Philly Home and Garden Show and Ambers Birthday

This weekend we went up to the Philly Home and Garden Show at the Expo Center in Oaks.  Had a great time looking at various home improvement and lawn and garden vendors.  Ran into Jeanette's cousin Chrissy there.  The event was highlighted by a lecture by WHYY personality Mike McGrath of "You Bet Your Garden" on growing tomatoes.  It was awesome to hear him speak - super entertaining and informative at the same time.

Mike McGrath of "You Bet Your Garden"

In the evening we met up with friends at the White Dog Cafe for Ambers Birthday.  The food and company were excellent.

Amber and Mike

Amber and Rach

Chris and Somnang 

Bob and Mary

 Timm, Ian and Henna

 Me and Jeanette

Sunday we met up with Wendy and John and had lunch at Woody's in Northeast before heading out on a hike out at Elk Neck State Park to the lighthouse on Turkey Point.

Location : 1252-1298 Appleton Rd, Elkton, MD 21921,

Catskill Ice - Buttermilk Falls

Jeanette had Monday off so I played hooky from work and we did a 1 day assault of Buttermill Falls up in the Catskills.  We drove up Sunday evening and stayed in Tannersville at the Swiss Chalet - as one guest put it "like stepping back in time."  Pretty crazy to be hiking in shortsleeves on Saturday and ice climbing on Monday.  This climb is a real gem - 7 pitches and a real beast of an approach.  Jeanette and I had a great time.

Jeanette descending into Kaaterskill Clove from 23A

 

"I think I liked the warm weather better"

Me at the Creek

Beautiful Kaaterskill Creek

Jeanette after the somewhat hairy snowbridge crossing

Climbers on the 1st Pitch

Jeanette coming up the 1st Pitch

Walking towards the 3rd pitch

Me on the 3rd pitch

3rd pitch again

Jeanette on the steep 4th pitch

Michaux HIking

On Saturday we decided to try to enjoy the unseasonably warm weather (frowny face for ice climbing) and check out a hiking area in south central PA - Michaux State Forrest.  We did 3 mini hikes in the Northern part of the park, Hammond Rocks, Pole Steeple and Sunset Rocks.  Hammond Rocks was right off a road and thus was pretty impacted with graffiti.  Still it was a pretty neat place with lots of rock piles.  Pole Steeple was a 1 mile hike up to the top of a rocky out crop - really neat views and perhaps the possibility of climbing.  Sunset Rock was a neat hike out of Pine Grove Furnace to a nice overlook.  We finished up the day gorging ourselves at Shady maple Smorgasbord in Lancaster.



The girls at Hammond Rocks

John and Wendy in a neat tree on the way to Pole Steeple

Pole Steeple

The gang on the loockout of Pole Steeple

Pole Steeple Overlook

Pine Grove Furnace

My and my lovely lady

John and Whoops at Sunset Rocks

That's all folks