Last Friday, we hit the parking lot about 11:30 am and cleared the HH about Noon. Decided to try the Springhouse for Italian food to begin the weekend and were quite pleased with the quality and atmosphere.
Then it was down the hill to the Opera House to see the Wallendas (with a side trip for the boys to do FitH first--the music was loud and clear outside, and the cemetery was open). Everyone enjoyed the Wallendas although I don't think MY heart could have taken much more of the high-wire act. When the guy called out "Careful, Mom!" I almost fainted. "Mom!"
??
The boys then did LRotO while the wife shopped at Dugans Trading (bought a sundress).
We headed over to the RG Hall for the Stunt Dog show--a dog-loving family are we!--and then hit the Toy Shop. (Editorial: I really wish they'd ditch the Walmart quality toys, not to mention the noisy ones!)
We intended to do a Saloon show, but the a/c broke, and they cancelled the last one of the day.
Then we wandered back to the Rib House for a really good supper. By then we were about half an hour from closing, but we managed to catch the last train ride of the day. Because some local thunder had delayed things around 5 or so, the narrative was a bit abbreviated--Ma got left out of the skit, too--but the ride was still fun, and the citizens were very much trying to give a good last performance of the day.
We bought a couple of cookies at Eva & Delilahs’s on the way out, and then it was off the hotel for some rest!
On Saturday, we got to the Park about 8:15 and waited patiently about 12 feet from the head of the line at the entrance. First stop at 8:30 was Molly’s for a GREAT breakfast buffet. We caught the opening and then we headed down Homestead Ridge to listen to the Homestead Pickers. We talked to them after the show and bought a couple CDs. Turns out they know a group that our family does some period music with at Civil War and Living History events.
We stopped at Granny’s to pick up a supply of Lye Soap—we use it quite a bit; it works as advertised!—and then did the leather shop and Mountain Outfitters. My wife got a new belt, and my son ought a backpack.
Then it was down the hill for FitH again for the wife and the younger boy. When they were done, we caught the first Saloon show. We ended up buying the pics of the saloon girl embarrassing the boys. ;-)
We walked back up the hill—hey! We needed the exercise!—to go to the Pizza Buffet at the Reunion hall, but the line was about as long as the one for LRoTO, so we instead circled down to Aunt Polly’s—yeah, yeah, I know: by the time we got there, we’d probably have been eating pizza ;-)
Then it was HOT, so the younger boy did LRotO again, and both did the River Blast, one in a boat, the other on the shore, both very wet. My wife also browsed in the Mercantile.
Then it was time for the train (more complete narrative this time, but Ma was still left out) and the FM (decent sound quality) and a visit to love my country (where my older son bought some pins and stickers of the 82nd and 101st AB, for my dad fought in both units during WWII).
Back up top, we decided to try pizza again after watching the log hewing for a while, and there was no line at that point (The pizza was blah). Afterwards, we hit the General Store and Jepp’s, where my wife bought a light top to go with the sundress. The younger boy got a marionette, and it was then time to leave.
We got a box of cinnamon rolls at Eva & Delilah’s for Sunday morning breakfast at home, and left the lot for home a 7:00, getting home 2 hours and 15 minutes later.
Some general impressions: Friday was busy; Saturday was CROWDED. The heat made most folks just a bit crabby. We escaped just as the nighttime crowd was coming in for the beginning of Moonlight Madness and as the quality of the music was degenerating. The shows were all great! I tried to give my older son to Mr. M. Balmer for measuring, but the hard-headed teenager wouldn’t stand still long enough ;-) he was creeped out by Terry’s eyes—easy enough to believe! Most of the citizens were in good form, a few seemed harassed by the crowds and blunted by the heat, all perfectly understandable. A little bit of thunder shut things down both days, but no real hardship for us. The clouds brought some most welcome cooling. All in all, a great time! If the mechanic leaves us some cash after getting some car repairs this week, my wife and I are heading back down this Friday for a couple days at the city without the boys and a Jacuzzi in the hotel room ;-)
