Map of Joseph Wharton’s 1891 plan to create a series of reservoirs to supply Philadelphia drinking water. PDF of the report (from phillyh2o.org).
My favorite local weather source @nbc40weather mentioned the outside possibility of a tornado today, sparking domestic disharmony as dear wife Julie insisted there have never been tornados in South Jersey. The NCDC Storm Events database is the place to prove all doubters wrong. It’s got all the crazy weather listed there—hail storms, crazy winds. You have to select “tornados” to get those particular listings. There you will find one Atlantic County tornado in 2001 and a tornado a few weeks ago in nearby Ocean County (details confirmed by nbc40weather).
And for those tracking, here’s the current weather map. Not the most ominous I’ve ever seen but there’s plenty of wallop there!
Turkeys!:
Hard to see, but them there is a gaggle of turkeys running into the bush away from us. We’ve seen a lot of wild turkeys around South Jersey this summer.
A local client from Tabernacle NJ came to me with an interesting project. He’s owned a commercial cleaning company for a number of years and has heard his share of horror stories about the cleaning services clients hired before finding him! This experience led him to write a PDF book about how to hire the right cleaning service. What a great idea and a what a useful book this is for small business owners.
The site’s on a bit of a budget so it’s a simple design, with colors and general look-and-feel borrowed from a site the client likes. Simple editing comes via CushyCMS. When customers click to buy, they are sent to Paypal for the actual transaction and then forwarded to E-Junkie, which provides the automated and integrated PDF download.
Visit the site: Office Manager’s Guide to Hiring the Best Cleaning Service
The Snake Brothers singing today at the Feast of the Assumption at St Mary’s Malaga. I’m sorry I missed them, Julie says they put chills down her spine. Luckily they’re playing again on the 29th at Estell Manor as part of the Pinelands Folk Arts Festival (PDF flyer). I won’t miss them this time!
I got details for Quaker picnic and outing at the Cape May Zoo at the end of this month:
Salem Quarter has rented Cape May Zoo Shelter C for the day of August 30. We plan to start arriving shortly after 11:00 am after worship at Seaville Meeting. Others are welcome to join us. Bring a picnic lunch. The zoo closes about 5:00. There is no entrance fee, although they do welcome donations. The zoo is shady, so can be comfortable. The animals seem well cared for.
The PPA announced winners for the their photography contest. I didn’t win, but I was beaten out by some great pictures. Below are some, follow the link for all. My Quaker peeps should know that Jaime Cromartie is a member of Atlantic City Area meeting, so at least one of the family made it!
A Flickr user name Oceanpeg just left a comment on one of my recent pictures to let me know that the Pinelands Preservation Alliance is holding a photo contest! I’m a big fan of the PPA and try to get to a few of their events every year but didn’t see this in part because the announcement is only a PDF on their site. Here’s the relevant information about the contest, download the PDF for full rules. The three pictures here are the ones I just submitted.
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Pinelands Preservations Alliance (PPA) is the only non-profit organization whose sole mission is to preserve and protect the natural resources of the New Jersey Pinelands. PPA is 20 years old this year and you can help us celebrate!
Have you ever paddled your way through cedar-colored water, hunted or fished, hiked on sugar sand, helped clean up the woods, waters or roadways, in the Pine Barrens? If so you probably have captured these moments in a photograph. We want you to enter them in our 20th Anniversary Pinelands Photo Contest.
Who can enter?
What to enter:
One photograph, taken within the last two years, in any or all, of the categories below:
How to enter:
You can submit photos from May 15th to June 15th.
Get the full rules in this two-page contest PDF flyer and find out more about the good work of the Pinelands Preservation Alliance through their website.
Charred trees in a flooded area: Remains of Atsion Fire, 10/08.
Trees throw whichway: Remains of Atsion Fire, 10/08.
Spring Trail: Remains of Atsion Fire, 10/08.
Earth, Fire, Water: Remains of Atsion Fire of 10/08, photographed seven months later.
A huge and I mean huge bird: A turkey vulture I think, though I’ve rarely seen one this big. It stirred in the tree branches along the ground near us, then flew with wide wingspan up to this tree. Remains of Atsion Fire, 10/08.
The boys on the fire trail: Remains of Atsion Fire, 10/08.
