The Castaway Hotel - 9 - 39. Chapter 39 - Friends And Family

The Flannerys didn’t show up until Monday afternoon, since Farrell and his wife had obligations they had to fulfill on Sunday. Farrell, Katelyn and Alannah drove in about 3:00 and were spending the week with us, but they were going to allow Barry to remain for the entire time we were here. Each of them seemed happy to be with us, and it was nice to see them again.

I was glad we could actually work something out this year, even though this was not going to be anything extravagant. Farrell and Katelyn would be staying in the room Marie and Adrian had used, while Alannah would be staying in the room next door, which no one had used the previous week. They would be sharing their cabin with Robert and Pat, who were using the bunk beds in the loft.

We spent the rest of the day letting them get settled in and become familiar with the accommodations, which provided Robert with some quiet time to write. We did take everyone out for dinner and chatted with the Flannerys while we ate, before we retuned to the cabins and turned in for the evening. The fun for them would begin tomorrow.

Would you believe it rained the first full day the Flannerys were with us? Damn! Well I guess this mean I’ll have to pick one of the alternate activities I had planned for rainy days, so we’ll be going to the Indian Caverns. Yes, I know. Everyone’s thinking, dang, another caving experience. Well, we didn’t have a lot of choices locally and needed something to take up the better part of the day. I also tried to save one of the other activities I have for rainy days in case we needed it when Michael is here, since it’s something he would really enjoy. Besides, there are only so many options that are appropriate during this kind of weather.

Not everyone wanted to go with us, so some of the older boys elected to stay behind and find their own form of amusement. Since Barry was going, so he could be with his parents, Jesse and Andrew decided to go too. Seeing those three were going, Jordan and Nicky decided to tag along with us as well, rather than stay with the others.

For some reason, Alannah had singled out Ricky again, even though she had been like a bee around honey with Little Ricky the last time we had been together. Therefore, Ricky chose to go as well, and surprisingly Pat did too. This was most likely so he could gawk at Alannah while we were out, but he was the last one to decide to join us. Everyone else was going to stay at the cabins.

As we drove to the location, the Appalachian Mountains loomed up around us again and we passed through some beautiful wooded country. There was also a very peaceful stream nestled along our route and we were still able to enjoy this splendid scenery through the mild drizzle and haze. It was quite a lovely sight, although it might have appeared more spectacular on a clear and sunny day.

We started off at the Visitor’s Center, which is a pueblo-style building, like you might see in the southwest U.S., and was built right against the mountainside. Ironically, considering where we were, there is also a totem pole that is reminiscent of the Pacific Northwest and a tepee that might be found on the Great Plains. It was obvious they were marketing ALL Native American tribes, regardless of their location. You could even pan for arrowheads, if you were so inclined.

Of course, we took the guided tour and learned a great deal about the cave’s history and geology. We were told stories about the Native Americans’ use of the cave, as determined by artifacts and a tablet of petroglyphs found there, some of which were also on display. The guide also shared some of the more recent history and folklore surrounding the cave, so this was much more than just a sightseeing tour.

We traveled for approximately a mile and during that time we made our way through narrow, winding passageways and entered large caverns with very high ceilings. We saw sheets of flowstone, delicate soda straw stalactites and rimstone pools, as well as massive stalagmites and stalactites. There was also ‘The Room of the Fireflies,’ which got its name from the chemical elements that glow in the dark. We were told Native Americans apparently didn’t enter this area, although the reason for avoiding it is unknown.

The tour took just under ninety minutes and I think everyone that went enjoyed it, some more than others. By this I mean, Ricky seemed to enjoy spending his time with Alannah and chatting with her. It was quite obvious he wasn’t thinking about Kylie from Australia, so I guess he must have gotten over her.

When we went outside, the weather seemed to be clearing a little, as we went back to the cabins. When we got there, the boys were already out canoeing and swimming, so the rest of us went out to join them. We actually spent the rest of the day doing this before we cleaned up and went to dinner. On the way back we gave the Flannery’s a quick tour of the area and for the rest of the evening, we adults just sat and chatted, while the kids entertained themselves.

Wednesday was kind of an easy day and we started out by taking them on the Hillside Nature Trail, which we had hiked the previous week. The Flannerys preferred to take their time and enjoy the scenery and wildlife, unlike Marie and Adrian who used it for the exercise. We ended up spending a couple of hours here, due to their approach, rather than the single hour it had taken us previously. I was glad most of the boys had decided to skip this activity, otherwise they’d probably have griped and complained about how long this was taking. After going back to the lake and having a swim, we ate lunch and then sunned ourselves for a brief time.

Once they got tired of lying in the sun, I asked Farrell and Katelyn if they wanted to go for another hike and they both jumped at the chance. This time, we took them along the Dogtown Trail, and just as they had before, they wanted to take their time and explore everything along the way. It definitely wasn’t a power walk, but once we finished, Farrell and Katelyn wanted to also stroll around some of the other nearby areas. We ended up spending well over two hours doing this, so after we got back, we took another dip in the lake and then lounged around until dinnertime.

That night we arranged an Uno challenge and played as teams. We could do this, because I had brought several decks of Uno cards, so we split up and let those in each cabin play first. Once the cabin winners were determined, we let them play each other. It was a hard fought and furious competition, but David ended up slaying Goliath again. In this case it meant Andrew and Jesse won out and beat all of the other challengers. They had decided to be partners after Barry teamed up with his father. They might have paired up anyways, although one of them might have paired up with Barry instead, so he wouldn’t feel left out. I was very surprised they had pulled off the ultimate victory, since none of the other boys were taking prisoners, when it came to their competitive nature and desire to win.

After getting a good night’s sleep, we spent the next day at Del Grosso’s Amusement Park again. Barry, Andrew and Jesse were happy to take the Flannerys around and torture them on the rides, so the rest of us just went about doing our own thing. We ate lunch there again, as well as dinner, because the park offered a spaghetti option that night, which intrigued my family. We killed the entire day there and everyone seemed to have fun, and then we went back to the cabins to rest up.

Friday, we took the Flannerys on another hike, but this one was much longer than the ones we had taken earlier. Since it was much longer, I wasn’t sure if Dion and Trey would want to do this with Joshie, so I talked it over with them. In the end, they decided it would be all right to take him with us, so we packed up the items we’d need for him. Dion and Trey readily agreed to split the duty of carrying their son and had built up enough confidence that they didn’t need either Jake or I to walk with them.

This trail was located at Trout Creek State Park, but we were only going to tackle the North-Central section of a much longer trail. The full trail takes three days and two nights to hike, but there was no way we were going spend that much time on one activity, especially seeing the Flannerys would only be with us for a week. Since we weren’t doing the full loop, we dropped everyone off at the starting point and then Jake and I drove to the end point, which was an intersection along some country roads. We dropped off one of our vehicles there, so we’d have it to use so we could get the other vehicle later. Once we’d done that, we drove back to the starting point and joined everyone else.

The length of this portion of the trail was five miles and we started out by crossing over a wooden footbridge and then followed the trail. One of the first features we passed was called the Ice Mine, because ice can generally be found inside until August.

Jake and I each walked next to one of the Flannerys and chatted with them about many things. We discussed such topics as our current surroundings, the weather, what our families had been up to, next year’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade and we also filled them in about some of the other things we had planned during their stay. I believe we were on an old logging road at this juncture, because it was flat and not too difficult to travel, but Joshie started fussing as we traveled along this section. We stopped briefly, so his father could change his diaper and then Dion fed him a bottle, before we placed him back in the carrier and started out again.

I also noticed that Ricky was spending all of his time with Alannah again, so I wondered where this might be heading. She is three years younger than he is and more Little Ricky’s age than Ricky’s, so I was confused about some of the underlying dynamics in their attraction.

In addition to that pair, I also noticed the five younger members of the group (Andrew, Jesse, Barry, Jordan and Nicky) were having a good time with each other. They were traveling in a pack and continually joking around, and it didn’t seem as if they had a care in the world or any interest in where we were. Their only concern seemed to be that they were able to spend time with each other, and they were actually quite cute to watch.

Before we finished our hike, we passed by an old stone wall. It was the type that farmers used to build to indicate the boundary of their property. It had been constructed using the rocks they turned up while plowing the fields, which took care of two problems at once. I pointed it out to the boys, so they could see it was similar to the ones that ran along various sections of our property. Just after passing it, we also crossed over another wooden footbridge, as we made our way to where we were going to finish this hike.

Once we got there, I told the others to wait, while I drove Jake back to get the other vehicle. When we returned, we loaded everyone inside and then returned to the cabins. After a late lunch, we played a little touch football out in front of the cabins and then went for a swim, to clean up and cool off. This took up the rest of our time until we were ready to go out for a late dinner. Once we ate, Farrell went out with Barry, Jake and a couple of the older boys to try his hand at fishing. Andrew and Jesse stayed in this time, as did Jordan and Nicky, since they thought fishing was icky.

Saturday, the Flannerys wanted to relax and unwind down by the lake, so Jake, a couple of the boys and I used the time to go into town to load up on supplies. We ended up spending the day chilling out and not doing very much until we went out for dinner. We took the Flannerys on the Proud Mary Showboat Dinner Cruise, because it was their last night with us and we wanted to make it special. We chose this because the Saturday Cruise featured a candlelight prime rib dinner, which would make it romantic for Farrell and Katelyn, as well as for some of our other couples.

It was an excellent meal, the ambiance was fantastic and we all had a great time. The Flannerys also took a special delight in the live entertainment and got up and danced a few times as well. I also noticed that Alannah sat at a table with Ricky, Pat and Dustin, but my heart nearly broke when I noticed Little Ricky staring at her for most of the night. I think he felt hurt and left out, after how close they had been the last time we went to Chicago.

The little ones also sat together and I really got a kick out of watching them with each other. Jesse was getting along great with my two oldest grandsons. After all, Jordan was only a few months younger than Jesse and Nicky was only a year and a half younger than him. It’s not that Jordan and Nicky were getting along poorly with Andrew and Barry, but that particular threesome had formed a special bond. It worked out though, because it left Andrew and Barry a chance to enjoy a little time on their own.

After a lovely evening on the lake, we went back to the cabins. The Flannerys immediately got busy packing their things, because they were leaving before noon the next day, so they could catch their flight home. They spent the rest of the evening with their son, and his shadow, so the rest of us gave them plenty of time to be alone.

The next morning, after we finished eating breakfast, the Flannerys thanked us for everything and assured us they’d had a wonderful time. The then spent a few minutes alone with Barry, before they loaded into their rental car. Barry waved enthusiastically as they drove away, but he didn’t make too big of a fuss about them leaving. I guess he was happy just being with Andrew and knew he’d be with his parents again, before too much longer.

Although Robert had been joining us on most of our outings, he spent the rest of his time working. However, he decided to take Sunday off from his writing and spent most of the day with us. He participated in the canoe races the boys suggested having and finished by dunking or flipping the younger ones up in the air later, when they went swimming. As I’ve said before, Robert is just a big kid at heart and the boys love that quality in him.

A couple of hours later, Elizabeth and Tim drove in and I raced out to greet my youngest grandchild. Lucas would turn a month old during the week, and since Elizabeth had some complications after giving birth, I planned a very light schedule of activities for them. I warned the boys in advance, so they could plan on doing other things, if they wished, but I would be spending most of my time with the three newest arrivals.

I was amazed at how much smaller Lucas looked than Joshie at this point, but I should have realized there’s a big difference between one month and nine months. It doesn’t seem that it’s been that long since Joshie was born, but it had been and Joshie looked like a giant next to his younger cousin.

Robert spent much of that day with his sister and brother-in –law too and Lucas got passed around more often and quicker than gossip at a high school reunion. He did fuss a little about all of the various people holding him, but he did seem to like the attention. Maybe he’d get used to so many handling him before they left.

On Monday, we started out with another easy walk at the Hillside Nature Center, but this time I carried Lucas in my infant carrier, while Dion carried Joshie in the other. This worked out to be something Elizabeth could do too, since her doctor had advised her to take easy walks as a way to rebuild her stamina. After we finished this brief excursion, everyone but Elizabeth and the babies went out in the canoes for a short time.

After lunch, I took them to the Rockhill Trolley Museum. Trolleys are very much like train passenger cars, but they have their own power source and are closer to being a bus that run on tracks. They even had their own unique sounds, which reminded me of ‘The Trolley Song’ from the musical, ‘Meet Me In St. Louis.’ It starts out by describing the sounds the trolley makes.

Clang, clang, clang went the trolley
Ding, ding, ding went the bell
Zing, zing, zing went my heartstrings as we started for Huntington Dell.
Chug, chug, chug went the motor
Bump, bump, bump went the brake
Thump, thump, thump went my heartstrings as we glided for Huntington Lake.

Although I wouldn’t agree the preciseness of the descriptions of the various sounds, it does show that each part of the trolley has its own distinctive tones. This included the ricka, ricka, ricka noise the air compressor made. During our time there, we got to see a large variety of trolleys, from an open-air car to a collection of closed types. We also saw one that was quite small and others that were very large, and their manufacture dates ranged from 1904 to 1947. Some of these trolleys had been used in Pennsylvania, while others came from as far away as Portugal and Brazil. We also got to see some of the maintenance vehicles that were also used, such as snowplows, snow sweepers and freight cars. Before we left, we even got to take a ride on a trolley.

On Tuesday, we did the Dogtown Trail in the morning, which Elizabeth was fine with doing. This time Trey carried Joshie, while Tim took Lucas, and it was another nice, relaxing stroll. From there we went back for a swim and spent some time in the sun.

After lunch, we went to the Bellefonte Museum for Centre County. This is housed in an historic building, constructed of Limestone and was completed in 1810. It is nestled in the quaint Victorian village of Bellefonte and features works of art, historical and architectural displays, natural history exhibits and examples from physical science. There was more than enough to observe, so everyone found something of interest and we spent a great deal of time discussing the things we observed.

For dinner that evening, we were taking everyone on the Proud Mary Showboat Dinner Cruise again. Tuesday night happens to be the Pasta Dinner Buffet, and once again my boys devoured nearly everything in sight. We sure do get our money’s worth out of these buffets. Elizabeth and Tim enjoyed it too, and even though Robert had been with us on another of the dinner cruises, it was a totally different meal and the entertainment was different too. I think everyone enjoyed this outing.

Wednesday, we started off on the Hillside Nature Trail again, since Elizabeth did need to get out for her daily exercise. After this, we went for another swim and caught some rays.

After lunch, we took them to a place they call ‘Gravity Hill.’ This is one place that seems to defy the laws of gravity, cars appear to roll uphill and water seems to flow in the wrong direction – a case of gravity gone haywire. Some claim it’s all an optical illusion, but other’s say there is a gravitational warp in the earth at this point, which allows these things to happen.

In order to witness this firsthand, we were allowed to take one of our vehicles to try it out. After stopping the Yukon, I checked to make certain no other vehicles were around and then put it in neutral and released the brake. I’ll be damned, but the car seemed to roll uphill, not down. Everyone was laughing and asked me to do it again, which I did with the same results. It’s not easy to move a vehicle of that size, let alone in the wrong direction, but that’s what seemed to be happening.

Thursday morning, we walked the Dogtown Trail again, before going back to swim and relax. That afternoon, I took everyone out for a daytime cruise around the lake on ‘The Princess.’ Since it was a lovely day and not too hot, the breeze generated by the moving vessel made the effect almost perfect. We took a two-hour ride around the lake, learned about some of the other locations and got to see the sights from a different point of view. I think Elizabeth enjoyed this the most of all.

Friday, after walking the Hillside Nature Trail again, it started to rain. We hurried back to the cabins and spent the rest of the morning chatting and playing cards and Uno. After lunch, I took them to the Swigart Antique Car Museum, which has a revolving display of over thirty cars. I knew this would appeal to Tim and Robert, but would also intrigue some of my older boys.

During our time there, we saw a 1916 Scripps-Booth, a 1920 Carroll, a 1936 Duesenberg 12-cylinder Gentleman’s Speedster and Tucker’s 1947 Tin Goose prototype. In addition to the cars, they also featured what they refer to as ‘automobilia’. This includes license plates from all over the U.S., radiator emblems, badges (which showed when a person belonged to an automobile club), lamps, horns, hood ornaments, various clothing and other accessories worn primarily when in the car. There was also a collection of photos, paintings and prints featuring the automobile.

In addition to the automobile collection, there was also a bicycle collection. This included the all wooden velocipede (commonly referred to as the boneshaker) and examples of bicycles from 1880 to the recent past, and included some old high-wheeled bicycles. There was another area that featured toys and this fascinated some of the younger crowd. The display included cast-iron fire trucks, horse-drawn pumpers, various other wheeled toys, model trains, pedal cars, dolls, hobby horses and vintage Fisher-Price toys.

“Hey, Daddy,” Andrew yelled, pointing at a group of older toys. “Are those yours, from when you were little?” I could hear the others snickering, since the toys he was pointing at probably came from the very late nineteenth or very early twentieth centuries. I merely ignored his question, but I did stick my tongue out at him.

The Museum had turned out to be far more interesting than I had anticipated and I was very glad we had come. I knew the others were too and it turned out to be a great way to spend a rainy afternoon.

Saturday morning, we took our final walk on the Dogtown Trail, and then Elizabeth, Tim and Robert all started packing up to leave. They would be taking off right after lunch, since Tim and Robert had to return to their jobs on Monday. Before they left, each one thanked me and Robert told me he had accomplished quite a bit while he was here. Even though he had done many things with us, he still felt he had accomplished more than he would have with the distractions at home. We all said good-bye and commented that we’d see each other again at Christmas. Although it was sad to see them go, I knew it wouldn’t be for long.