Planning Our Summer Travel

Back to the mountains... again!

Every year my wife and I have numerous discussions about where we would like to go over the summer and this time around it is no different. While we don’t have any extensive plans like we did last year, we do plan on returning to our usual weekend trips around the state that we enjoyed so much in the past. Basically, now is the time to get the broad strokes down and we will fill in a lot of the other day trips as the season progresses. Plus, with all the things that usually occupy our weekends, being able to schedule this much is kind of surprising at this point.

The first trip that is on our agenda is a place that we have visited many times in the past the last drive up there being two years ago on our anniversary. Having introduced our son to the Strasburg Railroad a few weeks ago, we thought it was time to return to Jim Thorpe for a couple of days. Not only is it a place where we can relax a little and walk around but we can also take our son on the train through the valley. Also, it helps that it is only about an hour and a half away which affords us plenty of time for exploring. Of course, we might have to introduce our son to Country Junction while we are up there as well.

The second trip that we have locked into the calendar is a return to Gettysburg. With our son more mobile than ever and looking for a place that would allow us to explore both from in the car and by walking around, Gettysburg seemed to be one of the better options. Given the family history regarding the Civil War it is also important for me that we introduce our son to sites like this early on. And, as many of you know, no matter how many times you go to Gettysburg you always find something new every time you are there. 

In addition to a variety of local and regional events, I also have a number of locations on our calendar for later dates including Elizabethtown, Lititz, Ronks, Lancaster, Manheim, New York, Kennett Square, and a number of others. All of these are in various stages of planning and I am not sure if we will be able to fit them all in but there are some options beyond the scheduled items above. It certainly won’t be the busiest travel season that we have ever experienced and it won’t have some of the longer excursions like last year but it will give us all an opportunity to get out and explore a little this year. After all, our son wouldn’t want it any other way.

More Trips This Summer?

It has been a busy summer which actually started in the spring. This year, in addition to the various day trips around the area, we have been to Hershey, Pittsburgh, Stone Harbor, and all over Virginia. Additionally, I took a short trip to Atlanta. It has been a lot of miles, provided us with a few challenges, and also been a great experience with our son. The question now is whether or not we want to continue traveling during the remaining summer months?

My wife and I have discussed taking a few day trips to revisit some places and introduce our son to some of our favorite spots. At the same time, we obviously have to take into consideration the fact that we are no longer traveling as a couple but as a family so some of our previous adventures are incredibly impractical at this point in our lives. We have been so busy this summer that it has been nice not having to be anywhere during our weekends. August is already well underway and there aren’t many days left before things get busy at work.

However, while it may not be this summer, there are a couple of spots that we will visit again and show our son some of the places that we have enjoyed over the last few years. Jim Thorpe is definitely on the list as it provides us with a nice relaxing place to walk and I am sure our son will enjoy riding on the train through the mountains. Maybe we should hold this off for the fall so we can finally experience it with the trees burning the horizon.

Gettysburg will definitely be another family trip. In addition to being a great place to walk there are a lot of things that we didn’t get around to seeing when my wife and I drove down there last time. However, with so much open space, this isn’t going to be the best place to go during the heat of August. This will, most likely, be a trip that we take in the spring.

The last place that immediately came to mind when we were thinking about other places to bring our son was Knoebels… didn’t really have to think hard about this one. It is a great way to introduce our son to an amusement park without the intensity of the huge crowds or the cost of parking and general admission. There are so many thing that he can look at and new experiences that we want to expose him to. I expect to be riding the small train quite a few times whenever we are able to get up there. I am thinking that this will be perfect for next summer.

Of course this doesn’t really answer the question of where we will be taking our son this summer but at least there are a few places planned out for the future. What can I say, he likes to travel and be out and about so we need at least a few of these things planned ahead of time. I guess you will find out where we bring our son this summer shortly after we return from our brief travels. Sometimes, that is the best way to plan out a summer anyway.

Planning For The Summer

Coming to a blog near you in July 2015!

Now that spring is here and the weather is beginning to warm, we are all getting a little antsy and wanting to get out of the house. It happens the same time every year and, even with the new baby, this year is no exception. So, with that in mind, my wife and I have begun discussing where we will be headed off to this spring and summer. This also included planning or this weekend which I haven’t got a clue about what direction to travel.

At this point we have some of the broad strokes in place beginning either this month and progressively extending those trips through July. April and May will consist of a few day trips to destinations unknown at this point. There might also be an overnight trip in May just to get our son used to this important part of traveling. So far we are thinking of places relatively close to home like Hershey, Gettysburg, or Jim Thorpe. All places that you have read about on this blog before. There are also loose plans for at least one trip to the shore during the summer as well.

Right now June could be a slightly longer trip as the Quarterly Communication of the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania will be taking place in Pittsburgh toward the end of the month. Given my experience last year in Erie, this trip is a definite possibility but it is probably going to come down to whether or not our son is used to the long car ride by that time and if he needs some rest before the family vacation in July. Hopefully we will be able to make it as it is an experience that I want to share with my wife and son especially with the presentation that is currently scheduled to occur during the meeting.

While everything else is pretty much in a fluid state at this point, the one thing that we have locked into our schedule is the aforementioned family vacation. For the first time since 1987, I will be heading down to the family reunion which will be taking place in Natural Bridge, Virginia. This is not your usual reunion where a few dozen people congregate to one place, this is an event where anyone who can trace back to the original ancestor that arrived in Philadelphia on 27 October 1764 is welcomed as family. I am really looking forward to attending and introducing my wife and son to family members from all over the country.

Even though the plans aren’t completely settled, it looks like it is going to be another active summer. We want our son to see as much as he can and this is at least a good way to start. Now all I have to do is figure out what I am going to present in July. Any suggestions for occupying an infant during a 6 hour car ride would be appreciated. Also, any requests from family regarding what you want to learn more about would be appreciated as well and considered for my presentation topic during the reunion.

Distractions On The Screen

As was mentioned in a previous post, we were discussion what some of our favorite movies are in the office this past week. It came about from the simple fact that there are a few people in the office that had not seen what many of us thought were some of the better movies. So, with that in mind the mass email was sent to see what movies everyone considered ‘must watch’ options. Not necessarily the best movies ever made but the ones that we thought everyone should view at least once.

For me, having watched too much television and seen too many movies in my life, this was a particularly difficult task. Actually, many of the movies I first thought of are the ones that inevitably steal hours from me when I can’t help myself from watching them. The original email sent out asked us to list our top ten and that was quickly becoming an impossibility after about ten seconds of consideration. So, instead of sticking within the numeric confines, I pulled together a much longer list. Despite its length it comprised about 5-10 minutes of thought.

Many of the movies on my list are simply great movies and are recognized as such by countless top movies ever made or award winning films lists. Others are not as obvious but because I can’t help but watch at least 10 minutes of the movie when I am skimming through channels I had to put them on the list. And there are others, this is where many of the historical and documentary movies come in, that tell a story that should be heard.

So, here in no particular order is the 100 movies that, for one reason or another, I think that people should watch. Actually, that’s not true. I have put the movies in a very rough four tier system with every 25 or so movies in a rough groups (they are color coded below).

1.      Gettysburg

2.      Schindler’s List

3.      My Life

4.      Fargo

5.      Rudy

6.      Quiz Show

7.      Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

8.      The Departed

9.      National Treasure

10.  Super Troopers

11.  Talented Mr. Ripley

12.  The Chosen

13.  Hitler’s Children

14.  Good Will Hunting

15.  Saving Private Ryan

16.  All The President’s Men

17.  The War Room

18.  Heat

19.  Holy Land Hardball

20.  You’ve Got Mail

21.  84 Charring Cross Road

22.  The Good Shepherd

23.  Chaplin

24.  Uprising

25.  Patton

26.  Wag the Dog

27.  Arthur

28.  Gravity

29.  Righteous Kill

30.  RED

31.  Bourne Identity

32.  Forrest Gump

33.  Sideways

34.  A Beautiful Mind

35.  Yentl

36.  Munich

37.  Rocky

38.  Catch Me If You Can

39.  Cabaret

40.  Defending Your Life

41.  Wall Street

42.  Back to the Future

43.  My Big Fat Greek Wedding

44.  Serpico

45.  Office Space

46.  Apt Pupil

47.  There Will Be Blood

48.  American History X

49.  Groundhog Day

50.  Deconstructing Harry

51.  Sarah’s Key

52.  Somewhere In Time

53.  Open Range

54.  TAPS

55.  Argo

56.  Gandhi

57.  A Few Good Men

58.  JFK

59.  Silence of the Lambs

60.  Dances with Wolves

61.  The Grey Zone

62.  The Dark Knight

63.  Gladiator

64.  Raiders of the Lost Ark

65.  Citizen Kane

66.  Au Revoir Les Enfants

67.  Gangs of New York

68.  Titanic

69.  Star Wars

70.  Fiddler on the Roof

71.  Stand By Me

72.  Wizard of Oz

73.  Goodfellas

74.  The Godfather

75.  Life Is Beautiful

76.  Paper Clips

77.  Braveheart

78.  Shawshank Redemption

79.  The Fugitive

80.  Unforgiven

81.  Scent of a Woman

82.  Awakenings

83.  Dead Poets Society

84.  The Sixth Sense

85.  National Lampoon’s Vacation

86.  Ghostbusters

87.  Monty Python’s Meaning of Life

88.  What Dreams May Come

89.  Hunt For Red October

90.  Glory

91.  Top Gun

92.  Interview with a Vampire

93.  Seven

94.  Limitless

95.  Major League

96.  The Aviator

97.  Police Academy

98.  Glengarry Glen Ross

99.  Bella

100.                      Any Given Sunday

Well, that is the list that I have now. It will certainly change as I put more thought to it and, in fact, it has changed several times from when I started writing this post until now. While I may have cut them or have yet to think of them, what movies are missing from this list? What are some of your favorites and/or the ones you can’t help but watch whenever you see come across it when channel surfing? And, of course, what movies would you eliminate from the list above? Make your own list and maybe do the same thing in your office. Who knows, you may have a movie or two in common as I found out with a few of my colleagues.

Oh, The Places I’ve Been!

I was flipping through the channels on the television during my shift this morning and came across a couple of travel shows. I can’t remember the names of them but that is really unimportant at this point. Seeing the images roll across the screen began to jog my memory and I started thinking about all the places I’ve lived over the years and all the places I have seen throughout my travels.

The list remained as simply a thought and it may have stayed that way if I didn’t come across a similar discussion question in a networking group invite asking about where I have lived. I knew that I wasn’t going to be able to make it to the meeting so I decided to respond with some of the places I have called home over the years. That list quickly evolved into a joint venture with the thoughts already floating around in my head.

While I wouldn’t consider myself an extensive traveler, I have been to a number of places throughout the United States and a few places abroad. I have lived in a few places always trying to find somewhere to call home. And while I am not going to go into any details at this point I still wanted to share my list with you. So, here it is. Here are all the places that I can think of in my bleary eyed state.

UNITED STATES (19/50):

·         PENNSYLVANIA – Philadelphia, Longwood Gardens, Harrisburg, Gettysburg, Knoebels, Milford, Delaware Water Gap, Lancaster County, Kutztown (Crystal Cave), Jim Thorpe, Williamsport, New Hope, Gardners (Appalachian Trail Mid Point)

o   Lived In: Bryn Mawr, Chesterbrook, Bala Cynwyd

·         MASSACHUSETTS – Boston, Newburyport, Haverhill, Worcester, North Adams

o   Lived In: Beverly, Salem

·         VERMONT – Brattleboro, Montpelier, Burlington, Stowe

o   Lived In: Northfield

·         NEW JERSEY – Highland Park, New Brunswick, Teaneck

o   Lived In: Ocean City, Metuchen

·         NEW YORK – New York / Manhattan, Niagara Falls (supposedly, I don’t remember)

o   Lived In: Brooklyn

·         NEW HAMPSHIRE – Portsmouth, Nashua, Londonderry

·         ROAD ISLAND – Warwick

·         CONNECTICUT – Hartford, West Hartford

·         DELAWARE – Wilmington, Dover

·         VIRGINIA – Natural Bridge, Virginia Beach, Williamsburg, Lexington, Lynchburg, Winchester,

·         MARYLAND – Baltimore

·         GEORGIA – Milledgeville, Americus

·         FLORIDA – Orlando, Kissimmee / Disney World, Key West, Daytona Beach, Miami, Winter Park

·         TEXAS – San Antonio

·         ILLINOIS – Chicago

·         MICHIGAN – Grand Rapids

·         CALIFORNIA – San Francisco, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Ojai

·         WASHINGTON – Seattle, Bainbridge Island

·         MISSOURI – St. Louis, Fort Leonard Wood (Fort Lost in the Woods)

·         DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

·         NORTH CAROLINA

o   Drive through

·         SOUTH CAROLINA

o   Drive through

·         WEST VIRGINIA

o   Drive through

·         MAINE

o   Drive through

ISLANDS:

·         PUERTO RICO – San Juan

·         US VIRGIN ISLANDS

·         BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS

·         NETHERLANDS ANTILLES

·         SAINT MARTIN

·         BERMUDA – Hamilton

·         ARUBA

EUROPE:

·         UNITED KINGDOM – London

·         GERMANY – Munich, Olympic Park

MIDDLE EAST:

·         ISRAEL – Jerusalem, Dead Sea, Tel Aviv

o   Lived In: Jerusalem

That is the simple list of the places I’ve lived in, visited, and driven through. As I said before, not huge but I also wouldn’t consider myself sheltered. Please let me know if you would like to hear about any of the places I’ve visited or lived in. If you let me know you’re interested I will be sure to write about it in a future post.

So where have you lived? What places have you visited? Do you have any favorites?