Oh, for the Open Road!

Do you have certain smells or sights that immediately transport you to another time or place?  I certainly do.  At this time of year, when the rains of Spring are giving way to the lazy haze of Summer and the hills are a lush carpet of green not yet burned off by the heat, I flash back to the rolling Minnesota prairie.  I really have to FIGHT the wheel of my car to keep from pulling onto the turnpike and heading west as I pass I-76.  I simply yearn to head off for the family farm where I spent so many pleasant moments.

But today I kept the car going south and headed down to Mannings School of Handweaving and Supplies, which is always a treat.  I love the drive down there and back because I get to go on some back roads through some very pretty rural areas.  Of course, it is always a treat to browse through the yarn, books, and fiber supplies at Mannings, too.  I always manage to find things to come home with.

On the way home I passed this typical Pennsylvania farmhouse.  I just love the old stone houses in this part of the country.  Many of them date back to the Revolutionary War period.  There is just so much history permeating this region, from Gettysburg to Carlisle to Philadelphia and Valley Forge.  To make my day complete, I passed banks of blooming crown vetch, one of my favorite wildflowers.  It grows along the roads here and blooms profusely in June and July.  It always reminds me of fields of clover back home.  So beautiful.  If you haven't had the fun this weekend of just hopping in the car and heading out on some back roads, why not head out for a bit?  Who knows what surprises you might stumble upon?

Project 365 - June 5, 2010 (Day 9)