Saturday 1/14/12. During the 10 years Linda lived here (68-78) her best friend was Kris. Jane told Kris that Linda was in town. Linda got a call from Kris and a reunion was emanated. The girls had 33 years to catch up on and there were few, if any, silent moments. Kris brought pictures of her kids and grandkids. The girls vowed not to take 33 another years to reunite.
In the afternoon we took a drive to the Edison Mall. There was a time when the area, which was way out of town, was up for sale. My Dad had thought about putting a housing development there. It was for sale at $400 per front foot. He didn’t make a move so it sat for years until the property was sold for the mall. Now you couldn’t buy it for $40,000 a front foot!
Sunday 1/15/12. Today was a lazy day. We slept in until nearly 9:30A. Then after breakfast and devotions we watched church on TV. Then it was time to get some exercise. We walked around the revitalized downtown area.
The city has gone to great lengths to bring life back to the downtown area and it has paid off. There are new hotels and every kind of eatery you can think of. Parking is still free on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. There are many activities which take place downtown. Yesterday several blocks of First Street were closed and it was Bike Day. There were dozens of motorcycles to see and it was a peaceful event.
Returning back to the boat the game between The Baltimore Ravens and the Houston Texans was about to start. It look like Baltimore is still in the running. 
The Franklin Arms Hotel was the “high rise” of the day when I moved here in 1958. There was ordinance at that time that no new structure was allowed to be higher than the Franklin Arms. It was thought that a taller building could not stand hurricanes. The original building was built in 1889 then the eight story addition built in 1924.
Lofton Island is a 9.3 acre island created from the 1910 dredging of the Caloosahatchee River channel. J.L. Lofton, who was in the dredging business, homesteaded it in 1911.
Because of its proximity to the Edison Bridge (US 41) it is known as “glimpsed by many; visited by few”.
It is wonderful to read about your adventures! Every once in a while Pastor Craig posts a comment about where you are on the Heidlesburg FB group page.
ReplyDeleteI wanted to let you guys know we missed Christmas caroling at your house this year! There were 9 of us caroling this year and it was a blast! Should have seen all of us getting in and out of one van. :)
Enjoy your trip and you will be in our prayers for safe travels!
Susan Thomas-Smith