Dracut, MA to Lancaster, PA, ......UGH!

We're sitting in our coach at the Beacon Hill Campground and still thinking about yesterday's 400 miles of our trip home. It rained off and on but topping off our tank in Bloomsbury, NJ with lightning overhead was a not-so-subtle hint of what was to come. We drove onto Rt. 78 at Exit 7 and got the news on the CB. Two tractor trailers jack-knifed ahead of us at PA Exits 57 and 60! With pouring rain and speed reduced to under 30mph we were just 21 miles from Rt 222 and our escape from this parking lot. While inching along we actually witnessed a pick-up towing a large animal trailer jack-knife in the passing lane. The driver, braking when he saw traffic stopped, lost control and ended up hung up against the center wall. No one was hurt but that was to be the third accident we encountered on Rt. 78. One hour later we turned onto Rt. 222 and smack dab into another back-up due to an accident! Four accidents in all and another we heard about on the radio. We lost two hours in traffic! But our story gets better...

We were about fifty miles from our destination when the Low Air warning light and buzzer broke our monotony. We pulled over and began the litany of options ahead of us. As many of you know, when air is lost in an air brake system, the breaks will cease to function! It seems that within a minute or so the buzzer silenced itself and the gauge jumped right up to the correct air pressure. What the....! I had brakes and air and what just happened. Off we went. But, six miles from our campground the Low Air light and buzzer sounded again.
This time, I pulled over and tried to work this out in my head as to what was happening. We never did loose air! I made some basic checks under the coach and all was normal. I shut the coach off, let it set for a minute and fired it up again. The gauges worked normally. I hoped the shut down may have reset something and away we went. Our "Old Friend" and our HHR looked like we've been "muddin!" We can live with that... as long as we can keep going.


We're camping at the Beacon Hill Campground on route 772 in Leacock, PA. http://www.800padutch.com/beacon.html It's situated on two levels terraced on the side of a hill just a short walk from the Kitchen Kettle. This picturesque campground is nestled in the heart of "Amish Country." Campground owners, Cliff and Rene are extremely friendly and have many "repeat" customers.

The  below "stitched" photo give you an idea of its layout.

On the second level of the campground you can sit in this shaded and manicured garden looking over Amish farms and the beautiful landscape.

This is the view in front of our coach...



Staying one day gives us just enough time to sample all the jams and jellies in the Kitchen Kettle, http://www.kitchenkettle.com/index.asp visit with some friends and pick up (literally) pounds of their yummy Country Sausage! We did a driving tour to hunt down an apple pie for desert and we caught the eyes of a couple of locals.....

We spent some time with our friends Abner and Becky and their daughter Kathleen. They are the owners of Lapp's Coach shop http://www.lappscoachshop.com/ which just happens to be just across the street from the Kitchen Kettle.

We got to say hi to Deb, the owner of "Pepper Lane Fudge and Sweets" and met her husband Mike.

http://www.kitchenkettle.com/members/pepperlanefudgeandsweets.asp

Deb was busy cooking chocolate and pecan fudge for the day. Deb also enjoys following along with our Blog. She and her scrumptious fudge were the topic of one of our past posts.

One thing we didn't remember about Lancaster County,PA, this time of year is the most humid time for the area! This seems worse than Florida! WOW! (I take that back, they only suffer through this for a month or so! You get to enjoy this for five to six months in FL!)

Here's a map of a few places to visit if you should be in the area....

My phone call to Freightliner confirmed my thought that we didn't have an air pressure problem but more of a "gauge" problem. The Tech I spoke with identified the Vehicle Data Control (VDC) as the likely culprit.

Air lines from the compressor enter this electronic box that sends data to the gauges and the warning buzzer. The VDC is located under the rear bed on a rail above the engine. The bed lifts up but there are two large steel insulated panels bolted down that seal the engine compartment from above. The VDC will most likely need to be replaced. We thought about heading to the main Freightliner Service Center in Gaffney, SC but the earliest they might be able to get the part is next Monday! That's out. We're going to try and drive home and have it repaired then.

The Techs said that the problem will not affect anything else, but it certainly will be a nuisance!

Just over a thousand miles to go...... and a bunch of "what ifs" ahead of us!

News Flash!! This just in.......

While clearing some of the road dirt off our Journey a man walked around the back of our coach, looked at me and said..."you are here!" What a surprise! It was none other than "Big" Buzz!

Some of you do not know "Big" Buzz but many of our friends from Encore Lake Magic Resort sure do.

Yep, (from left to right) "Big" Buzz, Judy, Cathy and Judy's brother Rick.

They've been traveling together and will spend a few days here in Amish Country. After that they split up and "Big" Buzz and Judy head north to Maine while Rick and Cathy head south to D.C.

We spent a few minutes telling each other how shocked we were to actually connect and get to say hi. Our hasty reunion was so short but sooo great!

They looked great and are looking forward to returning to FL. Rick and Cathy have been to Lake Magic before and this year they'll be wintering with all of us after the Holidays for several months. I see a "welcome party" in order! Meeting up with "Big" Buzz and Judy and Rick and Cathy was an awesome surprise. We wish them an enjoyable and safe trip and are looking forward to seeing them in November

....and that's the news of the day!

Time's up!

It's that time again! In a few days we'll be "breaking camp" hooking-up the HHR to our "Old Friend" and heading south. We've got a few more things to report on before we go.
We visited our homestead in Hampstead, NH to spend some time with our land owners, Laura and Chuck and their family. They're enjoying their grandchildren and making more time for themselves. Laura and Chuck have worked hard all their lives. Their son Chuck Jr. is taking on more responsibilities in their business allowing Laura and Chuck to enjoy car racing and travel. As Chuck Sr. says, he's entering "semi-retirement. As with most business owners, it's difficult to "let-go" of what you've built over ones career. They've paid their dues and now it's their turn to reap the benefits of all their hard work.

Over the months ahead, together they will plan trips to visit many of the streets and back roads of America. This month they're heading to Iowa. They've sketched out a plan to visit the John Deere factory and (are you ready for this) "drop in" on "Dannielle," the TV show "American Pickers" receptionist. Laura and Chuck will be on a real American Adventure.

Lee asked me to ride with him in his '78 Vette to give it a run and I wanted to see his finished project at a nearby Nursing/Assisted Living facility he worked on much of last year.

You may recall this photo from last years' visit to MA when Lee took me to see his "project."

Before...

After...

What a fine piece of work!

Oh, I should mention, as you know Lee and Pam are not your average car lovers, they're into building them as well. Lee's been tinkering with their Vette. Last year he began the "rebuilding" of the Vette. He sold the Mack  and Ford pick-up trucks he was going to restore when he "felt the need for speed" instead. He put a big block Chevy engine in the Vette putting out 350 H.P. This winter he's attacking the body.

Just the other day a trailer backed into his driveway and here's what he rolled out........

A (sort of) retired Super Modified! In earlier posts I mentioned that Pam and Lee enjoy following auto racing. Well, they're more than a little interested. Both Pam and Lee have followed, sponsored and loved the Super and Modified racing circuits for years. This past week they took a major leap into the arena, they purchased this car and together Pam and Lee will become the "P & L Motor Sports" racing team. The past few days, fortunately the weekend, Lee and Pam have been working over the car and trailer like kids tearing open gifts at Christmas. The car has sat in the trailer since 2001. They're building a racing team of friends and fellow racing enthusiasts and they hope to put the rubber to the track next year.

This is one strange vehicle as you can see....

The engine is on the SIDE of the car.

Whoever drives this thing is in for a treat...

...and it just looks strange.... it's direct drive!!!! No transmission!

You can bet this baby can make some noise!

Within minutes, Lee had the cowlings off and is preparing to inspect every part of the vehicle and make it race ready. The Big Block Chevy is waiting for the first mist of alcohol to explode inside its cylinders and make its presence known on the track once again.

We wish Pam and Lee the best of luck and we'll look forward to hearing and hopefully see them run this car to the Victory Lane many times!

Bill and Angela are celebrating their 45th Anniversary so we had a little get-together to celebrate....

Believe it or not, from left to right: Bill, Bobby, Angela, Cathy, Judy Dave, Pat and George!

We had a grand time! Ah, PhotoShop can do wonders!

After our little celebration, we headed back to our home-away from home to find Pam and Lee enjoying a New England treat... Lobsters!

Photo correction- that's not Lee's belly, he's holding the plastic bag full of lobsters!

The four of us enjoyed some great conversation and called it a night.

Our last day will be spent prepping our "Old Friend" for the trip home and sharing some cheer with anyone who drops by to see us off!

Even with an extra week, our time up north is rapidly dwindling. It never fails, the shorter the time left the more you pack into it. The Northeast is gorgeous at this time of the year. Schools are back in session and "Snowbirds" begin to make their winter travel plans. Pat and I will make our way home over the next few days. We'll miss the glorious fall foliage that graces New England but we don't miss the snow. We miss the well defined seasonal changes we've enjoyed for all our lives as well as the family members and friends we leave behind each time we visit.

Darn! I must have had a "brain fade!" Better late than never.  How could I forget one of our most eventful days while here in MA. We were invited to a "Summer Get-Together" with our long time friends and Groveland, MA neighbors, Janet, Erin, Caitlin and Dan.

For nearly all of the twenty-two years we resided in Groveland, we shared so many outstanding memories as we literally watched their two beautiful daughters grow into two beautiful young women. Dan and I shared so many ice-cold "line beers" and helped each other with all the great stuff "happy home owners" do. The BBQ was held at Janet's Mom's home. Pat and I became "honorary" members of the Donovan Family Annual Christmas Party.

Thanks for the memories Dan and Janet!

Prior to Dan and Janet's BBQ we killed a little time (and $$$) and headed for Jordan's Furniture. We weren't looking for anything, just killing time. Pat caught sight of this cute chair table. Well, it's now packed in our HHR!

Jordan's is quite an experience, it houses an IMAX theatre, Trapeze school, Water "Fireworks," Ice Cream and Jelly Bean Store. To boot, Jordan's is a huge supporter of Red Sox Nation.

Some of you Red Sox fans may know who this fellow is...

It's "Wally" of the "Green Monster" fame!

"Wally" is climbing over the "Green Monster." He's quite large. Going diagonally up the lower left corner of the photo is the escalator and "Wally" is holding a (life sized) Red Sox player in his left paw!

I think that just about does it!

We hope you'll stay tuned for our next post from Florida.

Things To Do and Places To Go....up North!

Pat finished her 12 day shift stretch and we completed packing the Journey by late evening Friday. We had the HHR hooked up to the motor home and ready to go. We took our time and made all the last minute preps, fired up our "Old Friend" and idled our way out of our RV Port. Turning onto Rt. 27 we realized we forgot the GPS! A quick "turn-around" and back to the house we went. Fortunately, I don't think anyone witnessed our return. Within a few minutes we were on our way...... again.

Nearly 700 miles later we pulled into a secure and empty rest area under the lights. Around 1:00 a.m. we awoke to a family talking very loudly as they took a break and headed out. We also noticed the place was full of campers/travelers. A short time later we were again awakened by some voices only you could tell they were trying to be as quiet as possible. Originally, I thought a family was in a small Class C until I noticed more and more kids and adults walking out of the rig! It seemed there were more than a dozen people packed into the rig. I stuck my head out the window to see what type of rig they were in. It turns out they were in one of the fancy short buses and they were going or returning from a function.

Day two, 600 miles and we're through D.C., Baltimore and beyond. The only "incident" to report took place while crossing the twin Newburg Beacon bridges. We were in bumper to bumper traffic and a voice on the CB says to check out the "wall of water that looks like a tidal wave heading for us!" Sure enough, we watched as the front began to engulf the hills in the distance as it made its way up the Hudson River! Yikes! Let's get off this bridge! Well, we did and were slowly over taken by wind and heavy rain that reduced our speed to around 40, and that was fine by us. We made it just fine and were glad we were off that bridge!

Our next stop was the rest stop in Union, CT. We pulled into our camping spot in Dracut, MA early noon the next day. Our "Old Friend" never missed a beat and treated us to a comfortable trip. We typically travel between 63-65 mph. It may seem a slow pace but it's the most comfortable for distance and a whole lot less stressful driving.

Our Hosts, Pam and Lee greeted us and set us up to feel right at home...

...right next to Pam and Lee's Meridian!

We spent a restful evening in Lee and Pam's "hang-out," their exquisitely well furbished garage, had a few beers and a good night's sleep.

Now we get to plan our appointments and visits for this shorter than usual stay.

But first, I've got to catch up with our best friends George and Judy. They have a camp on a beautiful lake in NH and Pat and I get to set aside a few weekends a year to enjoy the Sunapee Lake area. It also helps that I got George into Amateur Astronomy. Together we've frequented a ball field near his camp that has gorgeous dark skies. Too boot, George recently purchased a telescope he'd been researching for several years, a Celestron GS-8. It's a beauty. It's a motor driven 8" Equatorial Mounted Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope.

And, it never fails that when someone buys any new Astronomy "toy" the sky clouds up and you have to wait to use your new "toy!" Sure enough we were clouded out, Grrrrrrrr!

I had George set up his new scope in his basement so we can practice with the movement, set-up and break-down. It's always much better to do all that before you head out into the dark.

The highlight of the weekend was to visit with George and Judy's son Mike and his wife Candice to see their new Granddaughter, Raia.

Beautiful!

I got to give Ashley her "Tinker Bell" wood carving...

And Pat and I got to see her incredible garden....

I guess Ashley's three week European trip let her garden get away from her!

We got to catch up with Bill and Angela at home.

Of course being from New England we anticipate eating awesome fish from the cold water of the New England coast. Our Aunt Ruthie, her daughter, Angela, Bill and Angela, Pat and I and Ashley made way to Gloucester and the Seaport Grill http://www.cruiseportgloucester.com/seaportgrille/  just across the street from the "Crow's Nest." (You may recall the movie "The Perfect Storm?" That's the local drinking establishment of the crew of the ill fated fishing vessel, the "Andrea Gail.")

Below is a small glimpse of the Gloucester Harbor and local fishing boats.

We were invited to dine with Pat's best friend Cathy at Cathy's sister and her late husband Richard's home in Groton, MA.

The home is the design of Suzanne's late husband and what a home it is.

The home is long as you can tell by this "stitched" photo. The large yellow room at the rear is the "great room." The interior and exterior design by Richard speaks boldly of Richard's love of art, style and function.

Above, the "great room" is spacious and includes the second level open space for much of the artwork that Richard practiced and loved.

But, topping off the second floor of the main part of the house is a well-stocked library...as Ashley found out!

The above composite of five photos gives you an idea of the beautiful woodwork that Richard so loved. Richard loved the arts. He was a dancer, dabbled in painting and became a serious wood craftsman. Surrounded by the ambiance of Suzanne and Richard's home you feel like you're back in time.

Next up our little group headed to our very own childhood retreat, the Salem Willows!

http://www.salemwillowspark.com/

Yes, that's Salem as in the "Salem Witch Trials." http://salem.org/  As kids, Salem Willows was our summer retreat to the beach.

The above photo shows the Salem Pier to the left. (Which was destroyed in the storm known as the "Perfect Storm.") Our beach is just to the other side of the wall and straight out is the Atlantic Ocean.

However, my fondest memory of Salem Willows is this tiny cove....

My Dad was at work, my big brother was in the Marines and for many days, through more than a few summers, my Mother would bring me to this cove. She'd read, I'd run the rocks and dodge the cold water as the tide rose and ebbed. We would eat Chinese chicken chop suey for lunch (and the family owned restaurant is still there). In fact, that's why our group headed to Salem Willows!

Ashley couldn't resist reliving her own childhood memories of running the rocks.

My Mother let me ride the amusement boats.... that are STILL there.....

Salem Willows gets it name from these....

The park gets nearly all of its shade from its Willow trees.

Walking down the short main street you see the remaining buildings of so long ago.

These remaining buildings of yesteryear house the very same machines that, to this day, fascinate young and old as you passby as they "pop" and "click."

These are the Pop Corn Poppers and Taffy Pulling machines that I (and so many others) got Pop Corn and Taffy from back in the '50's!

Above, the machine is feeding the rolled/stretched taffy into the wrapping machine.

Not much has changed at the "Willows" for many years. However, the cost of these tasty treats surly has!

Our hosts, Pam and Lee headed out for a few days.

 They're visiting family in the south and going to take in the races at Bristol, TN. They asked Ashley if she would "doggy sit" while they're gone. I've mentioned these two doggies in an earlier post so you might recall their names, Mindy and Shillelagh. And boy are these two fun to watch as they interact with each other. Although, after Pam and Lee drove off and we let Mindy and Shillelagh out you sure can see they missed their owners...

...as they search the area where their motor home sat.

Oh, we can't wait to see if Pam and Lee saw the billboard that has a photo on it that looks like this....

These two are doing their best to keep Ashley busy. The two of them are used to an "early riser" as Lee heads out to work around 5:00a.m.

They've already attached themselves to Ashley as they do their best to nearly knock her down welcoming her as she comes and goes, in the morning when they wake her up, walks back and forth from our camper, etc. You get the picture.

We took advantage of Lee and Pam's generosity and "hang-out" and had a BBQ.

Bill and Angela, their daughter Dawn, her son Cody, Chase (their son Bill Jr's son) and Ashley gathered around the "Man-Cave" for lots of food...

Cody and Chase brought along their bikes and did some exploring.

Pam and Lee will be  back in a few days but in the mean time Mindy and Shillelagh will keep their eyes fixed on our camper...

We parked the HHR in front of our camper to ward off the "stare!"

Time is flying!

Summer if speeding by! Ever since Pat transferred to Food and Beverage at ESPN Wide World of Sports it seems all we do is say "good morning and good night!" Pat has worked several 10+ day shifts. For a while, Pat was struggling to get her "hours." Well, right now she's well over 400+ (most of which from the last two months) and making a whole lot more $$$$ than me! Most of her shifts have been early mornings which she doesn't seem to mind but she's ready for a break. And that's going to be this weekend. We're heading north in our "old friend" our "Journey."

I picked up a couple of shifts at EWWS and boy it's different working in this heat. However, it's not as bad as you'd expect. We cling to shady areas and hydrate constantly. At least in this humid heat you can certainly tell your loosing fluid, unlike that dry heat out west.

Let's see, oh, we heard from Pete and Joan. They connected with Jack and Alice at a NY Blue Grass festival.
Thanks to Pete here's the group, "kickin' back".....

Boy they look right at home don't they? Hey Jack, you know how to save more gas towing your "tag-along" camper? Get Pete to tow it behind his truck and slide-in camper!

They had a great time.

Jim and Judy have been "hibernating" this summer. No Internet but  all in all they are having a great summer!

Next post will be from New England.

Something is missing in DownTown Disney!

Sunday was a great day for our routine walk in DownTown Disney. Yeah, we stopped in at Giradelli's for our chocolot sample and then headed to.......

..... oh, how'd you guess! Pat's favorite, The Veggie!

After lunch we always seem to head to the "Art of Disney" store to see what's new. Naw, we didn't buy anything, but it's fun looking.

Then we headed to the water taxi for the ride to the Market place. Something is different!

Let me give you a different view.

Figure it out? The balloon is gone! This past weekend they deflated the balloon and removed it for inspection and maintenance. The waterfront looks soooo different. I spoke with one of the Aeroflight attendendants to ask him if they are able to save the helium. He said no, the gas gets contaminated. But, in about eight hours they had the balloon down, deflated, folded and taken away. Don't fret, it'll return!

About that time we had had just about enough of the heat and headed home.

Speaking of "looking" a couple of weeks ago Pat and I headed to the Market Street restaurant in Celebration for breakfast and their weekly street vendor tents were set up in the street. We just happened to find a couple of things to our liking. First off we talked to a fellow who sold Bee honey. We heard that local bee honey is great for allergies. We bought a bottle of "unfiltered" honey that is supposed to be great to help with allergies. We don't notice a whole lot of improvement in our allergies yet but it sure is better than the store bought stuff.

But then, we happened upon an artist's tent who paints on palm tree fronds. They really caught our attention. One in particular found a place on one of the walls in our "Animal Kingdom" spare bedroom.

It is georgeous!

To get an idea of the uniqueness of this piece of art here is a side view.

In this photo you can clearly see the shape of the frond

Yes, the artist, Sonia Larson, and her husband literally "hunt" for fallen palm fronds, trims them and prep them for paint. They make an incredible surface to paint due to their curve and length. She tells us that finding the right frond can be very frustrating. Most are broken, split or unfit to put any finish on them.

But man, the finished product is awesome!

Her website is http://www.palmtreeamerica.com/ however, as of the posting it may still be down for updating. It should be up and running soon.

 However you can visit her own website: http://www.artistsonialarson.com/