Brandywine Valley, Thursday

The skies in Chadds Ford were quiet Wednesday night. No rain, no tornadoes, no wind, no hailstones. Nothing like the action going on at home in Massachusetts. As soon as we got out of bed and opened the curtains in our room, we could immediately tell that Thursday was a whole different day. And duh, I don't mean it wasn't Wednesday anymore. But in a way, it wasn't Wednesday anymore . . . the sky was clear, clear blue, no haze hanging over the land, a pretty stiff wind was blowing. The world looked like it was a whole new clean and sparkling place.

And it was. As soon as we walked out the front door of the hotel, it was like we were in a whole different environment. It was delightful! And we were heading out to Valley Forge and maybe to the Brandywine Valley Battlefield if we had enough time later in the afternoon.

In school, especially high school and college, I was not a good history student. History didn't interest me, I found it boring, and I did what I had to do to get a decent grade in class. But anything I learned, I forgot as soon as I had taken a test on it. That all changed as I got older. Now I find I'm fascinated with learning about what happened where, when and why. I had been to Valley Forge once before, back when Stef was in 5th or 6th grade, but I didn't remember much at all of what we saw or learned on that visit. So it was like seeing the place with fresh eyes for the first time.

We had called ahead to make reservations on the shuttle tour that goes around the park with a NPS ranger who explains what you're seeing and what happened where, when and why. But when we called the park, we found out the shuttle tours didn't start until June 12th. However, as an alternative, we could purchase a CD in the Visitors Center and listen to the tour in our own car as we drove around. That sounded pretty good to us. We even liked the idea that we could set our own pace and even replay sections of the CD if we needed reinforcement (a little Valley Forge lingo there) in the learning department.

First we visited the Visitors Center and much to our delight, they had one of those penny-squeezing machines that flattens out a penny and imprints an image of the site you're visiting. Stef is a big squeezed penny collector, and I was able to get her four new different Valley Forge pennies. I also purchased two new books to read this summer - one I'm particularly anxious to start - a book about the gardens that many of the different presidents had over the years. When we visited Monticello several years ago, I was quite intrigued by the careful planning and gardening that Thomas Jefferson had done on his farm in Virginia. And being from Massachusetts and living not all that far from Quincy, I had also read about John and Abigail Adams' farm and gardens. So for me, this presidential gardening book is going to be good summer reading.

Now back on track. First Bev and I roamed the gift store paying particular attention to the book selection which was quite good. And then, just as we were paying for our purchases (including the tour CD), they announced the beginning of the movie that's shown in the auditorium up the hill and gives visitors an overview of Valley Forge and what happened during the winter of 1777-1778 while the Continental Army was encamped there.

The movie was excellent. The hardships that the soldiers endured that winter were almost unfathomable by today's standards of living. Bev and I walked out of the auditorium with a whole new appreciation for these men . . . and women, who stood such trials and tribulations all in the name of gaining independence for our country.

Then it was time to hop into our car, pop in the CD guide to Valley Forge, and start out on the Encampment Tour. What we shortly discovered was that, if we carefully followed the guide's reminders to keep our speed at 15 mph, we always ended up right where he said we would be. So we would drive and listen to a general description of what was happening as the Revolutionary War transpired, then the guide would tell us something specific about a site we were coming to on the Encampment Tour, then we'd stop the tape and get out of the car and explore the specific site we'd been directed to. If you ever visit Valley Forge National Park, this is a great way to see the park and learn more detailed history of what happened at this very inspiring place. I highly recommend it.

I will leave it up to Bev to pick a representative sampling from all of the photos we took of the beauty of Valley Forge. It was a perfect day for taking photographs. The air was crystal clear, the sky was blue with just a few puffy white clouds floating overhead, there was a strong enough breeze that all the flags were flying nearly straight out (always looks very patriotic), and the fields, the woods, the meadows, were still a nice bright green shade of spring. The photos will give you an idea of what Valley Forge looks like - but visiting will give you a true sense of the beauty of the area and the importance of the history of what happened there. It's an exciting place to visit, but also a place that whispers reverence and respect and gratitude.

As it turned out, we spent most of the day at Valley Forge, and by the time we left the park and had traveled back to Chadds Ford, the Brandywine Battlefield park was closed for the day. So we never did get to visit on this trip. Another reason to return and explore that which was left unexplored this time around.

Then it was back to Hank's restaurant for another chance to pick something from that wonderful menu of homemade cooking. Our waitress from the previous night had put a little bug in our ears about how wonderful the Greek food was at Hank's. Seems one of the chef/owners is Greek and cooks food just like she would cook it in the "old country". We had noticed that both nights moussaka was listed on the blackboards on the walls as being a special for dinner. So when we went back for our second visit, we kind of had Greek food on our mind.

As it turned out, neither one of us ordered the moussaka. But I ordered a Gyro sandwich ("slices of beef & lamb blended with Mediterranean seasoning, served on lightly grilled Pita bread with freshly diced tomatoes, onion, parsley, and our special homemade Tzatsiki sauce - a refreshing cucumber/sour cream/garlic/dill dressing) and Bev ordered the Greek salad. Both were very good. We also had strawberry pie for dessert on our minds. The menu lists it as "Hank's Fancy Strawberry Pie" (in season) and the first night, although we weren't eating dessert there (we had already decided to head back to Kiwi Yogurt that night for one last cnance to create the yogurt dish of our dreams), we had asked our waitress if their strawberry pie was in season. It indeed was.

So this night, our very nice and considerate waitress actually came over to our table halfway through dinner to inform us that there were only 3 pieces of strawberry pie left. And since we had shown such interest in the pie the night before (we had the same waitress both nights), did we want her to save two pieces for us. Of course we did!

So now, for the pleasure of our foodie followers, I quote from Hank's menu a description of his Special Strawberry Pie. "Beginning with our delicate crust, this delightful dessert has a layer of sweetened cream cheese then a layer of sliced bananas, follower by a layer of whole fresh strawberries, topped with strawberry glaze & walnuts. A Hank's speciality $4.50" Oh, and if you live in the area you can buy a whole strawberry pie to go. Needless to say, neither one of us left any strawberry pie on our plates.

And then it was back to the hotel to get a good night's sleep before the drive home the next day. It had been a wonderful week. The morning we left Chadds Ford for home, and even now nearly a week later, I don't think much about or remember how oppressive the heat was. I remember all the wonderful things we saw and did. The nice people we met along the way. And even though Jamie Wyeth's "Maine Coon Cats" is sitting on my dining room floor propped up against the china cabinet waiting for the perfect wall to be hung on and I'm very excited about that, the thing that most stands out in my mind, the time I treasure most, is the time we spent at Valley Forge.

It was hard to stand looking at the United States National Memorial Arch with the American flag blowing in the breeze against the blue of the sky in the background and not be overcome emotionally with feelings of gratitude and respect for ALL the members of the military who over so many years have served this country with such dedication. You all know who you are. Thank you so very much from the bottom of both Bev's heart and mine.

The rest is history as they say. Safe trip home. Made good time. Husbands and kitties anxiously awaiting our return. And now we have next spring's photo road trip to look forward to and dream about. I wonder where the winds will take us in 2012? Something new to dream about . . .