Greetings from the Poconos!

[vraiblonde]

We're outside of Scranton at Monello's sister's beautiful enormous home, house sitting for the next couple of weeks. It's weird to have all this space. We're used to having a whole home smaller than the bedroom we're staying in. Everything in her home is deluxe and top-grade, with a pool bigger than most of the campgrounds we've stayed at and a nice outdoor kitchen for entertaining.

Monello and I like to mosey around and admire the swanky homes in some of the places we go to, but neither of us has a desire to live that way. It's a lot of work and upkeep. But I'm glad other people DO live that way so we can admire their digs. Now that I don't take care of a big house anymore I appreciate the effort that goes into it.

Scranton area is quite nice and has an interesting history, plus a terrific downtown. Here's from when we visited a couple years ago:
http://forums.somd.com/threads/306204-Scranton-PA

And yes, we will have Cosmo's cheesesteaks at least once while we're here.

 

[SamSpade]

We're outside of Scranton at Monello's sister's beautiful enormous home, house sitting for the next couple of weeks. It's weird to have all this space. We're used to having a whole home smaller than the bedroom we're staying in. Everything in her home is deluxe and top-grade, with a pool bigger than most of the campgrounds we've stayed at and a nice outdoor kitchen for entertaining.

Monello and I like to mosey around and admire the swanky homes in some of the places we go to, but neither of us has a desire to live that way. It's a lot of work and upkeep. But I'm glad other people DO live that way so we can admire their digs. Now that I don't take care of a big house anymore I appreciate the effort that goes into it.

Scranton area is quite nice and has an interesting history, plus a terrific downtown. Here's from when we visited a couple years ago:
http://forums.somd.com/threads/306204-Scranton-PA

And yes, we will have Cosmo's cheesesteaks at least once while we're here.

Lived in NE Pa for many years - starting with the year Agnes hit. Dad worked in Dunmore.
I wanted to go to Scranton Prep and took their entrance exam. I remember they told me I got one of the highest scores
they ever had on it - but - my parents couldn't afford it - and they weren't going to give me any kind of scholarship.
Their loss.

 

[Bann]

We're outside of Scranton at Monello's sister's beautiful enormous home, house sitting for the next couple of weeks. It's weird to have all this space. We're used to having a whole home smaller than the bedroom we're staying in. Everything in her home is deluxe and top-grade, with a pool bigger than most of the campgrounds we've stayed at and a nice outdoor kitchen for entertaining.

Monello and I like to mosey around and admire the swanky homes in some of the places we go to, but neither of us has a desire to live that way. It's a lot of work and upkeep. But I'm glad other people DO live that way so we can admire their digs. Now that I don't take care of a big house anymore I appreciate the effort that goes into it.

Scranton area is quite nice and has an interesting history, plus a terrific downtown. Here's from when we visited a couple years ago:
http://forums.somd.com/threads/306204-Scranton-PA

And yes, we will have Cosmo's cheesesteaks at least once while we're here.

Sounds like an awesome way to spend a couple of weeks!

We lived outside of Scranton, PA in Jessup for about 8 or 9 months in 1973-1974 but my parents really didn't like the winter rmonths, so we moved to southern, MD where he had the WPTX broadcast radio connections.

It was a freaking cold, snowy winter! After living in Naples, Italy for 5-1/2 years, and then Norfolk, VA for a year, that was a yuuuuuuge adjustment for us.

 

[Monello]

So far it has rained every day that we've been here. It's the kind of rain that makes you want to put on some warm clothes and get comfortable.

I have a newfound appreciation for dog sitters. It's a dog, how hard can it be to keep an eye on them. Well they each have their own personality. It's a bedlington terrier. Which means it looks exactly like any other BT that you have ever seen. I guess the BT family tree doesn't have a lot of branches. Plus this dog is constantly in stealth mode. The backyard is fenced in and I kid you not, the dog hits a bell on the door knob to be let out. After he's done, he comes back on the porch and scratches to be let back in. Other than the bell or the scratches, this dog is practically a mute.

Unless some wild creature comes in the yard at 4am. Then it's scratch, scratch, scratch at the door window until someone let's him out. Then it's 90 MPH to the fence and the barking commences. Good thing the closest neighbors are quite a bit away.

The pup has about 30 - 40 dog treats in his toy box. The reason they are in there is because he just eats the outer coating, ignoring the rest of the stick. Apollo is in doggie heaven as he recently discovered the bountiful treasure trove of doggie goodies. Several times a day we get to play doggie pick up stix.

Coming from the motorhome, to say this place is spacious is an understatement. I get winded walking from 1 side of the house to the other. In the RV most things are in arm's reach. And I thought we did a lot of walking in Gatlinburg.

Last night as part of our running around, we ended up getting cheesesteaks at Cosmo's. We found this place a few years ago by accident. They only have a few items on the menu, but we are OK with that. They are good at making the few items they sell. I think the bread they use really adds to the sandwich. On their condiment bar they have pickles and cherry peppers. A few cherry pepper slices jacks up the sandwich a bit, not that it needs it. Other than Cosmo's, we don't have any other place to eat that is a must have. Perhaps we'll find a place in the coming days.

Driving around Scranton you see a lot of contrasts in the neighborhoods. Drive a few more blocks and the vibe is decidedly different. It's an older, blue collar area with some spots showing much better than others. Coal and the railroad were kings a few decades ago. 1 of the highway exits shows directions for 5 different college campuses. So while this isn't a tourist destination on par with Myrtle Beach or Gatlinburg, it does have a few things that the out of town visitor will want to take in. That is, if it ever stops raining.

 

[vraiblonde]

I'm actually comfortable dog sitting. Duke is so cute! He looks like a lamb, all curly and little. Bedlington Terrier:



The biggest problem is that Apollo is jealous and competitive. So I throw him outside when Duke indicates he's hungry, because otherwise piggy boy will run over and scarf all the chow, then promptly barf it back up. They're getting along well, but the food thing has forced me to get creative.

Now I have two dogs cuddling me when I sleep.

It's nice to be in a proper home and act civilized for awhile so we don't forget how. Only for a couple of weeks, though, then I'm ready to get back to my life.

 

[lucky_bee]

The backyard is fenced in and I kid you not, the dog hits a bell on the door knob to be let out. After he's done, he comes back on the porch and scratches to be let back in.

my dad trained our weimaraner, and then our yellow lab, to tap/nose this rope of bells hung on the door to the backyard when they wanted to go out. Neatest, most useful trick I've ever seen for your average family pet. I guess that's our middle-class version of a doggy doorbell

 

[vraiblonde]

The pizza here is weird. Like fundraiser pizza - Joe Corbi pizza, with this odd crust and an American cheese blend that sticks to your teeth and the roof of your mouth. It's called "Old Forge style".

Ick.

Apparently around Scranton it's considered a delicacy and they argue over who makes the best, but I can't imagine that any of them are better than disgusting.

 

[acommondisaster]

The pizza here is weird. Like fundraiser pizza - Joe Corbi pizza, with this odd crust and an American cheese blend that sticks to your teeth and the roof of your mouth. It's called "Old Forge style".

Ick.

Apparently around Scranton it's considered a delicacy and they argue over who makes the best, but I can't imagine that any of them are better than disgusting.

Our place is about 50 miles north of Scranton. It's been a horrible rainy summer; lots of flooding, lots of roads washed out. One thing we've noticed since we've owned up there these past 5 years is the food really sucks. All of it, with few exceptions. I had prime rib 2 weeks ago that had the consistency (and nearly as little taste) of wadded up wet paper towels. Hard to find a place that serves something other than EYE-talian - and if they do, it's badly done. One exception has been Boulder View Tavern in Lake Harmony. It's nothing to write home about, but the view is great, you can eat a tables next to the beach, the band is usually good, but not too loud and the food is ...well...pretty good. I'm really looking forward to trying Top of the 80's - a restaurant with what looks to be a million dollar view of the valleys in Hazelton.

 

[vraiblonde]

Our place is about 50 miles north of Scranton. It's been a horrible rainy summer; lots of flooding, lots of roads washed out. One thing we've noticed since we've owned up there these past 5 years is the food really sucks. All of it, with few exceptions. I had prime rib 2 weeks ago that had the consistency (and nearly as little taste) of wadded up wet paper towels. Hard to find a place that serves something other than EYE-talian - and if they do, it's badly done. One exception has been Boulder View Tavern in Lake Harmony. It's nothing to write home about, but the view is great, you can eat a tables next to the beach, the band is usually good, but not too loud and the food is ...well...pretty good. I'm really looking forward to trying Top of the 80's - a restaurant with what looks to be a million dollar view of the valleys in Hazelton.

Not that you're going to drive 50 miles for a cheesesteak, but Cosmo's is pretty good. We haven't tried anywhere else because we only come here to hang with Monello's family, and his sister is an amazing cook. Her house is foodapalooza.

But yeah, I don't think you come to the Poconos for the culinary experience.

 

[Monello]

I finally see the sun! I don't think my phone has gotten this many weather alerts. We haven't even been here a week. That includes spending 2 months in the Keys. Lots of flash flooding around here. It would have sucked to have been in the motorhome with these weather conditions. Stay safe and dry everyone.

 

[acommondisaster]

But yeah, I don't think you come to the Poconos for the culinary experience.

We went to one potluck at our neighborhood lodge and pretty much decided that the homecooking wasn't much better than what we were getting at local restaurants. We've decide in the future, if we go again, we'll make a meal of our own to eat and bring a lot of booze.

 

[Bann]

We went to one potluck at our neighborhood lodge and pretty much decided that the homecooking wasn't much better than what we were getting at local restaurants. We've decide in the future, if we go again, we'll make a meal of our own to eat and bring a lot of booze.

 

[Monello]

I took a walk to fish a small community pond a couple of blocks over from where we are staying. The recent rains must have aided the bug population because they were swarming all around my face and head. I managed to catch 1 fish before the plague ran me off. Later I went swimming. The surface of the pool was covered with hundreds of gnats. It look like someone dumped a pound of black pepper in the pool. While we have occasionally encountered bugs in our travels, I don't think I ever saw gnats to this degree.

Then there is the pool filter. Every day there are about 3-4 dead frogs in there. The other morning there was a small snake in the there. I guess as long as no bears get us, I shouldn't complain. We haven't managed to burn the house down yet. The dogs seem to be getting along fine. Apollo is enjoying having an entire back yard to explore without being tethered to his leash. He will probably be the saddest of us all when it is time to leave here.

 

[SamSpade]

I do have to admit, though, that the best pizza I ever had was at the Victory Pig - which is a bit of a drive south of you, on Wyoming Ave in Wyoming PA.

If for some reason you happen to be passing through, give it a try and tell me what you think.