Halloweenicane?

Scary!

Fairmount Park is one of the largest urban parks on the country. Unlike Central Park in NYC, however, or the Public Garden in Boston much if it winds through outlying city neighborhoods, so it doesn't get the press and fame of other city parks.

 The Wissahickon Creek runs through a good portion of the park, starting as a retention pond near Montgomery Mall, passing through Lansdale, Upper and Lower Gwynedd, Fort Washington, and down toward a merger with the Schuylkill River near City Avenue. Up our way, it is barely more than a brook, often dry if no rain has fallen within a few days or so. By the time it gets to the city, running along Lincoln Drive near East Falls, it is a real river, flowing through one of the most un-urban parts of a very urban city. 

Along Forbidden drive - a trail that runs through the park - there are many portions where you can imagine you are somewhere far away - but the city is always just around the corner.

A few Facebook comments on the debate from my e-friends:

 - Eddie Munster needs to go walk his dragon.

 - I like Joe Biden. Way to stand up for the regular guy!

 - So, this debate is exactly why Congress doesn't work.

 - Omg, I'm recording it-don't tell me anything!

 - Is Biden loaded? He's grinning like a drunk at the Bennigan's bar.

 - Does anyone really learn anything from these things? I'm watching football.

 - Boy, if I was moderating this debate, the crowd would have to stare at my bald spot all night.

click to enlarge

Just stumbled on this amazing photo from the ISS of the east coast megalopolis at night...everything south of Connecticut, anyway. It was taken in February, 2012.

What I find interesting is the few patches of darkness still around us - Bucks County, the Poconos, a few areas in New Jersey, and a good portion of the upper Chesapeake Bay. We'll never see night skies like those visible out west, but at least there are still a few quiet spots left not too far from home.