Final GrandCamp Session

GrandCamp is officially over for 2018, and what a great season it was. Rob, our 15 year old (and eldest grandchild) was here for four fun-filled days and just left this morning.

Rob has developed a love for golf, so he and Bob had a great time playing on local courses.

We also spent a lot of time in the water, and one day Rob and I went out to local thrift and antique shops. I bought Rob a box of Magic Cards for the price of $10, which excited him to no end. I also found a treasure...a glide rocker from the local Habitat For Humanity ReStore.

Bob has already taken it apart and will be making it gorgeous again. It will be brought to our place in Mesa this fall.

Yesterday the three of us visited Historic Cold Spring Village, the largest living history museum in New Jersey. Bob and I visit living history museums whenever we have the chance to do so, and we loved this one. Rob was fascinated with the Gutenberg printing press there, and asked the re-enactor if he could try it out. Maybe in another era he would have become a printer, but dealing with all the tiny letters would have driven me bonkers.

All of the buildings are historical homes or shops that date from the mid-1800s. Here are some scenes from our visit.

Chatting with the teacher in the one-room schoolhouse.

In front of the bookbinder’s shop.

The blacksmith’s shop.

A round tuit. How many times have you lamented that you’d do something if you got a round tuit? It’s a very handy item.

A horse-drawn wagon.

A two shaft loom that changes sheds automatically. We saw one of these in NM years ago but this one is actually being restored.

I must say, we have had perfect weather for the two weeks we were here, with blue skies, comfortable temperatures and fairly low humidity. Today it is raining but Bob and I are just getting ready for our drive back to Cherry Hill so it doesn’t bother us.

GrandCamp Session 3

So, where was I? Ah yes, we had taken the little ones to Storybook Land. The next day Bob and I went to the Cape May Zoo, an amazing place for little kids (or big ones, too.)  Jillian and Eve were excited to see all the animals and had a blast.

After a picnic lunch we let the girls play at the playground. This place has it all.

The next morning it was time to say goodbye to the little ones and welcome Adam and Alex,  the 11 year old cousins. We took them swimming daily, played miniature golf, ate popcorn, and visited the World War II tower in Cape May.

This is such an interesting place. We learned about German spies who landed on US soil during the war, and what life was like during times of blackouts and rationing.

The next day we were off to North Wildwood where we had fun at Ripley’s Mirror Maze, Lazor Maze, and Time Freak.

All too soon, our time with them was at an end. We now have Rob, aged 15, who will be here until Sunday when we return to daughter Kristen’s house.

GrandCamp Session 2

Day 3 of Session 1 with Quinn and Ben involved visiting the Cape May Lightouse. It was a beautiful day to do it and the kids enjoyed counting all the steps (199) as they climbed.

We were ready with binoculars to look for dolphins in the water. Nope, none today, but that didn’t dim the enthusiasm.

After a picnic lunch in the pavilion and a run up the ramp to the deck to look at the waves...

...we headed to a local movie theater to see Incredibles 2.

The next morning Kristen brought Eve and Jillian and took Ben and Quinn home. Session 2 begins!

First up was a swim in the campground swimming pool. Bob and I were too busy with the girls (both 5 years old) to take photos in the pool, but they had a grand time. They enjoyed the after-swim ice cream cone, too!

It’s such fun to watch 5 year olds play. They can make toys out of pretty much anything.  I keep a Bosu ball in the MH for exercise and the girls turned it into a boat on the stormy sea.

On Thursday morning we all piled into the car and went to Storybook Land in Egg Harbor Township. The weather couldn’t have been nicer; it was not too hot and not very humid. We all had so much fun

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Tomorrow we will visit the local zoo.

GrandCamp 2018 Begins

Quinn (age 7 1/2) and Ben (age 10) started us off with this year’s GrandCamp, which promises to be a good one. We are staying at a very nice campground in Cape May Courthouse, NJ this year, which boasts a pool, a swimming pond, miniature golf, and many other amenities.

We started out on Sunday in high spirits with the ride to the campground. Riding in the motorhome was a new experience for both of them.

After settling in, we spent some time in the pool and then returned to our campsite for dinner and S’Mores. Yum!

On Monday Bob and I explored Wildwood, NJ, a seaside town with a nice boardwalk. Ben tried on of the games and won two prizes, one of which he generously gave to his cousin.

Wildwood has a small aquarium which we toured. The kids got to pet a shark.

The children learned the difference between a White-tip Shark, a Black-tip Shark, and a Nurse Shark.
We had fun finding souvenirs and just being silly.

After a picnic lunch and more boardwalk, we returned to the campground for a swim and a round of miniature golf.

The kids have one more full day here before we send them home and welcome another pair of campers.

Fun in the Sun

Bob and I have been enjoying our summer in NJ very much. Last Wednesday we had a family gathering at daughter Emily’s house in honor of granddaughter Eve’s 5th birthday. And what better way to celebrate than to have a pool party!

Eve and Quinn enjoy the water

On Saturday we spent a lovely evening at the home of Bob’s brother Bill and Bill’s wife, Brenda. It was such fun to hang out with them as well as Tom and Nancy, Emily, and Ryan. I wish I had gotten a photo of the group. I’ve been very lax in taking photographs lately.

On Saturday Bob and I met up with my friend Robbie and her husband Bruce for lunch at Norma’s Eastern Mediterranean Cuisine where we had a delightful time catching up. And the food was excellent, with vegan options as well as meat.

In between all this socializing I have been keeping my fingers busy, crocheting some amigurumi animals and finishing the weaving of my band.

This is a pattern from the book Latviešu Jostas featuring a double flower pattern. It was a fun weave.

Yesterday was Ben’s Half Birthday, a special day that all-too-often goes unnoticed. But not this year! Daughter Kristen picked up a small cake, cut it in half (and frosted the cut side,) added 5 1/2 candles, and we sang half of the Happy Birthday song to him. Only half of his brothers were there (Rob was at a friend’s house) as well as half of his parents (Jason is still away on training for the Air Force) but Bob and I celebrated with him as he ate his cake on paper plates cut in half and forks with half the times removed.

On Sunday we kick off the start of GrandCamp 2018, in Cape May, NJ. It’s going to be a fun two weeks.

Veganniversary and New Microwave

First off, I want to offer my sincerest condolences to my friend, Joan, whose husband John passed this week. John was a sweet man and will be missed by all who knew him. This photo is from last summer and we will remember him fondly.

It has been exactly one year since I stopped eating meat, eggs, and dairy products. In that year I have lost 35 pounds and I feel so much better. I can honestly say I do not miss any of it. Big thanks to my sister Gail for all her support!

The convection part of our convection/microwave stopped working over a year ago and we finally ordered a new one. Bob did some internet searching and found the best price at Office Depot, of all places. So I contacted Lowe’s and asked if they would price-match. They agreed and we saved $126. Score! It arrived on Wednesday and Bob and I spent a really fun (just kidding) 90 minutes getting it in place.

Our old one, which was the exact same model, was missing the manual and cookbook and I was surprised to discover I was not using it properly. So now I get to learn how to do it right.

On Thursday it was so beautiful that Bob, Kristen, and I decided to take the train to Philadelphia and get lunch.

We walked around a bit first, enjoying the sights of cobblestone side streets and carriage arches.

Then we ate at Reading Terminal Market and I had my favorite, Chana Masala from Nanees, with the best curried spinach I ever had. I found a recipe for it and will make it soon.

That’s all for now. Happy Fathers Day to all the dads out there!

SJGSH

On Saturday I attended a meeting of the South Jersey Guild of Spinners and Handweavers. What a joy to see old friends and meet new ones! I was very inspired by the show and tell. Here is one of my favorites—Helena showed off her hand beaded necklace and this jacket she had woven and sewn. Isn’t it amazing?

I went out to lunch afterwards with my friend, April. Neither time nor distance can separate true friends, and our friendship is a prime example. We always have fun when we are together!

I started weaving a new band. This one is from the book Latviešu Jostas, and is a type of flower band. It’s easy to weave and very relaxing. Details are on my Ravelry project page.

We started having problems with our computer about a month ago when we could no longer connect to the internet. Since it has been six years since we purchased it, we decided it was time for a new one, and we took advantage of a Memorial Day sale at HP to order it.

Because we subscribe to Carbonite, transferring all our files to the new computer was easy. We logged on and clicked the transfer button. After 24 hours we calculated that it would take a month for our files to all transfer, so we plugged into daughter Kristen’s router and twelve hours later it was done. So far, we are liking this new laptop.

Weather here in south Jersey has improved and we see the sun daily. We’re getting temperatures in the ‘70s, which is lovely. We are so glad the constant rain has stopped.