Sunday-Tuesday, May 14-16, 2023
Kane
Little sister, Lisa, came to celebrate my birthday before we embarked on this trip. We enjoyed a celebratory dinner at a nice restaurant and caught up on news Friday evening and Saturday before departing Sunday morning for this excursion. Late Saturday afternoon we took Zorro to a new kennel, Pet Paradise, that had recently opened near us. This was to be his first ever kennel stay and we were all saddened to leave him.
We drove to Kane and stayed in The Lounge, an upstairs air B&B on Field Street situated a block from Fraley Street and uptown Kane. This was sis’ first visit to Kane so Jane was enthusiastic about showing off the area. We walked around town and ate at familiar restaurants with, of course, a beer at the Logyard Brewing Taproom. For our first time, we also toured Six&Kane, a historic building on Fraley Street that had been retrofitted as an energy efficient passive building. We had witnessed this building being renovated over the course of several years and were impressed with the results. We also ventured from Kane to visit Kinzua Bridge State Park neat Mount Jewett and the Zippo / Case Museum & Flagship Store in Bradford.
A major purpose of our trip was to visit Jane’s brother Dan who was just back from Pittsburg after hip replacement surgery. On our first visit Dan seemed a bit subdued but he attributed his malaise to pollen allergies. (The worst of the pollen season had subsided back in NC but was peaking in PA during our visit.) We gave birthday gifts to our niece and nephew since we missed one birthday and would would not be able to visit for the other. On our second visit, Dan was much improved from both the allergy and surgery.
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| Welcome to Kane, Lisa |
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| The Kinzua Skywalk |
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| End of the Skywalk |
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| Skywalk and Collapsed Bridge Remains after an F1 Tornado |
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| The Zippy Zippomobile |
Wednesday-Saturday, May 17-20, 2023
Ephrata – Nazareth – Lancaster
Wednesday morning, we departed Kane and after a mostly scenic five-hour drive (including lunch break) we arrived at Jane’s sister’s home in Ephrata. Again, this was Lisa’s first visit and Nancy and John were great hosts as usual. We are all cat people and enjoyed their four indoor and multiple outdoor cats throughout our stay. We were also monitoring Zorro via the kennel’s online cat cam.
Several weeks ago, I had made reservations to do something I have always wanted to do, tour the Martin guitar factory. So, on Thursday morning Nancy chauffeured us on the 1.75 hour-long-drive to Nazareth, PA, arriving just in time for our 10 am tour.
I wasn’t disappointed with the one-hour guided tour although it did seemed rushed. We witnessed the many steps involved in making soundboards, bodies and necks followed by assembly and finishing. Skilled workers were required for each step even though many steps were automated or utilized CNC technology. We enjoyed observing first-hand the craftsmanship that goes into Martin instruments.
After the factory tour, we spent awhile in the Martin Museum that presented the company’s two-century history from its origins in Germany to the present. Since it’s beginning in 1833, C.F. Martin & Co. has been family owned and operated for six generations. Over the years, Martin’s quality instruments, especially their acoustic dreadnaught guitars, have been treasured by many well-know musicians across many musical genres. After digesting the museum displays we browsed around the 1833 Shop where I purchased a Martin cap and t-shirt.
We then ate lunch at the Nazareth Diner before heading back to Ephrata. Later in the afternoon, Jane and I couldn’t resist walking to nearby St. Boniface Craft Brewing Company for a relaxing outdoor Happy Hour before dinner.
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| 510 Sycamore Street, Nazareth, PA |
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| Guitar Sound Boards and Sides |
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| Molds for Guitar Bodies |
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| Assembled Deadnaught Guitar Bodies |
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| Guitar Necks |
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| Happy Visitors |
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| Just a Short Walk Away |
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| Sampling the Line-up |
Thursday morning, Nancy drove us to the Green Dragon Farmers Market in the heart of Amish Country. From its beginnings in 1943, Green Dragon has grown into one the the largest flea markets on the East Coast and includes indoor and outdoor vendors. We were dazzled by the sites, sounds and smells of homemade baked goods, fresh produce, coffee, furniture, crafts, tools, and clothes among myriads of other offerings. This uniquely local Lancaster County venue was an enjoyable experience although we only made a few minor purchases.
That afternoon, we headed downtown to visit the Ephrata Cloister. This cloister was founded in 1732 by Conrad Beissel, seeking to live as a hermit following his own religious ideas. By 1750, Beissel’s charisma had attracted about 80 celibate Brothers and Sisters inhabiting impressive Germanic log, stone, and half-timbered buildings The cloister was surrounded by 200 “Householders”, supportive families occupying nearby homes and farms. The cloister members lived spartan disciplined lives laboring to prepare themselves for an anticipated heavenly future.
After Bessel’s death in 1768, the cloister gradually declined and was abandoned. Eventually, the PA Historical and Museum Commission assumed administration of the property and is working to research, restore and interprete this important historical site. We were led by an interesting guide who walked us through several buildings and discussed details that brought the past to life. After the guided tour, we wandered around the property exploring additional buildings and the interesting cemetery. We then returned to the visitor center where we went through a small museum and explored the gift shop.
For dinner that evening, John & I ordered online from an Asian restaurant (Nara Cafe). Jane & I drove downtown to pick it up and we enjoyed it with drinks and good fellowship.
That evening I stay up late to watch the Hurricanes in their NFL playoff game against the Panthers. The Panthers were declared the winners after scoring a few minutes into overtime, so I went to bed. I was dismayed the next morning when Jane told me that the game went into 4 OTs! Apparently, the Hurricanes successfully challenged the first OT goal and the game continued. Because the result was eventually the same (FLA 3, CAR 2) as when I went to bed, I was glad I that I had done so.
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| Shady Nook Farm |
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| Saron, the Sisters’ House (l) and Saal, the Meetinghouse (r) |
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| The Meetinghouse Interior |
On Saturday, John drove us around Lancaster County providing local commentary. We first rode around downtown Lancaster so that Lisa could get a feel for that city. We then drove to Wheatland, home of James Buchanan, our 15th president. We didn’t tour the fairly modest house but were able to completely walk around it. We also enjoyed walking around the adjacent Tanger Arboretum of dwarf conifers. The Lancaster History Museum was also adjacent to Wheatland, so we browsed around this museum absorbing more local history. I was particularly intrigued by a collection of Lancaster Country Tall Case Clocks from the 18th and early 19th centuries.
We then ate a hearty lunch at the Oregon Dairy where Jane & I couldn’t refuse their ice cream for dessert. From there, John took us to the Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum, a Pennsylvania German Heritage Site. George and Henry Landis were farmers descended from German immigrants that settled in Lancaster Country during the early 1700s. This museum and village interprets the lifestyle of early German settlers and boasts the largest collection of PA German artifacts in the country. We enjoyed browsing through the museum and took a guided tour of some of the interesting buildings before exploring the rest of the village on our own.
On the route back to Ephata, John took us through several covered bridges. Back at the house, we had leftovers and enjoyed more fellowship and feline companionship before packing for the trip home and turning in early.
