horse camp (simon)

simon went to horse camp last week.

every day, he rode horses, 

did ground work with horses

and cleaned up after two goats

(including one named simon!).

in the horse show at the end of camp,

the campers showed off their ground work skills

walking horses whom they'd decorated specially.

 all campers got ribbons

for their participation. 

simon was by far the littlest guy -

and practically the only guy - 

there, but that didn't stop him

from having fun.

his look of achievement

says it all!

PA Dutch Country - Wilbur & Hershey

we decided to make the last day

of our roadtrip 'chocolate day' -

we started with Wilburn Chocolate Co.,

which my dad, grandma and i

had toured together

once upon a time

when i'd toured as a kid,

it had been a private tour,

specially arranged -

as far as the public goes,

Wilbur is really a museum

and gift shop more than anything

(in addition to being a factory,

of course)

we did at least get to watch

handmade chocolates

being rolled

next stop after Wilbur

was Hershey, PA 

we skipped Hershey Park,

an amusement park,

and headed directly to

Chocolate World, 

which was crowded beyond belief

the free 15-minute ride

teaches you about chocolate making,

though all you see are phony beans 

on phony conveyor belts

truly, i think the purpose of the ride

is to whet your appetite for the

chocolates in their HUGE

gift shop

commercialism at its best

(or worst?)

PA Dutch Country - Dutch Wonderland

we started our Dutch Wonderland day

at the Waffle House,

which i knew by reputation from

a med school roommate,

who swore by it

it was pretty tasty

we ordered not only waffles,

but pancakes, grits, home fries,

biscuits and gravy

fortified by a hearty breakfast,

we headed over to Dutch Wonderland,

an amusement park which describes itself as

"a kingdom for kids!"

this year, Dutch Wonderland,

located in Lancaster, PA,

celebrates its 50th anniversary

  the park is really designed

with little kids in mind - 

therefore, there was little the boys

couldn't do

there was an awesome water show,

"the Frog prince,"

which, as you see, 

involved high dives

we sat in the splash zone,

so we got pretty soaked

at mid-day, we left the park

and at lunch at Sonic

Sonic is basically a drive-up

fast food restaurant with car bellhop service

not wanting to eat in our car,

we chose the covered patio instead -

here, toby enjoys a taste of the

peanut butter fudge shake

rick and i indulged in

simon ordered a strawberry slushie

with his children's meal

both boys enjoyed the extend-a-spoon

that came with the children's meal

 i can't imagine a more exciting day - 

first Waffle House,

then Dutch Wonderland,

followed by lunch at Sonic,

and more Dutch Wonderland!

PA Dutch Country - Red Caboose Motel

we stayed at the same motel

i'd been taken to as a kid

we actually slept in a train car!

the car felt surprisingly spacious

rick and i slept up front in a double bed,

and the boys slept in the rear,

separated from us by curtains

the train car had two sets of

bunk beds

though only toby actually slept

atop his

the motel had plenty to do 

and was nextdoor to

the National Toy Train Museum,

which we didn't even get to

we did, however, feed the animals 

and marvel at the beautiful

countryside

we ran out of time to

take a buggy ride

but we saw plenty of Amish-driven

buggies on the road

this Amish farm and house,

if you can believe it,

was in a Target parking lot!

gotta love a Target that has

horse & buggy parking ;-p

we checked out

the beautiful Amish furniture 

and irresistibly adorable dolls

and back at our motel,

we had treats morning

(hadn't expected a real train)

and night 

(that's the animated film 'Rio'

projected on the barn

of the motel)

The Red Caboose Motel

was a hit all around - 

we strongly recommend it

the next time you're looking for

accommodations in/around

Lancaster, PA!