Rocky, Christ Church and Philly Cheesesteaks

Hi Everyone! (Hi Grandma!)

Have you missed me?  I have been hanging out with Mom.  We have been spending a lot of time just enjoying the nice weather.

The park has been packed.  This trailer is in my spot.

We watched the pumpkin harvest.  They used like a conveyor belt to get them in the wagon. At first, they were just throwing them to each other to get them into the wagon.

We heard on the news that there is a pumpkin shortage.  If there is, it is not here.

We watch balloons.

We walk through our campground several times a day.

We watch the cow

and the horses.

Yep, we stay pretty busy.  BOL!

The folks drove into Philadelphia on Saturday.  It is about an hour and fifteen minutes from here.  They planned to stop at the Rocky statue and run (or maybe walk up) the steps like he did.  Well, it was $15 to park and Dad said it wasn't worth it to him, so they drove by like four times.  They were looking for a free spot, but none opened up.

That is as good as Mom could get because her window doesn't open up.

The steps he ran up.

Their next stop was to eat a cheesesteak at either Pat's or Geno's. You see, they are located across the street from each other.  The folks found that getting there was tough.  There were one way streets with people parked on both sides, so it was tight driving through.  It took quite a while to make it there and then there was no parking.  It wasn't like they were being cheap.  There was only street parking and it was full for blocks.  They drove around three times trying to find a spot and then gave up.

They headed to Constitution Center which was another one of their planned stops.  Parking was easy there as there was a garage.  It ended up costing $18.50 but they were there for 3.5 hours.  Mom immediately checked TripAdvisor to see where they could eat.  She saw a place called Sonny's Cheesesteaks that was nearby.  Dad said that he heard it was actually better than Pat's and Geno's, so they walked there.  Mom said it was pretty good.

Dad checked TripAdvisor while they were eating and discovered that they were near Christ Church and he said they should stop by.  This is the church that George Washington, Ben Franklin, Betsy Ross and others who signed the Declaration of Independence attended church.  There was a guide there who made seeing the church very interesting.  He showed them where George, Betsy and Ben sat.  I guess back then, they had assigned seating.  He pointed out a chandelier that holds candles.  He said that same chandelier was used when Ben Franklin's grand daughter got married.  There are still weddings held there and church service is held on Sundays. There are people that are supposedly buried in the floor of the church.  Mom wanted to ask about that.  Was that normal for back then?  She didn't get to ask because Ben Franklin came walking in with a couple of tourists from England and the guide started talking to them.

The chandelier that the guide pointed out.

This is where George and Martha Washington sat.

Mom sat in Ben Franklin, Betsy Ross and George Washington's pews.  Betsy Ross had a small area.  Dad said she didn't have a very good view.  Mom really enjoyed seeing the church.  She thought it was awesome to be in the same place as so many historic figures.

Post office and Franklin Print Shop.  Mom does not know if they are original.  

They then walked to Constitution Center.  It is kind of like a museum in that they do have some items, but mostly it is a lot of reading about the constitution, the Bill of Rights, etc.  Admission price is $14.50, but there was a special on Saturday and it was only $8 a person. Dad had read the reviews and said that the performance of Freedom Rising was supposed to be very emotional.  He told Mom that she might cry. She did not cry. Dad fell asleep. The lady next to Mom fell asleep and the guy across from them snored loudly.  Mom didn't think it was boring, but it didn't move her at all.

There is a room that is full of bronze statues of the founding fathers.  Mom did not take photos. She should have.

A room contains a copy of the Constitution and Bill of Rights.

There is also a section that talks about and has items from Presidential campaigns.  Mom found that somewhat interesting.

This slipper was worn at George Washington's Inaugural Ball.  The heel looks like it is made of cork.  It could be wood.

Mom thought the Ford one was funny.

Playing cards with the Kennedy family.

Abraham Lincoln item.

It was a long day and the folks finally made it back home to me.  They were gone 8 hours and then after they took me out for a walk and tried to make it up to me, they left again for dinner.

Sunday, they stayed home with me except for when they went out to dinner.  Dad washed the other side of the motor home and Mom and I watched.

A view of Lancaster from the car.

That's all for now.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Needs A Nap

Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum

Wow!  We haven't posted in a while.  Grandma even contacted us last week to see if we were okay. (Hi Grandma!)   Not much is really going on.  Mom and I have been enjoying the nice weather and sometimes we sit outside for two or three hours.  She reads and I sleep.  Mom and I patrol the campground several times a day.  Doug, who works here, enjoys talking to me, so I make sure I see him as often as possible.  The owner also likes to pet me, so I make sure he sees me. Mom is still working when she wants or rides Buddy aka shopping. Mom has been busy purging things but still has more cabinets to go through. She got out all her winter clothes last week and washed them.  My bed even got washed.  I was not happy.  So, we are not just sitting around watching TV.  BOL!

Here I am in front of the buggy that is at the campground.  I refused to pose for the photo.

Can you believe that people still go out the wrong way.  If the owner sees you doing it, she will yell at you.  BOL!

The chicks from the neighboring farm seem to think the campground is theirs.

People laugh at my boot, but look at this horse we saw on TV!  He wears four boots.  He visits nursing homes.

We had a small Casita rally here last week.  They are really small trailers.

Last Saturday, Dad took his no line bi-focals back.  He just can't adjust.  He said he could only see a small circle on his computer.  The lady at the eye place said that some people just can't wear them.

Last Sunday, the folks visited Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum.  It is a place that is dedicated to the Pennsylvania Germans that settled here.  Some of the buildings are original to the site and others were moved there.  Supposedly, it looks like it did when it was a town in the 1700's.  Two brothers actually started the museum because they were big collectors and they wanted to display their items.  They opened their museum in 1925.

The farm consists of some houses, blacksmith shop, farm and machinery and tool barn, hotel, school house, store, firehouse, tin shop, tavern, gun shop and a log cabin.  The folks have visited many old farms and a few villages like this, but the thing that made this one different was that their were people there showing how things were done.  Mom really enjoyed the tin shop.  The lady there has made the items in the shop such as candle holders, pitchers, etc. She also makes and sells Christmas ornaments.  Her ornaments were on the White House Christmas Tree one year.  The man in the gun shop showed how guns were made from start to finish.  Mom is not all that interested in guns, but it was still interesting to see.  The man in the tavern didn't have too much to say but he was tired because he was doing yard work before the folks arrived. The visitors center was full of weather vanes, but no photos were allowed.

Country store

The hotel

The folks enjoyed the tour more than they thought they would.  The cost was $12 a person, but Mom had a free ticket through her KOA app.  KOA now offers coupons as part of their membership which is pretty neat.  The coupons are for all over the country and the folks have used several at restaurants, attractions and even Great Clips.

This weekend, they did a little shopping.  They went to an ice cream place that is famous here, Lapp Valley Farm. They make their own ice cream and the waffle cones are made fresh.  Mom said it was really good. The cars were lined up because there was not enough parking and that was on a rainy afternoon. The folks ate breakfast at Cracker Barrel and ate at a few buffets.  I didn't get to go anywhere because the wind was really high and I don't enjoy walking in high winds.  I don't even like sitting outside in high winds.  It is still windy today, but tomorrow should be better.

Joey,

The Greyhound Who Really Likes Amish Country

Hershey RV Show and QVC Tour

Today was a beautiful fall day here in Lancaster County.  The morning started out quite chilly, but the sun came out and I enjoyed watching Dad wax our rig.  The day was so nice that we didn't even turn our AC on.  That is rare since we are in the sun.

We turned our heat on this morning.

Here I am in the shade.  I don't like the sun.

The horses enjoyed the day too.  Since it is a Sunday, they don't have to work.

Last Sunday, the folks attended the Hershey RV Show.  Our neighbors had bought five day passes, but since they were going home on Sunday, they gave their unused tickets to the folks.  Mom said that made her day.  She expected the show to be really crowded.  Their plan was to get there early and to look through RVs first and then go inside to see the vendors.  Mom said the plan worked well.  They were interested in looking at small rigs.  Mom said it would be nice to have one that she could drive.  They actually found one that they liked.  It is only 25',  Can you imagine living in that full-time?  Mom showed me pictures and showed me a couch that would be mine. Well, she said we could share it.  We would have our own TV. Dad could have the one in the living room. No, we are not buying it.  We are just thinking.  There is actually an 11 month wait to get one.

This would be my couch.  Mom said it would be a nice reading nook for her.

The bathroom sink is rather small, but the shower is fine.

The two recliners in the living room. There is a Murphy bed over the chairs that would be where the folks would sleep.  I think Mom would get tired of putting the bed up and down and waiting for Dad to be ready to go to bed, etc.

The glass is over the cook top.  The other is the sink.  Mom said her air fryer would fit.  BOL!

There is a microwave and a decent sized refrigerator.  The biggest problem is closet space.

Yesterday, the folks toured QVC Studios.  QVC is a shopping channel.  Mom used to be a big fan when we had a house.  She rarely watches now, but she thought taking the tour would be fun.

This is the lobby and some items that are for sale.

Pictures were only allowed in some parts of the tour.  The tour guide was not very enthusiastic. She said she works in the store too.  Mom said it seemed like being a tour guide was not her favorite pat of her job.  There were nine people on the tour.  Dad was the only guy.  Four women were really loud and Mom said the tour guide didn't seem to know how to handle them.  Only a few people had ever watched QVC which shocked Mom.  She said they didn't even know that it was a live show.

Old memorabilia from the early days of QVC.

The chairs and phone were from the early days.

They used to draw numbers and if they were part of your membership number, you won.  Mom never won.

This is the studio where they have a live audience.  Mom would like to go to a live show, but they don't seem to have them very often.

 The most disappointing thing was that they were not able to see a host doing a live show.  They were in a different studio than the tour that day.  Mom was surprised by how many different studio sets they actually had.  They used to have just one and the room rotated, but now they have a lot of different rooms.

They saw the control rooms through glass and the people working in them. They had a football game on which everyone thought was funny.

The tour was $10 a person.  They have more expensive tours where you can go backstage, but Mom chose just the basic tour.  She said it was fun.  It would have just been more fun to actually see one of the show hosts doing their job.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Is Happy That The Weather Has Turned Cool