Adventure 5: Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, New Jersey, and Washington D.C.

To write out this section of our adventure would be far too much in conjunction with how many pictures I want to put up, so I will give you a photo book with captions instead.  All I do want to say is that back east in the spring is definitely the time to go.  I had plenty of sunny days and beautiful weather to enjoy with family and with Lono Mono on hikes and drives and adventures.  It actually made me miss it... just a little... but not enough to even think a grain of salt's amount about moving back.

(Although I miss family and friends ALWAYS).

Once back from New Orleans, Dad, my brother Chris, sis Kristina,
and nephew, Warren, and I all went to Baltimore's Inner Harbor to hang
out and also to drop my rental car off at the airport.
It was a beautiful day out!

My nephew Warren got this dinosaur at the Discovery Center.  He got
tired of holding it, so I volunteered.  You should never give a
big kid toys.  Sorry Chris!  ;)

Me being thoroughly immature...

I can't say that I'm putting this all in the correct order, but C, K, W,
Uncle Mark, Grandma and I decided to pack up and head to the
family beach house in Beach Haven, LBI, New Jersey.
I saw this sign in a window and thought it
summarized my life pretty well.

One of the best parts of going to LBI is that once you park your
car, you don't use it again until you leave the island.  A very
narrow island, biking to everything is the way to go.  I use
to be an ocean lifeguard here, so it always brings back a
flood of memories.  Here is Warren VERY EXCITED, (as
you can see by his waving arms), to go for a bike ride.

You would have to carry me to the car and duct tape me in to
try to get me off the island without going to get chicken
wings at "The Cheg", (The Chicken or The Egg).  SERIOUSLY
THE BEST WINGS ON EARTH!  Here is Uncle Mark and I
grinding away on our more daring hot wings, (we like our
mouths to feel some flame!).  This place is a MUST for grinds
and the perk is it's BYOB!  Yuengling's and wings were heaven.

Me and Lono chillaxin' on a rainier day with a rich beer and we
all went out to get THE BEST clam chowder in the world. 

My family plays tennis every time we go to LBI.  Keeping
with the tradition, here is Warren... my favorite little
tennis partner learning the ropes.

For me LBI is ALOT about not just beach, but FOOD.  Here is
Lono's first bite of an amazing everything bagel, toasted,
with cream cheese... YES PLEASE!

On the way off the island, we got our cups of coffee and
these homemade, straight out of the oven, pinole cookies.
Grandma enjoyed hers too!

Lono's turn to try the delicious pinole... He dug it... Of course...

Heading back "home" to Pennsylvania... I was off to Dad's.
Now my Dad is truly, (I know I've said this before), my
real life Superman.  He is the best Dad, best friend,
best therapist... he is the funniest, most caring,
most knowledgable man I know with the BEST
BELLY laugh in the whole world.  Spending
time with him is the ABSOLUTE best.  Here we
went for a motorcycle ride for Cinco De Mayo
through the backroads, woods, farm country,
and over the railroad tracks of Pennsylvania...
Stopping for a snack and refreshment.

That whole "handy" thing i just said about Dad...
well here is his homemade smoker.  We had
chicken this day and it was excellent.  All
around his home and yard you can find
his amazing handy work and inventions.

I do love Dogwoods.

And I love Antietam Dairy too.  They use their very own cows milk.
This is the apple pie ice cream where they bake the pie and
throw it right in to the ice cream machine.  YUMMY!

Lono thought it was a microphone... Here he is singing,
"Who Let the Dog's Out?!"  Just kidding, just kidding...
He really LOVES a lick or two of ice cream.

And here is Lono being completely spoiled watching TV
with Dad in his recliner.  They were definite buddies.

Dad and I drove somewhere past Gettysburg to go see our friends,
(his karaoke/poker friends), Gary and Pidge.  We got lunch and
beers and played trivia.  I love seeing them...
They are GREAT people.

I drove around quite a bit to see the roads and land I remember
so well... and you know you are from the country when you
see this picture and know what it smells like... ;)

And you also know you're from the country when your Dad doesn't own
a wine opener and you resort to his tool box.

And you ALSO know you're from the country when you can
go out to eat with your pops and order fried pickles.  :)

Playing with the aperture on my camera at some farm
on one of Lono and I's drives.

Changing focus...

How green are these fields?

Driving through the orchards.  I definitely stocked up on apple
butter to take back to Maui with me.

Lono checking out the grassy fields.

It's never a trip back home without a stop at high rock.   I use
to come up here to play my guitar on my lunch break when
lifeguarding.  It gets re-graffitied constantly.  "Don't Jump"
is great advice.

I met with my cousin Laurie, (who I grew up close with), in
Virginia and we walked through a neat little town and got
this delicious lunch.  I loved seeing her and catching up.

My brother, sis, Warren, Uncle Mark, and I all took a day trip
to Black Water Falls.  It was CHILLY out, but the walk was
great and spending time with family is always the best.

I adore them!

Undeniably father and son.

Me and two of my favorite little guys!

PURE happiness right here.

And Warren loved walking Lono...

I also went to see my Aunt Melanie, (that is Laurie, my cousin's, Mom).
(My family is huge and catholic and very close... so there's always lots
of people to go see).  We are a lot alike in the ways of trying to live
sustainably... She also is a writer too!  Here are her bees working
around their hive.

Check out that asparagus!  Yep, I ate it straight outta the
ground... SO DELICIOUS!

Her pantry with all it's saved goodies impressed me... I had
snap a picture.

And conversation over a lunch of chicken soup, (the chickens
in the soup were her own), and fresh made spring rolls was
devine.  I enjoyed my time on her farm with her greatly!

SO GOOD and BEAUTIFUL!

One of my very last days East, I went to visit these port-a-potties.
I'm TOTALLY JOKING... but seriously though, have you ever
seen so many johns in one spot?  I actually went to the
DC Chili Cook Off with my good high school buddy,
Mitch E.  And better yet, I got to meet up with
another awesome cousin, Becca!

Just like at any rock concert, lots of rock hands flying around.

.... And oversized beach balls flying around...

And here is CAKE...

And you've gotta have your crowd surfers...

And it's not a concert without someone showing their boobies...

And one of the world's greatest singers, Brandon Boyd with Incubus.

Brandon Boyd of Incubus again... singing his heart out.  I
was RIGHT UP FRONT of him... this is the last picture I
got before my camera and I got slammed in to the rail
and my camera broke.  I left this concert missing a toenail
and with a broken camera, but seeing family and friends
and great musicians was well worth it.

And last stop was to see ALL the family at Grandma's house.
These would be my once little, now huge cousins, David
and Little Ed.

Out on the deck, Lono gets butt rubs from Uncle Tim.

Me and my sweet cousin, Becca and her pooch, Crosby.  And
of course, me and Lono Mono.

Our trip back to Maui was a nightmare.  Our first flight didn't have
room for us, (how that happens I don't know).  So they put us
on a train from Baltimore to Newark, NJ, then on a plan to
Honolulu then a plane to Maui.  I will NEVER fly
United again.

THE END!  :)

Love and Aloha,

Danielle

(Queen B.)

Let me know you stopped by!  More to come soon.  :)