Mr. Davis Goes To Pennsylvania
Edinboro:
Not a real exciting town as towns go, but it is pretty enough and is a good example of small town America. We did some wandering during the days when it wasn't scorching hot, dropping by the toy store, the antique place, the lake, my school (bleh), and both the main cemetaries.
Early on in the summer we got a new computer for use as a games machine (after fussing for some time with an old one which didn't pan out) and we got several three-player games of Quake and Diablo II going. We also got ahold of Black and White and took turns with it. When we got bored with computer games there were always other things to do, including a lot of board games around. We also watched a crapload of movies- Austin has now watched three-quarters of my MST3K collection, which for those of you in the know is a considerable amount.
Shadowfacs Farm:
Austin got a lot of riding time in, including some trotting and a bit of barebacking. He's got a lot of natural talent and absolutely no fear, which gives him the potential to be very, very good. Cameron was perfect and is getting nominated for sainthood #grins#
The Erie Zoo:
Not too hot, not very crowded, and full of a lot of cheerfully-photographical animals. A leopard came up to the glass and stared at us, for whatever reason. It made a cool picture.
Waldameer Park:
After battling through glowing paper-mache skeletons in the Pirate's Cove and getting abused by the sky ride, Grey and Austin proved their gaming skill by winning a prize out of a crafty machine. They also used all those years of playing darts in pubs by winning me a stuffed dragon :)))))
Carnegie Natural History Museum:
No matter how many times I go there and see the dinosaurs, I always turn into a little kid the moment I see them and it's usually all I can do to not jump up and down like a maniac. We spent the whole day in the natural history section, so much so that we didn't have time to make it into the art section, except for a trip through the Hall of Architecture.
Bulls and Barrels:
Well, to be perfectly honest, they don't bother with the barrel racing anymore. We still call it Bulls and Barrels, though, as 'The Battle On Bull Mountain' sounds a bit silly. It was a great night, though, as they had some good bucking stock in and no one got seriously hurt. We were slightly bummed that none of the bulls got loose and went into the stands like last year (the one year we don't go we miss all the excitement, jeez...) but Austin did get a glimpse of a facet of American culture that he'd only seen in the movies, i.e. people who wear cowboy hats and boots in public.
Drake Well:
Maybe the people who say there's nothing to do around here don't like history. Drake Well is the site of the world's first commercial oil well, and it has an interesting museum and a fascinating amount of working machinery. Everything is pretty much the same there, which is remarkable considering I haven't been to Drake Well since I was probably eleven. The movie they show is still boring and still stars Vincent Price, even though my high school history teacher Mr. Thompson said he met Mr. Price one time and he denied being in the film. Go figure. We figure the people who run it will be interested to find a guestbook listing from someone from York, in amongst the rest of the local addresses.
The Oil Creek and Titusville Railroad:
Didn't ride it; maybe next time #grins#
Punxsutawney:
Austin's a Bill Murray fan, so we had to go to Punxsy and make sure he saw Phil. Phil was quite happy to be photographed, and we paid back this niceness by dressing a statue of him in silly clothes for the purpose of a picture. Even the police cars have Phil on their logos, which is either funny, endearing, or scary.
The Farm:
Wow, where to begin? Grey, my brother, and I all have our birthdays within a week of each other, so my folks and grandparents have a joint party for us on whatever weekend is closest. This year, since we had Austin with us, they added him in and as usual there were mass quantities of food, dessert, and even a few presents to go around. We also had a day when we got some of the pistols out and got some target practice in, and Austin even got a chance to see what the inside of a school bus is like. The Saturday before last Bummy and Pappap had a bonfire and my folks, my brother, and Suz came out for it. We cooked hotdogs and smores, and set off the remaining fireworks. We also got to burn the old picnic table that was falling apart, which was fun as we're pretty much a family of pyros #grins# We also managed to hike out to the Chicken Rocks and even the Buzzard Rocks. Bummy and Pappap ended up with a rusted up old Jeep to ram around on the Farm with, and we even got to take the Corvair out for a spin.
Al's Folks' Place:
We usually hang out there on Sunday evenings, playing video games and collecting our laundry. Dad took some time to explain the mechanics of black powder rifles to Austin while Grey did some work on the phone lines.
Tionesta Dam:
We went to have a look at it from the main launch, after seeing the other end at the Nebraska Bridge. Maybe next time we can get the boat in working order...
Cook's Forest:
This is the only fire tower I know of that they still let people climb. It's a bit rickety, and I'm not so great with heights, but the view from the top is worth it. Sadly, it's hard to see how high it is from the pictures.
The Leeper Flea Market:
A little grimy, and smaller than it used to be, but sometimes you find some neat stuff. Worth it just for the booth that sells animal pelts, skulls, teeth, and antlers. We found John a cool shirt with a skull on it here, which we hope he'll like.
Leeper General Store
I think it's the last place on Earth that sells penny candy from big glass jars. They also stock good ice cream and old-style soda (in a big wooden cooler, no less!) We found out that Birch Beer may be a taste that one has to grow up with in order to appreciate it properly. #grins# Wish I'd had the camera... I'm hoping to try them on sassafras tea next time, even if I have to sneak onto the Foy Farm to get some.
The Sunset Drive-In:
The last time I was in a drive-in was to see Return of the Jedi, and Grey and Austin had never been, so this was cool for all of us. Pity they were playing Jason Vs. Freddy, but hey, it's the sort of cheesy flick you should see in a drive-in, and since you're in your own car you can MST the movie all you want. They were also playing T3 as their second showing, but we'd already seen it and it was getting cold so we left soon after the semi-apocalyptic car chase.
Presque Isle:
There's nothing like visiting Presque Isle on a weekday in the middle of the afternoon. It was practically deserted, and except for a bunch of gung-ho frisbee players who couldn't seem to watch where they were going, it was great. Nice day, good swimming, sand castles, lots of awesome rocks and skipping stones...I don't think it could have been a better visit.
