Summer 2019

I'm sorry I have not been as active lately as I would have liked. I was busy enjoying the summer! I am very sad to see the summer come to an end, but am excited for fall. I had a great summer in the Bend! In June we had my brother's graduation party, then in July my family and I had a big Fourth of July picnic. The annual Henry's Bend Chapel Festival and parade was another huge success! I hope you all had a terrific summer as well! I look forward to summer 2020 and all the fun it will bring!

Easter Egg Hunts in the Bend

When my brother and I were little, we loved going to the Bend on Easter Sunday and having a fun outdoor Easter egg hunt. With our baskets, we would find eggs everywhere including down by the river, in the garden, and near the pool house. My brother and I would run all over the Bend trying to find more Easter eggs. It was a blast! After we were done hunting, we would open all our eggs and collect our candy. Egg hunts in the Bend is definitely one of my favorite childhood Easter traditions.

Rainy Day Project

I was in the bend this weekend, but sadly it was a rainy day. Since we could not do much outside, my grandma and I decided to do some arts and crafts, one of her favorite activities! We decided to turn some old cards into some pretty neat bookmarks. As a college student, I am always in need of bookmarks for my notebooks, textbooks, and planner plus it is a great way to recycle old birthday, Christmas, anniversary, and any other old cards you may have laying around. I am not usually one for arts and crafts, but this was a fun activity that provided me with some very helpful and unique organizational tools!

Spring is Back!!!

Spring is back in the Bend! Everything is starting to come out of hibernation and the temperatures are rising after a cold and snowy winter. I can't wait for another amazing summer in the Bend!

Welcome to 2019!!!

Well it is finally 2019! I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! During this time of year, it is very quiet in the Bend because all the snow birds are in Florida for the winter. Even though it is cold and snowy, the Bend is still very beautiful. The snow blankets all the trees making the perfect wintry scene. I know these next couple of months will fly by and before we know it, spring will be here. Don't feel bad if you are counting down the days till spring arrives because I am too! Even though winter is a great season, spring and summer a better especially in the Bend. I am looking forward to spending 2019 in the Bend!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

I hope everyone has a terrific Thanksgiving! Enjoy the delicious food with friends and family!

Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire...

While I was in the Bend this weekend, my grandma and I decided to pick some fresh chestnuts from the neighbor's chestnut tree. We picked a whole basket full! Next, we are going to try and roast them just like the Christmas carol says! It was a great first weekend of October!

Flashback Friday Fall Photo

Here is a flashback pic to last fall! This photo was taken in November on a beautiful autumn day. The sun was shining, the sky was clear, and all the leaves were bright colors. As you can see, all the trees on the other side of the river in the Bend turned bright orange, red, and yellow. This was an amazing sight with the brightly colored leaves and crisp blue sky. I can't wait to recapture this photo in a couple of months!

Fall at the Bend Farm

Fall is officially here! Even though the Bend is pretty quiet around this time, it probably is the most beautiful time of year because of all the trees changing colors. The Bend Farm is harvesting their autumn crops which includes all different kinds of gourds. I look forward to enjoying this fall!

Signs of Fall!

Even though it definitely felt like summer this weekend, signs of fall were in the air. I captured this photo of a couple trees across the river starting to turn yellow, orange, and red. Before we know it, all the trees will be bright colors and fall will be here. The river is still high from all the rain, but it was still a beautiful weekend at the Bend. I hope everyone has a great last week of summer!

Calico the Cat

Here is a little story for your Sunday evening. One evening, a few years ago, my grandparents, parents, and myself were winterizing the big motor boat for the year when all of a sudden a calico cat came walking into our yard. She was very friendly and tame which made us think that she was probably abandoned in the bend. My grandparent's garage door was open since we were all going in and out of there while winterizing the boat, when the cat decided to go in there and make that her new home. My grandpa, a huge animal lover, decided to just let the cat camp out there for a little while thinking she might get tired of the garage and move on. Boy was he wrong! My grandparents called us one day and said that Calico, our name for the cat, had given birth to a litter of kittens in their garage! We were all shocked and had no idea what to do next. My grandpa finally decided to take Calico and her kittens out to the local humane society where they could be properly taken care of. A few months later, my grandpa decided to call the humane society to check up on Calico and the kittens, and to his surprise, Calico and her kittens had all found good homes! To this day, we all still cannot believe that this really happened!

Happy Labor Day!

Happy Labor Day everyone! I hope you all enjoy it with family and friends as we bring summer to close. Enjoy!

Labor Day Weekend 2018

The beautiful Allegheny River on this Labor Day weekend! Labor Day is a very sad time for us Benders because it means the end of summer. :( Everybody is in the river today kayaking, boating, and tubing getting their last dose of summer. Before you know it, all the Benders will be heading south for the winter. Even though it is depressing, I look forward to the 2019 summer season! I hope everyone enjoys their holiday weekend!

August

Well the dreaded month of August is finally here. To Benders, August means the end of summer which also means the end of camp fires, boating, and other summer festivities. Schools will begin to head back to classes and winter will be here before we know it. Summer always goes by way too fast! At least we have one last summer bash to look forward to. Labor Day will be here in just a few weeks. I hope everyone had a terrific summer and enjoyed the river!

A Rainbow of Air Boats

In past summers at the Bend, I remember all different kinds of air boats passing through. They would come up and down the river every weekend. You could always tell when one was on its way because they are very noisy boats. There were all different colors including red, blue, yellow, and green, so you could spot them from a mile away. When ever I heard one coming, I would rush to the river front just to see the bright colored boat pass by. I have not seen them in recent years, but I love the memories I have of those unique boats.

Henry's Bend Festival 2018

Yesterday was the 2018 Henry's Bend Festival! They were selling these awesome beach balls along with t-shirts and hats. The Chinese Auction was the show stopper though. I love Chinese Auctions even though there is no guarantee of winning. I love walking around to all the tables and putting tickets in for all different types of neat things. All the Benders love this! We all got to socialize with each other over the delicious food that was prepared in the Chapel's kitchen. It was a day full of fun, food, and family. I can't wait till next year!

Happy Belated Fourth of July!

Happy belated Fourth of July from all us Benders! I hope everyone had a fun and safe Independence Day with lots of food along with spending time with friends and family!

The Henry's Bend Parade 2018

Here is the video of the 2018 Henry's Bend Parade. It is like no other parade. Enjoy!

Relaxing in the Hammock

Even though everything at the Bend is meant to be relaxing, swinging on the hammock is definitely the most relaxing activity. There is nothing like laying back in the hammock enjoying the nice breeze coming off of the river while watching the puffy white clouds float by. It is also amazing to watch boats go up and down the river while relaxing on the shore. Many Benders love spending a lazy summer afternoon this way. It is also very neat to lay out on the hammock at night and look up at all the twinkling stars. Hammocks are definitely a staple in the Bend!

Fireworks in the Bend

Everyone in the Bend loves fireworks, especially on the Fourth of July. Every year my family and I go to our favorite local firework company to get our Fourth of July fireworks. I love going to Kellner's and seeing all the different kinds of fireworks. I could spend hours in that store! Then on the Fourth we put off our own firework display right in our own backyard. Sometimes it is hard to stay focused on our display when all the other benders are putting on displays of their own. Seeing the sky light up all different colors is an outstanding sight! The Fourth of July can't come soon enough!