Only in Bucks County!: Horses

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Only in Bucks County: The Summer I Discovered Country Music

Those of y'all that know me know that I'm a pretty positive person. I tend to see the bright side of things and I don't think I complain alot. But summer for me has become a time where I count the days down until the next season. I hate the heat. Hate. It.
It's been constant and inescapable. We've been living with the air conditioning running non-stop since May, and between the heat and a busy work schedule, I feel like I've been living indoors more than ever this summer.
Just this week (of course timed perfectly with the start of school), although it still gets uncomfortably warm during the days, it has begun to cool off at night! We've begun to sleep with the windows open to the sounds of crickets and cicadas, and a few mornings have actually been crisp. Now that I feel assured that my favorite season is right around the corner, I reflected on the past few months.
Two great things happened, really.
I've had to make the trip to Upper Bucks a lot this summer for work. The beauty in this thirty minute drive through farms and small towns, past orchards and open land, showcases everything Bucks County has to offer. Hot or not, I put the top down on the convertible and I go. It's become a ride that I love and look forward to, and the catalyst for me exploring Bucks County again. I have talked Scott into getting in the car and exploring these back roads as the sun is setting on our Saturday night.
The other thing that happened is that I've discovered country music!
Don't ask.
Don't judge!
I am ALWAYS late to the party!
All I know is that I went 48 years without it, and suddenly I can't get enough. I can't answer the question why. It's inexplainable, but it goes hand in hand with the freedom and the beauty of driving around small towns, driving around exploring.
And so!
I will try to appreciate the the warmth, the light, even the heat, of the last days of the summer. With the top down, and some country music blasting, of course.

River Road, Erwinna PA

A HOT summer day

This one right here... she's the one that got me into country music ;)

Corn fields in Carversville, PA

"Well you can come as you are, there ain't no dress code

Just some rural route rules that you need to know

Don't mess with the bull

He can get real mean

If it starts to rainin' will just head to the barn

We're country boys and girls gettin' down on the farm."

~Tim McGraw, Down on The Farm

Ottsville, PA

Buckingham Valley

Passing through Pipersville, PA

You never know what you'll hear on the radio...

Randy Houser's Running Outta Midnight

You never know what you'll see in the sky

(Yardley, PA)

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Only in Bucks County: Talk to The Dogs

Aside from sharing photos of some of Bucks County's cutest pups, this post is to bring attention to Richboro's Nor'Wester Readers Canine Assisted Learning Program. When I first heard of this therapy program in Bucks County and parts of Montgomery County where kids read to dogs, I thought it was therapy for the dogs. It is actually therapy for the kids!
The premise is that the presence of therapy dog teams offers a stress free learning environment that will increase a student's self-esteem and confidence.
I had the opportunity to see what this wonderful organization does first-hand when I took these photos of kids reading to the canines at the Northampton Library. I got to see some of the Nor'wester dogs (and many others) again at their Dog Walk and Family Fair at Tyler State Park, which I attended a few weekends ago to support this interesting local mission!