Kayaking on the Brandywine

Dan celebrated his thirty-third birthday a few weeks back.  In honor of his special day the two of us took a day off of work, woke up early, and drove to the Brandywine River for a day of kayaking.

The Brandywine River Valley, located just outside of Philadelphia, is really a sight to behold.  I had been introduced to this region without even knowing it when I fell in love with the work of American realist painter Andrew Wyeth, particularly his scenes of the Kuerner Farm and his Helga series, while studying Art History as an undergraduate.  Wyeth,  a realist painter, was inspired by the rolling hills and farms of the Brandywine Valley and the surrounding countryside.  When I travelled to the region for the first time in 2006, while visiting the Brandywine River Museum (which features a collection of three generations of Wyeths), I felt as if I had just stepped into one of his paintings.  Now, we travel to the region at least once a year for our annual Memorial Day picnic at the Chaddsford Winery or pass on through while traveling to meet friends.  And every time, I still can't keep Wyeth's haunting images out of my head.

Our little kayaking adventure was another chance for me to experience Wyeth's landscapes, but this time via a 13 mile trip down the Brandywine River.  It was a wonderful day, and hopefully the beginning of a yearly tradition.

During our 3 hour kayak trip, we did not see one other soul on the river (aside from the normal aquatic life!)

Northbrook Canoe Company was amazing.  We started our trip at the main office and were greeted by a very nice man from Northbrook at the end of our trip, who drove us back to get our car.

Dan made friends with a few little ducks.

Everything was so, so lush.

Absolutely no one in sight.  Heaven, frankly.  

A happy birthday boy.

A Weekend Escape

Boy, oh boy I've been slacking on here, haven't I?  It's been a rather busy past week and I haven't had a moment to compose my thoughts in the typed form until now, really.  This past weekend Dan and I shuttled off to picturesque central Pennsylvania to see my family.  We left on Friday, after a miserable day of work and a week of late buses resulting in lots and lots of waiting around.  I ended up downloading two (2!) Beach Boys albums in an attempt to keep my mind off of a bad week and to help move me into a great weekend.  I surprised Dan with my new musical acquisition, we put the top down, cranked the music up,  and sang all the way to my parent's house.  A word of advice to the stressed- The Beach Boys do wonders in uplifting the spirits.

I thought I'd share a few photos from a hike we took on Saturday.

We hiked in R.B. Winter State Park, a state park that I used to life gaurd at, once upon a time.  If I ever complained about that job (and I am sure there were a few times) I kick myself now.  What a peaceful atmosphere to spend your day.

 It was so refreshing to escape the city for the crisp, clean air of the mountains. 

I used this hike as an opportunity to play with my Hipstamatic iPhone app.  (I have a great love for Lomography and any application that will mimic the swoon-worthy LoFi, vintage aesthetic of a plastic camera's image.)  I have a few rolls of 120 film shot on my Diana that have been waiting patiently for nearly a year to be developed.  If I had an endless supply of cash, I would have had them developed by now.  This fun Hipstamatic app offers instant gratification that I really love.

Much like today, Saturday was a perfect day for a hike.  We moved from trail to trail, eventually ending up at a very odd structure a few yards passed a spring.

We were shocked to find it, as there were no other structures or signs in sight.  And we were even more shocked when we peaked through the chicken wire walls.

The "building" is filled with water. Perhaps the trail that we were on, "Boiling Springs Trail", should allude to what purpose the building originally served, but I am still without an answer.  The upper portion does not appear to be original but  matches the rest of the structures in the park.  The stone foundation, however, appears to be older- though we didn't stick around to inspect it further.  Quite frankly, we were a little weirded out as this is how campy B-horror movies start out.  I like to think that at one time this served as a hot spring where the locals and those passing through town came for  healing and relaxation.  I'm no geologist so I am not very sure that is the case.  If anyone has any ideas, please let me know.  In the meantime, I'll update you if my sleuthing turns anything up.