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Published: July 18th 2009
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Josh and Tori withtheir new sweatshirts.Hello again, Yes Monday we went to six flags 'Great adventure' with our season passes that I bought in Washington DC. They worked alright , so thats a plus. We managed to get Josh on the ferris wheel, after going around a couple of times, he even managed to look over the side.Went on a roller coaster in a building which was good then Ross rang to say they were over at ' Hurricane harbour' the water park part of great adventure. So we went over there and went on a couple of the rides.They had the wave pool too but theres was heated. so we hung out in there for awhile and it clouded over and got cold. So we all got out and went back over to great adventure. Spent the afternoon doing rides.
Tuesday we just had a quiet day around Ross's place. Josh and I went and got the tyre fixed on Ross's ride on lawn mower. $5 from some guy we found to replace the valve on it. Then Josh and I mowed the lawns.The disney channel has been getting a bashing this week. Ive never seen so many Hannah Montana programs. They just run one
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Josh mowing Ross's lawns after the other all morning long. When Ross got home from work , we went out to 'Seaside Heights' , known as ' The Shore' , we went looking for a mini putt golf course, but after driving around looking for it for awhile. We did the very thing men just dont do !!! We asked someone . It got bowled ages ago to put in a waterpark. So we went to a different one we saw on the way out there. Had a good time there and then came home.
Wednesday we went over to Christa's farm where she works with Trish. Picked up Ethan and Gracie and headed into Pennsylvania. Over to Amish country, Lancaster county. As we were driving through the countryside we passed an Amish couple driving along in there horse and buggy. He had a long white beard, " Like father christmas" Grace reckons. Found the Amish house and farm that has been open to the public for 40 years. Its now been built out around it by a 'Target' grocery store and some smaller shops along the front. When Kylie and I went 15 years ago it was on the outskirts of town. So
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The rides at Great adventure we did the tour thru there.Which I think the kids found quite interesting to hear how the Amish people live their lives. They moved there over 150 years ago for a simpler way of life. They try to live to that same way of life today. No electricity, the house we went to had a paddle wheel in the creek driving a water pump so they have running water in the house.They have gas lamps for lighting. Propane for fridges and for cooking. Otherwise they use the wood oven to cook on and heat the house with in winter. Had a good look around the farm buildings then went next door and sat by the covered in bridge that the area is famous for to have a 'NZ picnic'. Ham and cheese buns, potato salad, yogurts , water on the mat in the corner under a tree of a carpark. Ethan and Grace wanted to know where we were going to go for lunch, I said we bought it with us. oohh ?! I think they enjoyed it. Then we drove up north to Ashland, Pennsylvania to met up with Ross, Christa and Trish. We went to the Pioneer coal
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The Superman ride mine . Looked around for awhile then went on the coal tour into the mine. It was about 80 degrees outside and its always 52 degrees inside. We bought our sweatshirts but they had jackets there to borrow, which Tori and I did. It was someone left the fridge door open sitting there waiting to go into the mine.We went straight into the hill for about 300ft. Got off and went for a walk around the many tunnels inside the mountain. Coal veins are mostly diagonal, so once they found one they would did upwards towards the top and across the hill following the vein. They would blast the coal and push it down to the waiting trolleys and mules would tow them out. One funny story that hit a chord with the kids was that of the mules coming out with a full load of coal. Because of the weight, the mules couldn't slow down the trolley as it came out of the tunnel, so they paid young boys of about 11 years old to run beside the trolley and put pegs into the spokes of the wheels to jam them and the trolley would slow down to a
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Tori at Great adventure stop. There wasn't much room between the trolley and the sides of the tunnel, what a job !! They got paid like 9c /hr. After that we went on a steam train ride around the mountain, where they used to cart the coal around to a 'drop off shute', where it would roll down the mountain to another railway line. Where it would be carted off and sold around the country. The coal isn't in demand any more so most of the mines around the area have closed down, I guess thats where the idea of coal tours came from to give them some sort of tourist income into the area. Its up in the mountains and in the middle of no where. They had 50 windmills on a nearby hillside, the tour guide ( an ex coal miner ) didn't believe the windmills were any good, "they are ineffecient, some days I think they use power to keep them going around". " Coal is the most efficient energy source there is available and the coal they pull out of the hills around here burns cleaner than any other in the world". We all see coal as a dirty fuel
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Tori and Grace in the M&M shop source, but if you live in a coal mining community , I guess you don't see it that way. We had a 2 1/2 hr drive home after that with a stop at IHOP ( International house of Pancakes ) on the way for tea.
Thursday we were up and off to Columbus flea market AGAIN !! Yes this time it was just like Kylie and I remembered. Stalls and people everywhere. It has warmed up abit this week too, Into the 90's. So the food stalls and ' Lemonade' stalls were doing a roaring trade. After hours of looking around , Josh and I had had enough, we finally found the girls. Josh and Tori bought a skate board that has 2 halves with a pole between them and one wheel below each half that swivels. Its bloody hard to ride but when you get good at it you can just keep working your back foot and you keep going along. We'll see ! Then we went down to ' The shore ' again." Do we need our togs dad" the kids asked , No just your wallets. This is New Jersey, going to the beach doesn't mean going
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Tori and Grace on the cherriplanes for a swim. The boardwalk is amazing. Arcades, rides, roller coasters, t-shirt places everywhere, Pizza, Ice-cream, Funnel cakes, curly fries theyve got it. Thousands of people playing the games to win toys for their kids and girlfriends. We found the guys that do airbrushing on t-shirts that the kids have been wanting to get done.So they got a sweatshirt done each and I got a singlet. It was alot cooler at the shore, about 10 degrees cooler, it was nice. We stayed for dinner down there and played some of the games. Tori won a dolphin toy on the squirting the water into a hole that blows up a balloon game . Josh won a teddy bear by hitting a cat-a polt that flew rubber frogs into a pond. He managed to get one to land in the lillypad. The rides were amazing, we didnt go on any but as it got dark they were in full swing and with all the lights and noise going on,it was pretty cool. Just to put a damper on the night, when we got back to the car we had a parking ticket !! Id been back twice to put more money in
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LOL , Josh and Ethan in "The Big Red Car " it , but it had run out. Why not get some more money out of the tourists !!!
Friday, we packed up the trailer and took it down to get repaired. Then we went back to Great adventure. Kylie and I went straight to the ' Superman' ride. We lined up for at least 1/2 / hr to get on, just as we got to the ride , it stopped !! The guy running it said over the loud speaker, sorry the ride has broken down, could everyone please make there way to the Exit and clear the place. Nobody moved, bugger that , we just waited all that time. So they had people running around all over the place. Within a couple of minutes they got it going again. You sit in it, pull the bars down, they lock against your legs . Then the seat tips back and you are lying on your stomach face down. Then off you go on the ride, round and round , upside down , like a normal roller coaster but your'e in a flying position. Pretty cool. then Tori and I went on the Parachute ride.A roller coaster then the log ride.
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Slow John Deer at the Amish Thats when I realised I had lost my cellphone on the roller coaster. I went back over to it and found the back of my phone it had obviously fallen off. But no phone. Then I went on the tea cups with the kids, Both Josh and Tori got their pictures drawn in cartoon form. They look cool. We went over to the kids batman ride and i felt crook. So after I had thrown up in the toilets , I got a lecture about eating the week old fried rice I had eaten from the fridge , that I was told would make me sick. One way to clean the system out I guess. Tori and Kylie went on the roller coaster then we drove back and picked up the trailer. A new awning, 1 new tyre, cleaned out the brakes and got them working properly. $800 later and we were off. Don't quite know where that was in the budget, but we needed it done. Ross is racing at Yonkers tonight, so I went and helped Christa feed up and put the horses out.
Well for all those of you who had bets on how long it
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Ethan, Grace, Tori and Josh. would take before Kylie was ready to go home ? 6 weeks !! This week we have managed to get on each others nerves quite a bit, I think everyone has had there moments where you just need some time away from everyone . The kids have been really good playing together, they love it when they have got other kids to play with. This week they have managed to really get at each other though. Hey well get there .
For me personally, The Celiac diet is really wearing thin about now. Food is such an issue for us at the moment and thats doing Kylie's head in a bit too. Breakfast and dinner are easier if we are at home, but lunch is just junk food most days. unless we get organised and make something and take it with us. Easier said than done. You cant take any food or drink into Great adventure. That way you get to buy it in there off their partners of the park. name brand food outlets inside the park at their prices and no variety. Pretzels, burgers, funnel cakes etc, all crap food. Sends Joshs levels thru the roof, we
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Covered bridge by Amish house. get grumpy with him. Hes a kid and theres nice smelling , yummy junk food everywhere and every fat American is having 2 of them !! I didnt get a photo of it but josh had 1 piece of pizza for tea down at the shore. the pizza it came from would have to have been 800mm across. Joshs slice was over a foot long !! It was huge and tasty !! Thats enough moaning from me.
Saturday, Today were off to the Freehold mall. A place Ky and I used to go to alot when we lived here. To buy a new phone !! LOL Josh and I thought we might go to the movies , so Mrs C can have some time to herself just to look around.
As much as Kylie hates this computer and the time I spend on it, It is our link to our circle of family and friends.I know the weather is crap down there and the earth has moved for a few of you lately, but we all really look forward to hearing from you and what things you have been up to. Keep them coming. Chow for now. Paul
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Mafia5
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Haven't spoken to you guys for awhile, so was great catching up on all your news. Josh and Tori I'm loving your sweatshirts, very cool. Ky your've done well to last 6 weeks....(haha) how many more months to go...... Just think in another 130 days (seems like ages) you will be in the company of me!!!! be a nice change for you not having to hang out with your HUSBAND 24/7... We are so going to rock vagas lol I can lead you back into NZ drinking!!!!! Your've probably forgotton what wine taste like! Well better get going.. Stay calm.. Be Happy.. Safe travels.. Keep up the great blogs.. Miss you all xx