Off to see my Favorite Sister

Monday

Another nice sunny day today.  Bonnie cleaned out a couple of her flower beds under the deck.  I hauled buckets of mulch for her.

Mulching the flower bed

All done now and it looks very nice.  After lunch we took it easy and talked a little about where we want to travel next year.  Then I got an email and headed up to court to work on some paperwork before I headed to my favorite sisters.

Tuesday

Not much to write about today.  We got up this morning, turned down the thermostats, unplugged the coffee maker and headed for Spring City, PA.

As we sped by

We made a couple pit stops and one for lunch.

Lunch Stop

We arrived at my sisters and after a nice dinner, spent the rest of the evening catching up.  Tomorrow we get to meet both new grand nieces and see Dan the lone grand nephew again.

Wednesday

Just after 7 and I am up after a good nights sleep.  Joe and Molly have gone to the gun club to check trail cameras and Sharon almost followed me down the stairs.  Soon we hear Bonnie up also.  It was not long after breakfast that Sharon started on dinner prep.

Working on dinner

After lunch we headed over to the Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site, last spring when I visited the buildings wee not open.

This time we got to see all the movies and tour the inside of the buildings.  Poor Molly had to stay home and guard the house.

I sure wish I could go

Some of the 23 models of stoves made here

This stove was made in 1772

We enjoyed seeing the informational movies and touring the grounds

Down the path to the furnace

The old coal fired furnace that did not really work out

The core of the old furnace

This is the charcoal cooling room, charcoal, limestone, and iron ore were used here

This was the furnace and the foundry

Some of the iron ingots 

Canon for the revolutionary war were made here

The water wheel drove the bellows for the blast of air injected into the furnace to race the temperature

Some of the cast iron stove parts

This is the bottom of the furnace where the iron came out

 After the furnace we moved over to the blacksmiths shop.  There was a whole community around the furnace made up of the woodcutters, farmers, molders, and foundry workers and others who were needed to keep the furnace running.

Blacksmith shop and tools of the trade

We took a minute to visit the creek formed by the water after it turned the water wheel.

Lovely ladies on the bridge

Final stop at the furnace was at the owners house

Nicest place in the area

This was his office and over looked the furnace

We headed home so Sharon could pop the lasagna in the oven for supper.  Full house coming for dinner.  It was a beautiful day cool and sunny.

We spent the evening visiting with nephews and nieces and grand nephew and new grand nieces.

Papa Joe and Dan

Miss Ellie

Dan is on the move most of the time

New mom Jennifer and Maggie

Bonnie keeps Dan busy

All of us together

Time to get this posted, Thanks for Checking In.  Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow, we have so much to be thankful for.