Rob, have you read about scouts? It's hard to believe that GW could find decent scouts of Western PA in Williamsburg! Surely he had to recruit a few 'locals' (to use the term very broadly <grin>). If only I was closer to those daily orders -- they might show him hiring local scouts. I am relieved to hear that my family is not the only weird family in Western PA. When I was attending college, the linguistic professor could tell which side of PGH you was raised in by your accent. This kinda localization I guess only happens if you do stay put! > Amen. And by the way, anyone joining the army during the retreat is >definitely my kind of guy. <GRIN> You mean like people joining on 9-12?? I suspect GW's defeat was the 9-11 of the day. If the Froggies (I can use that term: I married one!!) and the redskins won, people in western Cumberland Co and probably eventually even the fat Quakers of Philly were going to have to take French lessons -- or Iroquis lessons. So apparently some did 'join' on the retreat. At least this one guy did. Then he went AWOL.... Wow, you live ON THE OTHER SIDE of the Airport? I didn't know we'd settled that area yet. Or is it Steubenville??? >Another observation on W PA geography is that our rivers always have - >and continue to - screw up travel patterns. Not to pick on Linda, but I >will since she, like many in this area, apparently believes that the >airport is located south of Pittsburgh. This is partially because you >cross over the Mon or the Ohio River to get there, which in most >people's minds puts you south of the city. However any map will show >that the airport is WEST of Pittsburgh and actually NORTHWEST of the >downtown area. Geez! That's amazing!! I had no idea!!! I bet my parents won't believe me. Where I live now is very very geographically difficult. The Allegheny which is flowing....I donno....from the NE?? makes a big hairpin turn so that Westmoreland Co becomes a pimple sticking out into it on three sides. That's Arnold! So the river is on 3 sides and I'm on top of the hill. There is a big ridge on the other side of the river -- on all the sides of the river. I think my work room here is facing west and so to look at PGH I must look south. Maybe.... But the west feels like south because of this logic that says that Allegheny Co is west of Westmoreland. Except here where I think it's north as well as west. "Up 28", that's what it is <grin>. It's right up there with moving from Mass to CA and feeling you are u pside down because the ocean is on the wrong side!! >followed the north-flowing Monongahela (we call it the Mon) That's cause we can't spell it! It's easier than Kiskiminekis.. I think, well, the Kiski river! My ancestors moved to Westmoreland Co (southern) in 1785, then the next generation crossed the Allegheny at Freeport, and somehow hauled their tired butts up the huge bluff to the plateau. This Frances Anderson did a number of years before it was purchased from the Indians. So he settled illegally, around 1804, taking over from an earlier settler named Murphy. It wasn't long before some from the good ship Eliza also arrived. They had left Donegal, a mixed lot of Prods and Catholics, infected with liberty and freedom. That group became the start of the first Catholic diocese west of the Alleghenies. Alas, everyone signed the petition so you can't use it to sort the Prods from the Catholics....It became Butler and Indiana Counties, that area. The north western parts of PA are still .... vacant! get too far north you find New Yorkers and people who crossed the Erie or migrated down when they built the canal. But the rest is still farmland peppered with an occasional Presbyterian church. Also a Llama farm and game preserves. For anyone looking for a nice cheap civilized place to retire to, let me recommend Pittsburgh. I almost went into a fatal shock a couple weeks ago when I went in to PGH for an event and it took 20 minutes. Yet you can rent a nice apartment over a garage here for $250 and a house for $500. We got a nearby Walmart and anything else you would want. The Walmart opened a month ago but no one has found it yet. They apparently do advertizing at corporate because they screwed up the address. And if you clicked on "Directions" from their webpage, Mapquest deliveres you to a nonexistent place. I couldn't find it. My parents could not. Everyone they know is complaining. I phoned and found out where it is. I wonder if anyone has been there? What a screwup! My mother said every time they advertized it (3 times) in the paper they had a different address. Linda Merle ________________________________________________________________ Sent via the WebMail system at mail.fea.net