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	<title>Jenny and Jonathan Got Married!</title>
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		<title>Fall Hike in the Laurel Highlands</title>
		<link>https://www.jennyandjonathangetmarried.com/lifeblog/2023/10/fall-hike-in-the-laurel-highlands/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jonathan]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 15 Oct 2023 00:12:55 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Outdoors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Photography]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Western Pennsylvania]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.jennyandjonathangetmarried.com/lifeblog/?p=6837</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[I was fortunate to have a little bit of time to get out for a hike in the Laurel Highlands as the leaves were getting into full Autumn mode. Jenny and I were with her family at Laurel Hill State Park, which has a number of great trails. Many of them are interconnected, and some are parts of longer trails that continue into Forbes State Forest. Connecting several trails is a great way to make a big loop to both get some miles under the boots and have the opportunity to explore some different terrain in the park. For this particular hike, I hiked from our cabin out to the Ridge trail, then down the Shay trail to access the Pumphouse trail, which took me over to the CCC dam. From there, I took the Tramway trail along the creek out to the state park road, looped over the bridge crossing the creek, and then picked up the Ridge trail back up to the cabins. It was just about four miles of hiking, mostly without seeing or hearing anything other than the woods and water and wildlife. That&#8217;s a pretty nice way to spend a couple of hours with a camera. I took a different route last year that involved a rather steep descent from the Ridge trail to the other side of the CCC dam, and then a wet crossing of the creek to get onto the Tramway trail. On that hike, I ended up getting wetter than expected when I slipped during that wet crossing and my foot came down in a deeper hollow in the creek, and then I had to work to try out my jeans back at the fire. It had been raining this year and the creek had a pretty good flow, so I decided I wasn&#8217;t going to risk that again this year!]]></description>
		
		
		
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		<title>Short Visit to Gettysburg</title>
		<link>https://www.jennyandjonathangetmarried.com/lifeblog/2023/06/short-visit-to-gettysburg/</link>
					<comments>https://www.jennyandjonathangetmarried.com/lifeblog/2023/06/short-visit-to-gettysburg/#comments</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jonathan]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 01 Jul 2023 01:46:21 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[History]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Photography]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Travel]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.jennyandjonathangetmarried.com/lifeblog/?p=6827</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[After a family wedding (hooray fun times it was 400 kinds of awesome), Jenny and I had some time to explore Gettysburg before we had to head home. I&#8217;ve never been there. I love going to historical places with Jenny because: We didn&#8217;t have a lot of time to spend, so she suggested the Pennsylvania memorial monument. A couple of other popular spots are closed for work right now, so this seemed like a great plan. We also had the opportunity to walk around that area and drive through some of the park to see the roadside memorials in the surrounding area. I would like to go back, but I need to go and read up on the battles again so that I can better understand the geography and what was happening where. Now I feel like I have the base framework so that I can fit those details into my brain in a way that will stick. After I took the series that resulted in the last two photos, I was meeting Jenny back at the car, and this couple pulls up next to us and shares the anecdote that the locals claim that every year around this time there are groups of turkey vultures that show up across the battlefield. Then the guy says, &#8220;You know what they were feeding on back then, right?&#8221; &#8230; and drives off.]]></description>
		
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			<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		
		
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		<title>Long-Awaited Update</title>
		<link>https://www.jennyandjonathangetmarried.com/lifeblog/2023/05/long-awaited-update/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jonathan]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 30 May 2023 00:46:59 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Outdoors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Photography]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Western Pennsylvania]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.jennyandjonathangetmarried.com/lifeblog/?p=6814</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Well, perhaps not long-awaited, but it has been a while since I updated anything here. Things have been busy. Here are some fun photos from the last few months of excitement!]]></description>
		
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Merry Winter Holidays</title>
		<link>https://www.jennyandjonathangetmarried.com/lifeblog/2023/01/merry-winter-holidays/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jonathan]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 01 Jan 2023 21:58:28 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[House and Home]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[New Kensington]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.jennyandjonathangetmarried.com/lifeblog/?p=6800</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[We hope whatever holiday(s) you celebrate have been happy and merry and full of light and warmth. We were happy to host both of our families here, Jonathan&#8217;s on Christmas Eve and Jenny&#8217;s on Christmas Day. It was a busy time getting ready, but really nice to be able to visit with those who could make it. Jenny had a chance to get together with all of her sisters this weekend. We survived the major cold snap and the following rapid thaw. Now New Year&#8217;s Day is upon us, it&#8217;s 2023, and we&#8217;re hopeful for a great year to come. The tree and decorations still have another week or so to go here, and everything is hanging in there. I&#8217;m busy planning some more winter and early spring projects, we are prepping for some more major work on the house, and thinking about future projects. It&#8217;s a good time. Happy new year!]]></description>
		
		
		
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		<title>A Cold Hike on the Updated Tredway Trail Extension</title>
		<link>https://www.jennyandjonathangetmarried.com/lifeblog/2022/11/a-cold-hike-on-the-updated-tredway-trail-extension/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jonathan]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 22 Nov 2022 00:49:39 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Outdoors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Photography]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Western Pennsylvania]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.jennyandjonathangetmarried.com/lifeblog/?p=6796</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[I decided to take my daily steps on Sunday with a hike on the recently updated Tredway Trail Extension, which runs from under the Freeport Bridge to Kiski Junction, where the Kiskiminetas River joins the Allegheny River. It is also where the former Allegheny Valley Railroad branch of the Pennsylvania Railroad crossed the Pennsylvania Railroad&#8217;s Conemaugh Line. In more recent times, Kiski Junction was where the Kiski Junction Railroad interchanged with first Conrail, and now Norfolk Southern, via the Conemaugh Line. The Kiski Junction Railroad ceased operation within the past few years. The wye for the interchange and the rail bridge over the Kiskimentas is still there, but slowly becoming more overgrown. The Conemaugh Line is still in frequent use by Norfolk Southern, typically seeing several freight trains per day, mostly eastbound, plus locals switching several industries along the line. The Tredway Trail follows the roadbed of the former AVR branch from Braeburn to Kiski Junction. The rail line from Arnold to Pittsburgh is still in place and active, operating as the Allegheny Valley Railroad, a division of Carload Express, and serves a number of industries along the line, interchanging with multiple railroads, including Norfolk Southern and CSX, as well as the Buffalo Pittsburgh Railroad, another short line. There is a section of the AVR right of way between the water pump station in New Kensington and Braeburn that was abandoned by the railroad a long while ago, and is apparently owned by some person or entity. For a short while, it was unofficially open to bikes, and I rode it once. Shortly thereafter, the owner apparently had issues with people being stupid, and put up a bunch of no trespassing signs. I hold out hope that it might someday be open to bikes again, as that would provide a trail from New Kensington all the way to Kiski Junction, which would be a fun ride by itself, and a nice connection to the Butler-Freeport trail in Freeport Wow, so that got off track pretty quickly. Back to the point&#8230; I wanted to test hiking with the GoPro TimeWarp recording mode, and figured I might get to see a train at the junction. I also wanted to see the improvements to the trail, as the last time I hiked this section it was a mess, with logging activity leaving big ruts and debris. At the time, it was open for use, but generally unimproved. It underwent a bunch of improvement in 2021, so I was excited to see what they did. It&#8217;s a nice flat, wide, groomed trail now, with a secondary loop that runs down closer to the river, which looks like it follows maybe an older part of the railroad roadbed. It was a pleasant, if downright cold hike, and I got a train shortly after I arrived at the junction! Of course, as I hiked back along the trail headed for the truck, I heard another train. I should have waited the extra 15 minutes! Below are a photo and a simple edit of the video from the hike. I&#8217;m excited to add this to the ride when I take my bike out to the Braeburn trail head in nicer weather!]]></description>
		
		
		
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		<item>
		<title>Presque Isle Autumn</title>
		<link>https://www.jennyandjonathangetmarried.com/lifeblog/2022/10/presque-isle-autumn/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jonathan]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 19 Oct 2022 23:48:26 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Outdoors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sailing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Western Pennsylvania]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.jennyandjonathangetmarried.com/lifeblog/?p=6788</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[It was that time of year again, when the weather turns cooler, the leaves begin to change and fall, and Pinniped has to be lifted out of the water of Lake Erie before the water gets hard. We were scheduled for a 09:00 Monday appointment at the lift well for the crew to take us out and get us on stands in the boatyard. I went up Saturday to get her ready to come out, including doing an oil change, packing up and removing items that can&#8217;t freeze and food items that we don&#8217;t want to leave on board all winter, getting the sails down and bagged for storage, and getting the interior packed up. I had some time Saturday and Sunday afternoons to head over to Presque Isle State Park. Saturday the waves were starting to subside a bit from earlier high winds, but they were still significant. Sunday was a beautiful day, and I had a chance to hike along the beach to Gull Point, and then take the Gull Point trail back to the truck. I had never hiked out there, so that was a fun time. I took a few photos both afternoons. Monday had high winds and rain predicted. Not exactly fun for lift-out and then winterizing the engine, A/C, and head, and then getting the halyards and other lines stowed for the winter. Somehow I lucked out, and the wind stayed down while I was getting over to the lift well, not getting strong until the boat was already secure on the ground, and the rain held off until I was done with everything and got into the truck. I literally got into the truck and the first rain drops hit the windshield. I got myself cleaned up, grabbed some food, and headed home. Pinniped is now safe for the winter. I still have to go up with my Dad and get the cover on, but I can do that on a decent weekend, since everything is winterized and I don&#8217;t need to worry about anything freezing that shouldn&#8217;t freeze.]]></description>
		
		
		
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		<item>
		<title>A(nother) Pleasant Daysail on Lake Erie</title>
		<link>https://www.jennyandjonathangetmarried.com/lifeblog/2022/10/another-pleasant-daysail-on-lake-erie/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jonathan]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 05 Oct 2022 11:19:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Outdoors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sailing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Western Pennsylvania]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.jennyandjonathangetmarried.com/lifeblog/?p=6784</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[A departure-to-return video from a daysail we took aboard S/V Pinniped, our Jason 35, on Lake Erie from a few weeks ago.]]></description>
		
		
		
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		<item>
		<title>Early Autumn at Todd Nature Reserve</title>
		<link>https://www.jennyandjonathangetmarried.com/lifeblog/2022/10/early-autumn-at-todd-nature-reserve/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jonathan]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 02 Oct 2022 23:19:45 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Outdoors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Photography]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Western Pennsylvania]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.jennyandjonathangetmarried.com/lifeblog/?p=6780</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[I had a chance to get out for a bit of a rainy, cool, early autumn hike at Todd Nature Reserve. I didn&#8217;t have enough time for my usual full loop plus side excursions, but I hiked most of the Ravine trail, part of Loop to Indian Pipe, and then Hemlock from there back to Loop right above the cabin. All told, it was a little over a mile. I would have loved to get some more mileage in, but I had a nephew&#8217;s birthday party to attend!]]></description>
		
		
		
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		<item>
		<title>When the Sailing Weather Isn&#8217;t Appropriate</title>
		<link>https://www.jennyandjonathangetmarried.com/lifeblog/2022/07/when-the-sailing-weather-isnt-appropriate/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jonathan]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 27 Jul 2022 01:57:53 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Outdoors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Western Pennsylvania]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.jennyandjonathangetmarried.com/lifeblog/?p=6774</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Sometimes the sailing weather isn&#8217;t appropriate. It happens. Fortunately, since we are still in the daysailing stage, inappropriate weather does not mean that we have to put on our foulies and bash into waves for several hours to make home port before we have to go back to work. Instead, we choose other warm-weather activities to keep us occupied and give us a chance to disconnect from work stuff for a while. As we were close to Jenny&#8217;s birthday, she had first say on what we should do. Her first choice was for a sail, but, well, weather. We had a nice three-day weekend set aside, but the wind was predicted to be low and shifty or high and from bad directions, with storms on at least one of the days. Not super fun. Jenny also loves to paddle, so that was her second choice. We headed out to Moraine, pulled our kayaks off of the racks, and had a beautiful flat-water paddle. It was a Friday, so the lake was relatively empty of people. It was beautiful. We had chosen to paddle in the direction of the osprey nest, and we were glad we did. We were looking up at the nest at a couple of birds perched on the supports, and at least one or two smaller heads poking out of the nest, and suddenly they all started to make a lot of noise. I was looking through my camera at the time, and a larger adult flew into frame&#8211;carrying a sizable fish! Lunch is served, young birds. Eat up! We enjoyed the rest of our paddle that day, exploring almost eight miles of the lake shore, and then returned to the racks to lock up the kayaks and have a little picnic with some Subway sandwiches we had picked up on our way to the park. It was an absolutely wonderful day. Saturday was supposed to be pretty hot, so we decided to escape to the mountains for a picnic and reading day (and some light hiking for me). We had some misty showers when we arrived, but nothing too serious. Jenny enjoyed reading, podcasts, and people watching, while I walked out the Copper Kettle Trail and then walked the Hemlock Trail loop. The Hemlock Trail passes through the park&#8217;s Hemlock Natural Area, which signage tells me is the only stand of old-growth hemlock trees that remained after logging came through and clear-cut most of the area. Hemlock bark was prized for its tannins, used in making leather. I was fascinated to re-learn some of this history. I know I knew these things in the past, but I had forgotten the details. Thank you, Pennsylvania DCNR signage! There were a couple of absolutely massive trees that looked like they had fallen somewhat recently, but there were a lot of also massive trees standing, including the one pictured here. I didn&#8217;t have any appropriate tooling to help me guestimate height, but this tree was much wider than me, and I&#8217;m pretty wide! The Hemlock Trail has a loop that returns to the start point, following the creek that feeds the Laurel Hill lake. It was quite pretty, and I think I will have to add this to my fall hike list! The Copper Kettle Trail took me back to Jenny and our picnic table, where I pulled out our little grill and made hamburgers for dinner. Another wonderful day! Jenny went off to spend Sunday with some of her sisters, so I did a bunch of house stuff, including sanding and prepping for paint the area on the one porch column that needed some repair, and removing the front screen door and patching the holes and some minor damage with thickened epoxy. Now that the porch is on the house and things have settled into place, the screen door was just a smidge too low for the latch to catch. Moving the strike plate and lengthening the mortise would have been the easier option, but re-hanging the door was the more correct way to fix the problem and avoid later issues, so the old holes had to be patched strongly enough that new holes could be drilled just above them. The epoxy I used takes a 24hrs or more to set (more in this case because it was pretty humid), so later in the week, I drilled the new holes and re-hung the door. It was a good weekend. Hope y&#8217;all are having good adventures out there, too!]]></description>
		
		
		
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		<item>
		<title>It has been a busy spring!</title>
		<link>https://www.jennyandjonathangetmarried.com/lifeblog/2022/06/it-has-been-a-busy-spring/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jonathan]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 30 Jun 2022 00:29:46 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Outdoors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sailing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Western Pennsylvania]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.jennyandjonathangetmarried.com/lifeblog/?p=6769</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[I don&#8217;t have a good excuse for this one&#8211;I just haven&#8217;t updated this thing in a while. Oops. Among a bunch of other things, Jenny and I have managed some kayak paddles at Moraine, some bike rides all over the place, and have had several nice sails already on Pinniped. I was able to get her ready for launch pretty early this year, and we were in the water late May! That was a pretty big change from the past two years, where we had pandemic interference in 2020 and launched mid-June, and then last year trying to get the damaged rub rail repaired had us launching in late June. In fact, last year, I don&#8217;t think we even got out for a sail until early July! We have been enjoying the additional boat time afforded by a timely launch. There is still a list of projects, of course, but I think that&#8217;s a given. Anyway, here are a couple of photos from our recent Erie adventures: Presque Isle after a couple of days of heavy winds kicked up some notable waves, and out sailing the lake the prior weekend in absolutely gorgeous conditions. More to come. Get outside and enjoy some nature!]]></description>
		
		
		
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