Leaving Philadephia

Saturday, March 14^th

This morning we had a change of plans due to my Mom’s lack of sleep last night (noisy people slamming their doors) and the weather. It was pouring down rain, and even though we do like the rain, we thought it would be better to stay in the hotel and journal than walk around in the rain trying to find historic sites. It was a peaceful morning just sitting in bed journaling. We also managed to get an hour later checkout time, so we finished getting ready and packing our bags, then headed out to Leola. Since it was an hour and a half drive, we planned to stop for lunch on the way. After much driving around, we finally found a Ruby Tuesday restaurant, where we ended up having some funny mishaps.

My Mom ordered glazed salmon, and I got their chicken tenders (the best I’ve ever tasted). My Mom’s order got mixed up, so they brought out some glazed chicken, but sent it back when they realized their mistake. The manager was very kind and offered to give us any dessert on the house. We picked the chocolate cake, which looked so amazing. When they brought the dessert, they had once again mixed up our order and brought a white chocolate cherry cheesecake instead. Feeling a bit awkward about complaining about free dessert, we informed them that they had brought the wrong one, and they happily brought out the chocolate cake.

Man, that was beyond delicious. The cake was more of a brownie, and it had chocolate frosting, brown butter frosting, chocolate chips, a sprinkle of powdered sugar on top, and a drizzle of chocolate sauce on the side. Mmm!

After that delicious, filling meal, we got back in the car and drove the remaining distance to Leola. By the time we got there it was foggy and damp. We snapped a few pictures along the way, but weren’t able to see as much of the landscape due to the fog.

 

 

 

 

My GPS apparently thought the house was located on a different road, so we got very turned around before we finally found our destination. We’re staying a few nights in a guesthouse on an Amish farm run by an extremely friendly woman named Katie, and her husband. She also owns a quilt shop, which we’re going to go see on Monday when it’s open.
 

 

On their farm, they have four friendly dogs, ten cows (yes!), and nine thousand chickens. We were invited to gather eggs from their chickens for breakfast. I’m hoping to make friends with the cows tomorrow, even though Katie informed me they are quite stinky.

After looking around the guesthouse and getting settled in, we headed out for supper and to get some groceries. In this particular guesthouse, they don’t make any meals for you or eat with you. We had picked up a few things from the Dollar General on our way in, but our cheese and soup got left at the store. We ate at a place called Yoder’s, which is also a grocery, gift shop, and pharmacy. The restaurant was a big open room with tables full of people. They had buffet, but we decided to order from the menu.

After eating, we went into the grocery area and picked up some basic food for meals, including a yummy pack of cinnamon rolls.

The fog was incredibly thick by the time we finished shopping. It was dark outside, and we could barely see through the fog. With having to watch for buggies and trying to find our guesthouse through the fog, it made for a less than relaxing drive.
 

 

We were able to find our way back, and stayed up for a while writing postcards. Other than the loudly barking dogs and occasional odd noises (the guesthouse is attached to their house), it was very peaceful.