Liz's Lancasterworld

It's always fun to visit Liz, her kitties and her stomping grounds. We had a great homemade lunch at Meadowbrook Orchards in Sterling, then hit a new-to-me antique shop full of interesting stuff. I always learn something (or many things) new when antiquing ... Liz knows her stuff. My current collecting bent (which I didn't realize until it flared up again) seems to be Floridaiana. That's probably not a word, but it works for me. Old Florida books, maps, kitschy stuff.

Later in Clinton, we stopped at a junk store. The 70+ owner, a great character, told stories about his mother, and Liz found a putter for her next golf lesson. We were hitting on all cylinders.

Fun, eclectic stuff at Oh My Gosh antiques	Liz decorates this horse trough yearly

Federal Hill

On a sultry Saturday afternoon, we drove a half hour south and were in beautiful Providence, RI.

The idea was to have dinner on Federal Hill, still the "Lttle Italy" section of the city. (For more on the history, go here.) Peter also wanted to get Italian bread at Roma's. That was the first stop as we parked and walked down Atwell's Avenue. Roma's is a combination bakery, deli, store and restaurant full of sumptuous sights and goods. The bread is surreal — huge, thick, hard-crusted, soft-centered, life-is-good loaves.

The area was surprisingly uncrowded and oozing ambiance. We walked up and down the street before deciding to eat at Mediterraneo, one of many good Italian restaurants. (This one was quite pricey, though!)

	Open-air dining on Federal Hill
This was supposed to be some monsignor, but looks suspiciously like former mayor Buddy Cianci.

After dinner we took a closer look at the pineapple archway at the top of the hill, then walked the length of the street to the Church of the Holy Ghost. We were alone on the western side of the hill ... interesting. As we left, we took Broadway and were surprised by the huge Victorian mansions (top of page). We'll be back more often, I think. It's so easy to get there from here, and many enticing restaurants beckon.

Federal Hill plaza
Magnificent Victorians on Broadway

No Place like Home

With good ingredients for inspiration, we made our own Mediterranean meal. My one and only "specialty" is scallops with tomatoes over pasta. Not bad for cooking-challenged me. Peter made the bruschetta with the mega bread and our own basil.

We've had good weather so far this summer ... no heat waves and usually sunny days; there's been just enough rain to keep things green and the lake high. So we've enjoyed just being at home. I'm always tracking birds and other wildlife, and lots of things are blooming nicely in the yard. More on that in the next installment ...

Lakeside dining

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