Pennsylvania Countryside

After our big trip to NYC on Friday, we checked out local Pennsylvania points of interest on Saturday.   Our first outing was driving through what appreared to be the countryside but ended up at a small local zoo.

The kids spent quite a bit of time at the zoo playground.  It was a pleasant day and not too hot so we just enjoyed watching their fun.  The zoo was hosting a special ice cream day for members.  Tricia quickly figured out that for only an extra $20 or so, they could have a year long membership to the zoo and therefore, join in the ice cream event too.  That was a big hit for all the kids.  They LOVE ice cream.

Here we join in the line for ice cream - chocolate or vanilla.  The vanilla was scooped by Miss Teenage Pennsylvania.  Makes you want to win a beauty pageant, doesn't it?

 Here the kids try their hands at milking the cow.  Of course, we walked through the exhibits and saw the animals.  One of the most interesting was a special discussion about the kangaroos.  After spending several hours at the zoo, we headed to the local pick your own farm.  We picked blueberries. Yum! Yum!  Tricia has been there for strawberries and raspberries.  Blackberries come next. You pay $1.80 a lb instead of $1.80 for about 3-4 oz at home.

 We got a lot of blueberries, some fabulous corn for Sunday dinner and some "sho fly" muffins all for about $15.  The muffins were very moist and heavy and tasted kind of like molasses.  I liked them.  We just had to sample the traditional local food. 
That evening Steve and I babysat while Tricia and McKay had a date.  We took the kids grocery shopping and let them choose some snacks for our trip to Palmyra.  We loved watching them each weigh their options since each was allowed to pick one snack item to share with everyone.  They loved getting to choose some things.  It was a lot of fun. 
Of course, they all read every night before bed.  I couldn't resist taking this cute picture of them reading together. That was a delightful evening for me.