Philadelphia Autoshow

Mom and Dad went back to Philadelphia yesterday.

One of their friends suggested eating at the famous Geno's restaurant in South Philly. Unfortunately, there is no inside eating area. The twenty degree weather did not hurt business. As you can see, people were eating outside bundled up and watching the snow fall.

Mom and Dad read online the "correct" way to order your Philly cheese steaks, kind of like the "Soup Nazi" on Seinfeld. Mom was a little hesitant to take this picture, afraid that she would hear "No cheese steak for you!". Instead, it was welcomed with a smile from the staff.

I must say that Dad has been a good sport going to various gardens and parks with Mom. So, she reluctantly agreed to go to a car show with him. The Philadelphia automotive show was not your average car show. There were some high dollar cars, along with some not so glamorous, run-of-the-mill cars. But, you will not see pictures of the latter.

The flashy red Ferrari pictured above will set you back around $300,000.

The Lamborghini and Rolls Royce are in the 400 thousand dollar price range.

Dad was impressed with the cars that cost the same as a nice home

and Mom fell in love with this 1960 Fiat, which costs around $13,000.

Although Mom and Dad are like night and day, they both dreaded getting back out in the cold and driving home in the snow. But, overall, they had a fun day.

Visiting Philadelphia

Mom and Dad decided to do some of the touristy things in Philadelphia. After paying around $20 for parking, their first stop was the Liberty Bell Center. Here they learned some interesting facts that I would like to share with you. The Liberty Bell was casted in 1753 and used to gather the people together for public announcements. A small crack was noticed and then sent for repair in 1846. The Liberty Bell rang again on George Washington's birthday and the "repaired" crack lengthened, silencing this famous bell forever.

I know that it looks like a small child is up inside the Liberty Bell but it is not so. Don't worry. This historical bell is heavily guarded.

Here's Independence Hall where the Sentinel Bell, the Liberty Bell's replacement, is now housed.

Mom hanging out with George Washington.

While waiting in line for a tour of the Independence Hall, Mom and Dad heard a mother explain to her child that Independence Hall is not George Washington's home. He just spent a lot of time here, hence, the statue of him out front.

The construction of Independence Hall began in 1732 and was completed in 1753. Andrew Hamilton was this building's architect.

Below is the Assembly Room, where the Declaration of Independence was adopted and the Constitution of the United States was debated, drafted and signed.

The chair in the center of the room is the original chair in which George Washington sat during these historical moments. Also, after peeling back approximately 86 layers of paint, historians believe that the walls were painted this color during that particular time period. Wouldn't you hate to have that job of CAREFULLY removing that many layers of paint?

Mom and Dad went to Congress Hall next and saw where the first Congress met.

Upstairs, the first Senate gathered in this room pictured below.

After taking in all of this history, Mom and Dad had worked up an appetite. What else is there to eat in Philadelphia besides cheese steaks, which were delicious!

Then, Mom and Dad visited Christ Church, known as the "Nation's Church". Many of the Revolutionary leaders attended services here, including Betsy Ross, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington and William Penn just to name a few.

Several church members are buried inside and outside of this famous church, which still holds services today. Seven signers of the Declaration of Independence are buried here as well as 5 signers of the Constitution of the United States

including Jacob Broom.

Any relation?

Across the street from the church is a rather large cemetery

where Benjamin Franklin and his wife are buried.

Visitors toss pennies of his grave for luck.

Next to his grave is a rather long list of all of Benjamin Franklin's accomplishments. His chronology inspires me to do something with my life, instead of lying around all of the time.

I'll just take me a little nap and then get started on my life accomplishments.

Listening to Mom and Dad's adventures in Philadelphia and all of that history wore me out.

And just think, Mom said she would like to go back to learn more details about our nation's history.

Amish Country

Mom and Dad wanted to explore Amish country today.

First, they ate at a Pennsylvania Dutch restaurant called Good N Plenty. If you know Dad, he is not about trying out different types of foods. Can you see his excitement and enthusiasm?

Then the three of us decided we would take an Amish buggy ride. Today was a little warmer than what it has been since we have been in Pennsylvania. It think that the temperature is in the 50's. Notice that I still have on a sweater though because it is windy.

Dad and I are waiting for our ride underneath the covered bridge.

Here's Jill and our buggy.

The buggy is tight quarters, just for Mom, Dad and me. The back of the buggy consisted of two thin benches with little to no leg room. I sat on the bench next to Mom.

Our driver, Tom, sat up front holding the horse's reins.

Notice Dad's knee next to the small bench I am lying across.

I enjoyed listening to the horse's hooves hitting the pavement and looking out the buggy
at the beautiful countryside. Then I overheard Tom talking about how these horses and cows have to work for a living - pulling wagons, plowing the fields, and providing milk at the diary farms. Dogs do have the best life!

I feel sorry for these horses and cows, making me appreciate my cushy life.

Here's a one room school house that all the kids within about a 5 mile distance come to school. Amish children go to school from first grade through the eighth grade and are taught by the same teacher. One room and one teacher! Tom also explained that the teachers were young and typically did not teach for very long. When the teachers marry, they stay home to raise their families.

The family who lives on this Amish farm has 13 children! The Amish believe that you should have no wires coming into the home because they view it as connecting you to the outside world. They stand firm on the Bible stating that you should be different from the world and do not have electricity or other worldly items. So, the clothesline is their dryer. I bet it takes a while for the clothes to dry on these cold days.

Here's another buggy passing us. Although we frequently see Amish buggies on the roads, including the main highway, Mom still gets so excited each time one passes by. You would think that they would have a special lane for their safety, like a bike lane but they don't. The cars just slowly pass, being careful not to spook the horses.

During our buggy ride, we also learned about the different types of Amish buggies and wagons. For instance, the one on the right side of the picture below is referred to as an Amish "pickup".

Then we went to a local farmer's market and saw several handmade Amish quilts.

Who knew that quilts were so expensive?

Thank you Mama Duke for making Mom and Dad a quilt as a wedding gift and for the one you made Mom for Christmas. Now, I know why Mom is so protective of them.

Even though I am not allowed to lay on Mama Duke's quilts, I am lucky that I get to have my own chair and not have to work around here.

Now, I guess I will take me a little nap in my warm and cozy sweater on this winter day!

Settling in Pennsylvania

On the first day of the new year, we left Alabama and went to Pennsylvania for Mom to start her new job at a nursing home and Dad to start his training program for his new job as a diesel technician for International Trucks. Due to moving in on a holiday weekend, we had to stay a few nights at a local hotel. Now, we are in our new apartment and getting settled.

Mom and Dad have been going to the apartment's gym in the afternoons, However, this afternoon was actually warm (in the low 50's), so they decided to take a walk and see the ponds we have around the complex.

Here's Dad trusting that this frozen pond will hold his weight.

Here's the pets of the apartment complex - lots of ducks and swans swimming in this pond.

Although we have enjoyed staying here so far, Mom and I had a rough start. The first morning was brutal because Mom accidentally locked us out of the apartment (before sunrise and while it was SNOWING). After seeking help from a sweet neighbor whom we just met and waiting for someone from the complex to let us in, we finally were able to get inside away from the wind and cold. After that unfortunate incident, Mom now has 2 new rules. First, she keeps the keys in the her jacket at all times. Second, if she has to put on a jacket, she also puts a jacket on me. I have never been so cold and could not stop shivering! Just seeing this pile of snow reminds me of that horrible morning.

Dad, Mom and I have spent A LOT of time lying around underneath blankets, trying to stay warm. Thank you Great Grandmother for the electric blanket. I love it. We just can't seem to adjust to this cold weather, especially the wind.

Oh, how I dream about the sunny skies of California while snuggling up on the couch!