New Jersey Nature Scenes

We are spending a few weeks in the States, staying with our son and daughter in law, and getting some medical work done. Our son, Richard, has recently begun fishing in some of the many lakes here in northern New Jersey. He caught the 21" long one, pictured below, after work today. His new fish scale was sitting at the house, having arrived in the mail today. So we'll never know how much this big boy weighed, since Richard returned it to its watery home after snapping this photo with his phone.

Below is a tranquil lake scene in Pompton Plains, where Richard and Nancy have been living since last fall.

Richard grew up fishing on Bonaire, and is really enjoying fishing again, after about a 10 year gap for schooling, marriage, buying a house, and getting established in a somewhat sane day to day routine.

Marj and Duff Brown

Longtime friends of Trans World Radio, Duff and Marj Brown are moving from New Jersey to live with son, Scott, in Nashville. On June 20, their home church for more than 5o years, the 1st Reformed Church of Pompton Plains, had a reception for Marj and Duff, as well as a commissioning as they enter the next phase of their lives. Below we see Dr. Duff, Marj, and Sandra at the reception. The Browns were regular visitors to Bonaire, beginning in the middle 1960's. In addition to enjoying the unspoiled beauty of the island, they volunteered both their medical and handyman skills in many different ways over the years.

Landis Valley Museum

Sandra and I are in the States getting some medical checkups. We visited my parents last week, and took side outings to Landis Valley Farms, and Wilbur Chocolate. Wilbur has been doing chocolate for more than 125 years and is a fun visit. Interestingly enough, Wilbur Chocolate was purchased in 1992 by Cargill, who also operate the salt production facilities on Bonaire.

Landis Valley Farms was running instructional workshops last week. Lessons were being given in open hearth cooking, blacksmithing, Amish wedding box construction, tinsmithing, woven rope rug making, and antique hit and miss engine repair.

The tin shop crew was making lanterns like the one in the middle of this picture.