This picture was taken 22 miles before Erie, PA on our way home. Man, I look forward to seeing these signs. Since it was Sunday (I always think I deserve a good home cooked meal on that day) & what better way than to not have to cook it ... Cracker Barrel here we come. That means we have to unhook for the night, but that's okay, we need bread & milk & if our friends, Ron & Barb, are home, we will drop in for a visit after we have our early supper.
We found our campground, Camp Eriez, in Lake City, just outside of Erie, PA around 3pm. Got set up & unhooked. Weather was a little iffy, but we didn't get rain so that was good. So off we go to Cracker Barrel. Driving down Route 5 (closest to Lake Erie) we find many, many grape vineyards. (Tonight 05-11-10, we heard they got an awful frost & lost 20% of their crops). This is a common site all along the lake.
Interesting little barn.
We drive past Erie International Airport, known as the Tom Ridge Field. Tom Ridge being from Erie, PA was head of Homeland Security under our former president.
As always, we had a delicious meal & were stuffed. I've never gone away hungry from Cracker Barrel. It's my favorite place to eat. We gave Barb & Ron a call & they were home, so we stopped at the store & headed out to their home. A beautiful home. It borders on the woods on the back side & even though they are in a developed community, it looks like you are out of town. Beautiful & big. Being a 5th wheel homeowner, it's way too big for me. I kind of like my "little home on wheels".The next day we got up early to make sure we could get in to Boyer's to get our trailer inspected. I had emailed them over the weekend making sure they would get it as soon as they opened. Barb had checked with them to see if they could accommodate our size & since we were full timers they said no problem. Well, we called them at 8:05 - no answer. Called at 8:35 & Bill talked to them. They couldn't work us in until FRIDAY! What were we going to do in Erie for a week when we were only 1-1/2 hrs. from home??????? We said forget it. We called our normal place, Johnson's Tire Service in Weldbank/Clarendon, PA & they worked us in. Of course we had to take the old route 6 home, but that was okay. We had to wait awhile as there as a big "over sized load" came in with flat tires. They ended up changing all 8 of them. As I said in my earlier post, we made it to the campground by 3pm, which is our normal time for pulling off the road anyway. It was great to be home & the weather was perfect for getting set up. No rain! It was great to see Randy & Becky again. Love our spot! Thanks guys!
Renee, Nick & Noah came up & we enjoyed a fire & hot dogs. Great to see them! They were so excited. Since it was school the next day, we had to make our visit a little shorter than we wanted. Renee invited us for supper the next night. I was excited then 'cause I couldn't wait to see her new home in WARREN. Seems so good to have her close & in a small town environment.
This is our home town. (Well, actually, we used to live in North Warren, not Warren), but this was the city. Coming from the north into the city, this is the County Court House. The jail is attached to the back to the right of the picture.
This is looking kitty-corner across the street. I love the big white houses. The one on the left is the Women's Club & the next one is where I went to my OB/GYN downstairs & the kids went to their pediatrician upstairs. I'm not sure what is in the buildings now.
The next block is the Warren Presbyterian Church.
Across the street in the next block is the Conewango Club. It burnt a few years ago & has now been restored. They now have an elevator. When I made my friend's daughter's wedding cake, we had to carry it up the stairs. Do you know how heavy a wedding cake is?????
Now notice the beautiful scenery, then look at the traffic lights. We are in Warren, PA at the intersection of Market Street & Pennsylvania Avenue. Route 62, a truck route. Do you notice there is no left arrow to turn left????? Most streets in Warren have a "No Turn on Red" also! Now we've done a lot of traveling & this is one of the worst towns to drive through. We've finally decided it's because the United Refinery is here & they want you to burn all the gas & diesel you can sitting at a traffic light!!!
This is heading east from the intersection above. Looking across a little park aside of the old Bell Telephone Building.
This is Renee & Tom's little house on the east side of Warren. Not real big, but it is cute. They even have their own little front yard & a small back yard. Tom has worked his butt off taking out overgrown shrubs & an old tree. Our friend, Jamie, has helped them a lot with hauling the stuff away & helping them with a refrigerator. He was my son's best friend growing up & lived across the street from us in N. Warren. He has been a big help & we appreciate all he's done. He says it's payback for what we did for him when he was growing up.
This is Papa with Nick. Tom has fallen asleep & Noah is getting close. It's bedtime.
Noah giving Papa a hug goodnight.
We enjoyed our time visiting. Nick even helped Grandma with the dishes. He's a good worker. After dishes, Renee & I & the boys went for a walk to the football field & then to their school so they could show Grandma where they played at the playground.We spent the rest of the week around the campground. I planted some flowers in my little garden, but I've had to cover them 2 nights because of frost. We've played cards with my sister & brother-in-law at their house. She gave me 2 tomato plants but I haven't planted them yet.
Sunday we woke up to cold & snow flurries. Yuck! But I had a great Mother's Day. Woke up to the phone ringing early. My son, Mark, called from the ship somewhere off the east coast of Africa. I was so surprised to hear from him. It was a great beginning to a great day. We met Renee & the boys for church in N. Warren & then Bill left to go to Clarendon VFD to pick up BBQ chicken dinners for everyone. We met at Renee & Tom's for dinner. It was nice not having many dishes. But again, Nick helped Grandma. He likes to gab as he works. He's so cute. Carrying on a conversation just like an adult.
The weather has been cold & rainy almost ever since we got here. The wind was bad over the weekend. It's suppose to give us a little break tomorrow, but then rain again in the evening & Thurs. & Fri. Maybe we'll get a good weekend. I shouldn't complain, at least we aren't having tornadoes like Oklahoma. They have had some really bad ones. My friend, Velda, sent me pictures of her hubby holding baseball size hail in his hands. Glad we got through that state!
Today we went to the first coffee & donut day at the campground. Held every Tues. morning at 8:30am. That's when we hear what's going on in the coming weeks. No, I didn't have a donut!!! If I'm not doing my Pilate's, I can't afford a donut!
This afternoon since it was raining, we took a ride to see my brother & sister-in-law, Ray & Barb, but they weren't home, so we came back & stayed in. Tonight we had company! Wow. Our old N. Warren neighbors, Peg & Frank, stopped in on their way back from Jamestown. It was good to catch up on news with them. I love it when we have people drop in. Makes me feel like we are still in a "community".
Looking forward to getting together with the girls I used to work with on the 19th. A big thanks to Toni, she got the wheels turning as soon as I hit town! Can't wait!
I guess I'm caught up. Time to put a lid on this rambling.
Until next time..............The Traveling Cardinal's
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