We love supporting artists and craft persons in our local community. It’s a way that we can support small business owners in our area. We will often visit little art galleries, fairs and festivals where many of them sell their wares. I love finding unique items to decorate my home or to give as gifts to family and friends.

One arts and crafts fair that we look forward to every year is held in Hummelstown Pennsylvania. Hummelstown is a small town located right outside of Hershey and Harrisburg. It has lovely old-town charm and the residents are friendly & welcoming when you visit.

Every year when we go I shop and I shop a LOT! I always find things for myself, my home and gifts to give. The last time we were there I purchased a wonderful cat mat filled with catnip for our boy Romeo. He loves it to this day! For gifts I purchased a bracelet for my granddaughter, 3 hand-poured candles for friends, a handcrafted wallet for my mother and I got a really cool handmade broom! You know…the kind you found a hundred years ago made from wood and straw. It’s fantastic for sweeping my front porch!

After shopping we stop by the food truck area to grab a bite to eat. Yup, just getting something to eat from the Food Trucks is another great way to support local businesses. They typically have 7-10 food trucks to choose from and we always find something yummy to eat.

While you may pay more for handmade items that you buy at these type’s of fairs and festivals…I believe it’s worth it. You’re getting handcrafted items that were made by people living in your community. You’re not buying junk that was made overseas!

Anyway, I’m including a few photographs that I took when we were at the Arts and Crafts Street Fair in Hummelstown last fall. I’m already counting down the days until the next one in the Fall of 2024.

We love wildlife and are especially fond of all animals that live along the coast and in ocean waters. We volunteer our time every year to do beach clean-up and conservation work to help save them. I wish more people would get involved all around the country to get our planet cleaned up and looking nice. It benefits EVERYONE!

While on a trip last fall down in Wildwood we snapped a few photos of Terrapin Turtles coming up out of the back bay and waterways onto the land to lay their eggs. There are Turtle Crossing Signs on the island reminding motorists to slow down and watch for the turtles.

We were lucky enough one afternoon to spot at least 2 dozen Terrapins up on the land digging their holes to lay their eggs. The hole digging took less than 15-20 minutes. Then they parked their butts over the hole and got busy laying their eggs. It wasn’t an all day process at all. After laying the eggs they covered the holes back up with the dirt that they had dug. Then headed back into the water.

It ws something that we sat there and witnessed over the course of 2 hours. A memory that we’ll never forget. Something that most people never get to witness out in the wild.