Pocono Talk

Monday was Columbus Day so we left work a little bit early to head out to do some pumpkin and apple picking.  The problem is I really couldn’t find anywhere that had both available.

PUMPKIN PICKING
When “pumpkin picking” you really need to be sure that you read the fine print so that if you’re actually expecting to pick pumpkins off the vine that they have it available.  Many “pick your own” places pre-pick the pumpkins then lay them out in a field for you to choose from.  It’s a fun step up from getting them out of a bin, but there is something great about being able to actually pick them off a vine.

Places I know of that you can actually pick them off a vine(please call them to make sure, late in the season they have them pre-picked).

OFF THE VINE
Klingels/Mazezilla: We took my son there with his preschool and they take you on an open hayride of sorts out to the patch to pick your own pumpkins:

http://www.mazezilla.com/patch.html they are probably the closest in the Poconos.

Donaldson Farms (NJ): Again, we took our son out there last year with his preschool, we actually got to walk in the field and pick out our pumpkins.  They also have flower picking early in the year(I really want to try that as well!)  http://www.donaldsonfarms.net

PUMPKIN PATCH
Strawberry Acres(near Allentown): They are available off the vine but for the rest of this season YOU CAN NOT GET THEM OFF THE VINE.  If you want to go there be sure to go early in the season. They have pumpkins available to choose from in a field.   http://www.strawberryacres.com/pumpkins.html

Old Homestead(in Leighton): They are also available in a field, there are farm animals, a pumpkin sling/shooter thing, they also have food stands. http://www.oldhomestead.com/ppatch.html

APPLE PICKING

Apple Picking

So I really really really wanted to go and pick apples this year.  I am constantly teaching my 6 year old son about where fruits/vegetables come from and it’s really cute to see his reaction of  “so carrots are in the ground?” or “bananas in trees?”.  I searched around and found that many places that normally have apple picking available do not have it this year due to the weather(I assume the rain).  I also wanted to combine that with pumpkin picking – but I unfortunately could not find a place that did both at this time of the year that was close.

So we headed down to Strawberry Acres which is right past the Allentown mall to do some apple picking.  Like many of the places we visit it had farm animals(I love llamas), a big “tube slide” for the kids(if you haven’t seen/tried one they’re a good laugh), pony rides, pumpkin picking(available off the vine usually, but we went to late in the season so they were in a field), a farmers market with Mums, fresh fruit, and of course APPLE PICKING!  We grabbed 2 boxes and hopped onto what I can only best describe as a school bus convertible…it’s like a hayride in a school bus, with the top off, minus the hay…you’d have to see it…and were taken a few minutes up the road to where the trees were.  I was slightly disappointed that the trees are so close to houses…it looses that “outdoor” feel that you get with being up here in the Poconos.  It is about an hour away though and should be expected, but it seems that their pear trees are a lot further out so if you went there to do pear picking(you can also do cherry picking and peach picking) it would seem a lot more rural.

Regardless, once you’re in a sea of apple trees everything else seems to fade away.  I’ve been apple picking before where you use baskets on a stick to collect them since the fruit is up so high.  In this case the trees were on the “small side” being that the apples went from almost the ground all the way up to about 20 feet or so.  It was great for my son since he could grab the apples himself and it really gave him a hands on feel.  Since there were a lot of riper apples up top my husband hoisted him up a few times to grab them off the trees which delighted him.  All in all we picked probably close to 40-50  apples which ended up costing us about $35.  more expensive then store bought but definitely worth it for the experience.

Needless to say I’ll be baking a lot of apple pies in the next couple of days…

Lastly, Christmas is quickly approaching so I thought I’d mention that if you’re looking for a place to cut your own Christmas Tree in the Poconos   that Old Homestead Tree Farm has tree cutting available:  http://www.oldhomestead.com/xmas.html I have yet to cut my own Christmas tree so maybe we’ll try it this year!

Apple picking, pumpkin picking, cutting your own Christmas tree…they’re all great ways to get some quality family time together and to create some lasting memories.  It takes a lot more time and money then the pre-cut/picked stuff, but it’s well worth it!

Recently just about any food chain you can imagine has popped up into the Stroudsburg area of the Poconos – and now you can chalk up another one with a Sonic being planned to go in on Route 611 near the new Gamestop/Moe’s/Dunkin Donuts/Verizon Wireless plaza.

I know I know, if you like Olive Garden you’re darn excited, if you don’t then you’re probably thinking “seriously, another eatery?”.  It opens this Monday, March 23rd at 4pm in Stroudsburg in the Best Buy/Old Navy/Panera Bread shopping center.  For the first week it will only be open for dinner starting at 4pm, the following week they should be open for their regular lunch/dinner schedule.

Just a few years ago the strip of 611 from the Crossroads to Main Street Stroudsburg was a lot quieter.  Crossroads (not to be confused with the crossings) use to be a highly trafficked area for truckers as an active truckstop/rest area.  Over the past few years the area across from the main truck stop has become a retail center that contains a Lowes, Kohls, Chilis, Red Robin and Longhorn Steakhouse. In process where the truckstop there is a Red Lobster, AT&T and Giant supermarket going in.

Heading towards Stroudsburg there’s a strip mall going in on the left that so far just contains a Dunkin Donuts(imo you can’t go wrong with a few more DD’s).  If you keep going you’ll see that where there use to be trees(if you haven’t visited in awhile you’d probably be shocked) there’s clearing after clearing making way for who only knows…When you get almost into town that’s where the Olive Garden is going – it’s a relatively new shopping center with an Old Navy, Borders(I think), Best Buy, Five Guys Burgers, Panera Bread and Five Below.  Due to the economy both the Starbucks and Linens and things are already gone.  Sidenote – KB toys and Waldenbooks in the Stroud mall have also fallen to the times.

Personally, I like having the options and would love to see an Outback Steakhouse go in as well(I know with Longhorn and Texas Roadhouse opening not too long ago it’s not that needed but I still love me some Outback).

The way I see it is the Poconos are changing – they had their shining moment years ago of resorts and celebrities and over the years that has greatly faded.  It feels like the area is getting overcrowded at times, which honestly I think it is, but if it’s going to build up I’d rather see some larger companies coming in then just strip malls of lousy stores.  Extra people means extra traffic, extra crime(the shootings lately are getting more absurd/frequent), and less trees…but in the economic downfall we’re going through should anyone really complain that there’s more jobs being created and more tourists coming which in the end means more money all the way around.

The intersection at 191 and Main Street in Stroudsburg is just waiting for an accident – although I’m sure there have been plenty in the past but the question is how many or how severe do they need to be for changes to be made.

If you’re not familiar with that intersection its a 4 way intersection with a light but is not a perfect crossroad which can make any intersection hazardous as is.  The main issue that I can see is that if you are driving on 191 towards 80 with the KFC on your left the arrows that distinguish what lane will be going in which direction are on the ground and faded.  It is a high traffic intersection so on a normal day if you are from out of town you would have a hard time figuring out if you’re in the correct lane or not.  My personal suggestion - and mind you I’m no expert – is to place HANGING signs that clearly mark which lane you need to be in to go the proper direction.  Here’s a yahoo map of the intersection: http://maps.yahoo.com/#mvt=m&lat=40.986494&lon=-75.190688&zoom=18

From 191 facing 80 there are 3 lanes - the far left lane is meant for traffic going to the left onto a two-lane one way street.  The middle lane is for traffic going straight across the intersection, slightly to the right, towards 80.   The far right lane is for traffic turning right onto main street a two-way street.

The biggest danger comes when traffic that should be going left or right ends up going straight – moreso from the far right lane straight across the intersection(when they should be turning right) - this causes problems not only from the traffic trying to go straight but from anyone making a right off main street.  I have seen this happen more times then I can count, am always cautious and treat it as if its a 2 lane crossover to not get blindsided by someone else trying to go straight.

I would estimate at least 90% of the time I go through that intersection people are using the incorrect lanes – on one hand I really can’t blame them, especially if they’re not familiar with the area.  On the other hand every time I see an accident almost happen I think ‘why isn’t this getting fixed?’.  Now, I’m not exactly one to talk since I have yet to formally address a complaint but I do plan on doing it in the near future.  I found out recently that the intersection there is technically a penndot road and therefore up to them to make any changes.  I will investigate this further and post any updates that may shed light on the situation. 

There’s plenty of dangerous intersections and roads in the Poconos, but I can’t say that there’s anymore then everywhere else, there are so many back roads that have severe drop offs and no guard rails and I shudder to think what would happen if you ever ended up off road.  My suggestion is to take your time when you can and keep an eye out as there are more out of towners then usual this time of year.  If you know of a dangerous intersection or road that you’ve reported or have been meaning to report like myself let us know as I’m curious what changes can actually be made.

Last night was fun(I’m saying that sarcasticly but I’m sure its not coming across that well in text form).  We had some scattered thunderstorms roll through the area last night with intense rain and high winds – fortunately or unfortunately for us all we got was a slight drizzle.  The fortunate part was that we avoided any potential damage, the unfortunate part was that our power decided to cut out anyway.  I would have to guesstimate that our power goes out at least 10-20 times per year and although it is mostly out for maybe an hour max there are occasions like last night where it cuts out for at least a few hours.

There was a really bad snow storm about 5 years ago when we still lived about 10 mins outside Stroudsburg that knocked power out for over a week – luckily the in-laws are close by and we had a place to stay – I can’t imagine what you would do in a situation like that if you didn’t have friends/relatives close by.  The issue that comes to hand is when you use well water well (pun intended) you’re in a bad situation since you’re unable to use it without power.  Flushing the toilet, washing your hands, taking a shower, getting a drink…it makes it pretty much impossible to stay for an extended period without power. 

Last night at about 7:30PM the power went out – call me crazy but I would have liked to have gotten the more intense part of the storm so it felt a little more justified.  When the storm simply passed by with nothing more then a sprinkle I was disappointed.  When the power was still off at 10:30 I was a bit restless – the first few hours you can manage to catch up on perfecting your shadow puppet skills, telling ghost stories(or gossiping), even calling people to catch up.  When it heads past 2-3 hours the worry sets in about the food – it never fails, Monday we had done a large grocery shopping so of course it would be 2 days later that the power goes out for 4 hours so I get to sit and worry if we’re going to need to get rid of it all.

Long story short, we made numerous calls to PPL during which we couldn’t even report the outage ”due to strong storms that have passed through the area we are experiencing high call volume and are unable to take your call, please try again later”.   Finally when we got through to report the outage and we didn’t get an estimated time until about 10:30 we were told that the power would be back on by 1:30am.  Ugh.

 Luckily at 11:30 the power popped back on, we were able to turn the air on(even though the 95 degree weather had cooled off it was still incredibly humid) and get everything in order with minimal damage.  Sad to say the huge bowl of potato salad(that was in the fridge) I had made just prior to the power going out was lost – I just don’t trust mayo that looks discolored like that.

 So some tips:
1) Keep your power company’s phone number and your account number in your cell phone.  We have all cordless phones so they obviously will not work when the power is out.  It can get quite frustrating to rummage through bills to grab the electric company’s number as well so do yourself a favor and keep it either in your cell or by the phone.

2) Flashlights and candles – always the obvious but I know on any given day we have 10 of each lying around but either a) they’re missing batteries or b) the lighters are out of fluid.  Make sure to keep at least 1-2 of each in a “storm only” spot for both summer and winter and check them occasionally to make sure they’re working.

3) Water – its always good to keep at least a few bottles and/or jugs on hand regardless but they really can come in handy – whether its for drinking or a quick wash of the hands its amazing how much use you’ll get out of them.

4) Activities – luckily for us last night our son went to bed at 8:00 and it was light enough out that we could leave his shades open as a ‘night light’ but for outages in the winter it really helps to have some kiddie flash lights, toys with lights, etc. to have on hand to keep the kids occupied.  For tus older kids we tried doing crosswords by candlelight – I can’t say I recommend it since the light was so dim I had a headache from all the eye strain.  So come up with some creative ideas ahead of time – games on your cell phone(be careful of battery life) or laptop, shadow puppets, a friend nearby with power – the 5 minutes it takes you to come up with some ideas in the light of day will save you hours of frustration unprepared in the dark at night.

For anyone else that lost power, I feel your pain, I can’t really complain since there are definitely millions of other things more tragic in life but it is inconvenient.  Typing this all out is a good venting method and now I can let it go – until next time… 

Pocono Parent Magazine Family Expo 2008
This upcoming Saturday, May 3rd, 2008,  is the Pocono Parent Magazine Family Expo.  I personally have not had the chance to attend the past few years and although we have previous plans this weekend that doesn’t mean that you can’t go!

Its FREE to attend – most expos require at least a few dollar admission charge but its absolutely free so if nothing else it can get some family energy out for a few hours by walking around.  It is located at the Pocono Mountain East High School Gym – apparently last year there were many complaints that the location was too small and that there were barely room to fit strollers up and down the isles.  This year they have planned ahead and have picked a much larger location to accomodate everyone.  I can’t blame them at all if there was a size issue last year since it is a free event so no prior registration means that you’re pretty much guessing how many people will attend.

The event will feature information on local programs of interest to Pocono families including crafts, childcare, summer camps and more. They will also be giving out FREE DigiKids Child ID kits – for any parent this is a huge help – no one likes to think of the possibility of their child getting lost or stolen, but if they do minutes even seconds can make a difference.  ID kits normally store a digital photo(that you usually have access to update) and some basic information incase of an emergency it can be distributed quickly.  As important as having a kit is making sure it gets updated, so if you do get one be sure to revisit it every year – or set it as a reminder when you change your clocks/batteries for daylight savings time.

If you do not already receive Pocono Parent Magazine and would like to subscribe it is FREE, just visit their site at PoconoParent.com and click on the “subscribe free” link.  The magazine started just a few years ago but is a great resource for all families in the Poconos, it provides useful monthly columns, restaurant reviews, activities for your children and more!

Ew!  That’s the one word comes to mind when I think of the possibility of another year with Gypsy Moths.  They come in cycles and since this is the third year in a row that they’re out, that gives at least some hope that relief may be in sight as they should disappear again for a few years after this cycle.  Now I’m no bug expert so its possible that it will be a mild year and the nests I’ve seen near our house and around town are just flukes.  The thought of being infested again this year is definitely a downer though.

If you haven’t encountered them before I’ll give you a quick overview as to why they suck…

1)  The amount.  I like to think of myself as a nature person, I grew up camping with my family every year, to this day I’ll pick up a snake when I see it(which freaks my husband out), I’m not too fond of spiders or any insects inside the house – but outdoors I’m not really bothered by bugs except nats since they’re just plain annoying. 

With the gypsy moths its a whole new game – its not a catepillar here or a moth there – there are literally hundreds, even thousands that are on the trees, your house, your car…they dangle from trees so when you look up all you see is hundreds of floating catepillars.  When the moths hatch you almost get swarmed by them – its disgusting to say the least.

2) They ruin the trees.  In order to survive they feast on the leaves and trees – not only is this damaging to the trees and can even possibly kill them off, but it looks terrible as the regular beautiful canopy of leaves are devoured into just stems. 

3) They eat so they…relieve themselves.  Well the leaves have to go somewhere right?  Imagine this…its a beautiful summer day, you grab a glass of iced tea and go into your yard and take a chair out, sit down, close your eyes and take in the quiet peaceful sounds of nature.  You hear what you think is maybe a spring shower…ping…ping…you stand up and look around then back down at your chair which is now covered with catepillar feces…EW!  It gets EVERYWHERE!  No one in their right mind is going to stand outside knowing that they’re literally being rained on by catepillar droppings.  It downright destroys the ability to go outside and relax under the trees – and its a mess to clean up.

4) The moths – The moths aren’t as dirty as the catepillars, but the hundreds even thousands that have been hiding in the trees are now all over your yard, car, you take a few steps and before you know it have a hundred moths in your face.  Not as disgusting but definitely annoying – think huge nats – ick!

Our Gypsy Moth Attack ‘07

Ok, so it wasn’t an ‘attack’ last year but it might as well have been.  My husband and I had a summer event planned, we invited up relatives from Philadelphia and from farther parts of the Poconos to come join us for an outdoor party.  In the weeks leading up to the event the weather was beautiful and we worked our butts off to get the yard looking great.  We were happy and optimistic…until ‘they’ came.  About 2 weeks before our event they started to expose themselves – we had previously seen some in the trees and around the yard – but now they were COVERING the siding on our house.  We tried to spray them off with the hose to no avail and finally ended up using a pressure washer, it didn’t get them all but at least it made a dent.  We spent the next 2 weeks spraying to kill what we could as they continued to fall and drop waste from the trees.  In the days leading up to our event we started setting up tables, tents and chairs – bad idea.  We spent the final days before the party cleaning off the chairs, tables and tents a few times a day from the catepillar droppings.  The day arrived and the catepillars were still there – still in the trees, still crawling on everything, still leaving their little presents everywhere.  Everyone arrived and just as we were about to go outside….it rained…and poured.  We ended up moving the party to our community center where we could be inside away from the rain and the bugs.  Long story short – if you’re planning an outdoor event this year and the infestation is anything like it was last year, it would be really wise to save yourself the time and effort and just have an indoor party.  If you have a large area that is no where near trees you might be safe, if not, I’d just cross your fingers.

They’re not spraying

Towards the end of last year the Pocono Record reported that there were no municipalities in the Monroe County area participating in spraying – although its a hit or miss thing and can cost a lot, at least there is the possibility of warding them off, saving people a lot of hassle – and saving our trees.  Our community sent out a letter hoping to get enough people to participate in having our community sprayed privately but not enough people signed up to participate.  You can check with your community to see if its available but it might already be too late.

 Whether they’re actually here or just a few are visiting, I hope this is the last year for awhile that they do visit so we can finally get a truly peaceful summer!