It has been said by some of the locals here that people seem “drawn” to Gettysburg.  In this area all the roads converge into this little town but more than that – there seems to be a natural tendency to dwell in this place.  From the time two armies met here 149 years ago – people come to Gettysburg to look, think, mourn and celebrate.

For Lisa and I – our lingering here has nearly come to an end and we are excited to get home after four and half months away.  But we will certainly miss this place and the people of Gettysburg, Hanover, New Oxford, Littlestown, McSherrystown, Abbottstown, and all the other places people we have met call their home here in central Pennsylvania. We now understand what it means to be “drawn” to this place and it has been one of the greatest experiences of our lives to have dwelt here for the past 18 weeks.  Lisa and I will be writing in more detail to thank specific people for their kindness and friendship later.  But for now – here are some of the things we will miss:

The antique store in Emmittsburg, Maryland.

The “Altland House” restaurant in Abbottstown, Pa.

Daily walking the battlefield in Gettysburg

“Whoopie Pies”

The fruit and vegetable stand right up the road from our campground that has the best peaches and “Honey Crisp” apples we have ever eaten.

“Sweeney’s Tavern” in Gettysburg and Lisa’s favorite dish of sauerkraut and pork

Being less than two hours from New York City and one hour from Washington DC and Baltimore MD.

Hershey Chocolate World

The steaks at “Cafe St. Armand” in Gettysburg

Ritas “Gelato’s” (custard and flavored ice)

“Mr. G’s” ice cream parlor in Gettysburg

Shooting hoops at St. Marks Lutheran Church waiting for Lisa to leave work

Talking to my friend John who cares for his ailing wife and letting him know Lisa and I pray for him.  I had written about John in an earlier blog.  John cares for his wife who is in the advanced stages of Alzheimer’s disease and had been taking care of his ailing mother in law as well until she passed away in September.  I tried to encourage him and told him this week we were leaving but that we would continue praying for him. I said how much I admired the way he took care of his family.  He said it was only by the grace of God.  I’ll miss our talks.

Our little Nazarene Church in Hanover we went to by accident originally but became the best mistake we made while we were here.

The toy train store here in Gettysburg.

The chance to see “A Christmas Carol” at Ford’s Theater in Washington DC

The little Pomeranian dog at our campground that barks only when you walk away

“Good and Plenty” restaurant in Strasburg

McDuffers Miniature Golf on Baltimore Street.

The all-you-can-eat crab legs at “Aroogas” in Hanover.

The little Amish brother and sister selling us their “Whoopie Pies”

But there are some things we will not miss about central Pennsylvania – just as we are sure there are things they would not miss about Kentucky.  Here are some things we are glad to escape:

Rain – If the weather forecast calls for 10% chance of rain – it means there is a 70% chance it will.  When it rains here it rains for days.  It is raining right now as I am writing this and it was supposed to be a sunny day.  Where is Wayne Hart when you need him?

Wind – they don’t have tornadoes in this area – which is good.  But their high winds make up for that.  Our RV was rocking many nights and not for the reasons you may think (get your minds out of the gutter people).

Trying to merge onto the interstate (which we did multiple times each day) is to risk life and limb.  They do not teach drivers up here to move into the left lane when possible as people are merging into traffic.

Did I mention – rain?

“Circles” – Each town (no matter how big or small) has a center of town “circle” that requires drivers to navigate to get from one road to another.  There are no rules – just find a space, speed up to it, close your eyes and press on the gas.

People who talk funny.  They all seem to have an accent up here.  They don’t talk right like we do in Kentucky.

The sound of fifteen Harley Davidson motorcycles rumbling through your campground in the middle of the night.

People talking about Penn State and the Jerry Sandusky trial.

“Shoo-fly” pie

Baltimore Ravens flags, jerseys, signs, hats and commercials

There are more things we will miss and not miss about central Pennsylvania and we will be blogging at least one more article to thank the good people whom we have come to know and love.  We are sad to leave what has been the perfect first assignment for Lisa and I and (who knows?) maybe we will come back again someday.

At the same time we can’t wait to get home to see our family and friends after being gone so long.  As of now Lisa has not accepted another placement and we plan to be home on Saturday (10/27).

Homeward Bound!

Steve and Lisa