Back Home: 130 Fairway Drive, Washington, NC

The picture shows Sophia, Olivia, Bailey and Dawn on the Nittany Lion in State College, PA.

We are back at the homestead in Washington, NC having departed from Mechanicsburg at 4:00 a.m. on Saturday and arriving in Washington at noon -- the journey in 8 hours. There were 3 stops for fuel - 2 in VA where we paid $4.47 and one in NC (Washington) at $4.69. Trip mileage: 411. We had a great time in PA and hated to come home but all good things end. Now the reality of maintaining a house is staring us in the face -- yard and house work. Of course getting home brought on the heat with the temperature going to 99 in Greenville yesterday. More good news, The electric company turned off the power between 11:00 pm and 6:00 this morning - maintenance work the they claim.

After moving most of the things from the coach to the house, it was time to hit the links for a few holes. The game was a little rusty but not as bad as it could have been.

The trip home was far from boring as Audrey was helping our daughter and the 3 girls travel from State College back to Pinehurst, NC. Every 30 minutes or so there were phone calls going back and forth to say nothing about text messages. In the end she and the girls got confused only once and that was in the Greensboro, NC area.

In the next few days, we'll be getting the yard work done and start the task of waxing the coach before parking it and placing the protective cover on it. There is talk about the Pinehurst crew coming here for the July 4 weekend or our making at trip to Pinehurst.

Audrey is about ready to take a morning walk while I decide where to begin the yard work. When she gets back, it will be off to town to do some grocery shopping. The cupboards are empty.

All for now. Not sure how many posts will be made now that we are back home. Check here every so often. One never knows what we are apt to do.

Daughter's House: Mechanicsburg, PA #3

We are soon ending our stay as dog/house sitters. Denise and her gang arrive home later today. Yesterday we decided to forgo our return to the Thousand Trails Campground in Hershey and return to NC. Most likely we'll leave tomorrow - Friday. Today we'll get organized to leave for home as well as heading to Carlisle to watch a part of the Tour of PA bike race. Read about the race here. http://www.tourofpa.com/ More on the race follows.

Below is a summary of what we've done since the passing of our beloved Phara.

Wednesday: We started the day with breakfast at Panera Bread in Carlisle with friends from our days in Carlisle (20 years). Later we headed to the Dickinson College campus to visit with another friend and take some pictures of the finish line and set up for the Tour of PA bike race which was to roll into Carlisle about 3:00. About 1:15 I rode I my bike to campus to watch the finish of the race only to get there just after the winner had finished - it was 2:00. Audrey met me on campus and enjoyed the festival-like atmosphere and the post race press conference which we attended. I did take pictures of the awards ceremony and the festival-like events that were going on. Go here to see them. Check out the last 2 pictures. They are "winners".

http://picasaweb.google.com/watkinsdl/TourOfPAJune252008


Tuesday: We got on the road early for a trip to State College and Penn State. Our daughter, Dawn, and her 3 girls were in the area for a week. The two oldest girls, Bailey & Sophia, are attending a gymnastics camp in Woodward, PA while Dawn and the youngest, Olivia, are staying in State College. We arrived in State College about 8:30 (100 miles) and met Dawn & Olivia at the Nittany Lion Inn. Soon we were downtown checking out the shops and getting something to eat. All of our girls have spent at least 2 years at Penn State and State College while I was in school. If was fun for Dawn and us to see some of the places we lived during our stays. After lunch we headed to Camp Woodward to see Bailey & Olivia. What a camp! The place is amazing. It's first class. Not only is it a camp for gymnasts, but there are skate boarders, BMX bikers, cheerleaders and those interested in horseback riding. If we were raising a family, we'd consider sending the kids to this camp. Here's the website. http://www.campwoodward.com/

While at the camp, we did not spend much time with the girls since they were in practice sessions from 1:00 to 4:00. Dawn stayed after we left and guess what? They all went horseback riding. Go here to see the pictures taken while at the camp.

http://picasaweb.google.com/watkinsdl/GymnasticCamp08

Monday: This was a very difficult day. We did very little other than mourn over Phara's passing. I did ride my bike to Carlisle where Audrey met me at the McDonald's on Walnut Bottom road. Walnut Bottom road was essentially a rural area when we were in Carlisle. It was an area that was perfect for biking and running. No more. The Carlisle Hospital has relocated there and the traffic is crazy.

Saddness In the Family

There is sad news to share with our friends. Last night our beloved Phara left us. You know how much she was a part of our lives. Not much can be said. We loved her so much. Please say a prayer for her. Thank you very much.

dave & audrey

Daughter's House: Mechanicsburg, PA #2

The photo shows Phara resting in her bed.

It's Sunday and there is rain on the way. All the dogs are behaving themselves. Phara continues to show improvement. We will be heading to Panera Bread for bagels and coffee. Shopping for groceries will follow. Today looks like a day to simply to chill out. With rain in the forecast, there is little likelihood that we'll be doing any bike riding.

Today Denise and her troop begin their Disney Cruise. The cruise ship leaves from Cape Canaveral around noon and is headed to the Bahamas. They arrive back here in Mechanicsburg on Thursday - meaning we'll be on the road again.

Speaking of family, our oldest Cindy who lives in AZ, is having a less that great time in Dallas, TX. Cindy is a high school chemistry/physics teacher who has taken a group of honor students to a conference in Dallas. She says the place is a zoo - overrun with HS students not knowing how to behave. Also, there are so many students attending the conference that the wait times to get into everything takes forever. Needless to say, she is anxious to get out of TX.

Our week is quickly filling up with activities. Tomorrow (Monday) we'll be heading early to Carlisle to have breakfast with a former colleague from Dickinson College. Tuesday it's off to State College and Penn State -- home of the Nittany Lion in case some of you don't know. Wednesday it's lunch with another former colleague and a visit to the Dickinson College Campus.

Saturday: It's almost 3 days since we arrived at our daughter's house to dog and house sit. Things have been relatively calm and settled since we arrived and took Phara to the vet. Phara is showing signs of improvement by eating more often and moving around much better. Our fingers remain crossed and our prayers continue.

Today was met with a beautiful sunrise and cool temperature. Audrey had to make an early trip to Walmart and its pharmacy to get a prescription filled. I had planned to ride with the Harrisburg Bike Club on a 20/30 mile ride, but I forgot about the need to head to Walmart. So, I jumped on the bike and rode alone through the back roads near Mechanicburg -- 15 miles. Got home by 7:45 in time to shower and get off to Walmart for the pharmacy opening at 9:00. From there we headed to Paneara Bread and a bagel and coffee - 1 mile drive from WM.

Audrey is having trouble with her cell phone so from PB we headed to the Carlisle AT&T store to see if they could solve the problem -- cannnot view the screen at times. They could not solve the issue and suggested we replace the phone - out of warranty by 19 days. I told them to forget it since I have an iPhone that may become Audrey's around July 11. The move to give her my phone should I buy a new iPhone will be $20/month. Better than buying a new phone that cannot do the things the iPhone can do. Another rip-off try by a phone company.

From the AT&T store we headed to a bike shop in Mechanicsburg to see what they had that would be difficult to live without. I found many toys that we could put to good use, but we decided we'd better save our pennies just in case the democrats win the November election. We'll need every penny and more to survive as tax increases and fuel costs will be sending us to the poor house.

Our other daughter, Dawn, from Pinehurst with her 3 daughter's will be in State College (Penn State) beginning Sunday. Two of the girls will be attending a gymnastics camp. Dawn and the youngest (Olivia) will be staying at the Nittany Lion Inn. Audrey and I are excited about this adventure for the kids because it gives us an excuse to head to State College and Penn State for a visit with the Dawn and her gang. Dawn spent two years in her formative year in State College when I was doing graduate work. She is looking to returning to the area and sharing with the kids a little of her history as she grew up. All three of our daughters know Penn State well. It will be fun for us to take the kids around the campus. By the way, Dawn's husband, Ken, is a home working to pay for the State College experience.

Daughter's House: Mechanicsburg, PA #1

We have moved from TT Hershey, where we had been for 3 weeks, to our daughter's driveway in Mechanicsburg. We left TTH at 9:00 a.m. and were parked in the driveway an hour later. Denise's 2 dogs (a Westy & Yorkie) were happy to see us. Speaking of dogs. Phara continues to be a worry. Her bowels continue to be a problem. Yesterday we took her to a vet Denise suggested and got positive feedback. There was nothing the vet found that she felt was causing the problem -- after a through exam and a stool analysis. The vet gave us medication for Phara and told us to put her on a bland diet. She continue to eat reasonably well so that's a good sign.

The picture shows the coach and auto in Denise and Rob's driveway. By the way, place has garages for 5 autos. Amazing.

After settling in and before heading to the vet, Audrey walked through the neighborhood for 45 minutes while I took a bike ride. The ride was more than 20 miles along the rural roads near Carlisle. The ride brought back great memories. In fact I rode past the house we built just outside of Carlisle back in the early 70s. Our kids spent much of their growing years in that house.

Right now we are at the Panera Bread in Carlisle. Soon we'll be off to drive around Dickinson College where my parents went to school and I worked for 20 years. Again -- memories. Later this week, we'll probably visit the campus and catch some our friends who are still working at the college.

All for now. Stay tuned for further exciting updates.

TT Hershey Update #10 -

Today is getting ready to move day. Our stay at the Thousand Trails Campground ends tomorrow, and it's time to get organized to leave. We're off to Mechanicsburg, PA to house and dog sit at our daughter's house. She and her family are off on a Disney Cruise for a week to celebrate Samantha's high school graduation. We are looking forward to the stay because it gets us back into an area where we raised our family (Carlisle, PA). We'll have time to visit friends who we have not seen for quite awhile.

Take a look at the picture. That's the gang that will be taking the cruise - minus Audrey. Yep, the boyfriend and girlfriend are part of the trip.

Our concern for Phara continues. If she does not show signs of improvement this morning, we'll take her to the veterinarian in Annville for a checkup.

Stay tuned for updates from Mechanicsburg. One of the events on the schedule will be a trip to the Penn State to meet our daughter from Pinehurst. Two of her daughters will be attending a gymnastic camp near Penn State. We plan to visit with them at least one day.

Tuesday: Tuesday dawned with much cooler temperatures. Tuesday is Root's Market day so off we went about 7:45 to Manheim and the market. We wanted to get there early to find shady place to park because we had Phara with us. Yes, we bought some fresh meats and produce. Sure wish we had such a market back in NC.

Back at the coach there was work for me to do on the Washington Yacht & Country Club website. The club had its big golf tournament this past weekend and the results and other information needed to be posted on the website. Check out the site at http://www.wyccnc.com/ . WhileI did my thing, Audrey did some house cleaning and worked on her daily crossword puzzle. Later I jumped on the bike and rode to McDonald's in Palmyra and met Audrey for coffee. The ride was tough because of the wind. It seemed to be in my face not matter which way I went. From there it was to Walmart to get some food for Phara - cottage cheese, yogurt and chicken breasts. We are not pleased with her progress in recovering from her intestinal problems.

Dinner -- steak from the grill and fresh vegetables from Root's Market.

Monday: We chilled out most of the day making sure Phara was doing OK. She seemed to be doing better but her intestinal problems have not gone completely away. We continue to try and get her to drink and eat as we worry about dehydration.

I did ride a short ride toward Elizabethtown starting at the campground and ending at the rails/trails trail head in Colebrook. It was mighty hot and humid. The rain that was in the forecast did arrive about 7:30 in the form of a thunderstorm. Later that night (around 1:00 a.m.) another thunder boomer came through and knocked out the power for about 90 minutes.

Sunday: Father's Day was a very nice day as all the girls (3) called to wish the old man a Happy Dad's Day. Most of the day was spent at the coach because of our concern for Phara. She was not herself after the intestinal problems of the night before. She did little but sleep all day. However about 7:00 p.m. she showed signs of feeling better as she ate a full bowl of fresh food and drank some water.

Audrey did boot me out for a bike ride about noon. The ride was over a route I'd ridden before. This time however I was able to see how fast I was riding since the day before I installed the cyclometer from the mountain bike to the road bike. About half way through the ride, another biker went flying by which meant it was time to try and catch him. This was work and I did close the gap between us until he turned away from where I was headed. Memories of road racing returned.

TT Hershey Update #9-- Father's Day

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

Saturday: The began with a bike ride to Palmyra where I met Audrey at McDonald's. Rode a new route to get to Palmyra that took me off a heavily traveled road. From McDonald's it was back to the coach to chill out before heading off to dinner at the Shady Maple. The Shady Maple event was very nice as Audrey and I joined our daughter, Denise, and her husband, Rob, and their family, Justin (Andrea- girl friend), Samantha (Jake - boy friend) & Connor. - We celebrated Sam's high school graduation and Dad's Day. This was their initial visit to the Shady Maple -- an incredible smörgåsbord. The place was a mad house -- people everywhere. We got lucky and were able to sit as a family in the special banquet room where it was not as crowded and crazy. Needless to say, we all had more to eat than we should have. All of us made a fast exit from the place after dinner to avoid a nasty thunderstorm that passed through the area. On the way back to the coach there were places where the water run-off was across the highway.

The picture included shows the gang. Also, see the slide show in the right panel for more pictures.
When we got back to the coach, all was well as until about 2:00 a.m. when Phara alerted us to the need to go outside. Her bowels were loose and she kept us awake the rest of the night. Audrey a soldier. She took her out about every 30 minutes until nearly 4:00 a.m.

Today: We had planned to attend church this morning, but with the uncertainty surrounding Phara we are hanging out in the coach until we see how she is doing. Right now she's fast asleep. Nothing special planned for Father's Day. The kids, Cindy (AZ), Denise (PA) and Dawn (NC) will call, and we'll chat. We hope to take our bikes and ride someplace later today, but everything we do will be determined by how Phara is doing.

All for now. Stay tuned for the next update.

TT Hershey Update #8 -- Summary of Days

Just got back from the vet's where we had Phara's toenails clipped. Walmart was the next stop after a quick coffee and snack at McDonald's. The vet's office is located between Annville and Colonia. I jumped on the bike heading for the vet's at 7:45 to meet Audrey for the 9:00 am appointment. Guess what, I got lost and had to ask for directions. It turned out that I had pedaled right past the place by a couple of miles. What a dummy.

View pictures in the right panel of the Frackville visit.

Yesterday, Thursday, was a fun day. We visited with my 91 year old aunt (Ruth) in Frackville, PA. We met her at the Cracker Barrel in Frackville for lunch and spent a few hours chatting with her about family and Frackville - past and current. (See the picture of the 3 of us in this post.) Frackville is an old mining/railroad town in the hard coal regions of PA. It was only a matter of weeks ago that we visited with her and another aunt - 93 - and others in Frackville. While that visit was nice, there was really no time to just chat since there were many more there. Ruth is an amazing person. At 91 she continues to live alone, drives her car to do her own shopping and transport herself to doctor appointments, church, etc. She is a sharp as a tack. Every couple of months she heads to her doctor to be checked for her eyesight and reaction times -- making sure it's safe for her to continue to drive.

On the way to Frackville, we stopped at Cebela's in Hamburg after a stop for some refreshment at McDonald's. The McDonald's is at the turn to Cebela's so it's a convenient place to stop. I always check to see if the McDonald's has WiFi connectivity with the iPhone. This one did but access to the Internet is only available if you are willing to pay for access. Being a cheapskate, I am not. When heading back to the counter for a coffee refill, I spoke with the manager about what a shame it is that McDonald's charges for Internet access. He agreed. We discussed the rumor that soon McDonald's will provide free access to it's WiFi network if you are an AT&T customer. Hope so. At the conclusion of our conversation, the manager, Jose Minaya, handed me 4 coupons that give be free access to any McDonald's WiFi network. What a nice surprise. See the picture I took of Jose Minaya above.

Wednesday: Rising early was great. Finally the heat and humidity was gone as the forecasted cold front came through and lowered the temperatures and humidity. The morning run was a joy with the lower temperature and humidity. We left the coach abou8:00 a.m. heading to East Earl and Shirk's Bike Shop. I had scheduled an appointment to have the 5 speed free wheel cassette replaced on the road bike. It showing wear and at times shifting was unreliable. The task is normally an easy one but not this time. The new cassette was a 6 speed and the replacement was a problem. The axle had to be replaced and the wheel trued. This meant that a hours job turned into a 4/5 hour event. In part because the owner of the shop, Luke Shirk, was the one who had to true the wheel and he was not there until after 10:00. In the end we left the bike at the shop and headed over to the Shady Maple to shop in their market and get some lunch. Phara was with us so we had to hunt for a shady spot to park the car.

We got back to the bike shop about 12:30 and found that the bike was not finished. Not a problem since we were not in a hurry and it's great fun to browse around the shop. The shop has everything you'd want for in biking. And what's nice about the place, they do not hound you trying to push a sale. About 2:00 the bike was ready for a test ride. Off I went to see how she shift. It was fine so put the thing on the bike rack and headed back to the coach where I went for a 45 minute ride and Audrey took the car and filled the water jugs at the nearby state approved spring water source -- 25 cents a gallon.

Dinner -- chicken on the grill along with some fresh vegetables.

Tuesday: The weather continued to punish us. It was too hot to do anything. Audrey walked early and I took off on the bike before the heat became too punishing. Later it was off to the Rec Center again for to do banking and e-mail for Audrey. As for me, I went along with the iPhone and browsed the web while listening to numerous podcasts. Severe storms were forecast late in the day but never materialized.

Monday: Plans changed on Monday as it was just too hot to go anywhere. Audrey did walk early and I went for a short bike ride. Later in the day we headed to the Rec Center with our computers. Audrey did her banking and e-mail and I tuned into the WWDC on MacRumors to learn about the new iPhone. I was pleased with what will be available for the new phone when it goes on sale on July 11. The price has come down to $199 but there is a $10 increase in the data service - from $20 to $30/month. Yes, there will be one in my future and Audrey will get my old one.

TT Hershey Update #7 - Hot - Hot - Hot

Saturday: The topic of the day in the Hershey area is the temperature. It's been in the high 90s for the last 4 days and today is no exception. By tomorrow there appears to be relieve on the way. Thank goodness. Since the graduation event, we've been just chilling out. Saturday was a day to stay around the coach most of the day to avoid the heat. There was a bike ride that took me into Hershey where I met Audrey in front of the All Saints Episcopal Church where I loaded the bike on the car. From there we headed to Wendy's for a snack. By the time we got back to the coach it was time to watch the Belmont Stakes. Sure was a disappointment to see Big Brown fail to win the Triple Crown. It was also disappointing to watch the coverage where there was so little said to about the winning horse.

Sunday: It was off to church for the 8:00 a.m. service at the All Saints Episcopal Church http://allsaintshershey.org/ . To Panera Bread after that and free access to the Internet. Soon after we returned to the coach, it was time to leave again. I rode the bike to Hershey to see our grandson play baseball and Audrey drove. We met our daughter there and headed off to a nearby Wendy's for something to drink. This was about 1:00 p.m. and the game did not begin until 2:00. Our daughter brought our forwarded mail along with the GPS that had come from Garmin. Remember our GPS died a few weeks ago. Also in the mail were two cycling jerseys that were bought on eBay. Check out the picture of one of them. Good buys - $8.00 & $9.00. Such a jersey would cost $50.00 or more at a bike shop.

Check the right panel for the pictures taken at the baseball game. Connor pitched the first few innings and then played first base. Our son-in-law Rob coaches the team.

Today: Audrey is off for a walk before it gets too hot. She really minds the heat. Later I'll hit the road with the bike and head toward Hershey and Panera Bread. I want to be sure of a good Internet connection at 1:00 p.m. so I can learn about the updated iPhone. Steve Jobs is expected to make an announcement today at the Worldwide Developers Conference. There is likely to be a stop at the Prime Outlet Mall in Hershey sometime today since Audrey has her eye on a new top. We cannot be away from the coach for too long because of the heat. We worry about Phara. We'll have the AC running along with 2 fans. If the AC should shut down, the fans will provide cooling for her.

Stay tuned for the next post.

TT Hershey Update #6 - Graduation Day

View pictures in the right panel.

The day began with a visit with our daughter at Panera Bread and later a shopping adventure by Audrey and our daughter, Denise. As for me, once again the iPhone kept me occupied. After getting back to the coach, Audrey took a walk around the campground while I headed out on the bike. Today I found a good route to ride not far from the campground -- little traffic through the farmland near Campbelltown. It is a ride that allows for numerous distances -- meaning Audrey can ride the shorter routes.

The graduation for our granddaughter, Samantha Filson, took place at the Hershey Arena in Hershey, PA with the ceremony beginning at 7:45. Her class at Cumberland Valley High School in Mechanicsburg, PA had nearly 600 graduates. A huge class by our standards -- 39 in my class - 56 in Audrey's. The event was like most graduation ceremonies -- speeches that went too long. Audrey and I made an exit after Samantha received her diploma. We had to leave Phara in the coach with the AC running because of the high temperature - 90 degrees. We worry about her being alone under such temperatures. One of our neighbors did check to see that there was no problem with the AC while we were away.

In a day or so you will find graduation pictures posted in the panel on the right. What a nice day and evening. We are very proud of Samantha -- and all of our children and grand children. We have been blessed.

TT Hershey Update #5 - Temperatures Rising

Wednesday: The day was nothing special. Rain was in the forecast and it did rain. All of the out of door activities were suspended - no biking nor walking. A trip to Panera Bread was the order of the morning where Audrey did her banking and I updated a couple of web sites. From PB it was off to do some shopping. Audrey wanted to find something new to wear at our grand daughter's graduation on Friday evening. As for me, thank goodness for the iPhone. I can happily wait for Audrey to do her shopping using the iPhone to check e-mail and visit my favorite websites. News feeds via Google take lots of time to read. While doing the e-mail thing, etc. the podcast function is great. It's possible to listen to the latest tech news from cNet, the WSJ, etc. Speaking of the iPhone. There is great anticipation of an upgrade for the iPhone on Monday, June 9. Stay tuned. If there is a new iPhone available, Audrey may get a hand-me-down as I get the latest. FYI - most of the pictures posted on the blog have been taken with the iPhone. However, there is a new toy that may be in our future. Check out the Flip video camera.

Thursday: Headed off early to Walmart to have the auto serviced - oil change, lub, filters. Wheeled the grocery cart around the store for about an hour and ended up with a few items. Stopped at McDonald's on the way back to the coach. Later in the I headed out on the bike to Elizabethtown and got lost. Finally got help and found the Lancaster County rails/trails trail head where Audrey and driven and taken a short walk on the trail.

About a 3 weeks ago our Garmin GPS went dead and had to be returned for an exchange or repair. The unit from Garmin was to be sent to our daughter's address here in PA. Well the unit did not arrive in the 7/10 days as Garmin said. A phone call to Garmin determined the unit was sent to our home address in NC by mistake. We were concerned that the unit could have been taken if UPS left it on the house porch. As luck would have it, when our neighbor went to water Audrey's flowers, she saw the package and took it home. Now it's on the way to PA. Garmin is a good company. If the GPS were not found, they said they would replace it. We have had much bad luck with our GPS. We had our first GPS stolen from our car and the second one decided not to find satellites and had to be returned.

Summer weather on the way. Temperatures going into the 90s. Too hot for us.

TT Hershey Update #4 - Root's Market & Auction

Tuesday: This was Root's Market & Auction day. Check out the place with the pictures in the right panel and go to the Root's website at http://www.rootsmarket.com/ It was a good day at the market where meats, vegetables and fruits were purchased. After the time at the market, it was time for a snack at McDonald's in Manheim before heading to Lititz to browse the shops and visit the Wilbur Chocolate Factory. http://www.wilburchocolate.com/ On the way back to the coach we stopped at another bike shop the Green Mountain Bike Shop in Ephrata. No purchases were made at the bike shop.

About mid-afternoon I took off on the road bike and rode part way to Elizabethtown from the campground. Later I met Audrey at the rails/trails Colebrook trail head where she had gone to walk the trail toward Mt. Gretna. At the trail head we met some fellow bike riders who shared with us where to ride other bike trails not too far away. One to the riders had a recumbent bike that was really neat. It cost about $2,500 and was fully equipped. The unit folded in such a way that it could be easily placed in the back of his small SUV. In fact he said his wife and a similar bike and both bikes fit easily into the back of the SUV. One of these days we plan to ride a recumbent bike. We have friends in NC who have recumbent bikes and ride them everywhere. We are not sure how easily the bikes can be ridden up hills and how safe they are to ride. They may be hard to see by drivers on the road.

Dinner was another winner. Smoked sausage was the fare of the day -- both regular smoked sausage and hard smoked. All bought at Root's.

Please see the slide show feature in the right panel. Place the mouse over the slide to manually change slides. To enlarge the slide, click on it.

TT Hershey Update #3

Sunday: After church and a few hours of Internet work at Panera Bread in Hummelstown, we headed back to the coach. We had Phara with us, and it was getting a little warm for her. After chilling out for a couple of hours, off we went to ride the new road bike. I rode mine from the campground to Cornwall. The ride in nearly 10 miles with some hills that tax the breathing process. Audrey took hers to the trail head in Cornwall and rode the rails/trails route toward Mt. Gretna. There were bicyclists all over the place. The rails/trials route was full of families riding bikes, walking, jogging and riding horses. The adjacent picture was taken at the Cornwall trail head of a family about to start on the trail. The young lady on the pony suffers from asmatha and cannot ride a bike. Later we met at and rode through a very nice retirement village in Cornwall.

Monday: After a lazy start to the day, I rode my bike to Hershey and an outlet mall where I met Audrey. She wanted to shop for something to wear to our grand daughter's graduation on Friday. While she shopped I chilled out in the auto using the iPhone to check e-mail and surf the web. Later it was lunch at Wendy's and then on to a bike shop in Hummelstown to check out the possible purchase of a cycling jersey. No sale on the jersey. I did, however, win a bid for a jersey on eBay -- $13.00 including shipping.

After getting back to the coach and chilling out, it was off for another bike ride while Audrey stopped to fill our drinking water jugs at a spring water site near the campground. The water is tested regularly by the State and costs 25 cents per gallon. She then went for a walk on the rails/trails.

My bike ride was one to remember. While entering the village of Colebrook, I was almost run off the road by a guy in a bright red auto who went by blowing the horn like a mad man As luck would have it, I saw where he went after passing me. He lives near where the incident happened and I saw him pull into his driveway. I decided to confront him about the incident and rode the bike to his driveway. He was there unloading the car and I asked him if he had harassed me as he drove by. He said he did and began to swear and carry on like a wild man. I told him to save his breath for the sheriff who would be coming by after I reported the incident. I have yet to report the incident but will later today.

Today it's off to Root's Farmers Market as the freezer and vegetable bins need replenishing.

TT Hershey Update #2 -- Church & Things

Trial Video Below. Please try it and post a comment if it runs. Thanks.

Today will bring an early morning church service at All Saints' Episcopal Church in Hershey. From there we'll head to Panera Bread in Hummelstown. After returning to the coach, we'll load the bikes on the Jeep and head off to ride somewhere in the area.

Yesterday was an easy day. It rained most of the morning which meant that there was no rush to get out and do something. I spent most of the morning working on the numerous website I maintain. Audrey did her booking keeping paper work.

About noon we decided to take the auto and head off to a couple of bike shops - one in Palmyra and the other in Hummelstown. Guess what? Audrey found a great buy on a pair of Nike cycling shoes. Anytime you can find a pair of cycling shoes for $15.00 that fit you, you'd better grab them in a hurry. I almost bought a cycling shirt that was on sale, but I could not get the owner to drop the price by $5.00. Therefore there was no sale.

After returning to the coach, I did the every-couple-of-weeks check of the batteries and pulled out the oil dip stick to see if the oil level was OK. All fluid levels were fine.

For dinner Audrey did a repeat of the fresh sausage we had the night before. Delicious!!

Below is a short video that I've tried producing with my Canon Camera. It seems to have worked OK. If any of you play the thing, let me know if it was OK -- not the content - just the video function. Thanks.

Please see the slide show feature in the right panel. Place the mouse over the slide to manually change slides. To enlarge the slide, click on it.