Spring Break in TAMAQUA, PA

No, we didn't head for the beach for Spring Break -- we went to Pennsylvania!!
We had a wonderful time visiting with Aunt in Tamaqua. Here's a rundown of our trip:

SATURDAY: Drive from Leesburg to somewhere in the middle of North Carolina.

SUNDAY: Drive from somewhere in the middle of NC to Tamaqua, PA. Of course, a huge dinner was waiting for us, including ham, sweet potatoes, jello salad, asparagus, and rolls. Tammy's parents, Jim and Sheri Spell, were there waiting for us when we arrived. Aunt even had a high chair ready for Jacob -- apparently one that Papa Carter made for Aunt Nancy and Dad to use when they visited!

MONDAY: We had to dress up for lunch. Aunt took us to The Stouch Tavern in Womelsdorf. It was fantastic (of course). Here's how often Aunt goes there: The daily buffet only has one item each day. They publish the buffet menu a few weeks in advance, but apparently they left Monday's menu out by accident. So, last time she was there, Aunt asked what was on the menu. The response: "I don't know; what would you like?" So Aunt requested carved roast beef and custard for dessert. And that's exactly what was on the buffet, just for us. Then we headed to Boscov's.

TUESDAY: Visited the Cabela's outdoor store in nearby Hamburg. This place is AMAZING!!! Jacob had a BLAST in the aquarium. They also have very realistic animal displays, which he enjoyed. We had lunch in their cafe, then off to Allentown for a not-so-quick visit to Walgreens to refill my nose medicine, which I didn't know I was out of. (oops)

WEDNESDAY: Spent the morning at the Hometown Farmer's Market. The fresh produce and baked goods were amazing! The "flea market" portion was less impressive. Jim and Sheri were hoping to find some "goodies" for their store, but they struck out. After lunch, Tammy and I took a walk in downtown Tamaqua and visited the restored Tamaqua Train Station. The restored station now houses a hobby shop, a restaurant, and a souvenir shop. We have some great pics from Wednesday -- stay tuned for those!

THURSDAY: Cousin Louise (Aunt's cousin, which makes us third cousins, I think) stopped by for a brief visit in the morning. It must have been at least ten years since I had seen her last. She still looks great, but she walks with a cane and can't drive anymore. After lunch, Tammy and her parents drove to Morgantown to hunt for antiques and china. Aunt and Jacob and I met up with them at the Shillington Farmer's Market, where we picked up two shoofly pies and a large supply of sweet lebanon baloney!!!! :) That evening we had a wonderful dinner with Aunt Susie, Uncle Joe, and John Scornavacchi. They had tons of toys, of course, so Jacob had a blast. We had a great time visiting with them. Jim Spell and Uncle Joe really seemed to hit it off -- Jim got a tour of the house and was very interested to hear about how they found it, how they built the addition, etc.

FRIDAY: Drive in the rain from Tamaqua to somewhere in the middle of North Carolina.

SATURDAY: Drive in more rain from somewhere in the middle of NC to HOME! It was a great trip, but it's great to be back.

Well, I'm tired, and I'm going to bed! Hope you all had as wonderful a week as we did. Please say a prayer or two for Aunt as she recovers from the whirlwind week we put her through! We had a great time visiting with her. We talked about everything: family history, the renovations of her house (which looks great - a huge improvement since last time we were there), politics, traffic (yes, Tamaqua has traffic), and a host of other things. Jacob was extremely well-behaved for the entire trip, especially in the car. We were very proud of him, especially since he missed several naps as we were running around. Anyway, check back later for pics and even a few videos!