Probably the last major development to be built..

My back yard used to back up to woods. A few years ago a developer bought the property and began disturbing our peace. This is the second to the last section of these houses to be built. The last section butts up to our property (that's the part at the bottom of the photo) but there'll be a section of woods, maybe 20', between us and them and it's downhill does that help. I can't help but be a bit melancholy when I look at this though, because my boys grew up playing in the woods that used to be here. They made bike trails, and had a climbing tree, and played paintball. We took walks back here to the county park across the street. That's a public golf course at the top of the photo, it's within walking distance from the house. It's, also, the hill that we used to sled on in the winter.

The Bethel Mall!

This is the main thing my hometown is know for...Booths Corners Farmers Market! The Amish along with a lot of other merchants come here every Friday and Saturday to sell their produce, baked goods, homemade dinners, meat,furniture, etc! I knew before I went there that certain Amish women would not mind me taking their picture. I did ask before I shot. I chose the one here because her face is partially screened and I somewhat protect her identity.

A not so busy intersection near me.

I tried to step out of my comfort zone and try some night photography. I took my assistant along! (My cooperative subject has been promoted!) I wanted to do this at a different intersection but a funeral in the parking lot prevented me from standing where I thought I needed to be! This is plan B. I don't really think the name of the school needs to be in the picture but it does lend some weight to the theme.
I tried using my auto ISO feature tonight, and after looking at the shots on the computer, wish I hadn't. The shots are really grainy and my camera doesn't do so well at that high of an ISO. I also used a really long shutter speed here...30 seconds. There's not much traffic on this road and we had to wait a long time to get just 2 or 3 cars in the same shot. I also tried to see if I could get all three colors of the traffic light and actually really liked the way it turned out!

Just a pond for today...

I took a ride around the township today to see what else I could find to show more of my hometown. I have ideas that need to wait until the weekend but nothing for today. It's been raining off and on all day today so nothing even looks pretty. I stopped at this pond hoping to find some kids fishing or people walking around the trail. No one but me was there and I had time for three pictures before it started pouring. The landscaping around this pond was done as part of an Eagle Scout project project by one the scouts in our troop.

I cloned out some phone poles and wires, but I left the flag poles in the shot. I didn't want to be unpatriotic!

a one room school house in my hometown!

Built in 1824 this one room school house stands on a corner very close to my house. It was used as a school until the 1950's when a new school was built. Then it was sold to someone who converted the building into a house. The current owners gave me a tour today after I knocked on the door and asked permission to take a picture! The original beams are still in the ceiling of the school. The original stone still shows in places inside the school room. It's been repointed but the stone itself, is the real deal. Even the school bell is still working...I got to hear it!

Our scouting home!

This is the church that sponsered our boys Cub Scout and Boy Scout Troops. I think we've spent more time in this building than in our own church. For two years we were here three nights a week. Kevin and the Cub Scouts were on Monday, Dan and the Boys Scouts on Wednesday, and Michael and Webelos met on Thursday. Then there were camping trips and banquets, and committee meetings, pack meetings.....After almost 20 years our relationship with this church and scouts is ending. All three of our boys have become Eagle Scouts thanks to the support of this church's congregation.

The sanctuary of this church was built in 1852. It's roots are deep seated in the community.

A look at my hometown...

When we moved here 23 years ago, the population was about 2,500. At the time of the 2000 cenus we had grown to 6,500. Today I would estimate that number to be between 9,000-10,000. Gone are all the little farms replaced by housing developments. While the township has grown by leaps and bounds in the number of residents, it's still considered a small town. Ninety one percent residential, 3% farming, 3% business, and 3% industry make up the 5.4 square miles of my little town.

This is the orginal building that housed the police station and township garage when we moved here. Today it houses the local ambulance service.

A few years later with a volunteer residential crew this next builing was built with a meeting room and offices for the secretary and sewer authority in the back.

Over the last couple of years the township has expanded enough to warrant building a new maintainance garage, more offices, and more offices! Our police department which has been located in a trailer for, probably, the last ten years will now even have a holding cell. Our once sleepy little town is no longer a sleepy little town but a suburban town with all the problems that develpment causes.