Category Archives: local interest

Jul18

Goodbye Spectrum

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So it’s really true-the Spectrum is getting torn down next year. Vet’s Stadium was torn down a few years back:


Not that I went to either place that much, but they are/were such landmarks of Philadelphia, anything new doesn’t really hold any memories for me-yet. And they won’t be the same kind of memories. I saw the Phillies play at the Vet for the first time-it was so awesome to see the grandeur of the place when you climb the stairs and take a gander at the playing field for the first time.

At the Spectrum, I saw the Flyers ice hockey team play, went to concerts-John Denver, Dan Fogelberg, Linda Ronstadt, Heart, Jackson Browne and went to a few Disney on Ice shows with a little Sean. Good memories. I’ll never hear John or Dan again and I doubt I’ll see the other performers again.

The fight scenes for ‘Rocky’ were suppose to be at the Spectrum, but were actually filmed in LA. There was a Rocky statue outside the Spectrum for a few years before it was moved to near the Phila. Art museum.

Posted: Tuesday, 15 July 2008 10:16AM

Spectrum Will Be Torn Down For A Mall

by KYW’s Mike DeNardo and Greg Orlandini

The Spectrum, for decades the South Philadelphia home to the Sixers and Flyers and the site of hundreds of memorable concerts and other events, will close next spring and be demolished.

Arena owner Comcast-Spectacor has plans to replace it with a complex of retail space, bars, restaurants, and a hotel (see related story). The 42-year-old arena, slated to shut down next spring, had been used for Flyers and 76ers games until the adjacent Wachovia Center was built and opened in 1996. It was the site of the Flyers’ Stanley Cup championship victories in 1974 and 1975, site of the Flyers’ victory over the Russian team in 1976, and the Sixers’ home when they won the NBA championship in 1983.

The Spectrum, built in 1967, is currently home to the Phantoms, Philadelphia’s minor league hockey team; the Soul, an Arena Football League team; and the Kixx, an indoor soccer team.

Over the years, some of the most notable music performers included Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, the Jackson Five, the Grateful Dead, and Kiss. (A web site called “Remember the Spectrum” has been set up by the building’s owners.)


PS-Brian and Sean are going to a Phillies game next weekend at the new Citizen’s Bank place-that should be awesome! It cost a bunch to go too!

Jul17

Scenic area near my hometown

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Branch over Dam, originally uploaded by jimhpa.

Wow-this is so gorgeous! I haven’t been to this park in years and never knew it had such a pretty falls area. Brian and I went there for a few picnics when we were dating.  This is about 10 minutes from Mom’s house and two of her neighbors use to jog there. The one had a stroke in this wilderness, and lucky for him, someone with medical training was jogging that day too and he was found. He was only around 60 (it was from a blood clot caused by an injury) and is in a nursing home.

Just looked at the link I provided and there is a formal gardens there too. I must go there sometime again.
People use to go to a springs area and collect water in bottles to take home.Not sure if they do that anymore. There were also a few log cabins to represent the Colonists who settled in this area.

Jul5

Photo Hunter-Pointed

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Close up of planter, originally uploaded by DianthusMoon.

I saw this awesome planter in a nice shady area when I stopped to rest at Longwood Gardens last week. It looks similar to a Aloe, but skinnier like the top of a pineapple. It has an unusual flower! I am bad about writing down names of plants (though this doesn’t look like it is marked), but I am glad I got a photo of this as it came in useful!

Here’s a long shot:

Neat planter

Jun26

Neither bright-eyed or bushy-tailed

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I thought my walk around the gardens would help me to feel all refreshed today. Nope, just had allergy issues-so did Bri. The Chestnut trees are dumping their catkins now. They look like fluffy rat’s tails and they smell like funky corn chips. Also had to proof a 6.5 page research paper for Sean that was due tonight, his final night of class. I burnt the midnight oil doing that. And then today I went food shopping. Does anyone enjoy it anymore? ; ) I’m fine if I am buying ingredients for a special dish or cookies, but the same old thing is so boring and the stores are too big! I see elderly ladies pushing their carts around probably thinking the same thing.

I want to make a small project for a pal’s July birthday. I need to get the fabric and floss pulled for that.

I was looking for Sean’s long lost Social Security card (which he really needs for the internship) and ran across old photos of me trying to sell things at a craft fair that a local neighborhood had years ago. I sold like two things. My mom had made things also. It should have been canceled as it was pouring rain. The only person who sold anything was the lady who made American Girl doll clothes. I had short hair and was pudgier-I should burn those photos!

Sean needs to exchange some nice trousers I bought for him (he needs a size bigger around the waist), so I may go with him tomorrow. It’s going to be a scorcher!

Ok here’s a nice photo:

The Bell Tower, waterfall and lake at Longwood Gardens

Jun25

2 hour excursion

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I was able to venture over to Longwood Gardens and had a nice time trying to see all I wanted to see this time, including their veggie patch and idea garden. Here are some shots that I really like, but I did take over 100 and most will be in my flickr account within the next few days. That’s a lot of photos to upload and tag!

Coneflower and orange butterfly weed. There’s a bee on the coneflower in the middle there.

A neat birdhouse and faux gourds hang in the veggie patch. The residents, I think wrens, love it!

Pretty coleus! I also bought some, not the same as the above and some Persian Shield.

This plant was in the conservatory, I believe it’s like throatwort? I think it’s pretty!

Some pretty roses. I heard a gardener say they aren’t doing well this year. I noticed many of them had black spot on their leaves.

I told this guy (inside the pool with the waterlilies) that my little pond was really green. He told me to buy some water hyacinth to help balance it out or add dye to it. These are dyed.

Here’s a link to my flickr slideshow!

Jun23

How I saw him

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George Carlin 9/6/75, originally uploaded by dgans.

George Carlin passed away over the weekend at the age of 71 today. He was one of the few celebrities I got to see ‘in person’. ‘The Mike Douglas Show’ use to be taped in downtown Philadelphia, and we got to go a few times. George was on the one time, I’d say about 1974 and he was pretty clean because it was a show that aired around 4 in the afternoon.
Who else did I see on Mike’s show-Lana Turner, Anthony Newley and John Davidson! George was ‘hip’ about a lot of stuff. What a memory he had too. The entertainment show just said he was the first host on Saturday Night Live 33 yrs ago and I do remember that, I was about 15.

Jun17

PS..I ♥ You…pass the tissues

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Sean was nice enough to rent me a movie (he got it free anyway!), so I watched it last night. He had seen it with his gal pal when she visited PSU earlier this year. Hilary Swank is such a good actress (she has 2 Oscars), and every time she started to cry, I needed a tissue! That was meat for the two men here. They couldn’t believe I was getting choked up. I was already kind of down from Father’s Day since I never celebrated it my entire life, and knowing it was really never going to happen again (because my father passed away in Feb, well that didn’t help). And it didn’t help that Gerard Butler, the lead actor ,looked like my late father a little.

Hilary wore lots of hats, and if you didn’t know it, I am a ‘hat person’ as I have a big head. I don’t wear them as much as I should.

I almost missed the third episode of ‘The Mole’ as the movie ended after 10. I’m interested in it as there are (were) three guys from a 35 mile radius from where we live, the closest is from West Grove, a few towns away. Bobby, from Philly, just got ‘eliminated’ last night.

I’m trying to finish up some craft projects that are laying around. I finished an Altered tin swap for a lady in Iowa. I wrote her a note and she said she wasn’t affected by the flooding, but her neighbor was. Then I stained a cigar box that I bought to glue my Amish children and apple tree cross stitched design on. I think I’ll make it into a scissor box because Vonna from ‘The Twister Stitcher’ inspired me! I didn’t do much cleaning, but doing the above motivates me to do more!

My poor mom wasn’t well yesterday-in pain and laid up in bed. She forgot she had hung out clothes a few days before as her dryer is on the fritz. She was using muscles she hadn’t used for a while. I hope she can get that repaired. She’s a constant worry to me. Her car is fixed, but the transmission is going, as are the shocks. Looks like my brother is trying to locate another used vehicle for her.

May23

Some more movie magic

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There’s a really nice slideshow here

The Local Paper put this up. Bri also brought home the printed newspaper, but this is much better. The snow looks so funny-they even added it to the trees. I’m glad to see Owen looking so good now considering he had a rough time last year. This town reminds me of a larger version of both Kennett Square (nearby) and my hometown.

Not much new on the home front. Got to mulch a few gardens, but so chilly and windy to do so. I have one more garden to do.

Sean has rented a few movies-‘Blades of Glory’ (I like ice skating, though this was a bit silly, though funny) and ‘National Treasure-2’ (liked the first one better). Been watching some finales of the shows. Seems they just started airing new ones!

Did a nice thing yesterday-the mailman delivered a package here that was meant for a Diane a few roads away. There are about 4 Diane/Diannes (that I know of now) within a 1/2 mile radius. The package was sent to this Diane from my hometown, so I felt obligated to get it to it’s true owner. I was a little nervous when I saw ‘Beware of Dog’ signs, but the mailbox is across the road from the long drive. I did write a note to the mailman. I guess I’m the Dianne who gets most of the packages!

May21

Marley & Me

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A new movie starring Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson is being filmed in West Chester, PA not that far from here. The recent scenes required fake snow in May! Sean and I were just in the downtown area on Saturday on the way to the Chester Co. Hospital fair. We noticed more than the usual amount of demonstrators in our county seat. I was born in that hospital and also had my surgery there last year (my college, Bri’s too and my Uncle Don live there too!). I found this video clip from a local Fox channel.

There’s a new M. Night Shyamalan coming out in June called ‘The Happening’ that was partly filmed even closer, near Sean’s high school’s rival h.s. in Unionville. Here’s a blog about that.