House Demolished

Remember the house on the north (back) side of the lake that was hit by a tree this spring? I posted about it here.

Here's the photo:

Below the fold are photos I took today. The house has been demolished and the lot is full of rubble. A caterpillar was pushing stuff around.

Hijacked Hydrant

This water hydrant on Park Drive hasn't really been hijacked; there's a meter on it.

I guess they need a lot of water when they work on a road. See the meter reading.

Is that 677,200 gallons? Wonder how much that costs...

It's okay, though, the Feds are playing for it.

Still, ya gotta wonder why they don't just pump the water for free from the creek twenty feet away.

Abandoned Car?

Update (7 pm):

George phoned. He saw the driver last night. So did lots of other Pine Lake residents, who said the driving was very erratic up on Rockbridge. I called the police and the car has been tagged for towing.

As I was walking this morning I passed this car on Park Drive. It was sitting in front of George Treadwell's house, but I don't think it belongs to George (besides, he parks his cars in his drive).

The car in question is a tan or light brown Mercury.

I phoned George to ask him about it; he didn't answer, so I left a message.

What I find curious are the tires on the driver's side. The tire on the front appears to have been driven until it came apart.

 The tire on the rear appears to have large-caliber bullet holes in it.

I find it curious that the car's there.

As soon as I publish this I'm going to send out a message on Pine Lake Announce and phone the police department.

Fall at the NJ Botanical Gardens

Here are some fall photos I took two years ago at the New Jersey Botanical Gardens.

It was Saturday, Halloween, and we were about to go for a drive. My new (new for me, it was used; I bought it on e-Bay) digital SLR arrived just before we were going out the door. Fortunately, the battery was charged.

The colors were fabulous.

Beach Ready, Road Isn't

This morning when I went for a walk the sand piles on the beach were gone; the sand had been spread evenly. All the swimming area needs is for the lake to be refilled.

Things don't seem to be going as smoothly on Lakeshore/Park Drive on the downstream side of the lake.

Red Flower

Pine Lake Masonry: Part II

By the early 1940s the red stone of the '30s was replaced by granite (at least I think it's granite) quarried at nearby Stone Mountain.

Unlike the red rocks, where were rounded from being in a stream, these were rectangular, cut to a similar size.

Pine Lake Masonry: Part I

As I've been walking around the city I've been paying attention to chimneys and house foundations. I've noticed how the stonework seems to have changed with the decades. Here's how:

Road Lowering

The lake restoration project includes the lowering of Lakeshore Drive by one foot along the western side of the lake.

This task seems to have been accomplished. I suspect the road will soon be re-paved.

With the lake bed finished and the stream banks restored and the swimming area re-sanded, I suspect the lake will soon be refilled.

I sure hope so!

The Swimming Hole Gets a Facelift

Last week I happened to be out walking and caught this little earthmover hard at work in the swimming area:

The Pine Lake Bum

Facebook has an active group for former residents of Pine Lake. It's called The Pine Lake Bum. It has 179 members.

All sorts of  one-time Pine Lakers have checked into the group to share old memories and photos.

Despite a concern that the lake will still be empty, The Bums are planning a reunion at the Lakehouse in October. Sounds like fun!

Here's a representative message:

Did anyone other than me struggle riding a bike up those Spring Dr hills to get to Hogan's [Grocery]? I needed a Coke to recover, particularly when I was carrying a carton of empty bottles to sell for the Coke--LOL

Hogan gave you 2 cents a bottle for empties but charged 3 cents for deposit--OUTRAGEOUS--LOL

Flowers of Late Summer