Cooking Thursday

 Here's a yummy snack mix from the Pioneer Woman!  I did laugh at the article I got it from where she said this was a healthy snack.  I don't think it's healthy - I think it's addictive! 

I made a double batch of this to take along on our trip.  It was good for snacking while driving and we enjoyed it at the cabin.  We all thought it was yummy!

As I said, I made a double batch.  If you buy one of the disposable turkey roasting pans, you can do the whole thing at once without a problem.  Enjoy!

Mercantile Snack Mix

4 c.popped popcorn

3 c.toasted corn cereal squares (such as Chex)

2 c.miniature pretzel twists

2 c.salted dry-roasted peanuts (I substituted Cheerios as we are not nut lovers here)

1 c.packed light brown sugar

1 stick salted butter

4 tbsp.light corn syrup 

1 1/2 tsp.vanilla extract

3/4 tsp.baking soda

Preheat the oven to 300 ̊. Line a baking sheet with foil. (If you use the diposable turkey roaster you can skip this step).

In a large bowl, combine the popcorn, cereal, pretzels and peanuts.

In a saucepan, combine the brown sugar, butter and corn syrup. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the mixture comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, without stirring, 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and carefully stir in the vanilla and baking soda. Pour over the popcorn mixture and stir until coated.

Spread the mixture on the prepared pan and bake, stirring every 10 minutes, until evenly coated, about 30 minutes. Transfer the pan to a rack and let cool completely, stirring occasionally.

Wordless Wednesday

 

Foggy Morning

 I had a beutiful drive in to work the other day.  It's that time of year when there is often a little fog, lying low over the fields.  It's so pretty!

I wanted to keep driving, but work was waiting!

It's Apple time!

 I stopped at my Dad and step-moms house Saturday.  While talking I saw such a picturesque scene out the back.  Dad planted apple and pear trees out there quite a few years ago.  He usually gets a lot of fruit, and on this day he had been out picking apples for someone, and they were sitting in baskets.  I had to wander out with my camera to capture it.

Looks like Fall, right?

The trees were loaded and there was fruit on the ground.

Hee's my 91 year old step-mom.  She was out hanging clothes on the line when I got there, and then she went out to gather apples and pears.  She's like the energizer bunny - just keeps going!

Lots of pears on the trees and the ground too.

Yes - I took some home!   :)

Time to go home!

 Friday morning came around and it was time to got home.  We had such an amazing time, seeing the beautiful state of PA, surrounding ourselves with history and enjoying spending time together.

We left fairly early, as once again we had a long drive ahead!  We were packed and on the road at 8am.

It was a dreary morning, we ran into a little rain and saw lots of these misty clouds hanging over the mountains.

I love barns and I may have said "Look at that cool barn" a time or maybe 50 times as we drove during the week.  So on our drive home, Andrew kept pointing out barns and saying "Is that a cool barn, Mom?"  I had to instruct him on the things that make a barn cool:  #1 - character, #2 - setting, #3 - ability to take the photo...

Another part of the trip that was a running joke was the PA toll roads.  Because of Covid, they weren't taking cash.  Every time we were near an exit, there would be a sign saying "We'll bill you".   So we kept saying that - don't worry - we'll bill you!  And this issue is ongoing.  Because we were driving a rental card, I've been trying to get online to pay that bill.  I ended up having to call, get an account set up and now have to wait.  The girl I talked to said "we'll bill you!"  and it will come in the mail in the next month...   I would so much have preferred to pay cash!

As we got closer to home, the rain and mist went away and the sky got blue!

We dropped off Heather and Andrew around 6pm, and then made it back to our house around 6:30.

We were thankful for safe travels and a trip to remember!

Stats:

Miles driven: 1776!  (I didn't fudge to get this number.  I couldn't believe when I did the math and it came up with 1776 considering the history we took part in on this vacation(

Photos taken (just by me):  543 (My poor family is always waiting on me...)

Statues and monuments seen: too many to count

States driven in: Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania

Animals seen:  Deer, Woodchuck, Turkey, squirrels, Sasquatch  (Ok - the sasquatch was a fake one) :)

Memories made:  Sooo many!

A few more fun things!

 Because of Covid, some of the things we wanted to see in Gettysburg were on limited hours and weren't open until Thursday.  So - we did the Philadelphia things on Wednesday, and then on Thursday we went back to Gettysburg.

We started at the Jenny Wade house. Jenny Wade was a 20 year old girl who was the only civilian killed during the Gettysburg battle.  She was in this duplex helping her sister who had a baby the day before the battle started.  Her brother-in-law had signed up for the army, so he wasn't there either.

The Union was on one side of the house, the Confederates on the other.  Jenny was making biscuits when a bullet went though the door and killed her instantly.  Such a sad story!

These are bricks on the house. There were so many bullet holes!

In this hole, you can see the bullet still in the wall.

In one of the bedrooms, there is a bullet still in the bed post.

Upstairs, this wall was hit and broken through by a shell.  Union soldiers broke it further down as they helped to move Jenny Wade's body from one side of the duplex to another so the family could be safer downstairs.

We then went in search for the Union headquarters and found it here.

The side and back of the Union Headquarters.

We then went to the Gettysburg Museum.  It's full of information and interesting things.  Outside was this statue of Abraham Lincoln.  We had to get a photo of him with our 2 main history lovers!

Inside was this - the first Confederate flag, was later changed as they thought it might look too much like the US flag on the battlefield.

This is General Lee's cot, desk, heating cone and medical bag.

These are some of the actual notes written by Abraham Lincoln as he prepared the Gettysburg Address.

As we left the museum, we saw this mural with a quote from Major General Joshua :Lawrence Chamberlain, who we think was a great man, and the quote is very fitting.

"In great deeds something abides.

On great fields something stays.

Forms change and pass, bodies disappear;

but spirits linger... And reverent men 

and women from afar, and generations

that... we know not of... [are] drawn

to see where... great things were suffere

and done for them..."

When we finished at the museum, we went outside town to see the Sachs Covered Bridge.  It's designated as Pennsylvania's most historic bridge.  It was built in 1854 and was used by both the Union and Confederate armies during the war.

Andrew, Heather and Bob on the bridge.

We drove back through Gettysburg on our way back to the cabin and stopped at the Gettysburg Train Station.  This is the station Abraham Lincoln came in to when he gave the Gettysburg address.  It was also closed and used as a field hospital during the war.

We stopped at a BBQ place close to the cabin and got some yummy supper.

We are outside at the cabin.  It was another fun day!

Philadephia

 While we were in Pennsylvania, we planned for one day in Philadephia.  It's another place full of history for us history lovers!  It was about a 2 1/2 hour drive from our cabin, but we were very glad we took the time for this.  We would love to go back and do some of this again, and see the things we missed!

Once we arrived, we started at the Visitor Center, then began walking to a few places.  Just walking on these streets was amazing.  There are so many old beautiful buildings!

My family was laughing at me when I took this photo, but I thought even the alley's were cool.

And cobblestone streets?  Amazing!

We stopped and had lunch outside - authentic Philly cheesesteaks!

We stopped at Christ Church, which was the church of George Washington, Betsy Ross and several of the signers of the Declaration of Independance.  Unfortunately, they are not having tours because of Covid, but at least we got to see it.

There are a few grave sites right next to the church - one is James Wilson, a signer of the constitution.

This is Betsy Ross's home, she is also buried in the gardens here.

We stopped at the cemetery where Benjamin Franklin is buried

It's a beautiful, old cemetery.

Here is the grave site of Benjamin Franklin and his wife Deborah.

The home of Abigal Adamas

The Quaker Meeting House

As we walked, we came to this sight - Independance Hall in front of these modern buildings!

This is the site of the original Presidential home.  Both Washington and Adams lived at this spot.  The house is long gone, but they rebuilt walls and windows so you could walk through and get a feel for what it was like.  Inside there is a archeological dig where original walls can be seen.

A short distance from that, was something we were really looking forward to seeing!

Liberty Bell!  And behind it, Independance Hall.

A statue of George Washington in front of Independance Hall.

We walked from the Libety Bell to Independance Hall.  This is the Courtroom in Independance Hall.

The Assembly Room in Independance Hall.  This is the room where the Declaration of Independance was signed as well as the Constitution.

This is the actual chair that George Washington sat in as he presided over these events.

This is the table that Thomas Jefferson sat at and his actual walking stick is on the table.

Independance Hall

Washington Square Park.  There are 2000 unidentified soldiers from the Revolutionary War buried here.

Before leaving Philadephia, we took a carriage ride through the city.

We drove back to our little cabin in the woods and enjoyed a camp fire in the back.  What a wonderful day!

Here's a quote that Bob found in our book on Philadephia that speaks to all that our founding fathers worked for.  It's relevant in this day as we see what's happening in our country.

“Posterity! You will never know how much it cost the present generation to preserve your freedom! I hope you will make good use of it. If you do not, I shall repent in Heaven that ever I took half the pains to preserve it.”

John Adams in letter to Abigail, April 27, 1777.