Wednesday, August 18, 2010

This and That in Ambridge So Far

Ambridge is a wonderful place, a community like nothing I've experienced before. Katherine Regan is my kind, loving, sharp-minded, Irish, Catholic, retired school teacher, 92-year old next-door neighbor. She has lived in that house her whole life. Her hearing is not the best which means that there are plenty of opportunities to "come on up" which translates to "come sit on my porch and talk with me for a while", which I enjoy. She told me how I have come to Ambridge at a bad time, thinking of the good ole war days when the steel mills flourished and everyone had a job. I am surprised at how well she gets around, always working in her yard and driving here and there. She gives me the Pittsburgh and Beaver County newspapers a few times a week which is how she keeps up with the happenings of her home...never owned a computer. She retired from teaching the year before computers were to be implemented into the school system. I am not surprised she has such a sharp mind although I started to suspect a bit of decay one day when a man fell on the sidewalk and cut is head with his glasses. Katherine asked the paramedics if they needed some tissue to clean him up. So... But she is 92.
It has been a fun summer month here: a bus tour of Pittsburgh, a going away party for a new friend, visiting the Warhol museum downtown, seeing the city at night from Mt. Washington, a house-cooling party, reading ahead for classes, moving people into their new homes, bike rides on hilly roads, chatting with family on gmail-chat which allows Naomi and me to see each other, swimming, moving people into their new homes, playing (and dominating) Settlers of Catan, visiting different flavors of Anglicanism, walking all over town, writing down crazy dreams as I have started to keep a pen and pad by bed, taking care of insurance and car stuff, learning the Greek alphabet, playing at an open-mic night, meeting new house-mate, going to the movies and helping people move into their new homes.

4 comments:

Norma said...

I had a feeling you may have written after months of not writing on your blog. I decided to check and enjoyed reading every entry. Ambridge sound like a very nice place.

Norma said...

PS. I like the new bright look.

Cathleen said...

I am so glad that Ambridge has been a wonderful experience for you thus far. I hope it remains so. Just know we think about you and miss you down here.

Wesley said...

Yea, me too. Im glad to hear you have started writing again as well.

CAt- thanks, it is the perfect place for me to be right now, i often think about you guys too and miss you very much. I would really love to have you guys come up to visit whenever it is doable for us all.