Living Our Dream

Happy Birthday, Lydia!

Berlin, Ohio - Events of Saturday, July 15 to Monday, July 17, 2017

We went to Pittsburgh to stay with Lora and J. Michael last weekend. Lydia's birthday celebration was on Sunday, and J. Michael's nephew got married on Saturday. Since we know his nephew from family gatherings we have attended in the past, we were also invited to the wedding.

The wedding was held about an hour north of Pittsburgh near Butler, Pennsylvania. The ceremony was very nice, as was the reception. The next photo shows us on one of the rare occasions when we dress up. For Paul, dressing up normally means wearing a polo shirt instead of a T-shirt. However, this was a special occasion, so he pulled his sport coat out of the closet. He saved two ties when we hit the road over 11 years ago in case he ever needed them, but it has been so long since he has worn a tie they were both out of style. Therefore, he had to borrow one from J. Michael.

Margery and Paul all dressed up at the wedding

We stayed for first part of the dancing, but headed back to Lora and J. Michael's house around 9:00. We heard the dancing went on until 11:00, which is much too late for us old farts.

Because of the wedding, Lydia spent the night at the home of some friends who were planning to bring her home in time for her birthday party that was scheduled for late Sunday afternoon. J. Michael has been working on a play area in the back yard that would contain Lydia's swing, a bench, Lydia's slide, and her new playhouse. On Sunday, J. Michael's brother came over to the party early to help J. Michael finish up the play area so it could be a surprise for Lydia when she came home. It has rubber curbing for safety and mulch made from recycled tires. It turned out real nice.

New play area

Soon after the guys got the play area finished and got themselves cleaned up, the guest of honor arrived home followed by the party guests. After we dined on pizza and hoagies from Hunner's Pizza, it was time for Lydia to open gifts.

Lydia opening one of her gifts

Lydia gets a little help from Mom on another gift

Scooter and helmet

After all the gifts were opened, it was time for cup cakes and ice cream. Lydia did a good job blowing out the candles.

Lydia ready to blow out the candles

After all the guests left, Lydia played with a couple of her new toys for a few minutes before heading off to bed.

The playhouse we got for Lydia was used, and Paul made some of the minor repairs that were necessary on our previous visits. One of the last things the playhouse needed was to have the outside walls re-stained, so Paul tackled that on Monday morning. He started with sanding the old finish to rough it up and to remove any loose particles.

Paul sanding the old finish of the playhouse

The new stain is about the same color as the old, but it has a deeper, richer appearance. The new finish should also provide protection for the wood to help it last.

Playhouse with new stain

We had some leftover pizza for lunch before hitting the road to head back to Ohio. We got back in time to unpack and then enjoy an evening of TV.

By the way, friends of ours from Pittsburgh who have stopped full-timing due to health reasons have their tow vehicle for sale. It is a 2011 GMC 1-ton Duramax diesel, crew cab, long bed pickup with Allison transmission. It has trailer mirrors, a bed tool box, a Husky 5th wheel hitch, a roll-up tonneau cover, and 4 new load range E tires. The truck has 51,500 miles on it, and the price is $38,000. If any of our readers is interested, contact us by clicking "email me" in the right column, and we can put you in touch with the sellers.

TRUCK FOR SALE

 

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11th Anniversary

Berlin, OH - July 10, 2017

July 10, 2017, is our eleventh anniversary of full-timing. Like last year, we are spending the summer in Berlin, Ohio. There are two reasons we picked this area. First, it is only a two-hour drive from where Lora, J. Michael, and Lydia live in Pittsburgh so we can visit fairly often. Second, we enjoy the picturesque Amish farms, the quiet atmosphere, and all the good food in the Berlin area.

When we left Berlin last fall, we were planning to head straight to Florida. However, because Hurricane Matthew was predicted to be heading up the East Coast right about the time we would be passing through on our way south, we detoured to Lower Alabama instead. Fortunately, the hurricane ended up passing by farther out to sea than originally thought so it didn't do any significant damage. After staying in Alabama for 10 days, we continued on to Florida.

We spent last winter in Florida as we have done in the past, but this year it was at a different RV park. Last fall, we said good-bye to Blueberry Hill RV Resort in Bushnell, Florida, and moved two hours farther south to the SKP Florida Resort in Wauchula.

Our new site at the SKP Florida Resort

Late in the fall of 2008 when we were traveling around Florida on our way to Blueberry Hill, we stopped at the SKP Florida Resort for a few days. The SKP Florida Resort is a member-owned co-op that has a relationship with the Escapees RV Club. We liked the resort so much we put our name on the waiting list for a site, even though they told us the wait would be 8 to 10 years. We had no idea what we would be doing that far in the future, but it didn't cost much to get on the waiting list so we decided to give ourselves the option of getting a site there.

Last spring just before we left Florida, we were notified our names were at the top of the list and they had a site for us. The timing was perfect since our travels were slowing anyway. Not only is the co-op a nice RV park, but once we bought into the co-op at what we consider a very reasonable price, all we have to pay is the annual maintenance fee. The annual maintenance fee at the co-op is less than half of what we were paying for the season at Blueberry Hill, and it won't cost any more should we ever decide we want to stay in Florida year 'round. The best part is we get almost all our original buy-in fee back plus the cost of any improvements we make to the site when we leave the co-op. It was a no-brainer.

We never got very involved in social activities at Blueberry Hill, but we jumped right in at the co-op. The co-op is much smaller (127 sites as opposed to about 400 at Blueberry Hill), so it was easier to get to know people and not feel overwhelmed. By the end of the season, Paul was a member of the Building and Maintenance Committee and Co-Chair of the Landscape Committee, and Margery was editor of the monthly newsletter and Co-Chair of the Public Relations Committee. We were attending meetings of not only our own committees, but also of many other committees so we would be informed about co-op business. We also attended social events like the breakfast every Monday morning at the clubhouse, several dinners, an auction, and the annual yard sale just to name a few.

In addition to committee activities and social events, we also kept ourselves busy by making a number of improvements to our site including adding some landscaping and replacing the shed that was originally on the site with a new, larger one. Paul also added shelving and vinyl flooring to the shed.

With all the co-op involvement and site improvements, we still found time to explore our new area and do some sightseeing. Bradenton is only an hour away and Sarasota is only about an hour and a half. We even made the two-hour trip a to sightsee in Vero Beach on the east coast of Florida. We also found a couple of new restaurants in the area around Wauchula to add to our favorites list.

We stayed in Florida a little longer than we usually do this past spring, mostly because we (especially Paul) just didn't want to leave. Because of that, we skipped our usual stop in Lower Alabama and headed straight to Ohio. During our stay in Ohio so far this year we have been mostly just chilling out in between making day trips to Pittsburgh.

Highlights of Year 11

In Year 11, we traveled a little shorter distance than we did the previous two years - just under 2,600 miles as opposed to around 3,000. We made 13 stops, which was one less than the previous two years.

Year 11 travels

While we continue to travel and sightsee less, we still want to be mobile so we can escape the cold and snow in winter and be close to Lora, J. Michael, and Lydia in the summer. We're looking forward to another year of slow-paced travel.

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Franklin Park Conservatory

Berlin, OH - Events of Wednesday, June 28, 2017

After visiting two garden centers in Berlin on Monday, we kept the garden theme going by taking a day trip to Columbus to visit the Franklin Park Conservatory. Columbus is about a two-hour drive from Berlin. We arrived around 11:40 a.m.

Entrance to Franklin Park Conservatory

Topiary flamingos covered with pink begonias at the entrance

Admission to the conservatory is $14 for adults ($11 for seniors over 60). However, we purchased an annual membership to the Edison and Ford Winter Estates in Sarasota, Florida, when we were there this past April and since Franklin Park Conservatory participates in a reciprocal agreement with Edison Ford through the American Horticultural Society, our admission to the conservatory was free.

The Franklin County Agricultural Society purchased 88 acres of land on the east side of Columbus for the Franklin County Fair in 1852. In 1874, additional land was acquired bringing the total to 93 acres, and it became the site of the Ohio State Fair. When the fair was moved to a new location north of Columbus in 1884, the land was turned into a park in 1886.

The Chicago World's Fair and Colombian Exposition in 1893 inspired Columbus to build a Victorian-style conservatory modeled after the exposition's Glass Palace in the park that was once the site of the Franklin County and the Ohio State Fairs. The Franklin Park Conservatory opened in 1895.

The Franklin Park Conservatory reminded us a lot of Phipps Conservatory in our old home town of Pittsburgh. They were both built around the same time and in the same Victorian style.

When researching Franklin Park Conservatory on TripAdvisor, several people that wrote reviews mentioned they thought signage was lacking. We also found that to be true. It started in the parking lot where they need some signs indicating where the entrance to the conservatory is located. Because there is a large clump of trees between the parking lot and the conservatory, you can't see the entrance. Not only don't you know where the best place to park is, you don't know which direction to walk after you do park. After mistakenly heading down a side road to what ended up being a separate parking lot for what appeared to be a conference center, we finally stumbled on the entrance to the conservatory. From there, we were then able to find a parking spot where our big truck would fit that was relatively close.

Once inside the conservatory, things were even more confusing because of the layout of the conservatory buildings. It was only after we were there a while that we figured out the conservatory is made up of three separate, older glass houses and one newer atrium/visitor center. The buildings are all connected by passageways, and the buildings and passageways form outdoor courtyards. There are also two terraces jutting off from the buildings. Initially, we couldn't figure out from the map they handed out at the visitor center which areas were inside and which were outside and what the best way was to get from one area to the other. Therefore, we picked the door to the right of the visitor center that looked like it headed into the conservatory. The first area turned out to be the Himalayan Mountain Area. This area, which is relatively small, contains a variety of conifers and deciduous trees adapted to harsh mountain conditions.

From the mountains, we entered the somewhat larger tropical rain forest.

Tropical rainforest

The third area was the Desert Room. There were a couple of special exhibits going on when we were at the conservatory featuring bonsai and topiary animals. We came to our first topiary, which was a gazelle, in the Desert Room.

Topiary gazelle

Other topiaries included elephants, a giraffe, and a lion outside in the courtyards.

Topiary elephants

Topiary giraffe

Topiary lion

One of the connecting passageways had an interesting display that consisted of plants in a rotating container with several kaleidoscopes aimed toward the plants. In the next photo, Paul is looking through one of the kaleidoscopes while rotating the plant container.

Paul rotating the plant container while looking through a kaleidoscope

Next is a short video showing what Paul sees.

Toward the rear of the conservatory, there are a pair of terraces. One of them had several attractive displays of container plants.

Canna and zinnias

Grouping of container plants

The Palm House is in rear of the conservatory. It was the first glass house built back in 1893. It is a tall structure containing a variety of palm trees.

Palm House

The Franklin Park Conservatory features numerous works by glass artist, Dale Chihuly. We first ran across his work when we visited Phipps Conservatory several years ago when we went to the winter flower show there while visiting Lora and J. Michael for Christmas. One of Chihuly's works is hanging in an alcove in the Palm House.

Artwork by glass artist Dale Chihuly

From the palm house, we headed out into the second courtyard where the bonsai display was located.

Margery with a bonsai ficus tree

As luck would have it, we saved the best for last. The third and final glass house on our tour contains the Pacific Island Water Garden. It is the home of the "Blooms and Butterflies" display that features beautiful and exotic plants and flowers from the tropics as well as dozens of butterflies flitting about. The Pacific Island Water Garden area has another rather large glass sculpture by Dale Chihuly.

View of the Pacific Island Water Garden area with a large orange and yellow glass sculpture by Dale Chihuly

Some of the exotic flowers in the Pacific Island Water Garden area

Some of the butterflies we saw

About 75% of the gardens at the conservatory are either inside or are in courtyards and terraces. However, there is a fairly extensive daylily garden outside on the south side of the conservatory complex. The daylilies were in full bloom. The photo below shows just a few of them.

A few of the many daylilies

There is also an outdoor garden area behind the conservatory. We headed there after seeing the daylilies.

View of the Palm House from the outdoor garden at the rear

Large stainless steel sculpture in the outdoor garden with the Palm House in the background

Another view of the sculpture with colorful flowers

The park where the conservatory is located also has a playground, several ponds, numerous walking trails, and several educational buildings. It was getting late so we didn't explore any further and headed back to the truck.

On the way back to the 5th wheel, we stopped at La Palma Mexican Restaurant in Millersburg for lupper. Mexican restaurants are kind of hard to find in Amish country, but last year we found La Palma in Millersburg and La Pueblito in Urichsville. They're both pretty good, but not as good as our favorite, Pancho's Villa in San Antonio, Florida.

We both had chicken chimichangas from the lunch menu ($7.35). When ordered from the lunch menu, meals come with either rice or beans, not both. That was fine with us because with chips and salsa beforehand, we still got enough to eat.

Paul with his chimichanga

With our bellies full, we headed back to the 5th wheel for an evening of TV.

Lora, J. Michael, and Lydia went camping with friends over the 4th of July so they didn't join us at Scenic Hills like they normally do. We just hung around the 5th wheel over the busy weekend and tried to stay out of everyone's way.

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Out and About in Amish Country

Berlin, OH - Events of Sunday, June 25 to Monday, June 26, 2017

Park Street Pizza has been around since 2003. It is located just off State Route 39 in nearby Sugarcreek, and we have passed it many times on our way to and from Pittsburgh over the years. We never paid any attention to it until we heard about it last year. Ever since Margery checked them out on Yelp and TripAdvisor and found they get outstanding reviews, we have been wanting to give them a try. We finally did last Sunday.

We usually don't go out to eat on Sunday, especially around this area because just about everything is closed; but we were hungry for pizza, and Park Street Pizza happens to be open on Sunday. We'll need to keep in mind, however, Park Street Pizza is closed Mondays.

Park Street Pizza

The thing that is unique about Park Street Pizza is they use fresh, local ingredients whenever possible. They have a regular menu featuring a number of specialty pizzas like Rustic Chicken Pesto and Chicken Bacon Ranchero as well as build-your-own pizzas with traditional toppings. They also have specialty salads like Gypsy Greek salad and kale & quinoa salad, they have appetizers like bread sticks and cheese sticks, and they have several kinds of wings. In addition, they have a seasonal menu that changes depending on what's in season.

Since it was our first visit, we decided to go with a medium, traditional, build-your-own pizza ($8 for small, $10 for medium, $12 for large) with our favorite toppings of mushrooms and Italian sausage ($1.50 each). We also added fresh basil (free), and Paul also opted to add green peppers to his half.

Margery enjoying her pizza

The pizza was excellent. The house-made sauce was full of flavor, and the basil added a nice freshness. The crust of Park Street's pizza is a medium thickness. It's thick enough to be nice and chewy while being thin and light enough to not be too filling.

There were a couple of shops in Berlin have been wanting to check out. We knew the town would be getting crowded with the upcoming July 4th weekend so we headed out on Monday before the crowds started to arrive. Our first stop was a shop called Country Gatherings on the eastern side of downtown Berlin. The shop sells garden-themed decorative items as well as plants. Country Gatherings has been there quite a while, but they last year they added a greenhouse with more plants and more garden items. This year, they added a new parking lot that makes entry and exit easier, so we definitely wanted to go back again to have another look around.

New greenhouse section of Country Gatherings

Expanding the store and parking lot has given Country Gatherings room for more landscaping this year.

Attractive landscaping at Country Gatherings

In addition to attractive landscaping outside the store, they have eye-catching displays of plants right alongside their garden accessories inside the greenhouse.

Margery admiring an attractive display inside the greenhouse

From Country Gatherings, we headed down the road to Olive Branch Home and Garden located about half way between Berlin and Millersburg. The business used to be called the Petal Path, and they only sold plants. This year, they expanded and changed their name so we wanted to stop and check it out. They replaced 5 separate greenhouses they used to have with a new 20,000 square-foot greenhouse, they expanded their plant inventory, and they built a new retail store in front of the greenhouse where they now carry garden-related decorative items and a large inventory of mostly refinished and re-purposed furniture.

New retail store for the Olive Branch

Some of the refinished furniture inside the store

Even though is was well past Memorial Day, which is the traditional planting time for flowers and vegetables in the northeast, the greenhouse was still stocked with hundreds of annuals, perennials, and herbs. Annuals were 50% off, however, so it did look like they were trying to move them out.

Margery checking out the plants in the greenhouse

Because we love gardens, we always enjoy browsing around garden centers, greenhouses, and places selling garden-related merchandise. Seeing all the plants and garden-related items must have put us in the mood to see a real garden because we took a day trip to Columbus last Wednesday to do just that. We'll tell you about it in our next post.Save

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