Yesterday I got the opportunity to enjoy an early #sublimesunday by venturing out into one of my favourite areas - Lancaster County - in the autumn. I really like to go later in October, when the trees have had a little more of an opportunity to turn colours, but it was still a great day regardless.
There's just everything about the trip that I enjoy, and it's an incredibly calming experience for me. I like the countryside and the lazy, curving roads through it. Even though I'm driving I still get an opportunity to enjoy the view, the fresh air and, quite honestly, even the "fresh farm" smells from the Amish and Mennonite farms are enjoyable - it's a smell of things growing and life.
Ostensibly I make the October drive to pick up pumpkins from Amish farms. They're not terribly expensive (much less so than from the grocery store) and have a variety of shapes, flavours, and varieties.
This particular stop for pumpkins is in Strasburg, PA. Strasburg is actually more enjoyable to me than Lancaster itself, which is a little further up the road. Strasburg has a few great antique stores, possibly my favourite restaurant in the world (Isaacs), the Strasburg Railroad, the Strasburg Railroad Museum, a really fun candy and ice cream store, and a model railroad shop (where I need to prevent myself from dropping hundreds of dollars every time I go into it).
I bought a trunkload of pumpkins. Really. I'm surprised they didn't fall out of the trunk when I opened it.
Of course, I also visited the railroad. Didn't ride this time, because all the tickets were sold! Why, might you ask? This is why:
Yes, boys and girls, Thomas the Tank Engine made his way to the Strasburg Railroad.
The Strasburg Railroad, in addition to being a volunteer organisation that refurbishes old engines and cars and sells tickets to ride through Amish country, also connects to Amtrak and provides short line freight services for the farms in the area.
We bought candy. I did not take pictures of the candy.
But I did break the phone-camera out in the antique store. There are two antique stores right at the 896/Gap Road fork that I enjoy, and of course I visit both. Being that they are in the middle of a fantastic county with a lot of colourful farm history, they have a huge assortment of really neat looking goods.
One of the antique stores is in a building which was at one point a mill, and the old mill gears and engine are still in the basement.
I was sorely tempted to buy the witch. I didn't, but I was tempted. I did, however, buy myself some new Halloween decorations to place out with my self-described Alchemists Shelf collection. Take your pick; these are either old dentistry tools, or instruments of torture:
(This new decoration will end up as a proper photo on my 31 Days of October series.)
I also bought myself a Christmas gift. Alas, I have no pictures of it yet; those will need to wait until Christmas!
(c) All images and photographs, unless otherwise specified, are created and owned by me.
(c) Victor Wiebe
About Me
Amateur photographer. Wannabe author. Game designer. I dabble a little in a lot. General all around problem-solver and creative type.
Founder of Photo 52 weekly photography competition.
Expert generalist. Jack of all Trades.
Dad.
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That looks like an interesting place to go visit Victor.
I'd have gotten the dentist tools as well @wwwiebe
It really is a fun place to be. Unfortunately the mini-golf places we like to go were closed, but fun was still had.
You are almost always good for a laugh!
Dentistry tools definitely. I remember them all from my childhood.
Cool place. Why do you buy so many pumpkins?
I like to both decorate with the pumpkins as well as bake with them; many of them are for baking purposes now through Christmas. Lots of pies and breads!
Thanks for stopping by!
Great photography! This time of year is so nice imho, love the Thomas train...I lulzed. I've always thought that area of the country is so nice and true Americana, just homey and cozy and sweet. "nice post". Full UV and curated by the Black Sheep Blogger Community!
Thanks @battleaxe! I love autumn, 'tis my favourite time of the year. Always so much fun! What we need, though, is more Halloween music.
What a wonderful sublime Sunday you enjoyed. What are you doing with all the pumpkins you purchased? Halloween decorations and pies? I hope you got them home safely and not have them flying out on the road like this incident....
Hubby and I had an incident with a flying pumpkin driving home from Charlottetown. We were crossing the Hillsborough Bridge and a vehicle was in front with what looked like three decorated pumpkins on the back of the truck. There was a rope across the tailgate to keep them from falling out. The pumpkins must have been to take home for a lawn decoration as they were covered in white but I could see they had eyes carved out.
Then suddenly this large round thing, covered in what looked like white paper, flew off the truck and smashed into pieces on the road in front of our vehicle. We could see it was a pumpkin once it flew apart. The truck kept on going with the other two pumpkins still on the back. I don’t think they even noticed they had lost one. It would be impossible to stop there with the traffic moving.
Luckily no one was hurt by the flying pumpkin.
Oy! That's kinda funny. Pumpkin pieces! I remember driving home one Christmas, across an overpass, and seeing on the side of the ride on the overpass a perfectly wrapped Christmas Tree that must have fallen off of someone's roof. Can you imagine getting home and discovering the tree that you must have taken the family out to cut down has suddenly gone missing?
Yes, things can happen like that and because of traffic it is impossible to retrieve the tree. Better to lose a tree than your life.
What a disappointment for the family to see no tree on the car roof when they arrive home.