Thursday and Friday - Back Home!

Ken was up very early after a very restless night of sleep.  Actually was up by 4:15 but had been awake awhile before that!  I did my stretches in bed and got up at 6:45 to get ready for the day.  Ken had left me a note that he went for a walk.

He showered and left by 7:30 to meet Gary for breakfast.  I went to physical therapy at 9:15 and all went well.  I told Megan that I had no pain when hiking in the Poconos and she really wasn't surprised.  My back probably likes the up and down and unevenness of the hiking much more than walking on a sidewalk.  I also told her my hip is feeling great but my back still goes into a spasm when I make a quick movement or bend to pick something up.  So, she did a lot of work on my back.

Ken was home when I returned and he did some work at his desk while I "caught up" on my devotions.  Somehow I had gotten behind on our camping trip.

After lunch, we drove to Masonic Village and spent the afternoon playing pinochle with Mom and Dad.  Having missed last week, it was fun to be with them again and they were so excited to be playing cards.  It was a horrible day for the women, for we just couldn't win a game.  The men won the 3 we played but we were ahead by 1 point when we had to stop the 4th game.  Mom and I had the worst hands most of the afternoon!

Ken and I stopped at Subway for dinner and then went right to the CV Pool to spent the evening watching Bria and Cali's swim meet.  In the 2 events they each swam, the placed 2nd and then both of their relays came in 1st.  It was a great night for them considering their busy week.  They had field hockey camp Monday thru Thursday from 8 to noon and then swim practice each day also.  Wow, that family keeps so busy!

We were home by 9 and it was off to bed for these folks to do some reading and then to dreamland!

Today, Friday, we were both up by 5:30 so Ken could do his reading and I left by 6:20 to have breakfast with my Curvette ladies!  It was nice to spent time with them and "catch up" on life.  

Ken drove Wilbur to his storage area and I met him there at 8.  Then it was off to Jamie's for Ken to get a much needed haircut!  Bria was already at swim practice (7:45 to 9:30 each morning), so I had fun talking with Cali, Jamie and Dane.  We left there at 9:00 and stopped to get some homegrown strawberries before getting back to the house.  We were so excited to have the rest of the day with nothing scheduled!

I decided to paint some large rocks with inspiration sayings that could be placed in a flowerbed and was pleased with the results.  The rocks we got on our camping trip are great!  Ken spent all the time at his desk getting organized for our trip to Canada to visit Barry and Deb and then Ernie and Noela.  We are really looking forward to our time with them.  He made phone calls to our credit card companies and to our phone provider making sure there was nothing special we had to do while out of the US.

Ken decided to go for a walk while I had lunch, because he is fasting today.  More time in our office this afternoon and then he decided to rest while I worked on this blog.  I did a bit more rock painting and then made a Cafe Steamer for my dinner, since Ken is not eating!  Then we took a 2 mile walk to the downtown area.  It was a tough one for me.  How could walking in the woods go so well, but the shorter walk to downtown be so hard?  I really was uncomfortable and that included my hip - rather disappointing!  Hopefully it was just a one time thing!!!

When we returned I worked on some card holders while watching America Ninja Warrior.  I also completed my 5th afghan for Knots for Love.  I am really enjoying being creative with different craft projects, most of which I plan to give away!  Nice not having the pressure of getting ready for craft shows, at least for now.  Not sure what the future holds!

Ken was in bed by 10:15, but I only went around 11.  A little time for reading before turning off the light!  It certainly was a relaxing day!

Wednesday - Time to Head Home!

For some reason, I had another restless night being awake over 1 1/2 hours in the middle of the night!  The girls were up by 7 after a good night's sleep.  

The requested more pancakes, so that is what Grandma made for breakfast.  I cleaned up while Ken disconnected the hoses and water.  We have gotten so much smarter when packing to go home.  We now put almost everything in those large Camping World bags (food, clothing, shoes, books, etc) and load everything in the car.  That way when we get home we can park in front of the apartment and not have so much walking to do.  Also, bags are much easier to carry up the steps than boxes!  

We hooked up the CRV and were on our way home by 10:15.  We allowed the girls to play on the tablets during the drive and they did well sharing and exchanging tablets every so often!  We met Lanie at the shopping area at Wyomissing at 12:30, after an uneventful trip - hallelujah!  It did "drizzle" most of the drive, but not major slowdowns. 

Ken and I decided to have lunch there at Anthony's Coal Oven Pizza and boy was it delicious.  Definitely the type of pizza that Ken and I really enjoy!  We were home by 2:30 and the fun of unloading began.  Again, we had everything in the CRV, so it was a much easier process.  Actually Ken did the unloaded and I put everything in its proper place as he brought the bags in!

After all that was finished, I put in 2 loads of wash and spent about 2 hours editing and downloading photos (and there were a lot of them) and then working on the blog.  Ken did his homework for his Step Study.  By 7:30 the wash was folded and the sheets and towels ready to go back to Wilbur.

We had a wonderful time with our granddaughters but it is time for some rest and relaxation!  I am so thankful for our adventure with them and that my back cooperated so well on all the long hikes.  It was amazing!

Just a little side note.  I got a call from the founder of Knots of Love to thank me for the 4 premie baby afghans I had sent last week.  She said they were great and I shouldn't change anything.  They always let you know where the blankets go so they went to South Dakota, 2 to Arizona, and one to the state of Washington to neonatal units!  There was also a package waiting for me when I got home to thank me again and welcomed me to the Knots of Love Family!  I am impressed and looking forward to doing more crocheting for them.

I watched a little TV and was in bed by 9:15!

Tuesday - Another Gorgeous Day in the Delaware Water Gap!

I had a rather restless night, waking up around 4 with a bad headache.  Took some Tylenol and checked on the girls.  Samantha had the entire blanket wrapped around her again!  She is quite the mover when sleeping!

The girls came to our bed around 7:30, but then went back out to the LR and had a great time playing and laughing.  By 7:45 we were all up and about.  Ken and I got ready while the girls did some playing on our tablets.

It was another pancake morning for the girls.  After we finished doing the dishes, we called Chuck and the 4 of us sang Happy Birthday For Real.  Ken and I had called last week and sang to him only to realize we were a week early.  So we thought we should try again!  We had a great conversation with Chuck that included plenty of laughter.  We miss seeing Melissa and him.  They are very special people with whom we have shared so many wonderful adventures that created lasting memories!

We packed our lunches and then I worked on this blog and spent some additional time with Katelyn teaching her how to play hand held Yahtzee.  She learned the game rather quickly and then Samantha had an interest too.  

Around 11 the 4 of us drove to Bushkill Falls and hiked the yellow trail, about 1 1/4 miles.  The view of the major falls, Bushkill, was exceptional.  Again we were amazed at all the new fencing and boardwalk along the trail.

Seems like Ken and I have been here before and not too long
ago!  It is nice to see it again through Samantha and Katelyn's eyes!

Checking out the animals that are in this area!

So lush and beautiful!

Down we go!

So many different vantage points to see
Bushkill Falls!

Part of the hike were so lush with all the ferns, etc. -

As we neared the end of the hike, the girls needed a rest -

We ate our packed lunch in the picnic area at the entrance to Bushkill Falls and then went to Turkey Hill for slushies!

The girls spent time outside helping PawPaw put things away for our departure tomorrow.  I started packing up clothes, food, etc. and putting the decorative things away inside.  We all got showers and then continued with the packing.  

We played a game of UNO which Katelyn and Ken (K&K) won again by a landslide!  The girls wanted to make hot dogs over the fire again plus Samantha wanted a hamburg cooked on the fire ring.  Ken and I had salads.  The girls were thrilled to have s'mores one last time.

I cleaned up while Ken took the girls to the large packing lot to play catch.  I got the girls bed ready and finished packing their clothes.  Ken loaded lots of things in the car when they returned.

The 4 of us watched the movie, Ralph the Builder, and I was able to do some crocheting while viewing!  The movie ended around 9:30 and it was off to bed for everyone.  We were all asleep rather quickly!

Monday - Beautiful Sunny, Warm, Day!

Samantha and Katelyn came to our room at 7:00 and were ready to start their day.  Ken and I had gotten up around 2:15 and Samantha was at the bottom of their bed rolled in their blanket like a "mummy".  Poor Katelyn had no room and very little blanket.  Ken actually moved Samantha without her waking up!  

We allowed the girls to play on our tablets while we got ready and then made them a pancake breakfast.  Ken was busy getting fruit together and then making salads for tonight and packing a picnic lunch while he wanted me to work on our blog.  The internet here is extremely poor and most of the time almost non-existent!  I will only be able to add photos when we get back home!

By 11 we were on our way to Raymondskill Falls for the girls 1st view of a waterfall.  We did stop at the Turkey Hill for a slushy for Samantha and hot chocolate for Katelyn.  The girls enjoyed their hike to the top of the falls but really enjoyed the view when we hiked to the main part.  We decided not to take the more strenuous hike to the bottom, but returned to the car to drive to Tom's Creek picnic area to enjoy our lunch.

The girls 1st view of a waterfall - Raymondskill!

The upper  viewing area is not overly impressive.

Could these be a bear inside????

Maybe Katelyn spotted one!!!

The next viewing area at the bottom of
the falls is gorgeous!

Samantha enjoyed playing with a centipede she found
along the trail!

She happily shared her find with katelyn!

No, Katelyn, don't eat it!!!!!  Those legs would tickle
the whole way down!

We stopped at the creek area where we had gone with Bria and Cali to get more river rocks for Grandma and to have the girls build some cairns.  They enjoyed doing that and appreciated Paw Paw showing them how to skip stones, something Grandma can't do!  Samantha and Katelyn had fun walking in the water and by the time we left we had built 10 cairns.  We felt the area needed a little "art" as well as someway of leaving our "mark"!

Looking for the right flat rocks for building our cairns!

Katelyn did a great job.....

....and so did Samantha!

Then it was time to spend time in the water!

The pants kept going up higher and higher!

Time to build just a few more cairns.  We made 13 in all!

We were back to Wilbur around 2:45 and did some ball tossing and catching with the velcro "catchers"!  Then it was time for a game of UNO which Samantha and I won easily!  The girls spent time working on a sticker tablet I bought them by Melissa and Doug while Ken rested and I worked on this blog.  Both of us have gotten behind on our devotions as well as this blog! 

Paw Paw started a fire while the girls and I played some "catch" with the velcro ball game.  Then it was time for a game of UNO, not Samantha's favorite thing to do but we keep telling her it is important to do things together!

The girls made their hot dogs over the fire and after we finished eating outside, it was time for s'mores!  We invited the grandparents and their young grandsons who were camping on the site next to us to join in the fun.

Do you think s'mores can be a bit messy????

It was certainly the case for Katelyn!

We went inside around 7:30 to watch the movie, Rio.  Poor Ken had quite a time getting the sound to work, but he persevered and after a lot of frustration got it to work.  We went to bed as soon as the movie was finished and didn't hear one "peep" out of the girls.  I think they were exhausted!

Sunday - Last Day Sharing with Bria and Cali!

The girls slept in again until 8:30!  I guess the long hike yesterday was exhausting!  It was a sunny morning with temperatures in the low 70's - gorgeous!  Ken and I got ready while the girls played on our tablets and then I made them pancakes, again!  They each wanted a pumpkin one too!  I am so thrilled to have someone share my love of pumpkin pancakes!

We decided that because of such a late breakfast, we would just take snacks and water with us today instead of packing our lunches.  The girls did some ball throwing and by 11 we were starting the 3 mile Tumbling Waters Hike at the Pocono Environmental Center.  Bria and Cali decided they would like to take the longest hike which had an up close and personal view of another waterfall.  It was a somewhat strenuous hike but the girls did great.  We had to go down "a lot" of steps to get to the base of the falls, but it was worth it!  


The property belonging to the Environmental Center had over 1,000 trees fall during the storm in March and it was evident how much clearing and cutting of trees they had to do just along this path.  It really is a beautiful hike with some gorgeous views of the Delaware Water Gap!

All set for another long hike - 3 miles!

Wow, they had a lot of damage and fallen trees!

What a lush path!

Cali is huffing and puffing a little as we go uphill!

But as PawPaw says, what goes up must come down!

A very old chimney that was inside a cabin
long ago!

Cali getting a view of the Delaware Water Gap!

It is quite a view!

More climbing!

We finally reached the Tumbling Waters -

Nothing like Bushkill, but still beautiful!

So, it was time to head back to the car -

Some of the trail was rather rough!

More large, fallen trees!

What a great message on this plaque!

We finally saw a deer...

....and a beautiful butterfly!

Ken took this same picture last fall when we were here, but it
was a lot more colorful then!

We had started the hike at 11 and only finished around 2.  We did have a few raindrops along the way but nothing significant!  We came right back to the CG and showers were needed!  I packed all the girls belongs and Ken loaded them in the car.  We had time to play one game of UNO before leaving at 4:15 - Cali and Paw Paw won again!

Bria and Cali may have been a bit tired when we got back
to Wilbur!

We had about a 1 1/4 hour drive to meet Lanie, Jamie, Dane, and Samantha and Katelyn at a mall along Route 22.  We all ate at Chipotle at their outdoor patio.  Ken and I really enjoyed our bowls!  We said our good-byes and then Samantha and Katelyn came back with us to Wilbur.  By now it was 8 and we played one game and the girls decided to file their nails.  Then they thought they should do Paw Paw's toenails - so cute!

By 9:30 Ken and I were ready to call it a day.  It took the girls a little time to "settle", but by 10 all was quiet!