I took a trip to king of Prussia yesterday to visit my grandparents' grave site - albeit a week later than I had planned. The cemetery is a really nice spot, and since it was raining, there weren't a lot of people there. I spent about a half hour at the site, wiped down the headstone (it was a little dirty), and talked to them. Maybe that makes me crazy, I don't know.
When I left, I took a detour through their hometown (Bridgeport, PA) and stopped by their home (pictured above). It looks exactly the same as it did when I was a kid. As my Uncle Ray said, Bridgeport is The Town That Time Forgot. He's right. That's both creepy and comforting.
My grandparents lived next door to Our Mother of Sorrows Slovak Church, which is now covered by St. Augustine Parish.
I guess I never noticed it when I was younger, but the Slovak Coat of Arms is on the front of the church. It's a red shield with a double cross (for the Christian faith) atop three blue hills (representing three symbolic mountain ranges: Tatra, Fatra, and Matra). Yes, I had to look that up. I remember that there are many Slovak writings on the walls inside the church, but I never noticed the coat of arms.
After I drove around town - stopping a few times to relive my fleeting youth - I stopped at Franzone's Pizza at 5th & Dekalb Streets. For my money, it is the best pizza in Pennsylvania. Failing to stop when driving through Bridgeport is a crime against humanity.
All in all, it was a pretty good day.
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