My family was meeting in PA to spend time together. In a previous week I visited with my mom and now how wonderful for her to join us all in PA. Besides relaxing, eating, drinking and being sure the alpacas were cared for by us or others, we decided to take on a few special activities.

Day trip:

Visited High Point Monument in New Jersey. I first heard of the place from one sister and recognized it when I read Grandma Gatewood’s Walk book. Grandma Gatewood hiked the Appalachian Trail in the Delaware Water Gap area her first time in 1955 and mentions this high point at 1803 feet above sea level with its good views. The monument is a veteran’s memorial commemorating all veterans of all wars. While there I did see a new bird: a prairie warbler! We stopped at a winery and another place for dinner. It was a good day.

Another day: None of my sisters or myself wanted to see animals in cages, so we went to a wildlife and safari park, called “The Preserve“, in Harpursville, New York. This place has 100 acres of land where we could drive through and feed the animals. Specific directions were given on how to and what to feed the animals. I found the emus the most aggressive animal! It was fascinating to visit here! Stopped at a brewery after all that fun!

Of course, the low key social family time is fun, but we had a competitive moment while I introduced my sisters to pickleball at a local park. Our tennis swings wanted to really take over which screwed up the pickleball swing. In time though each may find the game fun.

Always fun to stay connected with my family. My parents raised four very independent individuals. It is always interesting to see what each is up to each year and to actually spend time together. It was fun!