SWATARA TOWNSHIP, PENNSYLVANIA

Last evening we had dinner and did some window shopping. Not the kind where you dressed up and then strolled up and down Market Street looking at the beautifully decorated showcase windows. Do they even have windows like that anymore?

Ours was a more mundane experience. It started off with a meal at Hoss', where the salad bar is pretty good, especially if you dispense soft ice cream over everything.

Talk about a small world. I have not seen fellow middle school teacher Tom Stohler for over a decade. When I went to the Susquehanna Twp. municipal building the other day to place an ad for LEC, the French student homestay program I work for, there was Tom in the recreation office, where he has worked for 10 years since his retirement. He organizes bus trips and activities for township residents. We had a nice chat and showed pictures of our grandchildren.

Fast forward to last night. When we were seated at Hoss', who was at the next table? Tom and his wife! This is getting ridiculous. I can't go anywhere without Tom Stohler! Just kidding.

After dinner, we headed down Rt. 322 to Conestoga Tile Company, to look at samples of their products, which might be used as a backsplash in our kitchen. It's located in a sort of no-man's land, off 322, near the interstate interchange with some other businesses and a residence hotel. It's hard to find, and we rarely have a reason to go there.

Anyway, there were hundreds of beautiful tiles to choose from, and a few duds, too. We looked at many of them and tried to imagine them in place. Susanne finally picked one she was most fond of, and we got the stock number so an installer could order it. It must be a huge expense for the company to maintain that facility, but here it was, a Tuesday night around 7:00 p.m., and there were a dozen homeowners in there looking at the tiles.

On the way to the store, we noticed that a new furniture store had opened down the way -- in the building where another furniture store had gone bust just last year. Go figure. There were two browsers when we arrived, swelling the ranks to four, and one visible salesperson. The furniture was nice, not cheap and not over the top like some stores. We looked at some things with an eye to a future family room in our some-day-to-be-finished basement. If we wait long enough, we can come back to the going out of business sale.

Susanne liked this small subway tile.

Quite a colorful selection of glass tiles.

I thought this glazed tile was nice.

This would be cool in the floor.

At the furniture store, I liked these bowls--

just the right size for tapioca!

I had no idea there was special furniture

just for ladies of the evening!

This photo is in no way related to

the previous one!

I thought this small table -- in another color --

might make a nice bedside table.