The Ultimate Travel Gear Shopping Guide for PA Dutch Country and Beyond

When it comes to travel nothing is more important than convenience and style. These gadgets and accessories promise to make your experience, convenient, easier and fun.

First, let's start off with your luggage. Getting everything to fit inside your suitcase can seem like an overwhelming and monumental task. Long gone are the days of jumping, sitting, and standing on your suitcase trying to get it closed. Spacepak is here to help. Let their system help you get two weeks worth of clothing into one carry-on bag. No more standing around in long lines to check in your luggage. Their system allows the clothing to be compressed resulting in more items in less space. It comes in many different styles and colors to choose from.



Now, of those clothes you are taking with you, some of them should be fast drying clothing and able to wick away moisture. I absolutely hate walking around with damp clothing. Whether your here in PA Dutch Country or in the tropics nobody likes to walk around with damp clothes. And right now it is like the tropics just take a look at the weather from Tom Russell at CBS21 In fact, you will thank me for packing those fast drying clothing when your spending the day at Hersheypark and getting splashed by water rides or taking a walk through one of our parks and working up a good sweat. I wear this type all the time when traveling around and they really are comfortable.



Next is what I consider a travel necessity. A water bottle is a very useful item that can be used in your day to day activities as well as road trips, hiking, and flying in an airplane. You should never be without water. Your body needs to stay hydrated to perform its best. Water increases your energy levels. Most daytime sleepiness is actually caused by mild dehydration. I even have a water bottle sitting here while I'm sitting at the computer, that way I don't have to worry about knocking over a glass of water. If I knock over my water bottle my electronics and desk stay protected. I own several different styles of water bottles for different needs. I like this one for traveling about it keeps water nice and cold and on those frigid Pennsylvania winter days it keeps coffee nice and hot.


Remember all that talk about keeping dry. Well you never know when your going to hit with some rain showers. Be prepared and carry a travel umbrella or a rain poncho.



For all of you that know me, you know I love to read. I prefer to have a physical book in my hand most time, but you cannot beat the convenience of a Kindle when you are traveling. The last thing I am going to do is pack a bunch of heavy books to lug around. I love my kindle because it is lightweight and I can decide what I want to read whenever I want. If I just take a few books I am limited to only those. I don't like limitations. Therefore the Kindle Fire makes a great traveling companion. Not only can you read, but you can play games and watch TV.



Like I said though, as much as I like my Kindle I still love my physical books. When I go on vacation I like to find where all the local bookstores are. Such as, The York Emporium or The Lancaster Mennonite Book Frolic which takes place every August and now also in February. I usually leave with a nice size stack of books. But, sometimes those books have stickers and such on that are not always easy to remove. That is why I suggest these Scotty peelers to save your fingernails and remove the sticker easily. You can use these on books and other soft items such as cardboard boxes. Oh, and don't forget all those Christmas packages you struggle with every year removing all those crazy labels.



And last but not least, you need to save all those travel memories with pictures and video. The Nikon COOLPIX B500 Digital Camera has features such as: 40x optical zoom/80x Dynamic Fine Zoom super telephoto, Built-in Wi-Fi, NFC and Bluetooth® low energy (BLE) maintain a constant connection with a compatible smartphone or tablet, Shoot from creative angles with the tilting 3.0-inch 921,000-dot LCD, Simple, convenient operation for stress-free shooting,1080p Full HD video recording with stereo sound.




That's it for this edition of the Ultimate Travel Shopping Guide. Stay tuned for more editions with a lot more great items to take with you on your travel adventures. Please leave me a comment and let me know what some of your favorite items are that you like to take with you when traveling.

Say Goodbye to Lancaster's Golden Arch. I love the old retro sign at 1755 Columbia Avenue, but the sign will be coming down next month. The sign was first installed in 1962 when McDonald's first came to Lancaster County. The sign is in need of much repair and parts cannot be found for it.The once glorious arch will be turned into a heap of rubble. The owners tried for a few years without success of finding someone to take the sign.

I love old signs; I wish they would of found someone. Oh well, I will still have my memories as a child of seeing the sign and getting excited because I knew in a few short moments I was going to be joyously eating my Happy Meal with its delicious golden fries and much sought after prize in it.

See more at Lancaster Online

Fastnacht Day!

Fastnachts are basically a doughnut, typically made with potatoes. Fastnachts can be squares, triangles, rectangles, and even round. Fastnacts do very from county to county in PA. The typical fastnachts are plain, and then you cut them in half like you would a bagel. You can put on Table Syrup such as Golden Barrel Table Syrup. Today's modern fastnachts may have have glaze or could have granulated or powdered sugar on them.

Fastnacht Day is Shrove Tuesday the night before Ash Wednesday (the first day of lent). Fastnacht literally means " fast night". So what people would do is use up all the lard and fattening things before Lent when it would be given up.

Where to find Fastnachts:

York - Brown's Orchard , 8892 Susquehanna Trail South, Loganville, PA 17342 (717) 428-2036

Maple Donuts - 3455 East Market St. York, PA 17402 (717) 757-7826

Lancaster - Martin's Country Market 1717 W Main St Ephrata, Pennsylvania (717) 738-3754

Oregon Dairy Supermarket 2900 Oregon Pike, Lititz, PA 17543 Phone: (717) 656-2856

Lehigh Valley - http://www.mcall.com/entertainment/dining/mc-fastnachts-lehigh-valley- 20150210-story.html

Dauphin County - Pennsylvania Bakery, 1713 Market St., Camp Hill: 717-763-7755


Recipe:

Fastnachts with potatoes and yeast

2 1/2 c. hot mashed potatoes 1 cup milk 3 beaten eggs 2 Tablespoons melted butter 2 cup sugar 2 Tablespoons Baking powder 5 cup all purpose flour

In a large bowl combine all ingredients, but add flour slowly. Divide dough in half and roll to 1/2" thickness. Cut with doughnut cutter. Fry in deep fat or oil, turning when brown. Drain on paper towels and let cool.

Fasnacht Dates:

February 17, 2015 February 9, 2016 February 28, 2017 February 13, 2018 March 5, 2019 February 25, 2020 February 16, 2021 March 1, 2022 February 21, 2023

Waynesboro Theatre Slated to be Renovated

It's great to see that an old theater is going to be re-vamped and kept in the community in Waynesboro, PA. It's a wonderful way to keep downtown alive and prosperous. Scott Hershberger, director of Economic Development at Mainstreet Waynesboro, Inc., actually said "I definitely think it will bring people downtown," he said. "From an economic development standpoint, hopefully they'll come downtown, eat dinner, check out one of our specialty stores and stay for a while." And I believe he is definitely right. I know I personally plan to visit the theatre when it re-opens. To find out more about the renovations follow this link to an article in the Public Opinion by Marcus Rawhut.

Christmas at Rose Hill Farm Book Brunch

Join us this November for a special Breakfast Brunch. Suzanne Woods Fisher has invited our book club to celebrate the Christmas Season with her. Books and Cocktails book club will be having a Christmas at Rose Hill Farm themed brunch. We will be discussing Christmas at Rose Hill Farm: An Amish Love Storyon Sunday November 23, 2014 11:00am at John Wright Restaurant in Wrightsville, PA. We will also have Amish themed trivia and will be having a drawing to win a copy of One Perfect Spring: A Novel. Also, Fisher will be making a donation to a Shepard’s Gate (a shelter for abused women and children) for 50 or more non-perishable food items we donate to our local shelter. So please bring some non-perishable food items along. You must pre-register.

The cost of the brunch is $18.95. It is a buffet brunch. It has omelets made to order, waffle station, carving station, and many other breakfast items, as well as,soup, salad, fish selection, fresh vegetable, pasta and 3 daily specialty items. Full Bar available including make your own Bloody Marys. Price of drinks is not included (Alcoholic or Non-alcoholic). You can sign up on meetup http://www.meetup.com/Books-and-Cocktails-Book-Club/events/212894572/ or send an email to PaDutchTravel@gmail.com.

About the Book:
Bess Riehl is preparing Rose Hill Farm for her Christmas wedding, but her groom isn’t who she thought it would be. Billy Lapp is far away from his Amish roots working as a rose rustler for Penn State and wants nothing to do with Stoney Ridge, his family, or Bess. And that suits Bess just fine. Why should she think twice about a man who left without a word, without any explanation? It’s time she moved on with her life, and that meant saying yes to Amos Lapp, Billy’s cousin and best friend. But as Bess and Amos’s wedding day draws near, her emotions tangle into a tight knot. She loves Amos. Yet she can’t forget Billy. When a “lost” rose is discovered at Rose Hill Farm, Billy is sent to track down its origins. Get in, identify the rose, and get out. That’s his plan. The only catch is that he’s having a hard time narrowing down the identity of the lost rose, and he can’t get those tropical blue eyes of Bess Riehl out of his mind. As the history of the lost rose is pieced together, it reminds Bess and Billy–and Amos, too–that Christmas truly is the season of miracles.

About the Author:
Suzanne Woods Fisher’s interest in the Amish began with her grandfather, W.D. Benedict, who was raised Plain in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. Suzanne has a great admiration for the Plain people and believes they can provide wonderful examples to the world. In both her fiction and non-fiction books, she has an underlying theme: You don’t have to “go Amish” to incorporate many of their principles–simplicity, living with less, appreciating nature, forgiving others more readily, trusting in God–into your life. When Suzanne isn’t writing or playing tennis (badly!) or bragging to her friends about her grandbabies (so cute!), she is raising puppies for Guide Dogs for the Blind. To her way of thinking, you just can’t take life too seriously when a puppy is tearing through your house with someone’s underwear in its mouth. Suzanne can be found on-line at: www.suzannewoodsfisher.com.

65th Annual Kutztown PA Dutch Folk Festival

Every year people come from all over the world to experience the sights and sounds of the PA Dutch Folk Festival. The festival ran from June 28th to July 6th. And they now have extended hours til 8pm in the evening. This unusual nine-day festival had been featured twice in National Geographic and has been called "one of the most unique festivals on the East coast" by the Washington Post. If you want to learn more about the PA Dutch Culture and see the beautiful PA Dutch Art. The Kutztown festival is the the place to be. The festival is annually in June. If you haven't experienced it. Then you really should. There is no other like it in the country.

I recently visited on Thursday. I wish I could have visited a second time this year but was unable to. I look forward to next year's festival. Below is a few photos from the festival. Including yours truly with distelfinks (PA Dutch Goldfinch art) on my skirt.

They had an operational PA Dutch summer kitchen set-up by Albany Township Historical Society. They were make PA Dutch Bot Boi (Pot Pie)with chicken for the volunteers and they were also making shoo-fly pie.

The recipes come right from this really neat cookbook I got called Folk Art and Foodways of the Pennsylvania Dutch: A Collection of Paintings, Food Lore, and Seasonal Recipes from the Allemaengel in Northern Berks County. I love books. So its hard for me to pass them up. When I saw the PA German Historical Society was there I had to stop and get another book Writing the Amish: The Worlds of John A. Hostetler (Pennsylvania German History & Culture)

Baling Hay Demonstration. A much different method then is used today on modern farms.

If you haven't been then come check it out again next year. Hope to see you there!!

Amish Haystack Dinner Recipes

I'm going to start off by defining what hay is. I'm sure your probably thinking, of course I know what hay is. But, actually many people get it confused with straw.  One website even had a picture that said they were haystacks when in reality it was a picture of dried corn stalks bundled up. Now, I am not trying to be condescending if you didn't know. We all didn't grow up on or around farms. I didn't live on a farm, just near them. And believe me when I say there is plenty I don't know about farm life. I always say you can learn something new every day. So here is the definitions and then will get on with the recipes.

Hay is cut grasses and legumes. Hay is usually greener then straw unless it has been sitting around and is bleached out. Animals eat hay for nutrition.Straw is cut grains.  It is much more coarse and is used for bedding for animals. So, the top picture is hay and the bottom picture is straw.

What exactly is a Amish Haystack dinner? The dinner is for large gatherings of people and are many times used to help raise money for families in need. The first recipe is the traditional haystack dinner from the Old Order Amish, which the guests serve themselves. This way there are able to put it together how they like. One layer on top of another. The second is a casserole. Enjoy the recipes!



Haystack Supper
Soda crackers, crushed
Hamburger, browned, drained and taco seasoning added
Lettuce, chopped
Tomatoes, chopped
Green peppers, chopped
Onions, chopped
Spaghetti or rice or both (cooked until soft)
Put some of each on your plate, one layer at a time. Top with shredded cheese or a homemade cheese sauce. Also good to add is salsa or ranch dressing

Amish Potato Haystacks

10 med. Potatoes
2 pkg. Ranch dressing mix
1 c. sour cream
1 c milk
4 lb. Hamburger
1/4 c. chopped onion
2 pkg. taco seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
Cheese Sauce:
1/2 c. butter
1/4 c. flour
4 c. milk
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 box Velveeta cheese
Melt butter in pan. Add flour. When boiling, add milk, salt, pepper and cheese.
Cook, peel and shred potatoes. Add sour cream and milk to dressing mix. Fry hamburger with onion and add taco seasoning. Layer all ingredients in casserole in order given, then put cheese sauce on top. Bake until hot. Before serving, top with crushed nacho chips.

So, now that you have been inducted to the world of Amish cooking you may want to try more. Below is the Amish Heritage cookbook from bestselling Amish fiction author Beverly Lewis.

The Beverly Lewis Amish Heritage Cookbook 
A homespun, authentic collection of Amish recipes collected over the years by Beverly Lewis. Many are from her grandmother and other family members as well as dear friends from the Amish world she writes about with such power and authenticity. Now she lovingly shares these with her millions of readers who have come to treasure her insights into Amish life. The additional Amish sayings and line drawings make for an appealing gift. 

Animal Rescue Inc.

Animal Rescue is a no kill shelter located in  New Freedom, Pennsylvania (York County) .  This is a great place to adopt a cat or dog.  There are many many wonderful animals to choose from.  I personally know this from experience because when I am not busy with my travel business then I work there a few hours a week.  The owners are wonderful they really go over and beyond for all the animals.  All the animals there are very loved. The picture above is me sitting in my co-workers building with her cats. No makeup, hair not done, watch out!

The cats and dogs are so lovable.  Below is a picture of Tasha.  She hangs out with me in the laundry room.

Come visit yourself.  You can reach the shelter at 717 993-3232.  To see more adoptable pets go to 
http://animalrescueinc.org/ 

UnCork York Tour De Tanks 2010

Yesterday I spent a wonderful day on the wine trail with my friends. Part of the UnCork York wine trail in Adams county. Adams County is one of the ten counties in Pa Dutch country. We started off the day  at Reid's Orchard. They had a nice strawberry wine and great applesauce.  Then we headed over to Hauser winery.

Hauser winery is situated on top of a hill which over looks acres of  woods, orchards, and farmland.  They have a really neat tasting room which is glass enclosed all the way around so you get to enjoy a breathtaking view. Hauser winery had a few wines that were unfinished that you could taste.  And then you were able to sample the finished product.  I am really excited about the sparking peach wine to come in June. They had a variety of dry wines to choose from.  One of my favorites there was the Merlot. Our next and final stop was Adams County Winery.

Adams County winery is located just west of Gettysburg. The winery is inside an old Pennsylvania Barn. Two of the wines they are known for are Tears of Gettysburg and Rebel Red.  We took a tour of the winery and then we went into the tasting room and gift shop.  While there we met two other couples .  We all decided to go out for dinner.  We went over to Little Italy in Biglersville.  We were able to take our own bottle of wine in to have with our meal. It was a great time!