“Where’s the Beef?”

Thursday was Bill's birthday. He gets the day off and has to take that day or he loses it. We decided to take a drive up to Lancaster County, PA since it has been some time since we last were there. It was a beautiful day. And we are glad we made the trip which has become one of our favorites.

We have yet to make a visit to this country and not see laundry drying on a clothes line. Thursday must be the day for light colors and whites. Other trips we have made on Saturdays the clothes on the line are always dark. We can say that the two photos below can be called "Going Green."

Wash Day

Alternatives to Fossil Fuels

When we got to the specific spots we were wanted to visit it was past lunch time. We did not find restaurants immediately with good access from where were situated on the busy roads. We made a couple of stops on our trek to find a descent lunch. We stopped at the farm where we get homemade root beer and then the site of the farmers' market we always visit. We got root beer but the farmers' market is closed on Thursdays. That was where we could get an excellent sandwich. Well, we finally stopped at very big restaurant. It was well after 2:00 p.m. by then. I was trying to find just the right combination that was satisfying and healthy. Bill went for sausage and from the huge list of vegetables he took mashed potatoes and white corn. I finally decided that it has been a long time since I have had a good burger that that is what I would order, healthy just got tossed out the window – it was to come with onions, homemade relish, pickles, tomatoes and lettuce, all on a Kaiser roll (some healthy).

Our order came and Bill dug right into his selection. I put some ketchup on the side with the tomatoes and onions after which I closed the sandwich. I thought it a little odd that when I closed the burger the roll's bottom was on top. The vegetables were hanging well out of the burger. I started to eat it by cutting into it and eating with my fork. I have done this for a few years. I did not cut in half like I usually do. I took a couple more bites and decided I should adjust the innards as I thought the burger had slipped to the back. As I did this I realized that there was no beef. I was momentarily taken aback thinking that the healthy food gods were laughing at me. I had not eaten any beef and I swear I looked under the tomatoes and under the lettuce. Where's the beef? Not in that burger for sure. After everyone had a good laugh, a new burger was delivered.

It was a good day.

Autumn Color Continued

The primary purpose of our trip to Lancaster County last weekend was to view the leaves one more time. Many have fallen but many were still very vivid in golds and reds. It was, as I mentioned in the last post, a very gray day so the contrasts are not as evident in the photos. Even so, it was a pretty drive.

Bentley, loves to go places with us. His favorite spot is in the back on the load cover. It is just the right size for him to relax and enjoy the view.

This photo was taken a few miles from where we live. I have mentioned previously about the agriculture of this part of Delaware. The fields are rarely at rest as can be seen in this picture. On clear, bright days the contrast is amazing -- green of new crop against the blazing colors of autumn.

I love the drive through the Lancaster County countryside.

Passing a horse drawn cart. The dog just about went bonkers.

We love to stop at a farm to get homemade root beer. It is amazing. To get there you have to take a narrow road to the farm house and then drive to the stand where the root beer is then picked up. The drive circles around between the house and the barn and then back to the highway. This picture was taken when we picked up our root beer.

Saturday must be wash day in Lancaster County. It seems that the clothes are hung on the line regardless of the weather.

Just to prove we did see some beautiful color.

Visit to Lancaster County

Friday we decided to go to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania for the day on Saturday. I spent a bit of time checking out some web sites and made a little itinerary for the day. This would be our third trip to area since we married. The first trip was 29 years ago when we attended a convention held at Hershey Park. The second was a quick road trip up from Baltimore when Erica graduated from Hopkins. The area is beautiful and we wanted to make the most of the day.

The hardest part of getting there from here is trying to keep on the right road in Delaware. For some reason the road signs do not always say where you are or indicate where you are going. They only say which route you are on or headed to. A good map with all of the routes is an essential when travelling around here. That way when it is obvious that a turn was missed then it is possible to work ones way back to where one needs to be without ending up in New Jersey when it is actually Maryland where you want to be. With maps and pre-planned routes in hand we headed off for an excellent day.

Bentley went along for the trip. The weather was very comfortable so we didn't worry about him getting too hot in the car. This is a blurry photo of him in the back checking out where we had been.

This is the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal Bridge just out side of Wilmington. I really like the design. I find this to be a very attractive bridge and take fond gazes every time we cross it.

A trip to this area of Pennsylvania is always special because the farms are so beautiful.

We had not been in Pennsylvania too long when we saw this man and horse in a parking lot patiently waiting for his wife who was coming out of the Bank of Wachovia.

Here is but another of the beautiful farms we passed before we made our first stop.

Our first stop was at the Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society. This was a very interesting place to stop. There were historical items dating back a couple hundred years. The amazing thing was to see how even in our technical, automobile and Mcmansion society how so much of what was the Amish and Mennonite life is still so today.

This is a picture of hat worn by a woman for her wedding. The dress was made from the same fabric. They were lovely.

This is a story quilt that hangs in the museum. It well over 100 years old and is beautiful -- the fabric is in excellent condition and the colors are not faded. There were other pieces of handwork there including beautiful samplers. Lighting conditions being what they were it was hard getting a clear picture of them. You will just have to take my word that they were beautiful. We would see other quilts later in the day at the People's Place Quilt Museum.

Here are just some of the farm tools that we displayed in the museum. Some of the tools are still used today.

After the museum we headed to Bird-in-Hand where we visited the Bird-in-Hand Farmers Market. We purchased pastrami, rare roast beef, kaiser rolls and meat loaf from S. Clyde Weaver Quality Meets and Cheeses; fudge from Lennon's Fudge; Bill got some Shoofly pie from the Good 'N Plenty Bakery; two delicious mustards from Kitchen Kettle Village; and some gorgeous tomatoes from Keagy's Quality Fruits and Vegetables.

After visiting the farmers market we proceeded to our next stop. On the way we saw several men working the fields with teams of horses. One of the most interesting sights we saw during the day was on this leg of the trip. There was a man working the field near his house with his team of horses and at the same time in the front of the house a woman was mowing the lawn. The lawn mower was being pulled by a pony. We passed by so rapidly that I could not get a picture. But, it was a wonderful sight.

Saturday must be laundry day for many families as we saw numerous clothes lines with clothes blowing in the breeze. This clothes line was at our next stop, Glicks' Foods and Crafts. We did not purchase anything here but spent several minutes looking at the various quilts, furniture and other finely crafted items. It was at this stop that we saw a couple piles of the most beautiful compost you can imagine. I suppose that is one of the reasons that the gardens in the area a so beautiful.

From Glick's we went to a store called Zimmerman Marketplace. We bought some phony fruit there. And, then we headed to farm stand called Olde Heritage Rootbeer where we picked up a half gallon of homemade rootbeer. We haven't tried it yet but will do so soon. From there we went into the village of Intercourse and visited the People's Place Qult Museum, a small art gallery and a pottery shop. The afternoon was wearing on and we realized that we had not had lunch. It was closer to dinner time than lunch time. So we decided to call it day and find a place to eat as we headed back to Delaware.

Here is yet another farm and clothes line we saw as we searched for a place to eat. We stopped to eat at a family restaurant. It was called Stoltzfus Farm Restaurant. The restaurant is located in what was the old family home of the business founder. The meal is family style and you pay when you arrive. The meal included rolls, apple butter, two relish plates, chicken, sausage, ham loaf, green beans, corns, mashed potatoes and gravy and desert. Needless to say, we were not hungry when we left and we had spent about $32 for our meal.

I don't think I can ever get tired of scenes such as this. Sure we were starting to be in a hurry to head home but the quiet more peaceful life held us back. And that was good.

We will return for another day.