Summer Adventure 2013-Day 4

This morning we left Altoona after talking with a local real estate agent about the housing market in the area. Traveling up toward State College, we had some fantastic vistas. In State College,we decided we needed a driving break before meeting my friend in a nearby community so we found an excellent antique mall, Apple Hill Antiques. One of the best selections i think I've seen since we started going to these. I found some adorable vintage buttons and Dean added two more items to his elements collection: boric acid and phosphoric something. We chatted with the cashier about being originally from the Oklahoma area. His wife is attending State College and receiving her Master's in Ceramics. It was nice to talk to someone who really got how far we are from home.
Leaving State College, we headed out on some two lane roads in Penn Valley. It was the most picturesque scenery we have seen in a while. Lots of corn and potatoes were growing in the fields with no fences (so weird). We were in the middle of Amish country and were able to see several farmers with their work teams cutting hay and a couple of buggies on the road. Its Monday,wash day, so there was colorful laundry stretched from house to barn all over the country side.  
We ended up in tiny community called Rebersburg where my friend Kim owns a beautiful yarn store and book shop with her husband. I met Kim through a Ravelry Starbucks Yarn Swap. This was the first time we have spoken in person! It was so much fun to meet someone who I already felt is such a great friend. She knows tons about the area and was able to  talk to us about our observations of the local residency programs in Altoona and Williamsport. Kim and I continued our swapping started on Ravelry. I finished up a pair of arm warmers and knitted her a Calorimetry ear warmer while on the trip. She also got first dibs on new headbands from DeNatyArts and chose a grey and maroon braided band with a neat stripe. She was super generous with me and I now have a beautiful hand thrown yarn bowl, a gorgeous skein of hand dyed fingering weight, and some Ciao Goo size 3 40" cable needles! Main Street Yarn is absolutely adorable! If you are interested in learning more or ordering from  Kim follow the link to her shop site. Tell her I sent you! Dean explored Forefather Bookshop in the front of the building and found 4 Robin Cook books (one of his favorite authors)  and had to get them. We had a lovely visit but we had to get back on the road. We drove over some mountains and and through another valley or two til we reached Williamsport.
Williamsport,PA is home to one of the residency programs we are considering. The town had a great feel and the downtown area reminded us of Fayetteville. We drove by the hospital and Dean called to set up a meeting the program coordinator for tomorrow! We are so excited to learn more about the program and the area.
We had an early dinner at a downtown restaurant called Ozzie and Mae's Hacienda. Super yum! I got asked if I wanted my chimichanga fried or baked (this southern girl has never heard of a baked chimichaga before !)
We drove about 20miles to stay in New Columbia in the Susquehanna River Valley. Tomorrow will be an exciting day!

Summer Adventure 2013- Day 3

After sleeping in this morning, Dean and I set off to find breakfast in the area around Altoona. We found an absolutely delightful cafe in downtown Hollidaysburg (known as the Diamond). Allegheny Creamery and Crepes was the highlight of the day. The cafe seats about 20 and looks over the entrance to the Evangelical Luthern Church in town. I had the crunchy French toast with maple syrup and Dean had the mushroom and swiss omelet. Both meals were fantastic! The service was top notch and the wait staff asked us about our visit to the area and helped us find a local newspaper. We were super impressed and Tucker had to get a picture with their signage.
After a great breakfast, we looked around Hollidaysburg at the real estate options. This seems like a place where we definitely could live! Housing is pretty affordable and the neighborhoods seem really nice. Nearby by is Duncansville which is an antique shoppers paradise. We went to the Antique Depot which was an antique mall, flea market, and giant yard sale all in one building! We walked around for almost an hour and were very impressed with the variety and quality of the booths there. Dean added to his elements collection with a can of "Ovelmo" which is primarily composed of mercury chloride with bismuth also listed on the label. He did some research and found that this particular can was produced and marketed pre 1932 as it is said to treat eczema (which the FTC made them stop claiming in 1932).
When we had exhausted ourselves from walking around the antique mall, we decided to explore some more of the area by visiting a local state park, Canoe Creek. It was quite beautiful and was definitely a local destination for weekend recreation. After a short walk to the visitor's center, we visited Williamsburg, a very small town in the rural countryside where a small family clinic connected with the residency program is located.
Finally we returned to our hotel for some rest and reflection on all we have seen so far.
Dinner was at the local Japanese Steak House which I must say was quite fantastic! Dean and I have enjoyed our time in the Altoona area but are also looking forward to new adventures tomorrow a little father north.
--Katy

Summer 2013 Adventure - Day 2

This morning we woke up in Lexington, KY and started our day with (what else) Starbucks.  We struck out on the road toward West Virginia and travelled for quite a way before we stopped.  We decided to stop at the West Virginia welcome center, and there we found a brochure for an antique mall in Milton, WV called the Old Timey Antique Shop.  We went a few miles down the road and checked out this shop, and it was very cool!  I bought a lump of WV coal for my elements collection, and Katy really fell in love with an antique giant mail sorter.  It was waaaay too big for us to carry in the car, not to mention we couldn't afford it either, but it gave Katy an idea of what she would like to have in a yarn shop someday to store yarn.  We ate lunch at cracker barrel in Cross Lanes, WV, drove by Fairmont, WV (the childhood home of Mary Lou Retton and Nick Saban, and then headed on toward Pennsylvania.  When we arrived in Altoona, PA, we checked into our hotel and went driving around city.  We drove around the area near the hospital, through the downtown area, and saved the rest for tomorrow.  We thought that the downtown area was a little more like Little Rock instead of Conway, which was what we expected before we got here.  We ate at Subway for supper and are looking forward to a day of driving around Altoona and the surrounding area tomorrow and not having to drive a long distance!

Totals for day 2
488.5 Miles (1083.9)
31 state license plates and 1 Canadian province (4 new ones for 35 total)

--Dean