Daily Item Reader Photos, back again

Now that the Prom Perfect contest is over, Daily Item readers have resumed sending in their artistic photos in, depicting life in the Valley in a unique and up-front way.

It’s also almost summertime – which means I’m in the mood to go outside, plant flowers and enjoy the sunshine – though as yesterday’s post reveals, this week hasn’t been the best for that.

Anyway, here’s my favorite recent reader photos, depicting the best of the beginning of sweet summertime:

“China Loves Treats,” by Cindy Hoffman, Richfield

“Crayfish,” by Rita Kurtz, Selinsgrove

Rain on Twitter

Last night and through this morning it stormed something fierce here in the Valley – and despite the sunshine currently outside our windows, it’s supposed to get rainy again this afternoon.

The entire nation has been under a severe weather alert for the last two days with a “Derecho” taking hold.

The best place to see everyone’s storm photos? Twitter, obviously.

Here’s some of the best from the East Coast, which is currently under the thumb of the storm.

10 am and it’s already flooding in front of my house twitter.com/emilyopilo/sta…

— Emily Opilo (@emilyopilo) June 13, 2013

Gov. Corbett at ACF: Touring a factory with the governor

Yesterday, I got to tour the newly reopened ACF factory during Governor Tom Corbett’s visit. It was a gorgeous day outside for his speech and tour.

Some reporters don’t like the “politician tours a business/factory” stories. Me, I love them.

The tours are an interesting look into a business you might not normally get, while you get to have some interaction with some of the most influential people in the state/nation.

Everyone’s happy to be there and talk to you and get photos, so it’s a win/win for everyone.

So Here’s a pictoral journey through my ACF tour with Corbett with commentary.

 

Here’s the governor ready to go with his hard hat on.

Prom Perfect: Some personal favorites

The Daily Item’s annual Prom Perfect competition is coming to an end soon as the Valley’s prom season wraps up.

We’ve gotten almost 300 entries, something that is amazing and is able to showcase a wide variety of photos.

Naturally, as a lover of all things sparkly and ostentatious, I’ve enjoyed seeing the pictures and have selected a few of my favorites.

To see all of the photos, go to our Facebook page.

Rain, rain – some photos

Last night some terrible storms passed through the area – and the sky was really dark and stormy.

It made for some good photos of the sky churning just before the deluge of rain hit. I think the fact that it was already getting dark out mixed with the darkness of the storm really caused the sky to get a menacing, dark look to it.

Here’s the view from my house:

And just in case you think I’m the only one crazy enough to do something like this – I’m not.

A lot of people reveled in the beauty of the sky, as evidenced by these photos:

Great contrast there. Turbulent sky. RT @ravenchuck92 @ryancoyle check it out. NW York twitter.com/ravenchuck92/s…

— Ryan Coyle (@RyanCoyle) May 23, 2013

Some big ugly cloud over Sovereign Bank Stadium: twitter.com/JimSeip/status…

— Jim Seip (@JimSeip) May 23, 2013

Do you have pictures from last night? Send them to me!

Riding the StratosFear at Knoebels

Sunday, as part of my family’s Mother’s Day festivities at Knoebels in Elysburg, my younger sister, brother-in-law and I took our first ride on the new StratosFear drop tower.

Wow.

I was surprised at how fast we went and how high it was. I literally thought as we were falling – “OMG I HOPE THEY STOP THIS THING!!!”

And they did. But it didn’t feel like they could, which, after all, is the point of the thrill ride.

Here’s my journey through the StratosFear. I secured my phone inside my jacket for the ride up and stowed it for the crash downward – see the note below.

[Disclaimer: Please don't be reckless with your smartphone or electronics while on the ride. Please secure your belongings. Seriously, it's really fast and you will lose things]

OK, so here’s the ascent. And from your vantage point, you have no idea when you reach the top. It’s like a fun, yet terrifying mystery:

Soaking wet on the job.

Yesterday I spent plenty of time outdoors.

Oh, and it rained 3 inches yesterday, mostly in the morning.

Me and 240 kids were outside for Envirothon. We were in the rain until the event was canceled.

Here’s us:

Knoebels opening day 2013: What did you ride?

Saturday, my fiance and I decided to brave the crowds and check out the opening day of Knoebels.

The weather was just so perfect for a day at the park.

It was pretty crowded, but not uncomfortable, maybe because everyone was just happy to be there.

Here’s what we saw:

The StratosFear was open and people were clamoring to get on, but not us. It was high.

Daily Item Reader Photos of the week

As with last week, these pictures show the Valley blooming in springtime.

Enjoy this slice of life set:

“Lightning in Sunbury on April 10,” by Tony Bendele, Sunbury

Daily Item Reader Photos, Spring Edition

There’s a definite spring in everyone’s step as spring is in the air!

The temperature has finally crawled above 50 and it’s time to celebrate with some spring-themed photos, courtesy of Daily Item readers.

Here’s my favorite springtime photos from the reader galleries:

“Yay!! It’s Officially Spring!”
by Suzy Smith, Middleburg