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

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"

#3

6 November 2008

Well was I right or was I right? Almost two years ago I felt that Obama would win the election. We can only hope that for once things will work out for the best. I am so glad that it is all over and done with, some really crazy things happened during the campaign. For instance someone, and I do not know who, said that if Obama was elected, within six months he would be put to the test over some world threatening event. Would you believe that the opposition started saying if you don’t want this event to happen, then vote for McCain!!

Anyway, enough about the election. The price of gas has come down to less than a year ago and is around one pound sixty now, so there is no more moaning about that. We have been enjoying something of an Indian summer just recently with daytime temperatures in the mid-sixties. Of course the next event is Thanksgiving on the 27th of this month and before you know it, we shall be doing exactly the same thing at Christmas!

The Halloween decorations have come down everywhere, except at our bank, yes even the banks put up decorations! I am reliably informed that the Christmas decorations will be going up just as soon as thanksgiving is over!

Autumn is really dragging it’s feet this year, three weeks ago I did my photo collection, today I have been out and about with the camera as about 85% of the leaves are still in place and the colours are truly amazing. However I have now run out of ideas for original photos and have put the project to bed.

The day after Thanksgiving is called “Black Friday”, not because all the shops run into problems. Quite the opposite, it is the day when the Christmas shopping season starts and the shops all move into the black (or so they hope). I don’t know how things will work out as Joanie had a fall three weeks ago and now has one knee braced and one arm in plaster. So exactly how all this shopping is to be done is yet to be revealed!

Joanie,s eldest son, Jimmy, collided with a deer on his way to work last week and the repair total is around $7,000. I find a sense of irony in this as he is the hunter of the family and spends weekends shooting them!! Actually, as you can imagine, hunting is big business here with many stores dedicated purely to the needs of this so-called sport. It is licenced and closely controlled, the argument being that it helps wildlife survive by limiting their numbers; I thought Mother nature had been doing just that for thousands of years! Still if sitting up a tree with a loaded rifle is your bag…

Until next time

BFN


H

LETTER FROM AMERICA

ADDENDUM TO #3

I completely forgot to mention in letter #3 that the Christmas decorations and tree were switched on Saturday last.

The town square (Garfield Square - named after the president not the cat!) is a lovely sight at night now and the centre has a crib display and a row of choirboy models who, amusingly enough, are standing right behind one of the canons which form part of the war memorial. A message perhaps? Of course the fire department trucks were also present. Americans just love their fire trucks and not without good reason I might add.

They are larger than ours and beautifully turned out. They turn out for any public occasion and sometimes parade around the City with sirens blazing. Last summer no fewer than 25 came by the house! Of course they put out fires as well! I am still trying to find the American equivalent to "Hugh, Pugh, Barney McGrew, Cuthbert, Dibble and Grubb" (The Trumpton fire crew for those not familiar) but I guess things are perhaps taken more seriously here.

Peace and love

H

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