Seth’s Sightings

On our way home from enjoying a meal in Bethlehem as part of Downtown Bethlehem Restaurant Week last Sunday, we drove into the sunset. The day had been damp. We’d driven through a thunderstorm to get to our destination, and now, as light faded, there were fantastic cloud formations rising up from the dense woods that we could see off in the distance. Some of these formations hugged the hillside, making for wispy white blankets reaching up toward the ridge tops.

One of the more interesting was a version of this as we came through the Lehigh River gap near Palmerton while driving Route 248. The clouds hugged the base of the mountain, and then rose slightly, it seemed, to let the Turnpike tunnel road in. The glow of the tunnel lights illuminated the bottom of the clouds, and then out towards our direction across the river.

At the Palmerton Gap, the Appalachian Trail comes down to the road. We noted that the heavy rains had washed a substantial amount of stone from the trail out onto the roadway. There must have been a gulleywasher, as there was debris all along the roadside for about a quarter mile.

It looks like we’ll be seeing more thunderstorms through the week.

For sightings, Ruth and I spotted a doe and her daysold fawn on the hillside overlooking Big Boulder. Other

by Seth Isenberg

critters include a healthy, tubby porcupine, groundhogs of all sizes, a turkey and the first of summer’s fireflies. On one of our evening rides home from White Haven, driving after dark, I sighted a fox seated at a little opening at the bottom of a tree. We’d slowed to see a deer pass when I sighted the fox, sitting or standing there, thinking it was well hidden. It was watching the deer, paying no mind at all to us.

It’s also the season for wildflowers. We are seeking to identify an orange/red bell-like flower with a yellow accent that we sighted. There’s joy in sighting thick stands of flowering mountain laurel, including Routes 940 and 534. It’s a good year for the laurel bloom.

On our ride into the office on Monday we drove through a hailstorm. Our sure-footed Kia encountered some trouble in deep spots of water.

Congratulations to Ross Chastain for his NASCAR win at Nashville – celebrated with his signature watermelon smash. Also of note, U. of Florida put on an offensive show versus L.S.U. in the men’s college world series –24-3.

This weekend we are planning to see The Complete Works of Shakespeare, Abridged, Revised, Again, performed outdoors at the PA Shakespeare Festival (so no rain, please). We’ll include a farmers’ market stop on our way.

Next weekend, along with the Briggs Farm Blues Festival Friday and Saturday, we’ll do some blueberry picking out towards Berwick. Mid-month we plan to take a trip for an evening at the Benton Rodeo, and also enjoy an afternoon at the Pow Wow in Drums.

Looking far out, we plan to see more performances at the PA Shakespeare Fest, some of the shows of the Pocono Mountains Music Festival, and attend all the races at NASCAR weekend at Pocono Raceway.

It’s going to be a busy as summer gets into full swing. Good health to all…

Artisan Breads Tuesdays & Fridays; Fresh Baked Baguettes Wednesdays & Sundays; Bagels, Muffins, Fresh-Baked Pies Too; Locally Butchered Meat; Charcuterie; Alaskan-Caught Seasfood; Local Dairy; Italian Pastas from Philadelphia; Many More Locally-Sourced Food Items; Fresh Brewed Coffee and Herbal Teas served daily.