A Fun Time At Hershey Preserve!

What a beautiful day with plenty of sunshine, a mild breeze, and temperatures in the mid to upper 80's.  Ken was up early and went to the LR to read, but did fall back to sleep.  I crawled our around 7:45.  We headed outside to have chai and tea enjoying the great view and the mild, low humidity morning.  Doloris stopped by to visit (Fred had left for work at 5) and by 9:30 Ken and I were having a great breakfast outside.

Sitting in front of Waldo enjoying my chai and looking at the lake!
Nice view, huh??????

We left around 10 to go to Hummelstown to check out the new apartment complex Ken's former co-worker in Real Estate, Kevin, is a partner in developing and managing.  There will be 6 apartment buildings when completed and the 1st building was just finished and the 1st tenants moved in the end of June.  We went through the furnished 2 bedroom, 2 bath and it was so nice.  A great housing opportunity for new doctors who are training or working at the Hershey Medical Center which is only about a mile away.

Back to the CG to have lunch and then we drove to the Rails Trail parking at Colebrook and walking about 4 miles round trip.  It was hotter than we had anticipated as a lot of the walk was out in the open and it was very sunny.  But, it was a beautiful walk and we were able to get almost 10,000 steps.

Some of the trail is walking through the woods.......

.....some is open and you walk by horse farms.

We returned to the CG around 3:30 and I spent about an hour reading under the shade of a huge tree behind our campsite.  Also talked to my mother, Lanie, and my sister.  We are still struggling to understand what is needed medically for my father.  We haven't been able to talk to his Dr. and we keep getting conflicting reports from the urology office.  They want us to schedule an appointment for him, but no one seems to know what will be done at that time.It is so frustrating! Ken showered and spent time on his I-Pad downloading some books.  I showered while Ken rested and then we went to Martin's campsite to cook over a campfire including roasting corn on the cob, but we ate at Waldo because of having more shade at our picnic table.

Then up to their site to play 4 games of ladder golf and the men won 3.  Fun time.  Played til dark and then into their 5th wheel to play Skip-Bo (women victorious) and then Up the River which the men won.  A great evening of fun and special treats - delicious cheese and apple pie moonshine!  Back to Waldo at 11:45 but we all took time to enjoy the full moon which is actually a Blue Moon since it is the 2nd full moon this month!

What a beautiful full moon!

This has been a special day with special friends!

Our First Day at Hershey Preserve!

Ken and I decided that today would be a relaxing one.  So, Ken was awake early and read in bed and then when I woke at 7:30 we stayed in bed and watched the Today Show.  We never got up until 8:30.  We sat outside for a short time enjoying the view, but it was hot already.

The view from the inside of Waldo.  It is hard to tell, but off
in the distance in a small lake/pond!

We think this was a seasonal site at one time!

No one in front of us or behind us!

We decided it was a good time to take a walk around the CG before it got even warmer - it was 71 when we got up and humid.  So we did about 6,000 steps.  We sat outside Waldo to cool down and enjoy some water and then Doloris stopped by.  Fred had gotten up at 5 and left for work.  She had come outside around 9 and when she went to go back inside, the door to the 5th wheel was locked and she had Nothing with her - phone, keys, drink, etc.  Fortunately she wasn't in her PJ's!  Ken and I had seen a Wildcat like theirs in the CG so we decided it might be a universal key and maybe Martins could be opened with the key of the fellow campers.  No luck!

Doloris had contacted Fred when we were walking and he was going to leave work and bring the key to her.  Ken and I said that was silly - we would be happy to take her back to Ephrata to get the keys Fred had taken with him and left at their house.  So at 10:30 Doloris and I drove in our car back to their house, got the keys, and returned to the CG by 11:30.

Ken and I spent most of the day scheduling Dr. appointments, oil change for CRV, blood work, appointment at Lazydays in November for some warranty work on Waldo, and an inspection for Waldo.  Also had a nice talk with Chuck and Melissa talking about our adventures together starting in August!

Around 4, Doloris stopped by and the 3 of us took another walk around the CG. It had rained before lunch today, but it certainly didn't make it any more comfortable outside.  

Fred returned at 5:45 and because of the heat and the later time decided not to build a fire for cooking dinner.  We told them to come and grill with us - it would be cooler and take a lot less time.  So, they came to Waldo and we cooked and ate together.  After clean-up, we played Skip-Bo outside, which the women won.  We played 1/2 game of Haus but it got to dark to see what we were doing. It was a great night to be outside - very few bugs and the temperature and humidity were comfortable.  We finished and game inside and played another won, with the women being victorious all evening.

Fred has to leave for work at 5 again tomorrow morning, so we called it a night around 10.  A very nice day at Hershey Preserve!

We Arrived At Hershey Preserve!

Ken went to the LR to read at 6.  I got up at 6:45 and we loaded more things in Waldo.  We got everything inside except for the refrigerator and freezer.  I am sure there were a few more things too, but the majority of it was done before we got ready and then had a cooked breakfast!

I left at 9 to go to the Dr.'s office for my Shingles Vaccine.  Without a lot of detail, it has been quite an ordeal to work this out with my insurance company.  They state that the shingles vaccine is free for its people after age 60, but try to figure out how to get it without paying up front.  It has been interesting.  I wanted to get it before Sat. (Aug. 1) when my Medicare goes into effect!  How can that be????  65???????  Oh well.  Medicare does not pay for it (take heed!) and the vaccine costs about $250.00.  Nothing to sneeze at!!  Let me just say that as of 9:30 this morning this girl has the vaccine - hallelujah!!!!

I returned home and Ken and I were on our way to Hershey Preserve by 10:30. We were able to get a great site on the hill with no one right in front of us or behind us and we could look down to the lake!  Not bad!!!  We got all set up inside and out, Ken showered (it was only 90 degrees with such high humidity), ate lunch, and were on our way to visit my parents by 12:50 - not bad!!!!  We played 2 games of pinochle, with the men winning both, before my sister and her husband, John, arrived.  Then the 6 of us played Up the River.  It was a fun afternoon.  So amazing that my Dad was doing so well after just returning from the hospital yesterday.  He enjoyed the card games and was happy to be back to Masonic.

We arrived at the CG at 4:45 and Ken took a nap while I worked on the blog.  I had gotten behind lately.  Then we prepped for dinner and it involved a lot of slicing, dicing, and cooking.  Ken got so hot grilling that another shower was a necessity.  I did the clean-up and there were certainly many, many dishes.  

More work on the blog and then Fred and Doloris stopped by around 8:30.  They had arrived at the CG around 6:15, leaving after Fred got home from work.  We chatted until 10 and then they headed back to their 5th Wheel.  Fred has to get up at 5 to go to work in the morning.  We went right to bed!  So good to be back in Waldo!

A Whole Week Highlight Update!

Wed., July 22 - I took dad to the surgical center for a stent change and then spent time visiting mom when we returned.  Ken spent most of the afternoon at his desk making calls, scheduling appts., and then planning our RVing itinerary for the rest of the summer till right before Thanksgiving.  That evening we called Chuck and Melissa to see if we could do a lot of the camping adventures together and happily they were in!!!!  So we will see them starting August 24 in Williamsport, PA for the Little League World Series!  We are excited!

Thurs., July 23 - A typical day at the apartment (no stress!).  We took a long walk in the afternoon and visited with my parents in the evening and played Pinochle.  A winning night for the men.  Then we stopped at a Pub and met Cindy, John, and her granddaughter, Alexander, to play some Trivia.  Fun time.

Friday, July 24 - Friday morning I had breakfast with my Curvette friends at 7 (way too early for this gal) and when I returned home, we loaded the car and headed to Peddlers Village about a 1 1/2 hour drive.  We walked around the quaint little shopping village with gorgeous flowers, had a light lunch, and then headed to the hotel where we stayed for the 4:00 wedding of Ken's brother's son (our nephew), Bryant.  The hotel was extremely nice and the wedding and reception were unbelievable and so much fun.  We sat at a table for 12 which included all of the Hosler clan that was there - Ken's older brother and sister and their spouses, 2 of our nieces and their husbands, plus Lanie and Bob.  We really had a good time.  It was open bar all evening with a 10 piece band, so there was plenty of activity.

Ken's nephew, Bryant, with his bride, Bridget!  What a setting
for the reception - on the Delaware River!

Our beautiful daughter, Lanie, and her husband Bob.  (Okay,
I guess I am alittle prejudice!)

The Hosler brothers and sister!

Sat., July 25 - The hotel offered a fabulous complimentary breakfast including waffles with fresh strawberries, blueberries and whipped cream - Yum!!!  Nice to visit with Lanie, Bob, Cara, and Tim while enjoying our breakfast!  On our way home we stopped at the New Holland Pool where Bria and Cali were swimming in Invitationals!  Unfortunately, we only got to see Bria's last event, and Cali was already finished swimming.  The meet had started last evening and then early again this morning.  We were home by 1:30 and took a walk after unloading and unpacking.  Ken had a long talk with our fellow campers, Ernie and Noela who live in Canada.  We are planning to visit them with Chuck and Melissa when we are in Vermont.  Later that evening I got a call that they were taking my Dad to the hospital because the stent had come out and he was running a fever.

Sunday, July 26 - Ken went to 9 AM Church, but I stayed home since the Curvettes are going as a group at 6:15 PM.  Ken and I met Fred and Doloris for breakfast and then came to our house to play cards.  At 2:30 we walked to the town park to enjoy a musical concert by 4 gentleman who harmonize called Forever Plaid.  It was a very entertaining hour.  Back to the apartment to finish the card game which the women won after being so far behind.  I went to church in the evening.  I had been in touch with the hospital, talked to dad, and kept in communication with my mother throughout the day.  Dad feels great and the fever is gone.  Hoped to come home soon.

The musical group, Forever Plaid!  I think the jackets
glowed in the Dark!

Monday, July 27 - This was a busy one.  We had a 9 AM meeting with our financial adviser, then went to Costco, and to Ephrata to get Waldo and drive him to our apartment.  I quickly ate lunch and then picked up my mother and we went to the hospital to visit dad.  Looks and feels great and so ready to go back to Masonic Homes.  Ken had loaded numerous things in Waldo throughout the day and taken a long walk.  So glad his heel is almost back to normal!  We loaded more things in Waldo and then went to Polly's to get our bikes.  

Tuesday, July 28 - What a special day!  Ken and I went to Root's Market to stock up on fruits and veggies for our camping trip to Hershey.  Jamie, Bria and Cali arrived at 11:15 and we all walked to downtown Lititz to have lunch at Tomato Pie Cafe and eat on their outdoor patio.  We wanted to thank Jamie with lunch for taking care of our mail when we are traveling.  She does such a great job!  Then we all walked to the Park (across the street) to feed the ducks and play. From there we went into the store at the Wilbur Chocolate Company where they give samples of those delicious Wilbur Buds.  We were back to the apartment by 2:15 and Jamie and her dad had a nice time talking while I played games with the girls.  It was a special time for all of us!  I got a call from the hospital and then from Mom that Dad was on his way back to Masonic Homes. He was so excited to return.  I am just thankful that he is doing so well and that he was not seriously ill.  Ken made dinner while I "glued" the lego sets together that the girls always enjoy playing with.  They always seemed to be apart when they came to visit and were ready to play with them, requiring too much time to get back together.  That evening we went to our small group from church for another fun evening of study, fellowship, and dessert.

Bria and Cali love feeding the ducks.

Lititz Springs Park really is a
beautiful place!

There are lots and lots of hungry ducks in the park!

Tomorrow we had to Hershey for 2 weeks of camping fun.  There will be visits to my parents, 2 nights of camping with Bria and Cali, and then 2 nights with Sam and Katelyn.  Doloris and Fred will arrive tomorrow evening and be there until Sunday.  Fred will probably have to work on Thursday and part of Friday, but we look forward to our 1st camping adventure with them since last fall.

Monday (Ordinary Day), but Tuesday Was A Special Day At Penn State!

Monday was a rather typical day at home.  Ken and I did go to Park City f or one of his favorite things to do - shop!  He hates it!!!!  We are going to a wedding on Friday for Ken's youngest brother's son, Bryant, and because of the lifestyle we live most of the year (rarely wearing long pants) he really didn't have anything to wear to the wedding.  So we were off to find dress pants and a tie.  If you have to go to more than one store, it is definitely a chore for Ken.  We were successful after 4 stores, which was more than enough for my Kenny!  The rest of the day was uneventful, but I did have a great chat with Doloris regarding upcoming camping trips.  We are looking forward to being with them next weekend at Hershey and then spending a week together at Sea Pines near Avalon, NJ in September.

Tuesday was an amazing and informative day!  Our son-in-law, Dane, who  has a financial practice with Ameriprise in Lancaster and just partnered with a practice in Harrisburg, invited clients on a bus trip to Penn State for a behind the scenes tour.  It was arranged by Mike Guman, a former player at Penn State and with the pros, having played for the Rams. 

We left on a chartered bus from Lancaster, arriving at Penn State at 9:30 AM.  We walked around for 1/2 hour and then met at the stadium for our private tour with Spider, who has been the equipment manager for 28 years.  He gave us a tour of the suites, locker room, field...and told great stories of the players and Joe.  His love for the team, college, and history were so evident. 

Penn State has the 4th largest Stadium in the country!

A mural inside the stadium near the alumni suite!

A huge mural of all the football coaches at Penn State!

We had the opportunity to walk out the tunnel where
the players run through when entering the field.

The stadium is gigantic and the grass so green and lush!

From there they treated us to lunch at the Nittany Inn where Mike Guman and 2 current Penn State Players, Chris Gulla and Sam Ficken answered questions about the football program at Penn State.  What great guys!  Sam is waiting and hopefully get called by the Kansas City Chiefs.  He was very open and honest about how bad a kicker he was when 1st arriving at Penn State, but with hard work, good coaching, and a pro player who helped him make some small corrections to his form, he was able to development into an exceptional player.  

Next we went to the building reserved for the football players where they have meeting room, required time spent in the study areas with 1 on 1 tutoring available, recreation areas, workout facilities including a mouth dropping weight room, and recoup areas.  Quite impressive!

This is just one row of the equipment in the weight room.  I
think there were 4 rows and all the weights were blue and white
with the words, "We are Penn State"!

Then off to the Creamery for some of Penn State's delicious homemade ice cream.  We were back home by 6 after a very memorable day at Penn State. Thanks to Dane for this great opportunity!!

A Family Day at the Polo Match!

We are so fortunate to have a polo field about 15 minutes from our house and they play every Sunday from June till the second week of October.  We try to go at least one time every summer.  Our granddaughters love going and it becomes a great family event!

After church, Ken and I stopped for some ice and then started loading up the ice chests with food and drinks for the polo afternoon.  It was about 95 degrees and very humid, so lots of drinks were needed.  Ken and I had offered to take the majority of the drinks and food since we do not have a place for picnics at our apartment.  But, everyone brought some items to contribute.  Sue and Dan, Dane's parents, joined us too!

We had 2 canopies to try to keep us "cool" and we were surprised that a times, there was a nice breeze.  Bria, Cali, Samantha, and Katelyn love being there and especially like when PaPa takes them to see, pet, and feed the horses.  All the riders are patient and kind to the girls and they especially love to talk and cheer for Nick. 

We are all set-up and ready for the food!

Love Samantha's at!

The cousins were so happy to be together!

Nick was their favorite rider last year and again this year.
He will be a senior in high school and is so kind to these
 little girls.

They love petting Toby!....

...and actually all the horses!

Bria really loves the horses and would pet them all afternoon.  PaPa always walks her up to the horses and has his heart touched by her love of these animals.  It is a special bonding time for the two of them!

Bria's special time with Bella, Nick's rather frisky horse!

I think they are sharing a special moment!

The polo match is really quite a unique event and we love having the opportunity to experience it every year.  After the match, the girls lined up to high five the riders!

This is their good friend, Nick!

The girls liked walking on the "balance beam" between chuckers and they also needed to rest at times!  We played some Kubb and corn hole later in the day. Pizza was ordered for dinner and even though the match ended around 4:15 our family was there until 7.  What a unique family gathering.

Samantha

Bria

Time to relax and rest!

Nick's mother brought Belle to our picnic
area to see the girls.  She also wanted
to take some pictures of them with Belle
to put on their facebook page! 

Belle was ready for a Mexican Fiesta!

It took quite awhile to unload everything when we got home. We had even taken a gas grill to cook hot dogs, brats, and sausage and Ken took enough drinks for 3X's the amount of people.  So, we were unloading and putting things away for a long time.

More Relaxed Days!

Friday was another hot, humid day, but also a rather relaxing one.  I was up early and met my Planeteer friends (formerly the Curvettes) for breakfast.  So good to see them, eat, and chat.  

After breakfast, I met Ken at the place where we store Waldo and we drove together to our local garage to pick up Waldo after getting an oil change and lube.  They do a great job at such a reasonable price.  I followed Ken to the storage area and Waldo was return to his storage space.  

Then we drove to Green Dragon Farmers Market to get some fruits and veggies and visit with some fellow standholders that were there when we went to market.  We hadn't been there for several years, so it was fun to go back and just walk around checking out the market!

Ken left for his podiatry appointment and I headed back home.  The doctor was pleased with the improvement in his heel and felt another shot was not necessary.  He did get molds for new orthodics which will be ready in a couple of weeks.

After lunch, we took a long walk around Lititz, getting our 10,000 steps.  We haven't been too faithful with our walking lately.  I spent most of the day doing some cardmaking while Ken did some "prepping" for our family day at polo on Sunday.  We both went to bed fairly early!

Saturday morning we went for another long walk and ate breakfast on the balcony.  I baked some cookies for polo and after lunch we went to the swim meet to watch Bria and Cali swim.  Boy, it was so hot and humid.  We stayed under a canopy that Dane and Jamie had bought on Friday, only leaving the shade when they actually swam.  

It was over around 4 and we spent the evening at Dan and Jackie Hagys.  They had invited us for dinner (delicious) and we spent the evening playing 2500 (a new card game they taught us) and then we taught them Skip-Bo.  We had a delightful evening together.  Only got home around 11.
 

Gorgeous Day For A Bike Ride!oly

What a gorgeous day in Lancaster County with lower humidity, lots of sunshine, and a high of only 81 degrees.  What a perfect day for a bike ride!

We were up by 6:45 and had a good breakfast on our balcony!  What a good way to start the day.  After putting air in the bike tires we were on our way to Gary and Marcia's to go together for a bike ride.  Sam and Kathy also met us there and the 6 of us left at 10 for the Northwest Lancaster County River Trail parking at the center of the trail at Riverfront Park.  We rode from there to Bainbridge on this fairly new trail.  It was a great ride.

Currently there are areas along the trail where the corn is growing on both sides making it lush and green but hard to see the river.  As you go farther down the trail it opens up to the river and you are able to see a huge eagle nest.  It is an easy ride on macadam.  We rode about 8 miles getting back to the Riverfront Park around noon. 

Lots of corn along the trail.

Some nicely wooded areas!

Then under the bridge with a great view of the Susquehanna!

The large eagles nest!

We spotted a blue heron along the river!

Many different types of scenery along the trail!

A Beautiful stone bridge!

We loaded the bikes and drove to Columbia to the John Wright Store and Restaurant where we were able to eat outside along the Susquehanna River.  What a gorgeous setting and delicious food.  Ken and I were the only ones in the group who had not been there before.  

A great place to eat and the factory where they make armetale products!

Our special friends, Gary and Marcia!

More special friends, Sam and Kathy!

We had such a good time!

What a view overlooking the Susquehanna River!

We are a fun bunch of people!!!!

Sam and Kathy had to be home around 2 so we parted ways after lunch.  Ken and I drove to the newly opened Moe's Southwest Grill in Lititz.  Today they were offering free burritos for a year to the first 75 people who arrived there from 11 to 3, and then free T-Shirts and a complete meal to anyone else who came during those 4 hours.  Ken and I got there at 2:25 and still had to wait in line for about 45 minutes.  We did get a free meal with a drink, but they were out of T-shirts.  An interesting fast food restaurant where you order and then go down a "line" selecting like you do at Subway the toppings you would like on your burrito, salad, quesadilla, tacos, etc.  We took the meal home for dinner!

We arrived home at 3:30 and took a short walk to the downtown area of Lititz. Then over to Polly's house to store our bikes in her basement and retrieve our canopy for when we go to Polo this Sunday with our family.  It is supposed to be very hot and humid! 

We ate our delicious meal from Moe's and then spent the evening watching TV.  What a fun day shared with friends!