Roulette Rebel : Pictorials

Pictorial - Jake's Rocks

joshhatcher — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 18:06:00 +0000

So the fam and I packed a picnic lunch at went top Jake's Rocks this Monday. Had always wanted to go, so we enjoyed our day off with the kids, the dogs (we're dogsitting one extra) and some food.

I was disappointed that there wasn't much information about the site, or how to find the rocks on the internet. I always like to get an idea where I'm headed before I even get in the car, so we went off with just a little bit of an idea where they were (near the Kinzua Dam).

We saw a sign off of the highway telling us where to turn, and then one small one at the entrance to the picnic area, but for the most part, it was not easy to find where the rocks were. We noticed a trail off to the side, and so we figured we'd take it to see where it went.

The picnic area was deserted. It hadn't been maintained, though nothing appeared to be damaged. The restrooms, however were closed for the season, so it was a little tough on the kids. (We had to find trees.)

Penny ate a mud pie, and got a mud mustache. We also discovered that spendng $8 on an over the nose collar was worth every cent. Walking Penny went from a nightmare to a pleasure.

Even Roscoe got in on the fun.

When we reached the overlook, we were amazed at the view, and the kids were excited about the "cave".

The rocks were huge, and beautiful.

The boys climbed up the last rock we visited like spidermen... Abe got scared. I had to promise him ice cream to get him to come down.

We had a blast. The hike wasn't strenuous, but it was challenging enough to make it a good time for the whole family, without wearing everyone out.

Cinco C's Alpacas

joshhatcher — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 01:49:00 +0000

We got to drive out to Cinco C's Alpacas out Sartwell Creek Road in Port Allegany today. Carol Howard gave my kids the grand tour, and the little ones got to roam out and play with the animals.

Carol is great, and you can tell she loves her animals, and takes pride in her work!

You can find out more about Cinco C's Alpacas at their website: http://www.cincocsalpacas.com

Down by the Riverside

joshhatcher — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 01:41:00 +0000

Took the wife and kids down by the Allegheny behind Mom and Dad's in Roulette. The water was cold and clear, the gravel was damp, and the smell of fish was strong, but the snow was almost all melted, and spring is near. Soon the banks will be filled with fishermen hoping for that prize trout.

Easter at the Hatcher's

joshhatcher — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 01:27:00 +0000

Easter is an extra special holiday for us. I'll blog about why it's so special to us sometime, but in the meantime, I'll just post some pictures from our Easter morning and trip to Roulette.

Bradford Slideshow

joshhatcher — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 01:22:00 +0000

Click this picture to see a slideshow of images around Bradford, PA.

South Bradford Fruit Market and Perkins Free Kids Wednesdays

joshhatcher — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 16:15:00 +0000

I went to the South Bradford Fruit Market last night to pick up some fresh fruit.
It's one of my favorite spots in Bradford.

The smells of fruits and vegetables, the colors, the texture of the crates and the plastic grass carpet on the fruit stands... it just feels amazing to me when I go there.

I always talk my wife into buying some concord grapes, and on the way back to the car I pop them in my mouth, and squeeze out the green insides with my tongue. I'm a seed eater, so i crunch into the seeds once the rest of the grapes are gone.

Then I took my family out to Perkins. The kids buckled down and finished school early in the day, so I wanted to reward them for their hard work. Wednesday and Saturday nights is "Kids Eat Free" day... actually, it's one free kid per adult, so two of our kids ate for free, but it's still a good deal.

As usual, the kids enjoyed the menu tailor made for them. Perkins has some special kids soda, which is made from blue or red syrup... This particular visit, though, the proportions between their syrup and carbonation was a bit off... The drink TASTED great, but was very very sweet. (I have no complaints... neither did the kids.

As my two year old started drinking her soda, I think the extra boost of sugar skipped her digestive track and went straight to her brain. Her eyes glazed over with the equivalent power of heroine to her little body, and excitement started boiling within.

When her pancakes came, with rainbow sprinkes (made with sugar) and Maple Syrup (also made with sugar), she gulped them down with delight.

Surprisingly, despite the high caloric content from the sugar, and the obvious energy rolling up beneath her skin, she was very polite and well behaved, along with the rest of my brood.

And then one of those moments that every parent dreamed of happens. A gentleman stooped down near my wife and I on his way out of the restaurant, and whispered in our ears:
"You two have such a lovely family."

And it made it all worthwhile.

Shiloh, sugared up and full of spunk!

Hatcher's Start School

joshhatcher — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 15:14:00 +0000

The kids have been in school for a week now, and I'm just now getting around to posting the pictures up.

Abrahm is starting Kindergarten this year, and the twins are starting third grade.

The kids attend public school at home through Pennsylvania Virtual Charter School. If you want to know more about their school, check out this video.

Pictorial: New York City

joshhatcher — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 19:52:00 +0000

I went to a Church Leadership Seminar in New York at the Journey Church of the City (which meets in a hotel conference room on the weekends. We met in their studio office space in Manhattan.)

The conference was great, and I learned a lot. I snapped some photos on the train and around town. Hope you like.

We stayed at the Peekskill Inn outside town. Nothing Spectacular, but they had wi-fi, and a hot shower, and the bed didn't smell like cigarrettes, so it was good enough for me. The view overlooking the Hudson was gorgeous.

Then we took the commuter train into the city. I was amazed at how much money and time people spend commuting into the city everyday to work.

At the train station, I noticed the speakers had spiny things on them... After some investigation, I discovered that the spines keep the local pigeons from making nests there.

We finished up the 45 minute commuter ride at Grand Central Station, and rushed through the tunnels to get to the next subway trains.

We also saw a lot of street musicians playing tunes in the subway. My favorite was this group of guys.

Another thing that caught my eye was a lack of parking, and this contraption designed to stack cars into a limited space. I don't ever want to hear folks in Bradford griping about a parking shortage until they try to park in one of these babies!

Pictorial: Valentine's Day Blizzard

joshhatcher — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 15:50:00 +0000

15 year old Ariel Campbell of Bradford snapped these great winter pics and sent them to us of the Valentine's Day 2007 Blizzard

It looks like Ariel and her brother Gage have gone a little crazy from being cooped up in this weather!

Summer Excitement: Lake Erie State Park and Midway Park Trip - July 2006

joshhatcher — Sat, 27 Jan 2007 03:01:00 +0000

It's January, and it's below zero outside. I thought it appropriate to drag out some summer time photos to reminisce a bit.

This July, the Hatcher's and the Lowman's went on vacation together. The Lowman's have been close friends of ours for years, and they are like family to us. We got a hold of some free tickets to Midway Park on Chataqua Lake in NY State, and we had to buy an extra ticket or two so that there were enough for both families.

We thought it would be a lot of fun to camp together, and we knew there was a park just down the road from Midway Park. So after a google search, we called and reserved a camping site.

After loading up an insane amount of items into the Blue Bomber, we met up with the Lowman's, and hit the road.

We made our way to Longpoint, only to discover they have no camping area!!! There are THREE Longpoint State Parks in New York State, and only one of them has camping. That's Longpoint at the Thousand Islands, which is where our phone reservations went.

The park director was kind enough to make a phone call, and offered to switch our reservations to Allegany State Park, or Lake Erie State Park.

"Bucky" Phillips was on the loose in the park at that time, so we thought it best to drive North a half an hour to Lake Erie State Park.

It was HOT. Well up into the 90's. We went swimming in the lake, which was not quite as fun as the pictures look. The beach had no sand, but sharp rocks. The kids were not allowed to swim with their "floaties" because they were not "Coast Guard Approved," and there were a dozen rude kids from the inner city swimming at the park as a part of some program.

The kids had fun, because to them, it was the beach.

We set up our tents, and instantly, the bottom fell out of the sky. It rained so hard, I thought Lake Erie was going to drown.

We had snagged a site with electricity, so we were able to keep fans going in our tents, to keep the cool air moving.

Despite the rain, Chris and Missy cooked a lovely dinner. They barbecued Chicken strips with some kind of carribean sauce, and it tasted like heaven.

Even though it rained enough to float a boat, neither tent leaked at all. We were completely dry and cool and comfortable all night long.

The sun came out the next morning, and dried things up all lovely and nice, so we were able to pack up quickly, and without mildew.

We headed out to one of my absolute favorite places, Midway Park.
There are a million things I love about Midway, the price is affordable, and though the rides are very simple, and best suited for younger kids, my family always has a blast.

The food is affordable, but even if you can't fork over cash, there is a great picnic area, and it's not fenced off and hard to get to like they are at those larger parks.

There is an old fashioned arcade, with Pac Man, skee ball, tickets and candy and plastic toys. The kids love it, and I love that I can spend ten dollars for a couple hours of entertainment, and the kids have something to take home with them.

We ate lunch at the picnic area. For some reason, the hornets were out in full strength. Chris (the strange bird he is) caught one and used a bread tie to cut off it's head. He was amazed at how long the stinger kept pumping after the bee was dead.

Again, it was one of those trips that cost us very little, and built memories that will resonate for the rest of my life, and it allowed us to feel like a family.

Hatcher Family Christmas Pix

joshhatcher — Sun, 24 Dec 2006 02:38:00 +0000

American Refining Group: The Nation's Oldest Operating Refinery

joshhatcher — Wed, 13 Sep 2006 20:25:00 +0000

A few weeks ago, the American Refining Group opened it's doors for tours. ATA busses loaded up at the Swap meet grounds, and then took visitors through the plant, to explain how Pennsylvania Grade Crude Oil is turned into thousands of usuable oil products.

We started at the Swap Meet Grounds.
My favorite monster truck, Grave Digger, was on hand. The kids were excited to see such a beast of a machine.

Oil from the refinery is refined into different grades. The Paraffin is removed and sent to Honeywell in Smethport. They refine it into food grade wax, so they can make things like wax lips.

We also took a tour of the packaging plant. This machine whirred thousands of bottles past, stuck labels on them, and then filled them, and sealed them.

Then we went to the Swap Meet. Lots of vendors, lots of oil memoribilia, and even the Sadie Green Sales Jug Band!

We had a blast. And again.. the cost... FREE. Can't beat that.

Pictorial: The Hatcher's Go To Niagara Falls

joshhatcher — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 17:53:00 +0000

Niagara Falls is by far, one of my favorite day trips. It's about a two and a half hour drive from Bradford, and it's one of those things that gets etched in your mind forever.

So, last Friday, we took a day off, and took a day trip.

The Rebel isn't making any money yet, so we had to find things to do for free or cheap. That's a Hatcher Family Tradition... (see my book, Cheap Ways To... available at http://www.amazon.com )

We decided we would visit both sides of the falls, and all of the free attractions that we could fit in one day.

So we packed a lunch, and ate breakfast in the car (pop tarts! yummy!). We arrived on the American Side at about 9 oclock. The first thing the kids saw as we pulled up was the giant hot air balloon.

We progressed to the place where we could walk along the rapids, until we reached Prospect Point.

It got a little misty, but most of the moisture was blowing away from us at this overlook. I had never been to the American Side before, so it was a new angle for me. It's not as impressive as Canada, but it is still gorgeous.

It's always fun hanging out with my kids, and my gorgeous bride. The last time we came, she was pregnant with Abe, and we walked all over Canada. She's still as pretty as the day I married her! It was just like Lois and Clark in Superman II.

We walked over to the visitor's center, and snapped a picture of the kids. They call it the "clock picture".

We walked across the footbridge to Goat Island, doubling back a bit to Luna Island, between the big falls and the "Bridal Veil Falls"

In between Goat and Luna, there was a soldier, dressed in British Garb from Fort Niagara.

(photo from Old Fort Niagara Website)
Isaiah was quite excited about meeting the guy. As we left, his mom explained "He's a soldier from the Revolutionary War Days."

Isaiah replied, "Wow. I'm glad he's still alive!"

On Luna Island, Shiloh removed her shoes, and tried to send them over the falls. I think she was a little bored at this point.

As I snapped this photo with the last remaining life in my batteries, Shiloh pushed me away, as if to say, "No comment."

Well, with a dead camera, and no more pictures to take, we proceeded to Terrapin Point, where we got soaked from the mist of the Horshoe Falls. We had walked for quite awhile by now, so the mist felt nice in that August Noonday sun.

The kids took off their shoes and ran in the grass near the Cave of the Winds while I went back to snag the car.

We rode over the Rainbow Bridge to Canada. I didn't really think about the fact that kids need identification when you take them to another country, so we were detained by customs for about 45 minutes. Eventually, the looked at the kids, and they looked at me, and they saw enough genetic resemblance to let us cross.

We were smart, and parked at a lot that was WAY out, paying only 6 American bucks for parking, compared to 16 to park closer.

We ate a picnic lunch of ham sandwiches, chips, and grapes at a table near the parking lot. A hungry yellow jacket hummed around the grapes, so the kids didn't eat very many of those.

The further lot provided a free shuttle back to the falls at Table Rock. We got off before that, and visit the Greenhouse. It's a free attraction. (of course) They have plants from all over the world, and exotic birds and turtles.

The kids were enthralled to be "in another country like Africa". And the culture of Niagara Falls is a little exciting too, with people all around you, speaking every possible language, and in native dress from all over the world.

We saw a breathtaking view from the Canadian side. We noticed that rainbows seem to follow you, no matter how far you walk.
(any physicists able to explain that to my kids? rouletterebel@verizon.net )

The we drove out to the botanical gardens (another free attraction), and looked at all the plants. The kids actually seemed enthralled by it. Especially when we found an unattended sprinkler. The twins got soaked. Shiloh decided it was time to go, so she walked close to them and started hollering. Until the sprinkler made it's way around and dumped some water on her head. She couldn't make up her mind if she liked it or not.

Abe was too busy looking at the plants to care.

We stopped by the Butterfly Conservatory, which is not a free attraction, but does have a large lobby with windows peeking inside the butterfly room. There is also a free display with caterpillars and cocoons, and then many mounted butterflies.

Our legs were tired, and we had homemade vegetable soup in the crockpot, so we headed back to Bradford for dinner.

Total cost: 35 dollars for gas and tolls. 10 dollars for lunch supplies.

Kinzua Bridge: What's Left of it!

joshhatcher — Wed, 31 May 2006 02:15:00 +0000

Photos by Elizabeth Hatcher
Essay by Josh Hatcher

In 2003 a tornado swept through McKean and Potter Counties. It will forever be remembered to us locals as "The one that took out the bridge."

I grew up visiting the bridge. We'd pack a picnic lunch, and Mom and Dad would take us to walk across the ancient steel and wood structure. Right out in the middle is where your stomach would start to shake a bit, when you looked over the edge and felt a strong breeze.... I would think in my head... it's going down... but it never did.

At least not until a few years ago. Read about the collapse here.

Since then, I've been meaning to get out and see it, but I just haven't had the time.
My brother took his wife out this past weekend, and she got these pictures.

If you are interested in the history of the bridge, the Smethport History Website is quite informative.

Easter Vacation: Roulette, PA

joshhatcher — Fri, 21 Apr 2006 16:31:00 +0000

Day 1: Easter Sunday
After church, we head to Roulette. The "Rebel-mobile" is already packed and loaded. We pull into Mom and Dad Hatcher's house, pose for an annual Easter Picture.

While the ladies get the ham dinner finished up, Dad and I set up the new tent in his backyard. Sure, it's not "roughing" it... but we're camping for a week, let's be realistic.

So we eat dinner, and then go to Zoe's mom's house in Port Allegany for more food (and her homemade candy.. mmm good.)

We know we'll get back late, so we plan to sleep inside the house for the first night.

Day 2: Teach a Kid to Fish
After breakfast, we hit the river. We fish in "Dates' Hole" (pronounced by a million Roulette Natives as 'Dateses') in the Allegany, which runs along the back of Dad's property.

We fish and fish, with little result, other than tangles lines from the trees and brush growing up. So we hit the gravel bar down below. The spring water is high, much of the gravel bar was underwater, but there was a great spot to let the kids stretch their legs and try their hand at fishing. Isaiah get's a nibble, and then lands a good sized trout. Minutes later, Michaelah get's a hit from something huge. Her curiousity had earlier prompted her to play with the little knob on her Barbie pole that says, "Drag"... so the fish, or river monster, gets away with quite a bit of her line, and after heading for a tree, snags her up and gets free.

She gives up after a few minutes, and opts for skipping rocks.

Abe lands a decent sized trout a few minutes later.

I didn't catch anything, but I spent a lot of time in the water (brrr.) getting lines untangled.

We take a break from fishing, and relax out of the sun in the tent for a bit.

Grampa Yogi takes the kids to Faith's Country Store (formerly Bill's Kendall, then Mac's Country Store) for ice cream in his wagon. Roulette Rebel photographer Greg Doane snaps this photo of the "Hatcher Invasion" downtown and hurries home to email it to me. No doubt chuckling hysterically.

The boys help me cook up their trout with butter and garlic chives we found growing near our campsite. MMM Good.

We eat dinner, try a little more fishing with Grandma Deanie, and build a campfire, and retire to bed.
No fish for Josh.

Day 3: Cold Start
Brr... What happened? The weather guy said it was not supposed to get lower than 43 overnight, but we woke up, and were way too cold to get out from under the covers for a little bit. There was frost on the outside of the tent. We went inside for breakfast.

Isaiah, Dad, and I run to Nell's in Port Allegany for a fishing liscence for him, but they're out. So we run to Coudersport to Potter County Outfitters to get a liscence, so Dad can get in on the fishing action.
We put in at the hole in the backyard; Dad's ultralight pole and six pound test starts to go nuts... he's got a big old carp on the end of his line.

The carp puts on a heck of a fight, and as he get's closer to the bank, dad realizes he's not getting this thing out of the water without some help. So he sends me down the bank to get him.

My foot slips in the water, but I get the beast to the bank. My kids are so proud of their Grampa.

Isaiah wants to eat it. Michaelah thinks its funny looking. Shiloh wants to pet it, even though it's as big as she is. Grampa literally gives the fish a kiss on the lips, and throws him back in to be caught another day.

We go over to fish with Grandma Deanie behind her place along the bottom end of Fishing Creek. We drowned a few worms, but no bites. Probably whoever left this chair in the water caught all the fish. We came home, and slept inside, to avoid another cold morning, and to ease our sunburns
No fish for Josh.

Day 4: Take a Hike!
We hit the old trails through the woods nearby. Most of the trails and paths I remember were grown over, so we had to wade through some prickers and thorns, but we saw a few neat sights. Including a Skunk Cabbage Swamp.

And this flower, which we couldn't identify. If you know what it is, please email us and let us know: editor@rouletterebel.com or leave a comment on this post.

We walked home along the road. I pointed out the Lyman House. This is where Roulette was started. This is not the original house, but a house built by John Lyman's son. John Lyman was the first settler of Roulette. There are a number of interesting stories about the Lyman family, and the other families that founded the town. I'll dig them out someday.

I helped Dad plane some boards for a remodeling project, and then we went for a drive to find some leeks.

We drove out Trout Brook, and visited the Beaver Dams.
No leeks.

We drove to Coudersport to get gas, and paid 2.89, just before it went up to 2.97 . Never thought I'd be glad to pay 2.89 for a gallon of gas.

We took Dinghman Run back home, and discovered a mess of leeks up on a bank. The kids wanted to climb up and help me dig a few. MMM good. I think my underwear was hanging out.

We came home and slept in the tent.

No fish for Josh.

Day Five: The Roulette Park
We woke up much warmer. Just a little frost, but not nearly as cold as the previous morning.

We packed up and helped Grandma Deanie clean out her flower beds.

Then, we went fishing with Grandma Deanie and Dad at the park in Roulette. We had a blast. Saw a few trout swimming. But couldn't convince them to eat a worm with a hook in it.

The kids got bored and played on the equipment at the park. Zoe ran to Port to bring us back some Pizza and Wings from Fox's. MMM Good.

Then we came back and read some of the Chronicles of Narnia in the tent with the kids, to get out of the sun.

We grilled hamburgers, got showers. (My mom said I had to have one.)
And slept outside for the last night.

Day Six: No Fish For Josh
Last day of camping.
We pack up all the sleeping bags, food and blankets, and then take the kids to teh Cow Hollow bridge. I remember catching fish by the bucketload there as a kid. Michaelah caught a crayfish (or crawdad, depending on where you're from).
But that's all that was biting.
We came home and packed up the tent. It's supposed to rain this afternoon, and we don't want a wet tent. So we're hanging out inside to let our sunburns ease a bit more, and let the kids get some rest. One more night here in Roulette, and we'll head home tomorrow afternoon.
No Fish for Josh.

All in all, it's been a great trip. Great weather, good food, and we've had a lot of fun with the kids. Makes me not quite ready to head back.

The Corning Museum of Glass- Corning, NY

joshhatcher — Thu, 30 Mar 2006 16:13:00 +0000

I took the family to Corning, NY to visit the Corning Museum of Glass. We found out that the kids get in free, and for a little extra, we could get tickets to see the Rockwell Museum of Art as well.

The tickets were 15.50 each for Zoe and I for both museums.. and the admission is free for us to return for a whole year at any time. (which we definitely will)

The Corning Glass museum was definitely of interest to me, as my dad worked at Pittsburgh Corning in Port Allegany for years.

I didn't see any information about PC in the museum, but there was a ton of glass blocks worked into the architecture.

So more than likely, these blocks were made by some of our very own readers in Port Allegany!

The museum architecture was breathtaking. Freeform design, with stainless steel and plate glass.... beautiful.

The tour started in the art museum. All the artwork was created out of glass, and there were unusual pieces, some of which were breathtaking, some just plain wierd.

My favorite part, and the most extensive part of the museum was the historical glass collection, that chronicled glass making from the dawn of civilization until the present, including these pieces from Ancient Egypt. (note the reflection behind the pharoh head)

The museum, which is attatched to the Steuben Glass Factory had a live glass blowing demonstration. The Hot Glass Show is included in the admission. They heat up glass and make beautiful pieces, and then either sell them in the gift shop, or smash them and recycle the glass. The show features cameras in the glass ovens, so that viewers can watch the glass being heated.

My Potter County born kids were most excited about the escalators. For some reason, all the glass, the hands on activities, and the fun stuff to do was not quite as much fun as riding up and down a moving staircase.

Then we headed to a learning center, where the kids could touch, and hear, and play.

Then of course the real question: What to eat. The museum had a coffee bar, and a great buffet area. We Hatcher's are a bit more resourceful. We budgeted one meal out, so that meant we had to pack a lunch so we could eat a restaurant later for dinner. The museum did have an outdoor picnic area, but it was a bit nippy out, so we found a few tables under the escalators, and broke out the picnic basket and the peanut butter and jelly.

Then we hopped on the FREE shuttle bus to visit the Rockwell Museum of Art!