Gwynns Falls

The first Tuesday of every month the Fitness Department here at Vantage House takes a walking trip.

This month the destination was the Gwynns Falls Trail in Baltimore.  In the early 1900s a big swath of land was set aside as a park and a trail system then developed through it.  Below is only a small portion of the map at our trailhead.

The trail connects from western Baltimore City to downtown.  In fact our driver first took us to the downtown end because that's where the gps directed him to go.  Since it was billed as a walk in the woods we didn't get off there amongst the warehouses and river's edge to walk.

Darryl, one of the fitness instructors took a picture of me as I took one of him.

The woods are really open without leaves.

I loved all the different sorts of tree trunks.  This beech was hollow inside but still alive.

Darryl climbed inside while Robert, our driver filmed him.

The trail here was along an old mill race for the Windsor Mill.

Here's another beech.  See a face in there?

The windstorm last Friday must have toppled this tree across the trail.  Fortunately it had been cut up so we didn't have to climb over.

I was impressed with the color of this trunk lying on the forest floor.

And this one with original camouflage.

Vivian who is in charge of Fitness insisted we stretch before we started our walk and then again afterward.  Dan is following directions.

There were 11 of us on this trip counting the Vantage House staff.  A cold day but well worth the trouble of bundling up to walk.  

Dan here telling Robert how to go home so we don't retrace the long way round that we came.

Pixar

Just watched this great animated short by Pixar on bullying.

Click here for the link to see it online.

Turkey Hill Experience

Friday Dan and I headed north to Columbia, PA to have a change of scenery.  Lots of renovations still happening here at our retirement community that we need a break from.

Columbia is on the Susquehanna River in Lancaster County.  It's the home of Turkey Hill which makes ice cream.  Trip Advisor said that the Turkey Hill Experience was worth a stop, so we did.

It's housed in a repurposed warehouse.

Can't miss the big cow at front.  Dan is standing there to give perspective to its size.

The lower floor has a gift shop and

this is where you purchase your entry which includes your own CYO # so you can design your own ice cream flavor.  For a bit more you can have your concoction made up so you can taste it.  We didn't make that choice.

Upstairs is a bit of history first.

My ancestors were some of those Swiss German Anabaptists who came to Penns Land for religious freedom.

Then some information about cows!

Inside the large ice cream carton we watched a video of how ice cream is made.

Then on to the fun parts.

Including ice cream samples.  We each tried two flavors.

Last stop was to try to milk a cow!

This is definitely a place geared for kids, so maybe one day when the grandkids are older it will be a place to return to.

What I've Been Pinning

Lately when I read an article or editorial that shows what a unqualified person we have for president, I have pinned it to a Pinterest board I set up on that subject: Stand Up to Trump!

With another tragic shooting of innocents I started another Pinterest board: Stop Gun Violence Now!

Here are some recent pins to those boards.