Fun with plates in West Virginia

For Pat's birthday present, we traveled to the Fiestaware factory and store in Newell, West Virginia which is right across the Ohio river from East Liverpool, Ohio. This year our friends Sarah and Bill Gann joined us in the adventure.We took a private toll bridge over the river. The bridge has no on or off ramp to speak of. One end of the bridge is at the end of a street in a residential neighborhood. The other end juts into a highway. The stop light that has us waiting over the Ohio River is sorta disconcerting.

Illinois river towns are right on the water with levies and flood walls around them. Newell and East Liverpool are built on what this transplanted flatlander thinks of as mountains. Sarah and Bill, who are native Ohioans, just chuckle when I talk about the terrain.

Once we arrived at the Fiestaware plant the real work began. Everyone had an assigned job. Pat and Sarah worked their lists. Bill and I carried stuff. I had the additional jobs of finding stuff that wasn't on the list and asking Pat if we could use them and keeping a pictorial record of the event for posterity. The staff at the store was very helpful. The store was very busy. The trip was a success. After shopping we stopped by a local cafe for a great lunch.

Does the bridge look level?

Waiting on the bridge! It's a long way down.

Pat in a pensive moment.

The plan's on the yellow sheet of paper.

Pat, how about this one?

Pat and Sarah discussing the finer points of Fiestaware.

Now we get 12 of this one and 24 of that one and ...

What are they looking at?

This river tug was a pleasent surprise.

The Sonata has a bigger trunk than I thought.

East Liverpool from the West Virginia side of the river

After a hard day of plate hunting, a little lunch

A short video record