GRANTVILLE, ANNVILLE, AND SHELLSVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA

Midmorning yesterday, Susanne suggested a trip to Annville to look at leather chairs she had seen at a friend's house. Soon we were underway and stopped for lunch at Cross Roads Café, a place east of us on US 22. I have no idea what we had to eat (a whole day has passed -- what do you want from me?) but I did manage to take some pictures while there.

And here is one of them. A rather handsome whoopie pie (don't you think?) for our whoopie pie photo collection.

Here's the other, a picture of a tray of mille feuilles, sometimes called Napoleons. I've loved them when I was a student in France. These particular treats now reside in the pastry case at Cross Roads. The last one I ate was years ago in Québec City.

Leaving the restaurant, we continued east on US 22 a very short distance into Lebanon County, and then turned south toward the home of some friends we met through LEC, the French student homestay program I administer in our area. This couple has hosted both students and chaperons and are big supporters of LEC. On the day I was to drive the last group this year to the airport, I had to have eye surgery and so Paul volunteered to drive the van. I have been wanting to take him a bottle of thank-you wine since then (in fact, I bought it shortly after the trip) but something always came up when I planned to drive out there.

Anyway, I dropped off some Vouvray, which pleased Paul a lot, and had a brief chat with him and Ellen. They gave me directions to Annville from their house. We had a nice drive through the countryside until we reached our destination.

 

Behind this awful façade lies Kreamer's, a very nice furniture store, especially if you like early American/country style furnishings. The store is absolutely spotless. I wonder what is their secret to such cleanliness! You never see anyone cleaning. It's the same at our house, but somehow that does not work for us.

Here's one of the showcase windows along the street at Kreamer's. We liked the shape and the comfort of the little sofa at the far end. I wonder if you bought everything in the window they would just left you live there.

Hmm, there's that oblong rug again. I sort of like it! There are a number of rooms filled with the kind of furniture we like, and lots of interesting pictures on the walls.

Susanne likes the idea of a big sectional couch, but we just can't figure out how it would fit into our living room. Oh, and it costs an arm and a leg. I am trying to hand on to mine so I can leave them to a medical school.

I am hot on the trail for a cupboard in which to house some of my Lester Breininger redware pottery collection. This one might fit in the space we have available. What do you think? I think it's nice. Sort of "modest."

Susanne and I surprised ourselves by liking this black and yellow fabric on a couch. It reminded me of fabrics you might have seen in the mid-19th century, in places like James Buchanan's Wheatland.

This pattern was eye-catching, too. It resembles the beautiful woven coverlets we saw at the Heirloom Family Weavers a few weeks ago.

This wooden shelf was made by local Amish craftsmen. It looks good over a bed, don't you think?

This chest/table really attracted Susanne. I found it to be "common." Am I a snob?

Look at these wooden steps at Kreamer's. Have you ever seen anything so clean? Not a speck of dirt! And so neatly painted. I wonder if they hire out.

 Susanne pointed out this lamp to me. Do you think it would be good beside a bed for sleepy-time reading? Why do you think lamps are so expensive, except at Marshall's and the really gross ones at Ollie's, that is?

I have to admit that I have always been interested in things that are oversized (you know, those big rocking chairs) or miniature (think Matchbox cars), and in fake food! Kreamer's had a lot of fake food in its dining room furniture area especially. Here's one with a bbq sauce-covered rib, corn on the cob slathered with butter, and french fries.

A nice green Caesar salad.

 Oops, someone spilled red wine!

Salsa, anyone?

This sparkling water has special non-spilling qualities.

A second salad course.

We can have our own tea party.

I wonder if this is Vouvray by any chance.

Don't you just hate it when this happens?

But this is the worst!  Ha ha.

By now Susanne had found out that her leather chair had been a floor sample, and a new one would cost twice as much. Once again, Susanne's friend had run off with the prize, and we were left holding an empty bag! We are plotting to get even with them in the near future.

So we left Kreamer's, headed west on US 422 and turned north on Gravel Hill Road at Palmyra and back to US 22. Once in Dauphin County, we turned west on Old Jonestown Road and stopped at an antiques shop at Shellsville. Susanne had seen an old "shabby chic" cabinet that she thought might be suitable for our redware collection. We went into an outbuilding to check it out. It's shabby, alright. There's a lot of cool stuff out there.

The shop is located along the road next to the house of the owner, Dawn. She's a very interesting person to talk to and collects stuff from old houses and barns in her area.

Here's the cabinet Susanne likes.

 Do you think it's grungy enough?

This old doll was having a bad hair day.

This old wooden bench is a beauty!

Behind the main shop, Dawn has all sorts of old wooden and metal pieces. Susanne thinks she will buy the shutters and nail them to the back wall of the garage. I think not. 

We have a duck like the one here in the center. It comes apart and holds Easter candy. I didn't check the price, but I think they are worth some money now. The one we have was always part of our Easter display when I was a kid. 

What appears to be a three-drawer chest is actually a trunk on the top two-thirds and one drawer. It's a great-looking piece, called a mule trunk. It actually tried to kick me when I walked behind it. We need a bigger house so we can buy stuff like this!

If you're doing a kitchen restoration, maybe you'd like this little gas stove.

Susanne bought me a birthday present! Here she pays Dawn for my newest piece.There were some Breininger redware pieces, some by Becky Mummert, and one Colonial Williamsburg combware platter (I call it combware but I am having doubts that that's its correct name).

And here it is -- the combware from Colonial Williamsburg! In some ways it reminds me of the mille feuilles decoration, which is made in a similar fashion. I took some close-ups of the combwork, and it has amazing depth. Check out these last two pictures.

How cool is that? Combing through trailed slip, a liquid clay, makes a simple design very complex in short order.