Lancaster 19 July 2012

Good Morning, Tom and I came up to Philipsburg so could check email and finally update our blog. We left Lancaster on 13 July after spending great days with Peggy and Larry and family. While in Lancaster, we visited Maryann's Aunt Annie and also traveled to Harrisburg and spent time with Aunt Ethel and Aunt Fran. We had wanted to take them out but Aunt Ethel always has wonderful food for us so we had lunch and visited for the afternoon. It is always fun to catch up with them all. While in Lancaster we got to visit with Larry's Dad who is in assisted living and always enjoy our time with him. He makes us smile. We also visited with Larry's Aunt and Uncle who had visited us in Tucson several years ago. They now live in a lovely assisted living. It was so special to visit with them for a few hours and of course then we stopped for ice cream on our way home. We also went to Northeast, Maryland. It is a neat town and we walked about and then had lunch at Woody's which is a great seafood resturant. No one was hungry when we left however, we still HAD to stop and have ice cream on the way home. Peggy and Larry's friend, Kay and Paul live there so finally got to meet them. They warmly welcomed us into their home...and we spent a couple hours visiting. During our stay, Peggy's Aunt Doris and Uncle Jim had us over for dessert...well what a table she sets! As always, we had a wonderful evening visiting and eating. Uncle Jim makes his own tea and it is great. They have the neatest clock so Tom and I will plan to check on getting one when we get back to Tucson as a store in Tucson sells them. It is a Rhythm Clock. What special days we had spending with Parker, Elizabeth and Brandon (Keith and Lisa's kids at Peggy's as she cared for them during the day. It was such a delight to play games and just spend time with them. Of course, they enjoyed using our IPAD's too. We played Candyland and Garbage. We also went to Keith's for dinner and Amy and Dan and kids were there so got to spend time with them. There is a creek that runs on Keith's property so was fun to go down and see the kids swim in the creek...and Lisa too. Amy and Dan and Keith and Lisa have such great kids. Amy and Dan have 6 children! We also shared time on July 4th with Dan's Parents and kids at the Lititz fireworks. We then met Amy (who had to work) after for coffer at McDonalds...the only place open..and spent time hearing about her days as Hospice Nurse. We also were treated daily to Peggy's wonderful breakfasts, lunches and dinners. Had great fresh vegetables and fruits. We were able to reconnect with their Sunday School Class as we joined them for breakfast one morning. They are always so quick to welcome us and make us feel like we are part of their group. WE ARE BLESSED! We went to the Corn Wagon a couple time to get fresh corn just in from the field. Also Tom, Peggy and Maryann spent a day doing some shopping at some Amish stores. We found some items that just had to buy to take back to Tucson. Larry was working but we spent the evenings and weekends together. We even played dice! On 4th of July, Larry went into work for a few hours so Peggy deceided to take care of her cleaning chores as she cleans at Filmore Container for her son Keith. Tom and I helped Peggy clean while Larry finished up what he needed to do in the Warehouse. What a treat to be able to help out...even though, we had to really force Peggy to let us help. Keith and Lisa are owners at Filmore Container and really have a nice famiy business. Peggy and Larry and even Brendon (9 yr old) are on the payroll!! Of course Parker and Elizabeth help out too. How proud we are to be able to be part of Peggy and Larry's and Keith and Lisa and Amy and Dan's family. Tom even got to mow Larry's yard!! When we first got to Lancaster, Maryann was having upper right back pain that radiated from the front to back so went to the ER and was DX with Shingles! She had had the Shingles Vaccine 2 years ago. Thank heaven as helped not have worse symptoms. She had several side effects from the medication so spent a few days not feeling like herself. Once Maryann stopped the medication, had more energy and started gaining back the pounds she lost and she started feeling better. Still has the annoying discomfort but much better. At least she felt like she was home at Peggy's so could rest when needed. SO MARYANN DOES RECOMMEND that if you are 50 and have not had the Shingles vaccine....Go and request it from your provider! We have been at Maryann's Mom's now for nearly a week. Mom is doing good. We are doing some stuff around the house for her and even thought Mom says that she does not have an appetite...she surely eats! Tom has been spending time with Kenny in the evenings as he is still the 7-5 caregiver 24/7 for his Mom. Maryann's sister Joan and her Tom and his brother, Bill came in from Linesville, Pa last evening and we had dinner. Tom will go with them all to the 100 Mile Garage Sale tomorrow. Maryann deceided she did not want to go! This weekend is the Frenchville Picnic..the church picnic.. so will go. Have not been since Maryann was a teenager. Maryann is going to try to help out in one of the booths with her cousin, Becky. Maryann has spent time going up to her sister Carol's Bench since we have been home. Weather had been sooo hot. First thing we did when we got home is put the window fans in the bedroom windows upstairs and turn on all the fans downstairs!!! We also put a window a/c unit in the living room!!!! We have SKYPED with the grand girls and made sure we SKYPED with Molly on her 8th birthday on the 17th July. Kirsten still asking Nana when she is coming home and where she is! They started school on Monday. Kirsten started Preschool and Kelly said that when she gets to school, she has to go to the BR and wash her hands and then goes to play with her friends....does not mind that her MAMA is leaving her! BUT she is glad to see Kelly when she comes to pick her up. Samantha is in 1st grade and Molly in 3rd grade this year. Spoke with Carrie last week too and she still has her A average in her classes for her Masters!!! We have been getting many pictures of Patrick Joseph...Phil and Loly's baby that was born on 9 July. What a cutie. He has been keeping his Mom and Dad awake! We will be so excited to see him and give him lots of hugs when we get home. Quote for the day "No matter where you go, there you are"-Unknown We are blessed to have safe travels and wonderful welcomes from friends and family whether "on the road" or when we are home. We love you all and are keeping you all in our daily prayers. Keep us in your prayers! God Bless and hugs, Tom and Maryann

1 July 2012, Lancaster, PA

Good Morning, Let me start with where I think I left off in Mashpee. As I was typing..we finished up the painting with TEAMWORK as our grand girls would say. The team was Linda, Maryann, Pete and Tom. One day we walked up to their community pool and spent time in the water. Maryann was so excited to find that it was a heated pool..so she did not need her pool jacket! When we were in Florida with Bill and Charlotte, we would watch the birds and squirrels each day in their back yard. Pete and Linda's neighbor also feeds the birds so we were entertained by squirrels, chipmunks, cardinals, blue jays etc. as we looked out their patio door. We took day trips to various small towns around the Cape and near Plymouth and Boston checking out consignment shops for items Pete and Linda need to furnish their home in Mashpee. We even stopped in one small town and had lunch at a bakery/cafe of a friend of a friend of Pete's from Tucson. Fun being far from home and meeting the owner. It was just fun being together and checking out the stores for treaures. Pete and Linda took us to thier beautiful Catholic Church for mass. Also walked about Mashpee Commons and found a few items that needed to be purchased! We met Linda's cousins Kenny, Ellen, Mailyn and Mark and their grandson, David for dinner at Eastwinds resturant on the water at Buzzard's Bay. It was never difficult to eat fresh seafood! Then we all went back to Marilyn and Mark's campsite ( they come to Mass. each summer and camp from Ft. Myer, Florida) on the Cape Cod Canal and walked a bit and then sat around the camp fire visiting into the evening. Their cat, CC and dog, Dixie, also joined us. Of course we had to walk down to the little store in the campground and get ice cream!! We met Kenny and Ellen , Linda's cousins,one day and traveled to Otis Air Force Station and looked around and stopped by the BX and they found a few items that again needed to be purchased! We all went to Bobby Burn's Cafe in Mashpee Commons and had a nice lunch. Talking about food...one day we went to Brockton, Mass. where Pete grew up and went to Christo's Greek Resturant and had a great Greek lunch. Pete and Linda used to go to this resturant when they were teens. YEP, it has been in business for a LONG time and they said the decor has stayed the same and the food was certainly very good. We also tried the Grapenuts and Rasin pudding which is a tradition in that area. It was really good. Linda had strawberry shortcake BUT this time she shared with Pete!!! On the way home, Pete stopped at the Italian Kitchen, where he used to go as a boy and bought meatballs for our next dinner. WOW, the best meatballs we have had! Do you see the theme again from our time on Cape Cod ...food. As Pete said last year...SO MUCH FOOD...SO LITTLE TIME!!! Of course we played games and dice. Tom and Pete won more SKIPPO games than Maryann and Linda. Maryann and Linda thought the new table and chairs may have been rigged and also came up with other excuses of why they lost! But had lots of fun and laughs. Tom and I cooked for Pete and Linda a couple nights. They are so generous to share thier home with us and let us visit as they are just getting settled that we wanted to help give them a break. Linda and Maryann went out with Marilyn to a neat old home that is a gift shop and resturant for lunch and Marily took us through some neat back road areas. We had been to the resturant last year and it was so nice to go back to this neat local place. Tom, Pete and Mark spent the morning fishing in the Cape Cod canal. They did not catch fish but like Tom always said " it is called fishing and not catching". It was just fun to be on the canal and see a tall ship and other ships pass by. We all sat at their camp site for a few hours visiting together before we headed back to Mashpee. Oh, did I forget to mention that we had ice cream again? We celebrated Pete and Linda's 43 wedding anniversary with them. Our friends, Larry and Peggy also celebrate their anniversary on the same day and it was their 43rd too. How blessed we are to have these friends we call family in our lives. How blessed they are to have such a committment to each other and what role models for us and all! We gave farewell hugs to Pete and Linda on Friday the 29 June. How fast the week went...next year we have already planned for 2 weeks in Mashpee!! They are truly family to have taken time from settling into their new summer home to share these memories with us. We are blessed. We arrived in Lancaster,PA. at Peggy and Larry's about 5:30 P.M.Friday evening to be greeted by a wonderful hug from Peggy. Larry was still at work. Larry arrived home and we had a nice dinner. We remembered Larry's mom who passed away last year as Peggy had taken out the last of his Mom's vegetable soup from the freezer that she had made before moving to assisted living and we shared for dinner. It was the best and we know she was watching. It is go good to have her as part of our fond memories when we visit Lancaster. Yesterday we visited Larry's Dad, who still lives at the assisted living home. It is always so good to see him as he always welcomes us with a smile and it is so good to give him a hug. He has such a fun sense of humor...at times at Larry's expense...but that is also fun! We did some grocery shopping and stopped for corn (just brought in from the fields) for dinner on our way home. Oh yes, I must not forget to mention we stopped for Ice Cream on the way home too!!!! We stopped and visited with Keith, Lisa, Parker, Elisabeth and Brendan too ( Peggy and Larry's son and family). We were welcomed with hugs and smiles once again and look forward to spending more time with them. It was fun hearing about Keith and Lisa's plan to purchase a historical building to renovate here in Lancaster. We look forward to following thier progress, they both have such good ideas and seem to follow through! Tom and I attended a different Catholic Church then we usually go to when here. It was really nice too. I was thinking ss I sat in Church today of all our blessings and how God has give us so many family and friends who are responsible for the special life that we have for just knowing each of you and what treasures each one of you bring to our life. My quote for today is a Danish Proverb-- "The road to a friend's house is never long". We thank each of you and have found the proverb to be so true...that no journey is too long to see a friend or family, whether it be for minutes, hours or days...as we are always welcomed with such joy. God Bless and keep us in your prayers as we travel. We are keeping each of you and your families in our daily prayer. Love and Hugs, Tom and Maryann