Lancaster County PA Saturday

After a nice leisurely breakfast we headed out to explore the local countryside. Everywhere we went we were passing horse drawn buggies as the Amish got on with their daily life. I must say the children all looked very happy with their lot in life. The “Men of the House” were busy working in the fields ahead of their Sunday day of rest

We drove through the towns of Strasbourg, Paradise, Bird in Hand and Intercourse. Then arrived back at the campsite for a late lunch. Rob watched the US versus UK football match until the goal was let in by the British goalie and at that point he decided we were off out again. Saturday afternoon is really busy for the locals so the drive was a slow one. We headed up to one of the local farms, Lapps, where they milk their own cows, pasteurize it, then turn it into ice cream. I had chocolate and almond and Rob had raspberry. It was delicious and no of course he was not sharing it with the calf.

On the way back I stopped at a  house where they sell their own home made quilts, they also had a very nice cookbook that I bought. It contains all their family recipes mixed in with poems and information about the area, a very nice keepsake of the area. We also stopped at a farm that sells hand painted gourds – they are used as birdhouses in this area.

That evening I felt inspired and finished the binding on my latest quilt. Toni, if you read this, the “T’s” are made from the reproduction fabric that we bought when we were out  wandering around the woods. We had spent the day looking for covered bridges in New England and we just stopped to check the map and found we were outside a quilt shop in the middle of nowhere!

 

This morning it was very hot so we just took a run down to the town for a quick walk around and then drove around and spotted some covered bridges and old mills. It was also lovely to see the Amish gathered together at various houses – when we went past one house there must have been some 20 plus children all under 10 dressed in their Sunday best and having a great time playing in the garden.

Tomorrow we are going to drive on down to Waynesborough VA. which is in the Shenandoah Valley.

So much time - but where does it all go !

I thought not working would give me far more time to do "stuff" but in fact after working so many years the lack of structure to the day means I am actually doing less ( including writing my blog) . But... this is my new start. We decided on Tuesday to pack up the RV and hit the road.Late Thursday morning we started the first leg of our journey, down the 87 through New Jersey and into Pennsylvania. Our last 50 miles were on minor roads through local communities slow but very pretty. I spent most of the trip knitting a bunny for Alana, I worked out on our last trip that if I am focused on something other than the road and Robs driving it makes for less "discussion". I managed the legs and the start of the body

Our Campsite is small and quiet and nestled right in the middle of the Amish farmland. Beautiful rolling fields with farm buildings sprinkled as far as the eye can see. In the farm right next to the campsite, the farmer spent all day on Friday turning the hay in the field, he was using a horse drawn plough to do it. What a great way of life, if it was not for all the many hours of praying, I am sure I would make a good addition to the community and Rob should be a shoe in given he wears the same clothes everyday already..When I was based in Latvia - the fields there were all tended by hand. I was imagining trying to explain to them that the Amish are doing it out of choice not because they are too poor to buy motorized ploughs.

Those of you that know I am an avid quilter these days will also understand that this is a fantastic place for us to visit. We drove through all the backfields yesterday to a barn right out in the middle of the countryside filled with quilting fabric -- over 12,000 bolts YEAYYY. I was reasonably constrained, I bought about 30yards of fabric and 30 fat quarters. The fabric was about 2$ a yard cheaper than I normally pay and then they gave me an additional 20% off as it was my first visit. Rob took the girls for a long walk while I was in there. One of the local girls was sitting outside the store with a table of home cooked cakes. The double chocolate cup cakes were delicious.

We drove on down to a town called Lititz, famous for its chocolate factory ( Wilbur's) there was a museum there so we had a quick look around but given how hot it was outside we resisted buying any. Then took the dogs for a walk in the local park. They were a little disappointed to not be allowed in the lake with the ducks.we rounded out the visit there with some home made ice cream. Further on down the road we came to the main town for this area, Lancaster, we parked up and I took a stroll through the central market. All of the stalls are owned by the local farms so we were able to buy some great aged goat cheese. Fresh lettuce, new potatoes peas and miniature peppers. i also treated myself to some almond butter and rhubarb and strawberry jam. As we were walking back to the car we saw a shop selling all things British so we took a quick look, I bought their last box of oat cakes and Rob reminisced with the owner who came from Lancaster England some 30 years ago.

Tomorrow we are going to Bird in Hand, Intercourse - where Witness was filmed ( movie with Harrison Ford and Kelly McGillis) and Strasbourg. 

3 Seasons in less than 5 weeks !!

It all started on Thursday 24Th February, it started to snow and snow...... and snow. By Friday morning we woke up to 18inches of snow and no electricity. Which in our house means no water, no heat, no flush in the bathroom, no phone, no Internet etc. We thought it was an adventure, well for the first 6 hours, it started to get boring after that.
Rob lit the fire and we were able to burn logs to keep warm and we had the generator from the RV to keep at least one light running and the freezer so that we did not lose all the food. We contacted the electric company and they had no idea when the power would come back on. To cut a long story short - it kept snowing till Sunday ( up to 4feet in some areas) the power came back on late Saturday night then the cable company service fell over on Sunday so even with power still no TV Internet or phone - oh the joys of country living.
The following weekend we had mild weather and 3 days of rain - floods everywhere except in our area. Thank goodness for a high plot. Then last week we had beautiful sunshine and blue skies for the whole week and the temperature went up to the low 70's. As I said in the heading all 3 seasons already -- all we are missing is Autumn. For those of you that don't know already, I resigned from my job in February. I was really fed up with the politics and all that comes with a company that is running in cliques. At the moment I am considering freelancing - I have already worked a few days up in the city which was a lot of fun. I just need to see how it goes and consider my options. The upside of this is, I have at last finished a number of my sewing and quilting projects as you can see from the pictures. I have also been busy making cushion covers and other quick craft projects.







A week after the snow we drove up to the Bellayre ski resort, it only took us just over the hour and we were met with the most fabulous conditions perfect snow, very little wind and not too cold. We were able to ski every black diamond run they had. It was a great day that was only made better by the fact that the lift ticket was only 20$

On the 8th March we were going to go hiking in the reserves but they were still closed to hikers because of the volume of snow left ( they had about 4ft ) so we hiked the rail trail instead - the dogs enjoyed it as much as we did. We took a picnic and sat on the bench looking up to the mountains very nice.

19th March we went to see the Awosting falls - it was funny to be hiking in snow while wearing short sleeved t-shirts. The Falls were great -- with all the snow and the rain the river was at full tilt and the falls were fast and furious. We carried on around the trails with a few missed turns ( hard to see the trails in the snow). We did about 4.5 miles and decided to go a bit further afield next time.

It was such a beautiful day over New York State. As you can see, the lake is only just begining to loose its crust of ice. In a few weeks all the white stuff will have dissapeared and the park will start to fill with people travelling out from the city to see it - if the govenor doesn't close it as he has threatened.

On the Sunday we hiked Mount Taurus - It is over the other side of the Hudson from us, between Beacon (where the train comes in) and Cold Spring. It was a hard steep hike to the top with some great views up and down the river. We had a picnic at the top again and we also realised the dogs must be part mountain goat because they just bounded up and over all the rocks. By the time we got back to the car we had done about 6 miles

25th March over to Spring Farm at last the snow has melted although that did mean that the fields were quite soggy. We walked over to table rock mountains and then up to Bonticou Crag, our pet mountain goats did a great job although we all balked at the almost vertical drop from the top of the crag and elected for the longer path back down. Another 5.5 miles, the dogs really slept well after all that exercise and so did we. This was a good walk for spotting raptors. We surprised a gaggle of 6 or 7 Golden Eagles sunning themselves on the rocks. It surprised us as well and Rob didn't have time to get the canera out before they were all gone. We did get to see a couple of Turkey Buzzards though - just not as pretty.

A new year, a new decade

So where did January go? Well it started by catching our breath from the Christmas trip. Work was a little busy but nothing major for the first week. The most important appointment was for Cagney and Lacey with the groomer. They spend most of the day there and come back looking like new. That's not quite how the old boy describes it - but I'm sure the girls like it.
Rob's sister Ruth and husband Charlie became our first visitors of the new year. At least she managed to get in at a reasonable hour this time even if it was just as cold. Still, the weather did stay clear and dry so we were able to show them a bit of the area. Mountain house is always a good place to see, although the path up to the skytop lookout was closed because of snow and ice. We were able to get a different view of the house beside the frozen lake. There was even somebody fishing through an ice hole. This was also the first time that we had been able to see the skating rink in action. It's in a big open sided barn like structure with a giant fire at one end. It made a pleasant trip along with a lunch in our favorite bar in New Paltz.
We only had a short weekend as I had to Travel up to NYC for a conference on the Sunday. We did get to see the big HQ show room of Orange County Choppers. I think Charlie was impressed. My trip to the city did come in handy though. It meant that R&C could take a day in the city and stop over at my hotel for the night before continuing their trip to Jamaica. They both snore!! So while they were sunning themselves, I was flying around trying to sort a few things out. ten days later Rob picked them up from JFK, to stay a few more days with us before returning to the UK.
This year had already got off to a very interesting start and while R&C went east, I flew west to Oregon and California and then back home. Busy, busy, busy. All work and no fun.
To make up for it, I decided that we should take a trip back down to Atlanta to see our friends Robyn & Paul & the family. This time we left the girls with their friend Elizabeth so we knew they would be in good hands. We caught the same flight down as Paul (he'd been in Connecticut visiting family) so it was a straight forward trip at the Atlanta end. It's always a warm and culinary welcome at the Pinto household. I swear it has the biggest and best stock fridge in the whole of America. There's no chance of starving there! This was the first time we had visited outside a holiday time so it was interesting to see how the school routine affects the day. Basically its a very early start and a not very late bed time. The girls took us to see a great acrobatic basketball demonstration. Young men running around, bouncing in trampolines, shooting hoops, all athletic. Meanwhile the girls did their cheer leading stuff. Very cute.
P&R kindly loaned us a car for our visit and we got to travel out and see a little more of Georgia. We travelled north for a couple of hours, up to an area called Lookout Mountain. There had been freezing wet conditions the night before which left the trees all covered in ice. It looked spectacular against the bright blue sky of a new day. Not so much fun for some trees though as they collapsed under the weight.
It's always lovely to see the Pinto family and we hope to go down again in the summer. Meanwhile it's back to the frozen north and wait for the next big snow.

Xmas 2009 So many visits too little time

There was lots to do before flying back to the UK for Christmas. Presents to buy, cards to create and quilts to finish. I delegated the cards to Rob. That kept him quiet for hours on the computer and it left me to get on with the knitting, sewing and quilting. Nothing like a deadline to get things done!

Of course Cagney and Lacey did what they do best. They didn't know that they were about to have an adventure of their own with their auntie Elizabeth who helped us with their training. She picked them up the night before we left. Rob was much more upset that they were.

It was a very early morning start for Newark with snow on the ground and very cold. All went well and we were soon through security and looking forward to our Virgin Atlantic flight. We had always been told how good they are. Oh boy, were we disappointed. OK, we were flying "cattle class" but there was so little leg room. My knees touched the seat in front and I'm a little person! The food was sub Micky D and to top it all we had the kids from hell sitting right behind us. Rob also complained that the Trolley Dollies must have been the original crew or even their mothers. I thought that was a little harsh.
By the time we had landed in a snow covered London, collected baggage and picked up the rental car, it was late in the evening. The roads had earlier been impassable and as we drove further into the countryside we passed lots of abandoned vehicles. We inched along the icy lanes and finally pulled into Sarah's driveway a little before mid-night. She was waiting up for us but Alana was, of course, sound asleep. I had to wait all night for a cuddle.
Not that I had a lot of time for cuddles in the hectic time between getting up and getting the two of them down to Reading station to catch a train to Wales and the Celtic clan. I nearly got stuck on the train as I helped load all the "little person" paraphernalia. I finally waved goodbye from the platform. We would meet them again, in Wales, the next day.

Next Stop Basingstoke where we spent a restful afternoon catching up with Claire, Lee, Georgia and Indya. Goodness, how fast the girls are growing up. Michael had battled through the snow out from London to save us a drive. I'm sure he's put on a little healthy weight and looking a little less like a starving student. Anyway, the usually Grumpy Grandad was very pleased to see them all. All too soon we had to load up and hit the road again and set off for South Wales.

There was lots of snow around and it was well below freezing but we had good clear roads all the way and arrived to a hot cup of tea and supper. That's the great thing about going home to Wales ..... you know that you'll never go hungry, no matter what time you arrive. There's something special about catching up with your Mum over a cup of tea. She understands and appreciates my talk of Sarah and Alana in a way that no one else can. That's being a Mum I suppose.

I slept in for a while the following morning but Rob was up early and was treated to a cooked breakfast with all the trimmings. I don't know where he puts it all. I had a lovely day with Mum and other family members popping in. Later in the day, Bill dropped of Sarah and Alana and the whole place was transformed in a way that only a 2yr old can. She is such a happy little thing. Sarah is doing a good job and my heart fills with pride again. All to soon we have to hit the road again and head for Sarah's place in the southern tip of Oxfordshire.

Another all too short a sleep before setting off for Southampton via my old hair dresser. She knows just how I like it. We arrived with Rob's Mum & Dad just after lunch. They have both been ill in recent weeks so it was great to see them on the mend. It's always relaxed in that house and there is a constant revolving door of brothers, sister, grand-kids and great grand kids. The teapot never empties and the pantry is always full. Rob had his usual in-dept discussion on some political scandal or other with his Mum while Me and Dad just prodded the fire if things were dimming. We sent Rob out to fetch Dads favorite fish and chips for supper before nipping out to the pub. Rob had arranged to meet up with friends Garry and Kim. We spent a pleasant evening rummaging through old stories of motorbikes, bands and the fact that it is nearly 25 years since Rob was the best man at their wedding. We were joined by Rob's brother Dave and his wife (another Lynne). Also Charlie and daughter Jess.

We stayed with Dave and Lynne that night as Dave and Rob were off to the hospital the next day. Dave has been diagnosed with a pre-leukemia condition and the search has started for a bone marrow match. Lets hope things work out well. While they were away it gave me a chance to relax with another cup of tea (or two).

Next stop on the frenetic journey was, just on the other side of Southampton Water, Hythe and sister Sue, Malc and the dogs. There is a new puppy on the scene to keep the old boy active (Dap, not Malc). Things were pretty chilled and clearly ready for the Christmas festivities. Rob was acting as a mule on this trip and handed over the goods. He didn't even have to hide them about his person (not a nice thought). Paracetamol are so much cheaper in the USA! After even more tea (can never have too much) we set of again for the snowy Oxforshire countryside.

There was more snow on the roads and yet more forecast. We made the decision to collect Sarah and Alana and set off for Scotland that evening or we might not be able to get there for Christmas. It's around 350 miles from Sarah's to sister Kat's place in Edinburgh. We set off at around 5.30 in the evening with the hope arriving soon after mid-night. Once on the major roads, we had no weather problems and the general forecast had frightened everyone away. We made very good progress until the snow started coming down heavily in Scotland. With about 70 miles to go everything came to a grinding halt. There were trucks pulled over to the shoulder and others struggling to climb slippery junctions. We had been wondering if we were going to be stuck for the night but after about three quarters of an hour, at a stand still, the column slowly crawled away behind two snow ploughs. Fortunately, once over the high ground, the road was relatively clear again and we slid and slipped into Kat's place at around 2.30 in the morning. Thanks to Kat and Iain for waiting up with a warm welcome.

For the first time we were able to relax and do nothing. No travel for three whole days. We were very well fed and watered. Amongst many delights, the bird inside a bird inside a bird ...... was scrummy and Rob said that he really enjoyed the fruit. Christmas morning started early and we enjoyed our first Christmas Day with children for many years. There was Catlin, Calum, Abigail Sarah (still my little girl) and Alana. So much fun. With dogs to walk and books to read, even grumpy grandad enjoyed it. To top it off, the snow was falling outside. I think it's the first really white Christmas I can remember.

With an eye on the weather and knowing that there would be more airport security, we decided to set off South on Boxing Day. As we drove away from Edinburgh, the sun was shining on the beautiful Pentland hills. The snow covered hills were dotted with cold sheep and crazy walkers. The long journey south was without incident and I'm glad to say that the temperatures were a lot milder at Sarah's house that when we left. Having the extra day allowed me help Sarah get sorted and Rob to spend a few more hours with Mum and Dad.

That evening we (I) said an emotional goodbye to Sarah and Alana and headed off to the airport hotel in readiness for the unknown security adventure. It turned out that we all had to be searched at the gate. We eventually got away. I have to say that the Continental flight back was much better that the Virgin one on the way out. And so, back home to rural New York State.