CARLISLE AND MECHANICSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA

You might recall that Susanne and I are community sponsors for a French Colonel and his family. Patrik is studying at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle while his wife Dorine keeps busy with four kids!

Dorine did have time to come to an event today for which I volunteered to participate. The spouses of the students present programs about their own countries for the other students' spouses and the community sponsors. This program was designed to present regions of our own country to the foreign visitors.

I chose Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey (as did two other sponsors), so our display was quite full. I made a poster with photos of these states and some facts about each. For tasting, I took things associated with south central Pennsylvania -- pretzels, shoofly pie, birch beer, apple cider, and pierogies.

After the program, I packed up and headed home in the Box. On the way, I decided to take a look at the progress being made at one of my favorite real estate developments, Walden in the Mechanicsburg area.

The Box is parked across from the park and playground.

I took photos of some of my favorite houses and vistas, then visited the model to speak to the sales agent about one of them I liked particularly.

Walden is a very innovative place, like an old-fashioned town with houses near to each other and front porches for sitting and greeting neighbors. There's a beautiful green park and playground. There will even be an area where homes are built over storefronts, where small businesses will offer the necessities (donuts?). Hmm, I wonder...a pottery shop with living quarters upstairs. No commute!

 The New England table had blueberry muffins.

These Asian women tasted shoofly pie

for the very first time.

 The woman-in-charge makes announcements.

 The Texas display

 Pretzels and shoofly!

Pennsylvania products and souvenirs

 

A crowd in front of our display.

Southern cooking is shared.

Watching the women take pictures of the community sponsors

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Here are pictures of Walden

CAMP HILL, PENNSYLVANIA

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and pink is the color chosen to call attention to this campaign. Today, after a haircut and lunch with a friend, I had some time to kill before a meeting at the church. So I drove past the fountain on the east side of the State Capitol (where the water had been dyed pink, although it is hard to see here), then headed across the wide Susquehanna to the Camp Hill Shopping Center.

Stepping into the Giant Food Store, I noticed right away a couple of pink products, some with the pink ribbon tying the product directly to the awareness campaign. Then I started seeing pink everywhere and thought I would share with you the wide variety of pink packaging. You know, just for the fun of it.

 

 When I got to the church, I parked in the garage

next door. On Floor 7. The pink floor!