Small Adventures – Just Get in the Car

Visiting Lady Liberty with Statue Cruises

Just Get in the Car — Fri, 11 Sep 2020 17:58:43 +0000

I am a firm believer that getting out into the world provides ample opportunities for learning and personal growth. It is also so rejuvenating to get a change of scenery once in a while. Might be why we’ve started this travel blog thing.

In our case, here are some things we’ve learned from our adventures:

Despite any good intentions to change, we are not, and may never be, part of the ‘early crowd’- this has consequences, but some things are just facts.
We are not city people. At least, not with our children, and not when having to get from point A to point B. Again, the children compound this.
Food is life, and any good day out involves a plan to eat often. Packing food would be smart, convenient, and cost-effective – but, again, this is not our strong suit and there are no signs of improvement in this area.

This Labor Day weekend, Just Get in the Car decided to take a ride to one of our nation’s famous historical landmarks – The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. We were generously hosted by Statue Cruises, who run ferries to both Liberty Island and Ellis Island from Liberty State Park in New Jersey, and Battery Park in New York.

Since we were driving up from Philadelphia, and since we do not find navigating big cities enjoyable, we chose to take the ferry from Liberty State Park. Our first mistake of the day was not looking at the map and figuring out where to park. We pulled into the first parking lot that we came across, which was about a two mile walk to the ferry. Don’t do that. There is ample parking near the ferry terminal, and you should park there. We started out being early, and ended up being right on time – which translated to being late, given the airport grade security process.

If you do park in the lot near the ferry terminal, it is currently $7. However, it seems that the kiosk to prepay to exit is unnecessary. You do not get a receipt, or proof of payment, and will have to pay a second time upon trying to exit the lot. Although we watched several people seeming to have difficulty exiting, it wasn’t until it was our turn that we realized what was happening. Consider yourself in the know!

We had been told to arrive about 30 minutes early, but if you are on a strict time schedule and need to get on the ferry at your scheduled ticket time, you should leave at least an hour for the security line. And if you have fragile children (or adults) with you, it would be helpful to have plenty of drinks and snacks on hand. You may be waiting in a long, hot (or cold) line.

When we got through security, which was quite painless, and onto the ferry, we were anticipating the ability to buy drinks and snacks – because we were not prepared, as you should be. We had seen on the website that there was a concession stand on the ferry. There was, and we were extremely excited to see our chance for refreshments. Sadly though, it was just a tease for us. I am not clear if it was COVID related, but the concession stand on the ferry was not open for business.

Cue the hangry children meltdowns. (Side note – hangry children do not appreciate the use of that word to describe their demeanor).

After our two hour drive, parking mishap, and hour wait in the security line, all of our limits were being tested and we quickly realized that we would not have time to visit both islands. The ferry stopped first at Ellis Island, which I had been very interested in checking out since my grandparents came through from Italy there as children. Since we had touted this as a visit to the Statue of Liberty to the children though, we decided to skip Ellis Island and head straight to Liberty Island for some time with Lady Liberty. We will have to make a return trip to get the full experience of both islands.

Of course, per lessons we’ve learned about ourselves, food was our top priority upon disembarking the ferry. Luckily, the cafeteria was right there when we got onto the island. We were able to grab some food (typical museum quality food and prices), and have lunch looking at the backside of Lady Liberty and the beautiful water views. We saw many sailboats out enjoying the sunny day.

After we got everyone fed, we were all in a more pleasant mood and ready to do some exploring. Liberty Island, where the Statue of Liberty National Monument stands, is a beautiful island in the Upper New York Bay. With plenty of green space, benches, and views, you could easily spend a few hours here. Aside from the indoor café, there are several outdoor concession stands for things like lemonade and ice cream. Of course, given our time constraints, we didn’t get any treats on the island, but you should!

Shawn was disappointed that just as was the case during his first visit to the Statue of Liberty, he would not be able to go inside and climb to the top. The monument is currently closed due to COVID. However, you can still take plenty of pictures, and also stroll around in the museum which highlights the history of the creation of the statue and how it ended up as a universal symbol of liberty. In the museum, you can see the original crown and torch.

Depending on which island you are on, the last ferry back to where you started is between 5-5:15p. They must have a lot of people get on the wrong ferry (one heads to New Jersey and one to NYC). They made several announcements that I was sure no one could possibly miss. However, as we were getting on the ferry to New Jersey, after about ten very loud announcements about getting on the right ferry, there was a couple that had to get off ours and onto the New York one. Moral of the story: get on the right ferry. Listen to people who are yelling announcements on repeat.

Once we were off the ferry, we headed toward the parking lot – where we saw a beacon of light. That’s right folks; our day was completed with a stop for ice cream at a strategically parked ice cream truck. Everyone enjoyed this yummy treat before heading into the car for our ride home.

All in all we had a lovely day visiting one of the most famous historical landmarks in the United States, perhaps the world. It is humbling to think of what it must have meant to see the statue in view after a long and arduous journey across the sea in hopes of a better life.

COVID notes: prior to accepting the offer from Statue Cruises to visit, we were assured of significant COVID procedures – masks, social distancing, hand sanitizer stations. It was evident that the National Park Service and Statue Cruises had put several measures in place to keep everyone healthy. There were space markers on the ground in all areas where queues formed, hand sanitizer was available in many areas, staff regulated spacing in many areas, and most everyone wore masks – they were required in several indoor spaces. I should note though, that at the end of the day on the return trip on the ferry, the crowd was triple what it had been on our way to the islands. Also the gift shop was quite crowded. If this is a concern for you, you may want to wait until COVID has passed to visit. There is plenty of outdoor space to enjoy the island safely, however.

-Kristin

Medieval Times

Just Get in the Car — Mon, 15 Jun 2020 14:39:46 +0000

We love to hear from our readers and friends about their fun family excursions. Prior to the Covid-19 lockdown, our friends Paul and Gerrie were telling us about their experiences at Medieval Times in Lyndhurst, NJ. They agreed to do a quick write up for us to inspire all of you to try something a little different with your family. And hey, the plague is already upon us, so it’s fitting.

Here is what they had to say about their adventure.

Let’s admit it, with the level of chaos in the world today we all could use a knight in shining armor. And that’s just part of the fun that awaits you at Medieval Times in Lyndhurst, NJ. Knights, kings, queens, horses, falcons, cheering, jeering, magnificent costumes, and intense competition set the stage while you are served dinner that you eat with your hands! When you first check into the castle you receive a crown that corresponds to the knight that you will be cheering for in the dual. It’s fun to walk around the castle and nod to your “people” while carrying your stein of beer or chalice of cocktail. To pass the time you can check out the gift shop, have a professional photo taken, or snap some selfies- but we recommend adding on the Museum of Torture. Here you will learn about medieval torture devices and the (in some cases slight) crimes that resulted in severe punishments. This is not suitable for young and/or sensitive audiences.

When show time nears, you are summoned to enter the stadium and immediately notice the competition arena – and the smiles and awe on your children’s faces. The setting really does a great job to get you in the spirit of the times and excited for the show. While the costumed wait staff bring your meal (and more libations if you so chose) the show begins in spectacular grandeur. We all agreed that the jousting events were our favorite.

The knights high on horseback charge one another carrying huge jousts trying to knock one another off of their steeds. Crowds cheer! Our knight was not the victor, but it didn’t matter. The show was magnificent, and the meal was far better than we had imagined.

The menu is set, and everyone receives the same thing: tomato soup, roasted half chicken, corn on the cob, potatoes, and bread. Not having choices really simplified the process for us. They do have a vegetarian option if desired, but even our pickiest eater loved the novelty of eating chicken with his hands and dug right in.

While Medieval Times is a bit of a drive [from the Philadelphia/South Jersey area], there are many other things to do outside of the ‘castle’. The facility is located just minutes from the Meadowlands Sports Complex and the new American Dream complex, so it’s easy to make a day or weekend trip out of it.

Huzzah!

“Epic Battles of Steel and Steed” –www.medievaltimes.com/

-Our guest writers, Gerrie and Paul

Don’t fear,The Fleadh is here (almost)

Just Get in the Car — Fri, 13 Mar 2020 15:55:49 +0000

If you are like me, you are probably pissed that this coronavirus has been screwing everything up. Kids are home from school, professional sports are being cancelled, and your 401(k) is making it look like you will have to work into your 90s. On top of that, your St. Paddy’s Day plans are probably over. Parades, concerts, parties and pub crawls are being cancelled everywhere. So you will probably be drinking that Guinness by yourself at home. This blows.

You are probably still looking for your Irish fix. Luckily, there is a great Irish event coming up on May 9^th, where you can get all the Irish music, dancing, gifts, and craic you need: The Philadelphia Fleadh! A few days ago, CJ Mills, the organizer of the Fleadh, was nice enough to tell us a bit about himself and the event. But I thought I would tell you why you should join us there this year.

First of all, it is easy to get to. If you are like me, you probably know more about China than Northeast Philly. But for the past few years, they have been hosting the event at the Pennsylvania National Guard Armory right off the PA Turnpike. If it rains, and we have been there when it rains, they can move the entire event inside. That will prevent the rain from watering down your Guinness!

The Fleadh is also family friendly. If your kids aren’t into the music or vendors, they have a kids section as well, with plenty of bounce houses, face painting, and other crafty activities. Our kids always spend most of the day there – but don’t worry, you can still hear the music from there.

If you are worried about the cost – don’t be! This is probably the most affordable all day event I have ever been to. Parking is free, and kids 12 and under are free as well. You will probably want to try some of the food from the food truck and vendors. But if you are on a budget, or if your kid will only eat peanut butter sandwiches, you can bring in your own food and drinks (just not the alcohol kind).

No Irish event would be complete without some frosty beverages. They will sell some Guinness and other beers. Is Irish whiskey more your thing? Raise a glass of Pop’s McCann whiskey while you are there as well.

The best part of the event is the music. This year, they have 13 Irish bands playing on two different stages, and playing all day. You will hear plenty of the classic Irish tunes, Pogues and Dropkick Murphys covers, and even some awesome original stuff. CJ, the event’s founder, will be playing with Seamus & CJ. Most of the bands are local ones, such as The John Byrnes Band, Bogside Rogues, and the Paul Moore Band. But all of the bands are fantastic. Check out the whole list here.

It sucks that the coronavirus is costing us a St. Patrick’s Day this year. But don’t let it kill your Irish spirit. Join our family on May 9^th. By then, we should all be able to toast to good health, listen to some great music, and find some great craic. Slainte!

-Shawn

Getting to know CJ Mills, Philly Fleadh Guy

Just Get in the Car — Wed, 26 Feb 2020 18:21:49 +0000

Since 2013 we have been enjoying The Philadelphia Fleadh with family and friends. We think it is a great event, celebrating all things Irish, music, and fun in the sun (usually). We promote this event every year for a reason – it’s a great day spent listening to awesome music and hanging out with great people. We thought it would be cool to get to know the man behind the annual event, CJ Mills. Read on to learn more about him and how the Fleadh came to be.

Our Irish roots come from County Donegal. Where are your relations from in Ireland, and how did your Irish background help bring about the Fleadh?

My great great grandfather was a fiddle player from Dublin. I have been playing in Irish bands for about 15 years playing in Roundtower, Common Ground, Killen Thyme, and Jamison Celtic Rock. Recently I have been playing with Seamus McGroary who is from County Donegal, and Kevin OShea – who is from County Delco:)

The Fleadh stemmed from the idea to bring all of the amazing talented Irish and Celtic Rock bands in the Philadelphia area together for one great festival. Philly has become one of the greatest music cities in the country, with a very high percentage of Irish Americans, so what better place than to hold a festival celebrating Irish heritage and Irish music.

We have been attending the Fleadh since the first one in back in 2013. Can you tell our readers a little bit about the event and what they are missing out on if they have not attended one yet?

The Philly Fleadh is an all day, family friendly event that has a little bit of something for everyone. The day starts with The Celtic Flame School of Irish Dance’s Feis at the Fleadh where there over 100 dancers competing from 8am – 12pm. The bands start at 11 am and music is non stop back and forth on the two main stages until 8pm. There are also trad sessions, where all musicians are welcome to bring their instruments, Irish Dance performances, where different dance schools highlight their dancers, and other fun cultural activities like the English Language Learners table, Irish Bingo for the kids, and more. The free kids zone has bounce houses, face painting, balloon animals, jumbo jenga and more to keep the little ones occupied. There are also food vendors, irish merchants, and spirits with beer trucks readily accessible at all times and even some whiskey tastings.

Who are some of the performers you have lined up for this year’s Fleadh?

This year we have a great lineup with many returning acts, and some new ones as well featuring the best in Philly. The Philadelphia Irish Music scene is something special, where we are all friends, and all work to support each other. Each band has it’s own following, and can be found playing in the tri-state area at local bars, pubs, AOHs and festivals. The unique concept of this festival, is it gives us all a time to be together at one location. This year’s bands will feature
The John Byrne Band, The Shanty’s, The Bogside Rogues, The Paul Moore Band, Birmingham Six, No Irish Need Apply, Oakwyn, The Natterjacks, Clancy’s Pistol, Killen Clark, Ray Coleman, Mike & Callie and Seamus & CJ. These are by far some of the best entertainers in the area who are also all great people!

You also have some other events throughout the year. What else should our readers look out for in 2020?

The other event that Philly Fleadh productions produces is Celtic Christmas in Bensalem, which is a Christmas show held the first Saturday in December of every year at Bensalem High School’s 1500 seat Performing Arts Center. This show includes a 12 piece band comprised of many different members of different bands that play the Fleadh who all come together for one spectacular performance, as well as dancers from The Celtic Flame School of Irish Dance and The Bucks County Dance Center. Info can be found at CelticChristmasinBensalem.com. Stay tuned to that website, as there will be an announcement for a second show in 2020.

St. Patrick’s Day is coming up. Where do you go to find the best craic in Philly to celebrate?

The Best Craic in Philly is a tough one. There are so many amazing Irish Pubs in the city that all have amazing music. A few of my favorites include Paddy Whacks Irish Sports Pub, who not only has great music in March, but does Irish Saturdays from 3-7 all year long. The Ashburner is a great place and also does Irish music every Sunday afternoon year round. Curran’s Irish Inn is always a great choice in Bensalem or Tacony, The Green Parrot also does the Newtown Irish Festival the week leading up to St. Patrick’s day, and Con Murphys in Center City has great music Thurs. to Sunday, and they just opened a bar in Fort Lauderdale as well where Seamus McGroary and I will be traveling to play Mon, Tues and Wed of St. Patrick’s Week.

What is your favorite Irish whiskey?

My favorite Irish whiskey is absolutely Pop McCanns. Founder Jason Fogg is a local guy from Philly who has been working his butt off to get it on shelves all over the area, and it is an amazing product. One day we will all be saying that we know that guy! Pops is also one of the Fleadh sponsors, and it will be featured at the Fleadh, both for sale, and for some free whiskey tastings.

What are some of the bands and songs we should be listening to in order to prepare for St. Paddy’s Day and the Fleadh?

Bands to listen to…..look at the above list. Supporting local live music is one of the most important things anyone can do. All of the bands playing the Philly Fleadh are excellent and are playing all over Philly in the month of March. Check them out on social media and go support local live music!

-Kristin and Shawn

Getting to know Donna Wethey of Spotted Hill Farm

Just Get in the Car — Tue, 18 Feb 2020 16:12:46 +0000

Last spring we had a lovely visit with Donna and Guy of Spotted Hill Farm. We learned all about kidding season, and got to feed the baby goats! We thought it would be fun to catch up with Donna and ask her a few questions. Here’s what she has to share.

Tell us about you, Guy, and the farm. What does a typical day look like for you?

A typical day here:

We get up early, 6:30 most days, when we have kids [baby goats], earlier! There are animals to be fed and cared for, and babies to be bottle fed. The does [mama goats] are milked and then we pasteurize the milk and set up bottles for the next feed. When the babies are weaned, we will either freeze the milk for later use in soap or make cheese for family and friends.

In between feeds, there is hay to gather, grain to buy and pick up and numerous other things to do. Our garden is just getting started in Spring, so there is planting and weeding to be done. We never lack something to do around the farm and we are never bored!! Later on in the season we will be canning fruits and vegetables for use in the winter.

2. What do you want our readers to know about Spotted Hill Farm? Can people visit you?

We LOVE sharing our farm with others, especially young people! Guy and I believe every child should know where eggs and milk are made! Springtime is the best time to visit, as our goats give birth in the Spring! This year, we have 7 does due to kid in April!

We will be hosting our Open Farm Weekends every weekend in May from 10-5. We are open by appointment the rest of the week! Set up a time to come see our friendly farm pets or shop in our Barn Store for wonderful goods handcrafted by local artisans and farmers.

We host Yoga With Our Baby Goats in May and June! Our babies are bottle fed and obnoxiously friendly and love interacting with people! Check out SpottedHillFarm.com/yoga for schedule and tickets.

3. We know you love your town – tell us the best thing about Boyertown! Is there a hidden gem that we should know about?

Our little Boyertown has tons of gems!! Some of my favorites are Dancing Tree Creations, Colebrookdale Railroad and Taylor Backes.

4. If you had a day to explore around your town, where would you go, what would you eat, what would you do?

We would start out having breakfast at Brakeman’s Cafe, right across the parking lot from the Colebrookdale Railroad. Set in an old brick garage, it is a friendly and charming place with excellent coffee and food! Then, we would go take a glass blowing class at Taylor Backes, a wonderful gallery of handcrafted blown glass.

We would then stop by Grind [website appears to be coming soon] for a delicious lunch! We would visit with Keith, the owner and Tom, our favorite waiter. The food is wonderful and the people are even nicer!

After lunch, we would definitely take a ride on the Colebrookdale Railroad! The last time we went, we took our grandkids and it was the biggest kid, Guy, who had the most fun!

Then, we would go home as it would be time to feed all the animals.

5. It’s almost kidding season – right? Are there opportunities for the public to come and see the baby goats?

We will be open weekends in May from 10-5. Other times by appointment only. We are not set up to receive visitors on a drop by basis.

6. When we visited, our daughter named one of the babies! How is Gabbie doing?

Gabbie is doing well! She is living with a lovely young couple out in the western part of Berks County. We delivered Gabbie and Harvey and they have a wonderful life, going for walks every evening.

Thank you so much to Donna for sharing more about her farm, Boyertown, and the opportunity to visit the baby goats! Our family had such a lovely day with Donna and Guy and we can’t wait to head back this spring. It’s an experience you and your [human] kids will not soon forget!

-Kristin

Miracle of Christmas at Sight and Sound Theater

Just Get in the Car — Fri, 15 Nov 2019 22:21:48 +0000

Our kids love Christmas. They get it honest – I love Christmas. I love the cozy, warm and fuzzy feeling you get with the twinkling lights and fun music. I love spending time with family and eating delicious food. I love the traditions, and the memories. For me personally, Christmas is a season – not just a day- and a family centered holiday. Yes – Christmas has become commercialized, but as with all things, I believe the pendulum will swing back. Families are attempting to reign in their children’s demands for bigger and more elaborate gifts in lieu of experiences that create meaningful memories.

In that light, we were thrilled to be afforded the opportunity to kick off the holiday season at Sight & Sound Theatre in Lancaster, PA with their production of the Miracle of Christmas. What a wonderful way to keep the ‘reason for the season’ in our children’s minds as we embark on more secular and family based activities in the coming weeks.

For those not familiar with Sight & Sound Theatres, they are a religious based theater that puts on very well produced shows, with locations in Lancaster, Pa and Branson, MO. As it says on their website, they are “Passionate about Bringing the Bible to Life.” Besides Miracle of Christmas, other shows include Samson, Jonah, Queen Esther, and the life of Jesus. Each production is a 3-4 year endeavor- and results in a stage set and quality performances that enable the audience to be transported to biblical times.

We were provided tickets to this show in exchange for our coverage. The opinions are 100% our own.

The Miracle of Christmas is not your kids’ preschool Nativity scene – the production values are Hollywood-esque. But the storytelling is not. The Miracle of Christmas tells the Biblical story of Jesus’ birth on stage. Though they add some dialogue and scenes to advance the story, there is nothing that alters the Biblical tale you are probably familiar with.

The exterior of the theater itself is quite impressive, and the very long line to enter the parking lot indicated the popularity of Sight & Sound. Inside, it resembled a large auditorium, but on the outside, it resembled a church. As you can imagine, many churches and organized groups attend shows at this venue. As you can see from our picture, simple but beautiful lights and wreathes adorned the façade of the building – providing us with that warm and fuzzy feeling I mentioned above.

The inside lobby of the building did not disappoint, either. There was quite a bit to look at inside the entrance. Statues, signs for the shows, a sky on the ceiling – which our three-year-old loved. And the smell of roasted candied almonds was pretty irresistible.

Not a family to forego snacks, we did indulge our kids and ourselves at the snack bar before heading to our seats. There is a full concession stand with an impressive selection to choose from. We had eaten before arriving, but we could have found something at the theater. And yes – we got some almonds, which did not disappoint!

Finding our seats was very easy, with separate entrances for A,B,C, and D. Seems insignificant, but with a large theater it is helpful to know exactly where to go. Ushers showed us right to our seats, and they were in a great spot. Once we settled in, a staff member came over to our children and made sure that they could see, and offered a booster seat, which our ‘big boy’ declined.

To open the show, a group of acapella singers wowed us (well me anyway) with a rendition of Joy to the World. I am always impressed when people can sing so beautifully without any instrument accompaniment! Very impressive!

The show began with a starry sky appearing all over the ceiling, and that was a huge hit with our children. It felt like we were outside, not inside a theater.

Throughout the production there are plenty of things to keep the kids engaged – singing, dancing, moving around, stages on three sides, flying actors, and live animals. Considering the ages of our kids, they did not get restless during the show.

If you are a believer in the story of Jesus – historical or religious, I think you will find the show very detailed and true to what is taught to Christian believers. The story captures many of the stories you are familiar with: The Annunciation by the angel Gabriel, the story of John the Baptist’s parents, the trip to Bethlehem, the birth of Jesus in the manger, and the Three Kings.

It also adds in some other tales you may not be as familiar with, such as the betrothal of Mary and Joseph, which opens the show. It also provides some background to life in Galilee at the time of Jesus, as there are scenes depicting life under Roman rule, rebellion against the Romans, as well as the dangers Mary faced being accused of adultery.

The story is also very family friendly. Despite some minor violence, some of the more difficult things to explain to little kids, like the Massacre of the Innocents, is not depicted.

Given the thoroughness of the story, it is quite long, running over two hours. A 15-minute intermission was helpful for a bathroom break and some fresh snacks to sustain our kids for the second half. But like we said earlier, our guys did not get restless during the show, which really surprised us.

I won’t spoil any particulars, but our middle son thought some of the special effects (can we say lightening zaps) in the second half were quite entertaining, and the meaning behind them certainly seemed to impress many audience members. In fact it was evident that this portrayal of the story of the birth of Jesus was quite moving for many people in attendance, and quite enjoyable for us.

It is easy to find family activities around the Christmas season. But if you are like us, you probably need a break from multiple shopping trips, Hallmark movies, Christmas cartoons and Santa visits. Do yourself and your family a favor this Christmas season: kick-off your Christmas season with the Miracle of Christmas. Then do the things that are really important this holiday season: help out the unfortunate, visit a sick or lonely relative, spend time with your loved ones, and be thankful for all the blessings in your life.

-Kristin

A day with the wolves at The Wolf Sanctuary of PA

Just Get in the Car — Wed, 31 Jul 2019 16:10:32 +0000

Since having children, and acquiring an inordinate amount of stuff, we have come to appreciate ‘experience gifts’. No one wants more stuff. That is why, for our little friend’s birthday, we decided to take him and his mom to The Wolf Sanctuary of PA. We know that he, and his parents, love animals and learning. We also had an insider tip that this was a place they had wanted to visit. Win win.

It also happened to fall on my father’s birthday. Since he has recently passed, the day was extra meaningful to me –because he would have absolutely loved to visit the Speedwell Wolves. I’m not sure if he ever visited, but I like to think that he was there with me during this visit.

Good news – it was a big hit with our little buddy! I don’t know how the volunteers would have felt about it, but aside from pure joy at just being there, he was also amusing himself conducting an active hunt for the big bad wolf. I think said wolf was located somewhere within the sanctuary. But don’t be alarmed, there is plenty of fence between visitors and wolves!

With four children in tow, two of them only three years old, we opted for the general tour. There are private tours that you can take, which would probably be very informative and interesting. We took more of a ‘chase a toddler’ approach. Running from section to section, and stopping for light saber battles, chases around benches, and playing in the dirt. It was great for our crew!

The Wolf Sanctuary is run by mostly volunteers. It is a well-oiled machine with a strict admission routine. Before general tours, the gates to the parking lot are opened. When the tour is about to start, or the parking lot is full, the gates close. When we were there, there were multiple people directing traffic.

We hadn’t realized prior to our visit that the wolves are less active (and visible) in the warmer weather, and others must not have realized that either. There was an impressive crowd for a very warm, and rather early Sunday morning.

We had planned our visit months in advance, to coordinate with our friends. Given the very limited tour availability, this took some forethought. We drove about an hour and a half from just outside of Philadelphia, to the sanctuary in Lititz, PA. Since we were visiting on a Sunday morning, we figured that we would be one of a few other families. But we were wrong! When we pulled up, we were surprised to find a line of cars waiting to getting in. Consider this if you are planning a visit. It does fill up!

As I said, ours was a general tour. We gathered at the entrance until the gates were closed, and were probably one of about 80-100 people. While we waited for the tour to begin, our guide gave us some information about the wolves and the volunteers. He also informed us that a bed and breakfast was run on the property, and guests of the B and B could visit the sanctuary when tours were not in session, as part of their stay. This looks like a beautiful place to escape reality for a while.

The tour was well suited for our crew, as it was more of a self-guided experience. There were several volunteers stationed throughout the property, and visitors could move about and listen at their own pace. Of course, when you are running around after small children, there isn’t much listening going on.

We were able to catch a glimpse of a few wolves, but realized that fall and winter would probably be the ideal time to visit the sanctuary. In the colder months, there are less obstructed views, and more active wolves. In the 100 degree heat, we saw a lot of lazy wolves!

Here are some takeaways from our experience:

Don’t underestimate the popularity of this sanctuary. Plan ahead, and get to the sanctuary in time to make it in before they close the gates!

May of the wolves are hybrids, and most are about 50% wolf.

Go in the colder months, when it will be easier to see the wolves, and they will be more active.

Talk to the volunteers, they are a wealth of knowledge!

If you are very interested in wolves, consider a private tour.

Know that there are hills, and the paths are unpaved. Wear sneakers.

Bring a water bottle, but if you don’t – they have coolers set up along the paths.

If you want to make a weekend out of your experience, check out the Speedwell Forge B&B, it looks amazing!

Have you visited the Speedwell Wolves or the bed and breakfast? Let us know about your experience!

Burning Daylight, Life lessons by dad

Just Get in the Car — Wed, 17 Jul 2019 14:52:25 +0000

“Are those kids still asleep?” I hear my dad and mom talking outside of the bedroom that I’m sharing with my brother. I’m on the bottom bunk of one bunk bed, and he is on the bottom bunk of the other. Of course, we are in my most favorite place of all time, or at least what was my most favorite place of all time in that moment. My aunt and uncle’s beach house in Ocean Pines, Maryland.

A few seconds later I see an image that is now forever ingrained in my brain, and brings a smile to my face whenever I think about it.

The door flies open, and my tall, tan, healthy, early riser, marine…loud dad yells into our room, “We’re burning daylight!” He is, obviously, wearing a Donald Duck, sleeveless beach shirt (for lack of a better term), that he got on our one and only non-beach family vacation to Disney World. I have a Winnie the Pooh one, and it now belongs to my daughter.

That’s my little bro in the picture.

“If you want to go with us to the beach, you need to get your behinds (he probably used a different word) downstairs, eat breakfast and get in the car. I’m outta here in twenty minutes. You snooze, you lose.” And off he goes to finish a cup of coffee on the patio overlooking the water (now, my most favorite thing to do). Or pack up the car, or put his fishing rods on the front of the car, or otherwise prepare to leave for the beach.

At the time I could not understand why we had to go to the beach at the butt crack of dawn. As an adult, of course, I realize that since we had to drive there from my beloved beach house – there was less traffic, easier parking, less crowded beaches, and beautiful early morning beach-ness. But as a teenager it was baffling. We usually stayed through a packed lunch on the beach, came home, showered up, and went to dinner. It was perfect. Especially for me, who actually preferred to be with my family than hanging out on the boardwalk or whatever normal teenagers do at the beach – just maybe with a later start time.

So I’m partly writing this post because I am still actively grieving, and because I can’t tell you how much those years and summers at the beach meant to me, especially in hindsight, and because I want you all to know that your kids will appreciate whatever memories you make with them. They will rely on things you didn’t know were traditions. They will cherish your ‘regularly scheduled programming’ of phrases and nagging and predictable responses, and those summer vacations, or winter vacations, or day trips, or whatever things you do.

One day they will relay to someone how special those weeks at the shore were, how they can now appreciate your need to be the first one on the beach, or reminisce about your desire to NOT ‘burn daylight’ (waste time). They will tell people that the sight of your shirt hanging on a beach chair, or your alarming awake-ness at ridiculously early hours are now the most endearing memories.

Plan the trip. Take the trip. Do all the things, and your kids will thank you for it. Be you. They will remember what made you who you were, and them who they are. The memories will be what they cherish during the most difficult of times.

-Kristin

A day with Donna and Guy at Spotted Hill Farm

Just Get in the Car — Mon, 29 Apr 2019 02:24:28 +0000

Just Get in the Car has been a work in progress since it started as a distraction from life over two years ago. Shawn and I really enjoy seeing new places, eating great food, and finding fun experiences both with and without our children. About six months ago, staring down the barrel of a long, cold, winter, I started lamenting over our lack of vacation plans. We had an amazing trip to Disney World last March, and our kids haven’t stopped talking about it since. Especially our seven year old. I would love to get him back there while the magic is still alive. But, ya know how it goes – money, responsibility, and all that.

I decided it was time to refocus our efforts into the blog, and make it a thing. Like, a real thing. I know there are people who are very successful at blogging, and so I decided to watch a free seminar on travel blogging, and I could not be happier that I made that choice, it led me to a very informative and supportive forum for learning the ropes of travel blogging. I did a whole post about that, you can read it here. But my point is, we are trying to make a real go of this, and of course my end goal is a nice tropical vacation or a return visit to Disney.

And guess what, I can see how this is an actual possibility. We’ve had the pleasure of checking out many local places, have received tickets to events, and we have been successful at making connections with hotels. If you believe it, and you learn how to do it, it can happen.

Several months ago, I happened to see a Facebook post about a cute little cafe in Chaddsford, Pa – Chadds Cafe. It looked really lovely, and I decided to reach out to the owner to see if she would be interested in having us out to cover the new space. She was so warm and welcoming, and thrilled to have us visit – and the scone I had was to die for. Pam Lau, the chef, was really great to talk to as well!

Turns out that the owner of Chadds Cafe has a connection to another lovely lady, Donna Howard Wethey. Well, to be honest, I’m not sure if one has anything to do with the other – but I’m making the leap that Donna must have heard about or come across our blog in some way via this connection, and reached out to me to have us come out and visit her farm. And this is how it works. The blog thing. People. You meet someone, you have a good connection, they introduce you to someone else, and your world opens up. Donna may not know how much it meant to us to have her reach out to us unsolicited and invite us to her very special place for a visit, but it truly meant a lot. And, it was a super awesome and fun day for our family.

When Donna reached out to me, she explained that she and her husband Guy run Spotted Hill Farm, situated between Pottstown and Boyertown, Pa, and they were expecting ‘kidding season’ to begin mid to late April. She wanted to know if we would be interested in coming out with OUR kids to feed the new baby goats.

I’ll be honest, I wasn’t sure how my kids, or I, or Shawn, would do on the farm, with the farm animals. But, it was really fantastic.

Since I was ecstatic to have someone reach out to us to come to them, I immediately said yes, and figured it would all work itself out (the suburban kids on the farm thing, that is). And it did.

Spotted Hill Farm is not similar to a ‘petting zoo, pick your own fruit, play on the playground, buy stuff at the gift shop’ kind of farm. It’s a private residence, and Donna and Guy are figuring out how to best invite the public into their space to have similar experiences to what our family had there during our visit.

Donna and Guy have goats, chickens, a horse, bees, fruit, and even a koi pond. I’m sure I’m forgetting things, too.

The best thing about Spotted Hill Farm, from my perspective, is the lovely couple who runs it. Donna bought and started the farm with her late first husband, and when he passed due to cancer, she was lucky enough to find Guy – who now continues the dream with her. Seems like a real love story to me.

The barn fluctuates between storage, baby goat nursery, and the twice a year, seasonal location for a barn sale, where people can come to buy local and handmade gifts, including the goat’s milk soap that Donna makes herself. During the barn sales, the public is invited to check out the farm and get to know more about it.

Oh, and there is one other way the public can currently interact with the farm – Goat Yoga! Held in the small pasture near the barn, participants can enjoy the unique experience of getting up close and personal with the adorable baby goats.

Prior to our visit, we weren’t sure exactly what to expect once at Spotted Hill. The one thing I did know was that Donna was looking forward to having us and seemed very friendly.

We pulled up and realized that this was in fact a private residence. A little unsure of what to do, we parked the car and got out. We peeked inside the barn, and at first we didn’t even notice this is where the baby goats were!

Guy saw us and called us over. We introduced ourselves, and Guy told us a little bit about the animals. He was tending to the mama goats, and in fact, when he peeked in on one of them he found a brand new baby goat. Apparently goats are pretty self sufficient at labor and delivery!

He tried to hand off the new baby to our daughter, but no dice. It did take a few moments for our kids to loosen up. However, I’m not sure I would have taken the new born baby goat either!!

Once Donna joined us, lovely as expected, we stepped into the barn to see all of the new babies! They were excited to see us, and started jumping around, anxious for their feeding.

Before we got down to feeding the goats, though, Donna and Guy took us around the property. The kids got to collect fresh eggs from the chicken coop and see the other farm animals.

But truly, the highlight of our visit, aside from talking with Donna and Guy, were those darn cute baby goats. All of our kids were excited to try their hand at bottle feeding the babies. To be honest, that is not what I expected at all! I assumed at least one, if not all, of our children would be too timid to give it a try. But they all jumped right in. And it was awesome.

We also acquired a new life skill while at the farm. Milking the mama goat! It’s truly my kids enthusiasm and willingness to do it that led me to try it out as well. It felt great to learn and do something new with the whole family. We all stepped out of our box and embraced the experience.

Since the newest kid was born just moments before we arrived, our daughter asked if she could offer a suggestion for a name. Being the gracious hosts that they are, Donna and Guy agreed, and thus Gabie, or MaybeGabie was christened. Now, Donna and Guy can think of us whenever they are minding those cute little kiddies.

After the baby goats were fed, we headed over toward the house, where there is a beautiful and peaceful Koi pond. The kids were able to feed the fish, which was a big hit!

All in all it was a beautiful family day, spent with new friends who were so proud to show off their animal babies and property.

As I mentioned before, Donna and Guy are brainstorming ways to bring the public in to experience their farm. I assured them that baby goat feeding would be a hit!

I encourage you all to keep an eye on this gem, and if you have the opportunity to check it out, please do! Tell them Just Get in the Car sent you!

Before we headed out, Donna told us about the quaint little town of Boyertown, just down the road from the farm. There are restaurants and shops, and the Colebrokedale Raildroad. Before hearing from Donna about how great the town is, we had already decided on visiting The Other Farm Brewery, which happened to be in town, and her enthusiasm for the area only encouraged us to follow through with the plan.

We said our goodbyes, with promises (and requests from our children) to return, and headed into Boyertown, where we enjoyed a walk around town, taking in the art of Bear Fever, and a yummy meal.

Spotted Hill Farm and Boyertown were an easy drive from our home in Delaware County, Pa, and we hope all of our readers will consider this as a town to visit in the near future!

-Kristin

Nature and history in the city – Bartram’s Garden

Just Get in the Car — Tue, 23 Apr 2019 20:10:38 +0000

Although it is hard to imagine, 250 years ago Bartram’s Garden was considered the hinterlands of Pennsylvania. In order to visit the area it would have been an arduous trek from the Delaware River neighborhoods where everyone lived to the Bartram Home. The journey would have included a few miles over land to Grays Ferry, then a boat ride down the Schuylkill. However, instead of being greeted by houses, factories and warehouses like you would see today (perhaps via a Philly Fun Tour), you would be met with woodland. That is, until you came across the stately home of the Botanist, John Bartram.

Today, the journey is much less challenging- we drove from our home in Delaware County, down Lindbergh Boulevard, and through the crowded neighborhoods of Southwest Philly to get there. Now, the estate offers a great view of Center City Philadelphia, and the opportunity to reconnect with nature in an otherwise heavily urbanized part of one of America’s great cities.

The forecast called for rain, but we’ve never been a family to change plans due to the weather. Just kidding, we are fair weathered around here, but still, we decided to challenge the rain that was coming, and head out on our local adventure. We were lucky, and the storms that were predicted held off.

One of the more than 30 gardens surrounding Philadelphia, ‘America’s Garden Capital’, Bartram’s Garden is a hidden gem. I say hidden only because outside of its immediate neighborhood, many folks in and around the city of Philadelphia either don’t know about it, or haven’t yet visited.

Hopefully, we can highlight some of the garden’s qualities and encourage more locals to make a point to visit this historic and beautiful property.

It is worth mentioning that our kids were excited to get stamps in their garden passport – an initiative through America’s Garden Capital to encourage visits to these local horticultural treasures. Give our kids a scavenger hunt or something to check off or get stamped, and they are in!

Bartram’s Garden is a labor of love, three generations of family grew the gardens to include over 1,400 native plant species and 1,000 exotics. Of note, it was John Bartram’s granddaughter who expanded the collection to include the exotic species, despite having to run her family business under her husband’s name – Colonel Robert Carr.

Another interesting tidbit for those of you who enjoy the Outlander fiction and television series – in the stories, Claire Fraser makes a visit to these gardens, probably to learn about and add to her medicinal collection of herbs and plants.

While it is free to walk the grounds of Bartram’s Garden, there are some tours available – such as the house tour- for a fee.

For our visit, we were joined by Elizabeth Bressi-Stoppe, president of the board. Together we toured the National Historic Landmark Bartram House. Our tour guide Heather gave us an engaging history of the home and family. Thank you to Liz and Heather!

An interesting fact – the front door of the home was originally facing the river, as that is how visitors would arrive. Later in the history of the house, an alternate ‘front door’ was put in once road travel was the more prevalent means of transportation. You can see the difference between the ornate door and columns of the original entrance, and the less elaborate new entrance.

There was lots of historical information shared about the Bartram’s, and we encourage you to read more here, and visit the home and take the tour yourself!

After our tour of the home, we explored some of the grounds. Although we were on property for three hours, we saw only a portion of what is available for the public. This is a property you can continue to visit and find new and interesting things each time that you do.

We walked through the kitchen garden of the home and down past a pond – to the “best tree swing of all swings ever made” – direct quote from our kids. We would have stayed at the swing for the entirety of our visit if the children had their way.

Once we were able to pry the kids from the swing (it’s always the simple things, amiright?), we walked down to the river. In one direction is the meadow and wetlands, and in the other direction is a cider press, boardwalk, and community boathouse. We chose to check out the cider press, boardwalk, and boathouse. I for one would never have guessed that this was a cider press…Anyone know how it works? We do, now that Liz explained it to us.

Down toward the boathouse are artistic structures, or ‘river rooms’, created by artist Stacy Levy. The kids enjoyed checking them out. Shawn may have proclaimed he was ‘King of the world’… There are many opportunities for arts in nature at Bartram’s.

Something that I thought was super cool were the boats at the boathouse. They were each built and decorated by students from Richard Allen Preparatory Charter School, right in Southwest Philadelphia. Community, arts, education. It’s awesome!

During our visit we also got a glimpse inside the original barn, and the welcome center – where you can purchase honey made from the bees right there at Bartram.

Believe it or not, these are beehives … aren’t they cool?

The really awesome thing about Bartram is how it is a space for the community in which it lies. It is a place for the members of the neighborhood to connect with and learn about nature and history. How plants are vital to life, and how ecosystems work. It is a space for teachers to bring their classes, and parents to bring their children. Even though Bartram’s Garden now sits on the edges of an urban neighborhood, you can quickly forget that you are in the city when walking through the gardens (if you don’t notice the skyline of center city Philadelphia beyond the Schuylkill river).

Here are some cool things about to happen at Bartram’s:

The ‘Bartram Mile’ trail along the river is set to connect to the Schuykill River Trail in the near future

There are plans to launch a mussel hatchery, which will help to filter and purify the Delaware, Schuylkill and Susquehanna Rivers. Read more about this fascinating natural purification system here.

An innovative merging of art, science, and architecture, the FloatLab will be the first of its kind. Read more about it here.

Whether you are local or further away, we highly recommend giving Bartram’s Garden a consideration. You won’t be disappointed.

In fact, there are always cool events happening at Bartram’s. Check out their calendar here.

At the time of this post, they are gearing up for SouthWest Spring Fest, which looks to have a lot of interesting things to do and see. Check it out!

Have you already been to Bartram’s Garden? Tell us about your visit!

To read about another local treasure, click here.