Pennsylvania and Rhode Island Part 1

We are taking a week to visit friends and family in the Northeast.  We drove up through the center of Pennsylvania, taking a chance to find a luncheon spot on the Susquehanna River east of York.   We left the main road and headed to the small towns along the river.   Our goal was Columbia, PA, on the east side.   It's a town of antique stores, but for us the most interesting piece of architecture was the bridge, built about 1930, that spans the Susquehanna.   It's  a road bridge, not rail, and is a perfect example of how interesting bridge architecture can be.   We don't build art-deco bridges like this anymore.   We didn't find lunch there, but got both soup and sandwich at Cafe di Vetro.  Very stark and modern, but very good staff and fine soup.  

Our overnight was Allentown, PA where Ben's cousins live.  We had a grand time with them, much conversation, good bourbons and good wines.   Dined at Carmel, a local restaurant; enjoyed their muammara very much with their pita bread.  Lots of conversation about the election.  We hope we convinced a somewhat Trumpist to change.

From there to Rhode Island where we are visiting with our friends John and Jon on Tiverton harbor.   Lovely to spend time with them.   Ben has done lot a lot of walking with John and pilates with Jon with Jon, while John has read almost two books.   We dined at the Boat House overlooking Mt Hope Bay on Monday night--excellent fish and chips for John, exquisitely fresh scallops for Ben.  Both of us started with littlenecks in a turmeric spiced sauce with hunks of fresh sourdough to sop up the sauce.   An excellent Gruner Veltliner made for a lovely evening.  Even though the skies threatened massive thunderstorms in the distance we merely had a slight spritz and put up the umbrella over the the table.

Yesterday we drove into Massachusetts to Arlington to visit with our grandchildren, daughter and son-in-law.  All are doing well, the boys are growing quickly.   Lunched at Common Grounds in Arlington, excellent paninni caprese with Ten Commandments beer, a dark Belgian brew that John did not care for.

Today it's off to visit friends, a lunch of English pork pies from nearby Hartleys in Fall River and dinner at home on the verandah overlooking the harbor.