As you noticed last night I had changed plans. Now we are 20 miles south of our northern based next sight. We had thought about going up to Lancaster county and this gave uas that opportunity. So back up through DC around Baltimore (Bemo) and off into the countryside of Pennsylvania to Lancaster. This is known as the Dutch region but actually it is Deutsch as they came from Germany but the people mispronounced the name therefore the Dutch. We had heard at the boarder that there was a working train and it ran everyday. We headed to the Strasburg Rail Road since 1832. When we arrived we could buy tickets for the next ride. We opted for a diner car where, you guessed it, they were serving lunch. What a beauty it was, an old coal burner locomotive designated as a 2-10-0 wheel configuration, cars that reminded me of the Durango Silverton cars of olde. The diner was a reconstructed parlor car to diner specifications. Lead windows, mahogany wood interiors, mahogany heavy chairs and table, set with linen. The conductor came through in his suit and collected tickets. The waitress took our order for a pork, potato and gravy meal. I ate one and a half orders. As we slowly went the nine miles we looked over the rolling countryside. Amish with there horse and plow, another with a horse and disk, waving to the train as we passed. We topped at a crossing and blew the steam whistle and heard the answering call of the olde number 6 answering us, it had ran those tracks many years before and has never been seen but can be heard. At the end they unhook the engine and attach it for our pull back. What an enchanting ride. Our second train ride of this year. I found a railroad hobby shop and bought a couple of old horse and buggy, buggy pieces for the HO set of mine. We drove through the town of Strasburg and enjoyed the well kept old brick, stone and wood houses. We saw a double towered Queen Ann’s house, first one we think we have ever seen.
Now to The Amish Farm and House built in 1850, it is an authentic working farm. We again took the guided tour, which included the house. The tour started in 10 minutes so off to the gift shop we went. Well who do I spy? The Danish couple from yesterday, of course in my normal bashful manner I went over and re-introduced myself, he had a pleasant smile on his face and we shook hands and marveled on how we could pass through the same small area of the world again. We also met his daughter. It turns out he is an educator and is off for two weeks visiting her. This was a most pleasant experience again to meet them 132 miles from the last spot.
The lady giving the tour was not Amish but had lived in the community with them since childhood. Her insight was helpful. She said that there were 26,000 Amish in Lancaster County. We first heard about the way the community holds there Sunday church services. It is held every second Sunday at one of the ten families in there small area. The males sit on one side with the oldest in the first spot behind them would be the children with their fathers behind them. On the other side the same setup would take place. They read from the Old Testament and say prayers fro upwards of three hours. After that they serve a light lunch and play games and talk. The Amish feel that it is most important for family to be together, so all there activities are based on that precept. We discussed the austere furnishings, clothing design and uses. No pictures but a calendar in each room, only other wall adornment was a picture frame with the family and children’s birthday and some fancy dish plate. Upon their death the body is kept in the house dressed in white and viewed by the community. It is horse drawn to the cemetery and buried in the next available spot not in a family grouping. A quick mentioning about marriage. The service is performed in there normal dress, nothing white or different. Two meals are provided by the parents for all who attend upwards of 400. We then walked through the farm, an old lady was woking on a quilt in one barn and a wood carver was working on some spoons. We went in to look at his work. He had many rooster and chicken carvings, probably because they are in the farm yard. I asked do you see the rooster in the twig and just cut away the wood from it? He said yes, and picked up a thin twig and said look on page eight of this book and read the 10 lessons of good wood carving. Each said Always use a sharp knife blade. He whittled out a little flower from the twig he had in his hand and handed it to me. I thanked him and he was quickly off to someone who was really going to purchased something. Those people wanted him to autograph the two spoons they were buying. We finished the tour and said goodbye to the Danish friends, I gave him one of my calling cards, told him to think of us when he gets back home.
Saw two J & R Schugel trucks today one in Maryland and Pennsylvania, makes us feel close to home.
So off to dinner we go. Back in 2003 when we had a Corvette event at the Lodge we had intended to eat at the fancy dinning room. The following is from their website: The Circular Dining Room, located at THE HOTEL HERSHEY is famous for its elegant dining and unique setting. Here you will enjoy the finest classical cuisine, exquisite chocolate desserts, and impeccable service. Facing majestic gardens and tranquil reflecting pools, the Circular Dining Room is exceptional with its circular setting. Founder Milton S. Hershey made sure that the restaurant would have no corners. As a world traveler in the early twentieth century, he noted that if guests did not tip well they would be placed in a corner. "I do not want any corners," he said upon construction of the restaurant. Thus resulting in breathtaking and unobstructed views of the beautiful gardens and rolling hillside of Central Pennsylvania.
Dinner and Brunch Attire: Jackets required for gentlemen, dress or dress pants required for ladies. We should have read this before going over there. We had arrived at the Lodge to see the tulips; little did we forget that we re now in cool weather, no blossoms. We went through the gift shop and I tried to have Shirleen buy a cup that had chocolate spelled across the front of it but, she didn’t. I then went to the concierge to ask what the dress code was. It did not include peddle pushers. The gal said she was sorry. I said lets look into our suitcases and come up with something, she found a dress slack in the suitcase. I was able to borrow a sport coat for myself from the matra’de, cannot find the appropriate spelling, her name was Brenda,. We were seated and Matt, seemed like a new person – not much moxie, came and greeted us by name, because I had to give it to get the jacket. If we were in Europe we would have had the appropriate dress. We ordered two glasses of wine, never did get the names but Shirleen’s cabernet and my pinot noir. Good flavors, I have come to believe when the cost of the wine is more than 8$ you get a good house wine. Then came the bread, a chocolate cherry dark bred, sourdough and Italian bread accompanied by two butters, a real butter then a chocolate butter, really tasty, even for me. Shirleen ordered the following dinner:
Grilled Beef Filet, Truffled Dauphinoise Potatoes, Wilted Greens, Shallot Jus
And I the fish special of the day a fried firm white fish name unknown with fingerling potatoes with mixed fresh vegetables and a balsamic glaze.
The filet was not medium rare and for one of the few times, when asked by Brenda I told her that the steak was nt medium rare, she looked at it and agreed. She immediately said the dessert was on them and she would talk to the cook. When done we received the dessert menu and Shirleen ordered the:
“Chocolate Evolution”
A Tasting of Five Chocolates
38% - Milk Chocolate Timbale With Hawaiian Sea Salt
Peanut Brittle, Milk Chocolate Twigs
63% - Warm Crispy Chocolate Cake
70% - Dark Chocolate Sorbet, Port Reduction, Micro Mint
82% - Dark Chocolate Consommé
I would have liked to have ordered the Louie XIII shot for 146$ but, that was not offered. I ordered the chef’s cheese plate. I ordered the pecorino, a local hard cheese and a delicious local Maytag blue cheese. They also had a nice crispy bread cracker with bread – the bread I did not touch. Accompanying this was a fine raspberry jelly. Nice dessert. Well Shirleen’s was just scrumptious. Real peanuts in the brittle and the port reduction was an extract of chocolate diluted with water, not much there. The rest was great.
I also sent Mark three Flat Stanley’s for Danielle’s class with this one being the Capital in DC for. jerr
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