Gettysburg, Part Two

So, I sat on the idea of publishing this for awhile.  I finally decided against discussing the trip through the battlegrounds, so as not to offend those who will invariably think that I was making light of it.  It was full of history, and very informative, and was certainly worth the self-guided driving we decided to do.

I do need to say, we ate at Montezuma Mexican Restaurant in Chambersburg (there is also a location in Gettysburg) our first night, and it was delicious, cheap, and promptly served.  If we ever head back down that way, we are certainly planning a return trip there!  Also, while the Appalachian Brewing Company had some tasty brews, their food was simply meh.  A medium rare burger came out extra-well, and the service was a bit sloppy.  All around, their price was much too high for the quality of both the atmosphere and the food.  Still, it was Father's Day when we visited, and it was the father's choice!

Below are some pictures I would like to share.  One is from the Appalachian Brewing Company, where we stopped by for an early dinner, and Mister B enjoyed a pint.  The other was him attempting to help us driving home.  Judging by the upside down map, it is therefore understandable that it took us a few wrong turns to find the way we needed to go.  But the subdued ending to the weekend was just what we needed to cap off our wonderful trip.

National Cheesecake Day

Did you know that such a date existed?  Well it does!  On Friday, July 30th, the Cheesecake Factory decided to celebrate the occasion in a big way: Any slice of cheesecake, half-price.  They also introduced their new flavor on the same day, Reese's Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake Cheesecake.  Their menu describes it as "chunks of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups in our Original Cheesecake with Layers of Delicious Fudge Cake and Caramel."  Mister B and I just HAD to try it, so we did!  It was, in short, phenomenal.  Very rich and decadent, even for me, it would make a good sharing dessert.  Thankfully, Mister B was more than happy to oblige.

Now, since the desserts were half their usual cost, I of course had to order a drink with it.  I settled on the caramel royal macchiato.  Mister B helped with that too.  All in all, it was a nice change of pace to go out for a fantastic dessert and coffee.  I hope you all enjoyed your National Cheesecake Day!

Downtown Gettysburg

The Hubby and I recently ventured south to Gettysburg, as evidenced by our visit to Boyds Bear Country.  It was fantastic!  We stayed in Chambersburg, about a half-hour drive away from the city.  We spent Saturday perusing downtown and taking a Ghost Walk.  We dined well, we walked lots, we picked up sun.  But most importantly, we got to feed The Hubby's intense love of history of all sorts.  See?  Even canons entertained him!  This post is dedicated strictly to Saturday's events in Gettysburg itself.

Unfortunately, there isn't too much to report on.  The walking was a lot of fun but hot!  We visited a local bakery for some iced drinks, we window-shopped.  At lunch we had delicious French cuisine from Cafe Saint Amand: http://www.cafesaintamand.com/.  We met up with my parents and had dinner followed by a tour at The Farnsworth Inn.  I didn't post their link because everything about them was overpriced.  Their period dining was good, not great, and their walking tour dragged, sadly.  We started in the attic (a piece we missed out on due to a sick child), and continued on to the Jenny Wade House, the Soldier's Museum, and the Grove.  Every time our storyteller stopped to talk, all I could think was, "Next, this is boring!"  She also seemed quite skeptical to ghosts, disregarding feelings and suspicious activities instead of pumping them up.  I told my parents, the walk seemed more like an ANTI-ghost tour, and would have been about a million times better drunk.  They both heartily agreed.  Sad.  Attached below are pictures from downtown Gettysburg as well as our walk.  All the pictures in the field were at the Grove.

Now, let me tell you, the Grove is an interesting place.  We were brought to an area that is technically on a local school's grounds.  Because of that, we were allowed to be on it at eleven at night (park property is closed to the public by nine with hefty fines and an overnight jail stay).  The area behind the bleachers is rumored to be the most haunted, and walking through it in the dark is none too pleasant.  I suspect most people creep themselves out, what with it being night on a lonely secluded hill, with towering bleachers on one side and dense woods on the other.  It's enough to make anyone nervous.  I snapped a bunch of pictures in this area with potential orbs.  Of course, I'm sure most are dust and bugs and what-not, but my sister was not picking up these things the way I was seeming to.  It's more a point I can tease her with than actual evidence, but it's still fun to pretend.

After the walk, we made our way back to our hotels to start the next day visiting the cemetery, the battlegrounds, and finally headed home.  Enjoy the pictures from town, we enjoyed taking them!

Hiring an Intern

Last weekend, we traveled southerly in order to visit Gettysburg.  We had a blast!  But while there, Mister Hasagashi made the decision that he did not want to attend.  Visiting a bunch of land-locked hills in the blaring sun in ninety degree weather was no place for a sea creature, he said.  He then proceeded to tell us an ad had been placed for an intern.  He was looking for a sweet, smart, and smaller helper, one who could fit into scenarios that Hasagashi couldn't.  Maybe a mammal?

In any case, he informed us a bear responded to the ad.  A quiet, small, brown bear, and he just happened to be living at Boyds Bear Country, just south of Gettysburg.  In their excitement to meet each other, neither Hasagashi nor the bear gave us a name or location to find the new intern.  Never ones to be put off, The Hubby and I decided we would gallivant off and take some pictures while perusing the various animals that were cleverly placed among four stories of merchandise at the store.  What we saw was fabulous!

Look at this bear!  He's so cute!  He greeted us when we first walked into the store.  Surely not who Hasagashi was leading us to, but fun nonetheless.  Attached at the bottom are a bunch of different pictures we snapped while looking for the clever intern.  Let me tell you, at four stories, it took a lot of time.  There was not only a Noah's Ark, there was a stuffed bear holding an ark too!  They even had a nursery where you could adopt your own bear based on a set of requirements.  You could stuff and dress your own animal.  You could adopt animals from an adoption center and buy them treats.  It was a lot of fun!

After traversing four stories of bears and fun, we noticed something.  A stack of bears.  Cute bears.  Well-dressed bears.  Bears that looked like they were eager to be a help to us.  One in particular caught our attention.  He was just too cute for words, with a starched collar and a no-fuss attitude.  So, we did what any smart couple looking for an intern would do.  We scooped him up so we could really get a good look at him.  From his small eyes to his leather padded feet, he seemed like the perfect candidate.  But we had to wonder, is this the bear we came looking for?  We didn't know for sure.

"Are you looking to be an intern to a fluffy pink octopus?"  The Hubby asked him.  He shyly nodded.  Woohoo!  This was him, after over an hour of searching, this was the bear we were told of!  We checked him out and noticed his tag labeled him Henderson S. Bearsworth.  Mister B!  Finally!

Isn't he just the cutest thing ever?  Don't worry, there will be many more pictures of him to come! 

Well, I don't know what else to say, besides: enjoy the pictures from the store, we sure do!

Packing

Sometimes, it's nice to take a well-deserved break after some hard work and admire the fruits of your efforts.  Other times, it's just nice to giggle at the image of an over-sized octopus lording over a stack of packed boxes.
Thank-you for that reminder, Mister Hasagashi.

Obligatory Introductions

So, after much deliberation it has been decided that the first order of business is to start at the beginning!  This blog is being designed as a sort of travel/food/home blog, though it may sometimes branch off from those main points.  There are four main people involved in this process.  We will start with the more involved and move down to those that are less involved.

The first person is the main author of this blog: me!  For shortness sake, I will just be going by Jax.  Below is a picture of me making a new friend while at Boyds Bear Country just south of Gettysburg.
Isn't he just adorable?  Unfortunately for me, there was no way he was going to fit in the back of my car!

The next most important person to be involved in this is my favorite, very classy, cephalopod.His full name is Mister Hasagashi Cephalopod, but we all just call him Hasagashi for short.  Hasagashi is your typical octopus.  He enjoys being the center of attention.  He's adorable.  He loves to help with anything you can think of.  He likes to have fun.  But most of all, he is huggable and wonderful!  He will prove himself to be the most inquisitive and photogenic of all the contributors to this blog.

On Mister Hasagashi's insistence, we have recently taken on an intern!  It took loads of time to find and hire him, but we finally met the very dapper Mister Henderson S. Bearsworth, or Mister B for short.

Mister B is kind of like your typical, young intern at his first job.  He is quiet.  He is eager to please.  He likes to make coffee deliveries.  The only problem is that in his youthful attempts at helping he often ends up doing things the wrong way, often to the point of hilarity.  Like in the picture, he almost got us lost trying to leave Gettysburg, mainly because he read the map upside down.  You will see Mister B whenever Mister Hasagashi does not feel comfortable partaking.  Sometimes you will see them together, but it will usually be one or the other.

The other trouble-maker you will occasionally see and hear from is my husband, or The Hubby.  The Hubby is my wonderful husband (duh) and a lover of all things adorable.  He also is the major source of funding for most of the opportunities that will be written about.  All three of us love him very much, and he seems pretty fond of us too!We like having The Hubby around.  He makes sure we eat (can you tell by the picture?), and he is a source of much fun and silliness.  It's great!

So, that is the crew as they can best be described.  Now that we have gotten those introductions out of the way, you will soon be hearing about our trivial but entertaining adventures.  Thank-you, and enjoy!