You Rock ...

“Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground.”

    ~ Theodore Roosevelt

       ~ 1858-1919

  ~Naturalist & Conservationist

 ~ 26^th President of the United States of America

       ~ 1901-1909

I found this painted rock with the phrase “You Rock” along the Saucon Rail Trail, Hellertown, Pennsylvania, on a beautiful summer afternoon in late August.

This painted rock is likely part of the The Kindness Rocks Project, which was founded by Megan Murphy of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, who wanted to spread encouraging messages to strangers by writing them on rocks she found on the beach. The practice spread and launched similar projects across the United States.

The grassroots project encourages people to leave rocks painted with inspiring messages along the path of life. People are encouraged to take one, share one or add to the pile. You can see just how much impact she’s made when looking up #TheKindnessRocksProject. Learn more about how to join the movement at http://thekindnessrocksproject.com.

“You Rock” is a slang phrase of praise or encouragement conveying “You're awesome (at something)” or “You can do it!”

Raptor In The Grass ...

“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.”

   ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

    ~ 1803-1882

 A red-tailed hawk peers through the tall summer grass on its hunt for prey on a beautiful late August morning at Trexler Memorial Park, Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Let's Go Dutch ...

“Kumme esse”

  ~ Pennsylvania Dutch phrase for “Come eat ”

The Hamburg Diner advertises its Pennsylvania Dutch fare on its sign on a late June afternoon in historic Hamburg, Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, the diner closed after 50 years in business in May 2018, a month before I shot this image. Hopefully it will reopen!

The Pennsylvania Dutch are a cultural group formed by early German-speaking immigrants to Pennsylvania and their descendants. The work “Dutch” does not refer to Dutch people or language, but to the German settlers known as Deutsch in standard German and Deitsch in the principal dialect they spoke, Palatine German.

Most emigrated to the Americas from Germany or Switzerland in the 17^th and 18^th centuries. Over time, the various dialects spoken by these immigrants fused into a unique dialect of German known as Pennsylvania German or Pennsylvania “Dutch.” At one time, more than one third of Pennsylvania’s population spoke this language.

Pennsylvania Dutch specialties include Schnitz un knepp ( a dish of ham or pork shoulder with dried apple and dumplings), apple butter, baked apple, chicken and waffles, Chow-chow, cole slaw, corn fritters, Lebanon bologna, pork and sauerkraut, potato filling, pot pie, fastnachts, funnel cake, funny cake, angel food cake, whoopee pies, shoofly pie, sugar cookies, root beer and birch beer.

As I am half Irish and half Pennsylvania German, I grew up with much of these tasty offerings because my late grandmother was a wonderful baker and cook, and fastnachts, shoofly pie and angel food cake were my favorites of hers.

Hamburg, Pennsylvania, officially founded in 1787, was named after Hamburg, Germany.

The origin of the phrase to “Go Dutch” is traced back to the 17^th century when England and the Netherlands fought constantly over trade route and political boundaries. To “Go Dutch” implies an informal agreement that each person will pay his or her own expenses during a date.