Reading Time

Miss C loves reading, and after bath works as well as any other time.  Mother Goose enchants, and fewer clothes is better!  We love the window seat.

Valley Forge

Brother D arrived yesterday to visit me in G Town; he'll be here for a couple weeks for his first experience of the right hand coast.  He came on the train . . . and is just today loosing his train version of sea legs.

Today, we headed out to go to Costco for a few things, and decided to visit Valley Forge when the exit to VF was only 2 miles from the shopping exits for the biggest mall on the east coast.

We didn't have cameras, as we weren't planning for anything significant, so you will have to visualize this in your mind.  The Continental Army wintered at Valley Forge December 1777 to June 1778.  A city was created by the soldiers with their log huts; rations were scanty; the ground was muddy; AND they survived to become a stronger fighting force than before.  History makes so much more sense when you walk the land where something happened, rather than read it in a text book.  There were no battles at Valley Forge; it was one of eight winter encampments.  

Costumed interpreters tell the story of firing a musket and the life in camp.  The house that General Washington occupied during the encampment was nearby.  Other buildings that formed the community of Valley Forge are gone.

Pretty interesting shopping trip, all in all!

D listening to the story of Valley Forge on his cell phone.  

(We retraced our steps for photos later.)

Miss C visiting General Washington's headquarters house

Valley Forge

A Revolutionary Soldier telling us about General Washington's headquarters

A cabin at Valley Forge.  All the cabins are reconstructions.

Each regiment had an area of Valley Forge for their men with "streets."

The biggest complaint was MUD.  Supplies were difficult to obtain.  

The Winter Camp at Valley Forge was occupied for just 6 months.

(We left wondering why General Washington hadn't sent over to Costco for supplies.  

They even deliver!

If it's Saturday, it must be Atlantic City!

On the Boardwalk

Monopoly -- did you ever own St James Place?

The Atlantic Ocean on a foggy day in May

We walked the boardwalk, then rode back in our own rolling chair.

Gma La La is ready!

Last stop: Longwood

Longwood Gardens delight every visitor: first timers, and others.

Pierre DuPont built upon the work of the Pierce family who had gathered a world's renown collection of trees.  DuPont bought the property to save the trees, and added his vision with the conservatory, water gardens, fountains, and more and more.

My Left Hand coast friend, M, enjoys the Italian Garden.

Ephrata Cloister

The buildings were five stories tall. . . .

Ephrata Cloister began in the 1730 when Conrad Beissel left his native Germany to live in Pennsylvania where he could experience freedom of religion.  He lived in Germantown for a time, then went further from people to live as a hermit.  Many people followed him to live according to his beliefs.  He believed that to be celibate, to eat only once a day, to work, to worship would lead one closer to God.  He and his followers lived in community -- women in one house like this, men in another.  Members with families lived apart from the cloistered members, but joined them for services.  Biessel wrote music which is still performed. 

The workroom where women did calligraphy.

Each Sister and Brother had a room.  

The benches you see were their beds with a piece of wood for a pillow!

On the Road to Lancaster

We enjoyed wonderful hospitality from MJ and L in York, then drove on a few miles to see the Amish country and the small towns around Lancaster: Bird-in-hand and Intercourse, of course!

This is the way to enjoy lunch on a sunny afternoon.

Hard workers, prosperous farms.

I thought of my dad's stories of his youth driving teams in Kansas.

Our turn to enjoy the clop, clop.

Annie and Albert gave us a nice ride.

Road Trip

Blanche is all ready to go!

When in Pennsylvania, one must go to Hershey.

We learned a lot; not just about chocolate making, but about the man.

Did you know that Mr. Hershey and his wife created a school (originally for orphaned boys, but now for all children who need a helping hand)?  The school's foundation now owns the Hershey company!  They endowed Penn State University to build a medical school in the town so that the people of Hershey would have a hospital.

Hershey Gardens. 

This tree peony was exquisite.  

The gardens are known for the roses, but we were a little too early 

to see roses in bloom.

Mr. & Mrs. Hershey traveled extensively, enjoyed the grand hotels of the world, 

then came back to Hershey to build their own.

The foyer; based on plazas in Cuba.

We enjoyed a late lunch in the cafe.

The next day, on to Gettysburg.

Just outside the Cemetery at Gettysburg.

A ranger led tour for two:

This is the only monument to a speech: Lincoln's Gettysburg Address

The Military Park is dotted with monuments: 

to battles, to heros, to great leaders, to regimens, to calvary troops.  

It is sacred ground, 

the site of three days of battle; 

the turning point of the Civil War.

Abraham Lincoln stayed in this room in Gettysburg and put the finishing touches 

on his great speech.  Here!

We couldn't leave Gettysburg before bidding our best to Mr. Lincoln. 

Touristing

Gma M from the left hand coast came to visit, and we went to do the tourist thing today:

Getting propositioned by a 1776-era local Casanova.

"The Ducks"

Quack, quack

Heading for the big plunge.

Elforth's Ally

The Wyck House in G-Town

Gardens of Inspiration at Wyck House

Checking out the local rhubarb

Oatmeal Play

Oatmeal play is fun!  Stirring, pouring (sometimes even back into the tub!)

Sometimes the camera is too slow to capture all the action. . . . .

Sick Days

This has been a long week. . . . MaMa T has been sick, Miss C saw the doctor and got shots, so Gma LaLa has been filling in.  And when I returned from the civilized April weather of the left hand coast, the right hand coast was ROASTING!  91, 92 degrees!  In April!  I do go crazy about the unpredictable weather.  I never know what to expect.

Miss C and I had a nice visit to the Please Touch Museum this week.  We both love that place, and she has her favorite areas: the ducks in the water, the tea party, and this week, the cafe.  Lunch out with Ya Ya!