The day started with no alarm, my favorite! It was about 10 degrees so it was feed the dogs and open the back door, no walk, sorry…less than 25 degrees, I’m hiding under the covers!
We got moving, slowly, but we got moving, headed to the Lebanon Valley Motorcycle Club clubhouse for breakfast, there weren’t a lot of people there, but it was most likely because of the weather, it was coming in! We were there for about an hour, had some good food, as BTK said, her favorite breakfast is one that someone else cooks!
After breakfast we headed to our second stop on the Lebanon Valley Java Journey. Oh no! I forgot to tell you the Java Journey has started and I picked up our cups yesterday! If you recall, from last year, the Lebanon Valley Java Journey is a fun event, or as is quoted on the front of the passport ‘An experience in every cup’! Isn’t that great! Basically, you purchase a cup for $10 and you get a passport with 15 coffee houses and cafes on it, last year it was 12, we’re up this year! Two of the coffee houses has two locations, and they added three new places and one of them is a mobile coffee shop, we’ll have to search to find it!
So… it started on Thursday, January 16th, who starts things on a Thursday, oh well…well, we didn’t have the time to get to one of the locations to get a cup on Thursday, so Friday, we met up at City Watch just before they closed and they were sold out! What?! Last year, so many places had extra, I think they ordered just enough. Turns out, they were sold out before they closed the doors on Thursday, ugh!
Saturday morning, I told you, I was in NYC at my dad’s, so PSM went to Timber Creek Coffee, they were sold out, what?! That’s two down! After we got off the phone, I looked up Timeless Cafe and called and they had plenty! And they agreed to put two aside for me, thank you! So…on the way to the IMRG lunch, we stopped at Mill 72 Bake Shop & Cafe and got our first two beverages and stamps! Weehoo!
Back to today! After breakfast, we went to Swatara Coffee in Annville, I really wanted to show BTK the Whirling Dervish Bakery, but they’re only open Thursday-Friday 7a-11a and Saturday 8a-12p, very convenient hours! We got our stamps and drinks, I told another group of people about the Java Journey, you should have heard me selling it yesterday! PSM said I should work for them! HA HA
After coffee, we went back to the house, the snow started while we were having breakfast, but it was really coming down now. Back at the house, we hung out, there was football to watch, I did some other stuff and when there was a break in the snow, I went out and did a pass over the driveway, to give us a starting point. BTK was planning on heading out tomorrow, so we wanted to be sure she could.
There were a few football games on, BTK and PSM were enjoying them, I was upstairs doing other things, then I came down and made a salad and pasta for dinner, we enjoyed the time together, more football, then PSM went upstairs and BTK and I settled in to watch some movies. We started one she hadn’t seen, followed by one neither of us had seen because it was a new release.
We started with Hidden Figures, the story of three female African-American mathematicians, or as they referred to them, computers, at NASA, amazing, powerful, emotional, fantastic, followed by The Six Triple Eight, the retelling of the story of the all-Black Women’s Army Corps, WACs, who were tasked with sorting and delivering years worth of backlogged mail. I will tell you all about it in another post, but wow, just wow. I am awed and amazed by what those women did for the army, the soldiers, the families, just wow.
When all was said and done, it was about 2 or 2:30am when we finished, off to bed for us! Guess who stayed up a little later because they couldn’t sleep?! No matter what, a good day was had by all!
Saturday started crazy early, I was at dad’s house to help him get LaLa to the airport. Her flight was at 745a and I was driving them to the airport and he was going to go in and help her get where she needed to be.
When I say crazy early, I mean crazy early! 330a to be exact! I got up, then fell back asleep, but was up and out the door by 415a, we got to the airport, dad and LaLa went in and figured out where they needed to go. The nice part, I got to wait outside and no one asked, or actually, told me, that I had to move, so I got to hang out while they were in the airport.
Dad came out with some hot beverages and we drove back from Newark Airport to Staten Island. We decided we needed some breakfast and went to Z-One, they were closed, what?! It’s a diner! It was about 6am, not sure when they were supposed to open, so I looked at my GPS and there was another diner I found that said open, we got there and….yup, you guessed it, closed! What is going on?! Oh, duh, that was Mike’s Dakota Diner, the one that was open was Mike’s Unicorn Diner, back not far from Z-One! Duh!
Back to Mike’s Unicorn Diner, breakfast and good conversation, and the hottest bathroom on the planet! It was so hot, the soap was hot! That’s hot! Most restaurants keep the bathrooms relatively chilly, I think so you don’t spend a lot of time in there, well… this place missed that memo!
After breakfast, we were heading to Stop-n-Shop to pick up bagels and some more bialys, but stopped by L&I’s house, and IB just happened to be outside taking the trash out, we stopped and I got a hug, and a quick catch up!
Then on to the grocery store, I picked up a few things, then it was on to Beyars for sandwiches, something for dad to have later, something I might eat on the road or at least have at home. Let’s just say, really good sandwiches!
Back to dad’s house, I packed up my stuff, loaded up the car, podcast queued up, and headed out, I had about 2.5 hours to go. Nice and uneventful, only one stop for gas and bathroom break, drove as the snow started coming down and made it home…just in time to give the pups some lovin’, put our gift together, and back out into the cold!
We got in the Jeep, put in the latest Jack Reacher book on tape we were listening to and headed to the Lyndon Diner to have our holiday lunch with our IMRG friends. It was fun, we had good conversations, good food, and there was a gift swap. We ended up with a bottle of Crown Royal, I tried to keep the purple bag, but PSM wasn’t having any of that!
After a few hours, we headed home to chill out, while I did some last minute tidying up and getting ready for BK, PSM’s first cousin to come for the weekend. She had taken her son, JK, to Washington, DC to get settled in for his semester internship, then she was coming to spend the night with us and head to the next friend’s house for a few days, then another friend for a few days.
Tomorrow, we’re taking her to the LVMC clubhouse for breakfast, then we’ll see where we go from there before she takes off to parts unknown! Well…she knows where she’s going! Well…we’ll see if she does go tomorrow, the weather is coming in, who knows if the weather forecasters got it right! I’ll let you know tomorrow!
She got a tour, we hung out and talked, snacked, they watched some football and I did something else, and of course, she got some major puppy love, which was great, because she was missing her dog Lucy something fierce!
So… you know, just another Saturday around here, what did you do!?
I don’t know when your date night is, we don’t have a set date night either, but tonight was date nite!
PSM texted me earlier today and told me his trainer wasn’t feeling well, so the gym was out, and he was thinking about going to the Apple store to get a new iWatch, and would I like to go with him, we could grab some dinner while we’re out. Who am I to say no to a night out with my hubby?!
Well…what sealed the deal…the Awful Waffle, to be exact! Yes, you heard right friends, Waffle House!! You know me and you know I love Waffle House! There isn’t one near us, the closest one is in Lancaster, which is also where the closest Apple store is! Bonus!
Funny thing is, we were just at the Apple store over the weekend, and we threw in a trip to Costco, bonus there too! Lancaster, specifically Costco and the Apple store are about 45 minutes from us, so it’s not like we’re going every week. We make a Costco run, isn’t it funny that people call it that, a Costco run…well, we make one every few months, not even that soon, mostly when we run out of dog food for Ruby, we get the giant bags there, there’s also a PetSmart nearby for Bee’s food.
While we’re there, we get veggies to make our bucket ‘o salad, their fresh fruits and veggies can’t be beat for freshness and how long they last, it’s better than anywhere else we’ve been out here. I know, I digress.
So…I finished work, fed the dogs, got them settled in the crate when PSM called to say he was on his way, put on my hoodie and headed out into the snowy evening to jump in the jeep and off we went! It’s been snowing all day, the roads weren’t too bad, was this a bad idea? Too late now, we’re committed, or should be!
We got to the mall, went to the Apple store, deliberated over the different options, for both the watch and the band, and he made a decision, then it was time to eat. Plus, by the time we were done purchasing the store was closing, time to go!
We were about 7 minutes from Waffle House, got there and we were the only ones, besides one server and one cook. Allstar Special for PSM, that’s eggs, bacon, hashbrowns, scattered and burnt, thank you! cinnamon raisin toast, and hold the waffle, he even learned the lingo! I’m so proud! I had an egg sandwich with grits no extra butter.
The server was nice, so was the cook, and she was super chatty, it made the time go by quickly, I can tell you that. I think we may have heard her life story! You never know who you’re going to meet at Waffle House!
After dinner it was home again to play with the dogs and chill out. I would say that was a very nice date night, Apples and waffles, what more could you want!?
Alarm was set, yes, I know, it’s Sunday JJ, why?! Well, I’ll tell you…
The alarm was set for 7a, I got the dogs up and fed, I didn’t have enough time to take them for a walk, I’m sorry to say, and the weather later, didn’t encourage an evening walk either. Got them fed and settled in the crate, I got dressed, jumped in Annie, the beetle bug, and headed out, got about half a block and realized I didn’t have my phone, what?! Turned around, went back, got my phone, then back on the road.
Top on the car was down, it started sprinkling, but I didn’t get wet, it’s the magic of a convertible! I made it to the Lebanon Valley Motorcycle Club clubhouse on time, about 750a. There was a ride today and that meant breakfast and lunch and I was taking orders for breakfast, second time I’ve done it. They start serving breakfast at 8am, you need to be there before 8 to get set up. I wasn’t cooking, so I didn’t have to prep food, I just had to make sure the till, or money drawer, was open and had money in it, I had to make sure I had order slips, a highlighter, and a pen. I also had to know what the specials were, good thing they were on the board!
People started coming in about 8am, not many, the bigger rush was about 930a. I was going to ride today, but yesterday, the weather app said 68% chance of rain, then this morning, it said 15%, but I looked at the sky and nope, not taking a chance! I messed a few orders up, but then I got the swing of things again and I was good to go!
It’s fun taking orders, you get to hang with other members in the kitchen, get to know them better, get to know the members coming up to place orders, a bunch of them know me, well, know us, of course, we’re some of the newbies, so haven’t been around that long, when you join, people remember you, I’m getting there! Turns out, people have their own coffee mugs in the stack! I have a lot to learn!
Breakfast is decent and reasonable. They have set orders, you just have to ask particulars, like how do you want your eggs cooked, what type of meat, toast, do you want the special? The special today was 2 peach pancakes, eggs, and meat for $8.00, that is a good deal to me! Everything is made fresh to order and comes out relatively quickly. All the money goes back to the club.
I’m glad I didn’t ride, it was ok where we were, but some areas, deluge! Confident in my decision! Breakfast is usually done with they run out of things, like the pancakes. So…I helped a little with the cleanup and set up for lunch, said my goodbyes and headed out.
I went to CVS to pick up a prescription, then the grocery store for some supplies, then back home. I made myself a very good breakfast burrito and then as I was taking care of stuff and all of a sudden the sky opened up… yup, there it was. So I went into the living room, got onto one of the dog beds and the two fur beasts curled up with me. I think I’ve told you, Ruby does not like storms, she is freaked out by thunder, she can hear it from a few miles away! I thought my hearing was good!
The rain came down in sheets and buckets on and off for the rest of the evening. I was going to go to a movie, but I did not feel like getting out in that! So, the girls and I hung out together and now I’m talking to you.
Not an exciting day, but a good day. And now… I bid you g’night!
Who’s alarm was set for 330a this morning? Mine was! PSM’s was! CDH’s was! Any other takers? Nope…not on your life! the bed is comfy and the covers are cozy, the room is warm, and dry, my feet are toasty, nope, you go on without me! I’ll look at your photos! ha ha
Obkb, alarm went off at 330a this morning, only bad part…I think I fell asleep about 1am, go figure! Well, the alarm went off, PSM and I were up like a shot, teeth brushed, face washed, meds taken? Don’t remember…on the bikes and met up with CDH at 347a, we were off! We got to Acadia National Park with everyone else heading up to watch the sunrise. The park ranger only wanted to see my ticket to get in, you had to reserve your spot to get into the park at that hour to watch the sunrise, but I pulled everything else out! My National Park Pass, compliments of my wonderful husband, some girls get jewelry, not me, I get national park passes and motorcycle accessories, works for me! I had pulled out my ID, ready to go! He said, you’re on a bike, as long as you have your reservation for the sunrise, you’re good. well…alrighty then.
We rode up a wonderful winding road, following a car that could have gone just a wee bit faster! I don’t know if you ride, but it’s not easy to ride slowly, 25 is tough, slower is tougher! But…we made it up the mountain, I had opera playing through my headphones, Pavarotti, it was spectacular. Imagine something classical and powerful playing in your ears as you are climbing a mountain and the sun is starting to peek through the clouds. Can you see it? Oh my.
We got to the top, parked, and walked out onto the rocks and found a place to stop, watch, and just marvel at what Mother Nature and the Earth have to offer and oh wow, did they offer! We watched as the sun started to rise, it was going to be here in no time at all!
One of the things I was most excited about, being up there, and one of the reasons I wanted to go…my baby sister, GES’, birthday is today! So…I got to make her one of my special birthday videos, but…from the top of Cadillac Mountain, Acadia National Park! I hope she likes it!
Here’s a video I took, you can hear how the wind is whipping all around us, but wow, yeah, I don’t know what else to say! Apologies for some of the jerky movements, I zoomed in and out a few times and once I was really zoomed in! Sorry you can hear us talking a few times, hope it didn’t totally ruin the experience. But I hope you can get a feel for what we enjoyed!
I remember watching the sunrises and sunsets when we lived in Hawai’i, there were times we purposely got up to go somewhere and watch it and others, I just stood on the lanai, I was usually up anyway. This made me think of those times and made me smile, especially experiencing it with PSM.
Looking out over the water in places, it didn’t even look like water, it looked like snow patches, just the way the water was, and the light played on it. I love taking pictures of other people’s pictures, see what they’re seeing, feel what they’re feeling. This was such an amazing experience, I would do it again and again, and I would not have missed this for the world!
A little after the official sunrise and just after 5am, we rode back down the mountain, more classical music in my ears, back to the hotel. CDH went back to his room, and we went back to ours, to try to get some sleep, we were going pack up our bikes, check out of the hotel at 10:00am and head to breakfast.
After PSM attempted to sleep, he actually nodded off for a bit, I was quite pleased, I would love to say I did the same, but nope…so, we got out of bed, got dressed and headed into Bar Harbor, down by the water, where we were last night. We thought we would get some coffee and tea, maybe a pastry, it was about 7/730am and we weren’t going to be eating breakfast for a few hours and we were awake.
The town was quiet, only a handful of people were out, but it wasn’t dead, by any means. We got coffee and tea, and a pastry, at a local coffee shop, I’m not even going to mention the place, everything was awful. The coffee and tea were off, and the pastries definitely did not taste like they were made fresh, and on site, despite the claims on the wall.
While we were walking around, we got a text from KDN, he wasn’t feeling well, he started feeling ill yesterday, so he and KK were going to head out before we met for breakfast and head back to Boston, they weren’t going to join us for the Nova Scotia portion of the trip, they were always going to ride with us to Bar Harbor and then take off. Looking forward to the next trip with them! Safe travels home guys!
We sat with a nice couple and chatted, they were waiting to go on a boat tour, and we watched the people lining up to get on a whale watching tour. [I don’t know if this is the one everyone was waiting for, but at least you’ll get an idea of what’s involved!] We walked around the town, it really is charming. I haven’t been here since I was just about 16, I biked the Coast of Maine, from Bath to Bar Harbor with a group, what an experience, needless to say, it’s been a while. PSM, on the other hand, has fond memories of visiting Bar Harbor and even camping out in the parks. I would love to go back one day to stay and explore a bit.
As we were walking back to the bikes, I stopped in one of the shops to pick up my magnets and stickers for Bar Harbor, I already started in Vermont, not stopping now! We headed back to the motel, packed up our bags, loaded the bikes, and headed to the office to check out. Then we waited for everyone else to gather and we headed back into Bar Harbor to the breakfast place I had picked out and…PSM and I saw it when we rode in earlier, so we knew just where to park!
I put our names in, there was quite the wait, and hung out across the street for the 20/30 minutes until our table was ready. We talked, laughed, planned the day, talked about what was to come and I remembered….I went to Walgreens and bought some Dramamine and some cough drops. I learned a long time ago, I don’t always do well on some bigger boats, as much as I love being on the water, it’s not always a good thing! Especially if there’s bad weather! And…good thing too, we needed them!
After breakfast, we went to the local coffee place and a few folks got coffee, more specifically espressos that they were craving. Then, after a bit, we headed for the ship. We were taking The Cat ferry from Bar Harbor to Yarmouth, NS. After we checked in, we sat down in the waiting area, the nice thing was we could be inside because the weather wasn’t pleasant for bikers! While we were sitting there we filled out our declaration forms, the funny thing was, they had one pen there because they had lent them to people yesterday, but didn’t get them back!
As we sat there, other bikers came in and sat in the same area, we shared the one pen we had! We talked about the trip, where we were going to be riding, the plan for when we land, and we got to know the other bikers. Eventually, it was time to board the boat, we rode on, secured our bikes and headed up to the main part of the ship. While we were down there, we realized the weather would not be conducive to us riding from Yarmouth, where we were docking to Halifax, where our hotel was. So… group decision, I found a hotel in Yarmouth, a Tru by Hilton, I called the Diamond Desk and made a reservation for 3 rooms, this was the easiest thing to do.
We headed upstairs and then I called the hotel we were booked in and cancelled the reservations. All good for everyone else, my reservation somehow was non-refundable, but I made the same reservation as everyone else. I was too tired to fight, and no one ever called me back, chalk it up to a loss. I won’t ever be staying there again!
We settled in, I realized I forgot my charger and asked the purser if I could go down to my bike and get my charger, he was kind enough to escort me down. I told him I would not have asked if we were already out of the port, but he was wonderful and I learned much about him! I got my charger, headed back upstairs, and drinks were waiting for me! I immediately took a Dramamine and handed them out to anyone who asked. I could also feel the ocean, so I asked PSM to get me some potato chips, I knew it would help. He got me sea salt & vinegar, don’t like those, but they were salty and tangy and just what I needed, along with the water and ginger ale.
The boat set sail and we were off. Some people went to the back of the ship, I stayed right where I was, facing forward. When we found our spots, I made the statement that I will compromise almost anything for someone, but I must sit facing in the direction we were traveling, just a heads up if you end up traveling with me! The waves were hitting the boat, the rain was coming down, but it wasn’t the worst I’ve been in.
The boat was nice, there were two decks below for vehicles, inside, there was a bar at one end, with some food, the other end had a cafe, no alcohol, in the middle there was another snack bar and lots of tables and chairs everywhere, and some bench seats, plenty of room. One thing they didn’t have…charging ports, glad I was able to get mine!
There were TVs in the area we were, car racing was on, but in and out as we lost signal. In the middle of the ship they were playing movies. A pretty comfortable situation overall. When we did this before, we were on the overnight ship from Portland, Maine to Yarmouth, it was a 12 hour trip, there was a full dining room with sit down service and staterooms, which we had and I was so thankful for, if you know what I’m saying!
At one point, I put my hood down over my eyes and I was out like a light, just the way I like it! Ignorant of what’s happening around me! After I woke up I went in search of a rest room and on my way back, found the gift shop for a magnet and a sticker, go figure! Back to our group where everyone was starting to wake up and come back to life. Oh, I forgot, there was a guy playing guitar for most of the trip, he wasn’t great, but he kept us entertained! And my wonderful husband tipped him as he finished. Such a good egg!
When the boat docked, we headed back down to the bikes, got them unhooked and ready to ride. They have a very smooth and efficient process to get you on and off the boat, along with the tie downs, a well oiled machine, so to speak. When we were finally able to ride off the boat, we got into the line to go through border control into Canada. We had to wait a bit, they had 4 lanes, car > car > bikes > bikes. The downside…they were on strike so only a few people were working. Some people got made because they thought they were letting all the bikes go at once, nope, it was car > car > bike > bike. Now…some of us went by 2’s because we live in the same household… relax!
When we were all through passport control and assembled outside the gates, we rode the 7 miles to the hotel, checked in, got permission to park our bikes right in front of the windows, under the awning, to help keep our bikes out of the rain a little. We then went to our rooms, coordinated on food for the evening, pizza: simple and something everyone can agree on [maybe not our stomachs, but simple and tasty!] we also ordered a salad and CDH and MMH went out to get beverages.
We met down in the lobby when the food arrived, gathered, ate, talked, laughed, and watched the Celtics game, they are in the playoffs and everyone in the group, except for me are from Boston, so… Celtics fans! I’m not anti-Celtics, I have fond memories of Larry Bird!
When I finished eating, I wished everyone a good night so I could come and talk to you and everyone else stayed downstairs to watch the game, enjoy! Plan first…breakfast at 7a, KSU, Kick Stands Up, at 730a off to Baddeck in the AM! Mother Nature, please be kind tomorrow!
Good luck Celtics, I’m outta here!
Happy Birthday GES! I hope today was as fabulous and magical as you! Your big sister loves you so very much!
Another normal Saturday, right?! Today was a lot of fun!
Got up stupid early, well, not completely stupid, but why was I awake at 530a?! Seriously? It’s Saturday! Well…I refused to get out of bed until at least 6am! We did need to get an early start, but not that early! I finally got motivated about 6am, got the dogs and took them for our morning walk. When we got back DH and Tequila were up and I fed the dogs, then took Tequila out to do her thing.
I came back in and attempted to feed her, as I discovered last night, she does not scarf her food like our dogs, she is a grazer, I’ve heard of that in dogs, but I’ve never experienced it in person! She still hadn’t finished the food I gave her last night! I grabbed Ruby’s bowl from the studio and fed the girls. When I tried to feed Tequila she wasn’t interested, so I left it in a bowl in the studio and unfortunately, DH left the door open and Ruby had a second breakfast! Oh brother!
I took all three dogs outside and the ground was very wet, so…we had a damp beagle and a damp golden retriever…um. They had fun in the yard, very excited the dogs got along, I think if they had more time to play it would have been better, but we kind of threw them together and for that short amount of time, they did great!
After everyone was put together, our dogs went into the crate, Tequila and DH got in PSM’s jeep, the vehicle he was driving had 2 car seats in the back that were too hard to dislodge! PSM and I got on our bikes and we headed to Hernley’s to drop the bikes off for their Spring service. It was cold, but a great morning for a ride! It’s been raining, so not much riding this past week, so this was great!
After the dealership, we all jumped in the jeep and went to breakfast at Heisey’s, a place we really like, I’m pretty sure I’ve told you about it before, if not, I’ll tell you another time. A great breakfast place that we introduced DH to, one of the things we’ve loved about moving here…all the fabulous breakfast places we have discovered!
After breakfast, we headed to the house and said goodbye to DH and Tequila, let the dogs out, I went up to take a shower and get dressed, and then I kissed everyone goodbye, that sounds so final! and I got in the car, dropped the top, and I was off to Philly for the day!
The weather was perfect for a convertible, it was supposed to rain, that’s why I took the car. I have to tell you, the weather was fabulous all day, it didn’t actually rain until about 8pm when I was driving back home, so score one for the bug-a-boo! I drove into Philly, only hit a few spots of traffic, but made it in under 2 hours, not too shabby.
I was meeting my co-worker, NO, oh my goodness, I just realized her initials are NO! I LA LA LA LOVE that! And now…she will forever be NO in my posts! ha ha! Anyway…she is in Philly, from Chicago to teach class last week and this week and we get along really well and I had asked when she was coming in if she would like to get together this weekend…oh yeah! So…I got to Philly, texted her that I was downstairs and she would see me when she came out…”red car, blue hair!” my exact words and I wasn’t lying!
She jumped in the car and we compared lists of what we both had researched, she had a great and healthy list! First…a nosh, we were both hungry, but not full meal hungry, so she told me about this place called Goldie. Goldie is a vegan, Israeli-style falafel shop serving fresh-to-order falafel, French fries and tehina shakes, and gluten free! We were both set!
Fries…yes! Cabbage on top…yes! Schwarma seasoning on the fries, a little spicy for me, you know I’m a wimp, but it worked for the fries! And falafel on top…oh yeah! And the falafel was delicious, tender, and definitely not dry, thank goodness. Next…tehina shake, what? Yes! A vegan ice cream shake with tehina…the sesame paste you use to make hummus and baba ghanoush, among other things! And did it work as a shake? you bet your sweet bippie! Oh my word! Delicious!
After our snack, we walked back to the car and we decided to go to Valley Forge. It is he encampment site of the Continental Army during the winter of 1777-1778. It was great, we started at the visitor’s center, spoke with a very nice park ranger who gave us some pointers on what to do. The park closed at 515p and there was a 10 mile encampment driving tour…sold!
We jumped back in the car, top down, and started off on our adventure. We saw the barracks where the soldiers would have lived, the barracks where the officers would have lived, quite a difference! We also climbed into the bunks and got some pictures, not very roomy, I can tell you that!
We went to each site and along the way we would dial a number and enter the stop number and a recording would play telling us about where we were, what we were looking at, and the history of that spot.
You may be asking, ‘But JJ…why Valley Forge is so important? and I will tell you friends ‘Valley Forge was a naturally defensible plateau where the army could train and recoup from the year’s battles, and the wet and cold winter weather, muddy and impassable roads, and scant supplies made major battles less likely.’ Isn’t amazing?!
We learned that when enlistment was up, many soldiers decided to stay on, they taught themselves, the made their own clothes, found food, they had a purpose and a mission and that is what won the war. I was so impressed.
We even got to got o George Washington’s headquarters! It had offices, where much planning took place, a dining room and bedrooms that housed about 30 people, that was the Washington’s and their staff, both free and enslaved. It was amazing to see what it was like. We got to speak to another park ranger and get her opinions on some things and a little background, as much as she could give us right before she was locking up! We were definitely thankful for her time!
By now, it’s closing time, so back to the car and onto the road, we were hungry, especially after seeing the kitchen and the food they may have prepared, didn’t matter that it was fake, we were hungry! We decided to go into Valley Forge, that meant going into King of Prussia, where we were was like an outdoor mall and we settled on Founding Farmer’s, cooperative-grower-owned spot serving farm-to-table-themed American fare in rustic digs.
It’s a farmer-owned restaurant, the food was fresh, and tasty, they even have their own distillery! And…we were both able to find something to make us smile and fill our bellies while we continued talking and getting to know each other. I definitely give this place two thumbs up and I would definitely go back! If I was back in the area, there are so many great places to try, do we go back or try something new? If it was NO and I, some place new, if it was PSM and I, which we will probably go at some point, I can see taking him there!
After dinner, we headed back to Philly, we talked some more, laughed, discovered, and just had a really nice time. It was fun to talk about work, and talk in person! The great thing…we talked about work…maybe 10% of our time together, the rest…getting to know each other, laughing, learning about Valley Forge, General Washington and his armies, getting lost on the roads, imagine that…two people directionally challenged using a map, g r e a t…
Before we knew it, we were back in Philly at the hotel. I put the hazards on, got out and we chatted a little more before I was going to leave and a police officer put on his lights and used his siren…at me! Was that my car, yes officer, just saying goodbye to my friend… a few more minutes, and we said another goodbye, have a great day tomorrow, talk to you on Monday and off she went and I drove home to PSM and the puppies.
And here I sit talking to you about my day. And now… g’night!
Today was very special for myself and PSM, we were honoured to be a part of something very special. We got to witness the swearing in of some friends, and receive their citizenship to the United States.
It was so very cool! The president of the Lebanon Valley Motorcycle Club and his family were being sworn in as citizens of the United States, and we were there to support them, and cheer them on! We found out about it a few weeks ago and we were able to be there today to show our support, along with some other folks from the club. We saw them in the room before the ceremony, then we went into the courtroom to wait with everyone else for them to arrive.
The future citizens came in in groups, they had to do a lot of paperwork, then when everyone was in the courtroom, we stood as the two judges came in, and the proceedings began. There were introductions of the judges, then a welcome from The Honorable Charles T Jones, Jr a very moving speech and from his words you could tell how much he enjoyed this part of his job. There was a presentation of Petition for Naturalization & Motion, that was seconded, then there was the administration of the oath.
All the candidates stood and recited the Naturalization Oath of Allegiance to the United States of America. This is some very heady stuff, what they have to promise to do, defend, and uphold, it really makes you realize how much they want to be here, and what a privilege it is for someone like myself, to have been born here. There were several of us watching, listening, and getting emotional, I know I teared up, as did a few people sitting next to me. It really was an honour to witness and be a part of, I’ve seen it in the movies, but there really is nothing like seeing it in person, and feeling the magnitude of it all.
Next, one by one, each citizen-to-be stood, walked to the front as the judges called their names. They received a folder with paperwork, a certificate, a pin, I think, and an American flag. There was a lot of hand shaking , some bowing, flag waving, and a lot of cheering! I think almost everyone had at least one person with them, but I think we had the largest cheering section! There were 20 people who were receiving their citizenship, and they were from all over the world. There were people from Nepal, the United Kingdom, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Bhutan, Mexico, India, Haiti, Jamaica, and Cambodia, amazing.
After each person received their folders and flags, they sat down, when the last person received their packet, we all stood to recite The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. I’ll be honest, I get a little emotional when I say it, but this time, it felt more special. Then the court crier announced the adjournment and we all hugged, shook hands, and hi-fived. It was a special moment. Then a group photo, so cool!
After the ceremony, hugs and congratulations all around, we went outside to take a group photo with the new citizens of this great land of ours! There was going to be a celebration at the club house, a cook-out, and we were definitely attending, but first…a stop for a drink at a local watering hole, close to the club house, the Union Beer House.
We all rode over on our bikes, got drinks and hung out for a bit. Then the family headed home to change, and then on to the club house, they were putting on the spread! After a bit, I went home to take care of the pups, PSM hung out and I would meet him at the club house.
The pups were happy to see me, at least the wagging tails told me so! We went for a walk, they got dinner, and a little while later, I headed out to the club house to meet PSM and see everyone else. It’s been great getting to know the folks in the club, they are incredibly welcoming and we feel like we truly belong.
The club house was decked out in red, white, and blue, of course! There were burgers, dogs, chips, sides, desserts, and drinks. All free tonight, in celebration of the new citizens! So very generous! We ate, talked, laughed, met a few new people, wash-rinse-repeat! It was a great time, then we went upstairs for the meeting.
It wasn’t a very long meeting, but fun as always. The historical fact for tonight’s meeting? On this date in 2024, the president of the club became a citizen of the United States! Big cheers! After the meeting, chatting with some of the folks, and it was time to head home for the night.
Truly…an honour, thank you for letting us share this with you! And welcome!
First night with my family was fabulous, as always. Second night is always with PSM’s family, a fun time that!
It’s Tuesday, so it’s still a work day, that means, more cooking, just to fill in some of the gaps from what we ate last night at the first seder. We made two more kugels, another matzoh brittle, more gefilte fish, and more broccoli pancakes, oh yeah, more hard boiled eggs.
In between cooking, there was work to be done, for my job that is! I actually got a lot done, had a few calls, GES and dad went to the grocery store for some supplies, I did go out and treat myself to a chai at Starbucks, ended up talking to a nice guy about bikes, he commented on my Sturgis sweatshirt, how could I not talk about how much we love to ride?!
About 5p, I started to pack up my stuff and about 530p, I hugged and kissed everyone goodbye and headed to PSM’s family’s for seder. There were a lot more people at the second night seder, GES was having about 20, we had 11 last night, sound about right!
I walked in with my goodies, the fabulous veggie matzoh ball soup for me and the peach matzoh kugel for all. Let’s just say, I know it was good, but…there was absolutely nothing left for me to take back to PA and PSM! Happily disappointed!
We sat down about 630pm, I ended up at the kids side of the table. Kids being the youngest was about 16 or 17 and the oldest in their 20s, these are bigger kids. They still do the Four Questions, well, they’re still the youngest! Of course, I was also seated across from some of the older trouble makers, myself included, not complaining, there was a lot of laughter and love!
As all families, they have their own traditions, we sing Take Me Out to the Seder, sung to…you guessed it, Take Me Out to the Ball Game! They use different Haggadah’s, as most families do, but like most families, everyone takes a turn reading, participating in the service and the telling of our story.
I stayed until the seder was over and we started clearing the table, and some folks were heading out, it was about 930p and I had a very long drive home! Not looking forward to that…I got on the road, had the top down for part of it, of course! I decided to go through Connecticut, how much traffic could there be at 12-1am?! Well…not hours of traffic, but there was traffic! Seriously? I cannot stand driving through that state! I may have already said it, I enjoy the state, just not driving through it! ugh!
After about 3 hours, I probably stopped every hour, to get gas, walk around, keep myself awake and ready to go. It was a very, very, very long drive. I find that during the day, I can drive for what seems like forever! I remember driving from St Louis to Denver, CO, it’s about a 12 hour drive, I did it in one fell swoop, isn’t that a great expression! But once the sun goes down, I’m not good for the full drive without stopping.
I made it home safely, finished a podcast, started a new one, that kept me going for hours, I wasn’t sure when it was going to end, but good for my drive! I made it home about 330am and I was done! I emailed dad and my sister to let them know I was home, went into the house and was greeted with running, snuggles, and kisses from the fur babies, someone had fallen asleep and left them out.
I proceeded to love on them, get them in the crate, and it was all I could do to walk upstairs, put on my jammies, and fall into bed, the alarm was still coming at 6a, really?
All in all, a good trip, too short, but a good one. Family, friends, food, and fun, what more could you want? Notin’ I tell ya! Nothin’! G’Night!
Yesterday, after the Biker and Bike Blessing, I loaded up the convertible, kissed PSM and the dogs buh bye, jumped into said convertible, dropped the top and away we went! We being me and the cah! [I said cah because I was heading to Bahston!]
PSM gave me a way to avoid the traffic in Connecticut, that Connecticut is so famous for and makes people not want to go or drive through Connecticut. Ok, so maybe people want to go, I spent a great weekend there with CWB two years ago, but driving through it to get to Boston, not my favorite, or my husband, or my dad, or anyone else who has to do it. That being said, PSM gave me a route that would add about 100 miles to my trip, which meant about an extra hour, but I would avoid Connecticut, and it worked!
I arrived at my sister’s about 830p, eyes were slits, but I made it! After visiting for a bit, I was done! Down to the sofa in the basement, set up the blankets, jammies on, and I started talking to you and couldn’t sleep, really?!
I did not set an alarm for this morning, but lucky me…I woke up about 530a, fun! I lay there not thinking or doing anything, I just snuggled deeper into the covers, it was cold in the basement, but I was toasty under a few layers, works for me! Eventually I got up and wandered upstairs and my sister was in the kitchen with EJS, she was heading off with ACS, to do a father-daughter college tour and soccer ID clinic. Can you believe it…college tours! O M G!
MGS came down eventually, she had a soccer game in the afternoon, she was going to chill until then. GES and I started to cook some of the dishes we would need for the Passover seder tomorrow and Tuesday. She hosts first and second night. I’m always at first night and when I started dating PSM, we go to second night with his family. Their first night seder is usually held in a hall with a lot, when I say, a lot, I mean a lot of people! They’ve had up to 100 in the past! That would be something to see!
We have to strategize what we’re going to cook because there’s only so many good size burners and only so much oven space! We started with a matzoh brittle, y u m! This is one cup of brown sugar, one cup of butter, melted, then you put it on a tray of matzoh, which goes into the oven for 5 minutes at 350. When it’s cooled, you break it into pieces. Some people make it with chocolate chips and nuts, I’m a purist. You’re welcome, you’ll thank me later!
I started on the veggie matzoh ball soup, y u m! Then we made I lost count of how many hard boiled eggs, then the potatoes, we had gefilte fish to make too. This is where the musical burners comes in because there are only two large ones and we use large stock pots for everything!
We had thumbprint cookies to make, coconut macaroons, matzoh apple and peach apple kugel, charoset for just the two of us, since we can’t eat apples. I think that’s everything. You know…I really need to give you our recipes for these dishes, they are sooo good! Other people would be bringing items tomorrow, so we don’t have to cook everything like we used to when we were kids.
About 1030am, we went over to a friend’s house to help them with the crafts for her son’s bar mitzvah, it’s a baseball theme and she needed a little extra zhuzhing it up [you just have to say the word out loud]. That was a lot of fun, there were glue guns, batteries, lights, baseballs, the whole nine yards! And she had a Cricut, so I had someone to chat Cricut, you know I was in heaven!
After the craft party, we headed back home to cook some more. When we got there, dad had arrived! The family is together! We chatted and caught up while we made a few kugels, then everyone left for the soccer field, I stayed behind a few minutes to get the kugels out of the oven, the off to the game I went.
Great to see MGS on the field, it was a lot of fun, she’s really getting so much better! This was her first game with this team, definitely a new experience! I’m so very proud of her! I hope she knows that!
Let’s just say, I had my top down on the way to Boston, today…I couldn’t warm up fast enough when I was back in the car after the game. I could not feel my feet or fingers, thank goodness it all came back to me! Back at the house, a little more cooking and then it was time for dinner. They brought in pizza and salads, I had a nice big salad, I had to go to the grocery store earlier and got some of my favorite vegan cheese, Chao Cheese, the brand is Field Roast, I actually never noticed the brand name before! I was always focused on the flavor. It is a full, rich, cheese, and melts nicely!
Dinner is always fun at my sister’s house, lot’s of chatter, banter, silliness, and laughter, what more could you want?! After dinner we did the last of the cooking we needed to, cleaned up the kitchen, everyone else went up to bed and GES and I sat on the sofa and relaxed! What a day?!
I know I nodded off a few times while we were sitting there scrolling through our phones and watching something on tv, I know this because I kept waking myself up! ha ha. After a bit, I went downstairs and here I am telling you about my day.
I’m going to say Bonne nuit (bon nwee), that’s french for good night.
Say that 10 times fast! Today was a great experience, I told you last night I would tell you all about it today and here it is!
A biker and biker blessing is a truly moving event, we participated in our first one in Hawai’i. It was held at a church, it felt like every bike on the island was there! We met, there was a blessing, in Hawai’ian and we went on our way, knowing we were, well, blessed!
Today, we were with the Lebanon Valley Motorcycle Club [LVMC], there was also the biker/bike blessing with our Indian Motorcycle Riders Group [IMRG], it wasn’t an easy decision, but we went with the LVMC because we haven’t ridden with them yet and last weekend we had our first IMRG group ride of the season. I also needed to be closer to home, after the blessing and lunch, I high tailed it to Boston for a few days!
We got to the clubhouse at 1030a and there were already about 30 bikes and people there, by the time we left, I think we were somewhere between 50-60, maybe, I couldn’t tell, but there were a lot of us! It was fun meeting some new people in the group and seeing what everyone rides, that’s always the best part.
We were very organized, not us personally, the group. There were several people who would be blocking traffic, that means that they block traffic at lights and stops so we can all ride together as one big group. The idea, which I liked the analogy when we rode in Hawai’i was we should function like a tractor trailer, everyone stays together.
We left in one big group, I know someone was taking photos, I can’t wait to see them! I have to tell you, it is such a site to see all the bikes riding in one long procession, it sounds wonderful and it looks beautiful! We rode to the Lebanon VA Medical Center, what an honor! There were some residents who were outside watching, some in the lobby, and many from their rooms. We did a tour around the perimeter, came to park in front and we all got off our bikes and walked towards the chapel.
Father Paul was waiting for us, he was wearing a long white robe, full regalia, with sunglasses, a baseball cap, and sneakers! LOVE IT! We all gathered around and Father Paul read from his prayer book, a few prayers I recognized, what I loved was he added motorcycles in there! He talked about being able to ride was freedom, reminding us of what we can do, and to keep each other safe. It was a lovely ceremony.
We all received badges/pins, oh yeah, before we left the clubhouse, we all received an American Flag with the Biker Blessing on it to attach to our bikes! After we received our pins, we got back on our bikes and rode past Father Paul, who then blessed us each with holy water! SO cool!
After we were blessed, we made our way back to the clubhouse for a fine feast of picnic and comfort foods and good conversation. We met some new folks and really just enjoyed ourselves. I know we would have had fun with the IMRG folks, this was fun getting to know the LVMC folks!
After lunch we headed back home, played with the dogs a little, I loaded up my car and headed out and here I sit at my sister’s house writing to you. I’ll tell you more about that tomorrow! I need sleep! After getting up about 6am, then the biker blessing, then a 7 hour drive to Boston, I’m beat!
Vroom Vroom…God natt (goo nat) [Good night in Norwegian]!
Peaches Prattlings 