Carly and I visit Solebury Orchards - Buttonwood Grill - her new home at Gloria Dei Farms

Did we get lost?

Of course we did.

Did we mind?

No. We were having such fun. We ended up on some major highway and passing Lambertville, NJ. I used to go to a monthly writing group there at the library.

Carly is a good driver. I asked her if it was okay if I didn't 'back-seat' drive and she said fine.

When my sister Ellen and I went five years ago, we also got lost, but only on the road leading to the orchard. 

It sneaks up on you. A car was tailing Carly, cuz I told her to go slow and there's not much of a sign, and suddenly Carly said, It's not tailing me anymore.

Yep, it pulled into the orchards, as we drove past. 

We spent about an hour there out in the fields. Picking.

 Before you enter, magnificent gardens - humming with bees - greet you outside the door.

See the swallowtail butterfly on the pink flower.

At this time of year, you can choose what to pick:

Row upon row of flowers.

Big fat blackberries.

A sign advises "Pick only the Black ones." These red ones are sour.

 Not many blueberries left.

Huge tomatoes on the vine.

They were so easy to pick, I could barely stop myself.

Here's what I brought home. Blackberries and tomatoes are hand-picked - thanks, Carly, for getting me a batch.

Zucchini is for my morning egg.

Let's back up and see the pickers in action.

Moms were there w their kids. I took Sarah and Dan to Styer's Orchard to pick strawberries.

Carly and husband Charlie are from southern California. "When Charlie got outa the military," she said, "he needed a job right away."

He picked avocados.

"Ever seen an avocado tree?" she asked.

   You stand underneath it, she said, and get really dirty.

Charlie was the only man who couldn't speak Spanish.

When we were leaving the orchard, we each got an Apple Ice.

OMG, was that ever delicious! So flavorful and juicy. I sipped it in the front seat of her comfortable Chrysler SUV.

See the bottles of apple cider? New Directions is having our bonfire sometime in October.

See the huge straw?

Satisfied with the fruit of our labor, we headed out to lunch. Carly had a place in mind.... at Peddler's Village.

We had a helluva time driving out of the orchards, however. The family owns a little dog - can't remember the name - a tiny, quick dog who was in the parking lot, sniffing the asphalt.

We were afraid we'd run the little bugger over.

  What an awful witness I'd be in a police line-up. Doubt the dog looked like this lil guy and for sure he didn't have the tail that looks like a doughnut.

 We had a 10-minute wait at the Buttonwood Grill in Lahaska. Carly was helping me with my iPhone. Ada and Iris had sent me notes and I wanted to delete them, which I did.

"I hate to be one of those people looking down," I mumbled to Carly as we awaited a table for two.

 Kevin with a ponytail was our server.

Carly noticed how this plant twined itself around the railing. I noticed how on the dirt below an entire box of sugars - including Sweet n Lo - had fallen onto the dirt.

The restaurant had many layers to it. You'd go up and down steps.

 Adventurous Carly ordered watermelon soup. Delicious!

 Here's my hot pastrami on challah w sweet potato fries. I cleaned my plate but left the pickle - too salty - and only ate half of the challah.

Delicious!

 For dessert we ordered rhubarb-strawberry pie with crumb crust and vanilla ice cream.

Imagine our surprise when we saw it came in a root beer mug.

Carly, the prez of a TOPS club (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) said One eats until you reach .....

And me, I'm thinkin and thinkin, knowing that word, knowing that word....

Satiety.

I'll tell you something right now. We finished eating, oh, around 2:30 pm and it's now 8:09.

You know what? I'm still satiated. Still full.

 We visited one of the charming shops at Peddlar's Village. My eye caught these unusual shopping carts.

Ever read this Newbery-award-winning book by Wanda Ga'g? According to Wiki, it's the oldest picture book in America still in print.

These were only ten dollars apiece.

 You know what, Carly, I mumbled. Once we leave here, we'll forget about everything. We discussed the buying process.

Well, I spose you could write a book on how people buy things. My mantra is: Can I live w/o this? Taking the price into consideration.

Sarah and I went to Europe a few years ago.  All the things I couldn't live w/o are gathering dust on the book shelves downstairs.

 Carly and Charlie moved into Gloria Dei Farms, off Davisville Road - 10 minutes away from me - a few months ago. They are the Night Managers. They alternate with another married couple.

I walked around the house, camera in hand.

The apartment blazed with LIGHT.

Carly brought this center island with her from her old place.

View out the living room window. The window has a deep window sill. A garden and gazebo grow outside but you can't get out. I suggested she and Charlie start tunneling their way through, to save time.

 Charlie volunteered at Briar Bush Nature Center today. He taught Boy Scouts from 6 to 10 how to tie knots. He's watching the Phillie's game on a huge TV.

 Tootsie, the multi-colored cat.

This desk was much larger before they moved into Gloria Dei. I remember when we discussed it at one of our Writers' Meetings.

 Carly "does her magic" - her writing - in her bedroom.

 Another view of the courtyard.

Her many-tiered jewelry box.

 Carly waits for her laptop to boot itself up.

Gloria Dei has 150 residents, 40 of whom are men. The Memory Unit is across the way.

Carly loves her job. And everyone loves her. Her merry laff echoes down the carpeted hallway. She remembers people's names and asks how they're doing. 

Book shelf. Hmmm, should I surprise her with "Millions of Cats." She's got a young grandson, Cooper.

Ninja Juicer, as shown on TV. And, yes, she feels full - or satiated - after having her morning drink. Scott makes something he calls his "green drink." It's got noni juice in it, not known for its good flavor.

The peaches and pears need to ripen.

Already in the fridge are green beans, as I'm gonna make a green bean salad for Saturday, mom's 93rd b'day party.

If I wanna mail her a card, I'll have to do it tomro, hand-painted, of course.

Last nite I was up until 4 in the morning, submitting my work to various lit mags.  I'd bought a cuppa coffee at McDonalds... for one dollar, you can get any size you want. I enjoyed it hot and then I put ice in it.

The coffee wasn't very good - but hey, it's still coffee - and I kept falling asleep in my desk chair, but I did succeed in my goal. I also wrote a new poem called My Pink Bedroom. It's a religious poem, as many of my poems are.