Flower Show

Welcome to 2010!!!

I know that it has been some time since I have written anything on this Blog! I trust all of you are as glad as I am that all the snowy weather is behind us and Spring is just around the corner!!! YAHOO!!! If you do not have one of our 2010 tour books, please give us a call and we will be glad to send one to you.

As most of you know, I attend the School of Hard Knocks!! The school colors are Black and Blue and I would like to think that I will graduate with a degree in Common Sense. However, I have also learned that I am a "Lifelong Learner" which means that I will always, always, always have something to learn from what happens to me on my adventure as I travel this road of life!

I cannot believe that March is here already! Last Monday & Tuesday we had our first trips for 2010 and we went to the Philadelphia Flower Show. Fortunately the weather was good for both days – I thanked the Lord for giving us great weather. [Last year we had snow to deal with on the Monday trip.]

Our first stop was at the Entenmanns Bakery in Exton. It is always a great stop there to shop and see all the folks come out with their bags of goodies! They have fantastic prices and a wide selection of things to buy. [Elite Coach usually puts in a request that we bring back some goodies for their office!] Then we were on our way to the King of Prussia mall to get our noon meal and browse through the stores. We had found out that there was going to be a traveling Norman Rockwell display there at the mall so I checked it out on Monday - it was fabulous!!! It only cost $5.00 to go through – I told the folks that it was the best $5.00 I had spent in a long time. Since I had checked it out on Monday I was able to recommend it to the folks on Tuesday. Quite a few of the folks on both days did go through and enjoyed it immensely.

Then we were off to the Flower Show at the Convention Center. The theme this year was “Passport To The World.” The displays were fabulous. You have to understand that I have no creative genes – no green thumb whatsoever! There were so many different ideas and creations and they were all fantastic. Our schedule had us arriving at the Flower Show around 2:15 PM and that works well because the people that were there since early that day were tired and started to head home! Crowds are smaller in the late afternoon and early evening. We were there until 7:15 PM and then headed home.

Both days were great and seeing all the beauty of the show once again reminded me of how awesome God is to create all that beauty for us to enjoy. Again, how anyone could go to the Flower Show and come away with no belief in God – I will never be able to understand that. It was a fantastic day and we already know the dates we will be going next year – Monday, March 7 and Tuesday, March 8, 2011.

Happy Spring!
Linda "Fun Time Sunshine"

Eastern Quartet Convention

This was the 11th year we have attended the Eastern Quartet Convention, but this was the first year it was held at the Hidden Valley Resort near Somerset, PA. It was a fantastic weekend: a beautiful location, inspiring gospel music, delicious food and an absolutely bunch of fantastic and flexible Fun Time Tourists!!!! Quite a few of the group have been along with us year after year but we also had some folks who were along for the very first time.

We enjoyed a buffet meal before arriving at the Hidden Valley Resort. The first concert was Friday evening, where we heard about ten different quartet groups plus other singers. This was a great show that started off our amazing weekend! Now let me tell you ...... the weather was not the best but since all of our events were being held indoors, the weather did not bother us at all!!!

Saturday morning our Fun Time Tours group had breakfast together and Barry Shirk (formerly of the Higher Ground Trio) had a mini-concert for us. One of the couples was celebrating their 64th wedding anniversary and two of the fellas were celebrating birthdays. It was a wonderful time and we all encouraged Barry to make a CD with some of the songs he sang for us.

Another treat for us was a trio made up of Barry, Jeff (from Valor III) and Mike (from Forgiven). They sang, "I Bowed On My Knees And Cried Holy" and it was outstanding!! Their voices blended very well and we were glad that Jeff and Mike agreed to come and sing with Barry! In addition to the beautiful music, the dining room where we were being entertained had large windows the whole way around and it gave us a beautiful view of the ski slopes and surrounding areas of the resort.

Saturday afternoon we enjoyed a Quartet Extravaganza where we heard more singing by groups that were quartets - there is just something about 4-part harmony!! After some free time in the afternoon we attended the grand finale that evening, which brought to a close our fantastic musical weekend.

Sunday morning as the luggage was loaded and we were ready to leave Hidden Valley, it was overcast and a chilly 32 degrees! We enjoyed the fall colors as we headed for home. When we stopped for our noon meal in Breezewood, it was sunny and 50 degrees!!! It was amazing how the weather changed in such a short time. We enjoyed nice weather the rest of the way home and arrived back in Lancaster in the late afternoon.

We are looking forward to returning to Hidden Valley Resort next year for the Eastern Quartet Convention being held there again in October. We were very impressed with the staff at the Resort because they were very nice and friendly and went out of their way to accommodate all of us. It was great to have Barry travel on the bus with our folks and we thank him for sharing his gift of music with us.

Linda
"Fun Time Sunshine"

Autumn in Coastal Maine

September 22 - 26, 2009

I am going to do my best to describe this fabulous 5-day trip during which we saw many sights in Coastal Maine!

We left on Tuesday, September 22nd, and ended our travel day in Woburn, Massachusetts. The next morning we entered Maine!!! It was a gorgeous and sunny day. We began our visit to the "Pine Tree State" with a stop at the Maine Welcome Center. Then we browsed through the amazing Lighthouse Depot. If you want anything to do with lighthouses, and could not find it at this shop, then you would not find it anywhere! At Len Libby Chocolates we saw “Lenny,” the world's only life-size chocolate moose!

We then visited the Portland Headlight which provided many wonderful picture-taking opportunities. What a gorgeous place to enjoy God's awesome creation. While at this lighthouse I met Tim Janis who is a composer, musician, conductor and arranger. Tim is a young man who has traveled all over the world sharing his inspirational music that he feels can heal and bring peace. We watched one of Tim's DVD's later on our trip and I have been enjoying listening to his CD's.

Wednesday afternoon we visited the DeLorme headquarters which featured “Eartha.” It holds the title of "The World's Largest Rotating Globe." It is a 3-dimensional scale model of earth as seen from space, and was amazing to see our planet displayed this way.

We then headed for the Maine Maritime Museum where we were able to explore Maine's maritime heritage and culture. We also saw a life-sized sculptural representation of the largest wooden sailing vessel ever built. After checking into our hotel in Brunswick, we headed into the downtown area to eat dinner. As I was walking down the street with one of the couples along on the tour, we met another couple. We talked for a few minutes and found out that they were from Lancaster! They continued to explain that they live near Calvary Fellowship Homes, and I told them that my mom lived at Calvary Homes! They asked my mom’s name, and when I told them they said that they have known her for years! What are the chances??? It also turned out that the woman’s brother had sung in a quartet with my dad, and knew me when I was just a baby. Needless to say, it was an amazing evening and I couldn't wait to tell my mom what had happened!

Later that evening, the Amish girls who were traveling with us told me that they had searched all night for some ice cream and couldn’t find any. So I surprised them by stopping at a McDonald's on the way back to the hotel! Then Ralph surprised all of us by announcing that he would pay for anyone who wanted ice cream because he was celebrating his 85th birthday! Thank you Ralph!

Thursday morning we visited Windsor Chairmakers where we watched the craftsmen making their furniture. We enjoyed their showrooms, where we saw beautiful tables, chairs, beds, stools, and benches.

One of the most-loved views on the Maine coast is from the summit of Mount Battie. Today we were especially thankful that the Lord blessed us with another gorgeous day, since were able to enjoy an outstanding panoramic view of the Penobscot Bay and the town of Camden. Our next stop was at the State of Maine Cheese Company nestled in the heart of Mid-coast Maine. Here they have been hand-crafting fine cheeses from local farms for over 25 years. We took a tour of their production area, and then sampled some of their cheeses in the store.

Afterwards, we headed for Rockland where we had some time for shopping and to get our own lunch. Rockland is a picturesque harbor town and has been named as one of "The 100 Best Small Towns in America." We enjoyed our time here, and then headed to the Maine State Prison Showroom, which is the largest retailer of over 600 unique handcrafted products put together by local Maine inmates.
We then returned to Rockland where we boarded the restored vintage railcars of the Maine Eastern Railroad for our relaxing ride through the spectacular scenery of mid-coast Maine. We enjoyed wonderful foliage as we went past the towns of Wiscasset & Bath on our way back to Brunswick. Our bus met us and we headed to the restaurant for our delicious evening dinner before returning to the Motel for our night's lodging.

Friday morning we were going to visit the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, which is the largest botanical garden in New England. The knowledgeable tour guides gave us a wonderful overview of these magnificent gardens. Along with the gorgeous flowers were unique wildlife sculptures made from recycled industrial salvage - such as deer, elk, wolves, fox, and porcupine. We also had lunch in their lovely Garden Cafe as we looked out at the gorgeous surroundings. We then headed to Boothbay Harbor for our 2 1/2 hour scenic nature boat cruise. It was an absolutely sunny and beautiful afternoon as we enjoyed the many sights pointed out to us by our captain. One of my favorites was the majestic Pemaquid Point Lighthouse that has been photographed by countless visitors.
After our cruise we had time to browse in some of the quaint shops there at the waterfront before leaving that area. Our destination for our evening dinner and overnight accommodations was Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

It was hard to believe it was Saturday already but that meant this was the last day of our trip. On our way home we stopped to visit The New England Carousel Museum in Bristol, Connecticut, which houses one of the largest collections of antique carousel pieces in the country. Our very knowledgeable tour guide told us about the history of these beautiful hand-carved animals. Also at this stop was a Museum of Fire History where a gentleman donated his fire equipment and memorabilia to create this splendid collection. We then continued homeward bound, enjoying a delicious evening dinner before returning to Lancaster & Ephrata.

The Lord blessed us with beautiful weather, delightful traveling companions, a safe trip, comfortable lodging, great meals, wonderful places to visit, and the opportunity to enjoy His amazing creation. We all came home with hearts overflowing with thankfulness.

Linda "Fun Time Sunshine"

Natural Bridge & Green Valley Book Fair

August 21 & 22, 2009

This 2-day tour began with breakfast at Bob Evans before heading down to Virginia. After our lunch stop in Staunton, VA, we encountered a sign letting us know that there was an accident ahead. Traffic was slowly creeping along -- bumper to bumper!

We eventually got off the Interstate and took Route 11, and headed towards Natural Bridge. That afternoon, we had fun visiting the Natural Bridge Wax Museum and Toy Museum. We later checked into our hotel and enjoyed a delicious buffet dinner.

We were all anticipating an inspirational evening as we went down to the Natural Bridge to experience the "Drama of Creation." It was a beautiful summer evening! At 9 PM all the lights went out and the Drama began. The first 4 days of Creation were narrated, accompanied by beautifully colored lights and outstanding music. We were then told to walk to the other side of the bridge for the remainder of the presentation, where they would narrate days 5 through 7 of Creation.

The most absolutely amazing part of the evening was the view we had looking through the Natural Bridge to see some distant lightning along with Planet Jupiter. The scene was absolutely awesome! How could anyone walk away from that spectacular evening and say there is no God? In addition to the wonderful Drama, the Lord gave us an evening sky with His show that was perfect. Creation was evident all around us and we felt privileged to have been there!

The next morning, we met in the lobby to enjoy the hotel’s breakfast buffet. We left at 8:15 AM to head for the Green Valley Book Fair in Mt. Crawford, Virginia. The Book Fair is held 6 times a year for 2 weeks each time. Although last year we were there the second week of the sale, this year we wanted to be there on the opening day. We arrived right around 9:30 AM (it opened at 9) and there were already lots and lots of cars in the parking lot. Fortunately, everything was very organized and we were able to unload from the bus right at the entrance to the building. Some folks were already walking out with bags and boxes of books -- they must have been there early!

The Book Fair is amazing - everyone there is very organized and helpful. They advertise that they have more than 500,000 books -- and I can believe it! In our several hours there, we shopped and got our own lunch through a church that sold food under a tent outside. It was raining by lunchtime, so it was a challenge to get our food and stay dry! We had a lot of fun with the folks selling the food.

One of the items they were selling was “Chili Cheese Nachos,” but one of our ladies wondered if they would sell her just a bowl of chili. They said they had never done that before but they would be glad to do it that day. I gave the money to the "cashier" and she asked what I was paying for. I told her, “A bowl of chili,” and she said, "But we don't sell that." I replied, “You are today!” and then I added, “Blessed are the flexible for they will not get bent out of shape!” They loved that and decided to make that their motto for the day.

When we left the Book Fair, we headed towards the Shenandoah Valley to enjoy the views on the Skyline Drive. The weather was not the best, but we still enjoyed our ride north. For dinner, we enjoyed a delicious buffet before returning home.

This was a great 2-day trip and we hope to return to the Book Fair again next year. Once again I was privileged to have a wonderful bunch of folks along on this trip. I thanked the Lord for a safe trip and the opportunity we had to experience His creation!

In Awe,

Linda

4 - Day Mystery Trip

August 8 - 11, 2009

As with all Mystery Trips, our only two pick up locations were Ephrata and Lancaster (any additional stops would have given our folks an idea what direction we were going and then it would not be a mystery trip!!). Our "motorcoach commander" was new to me, but he was a team player with customer service at the top of his list! Before long, we realized that we had a coach full of folks who were anxiously wondering where we were taking them!

There were a few delays to start our morning but we were finally off on our adventure! During breakfast in York, our driver said that he could already understand why it was called "Fun" Time Tours!! After breakfast we were traveling on the Baltimore/Washington Parkway when all the lanes of traffic came to a stop. We could see flashing lights ahead and eventually we could see a vehicle off to the side of the road. As we got closer, a police office stopped the coach and asked us if we could help him. We said we would be glad to do whatever we could. Apparently, the vehicle for about 14 international foreign exchange students had broken down and he was wondering if we could give them transportation to an exit down the road. We told him we would be glad to do that and he had the students board the coach (we really crammed them in!!!). We found out that these students were staying in Hershey, PA and were heading to Washington, DC to spend the day sightseeing. We followed the policeman to an exit ramp where the students got off the coach - each one saying "Thank you!" We have no idea how the rest of their day was; but we were glad to be of help. All of that excitement sure added to the fact that we were on a “mystery” trip!! (that was a SURPRISE!!!)

Our attractions in Delaware and Maryland for the 4 days included: a tram tour of a wildlife refuge, a Southern Gospel concert and a Sunday Morning worship service, a boat ride, museums and lighthouses, and many delicious meals and wonderful accommodations! Beverly, who we had been working with to plan the trip, was wonderful as she met us at the hotel to take us to some of the places we were visiting there in Maryland. She also made us some chocolate chip cookies and served them with a special ice cream in order to celebrate Maryland's 375th birthday! We felt so welcomed there! There were tears when we had to say goodbye and part ways to start our homeward trek.

We went South, North, West and East; and then when the folks thought they had it all figured out, we went South again!! I was privileged to take an amazing bunch of folks on this exciting mystery trip; and I trust it was a memorable vacation experience for each and every one! Quite a few of these folks have traveled with me on previous mystery trips and I am grateful for the trust they put in Fun Time Tours year after year!

A Mysterious Linda "Fun Time Sunshine"

PS - We already have 4 couples signed up for next year’s overnight mystery trip!!!

"A Day at the Shore"

Ocean City New Jersey
Tuesday, July 14th

On July 14th we left on an absolutely beautiful Tuesday morning for Ocean City, NJ. The group consisted of mothers & daughters; co-workers; a father with daughters; son-in-law & grandchildren; aunts & nieces; and friends. All were looking forward to spending a relaxing day together!

After a breakfast stop we arrived in Ocean City mid-morning. The bus parked conveniently next to the boardwalk and bath house. Once everyone left the bus, they were free to do whatever they chose! Some took their chairs and headed straight for the beach. Others wanted to spend their time visiting the many shops and restaurants on the boardwalk. It was a perfect day to just walk on the boardwalk and "people watch"! I took a chair along and had decided that I was going to spend some time on the beach.

I must tell you that it was a most interesting day! There were lots of people at the beach; and since it was a gorgeous day, there were colorful umbrellas everywhere. I sat near a grandma, daughter and grandson and I really had fun watching the little guy play in te sand. I found out that he was almost 2 years old and he had a cute frog shirt on! It brought back memories of taking my two boys to the beach when they were little -- which was a long time ago!

I think the most astonishing thing for me was the (sometimes very inappropriate) attire of the people there on the beach! Fortunately, since the day was absolutely gorgeous, I was able to focus on the beautiful sky and the ocean ... instead of all the flesh!!! How about we just leave it at that!

We left Ocean City in the early evening, and on the way home we made an ice cream stop at Richmond's in Woodstown. Two of the ladies ordered a single cone and received 2 scoops and thought the server might have made a mistake. When we asked, we were told that a single is 2 scoops, double is 4 scoops, and a triple is 6 scoops!! Do you have any idea how high a cone with 6 scoops would be?? None of our folks ordered 6 scoops, so we did not have the privilege of watching anyone eating all that ice cream! We arrived home safe and sound -- very grateful for the Lord protecting us and giving us a beautiful day. I don't believe we could have asked for a more perfect day!

It is now Tuesday, July 21st -- exactly one week since our Ocean City trip and it is raining here in Lancaster. How grateful I am that the Lord gave us a perfect day to go to the shore. God is Good ... all the time! All the time ... God is Good!

Linda "Fun Time SUNSHINE!!!"

Riverdance

Riverdance at Wolf Trap
Saturday, June 27

We had a glorious and beautiful sunny day for our trip to Vienna, Virginia to see Riverdance at Wolf Trap. Steve was our Elite Coach driver and every seat on the coach was full! The show was at 2 PM and we arrived there in plenty of time after making a stop to get lunch. I love going to Wolf Trap on a motorcoach because they park us rather close to the entrance gates and the coach was in the shade the whole time we were there.

We had center loge (balcony) seating and they were wonderful seats! The show was outstanding - the talent of those involved was amazing! I was out of breath and I was not dancing or singing!!! We have been going down to Wolf Trap for quite a few years to see Riverdance and I continue to appreciate the show every time I see it! As we sat there and watched the show, the Lord provided a lovely breeze that made the afternoon absolutely perfect!

When the show was over and we returned to the coach, Steve told us that he had just received a call from his son in Afghanistan and he was coming home!!!! Steve had planned to fly to Texas to be reunited with his son over the Fourth of July weekend. We all told Steve that we were grateful for his son serving our country and we would be praying for his safe return to the states. His announcement was like the icing on the cake of a perfect day!

We stopped at a mall food court for our supper and then headed home. Again as I reflected on our day, I thanked the Lord for allowing us to have a wonderful group of folks to travel with, beautiful weather and a safe trip.

Linda "Fun Time Sunshine"