WAIT FOR ME, LIFE

The days are like spokes in a wheel,
Weeks fly by like wheels with seven spokes;
Time is running away with itself,
Faster, faster--wait for me, life!

Time is a thief that steals my youth,
Time is a witch with a broom, sweeping, sweeping;
A candle burning to the socket,
The sands are running out.

Oh! never kill time; it is too precious,
Hard to hold, like a drop of quicksilver,
A bird's brief song, a butterfly's bright life,
Only a moment of eternity.

Theo D. Parker 1956

NEW JERSEY TRIVIA
The first brewery in the US was in Hoboken, 1642
The first log cabins in the US were built in southern NJ, by the Swedes
The first glass company in the US was in Millville in 1739
The first Indian reservation in the US was in Burlington County in 1758
NJ was the first state to ratify the "Bill of Rights" in 1789
The first balloon flight in America took place in Deptford NJ in 1793, carrying a message from George Washington
America's first planned suburb was Llewellyn Park in West Orange, in the 1850's
The first condensed soup was made in Camden, NJ in 1897 by Joseph Campbell.
The first ferris wheel in America was built in Atlantic City in 1891, by William Somers
The first public art museum in the US, the Montclair Art Museum, was opened in NJ 1914
Blueberries were first cultivated for commercial use in Whitesbog, in 1916
The 1st traffic circle in the US was at Airport Circle in 1925 in Camden County. At their peak in the 1970's there were 67 in the state. Now there are 40
Woodbridge was the first town in the US to have a cloverleaf intersection in 1929
The first National Historic Park was in Morristown in 1933
The Pine Barrens is America's 1st National Reserve
The first American flag to be woven from a loom was created in Paterson
NJ has the oldest seaside resort: Cape May, a national historic landmark
The oldest log cabin in the US is C. A. Nothnagle Log House in Gibbstown, built between 1638 and 1643 by Swedish immigrants
Sandy Hook Lighthouse is the oldest operating lighthouse in the nation
Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn is the oldest continuously operating non-profit theater in the US
The oldest continuously operating winery in the US is Renault Wineries in Egg Harbor (1870's)
http://www.rvharvey.com/nj-trivia.htm

Cast paper sculpture has been around since the 1950's but should not be confused with papier-mache'. The two mediums are completely different. The artists first mix an acid free paper pulp in the studio hydro-pulper from two raw stocks, cotton and abica. Then the pulp is cast into molds which were made from original clay sculptures. The paper is then pressed under vacuum pressure or by hand in the mold where most of the water is extracted at the same time. The Eckmans of Rapid City, South Dakota are the inventors of this process and the Eckman Method® of Cast Paper Sculpture is a trade mark of theirs alone. Since 1988 Patty and Allen have developed and perfected the medium of cast paper far beyond any other artist in the world. Their work is considered to be the premier of the industry by many critics. Since the paper is acid free the sculptures are all museum quality. "We have really enjoyed the development of our fine art techniques over the years and have created a process that is worth sharing. There are many artists and sculptors who we believe will enjoy this medium as much as we have." See examples of their art at the bottom of the Web page: http://www.eckmanfineart.com/about_allen-patty.html

Gardens I have enjoyed in Pennsylvania
Bartram's Garden in Philadelphia
The homestead of John Bartram (1699-1777), America's first botanist, co-founder of the American Philosophical Society, and a towering figure in colonial Philadelphia's scientific community, today is America's oldest living botanical garden. The 45-acre site on the Schuylkill River in Southwest Philadelphia features Bartram's 18th century home and farm buildings, historic botanical garden, wildflower meadow, water garden, freshwater wetland, parkland, river trail and a museum shop. The house was named a National Historic Landmark in 1963.
http://www.ushistory.org/tour/bartrams-garden.htm
Personal note: I went to John Bartram High School near the garden.
Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, with 1,050 acres has 20 indoor and 20 outdoor gardens, conservatories, fountains, outdoor gardens, and historic house. Joshua Peirce, a Quaker farmer, built the section of the brick house with the covered porch in 1730 (the porch dates from 1824). Successive generations of the Peirce family enlarged the modest farmhouse during the nearly two centuries it remained in their possession. It was 1906 when Pierre S. du Pont purchased the property to save the amazing trees that were about to be harvested for timber. He expanded the dwelling in 1909, and again in 1914, to serve as his country home and first conservatory. The house was opened to the public in 1976 http://www.longwoodgardens.org/