Wedding Prelude

Among the many glorious things I did in Pennsylvania, one notable event was the Mercedes Bridal Shower.  Only two of the three bridesmaids could attend, and since my little computer can't handle full-out PhotoShop, three remain in this photograph.  But look how nicely we coordinated our clothing!

Mercedes unwraps, Beth makes notations, I craft the gift-bow bouquet.  

Shameless self-promotion: if you are getting married and need a gift-bow bouquet fashioned during your wedding shower, I am an expert.

Truth, Justice, and TWINS!!!

I got to see Colin & Gillie-Bean (the babies formerly known as Alpha & Omega) when I was back in Pennsylvania!  And I also got to see D-Bird waving his arms around like an actual bird, entertaining Colin.  Observe the tranquil smile on Mercedes' face: she sees the arm-waving and accepts it.

I told Mum that if she had one of the babies I was allowed to steal said baby from her, as I so rarely get to see them.  Here I have stolen Colin from David, who is now pictured assisting Colin in eating some interconnected plastic rings.

Before my thieving ways parted them.

Mercedes, Gillie, and I are reading, while librarian-grandma looks on approvingly.

Tired Beans.

The Journey Cotinues: You May Notice That We've Used Up All of Our Ns

Welcome to my hometown: Podunk, Pennsyltucky.

That tank is not even a joke.  

There is a decommissioned tank situated in the middle of town.  The locals don't even notice it anymore, though it does tend to startle visitors.  Observe below: me, perched on the tank, ready to direct my forces towards our southern enemies.  I'm talking about you, Punxsutawney.  

So I went to Pennsylvania for a few days.  Where my parents have the slowest internet connection on the entire plant.  And the Methodist church forgets to check their spelling.  Some things never change.

Mum and I always take a walk through town on those holidays that involve eating a huge meal.  We're usually the only people outside on these days.

Main Street.

This is the best pizza in the entire world.  For real.

It was a big day when we got this little Chinese Take-Out.

Our Glorious Free Public Library.  Which is actually very nice.

The Borough Building.  

The Mighty Toby River.  In the background is the Field of Dreams.  The Field of Dreams is what my family calls the high school football field, conveniently located a good healthy distance from the high school.  Happily so, in that it necessitates a parade through town for every single home football game.

In case you haven't noticed, this is pretty much Appalacchia.

The local historical society.  The contents are as bizarre as the facade.  Trust me.

The best part of the local historical society is that all of the now-defunct local newspaper issues have been archived and are in a searchable database designed mainly for genealogists.  Searching local surnames results in the extreme basics from the newspaper: birth, marriage, and death notices.  However, for more interesting deaths, the cause of death is noted, such as "struck by lightening".  A startling number of people in Brockway were killed via lightening strike in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The building also has a nice bas-relief depicting our coal-mining ancestors.  The areas of highest relief are, appropriately, probably stained black from the fine coal dust that falls out of the sky thanks to nearby coal tipples.  

The Pool: the place to be in the summer if you are under 17 years of age.  When I took this picture Mum said, "Photoshop that water to be blue."  I'm no wizard; if it ain't there, it ain't there.

Our local Catholic Parish, St. Tobias.  There is an entire campus associated with the church: I'm only sharing pictures of a few of the landmarks, and I'm not even including the impressive larger-than life Italian marble crucifixion scene/shrine out along Main Street.  

Mum strikes the same pose, in the exact same spot, where she was photographed as a tiny little girl as part of her First Communion Class.  Awww.

We're quite witty at St. Tobias.  Makes the Methodist church look like a bunch of dullards, doesn't it?  (For those who've not had the opportunity to visit, a similar sign is at the far end of the sidewalk.  On the back of the sign, in large letters, is the word 'ETERNITY'.

April Showers of the Snowy Persuasion

It's been snowing since Monday.  (This afternoon at the bus shelter across from the ThinkTank.)

The Joy of Jell-O Molds

If you thought I could walk away from the Jell-O Museum without some sort of trophy, you were sadly mistaken.  I came back to Canada with a true gem: The Joy of Jell-O Molds.  Just using the word 'mold' makes them sound unappealing.  Excerpts below for your enjoyment.

Festive Fall and Winter Molds: No holiday meal is complete without a shimmering Jell-O mold.  Easy to make, yet impressive to behold, these dishes are essential for special gatherings of family and friends.

Impressive to behold.  Indeed.

Behold.  The Holiday Fruit and Nut Mold.

This one, the Raspberry Gift Box, is especially repulsive to me for two reasons: 1) it is oddly opaque and 2) it is a loaf of Jell-O.  The recipe specifies the Jell-O curing to take place in a loaf pan.  Looking just like a package, this beautifully garnished mold makes an eye-catching centerpiece for any birthday party or shower.

Refreshing Molds for Spring and Summer: Whether it's Mother's Day, a graduation, the Fourth of July, or just a family meal, the occasion will shine brighter with one of these dazzling molds as the star.

The Mimosa Sparkling Mold.  Minus what makes a mimosa a mimosa.

Savory Selections: When it's your turn to bring the appetizer or salad, turn to these refreshing ideas.  These tempting Jell-O Gelatin dishes will impress the crowd.  Observe below, the Savory Cheese Appetizer Mold.  I really don't know about that one.  Its just so opaque!

The creme-de-la-creme of Jell-O mold recipes are in the last pages of the book.  The Classic Molds: Remember your mother's delicious gelatin creations?  You can make Jell-O molds like hers with these traditional delights, revised or the way you cook today.

The Crown Jewel Dessert.  No foodstuff can possibly be more unattractive than this loaf of opaque Jell-O, in which small cubes of other translucent Jell-Os are captured.

While purchasing this at the Jell-O Museum, Hye-Sung and I were marveling over this, the ten-layer Rainbow Ribbon Mold.  The woman who assisted me in my purchase of The Joy of Jell-O Molds flipped through the book and pointed this one out especially to us, saying that it was very difficult to make but was very good.  Hye-Sung and I were all wonderment.  My hypothesis is that in LeRoy, New York, the birthplace of Jell-O, everyone makes Jell-O salads and that this woman had made every one of the dishes in The Joy of Jell-O Molds.

As Per Liang's Request

More regrettable foodstuffs are listed after the link:

Jell-O and the Decline of Western Civilization: Commentary on Vintage Advertisement Materials

Jell-O Museum

The city of LeRoy, New York, located about 30 minutes to the southwest of Rochester, is the birthplace of Jell-O!  And there is a Jell-O Museum!

Hye-Sung is so excited(!!!) to visit the Jell-O Museum.  Which is quite understandable.

Strawberry is the most popular flavor of Jell-O.

Per capita, the US city with the greatest Jell-O consumption is San Francisco.

There is a Bill Cosby shrine.  Not pictured is the tv in the corner playing a constant loop of Jell-O commercials; a mixture of Cosby commercials and more vintage black-and-white commercials.

The rare North American coffee-flavored Jell-O.  This was sold in the 1930s and was soon discontinued due to its unpopularity.  However, coffee Jell-O is still sold and consumed in massive quantities in Japan.  Or so the Jell-O Museum docent informed us.

There was an admirable collection of molds.  Several of them were in the shape of sea-creatures, such as a lobster and a wide variety of fish.

This bovine monstrosity was in the basement, oddly situated with the exhibit of late 19th-century carriages, right next to the 1912 Cadillac Horseless Carriage.  (The Horseless Carriage, by the way, was absolutely terrifying in appearance.  I can completely sympathize with the frightened people of yesteryear.)