King of Beasts!

Thursday was a perfect, blue-sky summer day. Several of my sisters and I had been trying to get our schedules together so we might enjoy a day at Knoebel's, a favorite amusement park in Elysburg, PA.

At the last minute, we pulled our plans together, and I took Thursday off as a vacation day so we could do our much-anticipated Knoebel's trip. Here are some of the highlights of that day:

-Watching the morning mist roll off the Juniata River and wind its way up over the green mountains, and stopping by the river to snap some photos only to startle a huge heron that had been fishing in the misty shallows nearby.

-Visiting my mom and dad, having a chance to check on my dad's progress since his recent heart surgery, being pleased to find them both doing well, and having a chance to give them both some overdue hugs and kisses.

-Laughing and catching up on the drive to Elysburg with two of my sisters and my little niece who's six, and snarfing down some unexpectedly decent tacos at Taco Bell on the way.

-Visiting with yet another one of my sisters who lives near the park, who has been ill, and with her husband and their dog - my sister says she is doing a bit better and may be back to work soon, but alas she was not well enough to accompany us to the park.

-Riding several rides with my sisters, and watching my little niece ride quite a few more; I am not sure if I am pleased or embarrassed to admit that I out-screamed my little six-year-old niece on the Phoenix, rated second on the top 10 Golden Ticket Awards in the wooden roller coaster category for 2011.

-Watching and listening to the classic beauties and sounds of several historic carousels at the park; and visiting the famous carousel museum that hosts a collection of antique carousel animals including a huge lion (see photo), a giraffe, a pig, a large chicken, a tiger, a camel, an elephant, and a zebra, as well as many horses, of course.

-Eating junk food at the park that included french fries with cheese and a cherry snow cone, and stopping for Arby's roast beef sandwiches on the way home.

-When our day at the park was done, spending a little time taking a break at my younger sister's house where we got to visit with her black cat, Gracie, and spend some time enjoying the company of a gorgeous yellow tiger swallowtail butterfly that visits my sister's butterfly bush regularly.

-On the way home, catching a few snapshots of the golden sun setting over the green rolling hills of my beloved central Pennsylvania.

-Driving home with the half moon over the river to my left as my escort, and the fading pinks of the sunset over the mountains to my right.

Lots of fun and family time and food, and a few enchanting moments with natural wonders tossed in, to boot. Do summer days get any better than this?  :-)