Off to the post office....

Yesterday when I returned from work I found a note from the postman saying that he had missed me and to call to the post office in Rathmines to collect a delivery.

Expecting a letter I set off on my bike for the post office this morning.  I had to laugh when I saw the postman bring a very large box to the counter.  When I laughingly told him I was on my bike he said I could come back later but I said it was ok that I would manage.

I also said that I wasn't expecting any large packages and I wondered what it was.  He looked at it and said it was from Pennsylvania.  "Ah", I said, "I know who that is from".  He then looked at it again and said "Well don't look here if you don't want to discover what it is until you open it".  Lol.  I didn't look!

When I got out to the bike yard I attempted to put the box in my panniers.  No joy!

Then I remembered that I had a bungee cord on my carrier.  I strapped on the box and I was away.

When I got home I excitedly began to open the box.  At the top were two cute postcards of scenes of Amish life with two lovely notes on the back.

Inside the wrapping were two very well wrapped packages.

Inside the smaller package were two clay olives - this might give you an idea what was in the bigger package.  One of the notes on the postcard warned us not to eat them that they were pottery - thanks Alan for preventing what could have been a serious accident!!

And finally I got to the larger package and opened it to find the most magnificent olive dish by artist Trista Depp Chapman (a favourite artist of my friend Pam in Pennsylvania).  Pam & Alan had visited the  Mt. Gretna Art Show two weekends ago and Trista had been displaying her work.  

Look how great the dish looks on my black kitchen countertop!  It's hard to see but the two pottery olives are in the dish for display when not it use - what a great concept!

But I think it looks best on the bar!

Here's contact information for Trista Depp Chapman, you can also see more of her work here here

How quaint are these Amish families?

Thanks so much Pam & Alan, I love the dish - I feel like inviting friends straightaway over and serving snacks right out of it!!

How wonderful to have an original piece of artwork from Fredericksburg, Virginia sitting in my house in Dublin, Ireland!