THE PENNSYLVANIANS

In which Bob, Camille and Joe spend a few days visiting family in Pennsylvania.

May 19 - 22, 2008

 

FIRST STOP, MOM'S ROOM

 

We all smiled nice for the camera and Father/brother Joe posed beside his portrait.

 

The last time we saw Mom, she was in a nursing home, wearing a halo.  We haven't been to Shippensburg since last February when she was recovering from a broken neck and a few other broken bones.  She had been in a nasty car accident but recovered sufficiently to move to assisted living where she has her own room, with her pet, the little deer the Armantrout girls sent with Bob last year.

  

SECOND STOP, JOHN AND DARLA'S

  

Where Camille and Christina baked bread for dinner.  Darla had made a big pot of soup and Kathryn brought lasagna.  Bob and Camille made Kentucky Fried Tempeh and threw together a salad from greens we brought up from North Carolina in a bucket.

 

Joe and Bob, Camille and Mom, Dad and Jason Funk, Charity's husband chow down.  Christina, Kathryn's daughter reads Alana Funk a story which tickled both their funny bones.

 

OUT ON THE LAWN

 

Jim, Joe, Bob, Mom, Dad, Camille and John - parents and five out of six siblings lined up on John and Darla's coifed lawn.

 

TO THE PARK

 

John suggested a walk after dinner and Charity headed for the swings.  It soon became obvious that this park was going to bring out the child in all of us.  In fact we thought that a child just might pop out of Charity,  eight months pregnant, as she struggled to do a chin up.

 

 

SIDE TRIP TO THE DENT AND BENT

 

Bob has been hearing about the Dent and Bent for years and was anxious to see this rural wonder for himself.  The real name of this Amish discount grocery store is BB's Grocery Outlet (Bents, Bumps & Bunch of Bargains.)  It was a real treat to  pull into the parking lot and see an impossibly cute pony hitched to the rail.  There are many similar salvage outlets run by the Amish in Pennsylvania but BB's is by far the largest.

 

Bob gets what he bargained for, some beautiful potatoes.  Later that day, Camille took a  photo of herself taking a break in the car while Bob spent some time looking at Matt's Biodiesel equipment.  We were only halfway through our eleven day odyssey but it was taking its toll.

 

CHICKIE'S ROCK IN LANCASTER

 

After a few days in Shippensburg, we drove to Lancaster to see Bob, Deb and Teresa.   Bob drove us to one of his favorite hiking spots in his Prius.

  

And then we climbed it.  Chickie's Rock, that is - and looked at the view.

 

Joe, Bob and Camille brace against the updraft atop the massive outcropping of quartzite rock towering 200 feet above Susquehanna River.

 

Here is the view - definitely worth the sweat to get here.  Chickies Rock Park's name is derived from the American Indian word "Chiquesalunga" meaning "place of the crayfish". 

 

DINNER AT BOB AND DEB'S

 

 After we worked up an appetite, Deb made Italian bread to go with a fabulous meal.  Bob relaxes with Deb, Bob, Joe, Teresa and Jason.

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