Great day in PA

September 8 – We started our day with breakfast at McDonalds since there was no “Complimentary” breakfast with the room.  After filling up the car we got on the road to Pennsylvania.  I called in to the freightliner place and spoke to the woman in the service dept.  I asked if they waited until Tuesday to check the RV would they have the parts in stock to fix it.  I explained that we were going to be in PA and didn’t want to rush back on Tuesday and then have to wait another day for parts to come in.  She said they would run a scan of the computer and call us back later.

First stop was Sharp Shopper in Ephrata.  Last summer we shopped a lot at Sharp Shopper.  They are a small chain of stores owned by Mennonites or Amish.  Most of the groceries are sold from the cartons and they have a great bulk food section.  The best part is they have great prices on Amish/Ohio/PA Dutch made cheeses and meats.  You can buy a whole round of cheese for way less than deli prices.  I was bummed that this store didn’t have much of what I was looking for but I knew there was another one down the road closer to Lancaster.

Rip Van Winkle Bridge

Knowing I was going to buy a lot of cooler items we stopped at Wal-mart for another cooler.  Both of the cheap Styrofoam ones were leaking and cracking.  I found these huge insulated bags that hold 50 12 ounce cans and bought 2.  They will be great to leave in the RV as they go pretty flat.  I went ahead and bought a bag of ice so we unpacked the faulty coolers and packed one of the new bags.  As we pulled out on the road we both heard something hit one of the side windows.  Bill pulled of the road and we both looked at the same time and it was his man purse!  He had laid it on the rooftop while we were loading and unloading and forgot it and the strap got shut in the door.  Very lucky for him.  I jumped out and rescued the bag.  He then said to look in the back for his hats!  He had left 2 on the roof.  We could not see them in the rear view mirrors so he turned around and we drove back and spotted them further back on the road behind where we had stopped.  Of course it was my job to jump out and get the dumb hats off the road.  Both had been run over!  Now he wants me to wash them.  Geez!  It’s not like he doesn’t have 100 hats!

We found the Sharp Shopper in Leola and since it was lunchtime and there was a decent looking place next door so we had lunch before shopping.  It was a good spot!  I managed to secure my Lebanon bologna, trail bologna, baby swiss cheese and some smoked Gouda but they don’t have rounds of Colby, just Colby/Monterey jack mixed, so I got a round of that.   The coolers were full!

One of the enjoyable things for me in visiting this area is just seeing the Amish people in their horse drawn buggys and driving by their farms and seeing them cut tobacco and corn by hand and stacking it on horse drawn wagons.  We even got to see a group of Amish children walking home from school barefoot.  Being Monday every clothesline was filled with the wash.  It sure is a simpler life than we live but a hard one too I think.  I was not interested in visiting “tourist” places, just driving the back roads and seeing the people and little stands at their homes selling fresh vegetables on the honor system.

Is it a pear?

I’ve wanted a wood bin for my trash can for a long time so I can get

Or is it an apple?

it out from under the sink and put it at the end of the counter.  It has to be oak.  I looked online and the nice ones are made by the Amish so this was my chance.  I Googled area Amish furniture stores.  The first one was run by non-Amish and only had one bin and it was $325 and very plain.  I told him I’d think about it!  I didn’t think for long.  We headed to the next place on my list, Peaceful Valley Furniture.  It even sounded like a great place to look!  When we pulled into the lot I knew it was the place.  There was so much stuff outside that I liked before even getting in the door.  Then the first employee I saw was an elderly Amish man and I asked about the bin and he took me in another room and they had 6-7 varying styles and sizes and then those came in different oak stains.  I was very excited and knew I was not leaving without one.  I went to get Bill to help me decide.  The largest was $199, so I knew this was a better deal for me.  I chose one with a flat top and a small drawer and the front tips forward with the bin inside.  They give you the plastic bin too.  We looked at bedroom furniture and found a set we both really liked.  They deliver to Florida so we are seriously thinking about a set.  We’ve used Bill’s old set for 26 years and I would really love oak.  Anyone who’s been in my house knows I LOVE oak.

The trick was getting it into the car filled with coolers.  Plus with the bikes on the back we couldn’t load from the rear.  Fun!  I stuffed all our dirty clothes in the bin and some other items and rearranged and we got it all in.  Bill never thought I’d do it but my sister and I can really pack a lot into a small space.  I think all my years of travelling and over buying and trying to get it all home has taught me a lot about packing!

I had 3 goals for PA and all 3 were completed, so we called freightliner again to see what was happening with the RV.  The service manager told Bill they found 2 problems and were fixed but they had not taken it out for a test drive yet and he’d call when they had.  That was at 3.  We saw it as a good sign so started driving towards NH.  We stopped at a roadside stand and got Amish made cookies and a Shoo Fly pie.  Bill had never had it.  We tested the cookies and some were good but the chocolate chip ones were too cakey. 

Freightliner finally called at 6 and said the RV was done and ready.  We told him we’d be there sometime tomorrow.  We drove to East Stroudsburg, PA and this time I checked the room at the Super 8 before committing.  The room was fine and Molly loved the window!  We opened it a little for her and she just sat there sniffing the fresh air while we went out to dinner.  We ate at the Landmark Diner and it was the best meal we had on this mini trip.  I had crab cakes with fresh sautéed veggies and a salad with homemade vinaigrette and it came with homemade rice pudding for dessert.  Bill had chicken parmesan and a salad with homemade blue cheese dressing but his meal did not include dessert.  Too bad!  He did have some peach crisp when we got home.

We filled the car again so we were ready to go tomorrow!