A "Best Time" to head to Blue Ball, PA!

It's totally worth trekking out to Blue Ball, PA's Flower & Craft Warehouse at any time of year, but especially this weekend - their Spring & Easter Open House. Wonderful design accents for the home, beautiful silk flowers, delightful finds in every corner of their mighty big "warehouse" (sooo much nicer than it sounds).

After working up an appetite, head over to Shady Maple Smorgasbord in East Earl. Spend the morning at the Flower & Craft Warehouse (celebrating its Spring & Easter Celebration), next head to the outlets at Rockvale (I'd first drop John off at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in Strasburg), then back to Shady Maple for a meander through its remarkable Farmer's Market (smart to bring a cooler along), capped off by a totally over-the-top dinner smorgasbord!!

Be advised about Sundays - Flower & Craft Warehouse has short hours, while Shady Maple is closed up tight as a drum!

Bucks Celebrates St. Patrick!

A few of the places in beautiful busky Bucks County to celebrate the wearing of the green!

Our #1 choice is probably the least schlocky - Pineville Tavern will kick off the celebration at noon, going strong until 1 a.m. John Danaher & The Quiet Men performing live starting at noon and playing well into the evening. The menu features potato leek soup, grilled Scottish salmon over Caesar salad, corned beef & cabbage, Guinness marinated filet mignon, homemade shepherd's pie, and beer-battered fish & chips. Call 215-598-3890 for more details. Éirinn go Brách!

03/12 Science on Tap ROCKED!!

Easy to get to (all the traffic was heading OUT of the city), easy to find, parked right across the street FOR FREE! Brain totally blissed out on the presentation, then John & I had a delicious dinner after the crowd thinned out. Looking forward to next month's presentation ~ April 2, at 6:00 p.m. ~ Mongolian Fish Hunt!

reminder ~ 03/12 SCIENCE on TAP at National Mechanics

Been mega busy this week, so not many postings, but perhaps my most valuable posting of the year will turn out to be for Monday's SCIENCE on TAP at Philadelphia's National Mechanics bar/restaurant (in the Olde City section). For links to location & speaker, check my 03/05 posting (below).

Science on Tap ~ Tiny Conspiracies... (03/12)

I died & went to heaven - science in a bar (hence "on Tap")!!

Science on Tap is a monthly science café in Philadelphia for anyone who is interested in getting together with other people to discuss a range of engaging science topics. It's held at National Mechanics, a relaxed, convivial bar in Old City, and features a brief, informal presentation by a scientist or other expert followed by lively conversation.

March focuses on “Tiny Conspiracies: Cell-to-Cell Communication in Bacteria” with Princeton's Dr. Bonnie Bassler. A microbiologist, Bonnie made the ground-breaking discovery that bacteria can communicate with one another through a process called “Quorum Sensing,” cell-to-cell communication that allows bacteria to coordinate and synchronize, acting as a multi-cellular organism.

Science on Tap is held on the second Monday of every month at 6 pm. This program is for people age 21 or older, but folks under 21 can come with a chaperone who is older than 25.

2012 Philadelphia Flower Show March 4-11

An oasis of beauty at the tag end of winter!!