Thursday, August 2, 2012

Wishin' I Lived in PA


I spent 2 days in Pennsylvania earlier this week. I wanted to see an antique quilt exhibit at the Packwood House Museum in Lewisburg and also hit a fabric store or two. I'd heard great things about Burkholder's in Denver so I headed there first. I was surprised that it was located in the middle of dairy farms and corn fields.


Next,  I headed for Hershey.





 My parents grew up in Pennsylvania. To me, these dark red/brown roads say I'm in PA.

 Love these old stone buildings and this one has a stone wall and cemetery, too!

I was headed to the Quiltmaker's Cottage, but it was closed. I meant to call last week to make sure they were open and just didn't get around to it. At least I got to see the Hershey Kiss lamp posts. From there I traveled north along the Susquehanna River to Lewisburg.

I stayed at the Copper Beach Manor. I really enjoyed my stay. Linda, the innkeeper, was very nice. She made the quilt on the bed and the one hanging in the hallway.








 After dinner, I walked around a bit.




 Susquehanna River









The next morning I took a tour of the Packwood House Museum. It included a special exhibit of 30 antique quilts. Unfortunately, they wouldn't let me take photos. I then went to an antique mall in town. Again, no photos. I had fun browsing, but didn't see anything that needed to come home with me. I then headed a few miles west to Mifflinburg to a quilt shop recommended by the innkeeper. Prices were great though finding the fabrics I like took a little hunting. Fortunately, the cutting table was at the check out and I read the note "to be fair to all we extend credit to none" before having my fabric cut. I asked if that meant they didn't take credit cards and the gal said yes - only cash or check. Darn! I had to decide what I wanted most because I didn't have enough cash on me. I guess I'll have to plan another trip. ; c )



At Verna's I bought the striped floral on the left. I plan to do a border of hexagons around the hexagon flowers. I wanted to use the fabric I already have on the right, but I don't think I have enough of it. Not sure what I bought will work. Will just have to try it and see.


I also needed more fabric for my flower centers. Would you believe nothing I had in my stash would work? ; c ) 

I love this Judie Rothermel fabric I used for the background of the feathered star, but only had a FQ. I bought another 3 yards because my plans for this feathered star are changing. If I don't use it for this, I'm sure I'll use it for something else. Or maybe I'll just enjoy owning it.

I already had some of the purple fabric. I think it and the pink colorway would work well as a sashing, border or setting square. I love the softness of this yellow. Again, I already have some of it and wanted more. For some reason I never have much red in my stash so I'm always on the lookout for red.

I really enjoyed getting away by myself. We had just finished up our last season with summer swim team on Saturday and I wanted something to get my mind off it. We'd been involved with the team for 14 years so the end was kind of bittersweet. I know I just missed the Hershey Quilt show. Believe it or not, I just wasn't in the mood for a big show. I also wanted to see the quilt exhibit at the Mercer Museum in Doylestown, but I was too tired to get up there Sunday and that was the last day of the exhibit.  I hope to spend the next couple of weeks doing some deep house cleaning. I'm sure some stitching will get done, too. Later in August, my daughter comes home for a month before heading out to New Zealand and my youngest son leaves for his freshman year at Virginia Tech. I hope things settle down this fall. I always think things will settle down in the future and they never seem to. Hence, the title of this post - Wishin' I lived in PA. While walking around the little town of Lewisburg I wondered if my life would be quieter in a small town and if I would like it. I'd love to hear your thoughts on small town life.

17 comments:

  1. What a great post, and some fabulous pictures!! Thankyou for sharing them, it looks to be a wonderful place to live!! I live in a small rural village (around 500 people) it is around 20mins from town (around 50,000 people), and I have to say it is preferable to city living any day! If I want to go to the city, it is just over 2 1/2hrs away, close enough. I love village life, it's peaceful, lovely views of rural landscape, you know your neighbours but we're not in each others' pockets, we bump into each other at the general store or the village post office - a nice way to live.......

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  2. What a great post, Maureen! I loved all your pics from your trip....what a beautiful little town that is. And I loved that ironwork gate! Great design for applique maybe, or fmq? Hmmmmm! I agree with Merilyn.....little town life is peaceful, lovely rural views, no traffic, few neighbors, and I don't feel a need to lock my doors! I never felt that way in Boston or San Diego. Our town is 1,400 people....no stop light, no fast food, and no noise! It's 25 minutes to a 'real' grocery store, and that's ok by me! Are you seriously thinking of relocating? You should come up here for a visit.....we have plenty of room! I can give you the tour of New England, and you just might never go back! :o)

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  3. Wonderful post, Maureen. So enjoyed your pictures--- almost like being there!

    Thanks for sharing your trip with us!!!

    :) Carolyn

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  4. Oh, how fun to get away and do what you want for a while. Too bad Quiltmaker's Cottage was closed.
    I live in a farming community, not a town. We are unincorporated--have no post office or stores. Not even a gas station. Just a close to a hundred families spread out over several miles. There is a university town of about 50,000 people about 15 minutes away. I grew up in that town and everything we need is there, but I love that I have acres of farm land immediately around me. I would never go back.

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  5. Love your picture tour of Pennsylvania - I've never been, but am struck by how green it is - just beautiful. Love your new fabric choices - I have a few in my stash that I have a lot of and keep going back and nibbling at them time and again. I grew up outside of a very small town (50 people) and I much prefer city life despite its bumps and bruises - so nice not to have to drive 2 hours for supplies or even groceries. The small town is beautiful and I still get to visit as my parents and brother's family still live there, so feel lucky!

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  6. Thanks for taking us along on your get away.
    I love living close to small towns - but PA is very tempting. We go back every few years and always enjoy the trip!

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  7. I enjoyed your trip! I live on the west side of that river. Next time you are in the area, visit Sauder's. You can't beat their prices. I was surprised to read that you can't take photos at the museum or the antique shop. Bonnie Hunter does it all the time. I did kind of wonder about that.

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  8. Oh, a peaceful life! Looks like a wonderful trip and the inn looks inviting. Living in a big city makes me pine for a small rural town also.

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  9. loved your trip to Lancaster.
    Did you hit any of the cute farm stands?
    I love the peaceful feeling of PA -

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  10. I love PA also! We went there 2 years ago for the Little League World Series and we camped at the state park near Mifflinburg. I also went to Verna's and spent lots of money. Luckily I had my checkbook with me! I have spent most of my life in the suburbs of big cities and would love to live in the country. Maybe someday!

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  11. Looks like a wonderful trip! Such a pretty area!

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  12. Lovely little trip to recharge your batteries. Thank you for sharing those lovely photos.
    The Manor looked like a very welcoming place to stay.
    Lucky you had a little break 'cause you sound like you are going to be busy again.

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  13. love your post! I live in Eastern PA, keep saying I need to get out to Lancaster area but always somewhere else to go first. I've always wonder too if living in a quaint small town would mean I'd be less rushed. I think probably not, I would just sit on a lovely porch (w/ antique but oh so comfy wicker furniture) and just get further behind....;)

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  14. That's such a pretty area of the country!

    I'm content living outside of a medium sized city. We often visit my MIL who lives in a rural part of the state, and I don't think I would survive long there. I like the diversity of my neighbors. I like being near to the grocery store, hospital, library and post office. I like not having to drive very far to get the things I need. I like having a choice of stores, movie theaters, schools, doctors, dentists, and other things that she doesn't have. I like that my kids go to schools where they have a lot of friends to choose from. My husband graduated in a class of 34, and he wished he had gone to a bigger high school with a more diverse group of kids and more choice in classes. I also appreciate my high speed internet, something that may not make it to her home in her lifetime.

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  15. THIS IS AN EXCELLENT ACCURATE POSTING!!! I live right in the middle of this beautiful area you just visited! In a little rural town of Elysburg. You likely drove through or was close by depending on the roads you traveled between Hershey and Lewisburg. I am very familiar with the roads, all the pics, people and places you visited...you are right it is lovely here. Verna's is a favorite place for all crafter's, I have been going there for over 30 years. Her first place was right in the middle of a Mennonite farm that my friends and I would make it a 'field trip' for our then young children to see the working of the farms and farm animals if they allowed us our quiet time inside the wonderful fabric shop. Now I attend with friends to buy material and such, plus listen to the many thought out discussions of customers and employees of fabric choices, designs thoughts, quilting ideas, etc that take place randomly throughout a visit.

    Not far from Verna's is a road that takes you out to State College(PSU world) this road is a beautiful ride...includes RB Winter State Park(which all the state parks in PA are FREE!) then takes you past miles and miles of Mennonite and Amish Farm land...on Sundays you are able to enjoy the many horse and buggies that travel to and from church/family time. Throughout the week you will see women, girls, men, children working and playing the endless farmland. It is to us normal, however to city folks, take the time to just ride by and enjoy the 'free' observation of the quieter life.

    Lewisburg is a quaint college town...bring your man and take them to Bucknell University to enjoy a Men's Basketball Game a small college team in the Patriot League that tends to surprise everyone every year with a visit to the MARCH MADNESS. The gym is above the most relaxing venue to enjoy college Bball I have every been in..plus LEwisburg has some very nice Bed & Bkfast and local favorite restaurants and pubs. Of course, if you need to bait the man for a visit even more so...as I mentioned State College is not far at all.

    Elysburg which is between Route 81 and Lewisburg...has a wonderful FAMILY AMUSEMENT PARK called Knoebols. FREE ADMISSION, FREE PARKING Also, our friends run a beautiful Campground 3 miles from Knoebols called J&D Campgrounds. This is just a small taste of wonderful everything in our area.

    If you are a motorcycle enthusiast all these roads connect for a wonderful backroad experience while visiting and observing beautiful rural PA. If you like the car...still can't beat the free relaxing roads of PA.

    My adult children live in Alexandria VA and Bethesda MD. I love visiting them..maximize all the wonderful diversity and places to explore. I could live there for all its advantages yet am very content in the quiet, slower place of PA. I have learned home is where you are that you are comfortable with yourself...not a location.

    I would love to share with anyone who wants to know more about this wonderful area of PA of the many advantages of visit. There are family free and inexpensive adventures to explore. PLUS adult explorations...I have motorcycle day trips to that will show you the PA WILDS, PA FARMLAND, PA BUSY...you pick. This little haven of PA is the center of PA unique diverse culture.

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  16. what a lovely time you had in PA and the photos that you share make me wish to go there myself. the Copper Beach Manor looks like a nice place to stay. i think any place with a hand made quilt on the bed as well as quilts as wall art has to be a winner~!

    i LOVE that stripe that you purchased for your hexie quilt~! have you had any time to cut and sew it to see if it's going to work for you?

    my mind boggles at a business not accepting a credit card . . .
    around here most would rather take a card over a personal check. of course cash is never turned away.
    the fabrics that you purchased are wonderful and it will be fun to see what you do with them.

    i live in a rural town of about 3,000 and have to say that it has it's pros and cons. it is quieter but my life still manages to be pretty busy somehow . . .
    we have a post office (no home mail delivery), a small library and a grocery store with the basics as well as a couple of restaurants (nothing fancy) but no movie theatre or any place to buy clothes or fabric. the nearest town is just over 50 miles away and you can get most things there although my doctors are all in cities that are a minimum of a two hour drive (one way). this means that every appointment knocks pretty much a full day out of the week, sometimes more if there are consecutive appointments and/or tests, etc . . . the result of that of course is that one gets behind on other stuff while away (as well as exhausted).
    the small, but fabulous, fabric store that was 50 miles away just recently closed doors so now i will be doing more internet shopping. there are fabric stores within the bigger cities but often there are just too many other stops to make and not enough time in what ends up being a very long day.
    like i said pros and cons. i don't think i have made it sound very good but i've lived here for most of my life so i'm quite used to it now and in general i'm very happy right where i'm at.
    i have to say though that rural NV looks very different than rural PA and those green fields and history filled cities look wonderful.

    :-)
    libbyQ

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  17. enjoyed your travelogue; i am a city girl through and through but i, too, love to visit PA for the change from busy city life. i wouldn't be happy in such a place all the time, i like the city far too much but they are wonderful, idyllic places for R&R, refueling, recharging and relaxing. headed to PA in october for just such a time.

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