Anniversary Trip

Sometimes I find it hard to believe I've been married 41 years!  We dated for 3 years while we finished our studies at the State University of New York.  It was a whirlwind summer as we planned our wedding, and Mike planned his return to the Army.  By the end of the year we were living in California within a stones throw from the ocean, nearly a continent away from family and friends.  We slept on the floor until we could afford a bed in a Historical Victorian camp house near Lover's Point in Pacific Grove.  We didn't have a car, couldn't afford one just yet, and either took the bus or walked wherever we went.  We had two plates, two sets of silverware, and a couple of baking tins...whatever I could fit in the 7 suitcases we brought from home.  I wouldn't have wanted our lives to start any differently!  We went to the big Commissary once a week then lived off a local farm stand the rest of the month, and if we had two quarters to our name by the end of the month, we would go to the movies on base that cost 25 cents a ticket.  We lived down the street from a harpist who would practice for hours each day, so we listened to the waves crashing on the shore to the rhythm of harp music and sometimes to the muted sound of a fog horn and the barking of harbor seals.  Sounds idyllic, doesn't it?  It really was!  What a way to start our married life.  

We love to travel on or near our Anniversary, as we were separated a lot of times over the years while my husband served in the Army.  After 25 years of literally globe trotting, we have finally been able to spend every Anniversary together, so we like to celebrate together alone.  This year we traveled to Lancaster, one of our favorite areas of the country.  Here are a few sights from the area....the one lane covered bridge...

horses with their twin colts, 

and so many beautiful flowers (there were signs all along the roadways of fresh cut flowers for sale at local farms...just beautiful this time of year!)  

We made plans 8 months ago to see Noah at the Sight and Sound Theater in Ronks, Pennsylvania.  It was the 25th Anniversary of the show and has been sold out for ages.  We knew it would be so bought tickets months ago.  It was a fabulous performance!  

We also made reservations to see The Wizard of Oz at the Dutch Apple Dinner Theater.  What a fun performance!  We've been there many times and have always enjoyed the show!  I especially loved the Cowardly Lion, and Dorothy had a lovely voice!  

We also went to see a variety magic show with Brett Myers...such a fun show!  He had two of his children as part of the act...so of course we had to buy a couple of magic tricks to have on hand for the kids when we got home.  Should you ever visit I'm sure Mike would be too happy to show you his magic skills...haha.  

We had time to visit a couple of antique stores and found some treasures I've been looking for for ages!  First up is this small printers drawer with the dividers.  Not only was the price agreeable, but the size was perfect!  I didn't want a huge one, so this met my needs perfectly!  

I found these three fancy thimbles and am wondering if I can make one of those stitched pincushions with the doll heads with these, I'm going to give it a try!  Aren't they beautiful?  

I found some lovely Longaberger baskets for reasonable prices and snapped this one up.  I already have an idea for it!  Watch this space!  LOL  

I also found something that I've been looking for for a long while.  I had almost given up hope.  First I found this lovely lace edged Carnival Glass basket and thought it might work...I loved it so I picked it up...then kept searching.  

I've seen these made of milk glass but when I found this Lace Edged pink depression glass bowl on a pedestal, I nearly jumped for joy!  

As I was carrying it out of the shop, it hit me that I had a pin cushion that would fit in it waiting at home, and sure enough, it was the perfect size!  Now to gather my special scissors!!  When I have it fully set up, I'll take another picture.  Stay tuned!  

Lucky me I was able to shop at the Hodge Podge in Strasburg, PA.  It's a stones throw from the Sight and Sound theater.  We stopped in just before the performance and of course I found the rick rack I was searching for, some lovely fabric of sizes I was out of, and a few other goodies.  

The fabric stores in the area are wonderful, so I picked up some Christmas fabric and a few other little goodies from Good's Store.  All in all it was a stitcher's paradise!  

So I was able to get some stitching done, but these are gifts, so no pictures yet.  I'll be sending them off soon, so as soon as they have been delivered, I'll post pictures.  

I have one more thing I hope to finish, a Christmas ornament for the month of August, then I'll be back to working on Let Freedom Ring!  I've seen some lovely changes and I think I will  incorporate some of them into mine as well.  I've loved seeing all the different renditions of the pattern coming to life...it's been fun to participate!  I'm sorry for the lack of stitching pictures, but hopefully I have some to show soon!  I'm off to get some rest.  Mike and I came home with some kind of bug so I've been doing a lot of sleeping between "end of vacation" chores like unpacking, grocery shopping and mount laundry.  Hopefully, with all the chores done, I can relax today and get some stitching done.  Thanks for taking the time to read and comment.  Happy Stitching!