Parchment Paths

Have you ever come across an amazingly unique, cafe or restaurant while on vacation and enjoyed the place so much you wished you lived nearby just to enjoy it? That's how I feel about Ballyhoo , an old fashioned ice cream parlor in West Pittston, PA. Except I do live nearby! The atmosphere inside is so wonderful that it does feel like a vacation spot. The decor reminds me, well not actually since I'm only 29, of a 1940's or perhaps even earlier ice cream parlor. It even has a vintage display case stocked with unusual candies, like licorice pipes, wax mustaches, and candy sticks, formally known as candy cigarettes. They also sell soda in glass bottles! The lady who runs the place is extremely friendly and even gave me a bit of history on the building. While the ice cream parlor is quite small, it's part of larger building that was a  functioning store dating fairly far back. There's a picture of the building on the wall, dating back to I'd guess 1930. Maybe

This Sunday I had the long awaited opportunity of visiting the    Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire for Time Traveler’s Weekend.   As always, it’s a pleasure to see the costumes of fellow fairgoers. Though there are always few non time period specific costumes year round, the number increases on some themed weekends. I stepped aside from my usual faire attire and dressed as River Song from Doctor Who, since she is a time traveler after all.  Aside from looking at all the costumes, some were even on cast members, my group and I had a great time wondering about the shire (the fairgrounds are made to resemble a town or shire).   We followed the story line shows, but mostly wondered around, shopping and seeing a few shows. The Royal Falconer Show Circa Paleo, one of my most favorite groups    It was nice to go at slow pace because it led us to something new for the whole group, The Dungeon. I’ve often wondered if it was worth the $2.00 extra fee, and we a