Cherries... Part Two

/ Rahal Farms/

We were in Washington state a few years ago and passed a roadside stand that was selling cherries. Delise said lets stop and get some. I said I don't like cherries... She asked if I had ever eaten cherries? I said yes. She said, no, not the plastic tasting ones in the jar with all the juice. A real cherry fresh from a tree.. I thought, how different could they be? If you have never had one - well you should. It is hard to explain how good they really are. You can buy them at the grocery store every now and then but the best ones are picked right off the tree, and you can meet some really interesting people too.

A beautiful sign for weary travelers!

As we were driving through northeastern Pennsylvania we started seeing a lot of vineyards.   We had no idea that they grew grapes here or produced wine. The further we went the more fields of grapes we saw. We decided to take a backroad to get a closer look and to our surprise Paul saw a sign for "pick your own cherries". After making a quick u-turn we were headed down a little side road through a field of grape vines. We soon pulled up to Rahal Farms. It is a beautiful farm with a lot of different fruit trees that we did not expect to find in this part of the country. Not only did they have cherry trees. To our surprise they had peach trees as well as 20 other fruit and nut trees.. It is a little to early in their season for peaches and besides we have no trouble finding peaches at home!

We were greeted by the owner (Wajeeh Rahal) and his daughter who was helping for the summer. They are very friendly with an interesting story. Mr. Rahal quickly pulled out a picture to show Paula of himself from from the 1950's when he was Mr. Lebanon back in his home country. He came to America to attend college and loved it so much he decided to live here. He started telling us about the farm and how he began growing so many unusual things in this area. He said he will try anything and if it survives he will sell it! The strategy has worked well for him.

We went inside the barn and were told to grab a bucket and head up the hill to the cherry trees. Paul asked where the sweetest ones were located. We were told to pick them off the tree and try them. They obviously did not know how much we like cherries and how many we could eat. We felt a little guilty when we came back with just 3 pounds in the bucket, so we paid a little extra for all of the samples...

 

The Cherry trees look a lot like peach trees but grow much larger.

Delise was thrilled when Mr. Rahal asked her if she liked Mulberries. He could tell from her smile that the answer was yes. They are one of her favorite childhood memories. He pointed to the tree just outside the barn door. She ate several and even shared some with the chickens. With all of the fruit trees around the farm, I bet those chickens lay some sweet eggs! After a good visit at the barn we headed back to the car in search of our next adventure.

 

If you are ever traveling through Pennsylvania up near Lake Erie you should stop in at Rahal Farms. From the variety of things grown there I bet they always have something to munch on during the summer and fall and you will definitely enjoy the visit! Where else can you get cherries for $1.50 a pound? 

 

Did you know they have lighthouses on lake Erie? Can't wait to tell you about them... 

A beautiful variety of cherries. From sweet to tart.

Lighthouses, Cherries and Small Towns - Part One

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We left the trade show and headed to our first stop in Erie, Pa. As usual the gps said to take the interstate but it looked like there was a much more interesting way to go. We headed north toward the lake. We found the Great Lakes Seaway Trail.

There are a few things you may not know about us. We love cherries - especially right off the tree, Small towns - we live in one, Lighthouses, Drawbridges and tall ships. Either we seek out these things or they draw us to them. Either way you can imagine how excited we were to get to see all of them in two days of travel, and have a glass of wine to top it off.

Our first find of the trip was a quaint little town, Ashtabula, Ohio. They have a great little downtown with a lot of cute shops, a fantastic lift bridge and a park overlooking the water and a huge coal port. The town was settled in 1803. All of the buildings in town have plaques giving the history of the occupants over the years. We are still in awe of how they can grow such beautiful hanging baskets in the north.

We had time to visit a couple of the shops downtown. Heartmade Boutique was full of interesting and handmade items. She makes her own bath soaps and salts. She also does custom orders - great for weddings! Picked up a few little gifts while there.

Down the street was a great little chocolate shop - oh yea, that's another thing we love! Marianne's Chocolates is also on the main street. Never have tried sherbet fudge before, maybe not a favorite, but the rocky road is great!

A big feature of Ashtabula is the lift bridge. Built in 1925, it is one of only two of its type that remain in service in the state of Ohio. We talked with Jim, who had the afternoon shift. He retired from the transportation department 8 years ago and took a temporary part time job operating the bridge. He has been working an 8 hour shift 6 days a week since then. He is very knowledgeable about the operation of the bridge and will share the information with you - just holler up at him as you walk under the operators box. He said the bridge is so well balanced that it will not lift if someone is standing on it. The bridge does not operate in the winter because of ice buildup. Jim told us that a barge would be coming by in about 20 minutes and we were lucky enough to see it from the park.

More to come!

Old Cars and Southern BBQ in Ohio

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After a long day at the trade show, we decided to head back to downtown Wilmington. Several people told us we should come back to the Third Friday concert and car show (Party at the Mural). We were going to eat at the General Denver Hotel that we visited yesterday after hearing some great reviews from some of the other vendors at the trade show. When the hostess told us the wait would be an hour and forty five minutes we decided to look for some vendors on the street. 

We enjoyed some great music during dinner

We enjoyed some great music during dinner

We decided to try a southern barbecue sandwich from Beaugard’s Southern Bar B Que - we were a little skeptical because we know southern barbecue - it turned out to be a great choice. Tender pulled pork with just a hint of sandwich slaw - aka cole slaw back home -  and a little mild sauce.

After finishing our tasty Southern bbq sandwiches we headed out to Main Street to see some of the fancy show cars.  There were cars from the 30's to a 2013 Corvette, something for everyone! While we were looking at the cars we noticed a real excited guy helping arrange them. He turned out to be Steve Brown - Executive Director of Wilmington Main Street. It just so happened that he read our blog post from yesterday. He is another great and enthusiastic representative of this wonderful historic downtown. During our short visit here we've met a whole lot of very friendly people who are very proud of their little town and they should be!

Theater, Lavender Fields and a Covered Bridge

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We traveled to Wilmington, Ohio, for a trade show this weekend. Setup was not until 1pm, so that gave us several hours to explore the area since we have never been here before. We looked on the internet for interesting things to see and off we went for an antique shop downtown. After spending an hour or so at the Old Mill antique shop we decided to walk around downtown Wilmington. It is a quaint downtown area, still looking a lot like it did in the 1940’s, with book stores, candy and sandwich shops, and hotels. We took a quick look inside the General Denver Hotel. We did not see a lot of it but it looks very interesting with really good prices.

 

General Denver Hotel

Down the street was a local theatre that looked kind of interesting. It is our view that it never hurts to ask for a tour of anything that looks interesting. Delise went into the office and inquired about a tour. The lady had just come back with lunch so we told her we would come back in a little while. After checking out the local candy shop, The Crave Candy & Nuts, then going down the street and sitting in a great little hidden park we headed back to the Murphy Theatre.

We were we shocked when we went inside. We were greeted by Tanya Snarr, the executive director. She was Gracious, enthusiastic and very excited to show us this local treasure.  If you are ever in this area of Ohio it is definitely worth the trip.  When the Murphy Theatre was built in 1918 it would seat about 20% of the town – 950 people. The acoustics are just as amazing as the architecture!

 

The Murphey theatre.jpg

We can never pass up anything blooming and it is the season for Lavender in Ohio. We saw several farms in area and decided to go to Peaceful Acres Lavender Farm about 10 miles south of here. As we pulled up we saw 4 people “bailing” lavender in the field. We talked briefly with one of the owners who was heading out to market with some of her goods.  She said we could pick as much as we could get into a small bundle for $10. The aroma of fresh lavender was almost overwhelming. Delise grabbed the cutters and headed into the field. After competing with the bees for a few minutes she had a nice little bundle!

 

The time was flying by and we really did have to get to work… As we headed back towards the convention center we happened up on the 70 foot long Martinsville Covered Bridge which was originally built in 1871. It rehabilitated in 2006 and is still in use today. We love covered bridges!

 

Did we mention that there are a lot of old barns up here…

More from the Big Apple - Sightseeing, Food and Plays

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While in New York on business in April, we also got to see Blair Brown in the play Nikolai and the Others. Blair is the daughter of a great friend of ours, Ann Brown. Those of you who knew Ann will remember she was a beautiful giving person...a true lady. We were so blessed to have been her friends.  Ann was one of those people that made everyone feel so special. Because of Ann we met her daughter, Blair Brown (she is a Tony winner) and a great actress. But to us she is Ann’s only child. While in New York Blair invited us to come see her at Lincoln center in the play Nikolai and the Others. The play was about a bunch of Russian theater people and a weekend they spent together in the country. It was very complex; throughout the play you began to understand the relationships between all of the characters. Blair played a woman much older than herself which required her to wear a wig - it made her look a lot like her mom. It was a very interesting play and we are so glad we got to see it.

We went into the city about 11 am (we rested after a long weekend at the trade show) for an afternoon of walking and sightseeing. If you are there in April be sure to check out the tulips at Rockefeller Center. Two years ago we were here with family and went to the observation deck (Top of the Rock). It is pretty amazing - The Empire State Building in one direction and Central Park in the other.

​We were also lucky to walk by St Patrick's Cathedral which is going through a major restoration. This is an amazing Church. The scaffolding they erected for the restoration is also amazing. You can barely tell that the church is underneath all of it. It also covers most of the interior.

​We told you before about Nocello​. We first visited Nocello's Italian Restaurant about 2 years ago and have been back 3 times. It is one of those restaurants that you would consider a local secret. The food is delicious - and rich! Luckily you can get half orders.

​Port Authority Bus Terminal - 3 crazy stories of buses to everywhere!

After the play we were invited to go backstage to meet the cast (we felt like stars) then the three of us went out for a late night snack followed by a fast ride in a New York taxi back to the bus terminal. The last bus left the Port Authority Bus Terminal for our hotel 1:15. This place is huge. We have been through there several times but not usually in the middle of the night.  The crowds were a little smaller at that time but it is still bustling with activity. We arrived at about 12:50 am and discovered that the departure gate had been changed from the 3rd floor, gate 320 to gate 82, 3 floors down.  We knew if we missed the bus it would cost us at least $70 for a taxi. After a small panic we did locate the correct gate and even reassured a few locals that they were at the right place.

New York City can be scary, especially ​the first few times you visit. If you are ever near the city and have an extra day or two we would highly recommend you take the time to visit. You will not forget the experience - while it is a very busy and fast paced, most of the people will try to help if you get lost or just need a little advice.

We love visiting for a few days each year, but we sure are glad to get back to the country!

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A Side Trip To The Big Apple

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Last week we went to Secaucus, New Jersey for a trade show with our Dog  Bow company and it is always our view that you need to have a little fun anytime you can. We were only 3 miles from New York City. For $3.70 each we can ride the bus through the Lincoln tunnel to the Port Authority Bus Terminal which is 2 blocks from Times Square. If you are that close…you have to go. Everyone should see Times Square at least once in their life.

​View from the bus on the way to New York just before entering the Lincoln Tunnel

​View from the bus on the way to New York just before entering the Lincoln Tunnel

We were told by several people about a play called "The Trip to Bountiful" with Cicely Tyson and we were able to get tickets for Thursday night.  We are not world travelers but we do know how to navigate our way in New York. Our flight was 2 hours late landing so we had to rush to make curtain (I think that's theater talk) 

​The Trip to Bountiful

​The Trip to Bountiful

As we made our way to our seats, we found ourselves only 6 rows from the stage. OMG  

The story is about a woman who left her home place (Bountiful) some 20 years ago and in her last years so desperately  wants to return home.  She is sure that something is waiting for her there. Cicely Tyson plays that woman. (I just saw where the play is nominated for 4 Tony awards.)

It was moving, there were times you felt like you we're ease dropping. We cried, we laughed and we understood. The house in Bountiful was much like Pineola, a home that had raised families, seen heartbreak, known love and joy.. we think the message was you can never go home, home is what you take with you in your heart, the memory's.....

Cicily Tison was so moving, it was great. She so reminded us of Nana, Paul's grandmother (no Paul's grandmother was not black) but it was that old south movement and expression that Cicely captured for her character. So if you are in New York, or close, while it is playing we so believe you would love it.

The play does not start until 8pm so you have time to eat at one of our favorite restaurants - Nocello We first visited Nocello's about 2 years ago and have been back 3 times. It is one of those restaurants that you would consider a local secret. The food is delicious - and rich! Luckily you can get half orders.
If you are not headed to a play afterwards take a short walk to Columbus Circle, the geographic center of New York City. Go in the Time Warner center for a great view overlooking the circle with Central Park in the background.

P&D=KV

columbuscircle.jpg
​Waiting for the doors to open at a play

​Waiting for the doors to open at a play

​One thing Delise loves about New York City is all of the flower shops!

​One thing Delise loves about New York City is all of the flower shops!

An unexpected day at the river - Thanks Delise

/ Reed Bingham State Park/

Cypress Knees at Reed Bingham State Park


The water was so still and black that you could not tell what was real and what was a reflection without some reference point.

The water was so still and black that you could not tell what was real and what was a reflection without some reference point.