Since my previous "personal" blog was a bit on the melancholy side, I thought I'd post something more inspirational. Does it have anything to do with Pike or Wayne County real estate? Not really - but this does have a bit of a snapshot of Wayne County living. *smile*

I posted this on my strictly personal blog, but thought my ActiveRain friends may like it too. This is part one - the message I wanted to convey was too long for one post, so part two will come tomorrow.

TIGGERING MY WAY THROUGH LIFE, PART 1

The other night The Man About the Place and I took the kids out for dinner. It was a spontaneous decision, and we headed to Newfoundland, planning on some pasta or something from Napolitano's.

Dang, it was closed. The Man and I did not want to go to Scranton, nor did we want fast food. We settled on Kay's (after convincing The Boy that it was NOT KFC) in Lake Ariel. Had a nice time, nice atmosphere, nothing fancy schmancy, just very nice. Good food.

My husband probably wishes that he drove home.

Upon leaving Kay's parking lot, instead of turning left to go home, I made a right and said "Let's see what's up this road!" As a real estate agent, this is what I do - drive around to see what's around the bend. The Man, a woodworker, was pleasantly surprised to discover an establishment that offers kiln dried wood. Interesting.

See, if we would have just gone straight home, he'd have never known it was there.

We follow this road to its conclusion, then go down by Lake Ariel and admire the stately old mansions on the lake... and end up on Golf Park Road. We turn right. Well, now the fun begins.

I'm silly from eating too much pasta I guess, because we come across a herd of cows. I did the natural thing; I rolled down the window and "MOOOOOOed" at them. The kids giggled.

The Man remained poker faced but I think I made him smirk, anyway. Then we all got to laughing at how funny the cows looked, just staring at us. We came up with things the cows might be saying or thinking.

A bit further down the road, we saw some deer. We pulled over and talked to them too. Silly...I suppose. I see deer all the time, usually with gritted teeth hoping they weren't about to jump in front of my Honda.

Tonight though, we stopped and talked to them. Well, I talked, the kids laughed, and The Man probably wondered if we were going to get home before midnight.

Tigger would have been proud of me, I think.

Stay tuned for Part Two - Living the Last Lecture.

WEICHERT, REALTORS® - Paupack Group Independently Owned and Operated

Karen E. Rice is a real estate agent working in Pike & Wayne County of Northeastern PA in the Pocono Mountains. Wayne & Pike County and the Lake Wallenpaupack region is one of Pennsylvania's most popular destinations for vacations, retirement, and purchasing a home.

MORE PICTURES!!! Visit PikeWaynePABlog.com for some more fun pics of the Smokin' Hawley 500 Soapbox Derby.

Contact me for up-to-date info on Hawley PA real estate and homes for sale. Hawley is a pure and perfect example of the kind of small hometown that brings to mind images of Norman Rockwell, apple pie, baseball...and soapbox derbies!

Welcome to the Wild Card Wednesday #2!

The bald eagle has become more of a common site here in Pike County; conservation efforts have been successful in bringing our nation's symbol out of danger of extinction. However, since I'm a few miles from Lake Wallenpaupack, and several miles from the Lackawaxen River, I never expected to see one in my yard in Paupack!

Bald eagles have been seen near Lake Wallenpaupack (the osprey is a more common sight there, though) but the majority of the sightings have been along the Lackawaxen River in Kimbles, Rowland, & Lackawaxen (on the Towpath Road.)

Later that January, my kids and I counted over a dozen eagles roosted in trees by the Lackawaxen on The Towpath. I had never seen an eagle in the wild before this picture was taken. Eagle watching is a popular local pass time and hobby - here are some conservation programs that may be of interest:

• The Eagle Institute
• Delaware Highlands Conservancy
• Lacawac Sanctuary
• Delaware Valley Raptor Center
• Pocono Environmental Center

Eagle watching is but one perk of owning a riverfront property! Click to see the current riverfront homes for sale in Pike and Wayne County, along the Delaware, Wallenpaupack, and Lackawaxen Rivers. Each river & river front home has a unique character and its own beauty. Contact me for more information.

WEICHERT, REALTORS® - Paupack Group Independently Owned and Operated

On New Year's Eve morning, I had to go to Blooming Grove, as a buyer was interested in a cabin I have listed for sale. The previous evening, about seven to eight inches of snow had fallen over this section of The Poconos, coating everything in sight and softening all the harshness of winter.

Even though I am no fan of winter and cold weather (then why do I live here??!), there is something about new snow that makes winter more tolerable. Though last winter was mild, comparatively speaking, the lack of snow made it depressing, for me at least.

With snow clinging to the bare tree limbs, the branches no longer look so bleak and forlorn. Covering up the roadways, though temporarily, snow hides the filth of salt and cinders.

Even this trailer, abandoned in Pike County for heaven knows how many years, doesn't look as blighted when the edges are softened with freshly fallen snow.

Every day is what you make of it. It can be bleak, or it can be an opportunity to find beauty, somewhere. I'll opt for the beauty.

Wishing you all the best in 2008, and in the beautiful years to come.

Since I don't believe in keeping all this beauty to myself, I thought I would share five of my favorite recent snow shots with you. These were all taken in Pike County - and even though I prefer to be warm (I'd like to be neighbors with Chris, as long as her possums are under control) you will see why I truly do love to call northeastern PA (NEPA) my home.

WEICHERT, REALTORS® - Paupack Group Independently Owned and Operated

Walker Lake Estates in Shohola is a small, quiet homeowner community only fifteen minutes from Milford PA, about 2 hours from the GWB and Lincoln Tunnel. About 1 hour and 40 minutes from Tappan Zee.

Walker Lake is a great fishing lake. (I caught a few bass there myself, back in the day...) If you want peaceful, this is it!  Only 5hp motors are allowed on this lake, so no peace and serenity disrupted by wave runners, water skiing, or speedboaters!

Walker Lake is in Pike County and the homes are in the Delaware Valley School District.

(This post originally referenced a cabin that was listed for sale - rather than delete the post, I kept the parts about Walker Lake for general info purposes.)

Search All Delaware Valley School District Homes for Sale 

Pike County PA Real Estate: Walker Lake ©Copyright 2007 by Karen E. Rice. All rights reserved.