Lisa and I do not talk funny.  Lets get that straight from the beginning.  All our friends back in Kentucky know that Kentuckians (particularly in western Kentucky) talk normal.  We do not have a funny accent.  These people in Hanover think we talk funny.   In fact they want us to talk and will gather round to hear as if we are a novelty.

Lisa has had particular encounters with people interested in her way of talking.  Doctors hang around her to listen and she even had one chase her down the hallway just to have her repeat something she says often – “Thank you very much”.  I can’t imagine why that is so fascinating to hear.  But they love it and are seemingly endeared to our southern way of speaking.

It is tempting to add some hillbilly twang to our talking just to really give them something to hear.  “Ahl hev soom frinch fries with dat and a bottle uh pop”.  “Well butter mah bisket and call me for suppah” “Wall ahl be hog tied and baw bee cued”

So Lisa and I have decided that we will not change our way of talking and are proud to call ourselves from Kentucky.  They may think of us as barefoot, toothless hillbillies but that’s ok.  If we can change that perception in a few of these Pennsylvania Dutch Yankees then good for us.

By the way – they talk funny up here.

Blessings!

My dad would have been 96 years old today.  Here I am in Pennsylvania, the home state of his beloved Pittsburgh Pirates and on his birthday – the Pirates are in first place trying to snap a string of losing seasons that goes back to 1992.  I hope to get to Pittsburgh while we are here and see them play.  I was told it is about four hours away but Lisa and I may spend a weekend there when we can.  Anytime Justin and I have gone to PNC Park – I have thought of Tom Lea and his love for the Bucs.  I’m afraid I influenced Justin to also be a Pirate fan – but no regrets.  It is a family tradition that I can thank my dad for.  Happy birthday dad – I miss you!

Lisa and I are adjusting to life here in Gettysburg and RV living.  Spending time at Gettysburg on the 149th anniversary of the battle was surreal.  I actually saw people weeping openly as they walked the battlefield. There is to be a huge reenactment of the battle this weekend but it is suppose to be 102 Saturday so I think I’ll pass.   Lisa is on call this weekend so we are having to stay close to the campsite.  Next weekend we may venture into DC.

We found a vegetable and fruit stand near our campsite and have enjoyed some of the best peaches we have ever eaten.  Also have enjoyed really good sweet corn, fresh tomatos and new potatos.  The owner also sells homemade pottery that was beautiful but a bit expensive.  Lisa picked up one bowl and it was priced at $225.  I immediately went back to the peaches.

Take care of things in Owensboro.  We miss everyone.

I take things for granted.  This I know because of things I miss here in Pennsylvania that I had aplenty in Owensboro.  Take for example a washer and dryer.  At home I could simply throw dirty clothes in our washer before work and into the dryer at lunch.  It was so convenient I didn’t even think about it being convenient. 

Not having a washer and dryer in our RV makes me actually miss our old wobbly washer back home.  I found a nice, clean laundromat in Hanover called “Suzie’s Suds” and have been there three times already.  Located not far from where I drop Lisa off at the hospital, it is convenient but it has taken me some time to figure out how to use these industrial size machines.  My biggest problem was learning how to dry clothes properly (I almost caught a load on fire after putting the setting on “hot” and leaving them for 40 minutes.  I literally burned my hands taking them out of the “kiln”).  But despite all the burned fingers and scorched clothes I have made some friends.   I met two really nice senior ladies (in their seventies and beyond) who helped me figure out how to use the machines and then told me about their main interest – playing slot machines at the nearby casino.  They are really sweet ladies and we have a date each Monday morning to meet, clean our clothes and talk about life in Hanover.  Follow future posts about me and the girls at the laundry.  If I don’t make it back to our camper on Monday’s – you may find me and the girls at the slot machines.

Blessings to all!

Steve and Lisa

Hello everybody – Lisa and I are alive and well after our first two nights in our 5th wheel.  We believe 5th wheel means only four people can be inside at once and anyone else trying to get inside is a “5th wheel”.  That sounds good anyway.  It is adequate space for the two of us and we are already adjusting to the low bedroom ceiling.  I managed to only crack my skull twice the first night and only once since.  We are also adjusting to the small bathroom.  Discreetly put – I discovered it best to lower the necessary garments before entering and then scoot out once your business is done with said articles of clothing below your patella region.  In other words – you need to drop your drawers before you enter and leave them below your knees to get out.  Harry Houdini would struggle with this set up.

God must have a sense of humor as the thunderstorm he sent through the Allegany Mountains our first night shook us all night long and we were not sure if we needed to add seat belts to our sleeping compartment.  We did manage to retract the awning from the outside before it sailed away and without killing each other in the process.  But we survived and already starting to feel accustomed to the place.

The people here at the campground are extremely nice but I think you get a discount for every tatoo you can show.  The pool is right behind our campsite and although there is a lot of activity around it has been fairly quiet.  At night we count the stars, fireflys and tatoos.

Last night Lisa and I went on a ghost tour of Gettysburg which we both highly recommend.  (Did you know Gettysburg has the largest migration of buzzards in the country?  They said it was due to the large number of dead bodies they feasted on after the war and caused a shift in their migration patterns).   We toured the Gettysburg College campus as part of the tour and it was fascinating to hear how they used the buildings (some still standing and in use) as field hospitals during the war.

Today I am officially retired from the school system and tomorrow Lisa begins her second week on the job.  Just twelve more weeks here unless God has other plans.  Thanks for all your prayers and try to stay cool in Owensboro.  By the way these Pennsylvanians think this mid 90s weather here is unbearable.  They don’t know hot until they’ve been to Owensboro.