Monday, July 14, 2008

No Beach....Trains Instead!

Well, this morning dawned damp and rainy, so beach plans have been delayed. It was hard reasoning with the boys (when is it ever easy to reason with 2 kids under 5??), but eventually they were convinced that our alternate plans were just fine.... a old-fashioned steam rail road!!

We hit the road with Mam-gu and Pa-Hugh, and went to the Strasburg Rail Road in PA. We got to go on a 45-minute steam train ride through the GORGEOUS country side (gosh, I miss the hills and landscape of the East!). The boys thought the whole thing was a blast, seeing tons of old engines, carriages, and cabooses, as well as a few other train related paraphernalia! After the ride, we had a bite to eat, and checked out some attractions and the gift shop. They also had on display an 1898 Frick Steam Tractor. (My maiden name was Frick, so WAY cool). All in all a great day.

Mam-gu and Pa-Hugh on the train
Daddy and B pondering something. I now see the family resemblance of father and son (most days I have no idea who my kids look like!)
Trevor and Pa-Hugh enjoying the countryside.
Our beautiful steam engine.
Trevor powering the "cranky car".

Watching the Cagney train... the boys loved this tiny one!
My parents by the Frick Steam Engine!
Trevor and Blake riding in an Amish wagon, while Mam-gu added some ambiance by pretending to be a horse!!


After dinner (which included fabulous FRESH sweet corn...yay!), we decided to visit a few local parks. The kids were playing on the parks at the Elementary school where I went to Kindergarten and my brother went to 3rd grade (in between those years, they closed the school temporarily). I also spent many summer camps in the fields/forest by the school, and the boys even ran the bases on the ball field my brother spent so many years playing on. It was weird to realize all that, and to watch them reliving my childhood play areas.... weird, but cool!

After the park, it was off to Friendly's for ice cream. No trip out east is complete, for me, with out at least ice cream at Friendly's.... lots of fond childhood and high school memories include their ice cream. The boys loved their clown-face sundaes, and were thrilled to find tons of Reese's Pieces candy at the bottom of their sundae.... you'd think they never had ice cream!!

Tomorrow, the beach, take 2!!

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