Family Fun from Baltimore to Brockway

Family Fun From Baltimore to Brockway






Here's the whole reason for the trip: Son, Mom, Pop!
FAMILY!



At the end of June, Dede's family (Jim Britton, her Dad (AKA "Pop, Moose and Poppy Moose") in Baltimore, MD) has celebrated a family reunion in Brockway, PA since the 1970s. It's one of those gatherings where we haul out tents and fire wood and coolers and make our own fun (you know--softball, volleyball, treasure hunts, campfire songs and stories, picnics, card games, s'mores, fireworks!).  Since we're traveling so far away, perhaps to live, we felt this year we really should try to go! 

 

Family reunions are especially healthy for us travelers; they anchor us, they fill us up with family love and memories to last a long while. Here, you can catch up on recipes, new family members (a baby was born into the family just days before the gathering!), the news on careers, health and travel plans.  We watch each other grow. We learn from each other. We're kids again. The important stuff!

 

While Kim n Dede made travel plans, we thought about taking the coach all the way up and then driving out to CA across the middle of the country. We reasoned that our southern route would be better in two ways:

 1-a northern route would add serious miles to our trip and

 2-we already drove I-40 & I-70 on earlier trips out West and we'd rather be on new roads!

So we planned to drive North as far as Hilton Head, SC to see our friends there, then take an airplane from Savannah, GA to Baltimore, MD.  The only hitch in the plan was the cost of airfare. At $400 a ticket, Dede went by herself.  (We're on a budget with our Amazon earnings, remember?)

Frances Scott Key Bridge on the way in to Baltimore.



Life-long Baltimore citizen, Great Aunt Louise Flanigan is over 100 years old!
This is the building her father built, The Ambassador, where she operated
a gift shop for almost 40 years before she got married at the age of 81.

Aunt Louise's remembers the other buildings going up and can name them.
Her father's company, Mullan Contracting Co.,  is now happily managed by descendants.

While we dined, we had the same conversation about five times.
(Aunt Louise has dementia.)
She said the same uplifting comments about everything again and again.
We should all be just as cheerful when we're 100!



Another good old restaurant is Pappas -voted best crab cakes!  (next to Phillips in the harbor)
Dede went with her Elementary school girlfriend, Lucy King.
She bought some of the crab cake spice for Pop, since airport security made her
throw away the 3.4oz hot sauce she picked up in the Keys. (Sorry Dad!)

Dad is ready to go! He lives just on the edge of Baltimore city and Towson.



This is Dede's genius friend Bob Crites, who went to music camp with her in 1974.
He now lives in a converted barn-estate in Mechanicsburg and works from home for IBM.
Pop & Dede were happy to accept the invitation to stop there overnight on our way up to Pennsylvania.
We sang a round in the silo, played piano, tennis, went swimming and Dede fell in love with his dancing daughter, Sara!



Brockway at last!
Dad's sister, Kathleen has enjoyed her back porch for decades.
Brockway, PA is a town that time never touches!



Our weekend cabins surround a campfire site in the middle.
We played a murder-mystery game until 2AM, where someone was (secretly) a murderer, a sheriff and a doctor.
You can never get enough of a good campfire with your family!




Ryan Mark (Dede's son) slowly waking up for breakfast with cousin Jessie smiling behind!
How can people in the same family wake up so differently!?

Dede's nephew Brian, with his two boys.
When the family reunions began, the kids running around were in Dede's generation.
Now they're the "old ones" who sit around and talk!
In Brockway time stands still, while we age.

Jack and Maryann, Pop's older sister.

Here's a happy clan: Liz (in the middle) is marrying into a family of two children later this summer.
These are their friends, along for the fun. Welcome to the family!



Ryan and Pop
Sight for Dede's sore eyes!



Ryan's tattoos (music and art).





Fabulous cousins, Dave and Anne.
In volleyball he's a BIG BLUE WALL at the net!



Swimming, canoeing, beaching and eating!
We had beautiful weather during the day!
(Rain came in with the night and our second-night campfire was unsuccessful. Boo Hoo!
Dede made an impromptu obstacle course in her cabin
and played duck-duck-goose (AKA "mi-mi-sol") with the little ones.)

Cousin Jesse, Brother-in-law Mike and Cousin Caitlin--college bound!

Cousin Jessie and boyfriend, building a house together!



Sister Beth's family! (youngest son, Sean was missed!)



Reda (husband), Pop's sister Jackie, Laura (wife)



The "old folks" sit around and talk!
We're glad they were there with us! --Wish there were more!
And we all remember fondly the ones who are no longer with us.

Dede's sister Beth n John bought property up in PA around the lake. 
Pop's thinking about it...for the future.

Dad, Pop, Moose, Poppy-Moose

Nittany Inn on PA Rt 144.
Great place to stop for a quick lunch or a snack on the ride home.



The King is in his castle, all's right with the world!
Pop spends most of his time in his chair--he could live just as happily in a motorcoach!



Pop and Dede drive up to Monkton, MD, walk up the old railroad trail
and float back down the river.
It rained full-out on us as we floated. Nothing to do but grin and get wet!



City of Baltimore on the way back to the airport.
Bye, bye, love!

Artist Retreat in Williston, Florida

Williston Crossing is one of the remote places we like to tell people about.

Following the coach through cow and horse fields of northern Florida.

A mill by the side of the pool!

Here we were cut off from the world--there was no phone service, no Internet, and no TV reception. On the particular week we were there (June 15 to 22nd) it rained almost every day.  Otherwise we got out to swim or ride bikes. Once a day we rode up to the top of the hill to use the phone.

This must be a really fun place during peak season! But mostly we worked on our music inside the coach.


 

fire pit (top) old train (bottom)



The common shelter with full kitchen and grill!
What a party this must be during peak season!


Being cut off from civilization is never a problem for people like us! We just took up our artist's tools and got to work, Kim studying and selecting his new set of sound tracks and Dede arranging a jazz version of "You Raise Me Up."  We took turns preparing meals for each other so the other one could keep working. ...the kind of work we love: music, music and more music!


Kim (front) and Dede (back) Music Workstations.



 

 

 Staying for a week in small space with just one other person is not a good way to "get to know them" but rather, a good way to confirm that what you know about them is what you like.  It was a beautifully quiet and productive week.  Kind of like the quiet before the storm! (After this we head up north to see all the friends and family we can squeeze in.)

 

 

The Ivy House Restaurant
A destination restaurant all the way out here!
Excellent food and fun gift shop.

 

 

THANK YOU!
We love finding positive solutions to common problems.

 

 

 

Our site (from rear).

 

Our site (from front)
The phase where we parked our coach was the most mature.

 

There were three phases to the park: this phase has just received infrastructure (road, sewer, electric, water).
 

 

The second phase was just getting a laundry and bath house.

 It's inspiring to be in an area of new growth and to see the excitement and momentum of progress!

 

Panthers to Space Shuttles in Titusville, FL

The space shuttle is the big draw for Titusville, FL. We stayed at The Great Outdoors (TGO) for only a few days (June 10-14). The town was past its prime, with many boarded up stores and vacant buildings. It's hard to say which took a bigger toll: the economy or the end of the shuttle program.



Our site at The Great Outdoors


At TGO there was plenty of nature, tennis, pool, yoga, walking paths, biking, and some unique homesteads for RV families! (see below)
 
 
 
We saw all manner of nature right by the coach: box turtle, deer, alligator, and a golden panther. S/he snuck up right by the back window while Dede was on the phone. By the time she got the camera out it had stalked up to the front and we caught only a minute on video through the trees. It looked like a cat that was as big as a dog. Very confusing!

 

Box Turtle

 

Deer

 


The little alligator head is poking out to watch! (bottom right)


 
Family Makes Every Trip Worthwhile!

Chris (Dede's brother), Dede and Nina (Dede's niece)

We looked forward to a visit from Dede's brother, Chris and his daughter Nina, and their significant others. They live almost an hour away in Orlando. We had a nice dinner in the coach, played some music, and just fooled around talking a bit afterwards. It will be a long time before we see them again! (Wah!)

Kristina and Chris goofing around

 

Nina and Dave as cute as can be!

 
 
 
Kennedy Space Center Visit
The Kennedy Space Center is worth a day or two visit. 


Dreamers!

They have parts of the craft that went up into space and in some cases where they made duplicate items, they have them in the center. We went on a simulated ride that was really cool. The astronauts who have taken the ride say it's very much like the real thing! 

Now that we've seen everything up close, we don't want to go out into space anymore. Our craft (the motor coach) is just the right size and with much less peril!

Here are the interconnected parts of the Apollo spacecraft, starting from the top...
 


This is where the people are. Tiny!

 


This module takes them to/from the moon.

 


This is the rocket that takes them back home.



This is the second set of rockets after lift-off.



 

 


This is the rocket booster at the bottom. A person could stand in the circle!
It falls to the sea after lift-off.

 

This is the real control room (relocated) for the Apollo missions.

 

 

 

One of the moon landers (It pops out of the service unit!)

 

Remember phone booths? These are a rare sight!

 

 

 

Cool Homes at The Great Outdoors

 

We got to tour some of the homes on the resort. They range from hangars to multi-car garage homes. Of coarse we picked out several that we'd like to live in one day!

Simple double-wide trailer home with an RV bay. (Kim's favorite)

 

Nice porch extension behind RV bay. Sweet!

 

House with RV bay.

 


House with RV bay and gulf cart bay. Dede's favorite.

 

 

House with RV bay, golf cart bay.

 

 

Our favorite doorstep: Kaye-Mom's home in Clearwater!
(This is where all our mail is going.)

 


We got to see Kaye for one night's visit after Titusville.
She looks great and continues to do rings around us, taking classes and entertaining friends.
Clearwater is a fabulous cultural center for an artist like her!

 

Here we are in Dade City (North of Clearwater) picking up our car and trailer.
We looked into buying a smaller hybrid car that would fit into a larger trailer.
But then we'd have to sell our beautiful convertible and current trailer.
Too much like work!

 

The scooter fits in right next to boxes of seasonal clothes and tennis gear.

 

Beautiful Traveler's Rest resort in Dade City, where we work-camped
from January through March before touring Florida.

 

We have only one more stop in Florida before we make a little

family and friends visit up North.