A Pennsylvania Autumn

As usual, I take time out on Thanksgiving to contemplate all the blessings that God has given me. Other than my Salvation, one of the greatest gifts I have received at the hand of the Lord is my wife. We recently shared our 32nd wedding anniversary by touring our home state of Pennsylvania.

America is such a beautiful country, and I'm blessed to have been born here. Each state has its own beauty. I absolutely fell in love with Alaska. I've never seen a place quite like it. I love the New England states - everything from the Atlantic coast to the mountains. The South has a different look altogether, but nevertheless, it's beautiful.

But as Dorothy once said, "There's no place like home!" The natural beauty of Pennsylvania has a way to pull me in. I've always loved nature, and Pennsylvania is the place to be.

We began our trip by going to one of my favorite spots - Lake Erie. Presque Isle juts out into the lake and 62 miles away lies Canada. Fall is such a wonderful time of year and all of the glory of the Autumn sun shines on the Lake creating a dazzling display of God's creative hand and power..

The sunsets on Lake Erie are some of the most beautiful I've ever seen. Much of the time my wife and I were the only ones on the beach and after 32 years it was wonderful to just stand there beside the love of my life, feel the lake breeze blowing in, and revel in the beauty of the sunset.

The Fall foliage is as fresh and beautiful here as anywhere. Add a trail through the wooded beach and it's almost Heaven - no, this is Pennsylvania, not West Virginia..

There's so much more I could share, but we must move on. After attending the Sight and Sound presentation of Jonah in Pennsylvania Dutch country, we toured some of the Amish farms and then settled in for a night with Christian singer Steve Green. The man has such a powerful voice and makes sure that God gets all the glory.

We then headed back to Central PA and Mount Nittany. In days gone by the nittany lions would roam the countrysides and explore the mountain. It is from this creature that the Penn State Nittany Lions get their name. Very rarely are the animals seen today, and of course there were none in sight as we hiked the trails.

Located in State College, PA the mountain is really more like a foothill in the Appalachian chain. The peak only reaches to a little less than 2,000 feet, but every square foot of it is gorgeous.

Sayers Dam in Howard, PA is another one of my favorite spots. We actually didn't make it there this year, but we spent some of our 31st anniversary there. So I'll share them here.

Thank you for sharing my special time with me. I'm glad you could be a part on this trip.

Oh yeah, one more picture - the one who made it all possible!