Emotions are part of the journey.

And a range of emotions found us in our brief visit to Washington D.C.!

First it was love as we met up with friends.

Having watched these two young ladies grow up and leave our small hometown, of course we loved seeing them thrive in the big city. (We think Dean will fit in nicely.)

It was great fun to have Tipsy Tuesday with Sandy and George, who also moved from our little town, not by choice but due to necessity. (Sandy says she left her heart in Paducah.)

Captain felt appreciation for the friendship of former co-workers as he had lunch with a few of them. (He also felt relief that his working days are in the past.)

Yep, friendship is one of God’s greatest gifts

There was the excitement of discovery as we rode the Mt. Vernon Bike Trail to Alexandria.

Riding the Mt. Vernon bike trail

along the Potomac River.

Actually it wasn’t as much an emotion as it was feeling; although it was a nicely paved surface it was very bumpy which gave our seats a bit of discomfort. But it was a visually lovely ride with a delicious reward in Alexandria.

We had a moment of panic when an 8-inch limb fell about 20 feet and struck the back of The Wanderer. It sounded and felt like a vehicle hit us. The sound of the crash brought the folks from the neighboring site rushing over to see if we were okay.

We were. Other than a dent in a step of the rear ladder, there was not a scratch to be found. Have we told you how well the Lazy Daze are made? Since buying our now 14-year old Wanderer, we have never considered upgrading. After this experience, that thought is cemented.

There was a little disappointment for ABN. High on her list this time out was to revisit the Butterfly Exhibit at the National Museum for Natural History; unfortunately it closes the month of September for cleaning and renovation.

A bit of sorrow was felt as we paid a visit to Arlington.

We give thanks that, in spite of our grief, we can find joy. Without grief, there would not have been love.

Leaving the hustle and bustle of the city, we headed north, stopping to embrace the tranquility of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania Amish Country.

Yes, that is the name of the town where we stayed.

A typical home place; note the clothesline, they were seen in nearly all the yards.

A common sight.

Captain did very well avoiding the horse droppings.

Back to the campground.

Since we were not clear as to what was acceptable with photographs, we resisted snapping a great photo. On Friday we happened to arrive at a schoolhouse as students were being dismissed and we found ourselves in a pace line with children in Amish dress on kick bikes. Later we learned photos are okay as long as they are not of the face. We respectfully tried to photograph the lifestyle and not the people.

Bicycling is a great way to observe the Amish way of life. And it helps offset the can’t resist baked goods that appeared along the bike route, in the town and even found their way into the campground via horse and buggy.

The chicken pot pie was outstanding! 

The folks in Lancaster County, whether Amish, Mennonites, or neither to be gracious and friendly. Only the tourists had phones in hand, no traffic back-up and the ice cream was around $2.25 for a generous dip; quite the contrast from Washington D.C. with crowded metro trains, folks immersed in their phones, rush hour traffic moving about 10 miles in one hour and ice cream costing $4-$5 a dip.

ABN thinks she could be happy living the simple, farm life; Captain says no way is he going to farm and don’t even think about taking away his TV sports! (That could change if the Aggies don’t improve their game.)

One more state added to the journey as we continue eastward.

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