This starts a series of interrupted blog post where you get to follow the Squid on their summer travels outside, yes, I said
outside, of New York City. Everyone gasp now!
For our first installment we have our annual trip to Pennsylvania Dutch Country where our intrepid Squid venture every year for a dose of the great outdoors and some quality time lost in a corn maze.
This year they wimped out and, instead of roughing it in tents, opted for a "Cozy Cabin." Let's hear it for the wimps making a good choice. It POURED and lightninged and thundered most of the second day so our Squid had a porch to play games on and a watertight, no worry roof over their head at night. And a bathroom.
***
This years trip started out with a visit to the
National Watch and Clock Museum where we learned all about Horology. (
The study of timekeeping, get your minds out of the gutter!)
Many interesting clocks were viewed -- click here for more
photos.
This clock did just about everything except vacuum the floor!
One of my favorites -- I like unusual clocks.Lunch was at
Hinkle's Pharmacy for some good, authentic regional food. Yum! This pharmacy with lunch counter has been around since 1893!
We explored Columbia, PA for a bit and then headed to our camp ground for a quick stop to unpack. The we were off to join members of the
Lancaster Bike Club for an Ice Cream Ride to the
Oregon Dairy where we feasted on locally made ice cream. (For more bike cam pictures, click
here.)
Definitely NOT New York! After 10 miles in the heat, with the sun rapidly setting we trouped back to the cabin for showers and bed. The cabin had two bunk beds so we each had our own, off the floor, accommodations, with the kids on top and the parents below. It also had air conditioning.
In the morning we dined al fresco, the last such meal of the trip.
A little reading,
a little goofing,
a little crossword action and then we were off.
In the 90+ degree, 100% humidity, we headed in to the
Maze and found ...
a bike. How fitting.
And, a bull. Which this story is not.
And lots of corn.
And, finally, our way out! After 2 hours of purposeful wandering we did it! This seemed to be the hardest of the mazes that we have done so far. We spent the first hour or so seemingly going in circles and then finally hit on some new sections of the maze and quickly got on the right track.
After finding our way out, the kids did some pedal carting
and then we headed to
Good and Plenty for lunch. Just as our meal was served, the skies opened up. It did not stop raining until ... well, um, I think it is still raining. (Actually, there was a break in the rain this morning so we were able to cook our breakfast on the camp stove and eat on the porch.)
Since outdoor activities were out, we went
clock and
pretzel shopping and then retreated back to the cabin for a couple of rousing games of Scrabble and
Set.
Our adventures will take us further west this summer and should include bike rides in four other states and a visit to a midwest state fair. Stay tuned!
Now our Squid they're driving through the country.
West Virginia, is the first stop,
Take me West.
Ganesh outside a restaurant on the Upper East Side.
The 2007 Squid on Wheels cycling jersey.
This clock did just about everything except vacuum the floor!
One of my favorites -- I like unusual clocks.
Definitely NOT New York! After 10 miles in the heat, with the sun rapidly setting we trouped back to the cabin for showers and bed. The cabin had two bunk beds so we each had our own, off the floor, accommodations, with the kids on top and the parents below. It also had air conditioning.
a little crossword action and then we were off.
a bike. How fitting.
And, a bull. Which this story is not.
And lots of corn.
And, finally, our way out! After 2 hours of purposeful wandering we did it! This seemed to be the hardest of the mazes that we have done so far. We spent the first hour or so seemingly going in circles and then finally hit on some new sections of the maze and quickly got on the right track.
and then we headed to Good and Plenty for lunch. Just as our meal was served, the skies opened up. It did not stop raining until ... well, um, I think it is still raining. (Actually, there was a break in the rain this morning so we were able to cook our breakfast on the camp stove and eat on the porch.)
The New Victory theater was one of the early renovations during the mid 90's. It went from being the first XXX movie house to being the first theater geared towards children. When the Squidlings were younger we had subscriptions for a couple of seasons.
Our journey to Times Square was two-fold. We had to retrieve Squidette's clarinet from the repair shop and were were hoping to find the Kwik-E-Mart. Unfortunately the store had reverted back into a normal7-Eleven but there were still some vestiges of Simpson-mania around.
Simpsons Donuts
On the walk home we spotted some laundry on the line. Not a common site in the heart of the Big Apple.
And, we did a spot of grocery shopping. Can you figure out what we are planning to do?
Yorkville and Ruppert Towers, a one time bastion of middle class living in Manhattan -- now condominiums. Commentary on that sad state of affairs will wait until another day.
where they had special ordered a helmet mirror for me. We then rode back home, doing a loop of Central Park in the process. During our journey, Papa and Little Squid introduced me to a foot.
I, in turn, introduced the foot to a sock.
Then a dragon got the sock. Eek! These curiosities can be found on 81st Street if you want to check them out.
We cycled 15 miles in the heat and then came home and crashed until it was time to retrieve Squidette.
Then, instead of just retracing our path along the river, we left the greenway for Riverside Drive at 125th Street and climbed a "memorable" hill which rises something like 4 stories in the span of two city blocks. The last time we tried this hill, Little Squid and I stalled quite near the bottom. Today ... we made it! And then had a lovely ride up and down Riverside Drive until rejoining the greenway at 72nd Street. Total mileage (including a side trip to the Green Market): 20 miles all before 11:30 a.m. and before the temperature went over 90.
I'm not kidding! I need to pay very careful attention for the first 30 rows or so until the increases begin. Once those are done I have a good time of it but there is a good reason why I do not knit too many of these. This one is for a colleague who is due to join the wonderful world of parenthood in October. The sweater is now done except for the seaming which will wait until said child appears.
Also in progress are two pair of socks to be gifted. Yes, that is monkey going on again in the bright (female) sock and just a plain k2p2 ribbed thing in the duller (male) sock.
The biggest tower, toward the left, is actually part of Riverside Church which is a block further west and an architectural wonder all its own.
A bit south of Seminary row finds the colleges of Columbia University including Teachers College
and Columbia itself.
Since we always pass Barnard on the near side of the street, I did not get any pictures of it. Next summer, perhaps. My mother-in-law met my father-in-law while they were doing graduate work, her at Teachers College and he at Columbia. Everybody say aww now.
