Wednesday - 20 Apr/16

We were out a little after 9 a.m. this morning. Our first stop was the Tanger Outlet. We shopped a few stores; but didn't find anything of interest.

Today I planned a treat for Charlotte. I programmed the GPS to take us to several area Quilt and Fabric shops. Today will be a "Yard Sale" Day. No - not that kind of yard sale - Charlotte will be buying a "Yard of This" (material) and a "Yard or two of That"! (grin)

Our first stop was the Log Cabin Quilt Shop on the Old Philadelphia Pike in Bird-in-Hand, PA. This is an excellent shop with plenty of variety.

Charlotte found a "Sewing Theme" panel that she liked. She will cut out each panel and re-assemble using co-ordinating materials to make this into a quilt. The search was then on for the additional needed fabrics which she found.

Continuing east on the Old Philadelphia Pike our next stop was Bird-in-Hand Fabrics. We first started shopping at this fabric shop years ago when in was known as Zooks. At that time it did not have electricity which added to the experience (especially when in the basement). Again Charlotte discovered a panel and co-ordinating fabrics that she like and added them to her "Yard Sale" purchases.

Our next destination was closed for lunch so we skipped it and continued on (across the intersection) to the Kitchen Kettle Village. This has been a favourite stop for years. As usual it was crowded with several tour buses in the parking lot.

After a Waffle Cone and a washroom break we set out to explore. Charlotte enjoyed the "Washpin Pals" store. They are cute dolls made using an old fashioned single piece (split) wooden clothes pin.

Kitchen Kettle Village (Intercourse, PA) is a great stop especially when it is lunch time. There are plenty of "Free Samples" to taste at a several locations. We started sampling the Flavoured Olive Oils, Balsamic Vinegars and Spices. They were tasty; however the samples weren't really filling.

At "Aged and Cured" we tried several meat and cheese samples. We ended up buying local Swiss and Aged Smoked Garlic cheeses as well as locally made Beef Jerky and Meat Sticks. It does pay to give samples!

The "Free Samples" in the huge "Jam and Relish Kitchen" covered a wide gamut. There were several varieties of pickles, peanut butter w/chocolate concoctions, fruit jams of every kind, cheesecake style dip mixes, hot sauces and more. Again, we made a few purchases.

Most of the time there is live music being played "on the street" in the "Village". Today a "Banjo Picker" was entertaining.

After making the rounds of the shops (and all the free samples) we were stuffed! Charlotte wrapped it up with a Cool Coffee (concoction of some kind) and we headed back out again on our the "Yard Sale Trail".

A "Double Right" out of Kitchen Kettle Village and a mile or so down the road brought us to Family Farm Quilts (Intercourse, PA). Again, Charlotte found a neat panel and the needed co-ordinating fabrics for a quilt.

Since I used the word "Intercourse" twice already - I should qualify so I don't have to wash my mouth out with soap.(grin) Intercourse, PA was originally known as "Cross Keys". There are a few theories on the names. One has to do with two (historic) old roads that intersected here (hence the original "Cross Keys" name). The second is a linguistic theory which purports that the common use in the day referred to either "fellowship" or "social interaction and support" which was the basis for this community (and most others in this area and era) that was faith (Amish/Mennonite, etc.) based.

Signposts in the area often "go missing" due to the name of the municipality. Also, I always drive slowly in this area for two reasons. First, there is heavy congestion because of the heavy vehicle traffic and numerous tourists crossing the roads. Secondly, I would not want to have to explain that I was caught "Speeding in Intercourse!" (another grin).

I planned the "Yard Sale" trip using internet info and ratings. Sometimes the info is not as up to date as needed. During our trip we found that a few locations were no longer in business; but we bravely ventured on!

Our next stop was Weaver's Dry Goods (Lititz, PA). This was by far the largest store that we visited today. The layout was organized by category in many areas with labels that describe the theme of the fabric on the shelves. Charlotte found another panel that she liked and located co-ordinating materials in the section labelled "Cats".

We continued on and arrived at Family Farm Fabrics (East Earl, PA). (Small World Item: The lady here indicated it was her sister who was the original founder of "Weaver's", the store we just left!

You guessed it! Charlotte found another panel and the necessary fabrics for another quilt.

Our last planned stop was at the Shady Maple Complex, also in East Earl, PA. There are several "Pennsylvania Dutch" Home Style eateries in this area. We have eaten at all of the over the years. This one, by far, is the largest with a 200 feet of "All You Can Eat" food counter space.

Next door is the Shady Maple Farm Market which is an unbelievable huge grocery store that has everything. I never knew there were so many varieties of the same item until we shopped here.

Another large facility. Good's Store, is directly across from the Shady Maple Farm Market. They are a Walmart/Target style store with a larger variety of items including a fully stocked hardware section. The sign also said "Fabric" so that was enough to entice us to enter.

No, Charlotte did not find a panel w/co-ordinating fabrics; however she did find "Pellon #809" which is a fabric she uses in making the quilts. This made for another good "Yard Sale" experience.

Charlotte also bought a 50 Pack of the Old Fashioned Clothes Pins in case she finds a pattern for the "Washpin Dolls".

That was it! We were done (both physically and for today) and departed for the motorhome. The half hour drive back was as enjoyable as the weather was great. We never get tired of the wonderful panoramic views of the well kept farmlands, We have been driving these "Country Roads" for over 45 years and still enjoy the view.

Again, we arrived back at the RV before sundown, in time to rest and enjoy the Cable TV for another evening after a great day in Amish Country.