Mail Bag: Good Morning, Irene

Editor's Note: The below is a submission from Patch reader Mark Lane. It has been gently edited for grammar and punctuation, but otherwise appears in its original form.

Our mini family (wife, daughter, and me) vacation to the Amish area of Pennsylvania was cut short a full day this past weekend, as we wanted to get back to our humble Little Neck abode with the ominous Hurricane Irene approaching.

Even the Pennsylvania news stations were advising people to get the heck out of nearby areas, very well precautionary, but causing unnecessary panic.      

But I'd have to characterize our excursion to these farmlands as a success, at least for me. Five pairs of pants, four shirts, and seven pairs of socks at the Vanity Fair Outlets in Reading were much more than I had anticipated buying. Two belts at the Green Dragon Farmers Market in Ephrata capped my purchasing wardrobe.     

The culinary highlight were my delicious crab cakes that I had not eaten at the Green Dragon since our last visit several years ago. A humongous hot dog, excellent French fries, an indigenous birch beer, ice cream cone, and a red velvet whoopie pie were my other Green Dragon noshes... plus a chocolate shoo-fly-pie to take home.     

We stayed away from the touristy eateries where we have eaten before in the past... not that the food isn't great and plentiful,we just lacked the time. The hearty Pennsylvania Dutch cooking can certainly fill and widen one's belly.

With all the warnings of mass exodus and evacuations from low-lying areas in New Jersey, and all the closings we heard about in New York City and Long Island imminent, I felt the prudent thing to do was get home sooner than later. Free tolls at bridges and even the turnpike made our quick trip home even more pleasant.

Oh yes... my wife and daughter purchased clothes and shoes and almost pocketbooks too. I had to patiently wait hour after hour. Do you really think they'd allow me to drive to the Reading/Lancaster areas just for my attire and stomach?