Hamrick's Pierre...aka Petie

Just an update on how my humans are treating me as we journey in the RV. WELL!!
They go shopping for chocolate all AM and have a MOD. They get back to the RV about 2pm. They sit outside for awhile and then take me outside to do business! It is still not my second feeding time (3PM). Dad tells me that I have to wait 25 more minutes (till time to eat). I ask "Is this fair?" I eat my 'vittles' and am very happy to rest on the sofa with Mom.

25 more minutes?????????

  

right there it is. if I just could reach my own feed

Dad just does NOT understand!

finally!!! my belly is full and i am resting.
 Dad tells me my food needs to digest

THEN, when I am supposed to get snacks at 6 PM, Mom is 'blogging' and cannot give me my snacks. What am I supposed to do??????
Seriously, friends, I am the best taken care of French bulldog that ever lived!! I LOVE my humans.

More later

Hershey's Chocolate World

Today we traveled about 12 miles over to Hershey, Pennsylvania and viewed all the surrounding attractions. The Hershey Hotel, The Hershey Factory with it's smokestacks, Hershey Theme Park with all of it's rides and a stop at Hershey's Chocolate World!

We had a wonderful time shopping here!!

A Chocaholic's dream place to shop

the smokestack replicas of the old factory

Sugar free???

or with sugar???

Wow!!

Wow Wow Wow!!

A way to tour the facilities

the Hershey Hotel

Hershey History is very interesting, I discovered when I searched it out on the internet:
Until April, 2005, the largest chocolate manufacturerin North America was known as the Hershey Foods Corporation. It's headquarters are in Hershey, Pennsylvania which is also home to Hershey's Chocolate World. It was founded by Milton S. Hershey in 1894. Hershey's products are sold in about sixty countries worldwide.
After completing an apprenticeship to a confectioner in 1873, Milton Snavely Hershey founded a candy shop in Philadelphia, which failed six years later. After trying unsuccessfully to manufacturer candy in New York, Hershey returned to Pennsylvania, where he founded the Lancaster Caramel Company, whose use of fresh milk in caramels proved successful. In 1900, Hershey sold his caramel company for $1 million (equal to $27,936,000 today) and began to concentrate on chocolate manufacturing. In 1903, Hershey began construction of a chocolate plant in his home town, Derry Church, Pa. which later became Hershey, Pennsylvania. This proved to be successful and grew rapidly.
In 1896, he built a milk processing plant so he could create and refine a recipe for milk chocolate candies.
In 1907, the "Hershey's Kiss" was introduced.
In 1917, Harry Burnett Reese worked at Hershey as a dairyman for Hershey Farms. In 1921, he went to work at the factory. By 1925, he had developed an assortment of candies that he was able to sell  to department stores in Lancaster advertised "made in Hershey". In 1926, he built his own factory and then in 1941 with wartime rationing of sugar, Reese focused all his production resources on his own confectionery masterpiece, the peanut butter cup, which required less sugar than most confections of the time. In 1956, Reese died leaving the company to his six sons. In June, 1963, the Hershey Chocolate Corporation acquired Reese's company for $23.3 million at a time when Reese's roles were  $14 million annually.

After shopping for chocolate, we stopped at the CampbellTown Cafe for our MOD. We both enjoyed the best French Onion soup that we had ever eaten!!

We stopped because the parking lot was full! 

A quaint small great restaurant

       After our MOD, we stopped at a dairy near the TT entrance and bought two dozen eggs. We stopped in the driveway adn Bruce walked onto the back porch and paid $1.30/for each dozen adn got the egges out of the refrigerator. Can you believe such an honor system!!!!! This was the view I had while waiting for him.

their sign said that they had rams,lambs and ewes
also eggs for sell



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Root's Old Mill Flea Market/ Manheim, Pennsylvania

Today, Bruce and I traveled 18 miles from TT/Hershey to the Root's Old Mill Flea Market. This flea market has been in existence since 1983 with 175+ vendors located both inside the Historic Old Mill building and outside on the Old Mill grounds.
Root's Old Mill began as a feed mill for the Lancaster County Farmer's Association, a co-op of farmers in Lancaster County. Farmers from all over Lancaster County would gather to buy and sell grain among themselves and to the public. The co-op operated the feed mill until 1925. After years as an active agricultural mill owned and operated by several grain companies and then hosted other businesses, the flea market was started in 1983. It was known as The Old Mill Flea Marketwhich featured about 160 vendor stands. In 2005, The Old Mill Flea Market was purchased by Root's Country Market and Auction, Inc. and the name changed to Roots Old Mill Flea Market. It is opened weekly on Tuesdays.

We were well pleased with the market!! We enjoyed seeing the old items in the first area. Lots of large phonograph records like I had not seen in years. We went inside for the food markest. We saw lots of beef, deli type cold cuts, cheeses, breads of any type, cakes of any kind, whoopie pies and any garden vegetable imaginable. We loaded up!!!!

flea market

across the street to the food markets

indoor food market

beef market counter



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Gotta love that GPS!

We traveled toward Hershey from the TT preserve. We turned around when we arrived at all of the attractions. We had found two possibilities of a restaurant for our MOD. When we returned to them, we decided that neither was to our liking. So, we spotted another and as we were turning around, Bruce asked the GPS to find restaurants nearby. Funck's Family Restaurant popped up. We decided to see if it was open and the GPS directed us right to it on Main Street, Palmyra, Pennsylvania. We had a wonderful MOD. I had fried chicken that would give The Pioneer Restaurant in Wachula, Florida a run for it's money!!! I had lettuce with bacon dressing and fried egg plant. i finished my coffee with 1/2 slice of raisin bread. Bruce had meatloaf, mashed potatoes and beets. Thank God for technology/GPS!!

A great place to eat

 

One of many farms her in Pa. Dutch country 

Beautiful country

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Shady Maple SMORGASBORD/ East Earl, Pa.

We drove about 30 miles to eat at the Shady Maple SMORGASBORD. This is a Mennonite run restaurant. There were 4 grills, 2 salad bars, a bread bar, 2 vegetable bars that were not the same and a dessert bar. One grill was oriental food that they cooked right in front of you (Kobe's) I had one small plate of American food and then i hit the oriental grill. WOW! Each and every bite was to die for. Kelly, you would have LOVED the oriental grill!! There was a gift shop and bread shop that we passed up. Neither of our diabetic selves needed any more bread
on the other side of the street was a Shady Maple Cafe and Farm Market We walked through but did not do any shopping.

SUCH great food!!

the Shady maple farm market and cafe

hanging baskets all around the Shady Maple
$12.99 each

landscaping is so beautiful

A beautiful place and great food, too!!

Pennsylvania Dutch Country

laundry is still hung on the line outside to dry

Another picture of laundry hung out to dry
and the buggies

farm after farm after farm
as far as you can see

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Hershey, Pa. the sweetest place on earth!!

5-23-2012  We traveled from Staunton, Va. to Hershey Pa. today. We had a good day to travel. It was overcast and cooler. As we approached Hershey we came upon a traffic jam. according to the CB there was a BAD wreck (fatalaties) that closed the interstate both directions. We were fortunate to be able to detour and get on around fairly quickly. We drove through a beautiful residential area and saw some large dairy farms. One even had a Land of Lakes sign in the edge of its entrance. We kept watching a very dark cloud to the west as we continued on our way.
We arrived at TT/Hershey. It has been about 12 years since we have been here. The park is very hilly. we found a good quiet site in the FREE 50 amp area site H 32.  It cme a downpour of rain just after we had got set up, checked in and Petie walked!!!!!!
Bruce made us a sandwich on the griddler for our MOD. I LOVE those ham, provolone cheese and pineapple sandwiches with a little mayo between some slices of Ciabatta bread.
I did one of two loads of dirty clothes that we had collected.
went to bed early!!!
more later

we are in H section up on a hill 

site H 32

plenty of geese to go around

children's play area and the pool

the Family Center/clubhouse





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Staunton, Virginia
5-22-2012  We were ready to pull out this AM. Bruce had already cranked the rig. He did a last walk around and noticed that we had a flat tire on the rig. He called our road service and the woman told him that they did not fix tires. He would have to buy a new tire. he made a few calls and was successful in getting service from a truck service just down the road on the other side of the interstate. After putting air in the tire, we followed 'Bubba' to the place of business. He checked the tire for any leaks showing that we had picked up a nail, etc. This showed NOTHING!!! We began our traveling for today. Bruce stopped at two rest areas  and the tire seemed okay. We arrived at Staunton, Virginia and are VERY pleased with the KOA campground. We passed a German restaurant as we were arriving. Bruce unhooked the car and we went for a MOD. WOW! that was a great decision. I had a stuffed cabbage roll and Bruce had beef stroganoff. The vegetables were served family style. We had red cabbage, white cabbage, green beans and schnitzel.   THEN, we brought a piece of mocha/capachino cake and shared it for dessert!! ALL great food. We had this meal in honor of our friends, Pete and Jean Crean. The only thing that would have made it better would have been for them to be with us.
Bruce checked the tire again this evening and it seems to be okay.

our pull thru site  

A glimpse of the area that we are parked in
this KOA is huge 

We could find a job!!!

YES!!! a great MOD option!

Traditional German Cooking from
Germany's Black Forest Region

The Romans gave this region it's name due to the extensive close together conifer trees blocked out the light. The Black Forest Region lies in the southwest of germany. This region borders France in the west and Switzerland in the south.
This region was used by the grimms brothers for the setting for Hansel and Gretel. However, the deforestation and several natural events, the forest is considerably thinned now and you can hike through it without leaving bread crumbs.
Black Forest Ham is a variety of smoked ham produced only in this region. It can take three months to prepare. A sausage from this region is also a favorite.  Black Forest cherry cake is a favorite dessert from this area.

A great choice for our MOD


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Max Meadows, Virginia

5-21-2012 Since arriving at home on April 1, we have been to many MD appointments, labs and xrays. Mother has also had several xrays. We left her with the assignment to find a crib for Riley while we are gone!!!  All is well with everyone, so we are on the road again. We are traveling to NY to visit with Bubba and Kelly and meet our new granddaughter when she arrives!!!!!

This AM we left home about 8 AM. We are SO excited about getting to visit with Bubba and Kelly. Of course, we are anxious to meet our first grandchild, Riley Grace.

We arrived at Ft. Chiswell RV Park about 10:30 AM. We have rested today alot.

Petie says to include him in our blog so I must say that he was very excited about getting in the RV. He actually was apprehensive about being left behind!!

We had an uneventful and safe trip. We did enjoy seeing a driver get caught by the HP after he had been ugly to Bruce. What happened was that there was a specific sign that said NO cars in right lane.
So Bruce moved to the right lane. This driver stayed in the right lane, therefore bruce had pulled in front of him. When he passed, he blew his horn. Soooo we were very happy that the HP caught him speeding!!!!


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