jet stream - reading, pa??...

Happy Friday all!

I usually love taking us away to an exotic place that we all dream of visiting.  Today we are going to try something a little different.  I have been living in limbo lately. Seven months to be exact.  Everything is written in pencil not pen, and my roots are still waiting to burst out of the pot and get into the ground.  I know I am being quite cryptic here.  I promise to share things with you as the universe shares them with me.  For now, we wait...

While we wait I thought it would be wonderful to hear about what inspires right in our own backyards.  It is of course wonderful to dream about and explore the world, but is it equally as great to celebrate the beauty that surrounds each of us daily?  I say absolutely and perhaps it is even more important to do so.

To start I wanted to know what inspires the insanely talented group who I like to call the PA connection.  Who knew PA was bursting at the seems with talent, beauty and inspiration?!!

Jan DiCintio of Daisy Jane has been kind enough to show us Reading, PA as she sees it.  Enjoy!

I hail from Reading, PA, which about an hour west of Philadelphia. Reading is known for pretzels, the Reading Railroad, and the first outlet shopping in the U.S. It was home to Keith Haring, John Updike, Taylor Swift and the Gosselin family – who lived down the street from me at one time. What I enjoy most about our area is the Smalltown America vibe that is also rich in the arts, shopping and glorious nature. We are a very active family, and it’s so nice to live in a neighborhood where you can walk out the door and go! No driving required. But, if you feel you must, it’s within decent proximity to 3 other major cities!



The tree-lined street where I live – the golden leaves of the Linden trees are a sight to behold in early November.



A neighborhood park with trails & paths leading every which way. We go down to this pond throughout the seasons; in the summer, we walk along the edge looking for toads; in the winter, we come down to ice skate. It’s a man-made pond, and I’ve ridden my bike through it, too! Shhhhh!



Local shopping area with a distinct Main St feel. You can find unique restaurants, boutiques and art galleries along this strip. There’s always something beautiful to inspire me or something yummy to munch on! A friend recently opened her own shoppe here – Hello Bluebird – it’s filled to the brim with handmade goodies of all kinds!



Another park nearby where walking trails follow along old towpaths that are said to be haunted – boo! This distlefink (a good luck bird) is representative of a strong Pennsylvania Dutch heritage in our area – folk art like this is a common sighting. She’s always there to welcome us to the park – such a pretty girl in her bright plumage.

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A glimpse of one of my favorite displays in a nearby antique shop in Adamstown. PA – Antiques Capital USA (gotta dig that designation). I swear I want to eat that color right up!!! There are many, many, many antique shops in Adamstown, and I love walking through these places to see what memories it will stir-up or what inspiration I’ll find in old fabrics, dishware, furniture and jewelry!

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View from a bird sanctuary called Hawk Mountain, where we go to watch migrating raptors. Gazing upon a soaring hawk, eagle or falcon as it makes it way from one nesting ground to the next is breathtaking. It sums up the power and fragility of nature all at once. This refuge is just off the Appalachian Trail – and we hop onto that for hiking and trail runs as often as we can.

What to share a bit of inspiration from your little nook in the world??  I'd love to hear it! Email me here.