15:25 Oct 06 2008
Times Read: 725
Busy weekend for us, but definitely fun. :)
Saturday we went to the Apple Harvest Festival in Arendtsville, PA. Immediately after arriving (mind you, we had to ride a school bus from the parking area), I saw a farm tractor pulling a haywagon with "Redneck Bus" painted in huge letters on the side, a mediocre band playing country "hits" and hundreds of people proudly displaying old motors, tractors and lawnmowers. My first thought was "dear Lord, I've walked into Hillybilly Heaven!!" Which was followed up with the thought "If it's an apple fest, where are all the apples? The pies, the pastries, etc.?" But, as it has been said numerous times before, you can't judge a book by it's cover.
While the boys liked looking at all of the tractors and motors and whatnot, I just couldn't get into it. I'm sorry, I may be a tomboy at times, but those things just don't excite me. Not even a brief spark of interest. After wandering around a bit though, I finally found some things I enjoyed. There were some old (from the 1920s) braiding machines that the kids could use to make bracelets and necklaces, for a very small price ($0.75 for a bracelet, $1.50 for a necklace). These machines fascinated me. Maybe it was the history behind them. In the 20s, women would work these same machines for 12 to 14 hours a day, making braids that would then be used for rope.
After my sons each had a turn making braided necklaces, we moved on to the next set of stands. There were crafts like you wouldn't believe! They had wood crafts, paper crafts, stone crafts, fabric crafts, paintings. I was amazed at some of the things I saw. Quilts, rugs, shirts, furniture, carved stones, and that was just the beginning. If I was rich I could have spent a fortune. As it was, I spent less than $50 all day, which included admission, the necklaces my sons made, baked goods to bring home, and dinner (only $8.75 to feed 4 people!). And I did finally find the apples and baked goods. All in all, first impressions aside, we enjoyed the festival.
Yesterday, we had a cookout. BBQ chicken, corn on the cob, salad and salt potatoes (which most people down here have never heard of :P). We had about 25 bikers over, so I'm sure our neighbors were annoyed with the noise of motorcycles coming and going, and the rowdy crowd. No one complained though. I've learned that, even though we live in a nice, quiet, small neighborhood, people down here don't complain about the goings-on of their neighbors like they did back in NY. Likewise, if they're out mowing their lawn or chopping down trees with a chainsaw at 7am on a Saturday (it's happened), they expect you not to complain.
So yeah, busy weekend, but very enjoyable. I haven't had a weekend that good in a LONG time. Now that I'm finally getting over the "I miss NY" blues, things are getting better. It's taken me over a year to get to this point, but I suppose that's normal when you leave behind everyone and everything you've ever known to move to a different state.
COMMENTS
-