Category Archives: PA.

Apr24

May flowers in April

Posted on Tuesday, April 24, 2012 by Dianne

Early, so early! Now it’s chilly again. I haven’t gone out to look at the following flowers as we finally got rain off and now since Saturday night.

Lovely white irises

Lily of the Valley

I am doing several challenges on Swap-bot.com.

This was my choice of design and it’s called ‘Spring Chicken’. I got a package of really cute chicks and bunnies and the lady in New Zealand likes these sort of ‘die-cuts’, so I thought of that when I was making this.

A decorated envelope for ‘May Day’ is going to Oregon.

Monday, my entourage and me went to my hometown. I was getting my hair done and then we went to the tail end of a book sale and out to PF Chang as we had a $15 off gift card. I grabbed a few books like a Metropolitan Museum of Art book on Van Gogh. This was nice as we had just seen his show in Philly. I got a few novels-Twilight for one as I’ve never read it. I have seen the movie, but I’m sure the book is better. I have enough books for many years of reading! : )

Apr22

My first geocache find!

Posted on Sunday, April 22, 2012 by Dianne

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One out of six ‘ain’t’ bad! I think a few I jumped the gun on before we knew all the ins and outs about the hobby. And why were we looking for a micro the first time around? And who knew there are evil ones that mimic pine cones and magnets on dumpers?

This was behind a Baptist Church about 15 miles from here. I was so happy to see the container! I stood away from the actual find site so you could see it’s kind of in the sticks of Nottingham, PA.

It had cute little things in it plus the log which I signed. I forgot to take something, but I put $1 in it I was so happy to locate one. This was spur of the moment after we had browsed around a flea market place in an old barn. We’ve been there a few times. Bri got a used chain saw (please don’t break it) so we can trim some old bushes that just aren’t doing anything this year.

Then since we were in God’s country, we went to a nearby park. We were right where the cache was when my phone died. We saw landscaping fabric ‘in the middle of the woods’ and didn’t pull at it to see what’s underneath. We know where it is and will go back with a hand shovel and gloves if we are out in that area again.

We did have a nice walk in this very rural area.

Brian is enjoying taking photos too. Gets his mind off of worrying about things.

We are pretty sure it was right near here-that brown patch on the left.

It was around 6 pm-I was wondering if the critters were coming out for dinner. Had on the wrong shoes too. The paths were stony.

Apr19

Amazing Arboretum

Posted on Thursday, April 19, 2012 by Dianne

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Brian, mom and me went a few town over from her house to the Scott Arboretum which in on the campus of Swarthmore College. We’ve never been! The photos on the arboretum’s facebook wall enticed us to go and ‘free’ is good too. Well worth the little trip for us. There were dozens of lilacs, cherry trees and peonies blooming ‘three weeks early’ (as the lady in the main office told us). I will add more tomorrow as my tummy is a bit off tonight. I did a lot of walking a few days ago and I believe I’ve had a bug or something and shouldn’t ignore it and now my system is off. Ginger ale and gum sure helped.

Mom and me among the wood hyacinths

Mom took this one

Some of the most gorgeous peonies I’ve ever seen!

Apr18

New Year’s Eve will never be the same

Posted on Wednesday, April 18, 2012 by Dianne

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I was saddened to read that legendary tv host and producer Dick Clark passed away today from a heart attack at age 82. He had suffered a stroke several years ago and had made a few appearance on the Rockin’ New Year’s Eve show. He looked good this past January, though of course he never regained that wonderful voice of his.

So this is what he looked like when he lived in suburban Philadelphia back in the 1950s:

He just happened to live in the same apartment complex that Ed McMahon did. Less than thirty years later, I was to move in the Drexelbrook Apts with Brian as our first home as newlyweds. I thought it was pretty neat that they lived there during their Philly connections.

Wiki’s Drexel Hill page: Television personality Dick Clark resided here from 1954 to 1956 at the Drexelbrook Apartment complex before moving to Wallingford, Pennsylvania (which is close to where I grew up)

We lived on the second floor (they all looked pretty much like this-we had a two bedroom one) which got harder for me as I got more pregnant with Sean. We moved from here to this house about 6 weeks before Sean came along. We had noisy neighbors below us. The nice thing was the sidewalks that wound all around that I used for exercise.

Historic marker in Philly:

The last time for Dick:

Apr17

Tulip invasion

Posted on Tuesday, April 17, 2012 by Dianne

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Wow, it was the perfect day to go for a walk, which I did at Longwood Gardens. First I saw this rainbow of tulips:

These were at the entrance, so the building blocked the sun a wee bit. The others inside were mostly opened up, but still gorgeous.

These pale pinks are so delicate and I like the orange too!

As I only walked to one area and back, I got to see the ‘light pods’ they are setting up for night displays. The lady in the gift shop said to come back after Memorial Day to see them lit up.

It was around 4 pm!

Pretty orange azalea with the lake behind it.

The Wisteria are really pretty this year!

Apr8

Happy Easter 2012

Posted on Sunday, April 8, 2012 by Dianne

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We’re about to go out to dinner, but I have Brian take my photo in my outfit and since my hair looked good! That’s a Viburnum bush in full bloom.

Sean got a few goodies from Trader Joe’s which he liked.

I hope you are having a lovely spring day!

Candid shots at dinner

(Buttonwood Grill, Lahaska, PA)

Mom and Sean at the restaurant

I forgot my Canon, so I had to use the phone camera. Mom and I had practically the same things to eat-Asparagus soup with feta cheese, a slice of ham and prime rib, mashed potatoes, grilled cold asparagus, fruit, a taste of a few more sides, cheesecake and mini chocolate covered cream puffs. Very good for under $30 each. This was a buffet, so we could east as much as we wanted.

I am like a food ‘coach’. First I say not to order a beverage, just go for water! Sean wanted soda and mom wanted ice tea have you noticed that beverages are $2-3 a glass now-wow, they are making a lot of money on them!) I tell the guys that most salad and pasta dishes are the cheapest things that you can order. While I was getting the Asparagus soup for mom and me, didn’t they both load up on a big wedge of iceberg lettuce (it had some fancy drizzle on it) and pasta! They did have salmon and pork tenderloin, that I didn’t sample. Brian said the salmon was yummy.

It was a little hike, about 63 miles one way, but we enjoyed the scenery up in Bucks County. Next month they are having a Strawberry Festival, so we can look in a few stores (of course most were closed). Glad to include my mom.

Apr7

Photo Hunt-Awesome

Posted on Saturday, April 7, 2012 by Dianne

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Awesome display with light effects, originally uploaded by DianthusMoon.

Lucky for me, I call a few things ‘awesome’ now and then on my Flickr photo site. Glad I do that as I have 12,800 photos there right now!
This was from the 2008 Philly Flower Show. I like everything about the display from the ‘keyboard’ table, to the way the flowers are arranged and what they are in and the lighting effects. Look at how the napkins on the plates have polka dots! And the lady in the background is really taking it all in! Wow!

Apr2

Seeing one of my favorite artists

Posted on Monday, April 2, 2012 by Dianne

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There’s a special exhibit going on down at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It’s one I didn’t think I’d get to see like so many I thought I’d go to and then the show was over and moved on. Well, I said to Brian, this would make an awesome 28th anniversary gift if we could go in the first Sunday of the month when it’s pay what you want (seriously?-just say it’s free, we are buying food and gift shop items). But, it did cost admission to see the Van Gogh exhibit. And lookie here:

We weren’t allowed to take photos in the actual exhibit, but I saw people using their phones and the guards didn’t say anything. It was amazing to see one of the Sunflower paintings and the Flowering Almond branch he did for his namesake nephew when he was born. He applied the paint so thickly on many of his pieces making them very dimensional. He died at a young age of about 38.

We did go through the European artists and we also saw some local artists from Bucks County, PA. in another gallery. We were allowed to photograph these without flashes.

Mary S. Cassatt was born in Philadelphia, but lived in Paris. She loved to paint mainly women and children.

Family Group Reading

Woman with Pearl Necklace in a Loge
Have you ever seen a Picasso like this? So beautiful!

One of my favorites was by Perrier called Evening in Spain

And Brian checking out some local artists from Bucks County, PA

When we left the Van Gogh exhibit, we went across the street to check out a meandering park near the old Waterworks for the Schuylkill River. When I went to junior college, my friends and I went to a few St. Joseph University’s frat parties on boat house row there on the right.

The Water works building is a swanky restaurant now!

The city! I grew up only about 11 miles from here!

Happy to pose outside. We forgot to go see the Rocky statue. The stairs that he ran up were on the other side from where we were.

Yes, I bought some souvenirs, 3 of those lovely bags were only $1 each. I got a double light switch cover of ‘Starry Nights’ (I had seen that painting up in NYC in Feb. ) I got my mom some pens-she collects them. I hope we can come here again in the future, but not through the neighborhoods where the GPS told us to go. These little daytrips do us the world of good!

Mar18

Hitting the road

Posted on Sunday, March 18, 2012 by Dianne

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It’s fun to get in the car and drive about 40 or so miles for a day trip. Sometimes we stop off at places on a whim. Like just last week, Sean and I headed up to Lancaster and turned down a road that lead through the towns of Intercourse and Bird-In-Hand PA. The first place we saw was ‘The Old Candle Barn’ in Intercourse, so we stopped. I had fun looking around and bought a few little things. I saw a button bunny design and would like to replicate it.

They wanted $35 for this. I just won 100 buttons from an eBay action for $5, so I think I can make my own.

We went to the Old Candle Barn’s sister store called ‘The Gathering’ where I got my mom a couple of red granite ware metal plates that have 3 divided sections. She has a red kitchen (my brother painted it this color). The lady there couldn’t believe Sean was my son which was flattering. : )

We took a walk up the road and I took a few photos.

This is a neat grocery store with it’s neon ‘meat’ sign and phone booth you sure don’t see much of anymore.

This gorgeous Magnolia was blooming. Pretty sure it’s a month early.

We didn’t go in here, seems many stores weren’t open

Hmmm…the ‘Edged Weaponry Museum’-must have been lots of swords. Built in 1918.

We got in the car and just a few blocks away were many more people and more shopping. I saw the general store and remembered the scene from ‘Witness’ where Harrison Ford slugged the ‘English’ guy for making fun of the Amish. Someone said he was a ‘cousin from Ohio’. Sean was driving and whizzed on by.
There seems to be more restaurants in Bird-in-Hand. Sean said we can drive down that way again some other time.
Today, Brian and I went up to Oaks, PA to the Pennsylvania Expo center. It’s about 38 miles away. We stopped for a bite at McDonald’s and went on up to the Sugarloaf Craft Festival. We had gone up in November and I thought it would be a nice change of scenery and something not too expensive to do. I had coupons to save us a few bucks off the admission price. There were many of the same vendors and it was fun to check out what people make and sell. I saw lots of photos for sale-gorgeous, but since they were framed, very pricey.
I got this as it’s very rare to find my name spelled correctly. I may borrow this idea for my etsy shop, but with my own twist. The people loved this seller as these mounted piece were only $10. I will make a pretty frame for it.

We spent the most $ in a candy booth! They had like 3 for $10 bags of stuff. I got my mom some Black Jack gum she likes there. Then I bought some small tubes of hand lotion-coconut and lime I think.

We were here about an hour. On the way home we were about to drive past the Valley Forge National Park. Brian turned in and we went to the visitor center and saw some neat things like long swords (hmmm…more edged weaponry-lol) and fossils they found in the park from prehistoric animals. The daffodils out front were all in bloom-pretty!

I guess George Washington slept here?? LOL Administration building

We then headed to a Big Lots and bought some food items and then headed to a grocery store to get meat for dinner. All in all a good distracting day for Brian. Tomorrow he will call the main office to find out about insurance and a 401k he had with the company.

Mar17

Happy St. Paddy’s day!

Posted on Saturday, March 17, 2012 by Dianne

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As many of you know, I got my DNA test done and Irish came in second! I am still wrapping my head around that one! So as a ‘newly’ found out Irish lass, I wish you a great green day! ~~I’ll be adding the corned beef to the crock pot shortly!~~

Here I am in my green outfit I wore to Lancaster on a little trip with Sean. The flower is a vintage one from the shop in NYC. I need to make a proper clip out of it.

Which turned out to be probably my last shopping trip for a while, Sean and I went up to Lancaster and we stopped in Intercourse, PA at ‘The Old Candle Barn’. This was a display in one of the rooms which I fell in love with. I am going to try and replicate this a bit (heck I probably have most of the things in this photo, I bought the trio mini vase set but in clear-like $8).

Brian and I are going down to Maryland next weekend. Remember the trip we were suppose to take last November for my birthday? It’s all paid for and we had to use it by next month, so we are going. We get our breakfast, so will have to do a few meals. I am happy to take photos, I don’t have to go to town buying things. He is getting a pretty cool gift I bought last Saturday at Big Lots. I think he will enjoy it as it wasn’t expensive.