Seth’s Sightings

As I finish this column this week, there is a smoky haze in the air around the Pocono Plateau. The haze is thick enough to dull the bright sun. Red Flag warnings are out regarding the threat of brush fires, and the weather looks dry for days to come. Our local firefighters will likely be busy keeping us safe.

Families of high school and college grads are invited to send photos for our upcoming graduation pages. Last weekend, we drove to Philadelphia ahead of my medical day on Monday, and stayed at a friends’ home. Another long-lost friend, found again, was in from the west coast to see his family, so we got together for dinner two couples sitting in an outdoor space literally on the street (with a wall between us and traffic). It was a good meal, and fun to reconnect.

Sleeping over was nice, and we got a good start CT scan first then a surgeon visit. Things are stable, showing no growth good news. Ruth and I celebrated with our Philly host with a mid-afternoon lunch before

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by Seth Isenberg

returning to the Poconos just in time for me to cover an evening supervisors meeting. My birthday was in late May, and we chose to celebrate on the weekend with a trip to a favorite Greek restaurant, Yanni’s Taverna in Bethlehem. It was a wonderful, wonderful meal from start to finish. We discovered Yanni’s on our trips to the PA Shakespeare Festival. A bonus of this trip was that we could also take a trip to the Allentown Farmer’s Market to pick up some Mediterranean and Polish foods, along with fresh-baked bread.

I volunteered for a shift at the Fly-In, Drive-In Breakfast in Mount Pocono. This was a good time, and an amazing number of people turned out to help, including congressman Matt Cartwright, who did a shift making pancakes. I helped with some clean-up.

I went directly from the Fly-In, Drive In to a fun afternoon at Pocono Raceway’s Air Show a “wow” of an event. It was good to see it well-attended. It was fun to be at the Raceway that day in the sunshine.

On Memorial Day, Ruth and I attended parades and ceremonies…remembering and honoring.

The mountain laurel are starting to bloom. It’s also time for Lady Slippers (Ruth calls them Duck Flowers), and we have sighted a nice stand of these rare beauties.

See SIGHTINGS, page 7

Sightings

Continued from page 6

Around our property, I’m our ‘sheep laurel’ bush is fine bloom along with a robust flowering of our mock orange. The purple rhododendron is finishing its bloom, while some of our planted flowers are beginning to peek out including some lilies.

On our Philadelphia weekend, sightings were the beautiful variety of people there. In Philly, dinner was in the University City area, and we watched as two young ladies pulled a rolling laundry bin of belongings past us along the sidewalk. They did this twice as we ate. Our lunch the next day had us walking from our parking space through a flow of Drexel students. The restaurant was on a street where all the opposite buildings are fraternities.

Looking ahead here and around the Plateau, we are planning to attend an opening performance of Henry IV Part 2 at the PA Shakespeare Festival at DeSales U. near Allentown, before the 11th when it closes. Next up by the PSF is the musical In The Heights, from the 14th to July 11. This weekend, I have a graduation to cover, and both of us will be volunteering at a booth at the Weatherly Hill Climb in the afternoons.

Coming up is the PA Great Tastes of PA wine festival at Split Rock June 17 and 18. It’s a major festival, right here in Lake Harmony. It will be fun. Then on Sunday afternoon, the 18th, at 2 p.m., Ruth and I will host a FREE performance of A Midsummers Night’s Dream at Big Boulder Ski Area. If you can come, bring a lawn chair. We’ll be supporting local emergency services, and the PA Shakespeare Festival’s youth program.

In sports the Calder Cup will feature the AHL’s oldest team, the Bears of Hershey, versus its newest, the Firebirds of Palm Springs. Also on a sports note, after all the badmouthing between sides, the rival ‘professional’ golf organizations will merge. Emotions led to some unkind words over these few months so there will be some feud burying to be done.

And one more weather note, I am hoping we do get enough rain soon as I am hoping for a good local strawberry season. Good health to you all.

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Sisters-in-law explore family tress with art, now on display at Kettle Creek

The Gallery at Kettle Creek this month is featuring two new local artists for the month of June Sue Gettlin and Susan Roth. Their exhibit entitled “Family Trees” features papercut artwork by Susan Feely Gettlin and watercolors, pastels and oils by Susan Gettlin Roth.

The work of both artists focuses on Family Trees and how they grow and intertwine. Check out the exhibit at the Kettle Creek Environmental Education Center, 8050 Running Valley Road, Stroudsburg, PA 18360 during regular business hours, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and some Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. through June 30.

The women are sisters- in-law and neighbors. Their show features photography, papercuts, watercolors, pastels, and oils.

Roth explains, “Family trees have been the focus of my attention: how they grow, intertwine, and, at times, suffer blight. I tend to my ancestral family trees and the trees on my property in Pocono Pines, where I live and paint with my colleague, neighbor, and sister-in-law, Sue Gettlin.

“Buying a home in the Poconos in 2022 provided me land, lakes, woods, and mountains to make mine by painting them; and then, to be known by showing and offering my paintings for sale. My place here is both new and renewing as I first came to the area as a camp counselor more than 60 years ago and am back again doing arts and crafts, finding joy.

“Literature was my first love. Meter, rhyme, figures of speech, and syntax move me. Sentence length has meaning. As a psychologist, I listen to what is said and what is not said. In making art, I also respond to patterns; background and foreground; line and color; positive and negative space; soft and hard edges.

“The progenitors of my art, my analytical father, a Certified Public Accountant, and my hysterical, colorful mother, provide the bases of my work and life. I integrate these parts of me using line, color, form, space, shadow, depth and value. In this exhibit, I explored and expressed these basic elements in watercolor, oil, and pastel.”

On Saturday, June 24, at 11 a.m., Sue Gettlin will demonstrate her papercuts with photos and explains the history of the process. This family-friendly event for all ages is free of charge, but registration is required by calling 570-629-3061.