Bounty from the PSU Farmers Market, No. 1

Arriving 15 minutes before the opening bell--which is actually a bell loud enough to be heard for blocks--on April 8 I stood second in line at Pine State Biscuits. I wanted breakfast. I watched and waited.


The young woman carefully filled these small, lidded plastic cups with butter and honey, the better to serve those who want the delightful duo on their biscuits.


Pine State's menu board, for your perusal.


Biscuits and buttermilk fried chicken.


Out of the oven, ready and waiting. Biscuits.


Honey is on the way. See it there in the plastic bottle at the top center of the photo. This concoction is known as The McIsley.


My order for two biscuits with butter and strawberry jam, plus some refreshing OJ, placed, I stepped back to observe the beginning of a crowd. I waited patiently for my name to be called, then found a place to sit so that I could eat one of my biscuits and its accoutrement. I saved the other one for the next morning.

I stood up, headed for the recycling bins with my trash, and then walked towards the vegetables, fruit, flowers, cheese, candies--you name it. Come back tomorrow to see more my early April visit to the PSU Farmers Market.

Flowering trees

Diagonally across the street from my work building, I enjoyed these flowering trees.


Precious puffs of petals.


This tree just can't give up on its petals, can it?


How about this one, near my apartment--pink and white blossoms on the same tree!

A 1948 Streamline/Art Moderne Home in Washington County. Architectural Heritage Center Kitchen Revival Tour XIII, April 16, 2011

From the descriptive booklet: This home is like none other you will ever see. What at a glance might appear to be a modest 1949 ranch house quickly evolves into a high style "Streamline" or Art Moderne home upon closer examination. (Stick around all the way through the photos that I took--you will be very, very thrilled that you did.) Before you set off on the post, be sure to read an interesting article about the home. Now for a real treat before you look at the photos that I took when I visited the home. Here is the real estate listing about this outta sight house! Followed by a link to the realtor's photos. The realtor is Kathryn Madison of the Windermere Cronin & Caplan Realty Group, Inc. If you read the article and click on the link to the photos, you will enhance your virtual tour.

Raleigh Park Atomic Ranch
October 11th, 2010
This home I recently listed created such a buzz in the realtor community it drew 70 brokers to the professional open house. What’s so special? Rarely do we see a midcentury in such pristine condition. And not pristine condition of a home that wasn’t so hot to begin with- we’ve all seen those. This home was obviously custom built with high end materials, sited beautifully on a .38 acre lot in a great neighborhood.So many features were marveled over on the tour- the honeycombed glass on either side of the main doorway is not only beautiful, but functional. The glass panels swing out to allow fresh air in- and then hidden screens pull down over the space. The living room fireplace is a graceful curve of wood. Beyond the fireplace is a floor to ceiling window that takes in the sunny level backyard. The kitchen is completely original with it’s white masonite walls trimmed in metal. Most cabinet doors are rounded. A rounded built in cabinet repeats the shape above in glass display shelves. Beyond that is a restaurant style booth with an industrial glass table top and a stainless riveted base right of of a rocket ship. The booth is surrounded by a wraparound window.Two of the four baths are pristine masonite with glass block windows- the colors are neutral- not the burgundys and aqua blues one might expect in a vintage bath.The house is currently decorated with a vintage eye, but the home could go Dwell very easily for a super sleek mid century modern look. $459,000
Check out the photos and pass on to your mid century loving friends. Contact me for a private tour.


If you've looked at my blog over the years, you realize how enamored I am with vintage vehicles. I couldn't believe this Thunderbird sitting in the driveway! Once I got inside the house, I completely lost my mind and forgot to ask what year the car is. Do you know?


Look at the sweep of the trunk lid, the tail lights, the fins, the angle of the back window up inside the roof of the car!


I entered through the front door, excited after reading about this house and hearing others on the tour who had started by visiting in, although it was the last one in the booklet. (Before I left I learned that the glass panel on the left of the door swivels open lengthwise--the man of the house went through it to ring the doorbell at the request of a person on the tour. Way cool. I assume that the other one swivels open, too.) The volunteer greeter told everyone who entered to be sure to go inside each of the two bathrooms and shut the door to get the full effect. Interesting.


A sunken living room, the first one I have ever seen in person. My jaw dropped when I saw it. I kept thinking, "I've walked into a movie; I've walked into a movie." I think the wall color is truest in this photo and the next one--too much light in the other three.












The dining room is fantastic.






Love this entire room--it's on the front of the house opposite the dining room.












I went in the hall bathroom and shut the door--aha!






I went in the master bedroom's bathroom and shut the door--aha, again!






Lovely, simply lovely.




The kitchen in this house combines clean lines reflective of the 1930s, with a 1949 "kitchen of tomorrow," including glass built-in shelves, and a glass and chrome built-in table.





The original cabinetry contains smooth curved lines and Marlite was used throughout. This kitchen also sports an original top-load dishwasher integrated into the kitchen sink cabinetry.

In Hosford-Abernethy, My Second Bungalow. Architectural Heritage Center Kitchen Revival Tour XIII, April 16, 2011

I took this photo from the driver's window of my Zipcar, after I had been inside enjoying another fine kitchen.

From the descriptive booklet: Taking a most unusual approach to their project, the owners chose to restore their kitchen back to period. Their goal was not a "period inspired" look, but to actually recreate how the kitchen could have appeared when the home was built in 1909. Before the 1920's built-in kitchen cabinetry was rare. Instead, kitchen furniture, such as Hoosiers, baker's tables, hutches, and large cast iron sinks were often used. Plumbing was frequently left exposed--sometimes because the plumbing was brought into an existing home--but also to keep air circulating around the pipes. In the early 20th century, it was thought that condensation on pipes might allow germs to grown. The air circulation also kept the pipes from freezing.







The owners were lucky that previous remodels hadn't completely altered the original layout of the kitchen and somehow the large china cabinet had survived. All the woodwork is original, with the exception of the wainscoting along the sink wall. The wall mounted sink is period appropriate, as are the Hoosier and the enamel-topped cabinet. The new Marmoleum plant flooring is stylistically similar to design trends from 1909. The wall-mounted shelves are new, but are constructed of local fir and mail order brackets, just like in the old days.

A couple more photos of the bungalow.




Come back tomorrow for my favorite house on the tour!