HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA

Location of Herr Street subway.

Today our son Matt came up from Perry Hall, Maryland, to help his old folks at home put together some cool metal shelving for use in the basement. Susanne bought the shelves this morning, and we met Matt at noon at the famous Subway Café on Herr Street in Harrisburg.

In the same block is an underpass beneath the railroad. It's always been called the Herr Street Subway. There is a similar one further downtown called the Market Street Subway. Can you guess what street it's on?

These were called subways even though they did not have tunnels with trains running through them. There were tunnels alright, and there were trains, but not what you'd call a subway system.

When we got to the Subway, café that is, my sister Rachel and her husband Jack were waiting for us. Matt arrived shortly after. The Subway is famous for its thin-crust pizza, so four of the five of us enjoyed one. Only Rachel broke the chain, having meatballs and a few fries on the side. Did I mention that by the time our pizza was ready the café was packed with hungry diners, most of the them state workers from nearly office buildings?

After lunch and conversation, we all went on our way, Matt returning home with us to put together the shelves. Declaring them "idiot proof," he got them together in record time. Soon they will be laden with all the wonderful and necessary things now filling out basement, while keeping them up off the floor. Susanne loves to organize, so she will have fun stocking the shelves.

Matt's wife Marylee and son Ian arrived soon, while he was building a fire in the firepit. We sat around and brought each other up to date on our activities and Ian's progress at the Goddard School. Soon it was time for a nice meal of corn on the cob, roast chicken, calzone, and delicious bread.

By now it was getting dark and was the perfect time for 'smores. We gathered 'round ye old campfire and made these tasty concoctions, even though there was not a Girl Scout for miles.

Soon Ian was fast asleep, and the chat continued downstairs until the yawns started, and we all turned in for the night.

  Matt, Susanne, Rachel, and Jack

Matt and I got pepperoni. Rachel had meat balls.

Jack got plain, and Susanne got mushrooms.

When we got home, Matt put together
three of these "idiot proof" shelving units.

Matt got the fire started for after dark 'smores.

The 'smores were great. Only two marshmallows
suffered horrible deaths in the fire. The rest were
eaten humanely.