The camp site we were assigned was totally drenched in sunshine with no shade, making for a sweltering get together:
The location was ideal to visit with old friends and rehashing old times at the jail.
We started the day at Cigars International for a stogie and a beer:
Then we visited Roadside America, an old time roadside attraction near the campground:
A miniature train layout that has been running for years.
We were close to the Appalachian Trail so I met up with my buddy Dan at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary for a hike:
Look closely at the sign: "Bald Overlook", truly appropriate>
Here you can see the mountain plateaus that create thermals that the raptors, such as eagles, hawks, and falcons use to soar along the range. The best time to visit is in the fall when they are migrating up and down the Appalachians.
I don't know why I lost track of time and posting to the blog but I had many distractions, including the cat food drama. I went to several Petsmart locations, from Allentown to Reading to track down the little diva's food. Plus meeting up with friends and getting more golf in.
We had a foursome at Golden Oaks, me, Bob (aka Zee), my brother-in-law Jimmy, and Barry.
Never a serious moment!
It was great seeing Zee (on the right). I haven't seen him since 2012. He took me in as a young pup when I first started at the jail and he looked out for Doreen when we were all just pups.
We all got together again with our significant others for a nice dinner at Ganly's Pub
Barry and I got a round in at Lebanon Valley:
Not a great course, but man, they have slippery greens! I actually had a four putt when I rolled a 20 footer off the green, chipped up, then three putted from there.
We would get another round in while we were at our next stop at PA Dutch Country. This time I knew the greens a little better but Barry knew the course a little better. He tried to convince me on a certain hole, that a small creek below the green on a par four was in play off the tee. The hole was only about 300 yards to an elevated green but the landing area was a blind shot and there was a tiny creek below the green. No, not even a creek, a one foot wide path of water that crossed the end of the fairway. I uncorked a 3 wood and was quite pleased with my swing. Barry chose an iron for his shot. My pleasure soon turned to dismay as I found my ball in that little bitty body of water.
Barry was right. I hate that! What were the odds? We laughed about it as we downed some cold ones afterward.
Our stay at PA Dutch Country was close to the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire, only a few miles down the road. I had heard of it but we had never attended in the past, even though it was a short trip down the PA Turnpike from where we used to live. The faire is open for 13 weekends in the late summer and early fall. The setting is Medieval England at the start of Queen Elizabeth I's reign. We decided to check it out on a Saturday.
The faire is held on the grounds of the Mount Hope Estate and Winery.
What a hoot. We had a good time watching the performances and the people. You get a discount on your admission if you show up in costume, and a lot of people take advantage of that.
I didn't know you could get a black and gold kilt!
We caught a performance of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet"
Poor Romeo has killed himself mistakenly thinking Juliet is dead. She cannot live without him and she too offs herself by thrusting a dagger into her abdomen.
The most popular attraction is the jousting match:
A human chess match:
Lots to see and plenty to eat and drink. I don't know if I would do the kilt thing though like some guys do:
After our stay at PA Dutch Country we were off to the northeast and our stay at my mother-in-law's in Jessup. Our plan was to park in the driveway for two weeks from the 20'th until September 3 and be there for her 88'th birthday party over Labor Day weekend. We could enjoy ourselves at the party and not have to worry about driving back to a campground. We would then go to a campground in East Stroudsburg where we would have a short drive to Jersey and attend Doreen's nephew's baby's christening.
Not so fast. Ah, the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry, and they did in this case. We arrived on a steamy afternoon and after much maneuvering I got the trailer parked in the driveway.
I proceeded to plug the power cord into the newly installed 30 amp outlet that my brother-in-law had installed for us, and I heard a "pop!" after I turned on the breaker, which I noticed was a double pole.
The power indicator light was lit so I assumed I had power. Once I tried to run the air conditioning I knew there was a problem. The air would not stay on and the microwave was having an issue. Everything else seemed fine. The TV worked, lights, fridge, etc were all working. Or so I thought. Somehow they were running off the battery and that eventually died the next day. On the next day the electrician who installed the outlet came over and took a look. He realized the trailer ran off of a 120 volt power source and he had installed a 240 volt breaker. He only went on the information Doreen had given her brother when she sent him a photo of the plug, which looks like a clothes dryer connection, which is 240 volt.
I called the closest RV repair shop near Wilkes-Barre and made an appointment to bring it in. I dropped it off on Tuesday, August 27. The tech I spoke to knew exactly what happened when I told him the story. He said "they put a dryer line in didn't they?" It was probably the power converter.
Depending on when the trailer would be done I might have to spend a third week at Doreen's mother's house. We would have to make the best of it. When my second brother-in-law, Tony, aka Cheesy invited me to sarsaparilla Friday at the hose company I jumped on it. I didn't ask him why they call it that but I wasn't going complain about all the beer and dago red you can drink along with homemade soppresatta and lazy pierogies for 10 bucks. What a wreck I was. I can't remember the last time I was out until 2 AM!
Me, Bo, and Cheesy
That was our first Friday in town. The following Tuesday my third brother-in-law Frank, took me to cigar Tuesday in his old store in Clarks Summit. We drank some beers and smoked cigars and his buddies played the electronic slots, which I couldn't believe were now legal in PA. They wanted me to get in but I know those machines are for suckers so I politely declined. Another late night!
When Tony asked me to go to another sarsaparilla Friday I had to decline. I told him I had one more brother-in-law to party with (Jimmy) on Saturday and I couldn't spread myself too thin. I had to be in good shape for the party on Saturday. The party was a good time and I outlasted Jimmy and his motto of Rose' all day, as in rose' wine. Two bottles and he was crashed by 9. I was like pace car my brother-in-law Frank said. I kept going steady until after midnight hanging with the millennials.
I still hadn't heard anything about the trailer so I called them on Tuesday after the holiday. The converter was replaced but the microwave was cooked and would have to be replaced. They would have to order one. I gave them a day and called on Thursday. The microwave was the wrong size; too small. At this point I was almost begging for them to make it work. I implored the woman that I had to get out of town soon. She had to chuckle when I said that I was staying at my mother-in-law's for over two weeks and was desperate to get back on the road to Florida. Finally the call came late in the afternoon on Friday that the trailer was ready. I picked it up Saturday morning and brought it back to 123 Maple St. to load up.
After two weeks and four days I was ready to go. Oh well, what's three more days? Might as well just leave Tuesday for our stop at Gettysburg Farm near York. That's what we did.
The PA odyssey of six weeks, three days was behind us as of September 13 when we made our way to Williamsburg Virginia.
I will likely be home in Florida by the time my next posts are up. That is how far behind I am.
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