Preparing for Our Next Outing

I haven't really been traveling a lot lately. We've been helping the in-laws pack and load trucks for their move to Florida and before that assisting with a three day yard sale to help get rid of 40 some odd years of collections in one home. We do have plans in the works, though, that I'm very excited about.

Sunday, August 9 is Big Thursday in Bowers Beach, Delaware. In additions to yard sales, a parade, and other events, there will be craft and food vendors. The reason for my excitement is my sweetie and I will be joining the craft vendors for the first time since we've been together. Bill makes gorgeous wooden bowls, vases, puzzles, names, etc. My 14 year old daughter creates beaded jewelry that will appeal to the younger market - something she is an expert at, and I have semi precious stone and wire sculptures, jewelry, and maybe some of my paintings.

I'll have to add another entry to my blog once the day is completed to let you know how things went, post pictures of the event, and tell you all about Bowers Beach. Or, better yet, you could just join us if you're in the neighborhood.

Delaware City Days 2009

Saturday, July 18, we enjoyed an interesting afternoon at Delaware City Days. Vendors of crafts and foods along with music, and local stores created an atmosphere of relaxing fun. The few townspeople that hadn't come down to the gathering of craftspeople and food vendors could be seen in lawn chairs along the streets waiting for the fireworks to begin. Other townsfolk had joined in by holding yard sales.
The most interesting display was that of the Buffalo Soldiers. Calvary uniforms, arms, and writings brought history to life. My son spent a great amount of time discussing the various guns and their attributes with the gentleman on duty.
Vendors hawked their wares of handcrafted jewelry, carved wood jewelry boxes, beautiful glass creations, hand crochet shawls, and more. We didn't succumb to the smells of the cholesterol laden foods, but it was a definite temptation. Aromas assailed of crab cake, catfish, french fries, chicken, hot dogs, and burgers. Even the local bar and grills had thrown their doors wide. Dieting was not something you wanted to be doing while walking around the park. There was, however, free bottles of water being handed out, of which we were grateful, for the day was considerably warm.
The tide was out along the canal, and we stopped along the boardwalk for a moment to watch the attempts of several poor souls to remove their motorboat from a sandbar. We could have told them the best thing to do was to wait for the tide to turn, but didn't think they would hear us among the helpful calls of onlookers.
The festivities had an air of hometown fairs. As crowds go, this one wasn't so bad as to set me fleeing in the other direction. A country girl at heart, I have an aversion to being among so many people I don't feel I can breathe.
The evening was capped by a fireworks display that I'm sorry to say we ended up missing. We had come home to catch a bite to eat, and were much to tired to head back for the show. Ah well, maybe next year.

Off to Oklahoma

Thanksgiving 2008, my sweetie and I, along with my youngest daughter, took a trip to Arkansas and Oklahoma. Our first destination was Diamond City, AR. The actual reason for the trip was to have a new custom transmission installed in the pickup. Of course, mixing business with pleasure is always okay with me.

Diamond City is located on the shores of Bull Shoals Lake. Fall 2008 wasn't a real good year for the lake, since unusual high spring and summer rains had raised the water levels so high the lake had been unusable the entire season. The campground had been completely submerged, and was in need of major repair. You can see the high water line on the bluffs in the picture.

A small town, Diamond City boasts a couple of motels, one restaurant that is open in the afternoon, and one resort that will serve a limited menu from early morning until around 9pm. The people were extremely friendly, and our three day stay was very enjoyable.

Thanksgiving dinner was spent with my dad in Rose, OK. It was kind of a bittersweet visit. I always enjoy seeing my dad, but this time it was very evident that he is aging. I guess we really don't notice that we're getting older ourselves until we see our parents do so. Always a very active man, it was hard to see him having trouble just getting out of his chair. I am very grateful my youngest sister lives right next door and is available to help him out.

The trip home was rather rushed since my sweetie was along. He tends to want to get home quickly, whereas I am the kind to take the side roads and see the sights along the way. I'll get him trained yet.

Lancaster County, PA - Short and Sweet

My boyfriend surprised me for my birthday this year with a camping trip to Lancaster County, PA. This has to be one of my favorite short trips ever. Not only is the countryside quaint and beautiful, the greatest smorgasborg ever can be had for a very reasonable amount. Shady Maple has every Pennsylvania Dutch dish you could ever dream of. They vary a featured item or two each day, but it's always delicious. A word of warning - you're going to overeat, so be prepared to take a nice rest afterwards.

The rolling countryside is filled with cornfields, tobacco, soybeans, potatoes, and plenty of roadside stands. You can get fresh eggs, milk, homemade ice cream, whatever vegetables are in season, and hand crafts from the Amish and Mennonites in the area.

We stayed at a great little campground perched on a hillside. We had a terrific view of farms and fields. My son took several pictures for me to use as inspiration for paintings at some time in the future. The trip was over too soon, but well worth the short time we got to spend away from home.

Crossing the Country

I don't remember a time when my family wasn't packing up and leaving for a new home somewhere. As early as the age of 3, I've seen pictures of three of my sisters and I sitting on the hood of a car, ready to go. Most of the travels in my childhood were between Oklahoma and Wyoming. Now that I'm an adult my travels have been much more extensive.

I love the open road and being able to go where I want when I want. Spontaneity is the rule rather than the exception.

A favorite trip was taken about two years ago. My youngest daughter and I left Wilmington, DE for Big Pine, CA, with one stop in Rose, OK to pick up my younger son. The first part of the trip was pretty uneventful with the exception of crossing the Mississippi River at near flood stage. As far as I was concerned, the river was wide enough at normal conditions. Overflowing it's banks, even though it didn't come near the height of the bridge, was an experience for me. We hit a rain storm just as we cleared the bridge and I wondered who had decided to unend all the buckets at once. I finally gave up trying to drive through it in West Memphis and got a motel room.

The next day dawned bright and clear, and my daughter and I continued on to my dad's house in Oklahoma. After a short visit with him and my younger sister, we added my son and his suitcase to the pickup and continued on our way. We had been travel Interstate 40 for the most part, but had left it to pick up my son. Now we made our way toward Tulsa, OK and the Turner Turnpike to rejoin the Interstate for the majority of our trip.

If you've never traveled I-40 through Oklahoma, you should experience it. I'm not sure what causes it, but you get a rythmic thu-thump, thu-thump the entire way. You actually tell when you cross over into Texas or Arkansas because the tires will cease their thumping noise. If you are prone to headaches, I recommend a dose of ibuprofen before attempting the drive. The scenery for me is normally worth the drive, but this was January and the green just hadn't appeared yet.

Winter, spring, summer, or fall, there just isn't anything I can say great or interesting about the panhandle of Texas. I can say that it's not a true representation of the rest of Texas. You get to pass through Amarillo, which I seriously doubt has changed all that much from the days of the cattle drives. It's still a cowtown and it was night. Not a lot to see other than trucks and truck stops.

I think my favorite two states to drive through are New Mexico and Arizona. New Mexico has wonderful red cliffs as you enter the state which are decorated with animals and paintings. There is also multiple gift shops along the interstate where you can find authentic crafts from the locals. You may have to dig through the normal "made in China" stuff, but some great beading can be had, as well as some leather and bone work.

Arizona's gem, in my mind is the Petrified Forest. It cost us $20 to go through but was well worth it to see the enormous tree trunks. The gift shop at the south end is fun to go through even as a museum. An enormous geode with amethyst inside decorates the entryway, as well as polished pertrified wood.

It took us a couple of days from Oklahoma to reach our destination. We got to visit with my three grandchildren before having to return home again. All in all, a great trip for the gypsy that lives in my soul.