Two Days at Alloway...

Each year in the beginning of June, Alloway Creek Gardens, Littlestown, PA, holds a Garden and Craft Fair. We have attended as vendors a few times and every time it is an adventure!

This is the view from the side of the home - through the trees and across the fields.

Alloway is one of those treasures down a dirt road where you come around a turn and a beautiful homestead appears. It's in the middle of Civil War history - just south of Gettysburg and Barb and Roger seem to revel in the natural history around them.

Other than the fact that the weather never seems to cooperate - usually we manage to both freeze and roast at some time during the two-day event - it is such a lovely setting with fiddlers, good food, lovely crafts, and of course their gorgeous gardens and plants, it still makes for a wonderful time. At least this year, there was no overnight thunderstorm!

The "Old Log House" is the gift shop and even though I believe they moved it there - it fits perfectly.

Walking through the crafters' area is a joy.

The feel of the place is so laid back (or maybe it was just the heat of the second day!) that the odds and ends that have been brought along to sell seem to belong there.

Somehow Barb and Roger seem to do this effortlessly. Although I know it is a tremendous amount of work, they seem to have perfected the secret of appearing to be a duck serenely sailing along the top of a pond while his feet paddle madly below the surface!

A few more peeks at the gardens:

Lavender, glowing poppies and the fading flower of a spice bush.

Friday's forecast for highs in the 90's never came true and we sat under overcast skies with cool breezes blowing through the tent. It was pleasant, until the sun burned through around 1:30. But, Saturday was everything the weathermen said it would be.. hot & humid.

In my wanderings yesterday when it was so hot and exhausting, I came upon this little structure in the trees. Built, I'm sure for their grandchildren, I was sorely tempted to just climb on up in there and fall asleep in the blessed shade....

I didn't, I went back and rejoined the "grown ups" to enjoy the company and the day as best I could in the sweltering temperatures.