What I Did On My Summer Vacation

Just wait 'til you see what I did on my vacation from my summer vacation.

Get Yocco'd

If you ever come to visit me and Gerry, one place we're sure to take you is...

...Yocco's: the Hot Dog King. If President Obama came to visit? We'd go to Yocco's. If the Queen came to visit? We'd take her to Yocco's. If the Dalai...okay, maybe not.

There are six Yocco's restaurants in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley, but the one we go to most often is on Hamilton Boulevard, in Allentown.

This is where I went with my big brothers when I was a kid, and it remains my favorite location.

So what's the big deal with Yocco's? Hot dogs and fast service?

Is that why people stand in a line which often stretches out the door?

Yocco's is just a unique experience, beginning with ordering. One person takes your drink order; someone else will call down for your food order. Now don't screw up! Make sure you give your order clearly and completely, or you'll be pegged as a neophyte. Now I'm not saying anyone working there currently is like this, but...

No soup for you!

The menu has not changed much over the years. Fries and pierogies used to come in only one size, but I'm not sure what else has changed, because we always get the same thing, and it seems like everyone else does, too. (Okay, I admit, we don't do the popular chocolate milk and chili dog combination.)

The world-famous Yocco's hot dog. I'm probably not the best person to talk about hot dogs, though, as I've never eaten one, so I asked my husband what's so great about a Yocco dog. He said, "It's the sauce." Okay, he said more than that, but it didn't mean much to me as a vegetarian, so I refer you to the Roadfood website for more hot dog info.


Anyway, while we're waiting in line, we can check out the map...

...and see what the hot dog is wearing. Baseball season is coming, so he'll be holding a bat pretty soon!

Ah, finally we're at the head of the line! Our order is being put together.

Oh. My. Goodness. That's a lotta weiners.

I couldn't even get pictures of them making these dogs. They were just pushing them out lickety split. It's like a ballet or something, the way they assemble these orders.

A work of art.

In fact, that's so beautiful, here it is from a different angle. (By now, I was getting some strange looks from the other customers. "Friggin' tourists," I'm sure they were thinking.)

("Wonder what country they're from. Haven't they ever seen a pierogie before?")

The fried stuff is WONDERFUL. This is something about which I know a thing or two. Always hot, always perfectly cooked to goldencrispytendersalty perfection. I had an order of fries and a pierogie with an order of fries and a pierogie for dessert.

If you prefer something more traditional for dessert, there's a nice range of Tastykakes. (Get the peanut butter Kandy Kakes.)

More Snow Peeps

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These first two, I think, are definitely snowGIRLS.

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This kid had one of those fancy snowman making kits, but it looks like the hat blew away!
(And is that an extra nose?)
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This kid had to make do with natural materials. Nice use of greenery to accent the head.

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Um, okay. In...ter...est...ing use of greenery. --blush--
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Ah! A minimalist! Nice proportions.
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Gosh, he's cute! I think I actually know the builder of this snowman, and I think I helped her knit that scarf!
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This reminds me of a snow worm. A snow bookworm, maybe?

Frosty

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I'm four days post-surgery now, and can I just say I'm getting antsy? Today's big events included a bath and a visit from my mom, who made me potato cakes! Yesterday, we got out for a bit of snowman spotting.

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The tightrope walker snowman.

The car lot snowman.

Was it Johnny Appleseed who was supposed to have worn a pot on his head?

Is that a bow tie?

I saved some for tomorrow. Who is your favorite so far?

Souvenirs of Our Trip

No matter where I roam, I love to visit thrift shops. In Ireland, they call them charity shops, and the ones I run across most often are Oxfam, Mrs. Quin's, Vincent's, and Enable Ireland. Want to see the treasures I picked up on our trip?

How could I resist an Irish counties puzzle? I got this for just €4 at the Arklow Vincent's. My plan is to stick the pieces down with some BluTak and prop it up somewhere like artwork.

I'll always remember it was from Arklow, because it's conveniently marked on the puzzle! Oh, someone tried to rub it off, but it's there! Thank goodness the outlines of the counties are marked underneath, because I need the help!

This child's mug is another treasure from Arklow; this time a bargain from the table outside Mrs. Quin's. Just €.50. Mrs. Quin's in Arklow is tiny, but we always find a thing or two. Last year's Garda doll came from Mrs. Q's.

Gerry's mom came from Arklow and worked at the Arklow Potteries, so he loves things like this. And I have a little collection of children's china, so we're both happy!

Gerry was a little dubious about this one, however, and I can't say I blame him. We came across a lovely Vincent's in Greystones while we were looking for a geocache, and I spotted this blanket for €2. It's really too bad I didn't think to take a "before" picture, because it looked nothing like this before I washed it. I knew it was filthy, but even I was surprised by how bright and colorful it turned out to be.

How could anyone resist an Irish wool blanket for €2? And check out this fringe! Wheee!

Next time you're traveling, don't forget the charity shops! You can find lovely souvenirs of your trip--unique things--at bargain prices.

Link to the Irish Charity Shops Association.

Pinch Me

Last week, I was on the phone with my mom, and she casually mentioned a postcard she'd received from Fabric Mart in Sinking Spring, PA. She didn't have the card in front of her, so I got a few disjointed phrases:

Swedish fabric distributor. Cottons. $3.99. Amy Butler.

You know how your cat gets when you open a can of tuna? I hopped online and found fabricmartfabrics.com. No mention of this at all. "Mom! Please go get that card and read it to me. I'll wait." She comes back with the card and reads it to me. Yep, it's true. Fabric Mart bought a bunch of quilting cottons, they're selling them for $3.99/yard, and it includes names like Amy Butler, Joel Dewberry, Moda, and Kaffe Fassett.

It gets better. I had the next day off.

As we're driving down to the shop, I start getting nervous. "What if there's so much I'm overwhelmed?" I ask Gerry. "What if there's nothing I want?" "What if there are tons of quilters there and they all run me over and buy all the good stuff?" Yeah, I worry a lot.

This is the best I could do at getting a shot of the full store. Look at all that beautiful fabric!

The entire center floor of the shop is filled with cottons. The shelves on the wall hold the fashion fabrics they typically sell. (Beautiful stuff from Vera Wang, Marc Jacobs, Anna Sui, etc. Check out the website!)

I immediately started building a pile, which I showed you earlier today. You all know by now that I am a MISER when it comes to buying fabric, but this was such a good price for these fabrics, I just piled on whatever I wanted.

The other customers were doing the same. These are OOP (Other People's Piles).

I didn't need to worry about anyone being mean. The other customers were friendly, and we shared some of the bolts back and forth. The woman doing the cutting was also very nice, and we enjoyed some fabric talk about how sometimes you just have to have a piece of fabric, even if you don't ever intend to use it.

This is why Gerry comes with me. He handles the cutting table while I roam, looking for more.

I also got to roam about the place, into the back rooms to see the mail-order operation and even into the basement to see some of the back stock. (Not everyone is so lucky, but I sort of had a press pass, dontchaknow?)

I told this woman she didn't have to be in the picture. She didn't scream and run away, so I assume she was okay with it!

A beautiful wool and cashmere throw. I really loved this, but I couldn't imagine where I'd go with an orange throw.

This is some of their storage space. It's so neat! I've been in some other back rooms, and this is not normal!

They also had lots of Moda jelly rolls and layer cakes for $15 each. I am kicking myself that I didn't grab one. I could have had some fun with all those little bits!

So what did I get? Well, you saw the pile, but I'll be sure to elaborate on that in the coming days. I had every piece of fabric out of the bag on the ride home!