Seth’s Sightings

Passover and Easter dominated our week. This past fall, Ruth and I agreed to go to a family seder in Worcester, MA, since we’d be able to finish our newspaper work by mid-day on Wednesday, then drive.

However, on the day of the trip, our first order of business was for Ruth to visit her orthopedic doctor to have her cast removed and a new x-ray. That x-ray showed she was healing well enough to be transferred into a boot instead of getting a new cast.

From there, we returned to finish packing and put the dogs in the car for our trip north. Our hopes of arriving somewhat on time were dashed when we ran into heavy traffic on Interstate 84 in New York state just before the Connecticut state line. It was stop and go for a couple of hours. Amazingly, we arrived mid-seder to enjoy a nice meal and good company.

We overnighted in a lakeside convention hotel at Sturbridge. It felt like we were the only guests very

by Seth Isenberg

nice and quiet. In the morning we found a good breakfast in town, and then took a drive to explore Sturbridge and Southbridge before heading back for a longer visit with family.

Late afternoon we made cemetery visits. We then drove until dark, stopping at Rein’s Deli/Restaurant in Vernon, CT, where the featured attraction was kippered salmon salad for Ruth, and a pastrami, corned beef and Swiss sandwich for me, plus a lovely sweet noodle kugel. (We’re not following the Passover matzoh-only rules this year, due to my still being in recovery from surgery.)

On our way north we made a stop to pick up some Columbian food at Noches de Columbia in Newburg a restaurant and bakery, just off the highway and wonderful.

On Saturday morning we turned out to the first of the monthly Main Street Outdoor Markets in White Haven. There were booths and sales items, crafts, food, and a nice start for this event. The market will continue on the second Saturday of each month.

From there we drove to Princeton, New Jersey, where we arrived at the great Alpert family gathering seder. Attendees celebrated my Aunt Joan’s 98th seder. Ages ranged from 1 to 99, with four generations represented. There were 19 adults, 6 children, 1 baby, and 3 dogs in the house, plus our 2 dogs out in the car. We had another good meal and got on the road just after dark.

On the way home we were able to enjoy a decisive win by our Wilkes-Barre/ Scranton Penguins. On Wednesday’s ride to New England, we keep track of the Penguins’ game against Charlotte a loss. There’s only one more home Penguins game this season, this Saturday against Charlotte again.

Easter Sunday, we were tuckered-out. I got Ruth to Easter services, then slept in for a bit.

It was too nice a day to sleep the rest of the day away, so we took a nice drive over the Francis Walter Dam and through Lake Harmony, and then through Hickory Run State Park. There, our patient dogs were rewarded with a short walk at the day use area. (There were four sets of people out using the park, which was nice, as lately we’ve been the only folks out.) While there, a heron flew proudly overhead.

Other sightings this week include fox and racoon, and of course lots of deer. In Kidder Township and at the State Park, we sighted three different signs of bear activity scat near the day use area, fresh scratching on trees, and an overturned set of trash cans.

It will be a quiet weekend, with Saturday’s last night of local hockey in Wilkes-Barre the highlight. As for the rest of the weekend, There’s an

Eagle Shows event at the Slatington Marketplace

I plan to attend either Saturday or Sunday. With this week’s spectacular weather, here’s hoping for a beautiful day on Sunday for some yardwork and maybe a ride in the country. Best of health to you all.