dragonlager.com

Dragonlager.com will be going under renivations for the next couple weeks.
It maybe offline for a couple says too,
I hope make into a five photo-blog of Lancaster.
see you soon!!!

there is an old quote: “there are no facts, only interpretations”
Tim Russert always seem to interpret America with more respect to objective facts than the average reporter.
In a media world where demographics, ratings, pundance,and inciteful opinions dominate, Russert seem only interested in finding truth with evidence to support claims..
I never met him. I was just a fan . one of millions.
I felt like i lost a trusted freind today, who came through my TV everyday.
Good By Mr. Russert we will miss you.

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Prices at the gas pumps rising… inflation. does anybody have money really to travel for vacation?

So its time to adapt. And do a vacation of exploring our local communities. Their is plenty to do around lancaster, we plenty of parks. The Lancaster County Park is partly in the city limits. So today I visited the park and snapped some photos at “Garden of Five Senses”.

I grew up a dirt poor kid in Lancaster. So I have been visiting the parks and fished the Contestoga river.I do not worry when the money belt gets a little tight, pertaining to vacation. I been through it many times before.

Visiting the Park, and the Garden of five senses is free. Its great for couples are kids, and no need for big plans to visit.

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Hard to believe these Eastern Pines Grow in the city limits. I wish i could upload the Smells and odors of this garden. too bad i cannot find the right file format.

Plenty of signs that explain the natural history and life in The Garden of Five Senses. The one on the left is in braille for the vision impaired.

I love to hear the water move in the garden. this is a pond right in the middle.

With no money to travel, we mind as well see how nature flowers in flows at home!

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Call me Ishmael, but I have been obsessed on getting a decent picture of the Red- Tail Hawks that have been flying into the City of Lancaster. Despite being called a “chicken Hawk”, these common birds of prey feed on mostly rodents, and rabbits. They generally like open places to hunt, such as farms or open fields.

So i am surprised to see them in the city limits, where it is tough fly and hunt with their wide wing spans.

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Left: is the huge antenna at U.G.I, near Farnum field. You can see the skeleton of the new Convention Center in the backround.
Right: is  one of two Red tail Hawks who are in the “light stage” this means they are just past the juvenile stage.   You can see the white breast, which will become darker as the bird ages into its “dark stage”.
well i am sure I can get some closer pictures in the future,
All well, Happy Memorial day.

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Senator Barack Obama held a rally yesterday at the Lancaster Train Station. With The Pennsylvania Primaries coming on Tuesday, Lots of supporters came out.

This is not a political website. But this is where I was Yesterday, with several thousand other Lancasterians.

Sen. Hillary Clinton was campaigning in York, Pa. Mean while Sen. Obama was here in Lancaster, with friend and respected Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey.
The weather was beautiful and the air was thick was excitement. and I kinda chuckled when a few young girls nearly swooned beside me. The Political issues are always the most important thing, however you cant underestimate the charisma of Obama, admits the very festive atmosphere.

The Rally included a local, proud veteran, some fine Lancaster Rock bands. Senator Bob Casey (middle right  second pane) talked briefly and stood in support of Obama.
Hootenanny singer Earl Pickens received a couple humorous Jeers for mispronouncing Lancaster (its pronounced LANG-kist-er). his performance was fun and engaging he is definitely worth checking out at is site: myspace/earlpickens.

the Senator from Illinois did pronounce “Lancaster” correctly and that is the most important thing (hehe).

Some overtime for these two fellows.
The Primary is on Tuesday Aprill 22nd. Vote early and vote often!

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while cleaning up my computers folders i found a couple pictures I took last year.

This was a damp night in December on Queen st.

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Lancaster has two squares: Penn Square and Lancaster Square.

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late fall picture. I had taken this with my first camera… I bought the camera right in time for the fall leaves change.

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peace!

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dear mr. Obama,

If i am going to vote for you, twice possibly… I would like you to understand me a little better.
I live in one of those towns in Pennsylvania, where gun control laws,illegal immigration, and religion are always a topic. I am sometimes frustrated and bitter just as you recently said.

However, I do not think that I or others in my community build the whole of our values on our frustrations and bitterness.
This is Pennsylvania, the Keystone state, with many towns older than our country. It is a state also a state where sporting is very big part of life.
The constitution and the principles of our founding fathers has a influence on our values, just as the colonial architecture, and heritage influences the scenery.

* The debate about gun control is an argument over constitutionality. It not a diversion from bitterness.

* the debate over illegal immigrants has a lot to do with citizenship…I for one encourage that everyone who wishes to participate in America, should strive to be a tax paying citizen. my value of citizenship, has nothing to do with frustration or bitterness.

* religion? well as far as i can tell the majority of people use faith as means of building values. again it has less to do with frustration or bitterness at the kernel.

does frustration drive us? should frustration us? I think so, but I think you have confused on how Pennsylvanians value.

Do we all agree on issues such as illegal immigration, gun control, and religion? of course not.
Thats what diversity is all about. We may find a unified America of diversity… an Integrated America, within the principles of responsible liberty, that our founding fathers worked so hard for.

I think fine sir, that you can make a great president, but you can at least take another look at Pennsylvanians Values. I think you missed the mark the first time.

Regards,
Chris

With the skyrocketing cost of gasoline; With my truck being worked on, It seem a good chance to look for some alternative modes of transportation. Today I chose to take the bus to work.

I live about twelve miles from where i work. It usually takes me a half hour, through morning traffic to drive to my destination. My beat up truck has a tiny 4 cylinder engine and it uses about 2/3 a gallon of gas to get to work.

So today, in rebellion to the the addiction to the great American Heroin, OIL, I woke about an our early to walk downtown. Not the safest journey in the predawn hour… Detouring through Water st has some hazards… I was only proposition by one prostitute, nothing too dangerous.( i wonder if google has taken its now notorious 3D map of water st. hmm)

I reached the Red rose transit authority lancaster bus stop early. So I took some pictures to kill the time.

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Some people were out in the early morning. Not much traffic yet.

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Their seems to be art studios everywhere in Downtown Lancaster. This window display added a sentimental detour to my trek to the RRTA terminal on Queen st. “Where The Wild Things Are” was a favorite book of mine as a small child. Its regarded as classic.

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Ms. Clintons campaign headquarters on the corner of Walnut st and Queen st. With the Pennsylvania primary coming up on April 22nd. Its impossible not to walk ten feet without tripping over a political sign. (I should of asked that prostitute who she is voting for…)

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And finally to the new bus terminal on the two hundred block of Queen. The Terminal is very clean and attractive. This picture was taken from the bus i was on.
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What i learned today. It cost me $ 2.15 and an extra hour of time to get to work. That time was a pleasant experience. I personally do not believe the price of gasoline is ever going any direction but up.So I found a successful alternative today.
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Chris gets on his soap box: every week is a chance to explore on more way to find alternatives to our out-of-date energies. shutting down unneeded power sources in the house. Using low energy light bulbs.
using mass transit, car pooling or riding a bike to work.
Time for us to beat “America’s Heroin” addiction. mind as well have some fun doing it.
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www.redrosetransit.com

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As spring calls out to me to enjoy the great outdoors…my computer keeps trying to call me back with goodies:
* Wordpress released its wordpress 2.55 package and a new dashboard design for the free wordpress.com

* Openoffice.org the opensource equivalent Microsofts office just released Openoffice 2.4

* Avant Browser, a lite speed cruisin browser just released its new build.

* Modzilla is planning to release Firefox version 3.o on wedseday,outside of Beta.

So many new toys!… Its a conspiracy to keep me away from my fly fishing rod and hiking boots… oh my computer it is such a horrible enabler to my internet addiction.

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Julia was part of America’s “Greatest Generation”. She was a poor child of the depression. She was an aspiring musician who played on a couple radio programs in the 1930s.( today I have her saxophones)

She joined the U.S army during WW2 and she was one of the first women stationed abroad in the U.S military.

Julia was a single mother who worked full time to raise her child. She became the first Female council woman of Lancaster City government, while raising her family and working full time.
My fondest memory of Grandma Julia was, when she took me too my first Philadelphia Phillies Baseball game. I was eight years old. (the worst memory of her is when she told me she had become an Atlanta Braves fan.. he)
Julia (1922 - 2007).
We finally got her favorite type of tree (weeping willow) tree…
planted spot on the Conestoga river. tomorrow is her Birthday.
Happy Birthday Grandma.

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Well things look a little disorganized.
I apologize for the haphazard conditions on my site and blog.  i will get things straightened out, with some new additions over the week.

Thanks for stopping by, in the mean time

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Hillary Clinton will be at Millersville State University tomorrow evening.She is the first of the major candidate to do so.

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…The Download for the unofficial list of candidates in the Pennsylvania 2008 Primary….
i thought i’d pass on the link.

This link is for the PDF download (as with Adobe acrobat reader)

http://www.dos.state.pa.us/bcel/lib/bcel/elections/petition_filers.pdf
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click below for the HTML (viewed in your browser):

(VIEW HERE)

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This short list is updated and unofficial.

(this post has been re edited. It was a bit jumbled after i moved things around. The unofficial list is a neutral non-partisan list…sorry if it was confusing, before)

“Its about a Roller coaster!”
Blasting my radio in my truck the other day…on the way to Work at 5:20 am… AS usual…
“Diablo Roho” by “Rodrigo y Gabriela” came through my speakers.
A terrific Spanish guitar duo from Mexico.
Thank God WXPN FM 85.5 is broadcasting into Central Pa.
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Apparently need to start keeping up with music again… I only heard of them last week.

There site is www.rodgab.com
I saw on there tour-info page that , The closest concert to me is in New Jersey in 2008.
We need to get these two brilliant performers to Longs Park!

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