So Short, So Sweet. Part 4

An early afternoon return from the Clarion parade was required so we could make Happy Hour/ Open House. I will be honest, I rarely use Open House as a reason to visit other people's trailers. That is what the gathering is all about, right?

There were a bunch of trailers to visit though. Many had good eats out to share with visitors.

Where to start, where to start?

I guess right next door is the best place.

And right on down the line...

Beth and I always spend a good amount of time visiting the Lodens. No need for a formal open house with them.

Some chose to nap, while I was visiting, but most attendees had open inviting doors. The rule is, if the door is open...

Sometimes the door is closed. Tom was busy preparing some goodies.

Eventually you end up at your own rig again.

I needed to get back to make wings for the Potluck. That's tandorri and homemade jerk. Both were very spicy, but the jerk was super hot.

There really is no place like Pennwood. I think it is the nicest campground we have ever visited.

The grounds are so well cared for. The facilities could not be cleaner or more comforting. We will be returning in the near future even if there is no rally planned. To all the hosts of the Fall Colors Rally, a deep, heartfelt, thank you.

A place was earned on my door with in a door for certain...

So Short, So Sweet. Part 3

With only one full day during the entire rally, I wanted to take at least one side trip. Ace and his family were also wanting a day trip. The Clarion Farmers Bank Parade was billed as being a good time and worth the drive.

We loaded up our families in in Ace's van and off we went to Wendy's. Wendy's ???? Yes, Wendy's. It was right at the beginning of the parade route. We parked in their lot and bought some Frosty s. We could park now for we were paying customers. We actually got burgers and fries later in the day. I would have never thought to park in the Wendy's lot, but the Goldberg family set us up fine once again.

From the edge of the parking lot we had a tremendous view of the parade. Honestly, it was a step back in time.

I kept waiting to see Andy and Barney drive by in that 1963 Ford Galaxy police cruiser. I am not calling Clarion some hick town Mayberry, it was just a good old fashion event.

The fire department had some beautiful rigs rolling down the street. Unlike my own town's parade, they did not have lights and sirens blaring.

There were many marching bands. Some were very good at marching and playing as a band.

Others were way off key and out of step. Not this one per say, but some of them. There were many marching bands.

And some horses are always required for a good parade.

The Kid Rock song Cowboy, was just bouncing in my head as this guy rode by. Not sure why, the guy looks nothing like Kid Rock.

The numerous homemade floats were charming. These young kids were having a great time for sure. Did I mention all the floats were throwing candy to the crowd?

I love a classic car. A classic truck is even better. A classic armored car? How does that stack up in the pyramid? This was a perfect restoration. The truck appeared to be brand new. I was so captivated I walked right out into the street and walked all around the armored car taking photos.

The Shriners were doing their thing. My best friend from high school is a Shriner. I always thought it an odd thing for him to be into. Now I totally understand. Shrine on Steve, Shrine on. It is a cool thing you do...

There were numerous drill teams also. I think this drill team was sponsored by the local adult book store. There routine was a lot racy for teenage girls. A tremendous amount of booty shaking and pelvis thrusting to put it lightly.

Maybe it is just me getting old...

The log cabin float was awesome. It had smoke coming out of the chimney. The candy they were throwing was awesome too. Yes, Goetze's Caramel Creams gets me knocking down kids, trying to scramble in to get my candy. I am a sucker for caramel creams.

We had various beauty queens come by. Some of them actually were beautiful. We saw a Corn queen, homecoming queen (college and high school), teen queen, even the milk queen. The only queen we did not see was Percilla, queen of the desert. After three hours of parade watching, my group was ready to head back to Penn Wood. I only agreed because it was getting close to happy hour time.

In my next post, I will tell you about open house, happy hour, and the mother of all potluck suppers.

So Short, So Sweet. Part 2

What better way to start the day but with a hearty breakfast? I am fairly serious, what better way? For a few years now, I make breakfast, it's my thing to do at rallys. The traditional continental breakfast works, but getting a full breakfast brings the entire group out. It has people sitting down and talking in a way a muffin or a doughnut just does not. The socializing begins promptly at 8 even if the food is not yet served.

The preparation of breakfast for 125 people is not all that easy. I am very fortunate to have an awesome volunteer crew that helps me at just about every rally I attend. Like myself, they seem to derive a certain amount of satisfaction from serving others breakfast.

The flat top or griddle is the work horse of the breakfast. We cook up copious amounts of bacon first. The bacon is followed by home fries.

Potatoes, onions, some green chillies, salt, and pepper is all that goes in them. They are always a big hit and there are never any left overs. For a matter of fact, if you show up late, sometimes they are all gone.

Pancakes are always a big hit. The kids all love pancakes and a happy kid has a happy parent. Banana pancakes have been working their way into the rotation. They seem to be a huge hit with everyone except the four that cannot stand bananas. The one person who hates pancakes does not count.

Once the pancakes are set, we make eggs to order. The personal preference is astounding. Some want em hard, some runny. Over easy, sunny side up, scrambled. The only request we have not gotten yet is "RAW". Deborah has been such an incredible team mate to have. I hope she knows how grateful I am for all she does. She always claims she has eaten, but she always seems to be on station till the very end. Deborah, thank you.

Ace, whose back is to you also helps a lot. He tends to sip coffee, fetch things, and chat the customers until it is time for him to step into the ring. Ace is a very accomplished egg flipper. He cooks and flips to order. Once he steps into the ring, look out, stay the hell out of the way, for you just might loose an arm. Ace, thanks. On so many levels, thanks.

There are some others that helped a great deal too. Jason and Kathy prepped all the potatoes and onions. They made the pancake batter also. They both wanted to do more, but the only job left was to sit down and enjoy. To both of you, Thanks.

Carl had said Penn Wood had a dinning hall, but I never expected anything like this. There was room for everyone to sit and eat. Dave had built a nice fire in the fireplace to take the chill off, and everyone ate and talked about how to spend the day.

In my next post I will tell you all how we spent the day. It might even require two posts, so much took place.

So Short, So Sweet.

I bought a new camera a couple weeks ago. As some know, it is a Lumex, something, something 10. I think it should be called the Lumex, something, something ELEVEN because it takes awesome photos.

This little camera has so many settings and programs on it. I am still learning the ropes and have just scratched the surface as to what it can do. The manual has been read three times now and on the third read I did manage to stay awake until the very end. I hope you enjoy some of what you see.

We went to the Fall Colors Airforums Rally at Pennwood Airstream Park this past weekend. Now that Ava is in seventh grade, we just cannot yank her out of school like we did in the past. Missing pre algebra is just not an option for her, so we had to leave in the afternoon on Friday. Normally, in the past we would do the Thursday thru Sunday, and chalk the missed school up to "Life Experience". This is the first year we felt it not an option. A five hour drive put us in after dark. Now as some know, arriving after dark leaves one without a real sense of ones surroundings. You can only see so much. One thing I could see after we got settled in was a raging campfire. Time to make a cocktail, pull out the folding chair, and head up to the campfire.

The Hosts had a serious blazer going. The wood was being piled on and I found that to be a very good omen. Now to just add a twist to the fire.

A little homemade pyrotechnics, and we have technicolor flames. These were a big hit and put a big smile on everyone's face.

Steve was grinning like he had a secret to tell and it was killing him to hold it in..

Deborah was cutting jokes that had Beth rolling. The joke was probably me, because they were laughing louder than usual...

Roman was enjoying the color effects for sure, Kay was mesmerized by them...

Tim thought he was seeing fireworks, but it was Ed cuddling up...

Halle wanted more colors added. She always seeks out more and more...

Linda was sure enjoying the color effects even though she knows how to make them also...

I mean, what's not to love? That is a really cool effect...

Ace even managed to stay up really late and enjoy the campfire.

Amanda smiled so long her jaw locked up. Seriously, it did. That is a story for another campfire, it actually was not funny for her or anyone involved. Amanda takes having fun VERY seriously. I admire her stick-to-it-ness...

Another guy taking it serious was the main rally host, Carl. He kept the fire raging so that our eyes could never really adjust to our surroundings. What surprises would morning bring when we sorted out where we actually were.

You will just have to stay tuned to what the next morning brought us...