Friends, Food & Fun in PA

On Thursday, July 21, we left Chesapeake Bay Thousand Trails and drove further north to Hershey Thousand Trails where we would be camping with Ken and Bonnie for 11 nights.  Woohoo!!  We got all set up on the hill just a short distance from Ken and Bonnie's site and then later that afternoon, we met Cindy and John (Bonnie's sister and brother-in-law who we had also camped with in the winter) at Quentin's Tavern.  We had a delicious meal and enjoyed visiting out on their deck.

After dinner, we rode to Ephrata to watch two of Ken & Bonnie's granddaughters in their last swim meet of the season before championships.  Bria and Cali are 9 and 7 and they are both very good little swimmers. This was the first swim meet Chuck and I had ever been too.

It was amazing watching all these young kids swim across the pool.

I think Cali is telling PaPa and Grandma how fast she can swim!

Cali & Bria make for a lap full of granddaughters!

Bria broke her record in the butterfly!

On Friday morning, we played pickleball for the first time since we had been together at Eustis in March.  Later that afternoon, Neil and Nancy called and said they wanted to come by to see us before they headed to Indiana.  We spent a couple of hours at the pool that afternoon and got to meet their cute little granddaughter, Olivia.

On Saturday morning, we played pickleball again.  Ken and Chuck began the morning with their pickleball stretches.  What a sight!  :)

There were several people who would come in the mornings to play pickleball.  And some who were just learning like Andy and his two sons.  They were very good for not having played the game before.  Young legs help a lot too!

On Sunday afternoon, we went with Ken and Bonnie to Ken's Hosler family reunion.  We met Ken's two brothers and sister and a lot of their nieces and nephews.  Ken and Bonnie's daughters and their families were there too.  There was lots of good food and fellowship.  It was another hot day but Samantha and Katelyn (Ken and Bonnie's other two granddaughters) found a way to keep cool in front of the fans.  :)

Later that evening, we went with Ken and Bonnie to their small group get-together and had another wonderful time of food and fellowship with their friends from church.

On Monday morning, we played....you guessed it....pickleball again!  Denise and Holly who are seasonal campers at Hershey met us almost every morning...

...and Devon, the campground's activity director, joined us to play a few games when he wasn't working.

Ken and Chuck thought they were so cool...

...until they played pickleball for three hours!

Nearly every morning was filled with pickleball and every evening with card games.  We talked about going for a bike ride or a hike but we were having too much fun playing pickleball.

After playing pickleball on Tuesday morning, we went to a new Japanese buffet that had just opened in Lancaster called Dragon Hibachi & Sushi Buffet.  The restaurant was so nice and clean and the food was delicious!  All you could eat and drink for just $8.99!  And boy did we eat!

Wade and Tiffany whom we had played pickleball with at Chesapeake were on the courts when we arrived Wednesday morning.  Wade and Tiffany are who taught Ken and Bonnie to play and they had even given them the paddles that Ken and Bonnie taught us with!  It's a small pickleball world!
Another great player that we played with was Dick.  Dick had not played in about 3 or 4 years due to health reasons but you couldn't tell it.  Nor could you tell that he was 80 years old!

On Wednesday afternoon, we went with Ken and Bonnie to visit Bonnie's parents, Bill and Gloria, at Masonic Homes.  We played one game of Up the River (7-Up) and three games of pinochle.  The women won 3 out of the 4 games!

Thursday was the ultimate feast day (after playing pickleball of course that morning).  Our first stop of the day was Eli's Countryside Roadstand.  His store is filled with lots of Amish crafts and baked goods but the main reason we went to Eli's was for his pretzels.  Chuck and I had been so looking forward to having some of his delicious buttery soft pretzels.

They were so good it almost brought me to tears!  :)

After leaving Eli's, we drove a short distance to Bird-n-Hand Bake shop for some homemade whoopie pies.

Chuck had an oatmeal whoopie pie and I had my favorite, a pumpkin whoopie pie, and they were so good.

Our next stop was supposed to be Costco but we saw Mr. Sticky's at the Lancaster Visitor Center and we had to try a Mr. Sticky's sticky bun.  We bought one and divided it four ways.

It was SO GOOD!

You would think we would be stuffed by now but Costco had lots of samples out and we tried a few of those while getting our groceries.  After leaving Costco, we traveled some back roads back to the campground.  Actually, after riding around with Ken and Bonnie over the past week I think Pennsylvania is nothing but back roads.

We were almost back at the campground and when we pulled up to this intersection.  I think the boys were overcome with all the delicious treats we had been eating because they sat there for about 5 minutes and just talked about how pretty the barns were or the shutters or the grass or windows.

Bonnie and I just sit back and laugh.  After the boys came to their senses we were on our merry way back to the campground.  :)

On Friday morning we played pickleball again and then headed to New Holland to watch Cali and Bria swim in the championship meet.  There were swim teams from all over the area and the age groups went from under 8 all the way up through high school.  We got there just in time to watch Cali and Bria swim in their relays and they did great!

After leaving the swim tournament, we drove back to The Jigger Shop at Mt. Gretna where they have delicious ice cream concoctions like this delicious hot fudge marshmallow sundae that Chuck and I split.

It's a good thing we have been playing pickleball every day!  With all this good food we have been eating, the pickleball playing has hopefully kept our weight gain to only a couple of pounds rather than 5 or 10!

On Saturday morning we played pickleball for nearly four hours.  Chuck and Ken played Wade and Dick in a best of 5 series and Bonnie and I played several games with Denise, Holly, and Tiffany.  After resting a bit on Saturday afternoon, we met Fred and Doloris at Duke's Grill for dinner and then came back to play 5 Crowns, SkipBo and Hasenpfeffer.  Doloris had brought homemade chocolate whoopie pies that were DELICIOUS!

Sunday morning was a special day because we got to witness Joyce, a lady in Ken and Bonnie's small group, get baptized at church that morning.  After church all of their small group plus some other friends of Joyce's went to brunch.  Later that afternoon, we went to the pickleball courts and for the first 30 minutes or so it was just Ken and Bonnie and Chuck and I playing.  But then, Denise and Holly and Tiffany and Wade showed up.  We had some terrifically fun last games of pickleball even though we could hardly move from all the pickleball we had been playing.  But wow!  What great new friends we all have made!

Ken and Bonnie came over to our place for one last evening of card games and Bonnie and I finally won a game of SkipBo!

What a great time we have had at Hershey!  We have had so much fun with Ken and Bonnie.  Thank you for letting us tag along with you and for being the wonderful, awesome friends that you are!  :)

On to Chesapeake Thousand Trails

We left Williamsburg RV Resort around 11 am on Sunday morning and within an hour we were pulling into Chesapeake Bay RV Resort -- another Thousand Trails resort, in Gloucester, Virginia.  (Pronounced "Glou-ster").  As is the custom for most Thousand Trails, we checked in, found a place to disconnect the car, and I drove around looking for sites.  There were several 50 amp full hookup sites available but we wanted to get out with satellite so we chose one with no trees nearby.  The site was fairly level and we were up and running within about an hour.

We had heard this was one of the nicer Thousand Trails campgrounds and it is pretty nice.  There is quite a bit of room between the sites.  There is a beach and a boat dock and ramp for people wanting to go boating on the Piankatank River.  Although the campground is called Chesapeake Bay, it actually backs up to the Piankatank River that empties into Chesapeake Bay.  We walked around the campground and saw they have two nice pools (family and adult only), shuffleboard, miniature golf, and volleyball.  The big lodge has a big dining hall, covered pavilion, adult lounge and spa.  There is a nice store they call the Trading Post that seems to be well-stocked.  They also have four very nice pickleball courts.  Ken and Bonnie had told us about the pickleball courts and we were looking forward to playing while we are here.

After dinner, we walked along the beach area right about sunset.

We found some lounge chairs...

...and watched the sun set over the Piankatank River.

On Monday morning, we walked over to the pickleball courts around 8:30.  Since no one was there yet, Chuck and I hit a few balls back and forth and started to play a game.  A gentleman came up and was watching us and we asked if he wanted to join us.  He said "sure" and that his wife would be there in just a few minutes.  That is how we met Pete and Joyce who were originally from the Richmond area but now live in Port Orange.  (And yes, they know all about Aunt Catfish's.)  

Pete and Joyce have been playing pickleball for several years and play every chance they can get both here and back home in Port Orange.  Several other campers began showing up and we played until about 11:30.  And that's how it was every morning.  Everyone that wanted to play pickleball started showing up around 8:30 to 9 and we would play until around 11:30.  With the heat, we would all like to be able to play in the evening when it should be a little cooler but the lights on the courts don't work which is very disappointing for all the pickleball players.  

We played with some very good pickleball players and even a couple of newbies.  One of the best parts about pickleball is the new friends you meet:  Jerry and Judy, Bobby and Carol, Wade and Tiffany, Buck, Bob, Pete, Ed, Mark and Charles.  Ed and Mark picked up the game very quickly.  Charles was a young teenager that everyone was trying to show how to play.  He didn't seem to mind at all playing with us "old folks."  Everyone was so good about teaching and showing the newbies how to play pickleball.  I'm still learning and several of them gave me some good tips that I'm going to try to remember.  And more importantly, put into practice!

It seems like our time here at Chesapeake Bay has flown by.  We may have to come back to Chesapeake again and stay a little longer!  

Tomorrow morning we head north again to Hershey, PA.  Ken and Bonnie -- here we come!!

Colonial Williamsburg -- A Step Back in Time

On Saturday, our last day in Williamsburg, we toured Colonial Williamsburg.  The weather was overcast and cooler which was a nice reprieve from the two previous days of hot, sunny, 95+ degree weather -- particularly considering we would be outside walking most of the day today.

Colonial Williamsburg is like a history Disneyland.  I like their catchy slogan:

Best Vacation in History

Colonial Williamsburg is kind of pricey ($40.99 for adult one day ticket) but after going, we can say it was definitely worth it.

After getting our tickets and watching the 1957 movie "The Story of a Patriot" at the Williamsburg Visitor Center, we began our walk back into the 18th century.  Before entering Williamsburg, we stopped off at the Great Hopes Plantation.

We stopped to see what was cooking in the kitchen which in the 18th century was always outside in a separate building.

The kitchen was probably a nice place to work in the winter time when it was cold but in temperatures like what we have been having lately, it would have been miserable.  Can you imagine cooking over an open fire in heat like this with all those clothes?

How you heat up an iron skillet in the 18th century.

We saw several carpenters working outside making shingles and posts.

According to these carpenters, all the buildings on the property are constructed this way with only tools used from the 18th century.  No power saws or drills or air guns.  Just good ol' 18th century hand tools, sweat and muscle.

A lathe used to fashion decorative spindles and furniture legs.

This lady was working in the tobacco field.

Last, we went inside the slaves cabin which usually consisted of merely a dirt floor where this woman described what conditions for slaves would have been like and how they worsened from the 17th to the 19th century when slavery was finally abolished.

We went from one extreme to another on our first two stops -- from a planter's farm to the Governor's Palace.

The Governor's Palace housed the British Governor appointed by the King of England.  While we waited for our tour to begin, we investigated the cellar...

"Duck, Chuck!"

...and the kitchen outbuilding.  All the food we saw prepared both at the Palace and the farm was actual food like what might have been prepared in the 18th century and cooked in an open fireplace.

Much bigger kitchen than the one back on the farm.

We were led on a tour of the Palace but the Governor himself, Lord Dunmoore.

Lord Dunmoore pointed out that all 540 guns and swords displayed in the palace were there to remind visitors of the power of the British Army -- the biggest in the world at that time.

Lord Dunmoore showed us the upstairs where he, his wife, the Countess, and their five daughters had their living quarters.

In the front of the palace, Lord Dunmoore and his wife, the Countess, would receive guests in the parlor...

...and would entertain by hosting balls in the ballroom...

...followed by wine and appetizers in the large room behind the ball room.

The Governor's Palace was lavishly decorated in the latest styles of the time and the grounds were landscaped beautifully.

The original Governor's Palace was destroyed by fire in 1781 during the American Revolution.  I imagine that many of the patriots were not at all sorry to see that reminder of British force and occupation be destroyed.  

Next, we walked by Bruton Parrish (built 1711-1715) which initially housed the Church of England but now serves as an active Episcopal Church.  It also served as a hospital for wounded soldiers during the Civil War.

Some of the engravings on the tombstones were rather lengthy -- almost like a condensed eulogy.

As we walked through town, we stopped to see how candles were made.  With today's electricity, it's easy to forget the importance of candles.  Candlemakers used beeswax or bayberry to make the candles but only the wealthy people like who were living here in the center of Williamsburg could afford to buy candles.  Most farmers and laborers just worked with the sun and slept with the night.  What candles they did make were made out of animal fat.  

We also stopped by a shoemaker's shop to see how shoes were made.

We came upon this gentleman carrying his prized rooster.  

Even in Colonial Williamsburg, it seems like road improvement is always going on.  

A little after 1 pm, we were treated to a fife and drums parade.

By this time we were starving.  We stopped at the Raleigh Tavern & Bakery and had some pretty good ham sandwiches with an old fashioned root beer and ginger ale.

After lunch, we continued walking down Duke of Glouscester Street and stopped at a coffeehouse...

where the ladies treated us to samples of their coffee (which I of course thoroughly enjoyed) and hot chocolate which was just a little thick.  It's made by melting down chocolate and adding water.  

Part of the real charm of Williamsburg is that the people working there make you feel like you are actually back in 18th century Williamsburg.  Here, at the coffeehouse, the servers told us that Mr. Carlton (the owner of the coffeehouse) was "allowing" us to try some samples so we might consider bringing business to him in the future.  

Our next stop was at the Capitol...

where we toured the legislative hall where laws were debated among members of the House of Burgesses,

where meetings with and between legislators would have taken place,

and where court for capital offenses like murder and pig-stealing would have taken place.

After leaving the Capitol, we went to the Gaol (pronounced "jail") where convicted prisoners were either banished, punished, or hung for their crimes.  

The jail cells were fortified with iron bars...

and iron manacles.

They did have indoor toilets.  Pheweee!

We watched a very young fire brigade being trained...

...and then took a tour of the Magazine where the guns and ammunition were stored.

We watched a mock trial in the courthouse...

...and then I got locked up in the stocks.  :)

The last building we toured was the Wetherburne Tavern...

...where a person could rent a place to sleep which could mean you would be sharing a bed with a stranger or sleeping on the floor.

You could also get a bite to eat...

...or something to drink from the bar.

The last events of the day were a "call to arms" to the colonists...

... and the recruitment and training of a young militia.

The Militia's Captain

Lastly, there was the parade of the American Army and young Virginia militia...

...followed by inspection by the generals and firing of the muskets and cannon.

Our trip to Williamsburg has been filled with history from the beginning of the first British settlement to America's fight for independence.  It's been a very busy three days!

Next, we leave history behind and move on to the Chesapeake Bay area.