with New York plates beginning with the letters FEZ, knocked over the PortaPotty in the parking lot, and ran down the Meadows path, shoving people out of the way while screaming loudly in Spanish. They entered the woods making extremely loud noises and frightening walkers. Fearing a dangerous encounter, I left. If this is allowed to continue there will be no point in having this park.

Thurs., Oct. 28, 2010, 2 pm. Fall has finally done its thing, and all the leaves are down. The trail has a certain beauty in this starkness, as I hope I captured in the photo above. This shows the elevated portion in the "Wetlands" portion. Today the park crew was busy removing the fountain in the pond before the pipes freeze. They are also planning to drop the water level in the pond so that when winter comes it will be safe for skaters.

Sun., Nov. 21, 2010, 10 a.m.

All the leaves are down...and the skies are grey...and the woods are small...but they're still okay,

It's amazing how much smaller the park seems without leaves. Now you can clearly see houses, businesses, and even a hotel through the barren branches. Soon it will snow.

Wed., Dec. 8, 2010, 10 a.m.

Bitter cold, much rain, and heavy winds have made the trail impassable. Much of the "Meadows" area was thin ice with about an inch of water under it. Winds have apparently swept water from the pond into the "Woodland" and "Wetland" areas, eroding the trail and leaving a frozen mess. There was also a large fallen tree trunk laying across the trail. I quickly gave up and went home to dry out my feet. The entire trail area is as dreary as dreary can possibly be dreary. But soon it will snow, bringing new visual pleasure. 

Saturday, January 1, 2011. It snowed last Sunday and Monday, and even though the temperature is in the high 40s right now, this much is still left.

 

Expanding This Blog:

Until now, Life's Little Adventures has focused on rather distant places and exotic happenings, covering periods of time from the mid-1930s until the near past. Now I plan to add more local material, some historical and some contemporary, with an emphasis on Eastern Pennsylvania, especially on Montgomery and Bucks counties. Stay tuned. 

Local Links:

Liberty Bell Trail 

Lansdale 

Lansdale Borough (click on Parks & Recreation) 

Labyrinth  (a spiritual rather than philosophical approach to understanding its meaning) 

More coming as I discover them.

 

Text, maps, and photos copyright © 2010, 2011 Earl Steinbicker

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Return to Hiking Index

Lubin Studios, Valley Forge Movie History near Lansdale

Doylestown, near Lansdale  A walking tour

New Adventures in Lansdale & Beyond

 

SO, just what Little Adventure am I up to now in 2013? Why, just the most challenging one of them all! CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT.

Just a Reminder

Just a reminder to check out my other blog:

www.assistingavedon.com

It's all about the new book I'm writing about my experiences in the 1950s and 60s assisting the famous photographer Richard Avedon. CLICK the link to visit.

 

SO, just what Little Adventure am I up to now in 2013? Why, just the most challenging one of them all! CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT.

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Entering a Time Warp and Re-Uniting with an Old Friend

I thought that you couldn’t go back again, but there it was.

Tuesday, April 4, 2010. Erwin Braker and I were pals from way back, even before the First Grade. He lived across the back alley from me and in those days (late 1930s) that’s where kids played, at least in Allentown PA.

That's us on the right, in 1945, in my back yard. I'm on the right.

Jump forward to April, 2010. I haven’t seen Erwin in, probably, 50 years, as he moved far away right after college, and of course I had since relocated to New York City, and we just lost touch. Now he was in Allentown for a day, visiting relatives, and since I now live in suburban Philadelphia it was an easy drive to meet up with him, his sister and his son. Our plan was to drive through town to all the old places and renew memories.

This was the route:

Erwin, his son Chris, his sister Ruth, and I squeezed into my tiny Chevy, leaving Ruth’s house in Mountainville, not far from my old cabin. We took Emaus Ave. to South 4th St (PA-145) in Allentown, heading north and bearing right on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, then left on South 3rd St., and left again on Hamilton St. This took us past the old Jersey Central train station, across the Jordan Creek, past the site of the grand old Lehigh Valley Railroad Station, from which I commuted to New York in the 1950s, and uphill past the historic old Court House, now a museum.

WE turned right on North 6th St., passing Symphony Hall. Back in the 1930s this was the Lyric Opera House, where as a 5-year old I used to sit in the prompter’s box watching my mother rehearsing parts on stage. Her big role was Elsa from Wagner’s masterpiece, Lohengrin. Sadly, by the late ‘40s this house had become a burlesque theater, but has since been renovated for use by the Allentown Symphony.

Sixth Street goes past the site of the former Stevens Elementary School, where Erwin and I spent the 4th, 5th, and 6th grades. It is now just a playground.

Two more blocks and we turned right onto Cedar Street, where I lived from 1936 until 1952 at number 536. These were typical row houses — tiny lawn in front, a porch, three floors, and a decent back yard. Fair Street is an alley leading to another alley named Carrot Street. This is where we built our “forts” out of cardboard and played by doing such dubious activities as building a fire in the alley, making a ramp out of a few boards, racing our bicycles up it and through the flames. We also played something like baseball, and when we got taller, basketball by nailing a peach basket to a utility post.

A few doors down Carrot Street was Erwin’s father’s garage, where he kept his 1940 Oldsmobile. As a kid I was fascinated by this model car because it had the very first Hydra-Matic automatic transmission, so the driver no longer had to shift gears. Would wonders never cease? Like nearly everything else, the garage is still there and in 2010 looks almost exactly as it did in 1940!

Back in the day this neighborhood was mostly made up of people of German or central European ancestry. It, naturally, has changed with new arrivals of other ethnic groups, so I was expecting it to have gone downhill. Not so. It was as clean and spruced up as ever, and to our delight had not really much changed at all. 

 Photo above is of our First Grade Class in 1940

 After a quick glance at the old Garfield Elementary School (photos, above and below), where both of us survived the First through Third grades, we turned south on 5th Street, then west on Washington. Erwin lived with his parents and two sisters at number 531 (recent photo on right) until moving to the Midwest, so we stopped for a look. By chance, at that very moment a new family was moving in, again infusing the neighborhood with renewed energy. My fondest memory of his house was of the basement where we sometimes played Monopoly while listening to the windup Victrola.

Photo below is of our Maypole Dance at the Garfield School 

A right turn on 6th Street took us downhill past the old local grocery store and a basement luncheonette that we called “Hersheys” after the ice cream sign over its door. Many were the times when we ate our lunch there, devouring the hot dogs with steamed buns that cost 8¢ each, or two for 15¢, topped with “everything” no less.

At the bottom of the long hill was our favorite playground, Jordan Park. Amazingly, the old picnic pavilion was still there, but not the dam on the Jordan Creek that provided a large, natural place to swim. This was long ago replaced with a real swimming pool after it was feared that the stagnant waters behind the dam were a breeding ground for all sorts of nasty germs and viruses. But it was much more fun than any pool.

Photo above is of the old swimming hole in Jordan Park, with the woods we played in beyond. That's me with the toy boat, and off my back you can see the raft from which I first learned to swim.

There used to be a woods on the far side of the creek where we built our “forts” out of branches and rocks, a place for us to hide from adults and revel in the simple joys of boyhood. Now the place is filled with apartment buildings. That’s progress, I guess.

A few miles to the northwest was the Trexler Game Preserve. We didn't visit it this time, but here's a snapshot of us there in 1945. That's me petting the beast:

Leaving the park, we turned north on MacArthur Road (PA-145), then right on Grape Street past the Lehigh Valley Mall and into Fullerton. A right on 5th Street led to a bridge over the Jordan and up 4th Street back in Allentown to Tilghman Street and the old Franklin Movie Theater, still operating after all those years. Back then a double-feature cost 12¢, so you know where we spent many a Saturday afternoon.

Pressed for time, we didn't stop at our Central Junior High School, where we spent the Seventh through Ninth Grades. Here's a picture of our Ninth Grade Class:

  We continued out Tilghman all the way to 17th Street and made a left to the Allentown Fair Grounds (recent photo, above), home of the annual Great Allentown Fair held from late August to early September. Begun in 1852, it is among the oldest in the nation, and features both entertainment and agricultural shows. This is also still home to the Ritz Barbeque (recent photo, above), our favorite snack place when we were students at nearby Allentown High School. It appears not to have changed one bit in the intervening 60 years. Neither has the racetrack stadium or the farmers’ market. Across the street stands the Allentown Hospital, where I first saw the light of day on August 6, 1934. Erwin was born at his home on Washington Street. 

Next stop: Allentown High School, now called William Allen High, from which we both graduated in 1952. It, too, looks almost exactly as it did back then, although it has since expanded into some newer buildings. A right turn on Linden Street took us past the rear side of the rather large sports arena, now known as J. Birney Crum Stadium. The photo above shows the home side seating at night. This first opened in, I believe, 1949 and was the scene of many victories over our football rivals from Bethlehem, Easton, and even Philadelphia. As a member of the Camera Club I often got to run up and down the sidelines with a Speed Graphic press camera taking action shots for the school newspaper, the Canary. Other schools named their papers after fierce animals, like tigers or lions. Ours was a wee tweety bird. Go figure. The picture below is one I snapped while covering a game in 1951:

 The street now became Parkway Boulevard, running past Cedar Park and the spot where, at age 16 in 1951, I had my first summer job working in landscaping. At Cedar Crest Bloulevard we turned right, then right again onto Chew Street and into Allentown’s tony West End. 

I think it was in Ninth Grade that Erwin and I started a little business catering to these rich folk. We would ride here on our bicycles, stopping at the more prosperous-looking homes to take photos of their lovely settings. These we then printed in my home darkroom onto a special paper that could be made into matchbook covers. A sample was shown to each prospective customer, and if they liked them they could order many more. Back then just about everyone smoked, so sales were not bad. Erwin did the selling, as he was much better at it, and I did the photography. At first, our biggest problem in developing this product was with the striking surface, but we found a solution for that in a book called Fortunes in Formulas. The matches themselves were purchased from a mail-order wholesaler, disassembled, and put back together with the new photo covers. Strangely, a man from that company was in Allentown and decided to visit the big business (us!) that was purchasing all these matches, so he stopped at the address they had been shipped to. That was Erwin’s house. His mother answered the door, and the man asked for Mr. Erwin Braker. “He’s at work now, unless you mean Erwin Jr.” Well that’s who he wanted, but he was at school now. The man was very confused and left.

 Chew Street continues past Muhlenberg College, then we made a right onto 17th followed by a left on Hamilton. At the old, upscale Hotel Traylor we turned right, then left onto Walnut Street, right on 7th, left on Union, and finally a right on Lehigh Street (PA-145). This we followed just outside of Allentown to the small town of Emmaus, there making a sharp left under a railroad overpass onto Harrison Street. At this point I was on the lookout for Mountain Lane, which years ago was pretty isolated and led, eventually, as a dirt trail to my old cabin in the woods, which Erwin helped build back in 1953, as shown on the photo to the right of him digging the outhouse hole. Now the first part is a maze of apartment buildings and I was unable to find the rest of the trail, although I think it’s still there. The cabin itself burned down long ago, in the late 1960s.

After that we returned to Sue’s house in Mountainville via a loop around the reservoir, had a beer, and then went out for a fine dinner at the Bay Leaf in downtown Allentown.

Just to round things out, here's another photo of us on the Appalachian Trail in 1950:

In case you wondered what we look like now, here's us on April 4 2010, courtesy of Erwin's son Chris:

Erwin's the good-looking guy on the left.  

Copyright © 2010 Earl Steinbicker

 

SO, just what Little Adventure am I up to now in 2013? Why, just the most challenging one of them all! CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT.

 

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My Other Blog

Just a reminder that there's much more material about the renowned photographer Richard Avedon on my other blog, Assisting Avedon. CLICK HERE to visit. 

Fans of Avedon's work will also be interested in this video of a 1999 TV interview with Charlie Rose. Avedon had some intriguing things to say. CLICK HERE to see it.

 

SO, just what Little Adventure am I up to now in 2013? Why, just the most challenging one of them all! CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT. 

 

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