Hi Everyone,

Before I get back on track and continue our travels in Lancaster, Pennsylvania - like I promised, and sharing more of our ongoing celebration of our 50^th wedding anniversary, I want to pause for just a minute to reflect on God’s faithfulness.  I don't do that often enough.  But in recent days I've been challenged personally to rely more on God's grace and power in my life and to reflect on what is important and what is rubbish.  Facing uncertain medical issues has a way of doing that, doesn't it?

As many of you know, I often post to my Facebook page the daily words of wisdom from Max Lucado.  Today, his quote really reminded me of a truth I needed to let sink in again … and again.  Just in case you could use an infusion of this truth as you hurry and scurry about, or as you struggle with uncertainties of one kind or another, I am posting his comments for you to ponder.  He has a way of honing in on the truths of God’s Word, and often, just when I need them the most.

May you be blessed and encouraged by them, too.   By the way, his daily posts can be found at: http://www.maxlucado.com/articles/category/daily_text/

He’s Faithful by Max Lucado

If we are not faithful, God will still be faithful, because he cannot be false to himself. 2 Timothy 2:13”

"We don’t get it! 

Because God’s blessings are dispensed according to the riches of his grace, not according to the depth of our faith. 

Why’s that important to know? So you won’t get cynical.  Look around you.  Aren’t there more mouths than bread?  More wounds than physicians?  More who need the truth than those who tell it?

So what do we do?  Throw up our hands and walk away?  Tell the world we can’t help them?  No, we don’t give up!

We look up.  We trust.  We believe.

Christ has proven worthy.  He never fails! 

That’s what makes God—God. "

I'm back! Happy New Year's Eve Everyone,

After being away from my blog for several weeks, I am up and running!

Hope each of you had a terrific Christmas and that your 2012 will be smack
full of love, joy, peace and good health!

We had a very wonderful Christmas. Eating, visiting, eating, opening
presents, eating, hugging, eating, regretting that we ate too much, eating
again. you get my drift? I'm thinking I will take up my same resolution
from last year because I really neglected it in 2011 and I'm sure it is just
waiting for me to give it a second chance!  How about the rest of you?
Let me know what worked/'works for you and maybe I will cut and paste it
into my new year's resolutions column! Deal?

I'm trying out some new features on my blog and will get into some serious
blogging in the days to come. Thanks for your interest and encouragement!
I appreciate all the love and prayers on my behalf.

Love you all.



Velta

 Good morning, everyone.

 

Many of you have asked: “When are you going to start blogging again?”  So, I hope I can finally say, “Now!” Thank you for your interest and concern for me while I’ve been away from my home base for quite some time.  I will save the details of my time away for later blogging, perhaps, but the short reason is that I’ve been away much of the past few months due to the illness and death of my sister, Beatrice Gray Miller, who lived in East Texas.

 

When I last blogged I was just getting off to a good start on detailing our wonderful 50^th anniversary trip to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, so that’s where I will pick up today.  (There will more to come when I tell you about the fantastic week with the entire family in the mountains of Franklin, North Carolina, a gift from our sons and their families.)

 

June 17^th finally arrived!  It is finally the actual date of our wedding when we tied the knot back in 1961 in Longview, Texas.  It is hard to believe that 50 wonderful years have passed, but I suppose the calendar doesn’t tell falsehoods. Nor do the age spots and wrinkles here and there  I will admit, though: celebrating 50 years causes one to ask certain psychological questions.  I’m supposed to feel old, right?  Golden is old, right?  Longevity from this point on?  Really realizing the real meaning of ‘happily ever after’?  Waking up, cooking breakfast, Facebooking, texting!  Life hasn’t changed overnight just because I’ve been married 50 years!  I’m not feeling older!  Earlier that morning a dear friend from home called to see if I wanted to go to an estate sale in her neighborhood.  Sure hated to miss that, for sure, but the distance from PA to SC was a little too difficult to master. Now, we got all that old stuff settled, I think I agree with whoever said: Old is in the eyes of the beholder.

 

This special day brought more exploring of the lovely area of Lancaster, PA.  We never ceased to be amazed at the lovely farms of the Amish folks. Well-tended, lush, and not a blade of grass anywhere.  Precious children, dressed as their parents were in modest, very basic garments, were all playing and having fun in the well-manicured yards.  
 

We found a Walmart (never far from one!) and selected a matted frame for our photo/puzzle/collage we had worked the night before and hung it right away in our camper!  We then enjoyed a light lunch at Arby’s.  Max and Sara called us and wished us a happy anniversary! That was special to hear from them.

 

All day we kept recounting our blessings, marveling at the number of years God has given us together.  50 years sounds like such a long time, but it’s only five 10s or ten 5s.  Doesn’t sound so long that way, does it?  We wondered aloud: how many more will we have together?  So many couples only dream of this milestone.  Why are we so blessed?  
 

Completing our day of celebration was a candlelight dinner in a quaint, historic restaurant, “Revere Tavern”.  Dating back to 1740, it was one of the better inns along 62 miles stretching from Philadelphia to Lancaster, PA.  It had been recommended by several of the locals and we were not disappointed. http://www.reveretavern.com/  While there we did commit a grave transgression!  (See photo below)  Maybe the calories won’t be in effect when I next visit my sweet doctor, I remember thinking. Somehow I just felt certain that calories did not compute when ingested on one’s 50^th wedding anniversary.  Agree?

 
Adding to the day’s wonder was reading the myriad of sweet wishes and congratulatory Facebook messages from our treasure trove of friends sprinkled over the United States.  Beauty surrounded us both in our tranquil setting and in our hearts.  A call from Art and Merritt was the perfect ending to a day that we only dreamed about in the past.  We are so blessed.

We face the future with hope and confidence, knowing that our remaining years are in His hands – where they’ve always been – and we are grateful.  We pledged to each other once more to live each day to its fullest.  God blessed us with two sons, two daughters-in-love, two grandsons and two granddaughters, extended family, and an abundance of cherished friends.  What more could we ask for?  The “rain” in our lives has been a result of our own wrong choices, but these never obliterated our joy of family and the legacy of family that helped to keep our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith.

Celebrating our Anniversary Dinner

 

 

Doesn't this just look too yummy for words? Shared decadence!

Another great day!  After some necessary housekeeping we left the camper around 10 o’clock and started our day of more exploring.

Our first stop of the day was a quaint little town called Lititz, also known as Lancaster County’s Sweet Spot.  Its streets are literally “hugging” homes and small businesses, each separated by scarcely 2-3 feet.  The tiny, well-manicured yards had lush greenery, stunning ground covers, and climbing vines and their porches often had exquisite hanging baskets, in full bloom and bursting with variety of colors.  I could not help but notice that many of the homes also had a decorative metal star displayed near the front door, or in some other noticeable place, maybe on a brick wall or even hanging inside their windows.  At first I thought they were Moravian stars, but when I inquired about them I was told they were barn stars.  A brochure said that the barn star originated within the German farming community and that the farmers would often mount a large star-shaped decoration onto their barns.  Its significance varied.  Some farmers considered the stars good luck; others viewed it simply aesthetic and pleasing to the eye.  The tradition of the barn star in America can be traced back to the 1700’s and to at least the 1870’s in Pennsylvania.  (Source: Tin’N’ Treasures, Kitchen Kettle Village, Intercourse, PA.)  As an aside, while in Texas recently, I saw many of these same stars gracing homes and other structures!  But that’s another whole story!  I must get them started here!  We thoroughly enjoyed our slow drive through this sweet little town and admired its cleanliness and small shops and residences that were very well-maintained.  While cruising, we saw a cute sign in one yard:

In case you can't read the wording, it says: To the person who took my A.C.... it was not free for the taking!  I would greatly appreciate it if you would return it! 

Later we had lots of fun in Intercourse, PA, where we enjoyed a nice lunch and browsed in several shops, most of which had locally made wares, but also offered many other items found in similar “touristy” towns and villages.  All of them were set right next to a rolling farm land being tilled by an Amish farmer guiding his team of big, strong horses!  What a pastoral view we had!  Farm land is abundant in Lancaster County and enjoys prime spaces right in the towns and villages.  In fact, a large percentage of farm land must be dedicated to farming, rather than to commercial or industrial use.

Perhaps you might be wondering (nosey?) about the unusual name of Intercourse?  It’s an eyebrow-raising name, for sure! Well, I will tell you what I found out:

Formerly known as "Cross Keys", this village was founded in 1754. The name was changed to Intercourse in 1814.

There are several explanations concerning the origin of the name of Intercourse, but none can really be substantiated. The first centers around an old race track which existed just east of town along the Old Philadelphia Pike. The entrance to the race course was known as "Entercourse". Some suggest that "Entercourse" gradually evolved into "Intercourse".

Another theory concerns two major roads that crossed here: the Old King's Highway, which ran from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh (now called the Old Philadelphia Pike), and the road from Wilmington, Delaware to Erie, Pennsylvania. The intersection of these two roads was thought to be the basis for the town of "Cross Keys" or, eventually, "Intercourse".

A final idea comes from the "old english" language which was is use in the early 1800's. It refers to the "fellowship" or social interaction and friendship which was so much a part of an agricultural village and culture at that time. These roots mark the community of faith to this day, and the many evidences of it are experienced by those who care to dig a bit more deeply while visiting this area.

Intercourse is a town full of delightful treasures and friendly shopkeepers, nestled among the scenic Amish farmland. For visitors of any age, there's plenty to do in Intercourse.

So, take your pick about the name.  I agree: there’s plenty to do in Intercourse!  It is teeming with fun shops, tasty, local cuisine, all in a lovely setting where you can sit on a bench and watch the team of horses do their thing.  A wonderful respite!

Couldn't resist this photo op while in Intercourse!  This wonderful shop had celebrated 50 years of cannin' & jammin' a few years back and still sported its sign ... and we were doing the same thing - celebratin'!  We've had lots of "we can do it!" times in our lives and we've been in and out of a lot of jams!

We were framed in Intercourse!

After more exploring we arrived at the Sight and Sound Theatre to see the performance of “Joseph”.  Words fail me to adequately describe this incredibly moving re-enactment of the Biblical account of Joseph.  The power of forgiveness was so gripping my eyes welled-up with tears.  We were captivated from beginning to end.  We would encourage everyone to see this dramatic presentation if at all possible, either at the Lancaster, PA or Branson, MO Sight and Sound Theatres.  I won’t even attempt to describe the majesty and excellence of this event.  Currently, the cast is working on Jonah.  I can only imagine how moving this will be.  I'm sure many of you are familiar with this type of presentation, but the scenery and drama literally surrounds you, in front and on the sides of the massive auditorium.  The narrator will tell you upfront that certain liberties have been taken for purposes of the drama, but the thrust and overall story line of the presentation is true to the Biblical account.  http://www.sight-sound.com/.

We topped off another special day by feasting at Hershey’s Restaurant’s marvelous buffet, and by far the best cuisine we had enjoyed thus far. 

Once back home at the camper, we found the surprise package that Merritt had sent by UPS.  It contained a very unique and intriguing jigsaw puzzle that had been hinted at earlier in my Mother’s Day gift!  I was told then that on “our day” I would receive more clues about the plans they were putting together to celebrate our 50^th wedding anniversary!  The puzzle, when assembled, contained photos of Art and Merritt, Max and Sara, Andy and Karen, Luke and Hannah, and Anna and Justin, all holding different signs with various messages.  We stayed up until midnight working the puzzle and had a ball!  Here is the message when each saying was deciphered:  “Happy 50^th Anniversary!  You and Daddy Bill and we will spend a week in the mountains of North Carolina.  We have rented a house!  We’ll go fishing and shopping and enjoy the cool mountain evenings.  The trip will be from August 6 – August 13.  It is going to be awesome!  We love you and can’t wait until we’re all together in Franklin, NC.  Hope you’re happy!” Isn’t that the neatest thing you’ve ever heard or seen? 

Before calling it a night Bill and I exchanged anniversary cards and affirmed our love, hopes and dreams for many more years of togetherness.  God is good and we are blessed with wonderful children and grandchildren, and an abundance of friends.  Tomorrow is the REAL anniversary day!

On day four another invasion of bright sunlight interrupted our slumber!  Cool temps had also crept in overnight and I was almost wishing I had packed my Granny gown!   Moving around the camper and getting some caffeine took care of the chill!  

After a leisurely breakfast, we headed out to the office of GAIN (Global Aid Network) in a nearby town (Mount Joy) to deliver the package of supplies that Kent Jewel, a member of our church here in Lancaster, SC, had asked us to deliver.  Kent and Jean have been associated with this wonderful organization for several years and have taken many trips to Russia in connection with its mission work.  From its website ( http://www.gainusa.org/):

Global Aid Network is a multi-national network of ministries serving to demonstrate the love of God, through word and deed, to hurting and needy people around the world through relief and development projects.

Our  Mission was now accomplished and we were happy to be the transfer agents for such a worthy cause! 

Proof of Delivery

Later, we enjoyed a bountiful lunch at the Good and Plenty Restaurant in Smoketown, Pa., a nearby village of sorts.  To set the stage, Smoketown is a small farming village in East Lampeter Township, Lancaster County, PA, west of Bird-in-Hand, PA.  Population in 2000 was 119!  So now you know what we were up against.  I'm sure the population has swelled (as well as its tourists) by dining at the Good and Plenty Restaurant.  http://www.goodnplenty.com/   Interesting facts from its website state that:  When Good 'N Plenty first opened, it sat only 114 people. As word of Good 'N Plenty's delicious and satisfying PA Dutch food spread, hungry customers would sometimes wait up to two hours on a weekend to enjoy the restaurant's food. It didn't take long for the Lapps to realize that they needed to expand!

In 1971, the Dutch Room was added to the rear of the restaurant, making it possible to seat 570 guests. A larger waiting area was added in 1978, and, in the winter of 1994-1995, the restaurant underwent a major facelift and addition. Today, the restaurant can accommodate over 600 guests at one seating. Christ and Dolly Lapp, along with their children and grandchildren, continue to run the restaurant, serving delicious home-cooked food in the Lancaster County tradition. So, please come and enjoy what others have since 1969...Family Style Dining At Its Finest!

Hungry yet?  The food was very good, akin to our meat and three establishments, but on a much larger scale!  Served family style, the meal accommodated us and another family who joined us – Mom, Dad and 4 children.   The appetizers were delicious and also the multiple entrees were tasty and filling!  Fried chicken topped the list.  Butter noodles seemed to be a local favorite.  Just let your imagine run wild here.  Trust me: All American cuisine was front and center!  Refills on everything were offered throughout the meal. 

And, we thoroughly enjoyed sharing our meal with our new Florida friends.  (Bill has often said that just give me a few minutes and I will make friends with a stump!  Guilty as charged.)  The father was a landscaping engineer and owned a contracting company, but the family had a unique hobby.  Raising miniature donkeys!  Actually, the children were very involved in the care and raising of the donkeys and showing them at various festivals and that type of thing.  I just love learning new information! J Now, when I think of Donkeys they have a whole new meaning!  Just thought you’d be interested in this tidbit of information.

The Good and Plenty Restaurant was highly advertised in the area, and also recommended by some friends from home who had visited that neck-of-the-woods.  So our appetite was duly whetted.  I can attest to the fact that it lived up to its name:  it was both good and plenty.  And I might as well confess right here that we both yielded to great temptation and had dessert on top of all the other questionable carbs!   I’m certain Bill must have given me the first taste of shoo-fly pie … the best we good do for the evil apple.  J  After all, we were celebrating an important event in our lives.  Right?  (I can usually justify most all of my transgressions! J)  The shoo-fly pie was widely touted as an area must try.  Every area restaurant seemed to offer this local delicacy.  My assessment was that it is basically a pecan pie without the pecans!  Or, very similar to an old-fashioned syrup pie that I remember my mother baking.  Just a taste did it, because right away I could feel the sugar coursing through my diabetic veins after just a tiny bit!  What was I thinking to even let a taste get near my lips!  The day after this exhilarating experience may have also been a day that I decided to skip checking my blood sugar!  I’m sure there was no good basis for making this decision; it just seemed like a wise thing to do.  

Very near the restaurant was a Goodwill!  Can you feel the excitement building? Yes!  It seems that no matter where we go there is always a Goodwill (my favorite boutique of choice) in our path of travel and the vehicle automatically swerves across lanes or makes a fast exit to the right!  A U-turn is sometimes necessary, legal or not.  My sweet husband of 50 years was happy to drop me off and later even helped me load the dishes in the truck!  Actually, we did have some time to kill ... any excuse will do when needed.  And love truly does endure all things!  I always gravitate to the dishware section of whatever thrift store I find myself enjoying.  Every woman needs a few more dishes, right?  I knew you would agree.

From there, we went to the American Music Theatre where we enjoyed a delightful evening of Andrew Lloyd Weber’s music.  What a treat!  We were spellbound every moment of the performance.  The cast and orchestra were all outstanding and the talent was truly amazing!  Broadway at its finest.  There were many favorites, but Think of Me from Phantom of the Opera was one of the loveliest, in my opinion.  If you are interested in upcoming events check out AMT’s website: http://www.amtshows.com/category/events/  You will not be disappointed in the quality of these musical performances.

Afterwards, a drive through rural Amish farms back to our camper completed our day of exploring, eating, shopping, and being entertained by superb performers.  So far, we are enjoying every minute of our trip!

Good morning!

(After about a month of being away from blogging, I will begin - again - recounting our wonderful 50th anniversary trip to the Amish country in beautiful Pennsylvania.  Due to the unexpected illness and subsequent death of my sister, Bea Miller, I spent the month of July in Texas.  Later I will publish my tribute to Bea.  I miss her terribly.)

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

After a restful night in our RV, we were awakened by a brilliant sunrise.  The sun was up very early, long before 6 a.m.  We raised our blinds to reveal the most tranquil scenery imaginable!  Perfectly manicured farm fields with silos and barns and residences greeted us.  The beauty surrounding us was punctuated with an occasional clickety-clack of an Amish farmer's buggy and his horse, loping along the road, a short distance from our RV.  We were parked in a prime spot for enjoying the unimaginable scenery and traffic of the locals going about their daily activities. Talk about a room with a view!

Excited is much too bland a word to describe the anticipation of all that awaited us as we set out on our first day to explore and enjoy this part of God's beautiful world.  Our first stop was at the Visitor's Center near downtown Lancaster and there we received an abundance of literature about the area attractions and sights to see and enjoy.  We decided on a bus tour, and since we were the only guests on the bus, we received all the attention and soaked up the guide's talking points.  She was very, very good, and totally knowledgeable of the area and its people.  As a native of that part of the country, she was well-versed in its history and culture and patiently answered our many questions.

Along the way, our guide pointed out a one-room school house, noting its outdoor toilet facilities, one each for the boys and girls.  She mentioned that all children are educated only through the 8^th grade.  Even the teachers only attend 8 years and are mentored by an older person before they begin teaching.  She stopped at a covered bridge and let us walk through, viewing the serene Conestoga River below.  We viewed many homes of the Amish farmers, homes which were easily identified by their typically dark window treatments which provided both privacy and a certain degree of cooling from the outside sun.  We saw cisterns (or holding tanks) which are used to supply water to the homes.  A windmill powers the tanks and gravity causes the water to flow into the homes.

Almost every home had one or more clotheslines, proudly show-casing their washed garments, flying high in the air at an angle.  The Amish are very predictable and disciplined in all that they do.  Even the clothes were hung in an orderly fashion.  Dark work clothes dominated the wash, but there were clothing representative of the young children all the way to the grown men.  Even intimate feminine apparel was blowing in the wind!  The lines were anchored to the house or other nearby structure and then to some taller building - perhaps a barn or tree - and the clothes were raised and lowered by a pulley mechanism.  This allowed the clothes to be hoisted very high in the air, permitting horses and tractors or other farm equipment to pass underneath them without soiling the freshly washed clothes.  With an average family of seven, every day but Sunday is wash day!  Interestingly, clothes washers are powered by gasoline - which is legal - but no electricity is permitted in the home, lest potential for evil influences enter inside!  Telephones or other electrical devices are permitted in outside buildings, so there seems to be a bit of legalism to the outsiders trying to grasp an understanding of the practices of the Amish.  And, not all clotheslines were hoisted; many lined the front porches or yards, but these were not adjacent to the areas where the farm animals were kept.

Our guide explained the practice of "shunning" in the Amish Church.  This is a form of discipline when a member commits a sin or transgression, if you will, against the church.  If someone does commit an offense against the church's disciplinary rules, that person is "shunned", even in their own home, to the point of taking meals alone.  They are even forbidden to transact business among other Amish folks until they repent and are restored to fellowship.  Church gatherings are held in Amish homes on a rotating basis.  Benches to accommodate the worshippers are hauled by a "bench trailer", and extra dishes are also transported from home to home for serving the meals.  No paper products are permitted, ladies!  I'm sure there are enough hands to wash, dry, and store the dishes and utensils before the next gathering.

There is a deep respect and reverence for the Amish folks, and all visitors are encouraged to honor their beliefs, practices, and customs.  No photos which show their faces are to be taken except in unusual circumstances where permission is first granted (as in a documentary, for instance).  There were still many wonderful photo opportunities, however, which we took advantage of without dishonoring their requests.

Day 3 was fun, informative, relaxing, and just what we needed to get off to a wonderful start in our exploring of Lancaster, Pennsylvania!


Hard at work!


The contrasting stages of the plantings and harvests were eye-catching.




Love that orange triangle!  This is a very common sight on all the roads within and without the city. 

Doesn't this give you a feeling of contentment?



This particular clothesline was not "hoisted", as you can see.



Love the layers of color!  Such great care in tilling the earth.



Flowers alongside the corn!




Can you find the darling little boy in the garden among the onions?


We watched each other!

All in a day's work!

The morning was cool and calm as we began the last half of our journey to Lancaster, PA.  We had a very restful night and we were greeted by chirping songbirds as we woke up and prepared to leave.  Exiting our campsite, and dodging a huge tree right at our site, took some careful maneuvering on Bill’s part. The camp was quiet, shady, and very adequate.  We would definitely return to Natural Bridge, VA! 

So Day 2 got off to a great start.  All was going well – or so we thought – until we stopped for a brief break at the tourist bureau just inside West Virginia.  Bill noticed the left rear wheel-bearing on the travel trailer was leaking fluid and the hub cap was extremely hot – so hot that when he touched it (as he always does when doing his walk-arounds) it actually burned his hand, though not severely.   Obviously, this leakage was something very serious which had to be addressed immediately, so we called our roadside assistance folks who directed us to Ray’s Auto Repair shop in nearby Bunker Hill, W. VA.  Here we go, hoping we can find the place before anything gets worse.

Finding Ray’s Repair was much like I imagine finding Tobacco Road must have been!  Located way at the end of a country lane, we found it!  One of the guys was nice enough to back the RV right up next to the garage doors so it would be convenient to do the work.  He got us going after a few hours of waiting on parts, etc., including replacing a defective tire on the right side that we did not even know about before this incident.  This tire was very near blowing-out, apparently damaged on the road somewhere along the way.  It could have caused a really bad wreck and severe damage to the camper had the tire actually blown out.  We did not even want to go there in our minds! 

God’s hand of protection was all around us.  This delay was not programmed into our travel agenda and Bill kept beating up on himself for not have the wheel bearings re-packed before we left on our trip.  It was quite an experience, to say the least, including a panoramic view of the classic Old McDonald’s farm!  A live production played out right before our eyes as we waited, the cast being a multitude of farm animals and then some!  The activity all around the repair shop included crowing roosters and just about every species of chickens imaginable. There were White Leghorns, Dominecker, Rhode Island Reds, and other “brands” that I cannot recall from my days of growing up in the country.  Ducks fiercely competed with the chickens as they scratched the earth for a few morsels of feed.  I laughed as one White Leghorn hen – well, maybe she was a pullet - literally chased a duck away from the grains.  The duck finally escaped to safety by going airborne several yards away!  (No, she wasn't a Gamecock, you South Carolina folks.  I'm sure.)  I suppose the Leghorn got the corn, or whatever it was they were in a war about.  And there were too many kitties to count!  Dogs lounged lazily and quite comfortably on discarded carpeting that had been tossed from the owner’s mobile home across the road.  Never a dull moment around this repair shop, for sure.

Also, there some children around the shop; one in particular was a cute little girl, 4 or 5 years old, who wagged around and cuddled her teeny Chihuahua named Jelly Bean.  She graciously offered to let me cuddle Jelly Bean, too.  I should have accepted her offer, but I declined.  At one point I decided to rest a bit inside the camper as we were waiting.  About that time a rooster slipped up very near the camper door and let out an extremely loud crow that scared the willies out of me!  It very much resembled the Fox News rooster who crows each morning as Fox and Friends comes on! In fact, I’m sure that rooster had escaped the set in New York and made its way to Ray’s Repair Shop.  I tell you, it was a sight to behold around there.  But were we grateful for the expertise of the mechanics?  You bet we were!  If we had not had the wheel bearing issue, who knows when the other defective tire would have been discovered.  God is good!  We were – and are – thankful.

Sorry I was so busy watching the farm animals I failed to get their picture! Trust me, they were everywhere!
Also, the photo was made before the camper was backed into place at the garage door.

Well, finally we got on the road again, hastening to our campground, and hoping to arrive before the gate closed at 9 p.m.  Bill was a little antsy, to say the least.  He is a planner and several hours delay was not in his plan! The owner of the campground had told us if we did not register by 9 p.m., the gate would be locked and we would just have to park in the driveway until morning.  Not a deal breaker, but definitely not something we wanted to experience our first night in Pennsylvania.  With God’s blessing, Bill’s expertise and Garmin guiding us every step of the way to Lancaster, and through a myriad of corn and wheat fields, we were brought right to the campground at 8 o’clock p.m.!  One hour to spare!  (Bill says I am giving you the sweet, "Miss Velta" version.  His version?  Not so much!)

Bill relaxing; notice the highway.  We would sit and enjoy the horses click-clacking along as the Amish went about their daily activities.

Velta - just outside our camper.  The grounds were well- maintained.  The countryside view was incredible.   Our information said there was a five mile view from the campground.

Meandering through beautiful, lush green landscapes and yielding rights-of-ways to horses and buggies guided by the wonderful Amish folks, we were so thankful to reach our campground without any more surprises!  As an aside, I caused us to miss the entrance to the campground – thinking this particular entrance was for other types of campers and thinking there was another entrance just ahead for rigs like ours!  Big oops on my part, but to my great relief, there was an area just beyond where Bill could turn the RV around and back track.  After a rather exhausting day full of surprises, we happily settled into our “nest” which we would occupy for the next several days!

After a wonderful several days with family and friends at Myrtle Beach and Mt. Pleasant, SC in late May and early June, Bill and I returned home for a short time to prepare to go to the Pennsylvania Dutch country of Lancaster, PA to celebrate our upcoming 50^th wedding anniversary.  For the next few blog entries I invite you to journey along with us as I record a portion of our experiences in the wonderful world of the Amish, as well as some side trips to visit dear friends.  For brevity, I will post in several different entries so that you do not become completely exhausted!  (Unless you are really bored and have nothing better to do, read on.  I am recording our times in this blog so that my children and grandchildren can one day read about this special time in our lives.)

50^th Anniversary Trip – Day One – June 12, 2011

We left Lancaster, SC shortly after 9 a.m. on Sunday morning.  Earlier that morning we had a call from Kent Jewell who had just learned that we were traveling to Pennsylvania.  Kent asked if we could deliver a package of missions supplies to the headquarters and warehouse of Global Aid Network (G.A.I.N.),  a Campus Crusade for Christ ministry that Kent and others in our church faithfully support in Mount Joy, Pennsylvania, very near Lancaster, PA.  We told him we would be happy to do so, so Kent quickly brought the box of supplies to us before he went to early church; then we were ready to go! 

After making some last minute preparations and checking over our 5^th wheel camper again, we were all set and ready to pull out!   As always, Bill prayed for us, for our truck, the trailer, and everything concerning our trip, that God would protect us.   We had looked forward to this trip for such a long time and were full of joy and gratitude that the Lord had allowed us to reach this milestone in our lives.  Bill had planned for weeks, getting our route just right, what we would see and do, and everything was all set.  June 17, 1961 was only the beginning!  Traveling with us, of course, was our trusted GARMIN, without whom we would have been totally lost on some of the back roads we traveled.  Thank you, Art, for this wonderful gizmo.

The day was bright and sunny, and we were excited and full of great anticipation as we made our way out of Forest Hills subdivision, heading to I-77 in Rock Hill, and the first leg (Natural Bridge, VA) of our ultimate destination: Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

We stopped for lunch in the lovely area of Christiansburg, VA.  Since a Cracker Barrel usually has adequate parking space for RVs we often stop there (not to mention their consistently good food)!   After a nice lunch and stretching a bit, we journeyed on to our first stop - the KOA in Natural Bridge, VA, arriving there around 3:00 p.m.  It was a lovely campground, nestled in a shaded, mountainous area of VA, the town well-known for the historic Natural Bridge, which we did not get to see on this trip, due to navigating the camper in uncertain areas, etc.  Bill did a terrific job driving, and we were happy to stop at this beautiful place for our first night.  The registration area was lovely, with blooming shrubs and an abundance of butterflies flitting here and there on the blooming butterfly bush.  The “tepee” type construction of the office was typical of KOAs, which are generally well-maintained, safe and predictable.  A youth camp - or something - must have been going on because the swimming pool was teeming with little ones!

Our journey there had taken us through majestic mountains standing guard over lush, green valleys.  Patches of brilliant wildflowers provided ample eye candy along our way.  Farms, modest homes and steepled churches punctuated the countryside, showcasing abundant crops and mown, baled hay.  Rows of tree farms were noted here and there, adding beauty to the landscape.  I would say that the interstate was virtually free of any litter.  What scenic beauty all along the way, bringing to mind the thought: How Great Is Our God!  I love the mountains, ear-popping and all!

By the way, maintaining one’s sense of humor is a necessary element when “RV-ing.”  It also helps to have seen the movie “RV”, starring Robin Williams, in which a family experiences the joys and traumas of novice RV-ers, a stage from which we have hopefully graduated!

As background, a few weeks ago the roof of our camper sustained damage – well, actually two burst vent covers which were now sporting large, gaping holes - as a result of a bad hailstorm.  Our close friend, Bud Wilson, while we were away one day, climbed on top of the camper and placed duct tape (the all in one fixer, right?) over the rather large holes.  He’s just that kind of guy.  (Bill had ordered new replacement vent covers, but it required much more time than we had - not a simple fix, in other words.)  Bud’s duct tape had held beautifully, even through a couple of rather violent rainstorms.  Good.  All is well.  So, you can imagine our surprise when several hundred miles later,  we awoke to find “raindrops were falling our heads.”  Somewhere between Lancaster, SC and Natural Bridge, VA, Bud’s duct tape had broken loose and flew away to unknown parts!  No biggie!  After a brief laugh, Bill taped a trash bag over the vents (see photo below), the rain had stopped, and we were on the road again!  Redneck repairs are the best … at least until we find the nearest Camping World!

 

Our first overnight stop, KOA, Natural Bridge, VA


Lovely blooming butterfly bush at Natural Bridge KOA, VA


Our vent repair!  Still holding!

(Note: A few hours before I decided to publish this Blog, last night, May 1, 2011, around 11:00 p.m., EST, President Barack Obama announced to the world that Osama bin Laden had been killed by U. S. Navy Seals In a compound in Pakistan .  His body was later buried at sea, lest a shrine to his body be erected.  Finally, there is a resolution to THE HUNT that began on September 11, 2001, when 3,000 people perished .  May God bless our President, our military, and our intelligence forces.)

Each Springtime, as new growth is exploding all around us with its promised abundance of beauty and sustenance, my memory flashes back to our humble dwelling, deep in the heart of Texas.  I think of my godly parents, Claude and Odelle Gray, and a large plot of ground waiting its harvest of soon-to-be tomatoes.  The farm was not large, by any means, in comparison to present day Texas farms and ranches, but in my child’s imagination, it loomed large.

A long time before my daddy entrusted his young, tender tomato plants to the large open field, he had already carefully cultivated and nurtured the soil, making straight, mounded rows that resembled soldiers saluting their authority.  I’m sure that it wasn’t easy deciding on the right moment to release the plants from their protected “cold frames” to the uncertain elements and/or predators of the open field.  No Internet; no radar; no 7-day forecast; no weather.com.  The best daddy could do was pore over the most recent Farmer’s Almanac or search the skies for current conditions.  At best, no one could accurately predict adverse weather conditions, nor prepare for their often devastating results.

Embedded in my memory is this one spring, probably in the early 1940’s.  The tomato plants were thriving beautifully in the open field, laden with good-sized, green tomatoes – well on their way to near perfect maturity.  In a short time, they would be ready for harvesting and transporting to the wholesale green-market, with no more than a blush of color - if any - on them.  In a few days, they would then magically appear in the local retail markets in the area, showcasing their bright tomato- red color!  Daddy was well-known in the area to be among the first to produce such early, mature tomatoes.

Suddenly, this particular spring, a tremendous hailstorm swept across our small farm in East Texas, pounding and wiping out my daddy’s tomato crop, taking with it the bulk of his monetary provision for our family that year.  Unrelenting, the hail targeted all of the tomatoes, as I recall, leaving few to survive its onslaught.  In my memory, the hail was large, looking like an invasion of frozen snowballs littering the ground.

I don’t remember how, or if, my daddy recovered any of his crop of tomatoes that year.  I can say for sure, though, that no insurance adjuster was contacted to assess the damages to his prized beauties, or to our modest home, which no doubt sustained damages, too.  Knowing my daddy, he started all over again and somehow provided for our family by his hard work and accepting the loss as it was: simply an act of God, permitted, for some reason, in His wisdom.

In recent days my heart has hurt for the thousands of families whose loved ones were killed and their homes reduced to mere splinters by unspeakable, 500 mph tornadic activity.  Not only lives, but cherished photos and letters that once documented precious memories were lost or blown away to who knows where.  Devastation that baffles the most seasoned meteorologists, and uncalculated heartache is being suffered, due to the unbelievable havoc across many of our southern states.  There is no comparison of my daddy’s tomato crop that was wiped out, only that the lessons learned from these indescribable experiences should bring us to our knees in gratitude for our having being spared.  Dare we ask why?  If we allow our hearts to hear an answer, how will we show our thankfulness?

In honor of my daddy’s memory, a few weeks ago I set out two tomato plants in a pot on my deck.  Bill filled the pot with new soil, a little Miracle-Gro was applied, and they took root and are on their way!  The two plants have now intertwined, embracing each other!   Bill placed some supportive caging around them and they are standing strong, surviving our recent hail storm!  I don’t need the hail to remind me of my daddy, but I think he would be proud to know that I still remember the lessons he taught me, knowing just how to break off those suckers that don’t belong there, and pruning them often, as he would do.  He would be proud, too, that if they make it to “picking, tomato-sandwich” time, I will gladly share!  Any takers for future orders?  Anybody got any watermelons?  I’ve always loved bartering!

 

A dear friend sent a devotional thought today which contained some very good advice for growing one's spiritual garden.  In light of my blog yesterday, I wanted to share part of it:   Here goes (and it's not just for Squash!):

PLANT FOUR ROWS OF SQUASH:

1. Squash gossip
2. Squash indifference
3. Squash grumbling
4. Squash selfishness

Now, there's a garden we can all grow and everyone reaps the benefits!  Have a lovely, sunshine-filled day!

Velta