I got up way to early for a Saturday, why can’t I sleep past at least 6am!? I decided to linger, I didn’t feel like getting out of bed, going out into the rain, and the bed got softer and I kept sinking deeper and deeper into the warmth and comfort of my childhood bed. Don’t roll your eyes, it’s a very comfortable bed, the mattress is just right, and the blankets were piled on and just cozy! It’s a twin, yup, you know how much I love a king or california king bed, but I grew up sleeping on a twin bed. You should have seen the number of pillows and stuffed animals I had, used to give people ‘hives’!
I got up eventually, got dressed, got the dogs out of their travel crate, and took them out for a walk. It was still raining, not too hard, but enough, hoping it wasn’t going to get too bad on my way to Boston, but I was not so lucky! We walked around the block I grew up on, back to the house, say good morning to paw-paw, fed them, let them hang out for a few minutes, then back in the crate and dad and I went to Z-One for breakfast. First, we tried to go to Zara Forest Grill, we saw they had breakfast, but it turns out they don’t open until 11am on Saturdays, that’s brunch, not breakfast!
I love my one-on-one time with my dad, we talk about everything and nothing, we reminisce, we plan, we strategize, we joke, we tell stories, it’s just that good!
After breakfast, we made a pit stop at Michael’s, it was for him, not for me! But who am I to stand in the way of creativity! I had so much fun crafting with him last night! When we got back home, I packed up the pups crate, food, and bowls, and of course, the dogs, got in the car, made sure the window cover was secure, plugged in the address of the hotel and headed out into the rainy day for parts, I can’t say parts unknown, I know where I’m going! ha ha.
It was about a 4.5 hour drive with no stopping, well, we know me well enough to know that’s not possible! With the rain, stopping for gas, and one or two potty breaks, I made it in about 5-5.5 hours, that’s not bad at all! I got the dogs out, walked them in the rain, got them into the room, unloaded the car, got the crate and their bed set up and then I got to work feeding them.
After a bit, I got in touch with GES and we worked out that I would go over to their house so I could see MGS, and we would order take-out, but if they bring it to you, is that take-in? hmmm…it was good, we had pho, and it was pretty good. I definitely had leftovers to bring home! We hung out, talked, played with Bailey, their dog, and Piper, the labradoodle they were dog sitting for the weekend. We talkd, laughed, enjoyed just spending time together, then EJS came home, and then ACS, the gang’s all here!
It was nice, I hung out until about 10p and I was getting a little tired, only because I knew I had to drive back in the rain, then drive back to PA tomorrow, with a pit or dinner stop at dad’s. I got back to the hotel, they let me park my car at the entrance, so hopefully the plastic holds and no rain gets in, thank you Romeo!
I’m back in the room, the dogs have been walked in the rain, I think I’ll let them sleep with me tonight, I have this whole bed to myself, and I know they would love the cuddle. I’ll love the cuddle, except for the part where they push me out of the giant bed! grrr…
Tomorrow, it’s a birthday party for Uncle A, I get to see PSM, and his whole family, celebrate, then drive to dad’s and then back to PA. I need a nap!
Heading to Boston for a party on Sunday, so…since Staten Island, NY is mostly on the way, just a slight detour, so…
I worked all day, then loaded up the car with my bags, my Cricut Joy, the dogs, and me…and we were off! On the road again…ha ha, you are welcome for the ear worm!
It’s about 2.5 hours to get to my dad’s house from ours, not too bad, didn’t hit much traffic, thankfully! We got to my dad’s house, I took the girls for a walk around the neighborhood, gave them dinner while I unloaded the car, and then they explored their ‘paw-paw’s’ house. Check out this shirt I made him for ‘pawther’s day’ last year! World’s Best Paw Paw, with pictures of his grand-doggies! could you just diah! [you need to read that last word with a southern accent!]
I set up the travel crate and, after a bit, got the girls in, then dad and I went to dnner. We were debating where to go and I mentioned mediterranian and we went near the house to a place that used to be a Perkins, which is a 24-hour diner, and now is Zara Forest Grille, a very nice Turkish restaurant. I would say at least 90% of the people there were Turkish or somewhere from the mediterranian.
It was quite the experience! We sat at a small table for two, they brought out a long platter with a giant piece of pouffy bread and olives. We ended up ordering a Shephard Salad, cheese on the side, and an appetizer plate, it had tabbouleh, hummus, baba ghanoush, eggplant salad, and aci ezme. Everything was amazing, except for the aci ezme, it was sssppppiiicccyy! O M G! No thanks! It stayed on the plate! Dad had a soda, he was hoping for Turkish wine, he absolutely fell in love with Turkey and all things Turkish when he and my mom were there for her 50th birthday trip. No Turkish wine dad, sorry. I had a pot of green tea, maybe next time I’ll get Turkish tea, they said it was very strong, I think I’ve had it, but I’ll try it next time.
For dessert, we had…baklavah! It was soooo good! We reminised about living in Israel and him going to the Arab market and coming back with a giant pink box with nothing but baklavah, and I think it weighed about two pounds, and it cost… about 2 dollars! What an amazing experience that summer was…I need to think about it more, maybe share some stories, at least what I can remember!
What a great experience at this restaurant, they had this one dish, we asked about it because there was such a celebration when it came out! First of all, the lights go out, next the music and clapping starts, then the waiter, well almost the entire wait staff, singing over the flaming plate of meat! It was awesome! Not something I’ll ever get, but still fun to see! Thanks for the great evening out, dad!
Then, back to the house, I was going to show my dad how my little Cricut Joy works, I had been telling him about it a few weeks ago, so now he can see it in action. I helped him with an art project that he was working on, it was a win-win! We discussed, rearranged, and figured out where he wanted what and I was able to print some stuff for him to place. That was a lot of fun! Dad, if you need more stickers, or whatever, just let me know!
Eventually, it was time for the girls to go to be, for dad and I to climb the stairs, get in our jammies, and for me to get in my childhood bed, sink into the covers, tallk to you, then pass out. Sounds pretty good!
It’s Wednesday and that means it’s doggie daycare time! And they…LOVE it!
We started taking them to Glamourous K9s a few months ago, some time after we moved into the house, and…conviently enough, it’s very close to the house, score! They were going every Wednesday and then they stayed at doggie daycamp or they were boarded when we went to the USVI over the holidays. They loved that too!
Lots of people paying attention to them, they get to sleep in a room together, interract with other dogs and all around have a great time! We sent them with their special food bowls, enough food for them to stay for three weeks, if needed, their treats, Bee’s meds, a bed for them to share, and some toys, what more could they want?!
When they go to doggie day care, they have a bag with a blanket, for nap time, of course, treats, and Bee’s emergency meds. As soon as I say “Who wants to go to doggie day care?” You have never seen two dogs run faster! Even little Bee the Beagle, her little legs get her there fast! They run to the car and wait for me, I can’t move that fast, sorry girls!
We load up in the car, drive down the road and they can’t get out of the car fast enough! Can you ask for anything more?! When it’s time for me to pick them up, they come running out and I get lots of licks, hugs, and tail wags, gotta love it!
Today was funny because getting them there, no issue, but when we got there and I was going over stuff with one of the staff, Ruby decided she’s going to head back to the door, and then when I started to leave, it seemed like she was going to go with me…huh? You couldn’t wait to get here, now you want to leave? Maybe it was since it was the first time since the beginning of January since they went, who knows. They stayed, it was all good.
All I know is that they love it, they are well cared for and it gets them out of the house and socializing with other dogs at least one day a week. And socializing where I don’t have to hold their leashes tight, not knowing how the meet-n-greet is going to go, where I don’t have to explain Ruby’s weird thing about ‘I’ll do the doggie greeting, don’t do it to me!” Very hypocritical!
As long as they enjoy it, we will keep sending them, and until they don’t…Who wants to go to Doggie Day Care?!
Is that enough? Who wants to sit still on a Sunday, not us apparently! I slept until 730a, which was lovely, except for the fact that I fell asleep about 4a, so… normal then!
Got up and motivated, tried on my new shirt from the Whirling Dervish, love how it fits! Let the dogs out, boots on, harnesses…on the dogs, of course, loaded into the truck and off to a new park. Union Canal Tunnel Park, so pretty! More so when we went down the path and saw the water and tunnel, I can just imagine how it is in the spring and summer! I bet it was pretty covered in snow as well!
If you click on the link you’ll find it is: the oldest existing transportation tunnel in the United States. From 1827 to 1885 the Union Canal linked the commercial centers of Harrisburg, Reading, and by extension, the port of Philadelphia. The park serves the tunnel and the only remaining 5/8 mile section of the original canal through Lebanon with an open 110 acre recreational area. Isn’t that amazing!
The dogs loved it, of course! New sights and more importantly, new smells! It is a dog friendly park, but no poop bags or trash cans, but you have to clean up after your dog…I’m not saying parks have to provide poop bags, but…if you’re dog friendly and you want people to clean up after their dogs, it’s a nice to have. But…not to worry friends, we are always equipped with Mutt Mitts. Let me tell you…these things are amazing! They are amazing! They are double walled, so you are not going to feel anything and it really keeps the smell in, I almost said out, well, out of my nose, ha ha. And to the point that sometimes I have to put the bag in my pocket until I can find a trash can and my pockets never smell. I digress…
After the park, we took the dogs home, it was time for breakfast for them! While they were eating, we moved some stuff from one room into the kitchen, working on getting everything put away so we can have a functioning kitchen. Then it was time for us to get some breakfast! We went to Rising Sun Bar & Kitchen, you may remember me telling you about it last month, I met PSM there after I went skiing. I really want to go skiing again, today was not the day, I busted my ankle last weekend, I’m not quite ready to get on skis, may not happen again this season, here’s to next season!
We went to Rising Sun and sat at the bar, I kind of wish we had taken seats on the other side of the bar, we were at the door and even though they have an outer covered door with heat lamps, didn’t stop it from being cold on my back, so hat, scarf, and jacket for breakfast! We shared a Brizza, a breakfast pizza, y-u-m! It was the The Chicago: Sausage, tomato, hash browns, Monterey & cheddar jack, we opted for the sausage on the side…and one pancake. The brizza was great, I would definitely go back and try another one. The pancake…we should have poured the syrup on sooner, it was a little dense, tasty, but not great. PSM did enjoy his tequila sunrise, it really is a pretty drink!
After a while, we decided to was time to move on and by chance we drove to Lititz, we’ve been there a few times for some festivals and food. We wanted to buy a house in Lititz, but couldn’t find anything that fit our needs. It really is a pretty city. The cool thing today, we were at the last day, but it was the Fire & Ice Festival. PSM told me about it a while back and we both forgot about it, oh well, we still got to enjoy the festivities!
There were ice sculptures in Lititz Spring Park and along the streets, in front of different businesses. The ones that had been sitting in the sun were not faring as well, after 10 days, as the ones in the shade. There were a few really fun ones, all were beautiful, even if you couldn’t quite make out what they were. My two favorites were Santa diving down a chimney and a toilet, too cute!
We walked through the park, we found the food trucks, had some funnel cake, of course!, went into different shops, got some hot drinks, strolled, talked, and just enjoyed the afternoon. When we left, it was barely 2pm! How much we accomplish in such a short amount of time!
We debated going grocery shopping, I’m going to go tomorrow… we were actually on our way and stopped at two new places that people had recommended. One was Issacs Craft Kitchen & Brewery. We’re becoming quite proficient at craft kitchen and breweries, we like to try new places and this was one someone recommended. It was in the same parking lot as Ancester Coffehouse & Creperie that we went to last week. It was pretty empty, I’m sure there’s a different vibe when the place is packed, but honestly, the bar itself wasn’t very robust, they had a limited selection of beers, mostly IPAs, wines, and hard liquor, saving grace, the staff, very nice people. We weren’t hungry, so PSM had a beer and we watched The Purina Incredible Dog Challenge, those dogs were amazing! You just watch with your mouth open at what they can do!
Next, we weren’t going very far…Mick’s All American Pub, this was another place people recommended. The bar was nice, they had a good selection of beers and some of PSM’s favorite whiskeys. Their food selection was less for me than the last place. We ended up sharing what they said was like a stromboli, but it was more like a solid calzone or a giant mozzarella stick. We tried something new and both of us paid for it! On the plus side, the staff was great, we talked to the bartender about tattoos, the bar itself was plentiful, and the other patrons were nice. Would we go back to Issac’s or Mick’s? Not likely, there are too many other places to try! But we do appreciate the welcome!
Next, instead of heading straight home, we stopped at South Hills Park. We stopped there to have a walk and because they don’t allow dogs, so we never think about going there. It was a very nice park, but it seemed to get colder, brrrr…so we walked less than a mile, just to see what it looked like and headed back to the car. It’s funny, this morning, when we were at the park with the dogs, we both said “remember when we used to go to the park, just the two of us, to walk and enjoy the surroundings” and of course, while we were walking in the park before we got them…”wouldn’t it be great to have some dogs to take to the park?”
We got back to the house, love bombed by the dogs, fed them, and proceeded to move everything from the other rooms to the kitchen. The kitchen now looks like the cabinets exploded! But…we made the plan where things are going to go yesterday, so I will take care of getting the kitchen to where it needs to be. We agreed on the basics, like flatware, pots, pans, glasses, etc, and we got most of that away. Now comes the task of the pantry, food, spices, etc. I have options, just not sure where they should go, I’ll keep you posted.
Then it was time to take a break! We watched Dave, the 1993 movie staring Kevin Kline, who looks just like the president and gets called in as a stand-in for him, and Sigourney Weaver, the first lady, who hates her husband, with a great supporting cast, Frank Langella as his cheif of staff and Kevin Dunn as his press secretary. Ving Rhames is his secret service agent, Ben Kingsley is vice president, Charles Grodin is his friend, the accountant, Laura Linney is the naughty intern, Faith Prince works for Dave in his real job, and Bonnie Hunt is a white house tour guide. It’s clever and funny, a wining combo! This is one of my favorite movies, I did my best not to quote it out loud!
I ended up putting on Draft Day next, which I love, funilly enough, I don’t really care that much about sports, but I love movies about sports…go figure. The reason I mention this movie is that I had forgotten that Frank Langella and Kevin Dunn are both in the movie with Kevin Costner! Another great movie, I’ll tell you about it another time.
I got the dogs up to go night-night and guess what that beagle Bee did… curled up into a ball and I had to grab her by the collar after the third time of tell them it was time for bed! The little…
Well, if you’re not tired just from reading this, I’m tired from all the activity and fun! So… I will bid you a fair good night!
This past week, I got to snuggle and sleep with a few fabulous four legged furry friends! And you know I was loving life!
At SDL’s, she has four indoor cats, they all used to be strays, she took two in as kittens and then two others decided to come in after a few years and now they’re indoor/outdoor cats, but the first two, they’re indoor only. The two ‘original’ kittens are LuLu and Monte, you can see Monte below, sitting in a windowsill, I had the hardest time getting LuLu to pose for me. Goldie is the orange, technically red tabby and WarLord is the handsome fells sitting on the roof of my car, as if you could tell that’s where he is!
As with every time I visit, it takes a minute, but LuLu and Monte warm up to me pretty quickly, the other two, it takes a minute. Monte is a stricking tabby cat, a solid cat with very soft fur and after two days, started rubbing up against me and even sitting in my lap! LuLu, his sister, is another tabby with a white chest and piercing blue eyes! She is a doll baby, soft and solid, and like her brother, took about two days and she was sitting on my lap. They also both got on my bed and sat with me, LuLu even snuggled with me one of two nights and you know I was loving life!
WarLord is a handsome fella with a white chest and all grey body. Both he and Goldie seem to have a puffier bottom lip, it almost looked like they were sticking out their tongues at me, LuLu and Monte, not at all! WarLord came up to me here and ther, didn’t run away when I tried to pet him and was very thankful when I would let him in or out of the house.
Then…there’s Goldie. He is so very skitting, not just with me, but sometimes with SDL herself. He wants to be petted, he comes up to you, stretches his arm out, claws extended, not to hurt, just to get your attention, grabs on, ouch! and then when you turn or bend down to pet him, run away, run away! One night, he sat on the bed, what?! I missed the shot, but LuLu was just in front of me, Goldie was where you see him in this picture, and Monte was on a seat under the table in the background, I was so disappointed one of them moved when I moved to grab my phone!
Goldie, as it happens, and surprising to me…stayed on the bed in that spot two consecutive nights! I realized I couldn’t move my legs near him, or get out of bed, or he was gone, so just like I remember sleeping with cats, you work around them! ha ha. Who knows what my next visit will be like!
At JCTs, meet Oscar, he comes with many names and monikers, Oscar the Grouch, Oscar the Great, Oscar Mayer Weiner, just to name a few. He is a very sweet 8 month old pug, very sweet, rambunctious, barked at everything! barely sits still, loving, ball of energy.
He wasn’t there when I got there, but I got to meet him the next day. What a doll-baby! He played fetch, got in my lap, we chased each other, he gave little kisses, didn’t always listen, but he’s a puppy so…par for the course. We went on a few walks together, played a bunch, and Saturday night, he curled up on my lap, then stretched out and stayed there for a very long time! Let’s just say…I was loving life in that moment, but mother nature was calling and I so didn’t want to get up, I knew that moment would be gone! So I sat there and stroked his head and his tiny ears and smile.
One of the things I love about visiting my family of friends is borrowing their fur babies to snuggle with. Since I can’t have cats, you know I’m in heaven whenever I’m with someone who has them, and being with someone who has dogs, well, I get my puppy fix until I get home.
Thank you SDL and JCT, auntie is so very happy! I might have some fuzzy dreams now! G’night!
It was a good day, but a long one! Mostly a long drive.
I got up, said goodbye to JCT, JT, mom, and Oscar, the pug. Oh, I haven’t told you about Oscar yet, have I?! I didn’t tell you about the other four legged fur babies I got to hang out with this week, I didn’t! Tomorrow it is!
Well, back to today! I got up, said my goodbyes, and was on my way, I had a long drive back to PA today! I let PSM and dad know I was on the road, and I let MM know as well, I was going to have a stop in North Carolina to see him on my way in about four hours! Score! Podcast on, butt warmer on, let’s go!
If I were to drive straight, from JCT’s house, it’s 10 hours 58 minutes. Was I going to go straight home? Nope, the drive time is the same, but the time I’m on the road, not so much! I left about 840a, I would have been home before 9p, that would be loverly. I’ve done 12 hour drives, no problem, especially if it’s light out. I drove from St Louis to Denver a few times, about 12 hours, leave at 8a, especially gaining 2 hours, get there about 7p, it was great. This was not that!
I started my drive with a stop at Starbucks, drove to meet MM at a place called the Famous Toastery, not far from MM in South Carolina. We had a great visit and a good meal. I met him about 12p, told you, just about 4 hours, I left him close to 2p, a little later than I wanted, but we were having such a good time!
Goodbye hugs, we could have talked all day, I love that about my friends! Stopped for gas before I got on the highway and I was off! I listened to a podcast, then another, and another, let’s just say I pod-casted until I got home! I stop about every half tank, that gets me a good ways, I get to get out of the car, stretch my legs, fill up, bio-break, maybe get a snack, it helps the time go. Sometimes, a stop at a rest stop, same except for the gas, of course!
Oh! One of the things that I love, when I’m driving and using Google Maps, each time I cross a state line, it pops up a Welcome To! I’ll grab a few pics for you next time! I crossed from GA to South Carolina to North Carolina to Virginia to West Virginia to Maryland to Pennsylvnia. I could be going out of order, I have no sense of direction, ask anyone! But I know I was in those states! HA HA
It was raining on and off all day, so no top down, boo. I talked to a few people, but mostly it was me, podcasts, the road, and Annie, my beetle bug. My one stop for food was at a Taco Bell, I love running for the border! The thing I love about Taco Bell is that I can eat there! The rice and beans are vegan! Wah to the hoo! I ordered a black bean crunch wrap, but I ordered it fresco, which means no meat. Not sure what happened between me placing the order, I saw it on the screen, and actually making it. I got a little way down the road and two bites in when I realized this was a beef crunch wrap, no bueno! I can tell you, I haven’t had beef in over 25 years, no matter what I’ve tried throughout the years, this was not one of them and I did not have a good reaction! I turned around and went back, they made me a new crunch wrap, but it took a long time for my body to get over that one, it wasn’t fun.
On the road again, got to get back on the road again. By now, it was definitely full dark, but I’m still doing alright, it was about 730pm. I was back on the highway and moving along, doing great until about 930p and the day was starting to catch up with me. I pulled into a Love’s Travel Stop, it’s a gas station, truck stop, travel stop, they have showers for truck drivers, well, anyone who wants to pay for one, food, beverages, car supplies, and there’s usually some fast food restaurant attached. The restrooms are clean, it’s bright, and I even signed up for a Love’s card finally, I’ll at least get a discount on gas from now on and points to boot!
I had about an hour to go! Back on the road, and I can do it! PSM called about 1015p and I was just getting off the road, almost home! Wahoo! I pulled into the barn about 1030p, unloaded my laptop bag and my duffle and headed into the house to be greeted by the pitter patter of a Ruby and a Bee! I dropped my stuff, immediate bio-break, I felt bad for the dogs, they were trying to get in there with me! Came out, got covered in kisses and nuzzles, then came up for air, said hello to PSM, grabbed the dogs and took them upstairs for a cuddle.
PSM came up about 30 minutes later, not sure if I was awake or not! Put the pups in the crate for the night, I managed to get in my jammies and I don’t know if I’m sleep writing to you now!
If you’ve ever been on the phone with me while I’m driving, you have 95% of my attention, I still have to watch the road, but I can’t do anything else but talk to you, bonus. If you’ve ever been on the phone with me at home, depending on where I am, you probably have 90-95% of my attention, there are so many things to look at. If I’m wandering around the backyard, I’m only talking to you, if I’m sitting on the sofa or in the hammock, I’m only talking to you, sounds good.
Now…if I’m walking the dogs, you probably have about 75% of my attention, sorry… I say that because I am not only talking to you, I am watching for cars, if we are in the neighborhood, or I am looking for other dogs. If we are in the park, I am definitely looking for other dogs, hoping it’s a good meet-n-greet, I am watching where I am walking, and I am trying not to get pulled by the dogs. If we meet a dog, I will ask you to hold on, we might go by or we might do a doggie greeting. Ya never know!
Or…when they decide to wrassle! It sounds awful the first time you hear it, but they are having a grand ole time!
Now…when it comes time for the dogs to do their thing…I always have to tell the person I’m speaking with, ooh, hold on, I need to pick up what they just put down. The person will also hear me say “Wait, I have to pick this up, the deal is…you poop, I scoop.” And that usually illicits a good laugh out of the person on the other end of the phone. And isn’t that what it’s all about?
So…if you happen to call and I’m walking the dogs, just know…you have about 75%, and the dogs have the rest, unless they’re acting up…you get 25%, maybe…and they get the rest!
When I think about skiing, I was so used to skiing out west that I forget there are mountains on the pass in the Northeast and when I looked at the Epic App [Vail Resorts] and there are seven mountains in PA on the pass! Score! The closest one was Roundtop Mountain, it’s only about 33 miles/1 hours drive. Double score!
PSM encouraged me to go, who am I to argue! I loaded up my car, I love that my skis and poles fit in the backseat! I suited up, I prefer to drive in my ski gear instead of getting dressed at the mountain. I put my boots on the floor in the front and I made sure to put the heat on the floor. One of the best pieces of advice I got from my friend in Colorado, AM, was to buckle the boots and keep them as warm as possible, that makes it easier to buckle them when they’re on your feet. I’ll be honest, one of the things I cannot stand about ski boots is getting them buckled! I even thought about starting a business to just go around and help people get their boots on and buckled, unbuckled and off! I’d pay money for that, would you?!
I got everything in the car and headed out, stopped at Starbucks, it was on the way, I needed some sustenance. Plugged in my phone, listened to a podcast, that’s a whole ‘nother post! and I was off. The drive was great, there weren’t a lot of people on the road, nice, and it was pretty clear, snow was only on the sides of the highway.
After close to an hour, I got off the highway with everyone else going skiing, almost didn’t have to use the gps, I just followed everyone else and I could tell because of the ski racks and the window stickers on most of the cars, kind of a dead giveaway! Got to the mountain, found a place to park, I have to tell you, Annie, my VW Convertible Beetle is a champ! She has front wheel drive and has gotten me to and through a lot of places and she is a hoss! LOVE her! She also fits into smaller parking spaces!
Got situated, took out the skis, and then the task of getting the boots on and buckled, I so covet snowboarding boots! Just so much easier to get on and off and walk it, at least that’s the way it looks to me! I wasn’t sure what it would be like on the mountain, the parking lot was full! Let’s go!
I walked through the parking lot, down the hill, stopped at the shuttle hut, waiting about 2 minutes and said, let’s just go. It wasn’t a long walk, no longer than at Keystone in Colorado getting to the lifts, actually, it might have been closer, have to give it some thought. I walked up out onto the snow and then to the first lift I saw. The lines were ok, I will tell you, when you ski, the singles line is always the shortest and sometimes you get on the lift faster, that’s a plus of skiing alone. Although, there are people who ski together who will get in the singles line…because it moves faster.
I got to the top and headed down, it wasn’t a very long run and it was a green dot, so it was one of the easier runs, always good for the first time. The snow making machines were doing their thing, everyone I shared a lift with talked about how great the snow was and how the machines were working overtime. Apparenlty Roundtop had some of the best snow out of all the resorts in PA, lucky me! I will say…one of the drawbacks of the snow makers going so much, it was hard not to ski through one and when it landed on my goggles, a few times I had a hard time keeping them clear, the snow was freezing on the goggles almost as soon as it hit them!
I skied two easy, green dot, runs, then someone told me they started easy where I was and progressively got more difficult, as you went left. If you’re not sure what the symbols mean, check out this explanation, it should help! After the green dot runs, I skied over to a blue dot, did a few of those, then moved over to a chair that serviced blue dot and black diamond. So I did those next, not too shabby. I will say, there was some good powder, but there was also ice, I felt it as I was skiing and crunching. That’s one of the things east coast skiing is known for, ice, which is not my favorite, I’ve wiped out on it before, but I’ve lived to tell the tale! I was a little nervous skiing east after skiing west for so many years, but I think having skied consistently the last few years has helped my confidence so I’m game for whatever!
Here’s a little live action swish swoosh!
I realized I was getting a little tired, my knee started talking to mem and I did go boom at one point, but that was in the middle of my runs, so I got up and kept going, it was nice that someone did stop to ask if I was ok. When I get tired, I take the advice of the national ski team person who helped me years ago, not sure if you remember me telling you about it. Instead of saying ‘I’m getting tired, I think this may be my last run’…say ‘I’m getting tired, I’m going to do two more runs’, then don’t do the last one. Kind of trick yourself into thinking you’re going to keep going and maybe get wobbly, I don’t know why…but it works!
I skied down, went into the lodge, got myself a hot chai, sat and warmed up for about 30 minutes, and when the feeling started coming back to my fingertips, I decided it was time to go. I headed back towards the parking lot, took advantage of the shuttle back up towards the parking lot, then removed said boots, loaded the car and headed towards the highway. About 30 minutes into my drive, PSM called and we decided to meet somewhere, I was about 30 minutes from the house and he was out running errands, so I found a place about 15 minutes for each of us.
We decided on the Rising Sun Bar & Kitchen in Palmyra. We were in Palmyra yesterday, if you recall, we went to the Whirling Dervish Bakery & Coffee Shop, and that new park for the pups. Rising Sun was on my list of new places to explore and Palmyra, pleasantly enough is only about 15/20 minutes from us!
I got there first, took 2 spots at the bar and had a look around. I think I told you, we prefer to eat at the bar, you usually can get a spot, sometimes you get to chat with other patrons, and you have first line to the bartender, win-win-win! It’s a charming, open, inviting, warm, and friendly atmoshpere. The bar was large and open, big cross beams at the ceiling, almost a barn feeling. PSM got there and we ordered some drink and food. I was 100% on a hot tea journey, my fingers were still cold! I also loved that I could walk in there in my ski pants and no one said boo!
We had some shaved brussel sprouts, and two salads, mine was a roasted beet with slivered almonds, raisins, and goat cheese, y u m! And PSM had a blackened chicken salad. The food did take a minute, but it was good. As soon as the bartender wondered where the salads were, went to go check, they were ready to be picked up, good on us! Food was good, drinks were good, conversation was good, football was on, good for PSM, not so much for me, but…he found people next to him he could talk to about the games, and they talked about other things I could jump in on.
We hung out, ate, talked, drank, laughed, watched. Eventually, about 530p, I said I was heading home to take care of the pups, PSM stayed behind to watch more foosball! I headed home, took care of the pups, hung out with them, decided to go upstairs and took a very much needed, relaxing, hot hot hot shower, got in my jammies, gather the pups and snuggle. The big reason…when PSM is in the bed, they have no use for me, so I’ll take what I can get!
So…skiing, first time this season, won’t be the last, a new mountain, skied the east, a new restaurant/bar, date with my husband, snuggle with the dogs, yeah, that’s a pretty good Sunday. How are we going to top this next weekend!? You’ll just have to wait to find out!
Whew! We don’t know how to rest on our laurels around here!
And on a Saturday! First…woke up after the sun, what?! It was just about 730a when we woke up, that was loverly! After a few minutes, PSM said, let’s get the dogs, sounds good to me! I said prepare yourself! I went down, grabbed the pups and raced them back upstairs! When I say ‘who wants to snuggle?’ they automatically head to the living room because they think they’re going to snuggle with me on one of their beds. So cute!
Up to the bedroom where Ruby jumped right up and Bee, you know, the Beagle, short legs and all, needed a wee bit of help! They were both up there, I got in bed, and it was like I wasn’t even there! ha ha. They la la la love being with PSM! I had to pull Ruby away to snuggle, then she went back and I grabbed Bee. A little whining and finally some singing! That dog la la la loves to sing! You can see it on her face!
After about 30 minutes, we realized we had a few things to do this morning! Get up and dressed, get the dogs ready, and we were off! We have to get another stamp in our Java Journey passports! We went to the Whirling Dervish Bakery & Coffee Shop in Annville, a charming little college town, we were there last week at Swatara Coffee Company, they are across the street from each other. If you ever get the chance to go, please do! But…beware the hours are not great! Thursday and Friday 7am-11am, and Saturday 8am-12 noon and that is it! We found out that the owner owns a real estate business, that’s on the main drag and the bakery/coffee shop is at the side door, which is also the back of the real estate office.
It’s sweet and charming, and delightlfully gnomish! It is covered with gnomes, gnomes, and more gnomes, and reindeer. They have a collection of gnomes that might put gnomes or a yard to shame! They are from all over the world and most are not for sale, just for looking, but some are for sale. Then there’s the baked goods! And the drinks. PSM had coffee and I had a chai tea, it wasn’t my favorite, I got it with almond milk. If we go back, and I want to, I’m going to get a cup of tea just made with water, and some sugar, I’m ok with that!
We got a few pastries to go and they were yummy! It was just so charming and heart warming walking around looking at everything. When I say walking around, I really mean standing in one spot and turning around and around, that’s really all the space they have. Totally recommend this place, even if you’re just a lookie-loo!
We left with our baked goods and drinks and headed to a nearby park the folks working there recommended. And oh my was it soooo worth it! Quittie Park Nature Park is stunning and charming and covered with a whole lotta snow today! The dogs absolutely la la la loved it! We dropped their leashes for a few minutes, there was no one else in the park, we wouldn’t do that if there were any other people or dogs. They so enjoyed that, watching both of them run like the wind! And now…I have Ride Like the Wind by Christopher Cross in my head! You’re welcome for the ear worm!
We don’t know how large the park is or how long the paths go, but you can rest assured, we will be going back! It’s only about 15 minutes from us, so I forsee a lot more trips there! Definitely on the weekends, maybe some evenings when the sun stays in the sky longer. Add this to the list!
Then it was time to go to the monthly Indian Motorcycle Riders Group meeting at Hernley’s Polaris-Indian Motorcycle. We joined the group when we moved to Pennsylvania. We join wherever we are, so we are now honorary members of our chapters in Hawai’i and St Louis! It’s a great feeling to know that you have people to connect with when you’re there! They were going over new business and somehow I volunteered to take over the calendar duties for the group, and I dubbed myself CQ…Calendar Queen! I’ll take it! I’m now responsible for putting together the calendar of rides for our group! I’m ready!
After the meeting, there was the monthly picture and we were off! We have a drywall finisher coming to the house at noon and we had just enough time to get there! We had just enough time to stop for gas, maybe get another cup of coffee/tea/passport stamp before we headed home. We stopped at Mill 72 Bake Shop & Cafe, so called because: Our name, Mill 72, is made up of two components. The “Mill” comes directly from our last name, Miller, and our family’s history of owning and working in a family-owned corn meal mill. The “72” references our Bake Shop & Cafe being located along Manheim’s Route 72. How cool is that?! I’ve oftne wondered why it was called that!
Well, it was lunch time, we got coffee and a chai latte, and two egg sandwiches made on waffles. Everything was pretty good! We both felt like the sandwiches, because they were made with waffles needed some syrup, but other than that, enjoyable. The atmosphere was charming, quite a few tables and some sofas and seats towards the back. It was open and inviting. I can definitely see going back!
After lunch we headed into downtown Lebanon to the Lebanon Fine ArtFine Art Gallery – Lebanon Picture Frame to finalize the frames we wanted for the artwok that was damaged in the move. The artwork saga is a whole ‘nother post! But Melody and Eric, the owners, have been great to work. They helped us with the estimates to get the pieces fixed and pick out new frames and mats, very excited to see them when they’re ready!
We grabbed the broken frames, I have plans for them, of course! and headed back to the house. The drywall finisher was there to do his thing and boy did he do his thing! He is really good! He taped up the seams, covered any nails and screws, and just made things seamless. He’ll be back on Monday to do whatever else he needs to.
While he was working, we went outside to do a little shoveling, it had snowed a little more yesterday and it’s windy so the snow is blowing onto the driveway. When I found the big patch of ice and went down on my knee and my wrist, I said…I’m good and I’m going inside! PSM soon followed.
We took a break, watched something on tv, then I went into the art studio to start to build my new fireplace! I’ll tell you all about that in another post, but it’s awesome! PSM ended up helping me and I’m so glad he did! There were parts that said it’s a 2-person step and they were right! bless him! We got the cabinet together and then put the fireplace in it and it’s AWE-SOME!!! You can turn the flames on with or without heat! I cannot wait to have everything in place for the studio! Right now it’s housing stuff from the kitchen, things that didn’t fit on the shelves in the other room, all good, working around it!
Then it was time to chill and eventually grub! We had leftover Chinese food from North China, our new favorite go-to for Chinese food. I seem to only get their garlic broccoli and I la la la love it! I’ll share more on this place some other time! We ate, watched some stuff, then PSM put on football and I headed into the art studio to put on my new fireplace and a movie to…start to put together a desk I got at Harbor Freight. I really love this thing and I got it half built, some of it is a 2-person job, so far so good, but I kind of ran out of steam, the thing is hea-vy! and I wanted to talk to you guys, so…I’ll go back to it tomorrow!
I think that’s about it for a Saturday, was that enough? Did I mention that most of what we did before we got home was all before 1pm?! I think that was quite the way to start the day! Are you tired? I am! What does tomorrow hold? I am contemplating going skiing! If I do, you know I’ll tell you all about it!
Today is MLK day and for many, that means a day off, wahoo!
MLK Day, or Martin Luther King Day, is a federal holiday in the United States observed on the third Monday of January each year. Dr King was born on January 15th, and was chief spokesperson for nonviolent activism in the Civil Rights Movement, which protested racial discrimination in federal and state law and civil society. The movement lead to several groundbreaking legislative reforms in the United States.
Since it’s a federal holiday, many companies are closed, it was interesting, in Hawai’i, it was not observed as a holiday by all companies, but King Kamehameha I Day was an observed holiday and many companies were closed. A regional thing I guess. And, as companies were closed, some use it as an opportunity for volunteerism, giving back to communities, I’d say that’s a positive thing, wouldn’t you?
I think it’s great people have the day off to do as they choose, be it a long, 3-day weekend, a lazy day, a day to get things done, for contractors, it’s a day without pay and those aren’t as much fun, ha ha. Sometimes I am happy to take the day, but this week, we were given the opportunity to work and I took it! I am prepping for a new class, so it was the perfect time to get work done without the normal work day interruptions or meetings to take away focus. Now, don’t get me wrong, I didn’t get up at 6am like I normally do, I took my time waking up, we took the dogs to the park, and then we took the opportunity to go to another coffee shop on the Lebanon Valley Java Journey! Bonus!
We went to Baked Sweet Coffeehouse & Bakery, armed with only the passports, didn’t have to take the mugs! One less thing to remember! Weehoo! The street…you can tell they are trying to renovate and bring it up, there were several new houses and you could tell several others had been or were in the process of being renovated. The bakery itself was charming, from the outside to when you steppined inside. Open, airy, light feeling, edison bulb string lights, [do you know how hard it is to find a description and not an advertisement for edison bulb string lights?!], tables and chairs, small sofas, just the perfect atmosphere for a no-pressure, laid back coffee shop.
There was a Maker’s Market to one side with items from different vendors, all small businesses, they had their own line of merchandise down the hall, and in the back, rooms for events or overflow from the front of house. When we got there, no line, when we left, almost out the door! We’re not sure if it was the fact that businesses and schools were closed or it was the local coffee shop, could have been a combination.
They had a large coffee and tea selection, and a lovely pastry selection. We ordered a chai with almond milk for me and a decaf coffee for PSM, a blueberry muffin, a coffee cake muffin, and a beautiful snowflake sugar cookie for later. I wandered around while PSM found us a seat in front of a great antique stove, not on, but definitely a conversation piece! Our order was up, they don’t take personal cups, unfortunately, we had to pour our drinks into our cups, and the drink and muffin were served on a metal tray with a napkin that looked like a linen kitchen towel. All-in-all, a great experience so far!
The baked good were great, PSM’s coffee was pretty good, I can’t say I enjoyed my chai at all, but the cookie, I had later in the day…y u m, fancy sugar cookie goodness. We agreed, we really liked the atmosphere, but it wasn’t worth us making a special trip there on another occassion, that’s not to say, if we were in the area, we wouldn’t stop by for a baked good.
I ended up not drinking my chai and since we were headed back home, we thought, why not…let’s check another coffee shop off the list, or passport, as it were! We went to City Watch Coffee. We had both been there before, the hours weren’t always conducive to when we were out and about. The atmosphere is cool, kind of futuristic, whereas Baked Sweet had a more charming atmosphere. Both places have very nice and accomodating staff.
Speaking of staff, one of the things PSM noticed and mentioned, which admittedly, I hadn’t, was that the staff at all of the coffee shops we had been to so far were completely staffed by women. Once he pointed it out, I thought, go girl power! I liked it!
I ordered their chai, which was called, I believe the Vic Chai, because it was named after a cousin of the owner’s husband, who’s name was Vic Chai, how cool is that and what are the odds?! PSM had a hot chocolate and we ordered egg sandwiches. The sandwiches were good, PSM’s hot chocolate was good, I didn’t enjoy the chai, not sure why, it had a strange aftertaste to me. It was the third time I had it there, so it turns out the chai is not for me, but that’s not to say I wouldn’t go back to try a different drink. I am drawn to chai lattes and I try them wherever I go and some are a hit, and some not. The nice thing about this place, it’s not that far from home, so if I do find a drink I like better, win-win!
After our 2nd Java Journey stamp for the day and fifth for the weekend, we went back to the house. When we got there, one of the guys from the construction company were there to talk to us about how the day was going to go, I went upstairs to start working, and PSM stayed down to hammer out any last minute details. There were a few things I had to come downstairs to take care of, but for the most part, I was able to get a lot of work done.
PSM went out to do some stuff while I stayed behind to work, hang with the dogs and answer questions. About 230p he picked me up, we went out to get some lunch, I was very much in the mood for soup, good ramen to be exact, but no ramen in the area, so we went to Kugo Japanese restaurant for udon, because they assured me they had vegetable udon, I was ready! We had been there for sushi a while ago and liked it, this time, the udon was just what I needed. Hot, flavorful, and full of veggies and noodles, what more could you want!
Back to the house, check out the demo progress, get some more work done, take the dogs for a walk, work, PSM went to the gym, then I was done by the time he got home, we had some grub, and it was time to chill!
Peaches Prattlings 