that was a damn good vacation

2003-06-17

I'm back and I have so much to say about our trip that it can't be said all in one update. I'm not even going to try.

1) If you've never been to Lancaster Country, PA, you can't have any idea of how many Amish people there are. I thought the Amish population was probably large enough to qualify as a community, but really not all that large a part of the area population, and Boy Was I Wrong. Those Amish people are everywhere! We arrived in Bird in Hand, PA (in the heart of Amish country) on Sunday evening (the 8th), and since it was Sunday we thought we wouldn't see very many Amish people. We figured they'd be sitting at home, Sabbathing by candelight, but instead they were driving their buggies everywhere. Even after we went to bed I could hear the horses clop-clopping past our hotel, well into the night. Those Amish are party animals, for sure. The next day we drove around the county a little bit before heading north, because it's really pretty there, and picturesque with all the farms and stuff, and again, the place was crawling with Amish people in buggies. On a Monday morning when there was farm work to be done! I fantasized about yelling out the window at them, "Get to work, you lazy Amish!", but of course I didn't do it, because it is not my way. Everyone should visit that part of PA because it's gorgeous and peaceful, but also you really need to witness the Amish first-hand. I tried not to stare, but they're just so Interesting. Especially because they're in stores and restaurants and doing pretty much all the stuff non-Amish are doing, except driving cars and using blow-dryers. I think that made them a little more incongruous--if they'd been totally ignoring everything people were doing and just doing their own Amish things, it would have seemed less odd. But there they were, ordering pancakes and jumping on trampolines and buying donuts. Also, one other thing about the Amish? They have the world's longest clotheslines.

2) At a gas station on the first day, a little boy (he was maybe 4 years old) came out of a bathroom with his mom and he said to her, "I washed my hands really good. I used soap and water and soap. The three ingredients."

3) On our second or third vacation day (can't remember which) we stopped at a Walmart to get Boy some swimtrunks (we forgot them) and a few other items, such as makeup, because I completely forgot to pack mine. Boy bought himself another light-saber--one which completely telescopes into the handle--and that damn light-saber was the star of the vacation for the next several days. He took it everywhere and played with it constantly. I hated that light-saber until his interest wore off, let me tell you. He kept poking us with it and was barely deterred by our threats of throwing it out the window. Damn you, light-saber! Damn you!!

4) In New Hampshire, on the equinox, sunrise was 4:20. I thought I was imagining it that it was getting light, but no. And the B&B we stayed in that night had lace curtains, so Francisco and I were pretty much awake from sunrise. The next couple of days, in Maine, it got light at about 4:20 or 4:30 also, but there were heavy curtains there, so we could sleep. All that light made for some beautiful plants, let me tell you.

5) I loved Vermont and New Hampshire. Maine was nice but not nearly as pretty as VT and NH, in my opinion. I'd love to have a summer house in one of those states, next to a lake or river. And by summer house I mean a unibomber-like cabin, because those crazy huge mansion-y summer houses people are building up there are ridiculous.

More to come tomorrow, including the visits with Atomic and her husband, and with Miles. Meeting these people were the hightlights of the vacation--really, really kickass.

I missed you kids! You've sure been doing a lot of stuff in the past 10 days....

Love,

e |

cats-kittens

come over some time & see me - 2011-02-25
let's not say goodbye - 2011-02-23
the Rachel Zoe collection - 2011-02-10
I feel happy today - 2011-02-04
the tiny snow stalker - 2011-01-25

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