Dots~

Darn it, I wish I could have met you too!

In New York we stayed at the Hotel Pennsylvania, very old but it wasn't too expensive and we got two rooms.

We got around the city, probably not terribly efficient with our time though, by bus, subway and taxi. If we had more days I would have gladly figured the subway system out but as it was I felt like a gopher, just popping up at random places in the city in like 10 minutes....it was just weird to me. We did hop on the bus quite a bit so the $20 we paid for the Metro pass was great!

I just loved, in New York, all the buildings, the architecture was just amazing to me, and that I was in this wild bouiliabase (sic) of people. It seemed like everyone I heard had a different kind of accent. We did meet a couple of people from California and the hostess at The Boathouse was a New Yorker who transplanted herself to San Jose (CA) and then back to New York and wanted to go BACK to San Jose. Interesting.

What impressed me so much was the pace. You really do feel like you can do everything, find everything in that city. I loved the noise and that you could have 30 cabs heading your way if you decide to cross the street against the light.
And that they can get beautiful, beautiful produce and fresh flowers in almost every neighborhood and there are little hot food buffets in all kinds of little storefronts so if you are feeding only yourself, you don't really have to cook to get good home cooked food. I love that neighborhood feeling.

And I loved the clothes......such a huge, huge range and then I passed this woman in the crosswalk and she had on a jean jacket, a gauzy wild flowered skirt with some tank top or sweater or something and knee high red cowboy boots - I LOVED THAT OUTFIT!!!

But as I said, PA was wonderful. I loved the simplicity of it. I loved the tall, tall barns and silos, the rolling hills, the pristine condition of the farms and dairys. We stopped and talked to a tobacco farmer whose wife came out to see what we were all about. They had their 14 year old son on a tractor, turning a field under. They had 8 children and they were either Amish or Mennonite but I get the two confused. Anyway, this man had some wood crafts for us to look at and he showed us his shop and his tools and his wife came out and followed us around....they were as curious about us as we were about them. I know if my friends would have just let me talk FIVE More minutes I could have gotten us invited to dinner - darn it.

We stayed in Blue Ball at the Blue Ball Bed and Breakfast which is very nice and our host, Frank, was wonderful. We had the attic rooms which was two big bedrooms, a bath, a tiny kitchen and living room area..... for like $165 a night.

They have a wonderful craft warehouse that we spent way too much time in. We found a few garage sales and of course, I had to bring a log home. (That's my M.O. the last few trips)

We ate at some family style place out on a dairy... it started with an "F" I think ... that was wonderful.

And we went to see the "Noah" production at the Millenium Theatre in Sight and Sound. I'm not kidding here - everyone should see that production. It was magnificent! They did such a wonderful job, it had Broadway beat! When God told Noah to take the animals in, they came down the center aisle with pairs of camels, llamas, sheep, a group of piggies, peacocks, swans......incredible but not quite as incredible as when the house lights came back up and all around (on three sides) the theatre was three levels of the ark, wich live and mechanical animals, supplies and everything that would have sustained Noah and his family for the time they were in it. It was just unbelievable!

What I came away with, from my whole trip, that there is nothing more important in life than to do what God has put before you each day, and to do your best at learning what he wants you to learn; and to be the best person, wife and mother I can be. I think that everything we come across, including adversity, can be used as a tool to help us come into who we are supposed to be as people. I t depends on how we look at things.

Okay, long enough.

Kate