B is for Baseball.

It's almost February and the groundhog will soon see his shadow and plunge us into six more weeks of winter, but my thoughts are on baseball for this entry. Barnstormer baseball, that is.

Not that I am a great fan of baseball, but I do love all that the Barnstormers have to offer us. In addition to hosting our Stitch and Pitch a few years ago, the stadium is home to ice skating in the winter, music concerts, fireworks after the games, and has the most awesome entertainment area for children. When you're not glued to the game, you might take notice of the bumper boat section, the ca

rousel, a rock climbing wall and other play venues for the kids.

The Barnstormers' home, Clipper Stadium, is located on Prince Street, the entrance to the city from the north. Construction of the stadium, and the return of minor league baseball to our fair city, spurred an amazing renewal in the northwest area of Lancaster City. Creative reuse of many beautiful old buildings has taken place since the arrival of baseball. So, take me out to the ballgame and watch Lancaster shine!!!!!

A is for architecture.

I love reading everyone's Alphabet entries, and Sonya (Stringplay) invited me to join in the fun. So, my ABC along is going to be about Lancaster, PA. It's funny, but most people probably think A is for Amish when they hear the words Lancaster, PA. Me, I always think of the beautiful and always interesting architecture all over town. Starting with the mundane, I give you the Guggenheim-ish Prince Street Parking Garage. (Photo by Matt Lester) When my children were very young, they loved riding around and around as we exited the parking lot....these days, I really enjoy seeing the structure all lit up in various colors at night.

To walk down West Chestnut Street is like strolling through architectural heaven.

As beautiful as these homes are, they are only a small part of the architectural diversity that exists in Lancaster.

It's taken me a very long time to write this post, mainly because this topic is so important to me. There is beauty even in failure, such as the Prince Street garage, which takes up almost a full block where once stood numerous historic jewels. Maybe I started this post with that garage, because its construction was an impetus for the Preservation movement in Lancaster. But that's the letter P. Stay tuned :)