Another Special and Fun Day with Chuck and Melissa!

Happy Birthday to Ken - his 65th birthday and Hello Medicare!

We were up by 7:30 and got ready for a fun-filled day showing Chuck and Melissa around the area including our apartment, previous homes, etc.

We left the CG at 10:21 (Ken's time) and headed to Lititz to show them our apartment.  After the brief tour (it's not very large!) we walked around Lititz showing them special buildings and areas close to and around downtown.  We walked through the Lititz Springs Park before enjoying a great lunch on the outdoor patio at the Tomato Pie Cafe.  They realy do have delicious food!  While there, we got to introduce them to Jamie's mother-in-law, Sue, who was having lunch with a classmate at a nearby table.

This is their signature Tomato Pie!  Yummy!

After lunch, we went to Wilbur's Chocolate Factory so Chuck and Melissa could sample some Wilbur Buds.  They had never had them and couldn't get enough. Right Chuck?????  I think the employees had to fill all the crocks while we were there.  Seems that 2 "boys" spent alot of time filling their hands with the tasty treats.  Luckily we didn't get thrown out of the place!!!!  We did some additional walking passed the storefronts and then went back to the apartment.  Got in our CRV and drove towards Ephrata, stopping at Clay to have some homemade ice cream at Fox Meadow Dairy.  It was Ken and my 1st visit there too and the ice cream is so good.  As couples, we shared the 4 scoop sampler so we could try 4 different kinds of ice cream.  (We aren't good at making decisions!)  From there we went passed Green Dragon, our house in Eastbooke, and then our 2 homes in Akron.  Of course, when you pass through Akron you have to sample the cream filled and glazed donuts at the Akron Shop-Rite, the best donuts in the area.  Chuck and Melissa agreed and they don't like creme filled donuts!!!!! Seems like we spent a lot of our day "eating our way" around Lancaster County!

Ken finally got to see a bear upclose and personal that he never saw
 when we were out west or at Ricketts Glen.
 Nice to see him acting his age!!!!

Each couple got to try 4 flavors - notice that Chuck couldn't
wait to start eating!

From there it was on to Costco, the Costco where it all began.  Ken and I talked about Costco so much in Florida, that we took Chuck and Melissa to "check it out".  The next time they went with us to the store in Sarasota they joined too. We have pictures of them signing the papers and receiving their cards.  It was a "red letter day"!

We only got back to the CG at 5:30 and by 6 we got into their CRV and drove to Hamburg to Cabelo's to return a Tilley Hat that Chuck had bought there last week, but realized was too small.  After exchanging the hat, we went across the road to Wal-Mart for a few groceries and to get a sandwich at Subway.  By then it was 8:00 and we were hungry.  Back to the CG by 10 and off to bed.  It was a fun day, but we were tired!

Wow!  He looks like a movie star!
He will be a distraction on the
hiking trails!

Being retired can be exhausting!!!!

A Special Day with our Family and Chuck and Melissa!

Ken and I woke to 7 AM alarm and got ready to head to Hershey Preserve.  We loaded all the refrigerator and freezer food and any last minute items.  Just had cereal for breakfast (everything else was in Waldo) and had time to sit a relax before leaving at 9:50.  I followed Ken in the CRV.  It is only 35 minutes to Hershey so no need to tow the car!

When we arrived Chuck and Melissa were just ahead of us.  They had spent the last 3 days at a CG near Pine Grove, about 1 hour from here.  What a happy reunion!!!  We were able to get sites beside each other on the H Loop, which was rather amazing!  So good to be with them again.  After setting up, Ken and I went to their motorhome and we "caught up" on what each of us had been doing in our last 8 days when we were apart.  They had a great time at Niagara Falls and in the Finger Lakes.

The 4 of us left at 1:21 (Ken's time) to go to Dane and Jamie's for a birthday celebration for Ken.  Tomorrow is Ken's 65th Birthday - Yeah Medicare!  As soon as we parked, the 4 little ones came racing to the car to wish PaPa a Happy Birthday and give him the special cards they had made.  What a wonderful sight! 

Ken got a wonderful gift from the girls and Bob and Dane - a Bose portable speaker which is something we have talked about buying for quite awhile.  It will certainly be used a lot!

PaPa loved his homemade cards, the fantastic Bose Bluetooth
speaker, and the metal tree sculpture that Chuck made for us!

 It was a cool day (in the upper 60's) but a perfect day for being outdoors and playing Kubb and Kan Jam.  Ken and I were thrilled to have Chuck and Melissa meet our girls and their families.  Jamie is quite the hostess and with the help of her sister, they had delicious snacks and a wonderful dinner.  It was a perfect day for homemade chili!  We felt so blessed for the time we all had together and for the warm welcome they provided for Chuck and Melissa.

An appropriate design on Ken's Birthday Cake - Camping!

He had plenty of help to blow out the candles!

But eating it was the bet part!

PaPa loved his cards and his special gift!

Chuck looks a bit perplexed!  Maybe it is the
"language barrier". 

Ken and I played Kan Jam with Bria and Cali! 

Then the "boys" played!

I think  the young men beat the mature men most of the time....

....but the mature ones took it very seriously!

Bob and Dane were one tough team in Kubb!

After leaving Jamie and Dane's, we stopped to visit Doloris and Fred who really live just around the corner from Jamie's.  Chuck and Melissa had met them when Doloris and Fred drove to Florida for about 10 days to visit us last February.  So, it was fun for all of us to reunite.   All of us our looking forward to a week of camping together starting on Thursday at Sea Pines near Avalon.   We got back to Hershey Preserve around 10, tired, and ready for bed.  What a fantastic day.

A very Happy Birthday for 65 year old, Ken!!!!!

Friday and Saturday in Lititz!

Friday we were up by 6:00.  Ken went for a long walk and I left to meet my Curvette gals in Ephrata for breakfast.  There were only 5 of us and we had such a good time.  I miss these ladies when I am on the road.  They are special friends and a great support group!

After breakfast I went to pick-up Ken's birthday cake and then took it to Jamie's house for our picnic on Sunday.  I stayed and enjoyed a cup of tea with Jamie and we had such a nice time chatting.  I cherish those special times with my daughters!

I was back home by 10:30 and while I was gone Ken went to get his blood taken for an upcoming Dr. appt. in October.   He had also spent a lot of time loading things in Waldo for our departure on Sunday. I had put in a load of wash before breakfast and continued the process.

At 11:30 we left for the surgical center in Lancaster for my 6 month cystoscopy. So thankful that no "prep" is needed for this procedure and I am wide awake for this 10 minute check.  Ken always goes along just for support, for I get the results immediately which is great, but also causing a little anxiety.  For some reason I was very relaxed today and rightfully so - everything was fine.  I will go back in April for the same procedure!

We made one stop on the way back home and then continued the loading process.  At 4:45 we left to meet Jackie and Dan Hagy at The Deck in Ephrata for dinner.  We had a delicious light dinner and then went back to their house to play 2 games of Skip-Bo and a game of Pinochle.  It was a fun evening with special friends.  Back home by 11:45 and we went right to bed.

Saturday morning they were predicting some heavy rain throughout the day, so instead of walking we did more loading of Waldo  The rain began about 10:15 and we were very thankful that we had done most of the loading. The rest of the day was extremely busy - cleaning up, Ken doing some work on-line, and then I cleaned and scoured the apartment.  Ken was kind and did the vacuuming.  I talked to Doloris and we are so excited to spend a week camping together near Avalon starting next Thursday.  Chuck and Melissa will be there too, so the 6 of us will have a great time.  Also had a nice chat with my mother. 

We left a 5 to go to Ken's sister and her husband for dinner.  His 2 other brothers were there to as well as Phil's wife, Sherry, and their son, Lance.  Paul's wife, Carolsue, was at the beach with her sisters and we missed her.  It was a great evening of fellowship and delicious food.  Priscilla is quite the hostess.

We were home by 11 and went to bed.  It has been a busy couple of days, but good!  Looking forward to meeting up with Melissa and Chuck at Hershey Preserve tomorrow morning and then having them meet our girls and their families when we go to Jamie's house for a picnic  in the afternoon. 

Sunday Ken and I actually walked about 9,000 steps before we left for church at 8:30.  Great service and afterwards, we went with our small group to have breakfast and a fun time of sharing. 

We left the restaurant and drove to visit Lanie and her family arriving there around 1:15.  What a fun afternoon visiting with them.  Samantha and Katelyn were delightful and so happy and we also had time to talk with Lanie and Bob as well as play ladder golf.  Lanie made delicious chicken fajitas and rice for dinner and after cleaning up, Ken and I headed home around 6:30.  We stopped at Wal-Mart for a few groceries and were home by 7:30.  We were in bed by 9:30.

On Monday, Labor Day, Ken and I took a long walk and while he went even further, I walked up and down some local streets where they were having community garage sales.  Amazing how much "junk" people accumulate!  I was good and didn't by anything!!!

I made up for that several hours later when I went to Michael's and AC Moore and brought some craft supplies.  Just can't help myself when I am in a craft store.  We spent from 1 to 4:30 visiting my parents at Masonic Homes playing 4 games of Pinochle.  The women won every game.  My father's comment at the end - "Even though we lost every game and my hands were bad, it's a good day when I get to play cards".  What a guy!

I spent the evening making jewelry while we watched TV.  Bed by 10.

Tuesday we went for another walk and got 6,900 steps, planning to do the rest of the 10,000 later today.  Ken did some errands while I cut-up fruit and made a fruit dip for a picnic tonight with our small group.

Ken had lunch with Kevin while I went for a physical with Kevin's Dr. wife, Traci.   realized I never really had a complete physical and Medicare offers a free one when you 1st become a member, so it was time.  I had the blood work done several weeks ago.  I am thrilled to say that my blood work was "perfect" according to Dr. Traci, but I did need to schedule a dexiscan (since I take medicine for osteoporosis), a visit to a dermatologist (I have never had one!), and a colonoscopy which I have avoided. (I can hardly wait!!!) So, when I return in December I will have several Dr. visits on my schedule!

I did stop by Hostetter Realty to visit the secretary there, Shirley, whom I haven't seen for several years.  So nice to see her again and "catch up" on our families.  Then I met Ken at Jamie's house and we walked to the bus stop to meet Bria and Cali.  It was fun to be with them.  

From there we went with Lloyd and Deb to meet with our small church group for a picnic at Rick and Joyce's home.  We had such a good time and it was a delightful evening to be outside.

Wednesday was a very relaxing day for me.  As soon as we got up we went for a long walk (9,000 steps) and then enjoyed a cooked breakfast on the balcony. Ken had a 10 AM dentist appointment and then a 1:00 appt. with his podiatrist. All is well!!

I downloaded photos for Costco, did a little clean-up, answered some e-mails, and then spent most of the day making jewelry.  We grilled for dinner and then Ken took another walk.  He is trying to walk both morning and night and get over 10,000 steps.  Bed by 9:45.

Today, Thursday, was a rather relaxing one.  Ken left early to have breakfast with Gary and I made myself a cooked breakfast.  I made several phone calls and  recorded our expenses.  When Ken returned at 9:45 we drove to Ephrata to bring Waldo back home.  By then it had started to rain, something we haven't seen in this area since mid August and it has been so hot and humid setting records for September!  

I spent more time cropping and downloading photos to order at Costco and then starting working on jewelry after lunch.  We drove over to Polly's to pick up our canopy to take with us on this trip, since I will be doing a craft show at Sea Isle City.  Then it was time to get dinner ready, but it was rather easy - leftovers! Did some clean-up, including putting away and packing up all my jewelry making "stuff" to take with us when we leave on Sunday.  I also spent time on the phone with Cindy discussing our camping plans for Florida this winter. Hopefully we will be at the same campgrounds some of the time.  Ken took another walk and we watched some football.  Go Steelers!!!!

Tomorrow I have a 12 noon appointment for my 6 month cystoscopy appointment.  No big deal, but it will be nice to have it behind me for another 6 months or so!

Almost time for bed but I would like to see a little more of the Patriot/Steeler game!

A Good Day at Home!

Ken and I were up by 6:45 and left by 7:45 to go to a small restaurant in Manheim to have breakfast with some of the folks with whom we graduated from High School.  Several years ago several of the guys started getting together there the 1st Saturday of every month just to reminisce.  In the last year the attendance has grown and gals from the class decided to join in.  Because of Facebook and people starting to "befriend" each other, this morning there were 13 of us there and some of us had not been together since graduation.  What fun!  Of course, we had to "reintroduce" ourselves!  What is that about????  Could we have changed that much?????  We met at 8 and the "party" didn't end until 10:30.  A great time was had by all.  Lamar Dourte, who came for the 1st time said, "I thought I would have a good time, but it was so much better than I even imagined"!  My only regret is that we didn't take any photos of the group!  Next time!!!!

From there Ken and I headed back to the apartment and I followed him to the storage area where Waldo will stay for the next week.  We stopped by Dan and Jackie's so we could deliver her birthday card in person.  After a short visit, we attempted to visit Jamie and her family, but we later discovered they were in Pittsburgh for the Pitt football game.  Then off to Costco for a few needed items, before returning home around 2.  

It was hot and humid, but we decided to take a long walk, trying to get back to walking 10,000 steps per day.  When we got back, I talked to Lanie, my mother, and Jackie and made plans with all of them to get together this week.

Ken graciously offered to make dinner - salads, quinoa with black beans, and grilled chicken and salmon.  What a guy!  He wanted me to have time to make some jewelry, since I will be doing a craft show in Sea Isle City in a couple weeks and I haven't any time to work on my jewelry for quite a while.  Supper was delicious and after cleaning up, we took another short walk.

We did watch some football, but by 9:15 we went to bed to read and work on this blog.

Tomorrow it is off to church, have breakfast with our small group, and then drive to see Lanie and her family in the afternoon.  Another busy but fun day!

Back to Lititz

I got up at 6:15 and started getting ready to head home.  Ken was arose around 6:40.  We ate a light breakfast and then Ken went outside to disconnect the water, electric and cable while I did dishes and finished the preparation for leaving inside Waldo.

Chuck and Melissa had wanted to be at the dump station by 7:15 so they were getting ready to leave also.  We said our good-byes which was easier then usual since we will be meeting again at Hershey, and they left the campsite.  We followed close behind to go to the dump station too, but there was only 1 so we got to say good-bye again and then they were on their way to the Niagara Falls area.  We went out to the main road to hook-up the CRV and were on our way to Lititz by 8:00.

The drive home went well and all the roads were excellent.  We made one stop at a great gas station with plenty of room for Waldo and the car.  We arrived at our apartment at 11:30 and the unloading began.  We had packed almost everything in the CRV, so the process went very quickly.  The main thing we had to unload from Waldo was the refrigerator and freezer.  Within about 1 hour we were done unloading, everything was in its place, and I had put in the 1st load of wash.  

By then it was time for lunch and we were ready to sit down.  Ken decided to go for walk and I stayed home and put in another load of wash and worked on the blog.  The 3rd load of laundry was washing by the time he returned!  He was very tired (it was so hot and humid) that he took a nap after a cooling shower.  

After folding and putting all the wash in its place, I showered and then made salads for dinner.  We decided to make it easy and have Cafe Steamers with our salads before leaving at 6 to go to 10,000 Villages in Ephrata to meet Sam, Kathy, Fred and Doloris to hear the music of The Chestnuts, 2 members who graduated with Ken and I from high school.  Jim Spahr, another former classmate, showed up also and sat with our group.  We enjoy the music so much and it was wonderful to spend time with our special friends when we are in the area.  We had such a fun evening.  

We love listening to the easy music of The Chestnuts, especially
since we know them. The 2 on the right, Steve and Tom, have
been playing together since high school graduation!

Jim Spahr, me, Fred, Doloris, Kathy, and Sam.  A fun
loving group!

We were home by 9:15 and went to bed.  It has been a busy day!

Our Last Full Day in the Ricketts Glen Area!

We had decided this would be a rather leisure day, so we were up by 7:30 and I had a nice chat with my friend, Jackie, back home.  We hope the 4 of us can get together during the 8 days we are in Lititz.

By 9 the 4 of us were outside enjoying our hot beverages and reminiscing about all of our adventures together.  There have been many and all are so memorable!  Around 10:30 we decided we should start getting organized for our return home tomorrow morning.  So, we spent the next 2 hours packing things on the outside and inside and loading most of it in the CRV so it will be easy to unload when we return to our apartment.  Things went well and fortunately Ken's back is feeling so much better.  He hasn't taken any off his spasm medicine for days!  Hallelujah!

Chuck and Melissa got ready for the next part of their trip - heading towards Niagara Falls, then to the Finger Lakes, eventually joining up with us again next Sunday at Hershey Preserve to visit our area and go the the Hershey RV Show. They will also get to meet our daughters and their families. Jamie is going to have a picnic at their house that Sunday to celebrate Ken's 65th birthday - WOW!

By 1:30 we met outside to do some game playing - Pinochle and Skip-Bo.  I can't remember who won, but I almost sure it was the women!!!!  We had planned to leave for Eagles Mere around 2:45, but rain was supposed to arrive around that time and we could here thunder nearby, so we kept playing.  Also, Ray and Kathy, the owners of the CG had planned to go with us to The Barn for dinner, but they got too busy and were unable to join us.  The rain "skirted" around us and we never did get rain.  We left at 4:00 and drove to Eagles Mere where we toured the museum, did a short walk around the town, and then drove around the lake. 

This old, antique clock is a landmark in Eagles Mere!

This is an amazing small town museum!

So well done!

Every year that they get enough ice on the lake, they make a
toboggan run with ice blocks they cut and it goes from the top of
the road in Eagles Mere to halfway out on the lake.  It has been going
on for decades.  This is the type toboggan that is used!

The Episcopal Church that was built near the turn of the century!

After getting a bit lost, we found The Barn around 5:30 and it was a rather interesting place.  We were told we should "belly up to the bar" and enjoy the locals and good food.  It was somewhat of a "dive", but the chicken cheese steak and the hand cut French Fries were delicious.  Ken and I shared both items, as did Chuck and Melissa, and we were very "full" when we left.  We also tried the recommended drink, a  pineapple upside down cake, and it really tasted like it and was good!

This is The Barn!

We bellied up to the bar..... !

....and enjoyed our Pineapple Upside Down Drinks.  Pretty, uh???

Back to the CG around 7 after another "detour" for an unsuccessful "bear hunt".  I must say that Ken is persistent and determined!  We suggested he put some honey behind his ears and walk around the CG at about 9:30 tonight, but he declined!

Chuck was determined to find a bear for Ken - didn't happen!!!!

We played a game of Up the River, which the women won, in Gregory's RV calling it a night around 9.  Ken had quite a stomach ache from the very hot peppers that he had put on his cheese steak.

Hard to imagine that our time with Chuck and Melissa ends tomorrow, but we are excited to continue our adventures together in about 9 days.