New Market, MD

We drove through the town of New Market on our way back yesterday to see how it looked.  It is a very old and historic town west of Baltimore, MD and has a rich history dating back to 1793.  There are a number of old buildings along main street and we tried to get some good pictures, but it was difficult since the street is narrow with a lot of rush hour traffic.

Simpson Methodist Episcopal Church

Mealey's Restaurant

New Market is known as the Antiques Capital of Maryland. Downtown New Market is lined with many small shops specializing in the sale of antiques and other goods. While antiques tourism occurs year round, New Market holds two annual festivals that highlight the town's historic past. The "A Day in New Market" festival is held annually on the first Saturday in May. "Christmas in New Market" is held on the first Saturday in December every year as well. Both festivals celebrate the traditional life of 18th and 19th century residents.

History of New Market

The historic, Federal styled town of New Market was founded in 1793 by two gentlemen of the area, Nicholas Hall and William Plummer. On June 1, 1793 the Town officially began when Nicholas Hall sold the first lots, thereby setting into motion the plan to establish a town beside the rough wagon trail, known as the Baltimore Turnpike.

Plummer and Hall fully realized the commercial value of the turnpike and therefore made a half-mile section of the road New Market's Main Street. These astute men knew the Town's location, toll-free roadway and ample water supply would attract enterprising men and women to develop a place where travelers could rest, eat, shop, and trade.
The Town of New Market grew quickly as men with foresight immediately built homes, churches, schools and set up businesses to meet the needs of travelers moving along the difficult trek to and from Baltimore and beyond.

As early as 1797, the Town had a number of two-story log and brick homes. The Bush Creek Society of Friends established New Market's first religious institution and school. In 1799, John Roberts built the town's first hotel.

New Market soon became an important center for wagoners and other travelers. By 1812, the town had a button factory, nail factory, wheelwright shops, blacksmith shops, tanneries, dry gods, grocery stores, inns, taverns, livery stables, wagon stands, distilleries, and a "House of Entertainment for the Genteel."

In 1818, the Baltimore Turnpike became the eastern section of the National Turnpike, one of the most famous and well-traveled highways in America. The Town of New Market became an integral part of the western trade route and the multitudes who opened America's new frontiers passed through the center of town. The first stagecoaches carrying mail traveled Main Street. Over the road came heavy freight and Conestoga wagons loaded with grain, whiskey, tobacco, lumber, iron, furs, and other products. Passenger coaches and fancy buggies stopped at the hotels, inns, and taverns. Herds of cattle, sheep, and pigs were driven through to market. Peddlers came with carts and many traveled on foot carrying all they owned on their backs.
New Market remained an important stop for travelers until the mid-nineteenth century. When the railroad reached West Virginia and beyond, the traffic through New Market slowly declined until the the advent of the automobile in the 1890's.

An act to incorporate the Town of New Market was passed by the Maryland Legislature and signed by the governor on March 28, 1878 In the same year, Issac Russell was elected the Town's first Mayor.

Knees, Booze, Balloon & Lunch Date

Today I had an appointment for one of my favorite medical treatments of the year.  It was time to visit my knee and foot doctor.  She had them take xrays of my feet and knees and gave me the great news that I needed my knees drained and a cortisone injection into both knees was in order.  I always look forward to have them stick a 7 inch needle into my knee and then have them wiggle it around just to make it more interesting.

I knew I was in trouble when the petite woman nurse left the room and a 6' 3", 300 lb male nurse took here place.  Oh Oh!  Yep, he was there to help her perform the torture and to make sure I didn't run away.  Did I tell you he was a lot younger than me and played nose tackle for Virginia Tech back when Michael Vick was their quarterback?  He said Vick was a great guy and everyone liked him and he was fun to be around on the field.

Well, he did his job real well and the doctor did her thing and I was out of there in about an hour.  It seemed like days, but this will have to do until next year.   For those who don't know me, the above was written tongue in cheek.

We had a few other errands to run while we were in the Rockville, MD area and finished them up in time to make a wine and beer run.  No, we aren't alcoholics, but Corridor Wine & Liquor has the best prices on booze around here.  We knew we were getting close when this guide car showed up and helped us find the place.

Corridor also has very good prices on beer and I stocked up on 3 cases of Yuengling Lager to take to Tucson for later consumption.  They don't sell Yuengling west of the Mississippi and this will be doled out and will have to last me for 5-7 months.  Most likely I will have to supplement it with some Dos XX along the way to make it last.

Notice the two laptops touching each other.

We stopped at Panera Bread for a light lunch and saw a young couple on a date, or something like that.  I think they were online chatting with each other.  Evidently they feel it is a better way to chat.  I took the photo over Gerry's shoulder so it is not that clear, but that is a good thing since I don't really want a clear shot of their faces.

One our way back home we drove thru the New Market, MD historic district to see if an old favorite restaurant of ours had reopened in the last year or so.  It has and when I asked a man about it, he said it was open and the food was great.  Better than ever.  Then he said he may be a little "biased" since he was the bartender there.  So, for those in the know about Mealey's Restaurant in New Market, MD, it is open again.  

We had to get off the main road to make this little detour and wound up taking back roads all the way to Frederick.  We were rewarded by this picture of a hot air balloon floating in the sky just outside of Frederick.  The neat thing is the shot was taken right over a RV sales area and you can see the units on the lot along with the balloon.  Now we are even more anxious to make the trip to the Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque this October.

As a reward for all the shots and stuff, we decided to stop at Jami's ice cream trailer again and buy some delicious black raspberry cones for us.  As usual, they were great.  It is a good thing they are about 28 miles from us or we would be even larger than we are.  This may be our last visit there this year unless we weaken and make the drive there one more time.

That was our day, how was yours?

  

Roof Leak & Foreign Workers

Well, I spoke too soon about the rain and no leaks.  Actually, there aren't any leaks in the motor home, but the Saturn Vue has a leak around the skylight.  The skylight is broken and the repair cost is over $1,000 so it will remain broken as long as we have the car.  I put black gorilla tape on the seams and that keeps the water from coming in, but when we drove to South Dakota at higher speeds and wind, the tape came off.  Guess what I was doing this afternoon.

Gerry had a routine test this afternoon in Frederick, MD and she stopped by A. C. Moore afterward to pick up a rain check item from last October.  They back ordered it and were slow in getting the article back in stock.  She went into the store and asked if they had it and the clerk said it was highly doubtful that it was still there.  Lo and behold, she found it in the back room and was very surprised.  So was Gerry.

We had lunch at the Double TT Diner in Frederick to check it out one more time.  Our previous visit was less than satisfactory and we thought we'd give them another chance.  The meals were fine today and at a reasonable cost.  Our waitress had a different look about her and we guessed she was Russian or Ukrainian.  I asked and she said she was Belarusian and had lived in Frederick one year and two years in New York City.  She was ready to return to NYC since it was boring in Frederick.

I often wonder why we have waitresses and waiters from foreign countries in such great number in the U.S.  It seems with all the unemployment we have here that they could find people for these jobs.  Evidently not though. 

We left the cabin in cool weather and had to turn on the a/c once we got down to Frederick.  What a difference 40 miles and a drop in elevation makes in the temp.  

All my whining yesterday paid off though.  We had a beautiful, sunny day up here at the cabin and had our dinner on the porch.  Days like this are the reason we bought the cabin so many years ago.  Now if we could only get a fast internet signal and cable tv up here, it would be perfect.

Rain Forest in PA & Vera Miles

As mentioned in previous blogs this has been a very wet summer since the 1st of July.  We've had more rainy days than sunny days and it reminded us of the Monte Verde rainforest in Costa Rica.  The trees and bushes are always drooping from the constant moisture falling on them.   Today was another day like the previous rainy days as you can tell from the pictures below.

The rain came down so hard that we had a flood going down our driveway and it looks like a load of rocks will be on order by next summer.  We didn't have that problem for all the years we've had the cabin, so I guess it is about time to re-rock the driveway.  I'd like to asphalt it, but that isn't allowed up here since there is a reservoir down the hill from us.  Not sure what that has to do with putting down asphalt, but those are the rules.  




We did find out that the motor home doesn't have any leaks anywhere as far as we can tell.  That is a good sign and a welcome relief to know it is water tight.  Water leaks cause more damage to motor homes than just about everything else.

We made a Dairy Queen run after dinner and I ordered a banana split for a change.  It was huge and I could barely finish it off.  Gerry had her usual cappuccino heath blizzard which she enjoyed very much.  At least I think she enjoyed it since she didn't offer me a single bite of the blizzard.  

We picked up the movie "Safe House" at a Redbox kiosk and watched it this evening.  It is a very suspenseful movie with a lot of action going on.  It did continue the Hollywood theme of knocking U.S. Government Intelligence agencies, but that is to be expected from Hollywood film makers today.  It's all fiction, so I guess we shouldn't be that concerned about their direction.  It would be nice to see a movie showing all the good work they do and how they are very much needed for our country's security.

It did remind me that when I worked for the FBI in the late 50s that the "FBI Story" with Vera Miles and Jimmy Stewart was being filmed at the FBI Headquarter in Washington, DC.  I saw a lot of the crew and stars, including Vera Miles who was even more beautiful in person than on screen.  I need to get a copy of that movie and watch it again.

We drove back up to the cabin in very dense fog for most of the drive back.  The closer we got to the top of the mountain, the foggier it got.  It almost seemed like we were driving in among the clouds.

New Fulltimers & Water pumps

My cousin Sharon & her husband Al have made the big plunge and have started their full timing life in their beautiful 5th wheel unit.  They have been planning on this for a long time and have spent the last three winters in the Tucson area so they know what they are getting into and looking forward to the adventure.

They decided to rent their home and got rid of all their "stuff" that wouldn't fit into their 5th wheel and ride off into the sunset.  Sunset, as in heading west for the winter.  They will be hanging around their home for a while and taking care of some business they have to finish in the area and then the freedom of the open road will get them.

One thing that we hope is on their agenda is a visit to the Guadalarja Cafe in Tucson for a fun afternoon of margaritas, beer and salsa dip.  We've gone there before with them and have always had a great time.  Cold drinks and friends go together very well.

I decided to change the water filter on our well while everyone was here this past week or so and the pipes developed a leak in the pump area.  It is tight quarters in the pump space and rather than take a chance of breaking something and not having water while everyone was here, I put off the repair.  Jack came up and crawled down into the hole and made the repair yesterday.  All went well and the leak disappeared.  I should have repaired it earlier and it would have been finished.  Hindsight!  

Gerry in pump area circa 2001

Cassie and Lexa came up with him and Lexa wasn't feeling that great so she took a nap on the couch in the cabin.  Gerry & Cassie went outside and worked on crafts for a couple hours, while Jack and I hooked up a rope to his truck and pulled down an old tree branch that was overhanging the road.  We both had tried to cut the tree down, but it was like petrified wood and just smoked our chain saws.  I think it was a hickory tree and had hardened even more after it was dead.  We managed to drag it down and get it out of the way, so all is well.

Cassie, Lexa & Jack went shooting at the gun club that Jack is a member of and tried out some new guns.   Cassie wanted to shoot a 308 rifle to see if she could handle the gun and she said it shot great.  Now she has a deer rifle and they are going to try and get a couple deers to put into the freezer.  I didn't know I had an Annie Oakley type daughter, however she has shot guns for most of her life and is a great shot. 

We all wound up in the motor home when they came back and Gerry pulled some dinners out of the freezer and we ate while we watched an old rerun of the tv program "House".  I remember seeing it before but it was new to the rest of the group.  

They left right after that and Gerry was still washing clothes so we started watching the new "Three Stooges" movie and found it amusing but not the greatest film we have seen in the past year or so.  The actor who played Curly was the most true to the group and did a great job.  The other two were good, but not great.  

Then it was off to the feather bed ball for us. 

Special Day & Sad farewell

Our son Larry Jr. was born 41 years ago on this day and he has grown into a fine son, husband, father and all around good person.  We would have liked to be there in person to help him celebrate the day, but that wasn't possible this year.  In any case, we wish him a happy birthday and hope this will be one of his best years ever.

Happy Birthday Larry Jr.

Barbara and Henry got up early today and packed up all their belongings, ate breakfast with us and then hit the road at 9:05 am.  A little later than Henry wanted, but he should be able to make up the time along the way unless he hits a lot of traffic.  We had a great visit with them this last week and I know Barbara & Gerry got in a lot of crafting days.  It was sad to see them leave, but we will see them again one of these days.  

NOTE: ------  Henry sent me an email about the 14 mile backup on I-81 South that they ran into.  A tractor-trailer truck had a couple tires catch fire in the middle of a construction zone and it created a mess for those unlucky travelers.  Delays of 2+ hours were common and sitting at a complete standstill of 15-20 minutes were the rule of the day.  

Now it is time to get caught up on some much needed rest up here at the cabin.  We have some small chores to take care of, a couple doctor appointments and then we are free agents.  

Dobbin House & The Ott House restaurants

It's been a busy time for us around here the last week or so with lots of company.  We love company.  So busy, that I haven't had time to update the blog for a few days.  Our daughter Barbara and hubby Henry have been visiting with us and as stated in the blog a few days ago the girls have been working on crafty things.  The motor home is a mess but they are working on cleaning it as I write this.  Barb & Henry are heading back to Concord, NC early Friday morning and we will miss them bunches.

We went to the Dobbin House restaurant in Gettysburg, PA for our wedding anniversary dinner on Wednesday and had a great meal.  This was our 55th anniv and the 30th anniv for Barb & Henry.  They know we are very fond of the Dobbin House and took us there as an anniversary present.  It was a nice present.  The waitress was very attentive and when she found out it was an anniversary celebration she brought out a cake with a sparkler on it for all of us.  You have to look closely to see the cake.

We all wound up eating too much and waddled out the door of the restaurant and headed back to the cabin for more drinks and chatting.   We kept Henry up past his bedtime and he finally gave in and went to bed ahead of us.  Before all this we managed to take a few more pictures since we were dressed up and the girls looked so pretty.

Today Gerry, Barbara, Cassie and I met Gerry's sister Darlene for lunch and a nice chat.  We picked Panera Bread for the lunch since they don't mind people hanging around after the meal and taking up space.  We chatted for about 2 hours and then had to go our different ways.  

Gerry, Barbara and I went shopping at Costco for some sale items that we needed and then the girls went shopping at a jewelry store for bracelet items.  I took advantage of their shopping spree to call my brother who is on his way out to Bakersfield, CA with a load on his truck.   Then I called to wish our good friend Mann a happy birthday.  I won't say how old he is, but he is close to me in age and I am older than dirt as they say.  Happy Birthday, Mann.

Since we weren't filled up after lunch we drove to Emmitsburg, MD and had dinner at the Ott House restaurant.  Henry has been working in the Carlisle area and drove down from there and was about an hour ahead of us.  Jack and Lexa joined us also and we enjoyed the company and atmosphere at the restaurant and finally called it a day.  Lexi had cheerleader practice and she and Cassie missed having dinner with us.  Next time.  

We've been to more restaurants and cookouts this past 10 days than in the previous 10 months and my waistline is proof of that.  We may be overloaded on the motor home when we leave here in less than three weeks.  No more eating out for us for a while.

The South Dakota license tags for the car came in and on Friday we will cut all ties with the state of Maryland after living here 52 years.  Time to move on.  Who knows, we may be back here again, but no plans to do so now.  

 

Crafty Ladies

I thought I was finally going to get a break today and take it easy.  That was before Gerry, Barbara & Cassie decided to get together for a card craft day.  They had so much supplies, equipment and stuff that they couldn't fit it all into the cabin.  If  it would have fit in the cabin I would have been thrown out of the cabin.  So it was off to the motor home to do all the crafting stuff.

It was a rainy day once again so they mainly stayed out there and worked on the cards and things that crafty ladies do.  My job was to stay out of the way and not make any comments.  I did that very well.  They did make a mess out of the motor home with all the stuff all over the place.  The table became a craft table, the counter space was taken up with equipment and supplies were all over the place.  I even had to clear a chair to have a place to sit while I chatted with them.  
 They all three love their crafting and really enjoy getting together to work on the projects.  They do produce some really neat cards and other craft articles that people love to receive from them.   If Gerry and I ever move back into a real house I am certain that a large craft room will be high on the list of desirable things to consider.

While they were busy working on the cards, I was in the cabin cleaning up the mess from the weekend and then pressed into service as a chef.  I was out voted and had to prepare lunch for them so they wouldn't lose any valuable time.  Thank goodness we had a lot of leftovers and they didn't have to suffer with my cooking.  Or more importantly, I didn't have to suffer eating my cooking.

I thought my work was done for the day and settled into making phone calls and catching up on a computer project I am working on.  The next thing I know they are asking what I am going to prepare for dinner.  WHAT!!!  Democracies do have some weak points when you are in the minority.

This time I wasn't so lucky and actually had to work on grilling some hamburgers and hotdogs.  Throw in corn on the cob, a lettuce salad, 4 bean salad and other fixings and magically the meal was on the table.  I figure I am good for the next 6 months before I have to prepare two meals in a day.  

They came in, ate the food and disappeared into the night to work on some more cards.  I think I am going to sneak out there and make sure they aren't watching the Chippendales or something like that on the tv.

Now they are making plans to eat at a crab house on Tuesday.  Since I can't eat any seafood that has a shell, I guess it will be peanut butter and jelly for me.  That's alright, I didn't like to peel crabs when I could eat them, so it isn't a big loss for me.  

That was my day, how was yours?

Elizabeth's Party

Cassie & Jack officially adopted Lexa last May and had a small party for her at that time, but a number of relatives could not make that party.  Getting all the family together at one time in Maryland has been difficult and finally they decided that August 19 was the best time for the party.

Cassie made arrangements to have the party at her church in Waynesboro, PA and the planning commenced.  All the food and drinks were carefully planned out and everything came together today.  The first order of the day was to find out where the party was since the church has a number of buildings.  Thank God they parked their cars near the entrance and we managed to track them down.

We got there early enough to help setup the hall, but they had finished 90% of the work, so it was good timing on our part.   There were a number of friends there that we hadn't seen for a while and we caught up on what has been going on in their lives.  Then we all went through the buffet line and managed to get more than our fill of great food.  

I managed to get a picture of our three children in one spot.  Barbara is seated, Cassie is standing behind her, Larry Jr. is sitting next to Jane and Jack is behind Jr, with Jack's father across from him.  My FSILINC had to leave early and drive back to North Carolina and wasn't at the party.  He had early morning meetings and couldn't miss them. 

Gerry and Lexa were chatting and I tried to get a candid photo of them and almost succeeded, but they saw me approaching them.  The photo turned out very nice and they both looked very pretty.  Lexa received some nice jewelry pieces and seemed very happy to have everyone there to help celebrate her big event.  No, those aren't tatoos on Gerry's arm, it is a jewelry tree.

Then it was time to pack up all the leftover food and drinks and clean up the hall.  The party went by very quickly to say the least.

Larry Jr., Jane & Grant left from the party for the long drive back to North Carolina.  They were all tired out from the weekend and the weather was looking bad, so we were concerned about them being on the road.  He promised to make a couple "anti blood clot" stops along the way and texted us when he did so.  I had been told by my doctor to get out and walk around every couple hours when driving long distances to get the blood circulating in my legs, so I told him about it.  I think this may be a family joke for a long time.  My FSILINC also made a couple "anti blood clot" stops.  Good boy! 

Barbara is staying with us at the cabin this week and she, Gerry and Cassie are planning on getting together for card crafting and things that women like to do.  I may actually have some peace and quiet if they do get together.  It's time for a break.

Earlier in the day Grant went on a tree cutting spree.  He had a small bow saw and wanted something to do so I set him free to cut a number of saplings around the cabin.  He spent a lot of time in one area and did a great job clearing the saplings and even made a path through the area.  I contracted with him for next summer to come back and remove the rest of the trees and bushes that need to be removed.  He was a great worker on this project and I am looking forward to him coming back up here on the mountain.

Quilts & Cookout

This was the weekend for parties.  Our two children who live in North Carolina came up for the parties with their spouses and Grant  and stayed with us at the cabin and motorhome.  It was cozy with everyone here but all worked out well.  Cassie & family came up for the party on Saturday along with Darlene & Tom.   What a madhouse it was then, but fun.

Darlene received some quilts from her grandmother many years ago and decided to share some of them with Barbara & Larry since they hadn't received any from her.  Barbara had first choice and selected this quilt.

Darlene & Barbara

Larry Jr wound up with this beautiful blue quilt and was pleased with it.

Tom, Darlene, Larry Jr. & Jane

We all enjoyed some drinks in the afternoon and finally it came time for the great chef (me) to fix steaks, hamburgers and hotdogs on the grill.  Everyone gave me their order on how they wanted the food prepared and I set out to fulfill the orders.  Due to careful planning and dedicated service I managed to fix everything to perfection.  The truth of the matter is that everything came out perfect more to blind luck than my skills.   In either case, the food was great.  

In order to keep Grant busy and out of trouble I had him gather some firewood.   He happily carried out this task and made a teepee stack of wood about 3 ft high.  It was too high to start easy, so I poured some gas on the wood and let it soak in.  Then with a match and a whoosh the fire was started.  Of course this drew everyone out of the cabin to sit around and prepare marshmallows on the open fire.  We all sat around the fire for 4-5 hours and told war stories and had a great time.  I wish we could do that more often, but distance and jobs keep us separated most of the time.

The gang around the firepit.

 We did have an exciting moment when Grant who had been sitting close to the fire jumped up and said he was on fire.  A spark had jumped out and landed on his shorts and burned a hole through them.  He was jumping around and dancing a jig to put the flame out.  He wasn't injured or anything like that but needed some ice cubes placed on the wound.  Live and learn they say.

The weather held out and we had a beautiful day and very cool evening to enjoy the fire.  About the time the sun went down it cooled down very much and blankets and jackets came out.  

All in all it was a fun time.

55th Wedding Anniversary

Yes, I know that we are too young to have been married for 55 years, but facts are facts.   We celebrated our anniversary by having dinner at the Old South Mountain Inn near Boonsboro, MD.  I don't know who the old man sitting next to the pretty young lady is, but she still looks great. 

Barbara & Henry drove up from North Carolina for the Sunday celebration of Lexa being part of the family.  They arrived at the cabin in time to take the picture above of the old couple. 

The following is taken from the Inn's website and shows the history of the Inn very well.

 Founded as early as 1732, the inn has seen history. In 1755 it is probable that General Edward Braddock, accompanied by the young Lt. George Washington, marched his army past on the way to his fatal encounter with the French and Indians near Fort Duquesne. 

        By the late 1700ís pioneers had begun to roll steadily through Turners Gap on the National Trail to settle the land to the west. The South Mountain Inn uniquely served as a wagon stand as well as a stagecoach stop for the heavy traffic passing on the National Road after it was surfaced in the 1820ís. In the years that followed, the inn was visited by many Washington leaders, including Daniel Webster and Henry Clay, and several Presidents. For Clay and Webster particularly, it was a favorite resting spot. Clay was often called the father of the National Road; the road itself was sometimes termed the Henry Clay Road.

        During the Civil War period, South Mountain Inn was a part of two pivotal events, the John Brown Road on Harpers Ferry, and the Antietam Campaign. In 1859 the inn was captured and held overnight as an outpost and probable staging point by Brown's followers. Three years later it was the headquarters of Confederate Gen. D.H. Hill during the Battle of South Mountain, prelim to the Battle of Antietam. 

        Following the Civil War, the business of the tavern declined, due in large part to the reduced importance of the National Road as the railroads spread across the mountains. The property was sold in 1876 to Madeline Vinton Dahlgren, wealthy widow of Admiral John A. Dahlgren. The South Mountain House became a private residence, improved with attention to the antiquity of the building. Mrs. Dahlgren also built the stone Dahlgren Chapel, which is open to the public on summer weekends.   NOTE..  Larry Jr & Jane were married in the Dahlgren Chapel in 2006.

        The house once again became a tavern in 1925 and continued as a local pub until its purchase in 1971 by Charles and Dorothea Reichmuth, who offered visitors a setting of historical authenticity, gracious hospitality, and good eating. 

        In 1981, Russell and Judy Schwartz purchased the Inn from The Reichmuths and offered American fine dining with an elegant Colonial atmosphere. 

        Then in 2001, the Inn was purchased by the Executive Chef and his wife, Chad and Lisa Dorsey, who are the present owners of the Inn. 

        For over 250 years The Old South Mountain Inn has remained a remarkable mainstay in an ever changing world.

Then & Now

I knew this was going to be a great day since Gerry decided to fix breakfast burritos for all of us.  We ate ours a little earlier the than others since she prepared them two at a time.  We finished ours about the time the 2nd shift arrived.  Everyone agreed they were fantastic.

Larry Jr and I worked on some small chores around the cabin this morning and then headed to Gettysburg with Jane, Grant and Gerry.  Along the way we stopped at a local nursery and fruit business.  It's too large to be called a stand and they have hundreds of acres of different fruit trees along with a nursery.

As you can see below, they managed to come out of there with some goodies including creme sodas, pluots, peaches and other good things to eat.

After Boyers we drove over to the Gettysburg battlefield for a quick looksee.  The first place we stopped at brought back fond memories for Gerry and me.  In 1981 we brought Larry Jr. to the same monument and took his picture on a cannon.

Today, 31 years later we returned to the same area and got a picture of Jr, Jane & Grant on the same cannon.  What a small world we live in.

We left there and drove through the battlefield and Grant became tired of seeing all the monuments and markers so we cut it short and went to see a covered bridge in the area.  It is a beautiful bridge crossing Marsh Creek, but has been closed to traffic for a number of years.  It was partially destroyed a number of years ago and rebuilt to the same specifications as before.  The gang was acting silly and Gerry captured this photo of them.

 So, after viewing monuments, markers and bridges, Grant was ready to go to a gift shop and get a patch from Gettysburg.  We drove back into town and checked out Gettysburg University, the downtown area and sights along the way.  Gettysburg is famous for it's downtown ghost tours in the evening.  A certain young lady in Arizona has a fascination for ghost stories and would love to take one of the tours.  Maybe Ron will take the time to show her this sign when he reads the blog.  

The Cozy Restaurant & Motel, one of our favorite restaurants in the area is in Thurmont, MD about 18 miles south of Gettysburg.  It is also one of Larry Jr's favorite places and we went there for dinner.  Jr wanted Jane and Grant to experience eating there and they both loved the place.  It is served buffet style and they put on a great spread of breads, desserts and other food as well.  They lost money big time on Jr, Grant and me, while the girls also got their money's worth.   The only complaint I had was that the soft ice cream machine was gone.  Too bad, I missed it.

The Cozy has been around since 1926 and has grown a lot over the years.  Since it is so close to Camp David, most presidents since Herbert Hoover have eaten there at one time or the other.  They have collected mememtos over the years from them and have a small room displaying them, along with pictures of the presidents.  They have asked the present president for photos for the last 3 years and gotten no response.  It looks like the tradition will be broken and hopefully the next president will start the list all over.

By this time we all were tired out and decided to head back to the cabin.  Grant went in and took his shower and hit the hay early.  We sat around chatting for a while and then decided to call it a night.

Good night to you all, also.

The Clan is gathering

It has been a busy day for us ( Wednesday ) making last minute preparations and stocking up on groceries to feed the crowd up here.  Actually, the first contingent of the crowd arrived late Wednesday night with Larry Jr, Jane and Grant showing up at the doorstep around 9pm.  They were in Williamsburg, VA on vacation and made the long drive up here.  They would have been here sooner, but Larry Jr. had to stop and get his Roy Rogers restaurant fix.  I think it is one of his most favorite places in the world.  It's nice to have something to come home to.

This is the first time for Grant to see the cabin, however he didn't see much outside at 9pm due to the darkness.  Larry Jr. was surprised to see how many trees had been cut down since he was last up here.  Then I informed him that we needed to cut down 4 more trees while he was up here.  They are all small trees so it shouldn't take long.  He will be in charge of the chain saw this time.

We sat around and talked about what they wanted to do while they were here.  Let's see:  Party on Sunday for Lexa, family gathering at cabin on Saturday, go shooting, visit Gettysburg & Antietam battlefields, Harpers Ferry, WV and in our spare time, visit some more.  Grant is fascinated with the Civil War and is very knowledgeable about the subject for an 11 year old boy.  

Friday night Barbara & Henry will arrive late in the evening and then the party will start.  Actually, Henry will head right for bed since it will be past his bedtime, but Barbara will hang in there and party with us.  She should have married a younger man.  Wait, he is younger!!  

Doctors & Booze

When we moved out of Montgomery County, MD we kept our old doctors.  We had lucked out and had three excellent doctors that we trust and have complete faith in.  So, when we are back in the area for the summer we still make appointments with them for our health needs.

It's about 90 miles one way to the furthest doctor and we scheduled him first to check out Gerry's ear.  She has a chronic ear problem that she has to have checked every 6 months.  She finally found a doctor in Tucson that she likes and trusts for the winter checkup and sees her old doctor here in the summer.  He said all looked well and she was good to go again.  That is always a relief since ear operations are a real pain.

We made a quick run over to the wine store in Laurel, MD to buy some beer and wine.  They have the best prices around on wine so we always stock up when we go to the doctors.  It was a quick run into the huge place and we split up with me picking up the beer and Gerry getting the wine.  The cash register went ka ching, ka ching and was a big bill.  Oh well.

Next we went to the Montgomery County liquor store for some hard stuff like Canadian Club ($14.49 1.75liter) Vodka and other have to have on hand liquor.  This time the cash register went ka ching a few more times than it did at the wine store.  Ouch!

We both went to see our primary care doctor and got a clean bill of health from him.  He has had a private practice for many years and finally had to sell out and join a larger practice.  The cost of running the office with all the new regulations has forced him to join a group.  It's a real shame since he is such a caring and dedicated doctor.  The new government regulations are driving most private care doctors out of business.  What a shame!!!

Lastly, we went to my urologist and he said all was fine with me and the blood work looked fine and to come back next summer.  I won't go into detail but his visit is one I could do without even though he is a great doctor with a sense of humor.

Then it was on to Costco to pick up some needed supplies and such, along with getting gas in the car.  $3.45/gallon.  I don't know how we managed it, but once again the old cash register was making a lot of noise ringing up all the purchases.  

I was in such a state of shock that Gerry suggested we stop by the Ott House bar & restaurant for dinner.  Since it is one of our favorite places, that made the pain of the day sort of drift away after sharing a cold pitcher of Yuengling beer.   

Even the thunderstorm that came through about 30 minutes ago couldn't dampen our spirits.  We had some really loud thunder boomers and lightening.  One bolt struck very near us within a couple hundred feet.  I will check for damage when it is light.  

Now it is time to hit the hay on this long and expensive day.

Mission Accomplished

Yesterday my blog featured peach pie and how delicious it is - was.  I received a number of emails and comments how good it looked and requests to share the pie.  That made me nervous thinking someone may come by and actually want me to share the pie.  Thank goodness I remedied that fear this evening.  See for yourself how long the pie lasted.

That's right, less than 24 hours and I am working on having Gerry prepare another one on Monday.  We will have to wait until Tuesday night to start on this one since we will have to be weighed at the doctor's office on Tuesday.  I can't wait!

We are finished trimming trees and cutting them down, so now we are moving the fire pit to burn the dead branches.  The old fire pit was located right next to the electrical wire from the cabin to the post next to the motorhome.  I don't think it would be such a good idea to continue to burn there and possibly melt the power line.  It is buried deep enough, but I don't want to take a chance.  We recovered all the large rocks and will finish the fire pit area on Monday.  There is always something to be done around a cabin.

Cassie, Jack, Lexa, Lexi & her two younger sisters dropped in unexpectedly this evening.  They had gone on a picnic at the Caledonia State Park a few miles from here and enjoyed their huge swimming pool.  It was a cool day up here and they almost froze after they got out of the pool.  They came into the cabin and asked for blankets and Lexa was wrapped up in a beach towel.  You would think they were cold or something like that.

I wanted to offer them some peach pie, but somebody had eaten all of it already.  I won't mention any names so as to protect the innocent.

Is everyone having withdrawal pains since the Olympics are over?  We didn't get to watch as much we would have liked, but did see a lot of it.  It was nice to see the US Mens basketball team win the Gold medal again.  It doesn't look good for the other teams since the US continues to produce excellent young players while the rest of the world's best teams have aging players that won't be able to compete in the next Olympics.

Peach Pie

My two most favorite pies are Mince Meat and Peach, with both sharing the top spot.  I always look forward to August since that is when local peaches are at their peak and there are excellent orchards in the area.  Gerry has been teasing me all day with the promise to make me a peach pie and she came through on her promise this evening.

Feast your eyes on this beauty.

The peaches are so large that it only took three of them to create this masterpiece.  We bought a peck of peaches and still have over 20 peaches left, so I think there may be a peach cobbler in there somewhere.  When I was a child we used to make homemade ice cream with peaches, but the hand ice cream mixer has bitten the dust many years ago.

That is a 10" pie plate to give you an idea of the size of these peaches.  Doesn't that just make your mouth water and want to dig into a big piece of this pie?  Well, look below and you can see how long I was able to resist eating a big piece of the pie.  It was still warm from the oven and a little juicy, but it was great.

We did manage to put a dent in the pie, but I think it will last until tomorrow morning to go with breakfast and most likely dinner.  It may even be our dinner.  So much for losing weight.

We did take time to watch the USA Women basketball team play France in the Gold medal game today.  I missed the first half and only saw the 2nd half that turned into a rout very quickly.  When France cut the score to 10 points early in the 2nd half I told Gerry it was time for a 12-0 run to put the game away.  Right on que the women went on a 13-2 run and then added to it later.  The lead grew into the 30s very quickly and they put France out of their misery.  The French women were 7-0 going into the game and had exceeded the expectation of most experts.  They are a young team and should improve by the next Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

I am not that big of a fan of womens basketball, but this group of Americans played very well and had a tough defense.  My hat is off to them.  Well done.

The rainy days are hopefully behind us for a while and today was a bright sunny day with a nice breeze.  I don't think it got above the high 70s and the breeze cleared out some of the humidity.  I'll take days like this all the time.

May the peach be with you!  

Chili for dinner

We sure have been having unusual weather this summer.  First it was so hot it was uncomfortable to be outside.  Then it started raining and hasn't let up that much the last month or so.  It's great for the lakes and streams, but difficult to get anything done outside.  Now it has cooled down and we haven't had the a/c on for a couple weeks.  Crazy!  It did rain on and off all day here at the cabin with some sunshine in between the rain.

How cold is it?   Well cold enough for Gerry to prepare a batch of her famous homemade chili.  She won't make it unless it is cool outside and today was the day for fixing it.  As usual, I ate more than my share of the chili and will pay for it tonight.  I don't care, it was worth it.  I just hope that Gerry won't have too suffer to much.

We had some errands to run to the bank, post office and I had to have some blood drawn before I went to the doctors on Tuesday.  It was sort of unusual in that I had two prescriptions from two different doctors for the exact same tests.  I only had to use one prescription to satisfy both doctors.  Now I hope they process it in time for my appointments on Tuesday.  The urologist will still expect me to be there for my yearly exam and he can read the results later and get back to me if there is a problem.  Not so with the other doctor.  He wants the results first.  I may have to make up an illness for him to check and get back to him later.  

We stopped for some local peaches on the way back from the errands and I had to have one in the car on the way back.  It was super and so full of juice that Gerry had some spill out onto her clothes when she took a bite of one.  I was careful and came through almost unscathed.  The peaches are huge and like the ones I remember when I was a child back in Illinois.  We used to go to Calhoun County, IL along the Illinois river and pick the peaches to get fresh ones.  They were almost the size of softballs and juicy.  Ah, the good old days.

Tonight we finally got a chance to relax and watch some of the Olympics on TV.  Of course they showed a long segment telling how great the 1992 "Dream Team" was and then showed some more events later.   We did enjoy the time to just sit and take it easy.

Back to the Cabin

We got up early this morning to visit with Jane before she left for work.  She had a meeting near her home and decided it wouldn't make sense to drive all the way into town, just to turn around and drive back out.  It worked to our advantage since we got to spend some more time with her.  

Larry Jr. prepared a real nice breakfast for us all and we stuffed ourselves.  It was the first time I've had mesquite bacon and also pepper bacon.  It sure was tasty and Gerry gave me the evil eye to quit eating so much.

After she left we got ready to leave and head back to the cabin.  We actually left a little later than expected, but we weren't on any schedule and not in a hurry.  We said our goodbyes to Larry Jr & Grant and pulled out of their driveway.  It was sad to be leaving but it was time to go.  They have plans for next week and things have to be done before they leave.  Also, they will be at the cabin next week for a party.  

We made great time until we got about 5 miles into Virginia on I-77 and that is where we came to a halt.  It was mostly stop and then go for about 10 miles due to going from 2 lanes to one on the highway.  When we finally got to the construction site, it was just a couple trucks working on a bridge.  What a mess they made of the highway and the backup was unbelievable.   I had been warned that there were also backups on I-81 north and decided to take a back road through the countryside of Virginia.  We didn't make very good time, but it sure was a nice drive with beautiful scenery.  Good decision on our part.

We stopped for a pit stop and a sandwich at a Subway restaurant and walked around a little to get the blood circulating again.  It seems that these stops are more necessary the older we get.  At this rate, we will be stopping more than driving in the near future.

We stopped at a FlyingJ in Winchester, VA on the way down and paid $3.29 for gasoline and it was $3.49 less than a week later.  I guess they are raising their prices and getting ready for the Labor Day weekend.  It seems to get worse every year with the price run up in the summer.  

We then ran into a huge rain storm that was flooding the road in places.  What is it about us and rain storms when we are on the road?  We are considering hiring ourselves out to bring rain to parched areas of the country since the rain has been following us around since we left Tucson.  Enough!

We are now back at the cabin and getting ready to hit the hay for the evening.  It's been a long day and we both feel it.

We really enjoyed all the festivities and seeing all our children, grandchildren and friends this past week.  We got a chance to talk to each one and spend time with them.  Life is good.

Good night all.

Thunderstorms & Geocaches

We had an quiet day here in NC today.  We slept in a little and then hung around the house and took it easy.  Gerry wanted to visit with Barbara and work on her crafting so we headed over that way in the early afternoon.

While they worked on cards, Larry Jr., Grant and I went out to pick up some geocaches in the area.  They were close to Barbara's house and we waited for a storm to pass through the area.  The rain sort of limited which geocaches we could look for without getting mud soaked and wet, so we kept to ones near the road.  We each found a cache and quit after 3 caches.  There are a lot of caches in the area, but we didn't have time to find them all.

Later Barbara joined us for dinner at Larry Jr & Jane's house and we finished off a bottle of Sangria wine which was very good.  The meal prepared by Jr. was great as usual and we all managed to stuff ourselves.  

Now we are watching some of the Olympic events and taking it easy.  The track and field events are on I always enjoy them since I ran track while in High School.  My events were 440 yard, broad jumping and the 220.  We had to run track if we wanted to play football, so there wasn't a lot of choice for me.  It's hard to believe that I actually was in that good of shape to do those events.   Not now though.

That was my exciting day, how was yours?

Panera Bread & McDonalds

We went to Panera Bread for dinner yesterday since we all were so full from the weekend and big lunch.   We enjoy the bowl of soup and half sandwich meals there and they aren't 2,000 calories total.  

We pulled three tables together to accommodate the seven of us and while waiting for the meal to be ready I noticed a large group of ladies sitting front of us.  They were a bible study group and enjoying their meal before they started on the bible study.  At a table behind them there was a smaller group who obviously a book study group.  Neither group was bothering anyone and most people didn't even take notice of them.

I asked an employee if they had many groups like that who availed themselves of Panera to meet in.  She said, "oh yes, we have them all the time and they are welcome".   As I stated earlier, they weren't a problem for anyone.

A McDonalds restaurant in New Jersey banned a bible study group who had been meeting there for over two years.  There a two stories circulating why there were banned and I don't know which is true.  One is that the store is small and they need the tables and the other is that the bible group offended someone.   If it is the first case, then it is understandable, however if the second reason doesn't make sense to me.  As long as they keep it down and concentrate on what they are doing it doesn't seem that anyone should be offended.

What the above has to do with anything, I don't know.  It was something that was going around my little brain.

We checked out of the hotel and are now spending a few days with Larry Jr and family.   Barbara is working during the day and Henry is on a mini vacation to CT.  He says it is work, but we all know it as just the same as a vacation.  Have fun Henry!

We had time to watch the American women play Canada in soccer yesterday and it was quite a game.  It went into two extra periods and the US scored the winning goal with 30 seconds remaining.  The Canadians actually outplayed the US and most likely deserved to win, but couldn't get the job done.  They played a very physical game against the US and the referee let them play on.  I am sure this game will be remembered by both teams for many years.

Meanwhile, it is time for the Brazil-Korea mens soccer game and I have to get back in my seat.  Play on!

30th Wedding Anniv Celebration

Whew, I am glad I made it through these last few days.  We all gathered in Concord, NC to celebrate the 30th wedding anniversary of our daughter Barbara and her husband Henry.  It is hard to believe that 30 years have passed by and so much has happened during this period in our lives.  No, don't worry, I'm not going to include a detailed account of those 30 years.

Their children had planned a surprise party for them and started work on the party almost a year ago.  Henry had switched jobs a couple months ago and there was a chance he would be out of the country for the party date, so they told them about it on Father's Day.   As it turned out, he wasn't traveling during this time so it would have worked out fine keeping it a surprise.

The kids had reserved the local community room and decorated it very nicely in a Hawaiian theme Saturday morning.  The party actually started Saturday morning and afternoon with most people gathering at Barb & Henry's house.  Thank God it is a large house and great for entertaining or we would have been sitting in each other's laps.  Around 5pm the herd migrated to the community room and the serious partying commenced.   There were over 900 photos taken by four different people and I have all of the photos on the computer.  I managed to cut it down to seven photos to include in the blog.

As soon as I walked in the door these two blond beauties accosted me and demanded to have their picture taken with me.  That is my story and I am sticking to it.  The pretty blonde on the left is my granddaughter Stephanie and my grandson Sean is married to the beauty on the right.  To make it even better they are both RNs and smart to go along with their beauty.

Stephanie, Larry, Taylor

Since the party theme was Hawaiian,  we were supposed to wear Hawaiian shirts and dress.  A few of us really got into the spirit of the party and may have dressed a little overboard.  What do you think, is this just a little too much?

Grant

Our grandson Grant is going to be a real party animal when he gets to college.  Think Toga parties galore for him in the future.  Larry Jr & Jane, you might want to start preparing yourselves.

It was a great opportunity to get some family photos and this branch of the Hagadorn family gathered quickly for this photo.  Left to right are:  Jared, Stephanie (the Princess), Barbara, Henry, Sean & Ryan.  The  member missing from the photo is Rita the family dog.

Jared, Stephanie,Barb,Henry, Sean & Ryan

We recreated the wedding photo taken many years ago of Gerry, Henry, Barb and me.  Of course the outfits have changed along with some of the participants, but the photo turned out nicely.

Gerry, Henry, Barb & Larry

Henry even took time out to have his picture taken with his favorite mother-in-law.  What a guy!   He is also our FSILINC, so this was even more special.

Gerry & Henry

The family picture was taken also with everyone connected to us.  I really was happy to have a place to sit by this time.  All that standing and walking around sure was tiring. 

I'm including another picture that recreated one taken at the actual wedding in 1982.  Cassie was the maid of honor and Larry Jr was the ring bearer.  When it came time to take their official picture one of them came up with the bright idea to stick out their tongues.   They have grown up now, but still are kids at heart.  It sure makes a father proud.

Sunday we all met at Barb & Henry's home for breakfast, sharing photos, eats, drinks and more partying.  I think I am getting too old for all this partying and late hours.  It is time to sleep in and take it easy.  

We will be here in the Concord area until Thursday morning and then head back to the cabin.  Our doctor appointments start when we get back that entails a 200 mile drive for each time we drive to an appointment.   After that, the kids will be traveling to our cabin and Maryland for a party for Lexa.   I think this one will be a lot smaller and not as intense.  I hope so.

That was our weekend, how was yours?