Art and I took a long weekend away to celebrate our anniversary and get a break from the city in southeastern Pennsylvania.
On Friday, we drove to the Brandywine River Museum in Chadds Ford, where the American artist family, the Wyeths, lived and worked. We toured the small museum which housed many of the NC Wyeth's (the father) and Andrew Wyeth's (his son) artwork. There were also paintings from NC's other children as well as other American artists. After touring the galleries, we took a tour of the Wyeth's house and NC's art studio. The house was charming (I could have moved in almost as is) and overlooked the rolling landscape. The studio, a separate building behind the house, was left just as it was when NC died, at the request of his family. I really enjoyed looking at all the props he'd use to paint from, as well as the books, magazines and other items he had for research. If only I could have such a studio!
Next we drove down the road to Longwood Gardens. There was beautifully landscaped formal gardens and fountains along with a huge Victorian conservatory. As we left the conservatory, it began to pour, so we made a mad dash back to our car to continue on our way to Lancaster.
After checking into our quaint bed and breakfast and drying off a bit, we headed out to dinner at a smorgasbord restaurant, which offers a sampling of the local fare. There wasn't much to do in terms of night life, so we grabbed some ice cream after supper and headed out play mini-golf.
On Saturday after breakfast, we meandered through the local shops--some were extremely touristy, others charming and full of home-made goodies. After shopping, we took a buggy ride lead by the Amish around the local farm land. I loved seeing the gardens and laundry hanging up high on the clothes line to dry. Life in the country is sure different from the city! After the tour, we headed out for some touristy sight-seeing at the National Christmas Museum. They had displays talking about Santa Claus in different countries, a plethora of Santa Claus memorabilia, a collection of Nativity scenes from around the world, and a walk thru life-size diorama telling the story of the birth of Jesus. Definitely a unique experience.
That night, Art arranged to have dinner with an Amish family. A women who organizes the dinners picked us up from our bed and breakfast and drove us out to the family's home, which appeared to be a typical modern country home. They had a fridge and stove run via propane instead of electricity, and the furnishings could easily be found in many suburban homes. We gathered around the long dining room table and after a silent blessing, began with the first course or salad and homemade white bread with rhubarb jam. The second course consisted of turkey meatloaf, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, zucchini casserole, and buttered beats. I felt nearly stuffed when I finished it all, but then it was time for dessert. The son had backed a chocolate layer cake, there was vanilla ice cream, fresh peaches, and a raspberry trifle. And it was all delicious! Before we left, the wife offered us more homemade goodies to take back with us--jams, canned goods, bread, and whoopie pies. We settled on rhubarb jam (which I have since been enjoying on my morning toast), beets, and a few whoopie pies.
That night, while our food settled, we relaxed on the porch and enjoyed watching the fireflies.
While the trip was short, I loved being able to experience life so different from mine and to be inspired and refreshed by time closer to nature.
