Nomad Life - Day 177

Even though it was Saturday and I'd stayed up late, I still woke up at 0600.  And I was still sick - yaay...  I spent some time reading, doing Duolingo exercises and working on puzzles.  At 0745, I went to breakfast at the Days Inn (Indiana) - they barely had any food but I was lucky I got some because lots of other people came away empty handed...  Back in my room, I did some more reading, more relaxing and tried (desperately) to recover from my cold.  At 1255, I went to McDonalds (across the parking) to get some sandwiches and a Shamrock Shake for lunch.  While eating (back in my room), I took care of finances, blog, eBird  etc.  With this unusual "down time", I was able to get a lot of work done and didn't feel ready to depart from the hotel until about 1445.  Once I was outside, I was stunned to find that it was 55 F!  Like so many other Nomad Life days I've had, it was also quite sunny.  Before I took advantage of the spectacular outdoor conditions, though, I wanted to explore a bit of history in Downtown Indiana.  From my hotel, I drove a short distance to the Jimmy Stewart Museum, which was located on the third floor of the Indiana Public Library.  There were parking meters on the street but didn't pay, hoping my luck would keep me out of trouble.  I arrived at the ticket booth for the Museum at 1455 and was given a quick overview of the contents by a friendly Docent (lady).  For the next 45 minutes, I wandered through the very good displays, learned about the history of the Stewart family in Indiana and met several friendly people.  Like most Americans, I've always admired Jimmy Stewart and this museum was a great tribute to his life and accomplishments.  I especially enjoyed the Military section (lots of good artifacts).  Afterwards (1540), I left the museum and took photos of some historical markers (including a larger than life size statue of Stewart) in the area.  I also explored a bit of the nearby Philly Street district before returning to the area of the Hoodlebug Trail.  I began where I'd parked the previous day, exploring signage and trying to find the northern terminus for the trail.  In the end, I determined that there was a discrepancy in the maps, local knowledge and other data and gave up on trying to connect any trail dots (more research needed).  While there, though, I walked a little bit on the trail before departing for another section. I drove (via back roads) to Homer City and parked at the Yankeetown Access Area Trailhead.  By this point, tempos had risen to 60 F - whew!  Starting at 1610, I walked back (north) to the Homer City Asphalt Plant (where I'd turned around the day before) and then backtracked towards my car.  Along the way, I saw a family gardening in their yard, accompanied by a well-behaved pet pig!  At around this tame time, I figured out that Mass would be starting at a nearbyt Catholic Church nearby so modified my walk on the Hoodlebug to merge with a walking route (on side streets) to Homer City neighborhood that included the St. Mary's Holy Protection Byzantine Catholic Church.  I arrived at 1650 and Mass began at 1700.  This was the first time I've ever been to one of the "Eastern Rite" Churches and it was a truly special experience.  For one thing, the entire premise of the service was a series of chanting sessions between the Priest and Cantor.  This made it similar to the Orthodox churches I'd encountered in Eastern Europe back in 2024.  For another thing, the Altar was set apart, with gates and mostly "mysterious goings on" behind the "curtain".  The Order of the Mass seemed to be following a little booklet I found in the pew - it matched with the Mass format developed by St. John Chrysostom.  Still, it was hard to follow most of what was happening.  All around me, there were LOTS of pretty icons.  Overall, the service only had a few places regular speech but I got used to the chanting.  There was a lot of standing for prayers (rather than kneeling) and lead up to Communion was very solemn and respectful.  The biggest surprise was when the Eucharist was scooped on to my tongue ("Body soaked in Blood ?") with a little spoon.  The Priest served me, a "Servant of God", and I hoped I wasn't acting too far away from what he expected when I accepted it.  My fellow Parishioners were mostly older and I heard some other languages than English.  Beyond Communion, there was a kind of memorial service for departed church members (a Lenten tradition of the church, apparently).  The whole experience was very moving and I've so glad that I attended.  After Mass (1800), I made my way back (still walking) towards my car at the Hoodlebug Trailhead (arrived at 1815).  Next, I drove north on US-119 until I reached the Levity Brewing Company (1825).  The place was all decked out for a Mardi Gras Party that I'd heard about on the previous day and, when I went inside, almost all seats were reserved or filled with people.  The bartender, Ed (I'd met him yesterday), showed me a spot against the wall and I squeezed in there.  To get food or beer, everyone had to wait in a big line to get food or drink.  When my turn came, I ordered the special gumbo, some King Cake and a beer I hadn't tried the day before.  When the King Cake arrived, the lady who served it showed me that I'd "won" a free beer because I'd gotten the Baby!  I'm feeling quite lucky...  Later, the gumbo arrived and it was so good and had a bit of a kick.  For this reason, I had to get in line for another (this time it was free!) beer.  During that time, a New Orleans Style Jazz band started playing.  When I returned to my seat, I learned that a young man (probably early 20s) sitting next to me was the nephew of the band's Trombonist.  He told me the band members were all faculty of IUP.  My new friend himself was a student at the college and he told me about life on campus.  We had a good conversation while the band wrapped up their first set (and took a break) and I genuinely enjoyed this encounter.  At about 2010, I reluctantly decided I'd had enough fun for the night and closed out my tab.  Saying goodbye to my friend and his uncle, I left the Brewery and returned to my hotel (arrived at 2030.  Back in my room again, I took care of some online stuff before heading down to the Fitness Center (2100) to ride the stationary bike again (this time, I completed 9.3 miles in 20 minutes).  for the rest of the evening, I watched movies.  With my cold seemingly subsiding, I managed to set a deliberate bedtime for once (2330).  What a great day in Indiana, Pennsylvania!