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Henry Dallimore found true love in Pottsville, Pennsylvania and emigrated there in 2006.

These are his messages back to Shorelink Community Writers.

Henry's First Message

I am quite elderly really I suppose (72 to be exact) and have recently emigrated to Pennsylvania and got married in June this year. I shall be sending "Letters from America" from time to time (in memory of Alistair Cooke), but we have been having a nice summer and fall and I have not got into the rhythm of sitting at the computer and writing. I joined Shorelink in the summer of '03 and write both prose and poetry, I started on my first novel in January 2000 but all I have written is the prologue and first paragraph of chapter one! So I doubt if it will ever get completed. My interests are railways together with most forms of transportation, digital photography and video making (no not that sort Missus!!). Since coming to America I have become a volunteer at our local library giving lessons in computer basics, digital photography and video.

Henry's "LETTER FROM AMERICA"

#22

10 JANUARY2010

I have just been watching Tony May’s videos on YouTube of all the snow you’ve been having. I can honestly say that this time you have got more of the stuff than us here in Pottsville. It must be admitted that we have been lucky here in our valley tucked away at the foot of Sharp Mountain. There has not been too much snow and most of it has simply evaporated in the very dry conditions which prevail here. I have already told of the infrastructure we have for clearing operations; it is so easy to criticise England for the failures in this connexion but of course when an event only occurs once in twenty years, it does not make economic sense to have equipment standing around waiting for things to happen.

Last year’s Christmas was an eventful one as we had it twice! The forecast for Christmas day was for an ice storm (which never materialised by the way), so Linda decided to postpone the family gathering until the Sunday. It was a good idea as Joanie’s Brother, Bob, lives in Lewisburg which is a good two hours drive from Allentown. It is an easy drive for us, around 45 minutes (50 miles) mostly on an Interstate, but is a totally different trip for Bob and Jeanne. Anyway, the net result was that Charlie and Josie next door invited us in for Christmas Dinner and on Sunday the weather was one hundred percent fine for travelling. There were twenty at Linda’s on Christmas day and a good time was had by all. The weather was kind enough to allow everybody to get here for the exchange of presents on Christmas Eve.

New Year consisted of us being out on the porch at midnight with me attempting to get a tune out of my bugle. Charlie said he thought the Redcoats were marching up West Market Street! So another year has been consigned to the dustbin of history. It seems such a short time ago we were worrying about millennium bugs and whether the world was about to end! Now all we have to look forward to is the Mayan prediction of December 2012!

The attempted bombing on Christmas day has given the Administration a much needed kick up the backside but as usual everyone has over reacted. Closing Newark terminal C for six hours just because someone got the wrong side of a barrier was, in my opinion, totally needless. I have myself fallen foul of the Newark security after having gone through a check with some loose change in my pocket. Despite it being obvious what was the problem, they searched my bag and wiped every item for explosives/drugs!!

The decorations and tree have gone for another year so everything is back to normal (whatever normal is) and I have only had to go out snow shovelling twice, this is considerably less than this time last year. But, apart from snow shovelling, life goes on here without too much happening. Yet another judge up in Luzerne County has admitted taking bribes as well as various other officials.

POW!, our writers’ group had it’s first birthday yesterday (Sat 9th) Sally has a copy of the newspaper report published this morning if you want to see it.

I hope you all keep your heads above snow level!

Until next time.

BFN
H

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