ERT: Pennsylvania Art Guild

Lancaster Pennsylvania was SUCH A SWEET SURPRISE!! The only bad thing for me was realizing that for years, I lived within a few hours of this beautiful little jewel of a city -- and I HAD NO IDEA.

Maybe that's true for you, too. My suggestion today is that you TAKE A LOOK AROUND where you live...you probably have a little day-trip-worthy town near you -- AND I'D LOVE TO HEAR ABOUT IT...

YES -- the guy at the Visitor's Center is dressed in Revolutionary War uniform!!

We were headed to the Convention Center -- for the annual Art Guild show...

The convention center is nestled right in the middle of a cramped downtown neighborhood. In the 1700's, the streets were narrow, and making room for something as big as a convention center had to be a REAL challenge...

This is a picture of the neighborhood that had to be dismantled to make way for the modern Convention Center...

The inside of the new building is stunning...

BUT it is a shock to see this outside facade on the INSIDE of the Convention Center...

As it turns out, they built the Convention Center AROUND the offices of Thaddeus Stevens.

DID YOU SEE THE MOVIE LINCOLN?? One of my favorite actors, Tommy Lee Jones, played the role of Thaddeus Stevens. For decades, he lived with his mulatto housekeeper, Lydia Smith. Their story is told here, and beyond the glass wall -- you can see the remnants of their home...

Most of the site has been excavated -- but they have it set up so you can see the progress...

INSIDE the Art Show -- I didn't take many pictures. The artisans are, after all, trying to sell their original works, and I was being respectful. But as Marion was trying on this great art vest -- the textile artist told me to take all the pictures I wanted...

Marion, of course, looks great in EVERYTHING she wears...

Marion bought a great black french terry coat from this young designer...but I didn't get a picture of that!!

e The week before our ERT, Marion made 30+ polar fleece jackets (like the one she is wearing) for a fundraiser in Kingston. Yes, I got one, too. And THERE WILL BE A STORY...of course...