POST VACATION 17SEP13

I was on vacation last week, drove home to Scandia, PA on Friday, 6SEP13 and came back to Herndon, VA on Saturday, 14SEP13. I really needed to get away, and Scandia, a small village in NW Pennsylvania, is the exact opposite of living in the metro D.C. area. My parent's house sits on 12 acres, on a dirt road, back in the woods. Quiet, serene, beautiful. No cell service, high speed internet is available if you have a computer (my parents don't). I go home to be with my Mom and Dad, to help them out around their place, and to bring some peace to my soul, to catch my breath. And I was able to do all that last week. We went to Erie, PA to see the tall ships in port for the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Lake Erie. I went to church with my parents and saw many old friends I really do love. We went to Benezette, PA to see some of Pennsylvania's elk herd (we saw 86 elk and heard lots of bull elk bugling) and visit a couple of wineries. And every afternoon we were home we sat on the deck and drank a bottle of wine and talked. We ate well every evening and one night we even had fried green tomatoes (northern style). I went to dinner with my friends Derek & Pam. The little rescue dog Mom and Dad got, his name is Smiley, bonded. And Dad and I got the railing on the deck replaced and my new soft top put on my Jeep. It was a really good week, and I really didn't want to come back. But I am very thankful for the week I had with family and friends back home, safe travels, and for the family, friends, my home and my job that I did have to come back to here in VA. 

A BEAR!

I have been home in PA all week. I live in Virginia, but home has always been and will be Scandia, Pennsylvania. It has been a beautiful week, and I have had a really good time. Thursday I went to dinner with my friends Derek and Pam McKown. We were driving to the Horseshoe Inn in Onoville, NY (great food and atmosphere, check it out if you are ever in the area) about 1930 and out of the woods wanders a beautiful black bear. That is not uncommon in the area, but this bear really had us laughing. It started across the road, stopped, looked at us, turned and headed back where it came from, then turned around and started back across the road again and then decided to sit in the middle of the right lane! It was a cute bear, jet black with the classic round ears straight up giving a very comical look. Pam moved the car just a little bit so the bear got up and wandered into the woods on the right of the road, when we pulled up slowly there it was just sitting in the woods, looking at us, and then it finally got up and wandered deeper into the woods. It was so cool to see and made us laugh at times during dinner, which was great. Thanks Derek and Pam!