American Treasure Tour, Oaks PA, no. 6 in a series

American Treasure Tour, Oaks PA, no. 5 in a series

American Treasure Tour, Oaks PA, no. 4 in a series

American Treasure Tour, Oaks PA, no. 3 in a series

American Treasure Tour, Oaks Pa, no. 2 in a series

American Treasure Tour, Oaks PA, no. 1 in a series

American Treasure Tour, Oaks PA: Our Philadelphia area family took us to this museum on a whim. It is absolutely so full of so much stuff, all collected by an anonymous person over many years, that one just can't take it all in. He also has an auto museum elsewhere in Pennsylvania, and he's still collecting.

The museum takes up at least four vast rooms in an abandoned tire factory on the outskirts of Philadelphia. One visits the greater part of it riding on a golf-cart sized tram with narrator. Here one finds vehicles, model airplanes, Macy's original Nutcrackers, mechanized circuses, tools, and more. Lots more.

The best room, though, is the first, which introduces smaller scale and more valuable collections of great variety. One can walk through, wandering, being amused and amazed by ... everything! Dolls, nickelodeons and music boxes, musical instruments, miniature houses, miniature staged scenes with furniture and inhabitants, movie posters and memorabilia, old LP covers. One cannot take it all in!

Serpentine Houses, Barns, Sheds and Walls in Chester County PA, no. 10 in a series

Serpentine Houses, Barns, Sheds and Walls in Chester County PA, no. 9 in a series

Serpentine Houses, Barns, Sheds and Walls in Chester County PA, no. 8 in a series

Serpentine Houses, Barns, Sheds and Walls in Chester County PA, no. 7 in a series

Serpentine Houses, Barns, Sheds and Walls in Chester County PA, no. 6 in a series

Serpentine Houses, Barns, Sheds and Walls in Chester County PA, no. 5 in a series

Serpentine Houses, Barns, Sheds and Walls in Chester County PA, no. 4 in a series

Serpentine Houses, Barns, Sheds and Walls in Chester County PA, no. 3 in a series

Serpentine Houses, Barns, Sheds and Walls in Chester County PA, no. 2 in a series

Serpentine Houses, Barns, Sheds and Walls in Chester County PA, no. 1 in a series

Near West Chester PA stand a number of structures made of a most unusual and beautiful building material: green serpentine. Here, starting today, is a series of photos of several of these in rural settings.

Serpentine via Wiki from 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica

About local serpentine quarries and buildings, an article from the local West Chester newspaper

Whiteface Mountain From Mt. Arab

The Trail Up Mt. Arab

Snowshoeing Up Mt. Arab

Mt. Arab Fire Spotter's Cabin from the Fire Tower

Indian River Grinch

Lots of Snow Across the Tug Hill

Sledding at the Reservoir

Copper Beach at the Reservoir

Snowy Franklin Street

Squirrel Burrows for Seeds

Plowed Road, Fence Posts and Shadows

Salmon River Falls During the Deep Freeze

PA: Longwood Gardens Topiary Bird

PA: Longwood Gardens Chimes Tower and Winterberry Holly

PA: Longwood Gardens