The "You Call This Babysitting?" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Sun is bright without a cloud in the sky.  Humidity is beginning to bear down as I pulled into the driveway of my grandson's home in Mt. Joy, Pennsylvania.  

Grandson Caden taking a photo of a barn painted with a mural.

Today I am acting as babysitter for Caden, my 10 year old grandson who is close to five feet tall and weights more than his mom.  He is into sports of all types, loves video games, is a straight "A" student in school and is one of the most caring, enjoyable and polite young men that I know. Of course, he is my grandson!  I asked him if he would like to take a drive around his neck of the woods and take some photos with me for a couple of hours.  He smiled and said he knew that was what I would want to do, so he had his camera charged and ready plus a couple of bottles of water in waiting for our morning excursion.  I'm lucky that he enjoys just about everything I enjoy so we always have a great time when I have a chance to spend some extended time with him.  I tell him I would like to find a few covered bridges and some farm photos and as I pull away from his home he heads me in the right direction.  We spent the next two hours touring the farmland, old bridges and streams and the historic properties that are what make Lancaster County, PA known as the "Garden Spot of America."  We share photos with each other and talk about fishing, stream stomping, raft building and all the neat things that kids and their granddads talk about.  The Lancaster countryside is beautiful and today we discovered more or what life is all about while living in one of the greatest places on earth.  The following photos were taken by Caden and myself and I would like to share them with you.  Hope you enjoy our excursion as much as Caden and I did on this wonderful morning.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  PS - Click on the photos to enlarge them.

We discovered what was probably the grave marker for a past pet known as Nikki.

Not quite sure what this may be, but it was very interesting.

Caden's hand and covered bridge reflected in my right-hand mirror.

This beautiful stone country home was built in 1813 by Henry and Susana Hertzler.  There are two stones along the second floor that bear that information.

Fence rows always make for a great photograph.

Caden found this wind mill along a fence row.  We had the chance to discuss how wind power works through this photo.

Another great one-lane covered bridge.  There are 29 covered bridges in Lancaster County, PA.

Farms dot the landscape.

Solar power on barns is nothing new to the Lancaster landscape.

Great stream for stream stomping.

Along this wall can be seen millstones embedded in the wall.  Lancaster County used to have many mills along the streams and creeks and these stones are all that remain of them.

Caden and I getting' lost on a country road.

Amish family members harvesting their fields by hand.

Pretty little wild yellow flowers are in full bloom.

A beautiful stone bridge which was erected in 1883 by the County of Lancaster, PA.  The contractor and builder is listed on a stone on the bridge as E. McCellen.  Gems like this exist all over Lancaster County.

This is a bed and breakfast near Caden's home.  It too has a windmill.

Caden found a young girl brushing her horse while her dog waits near the barn.

Strawberrry season in Lancaster County, PA.

The shelves at an Amish Farm roadside market are filled with jars of sauerkraut, Spaghetti soup, chow-chow and peaches.

And, everything in the place is paid for by the honor system.   Lancaster County has many road-side markets such as this which trust it's patrons to pay the correct amount.