The Show Must Go On (or Stepping Back in to Tour)

Max and I left Bowie early as planned, hoping to avoid Baltimore rush hour traffic; Jay was taking his car back to finish Tour. We breezed around the Beltway and pulled up behind the buses with plenty of time to spare, unloading our luggage from the bus and picking up the keys waiting for us at the front desk. Thirty minutes later we were back on the bus, headed for Lampeter for the concert.

The high school was only two years old, with a wide stage and large backstage area. The hall was large for a high school auditorium, and when filled, it seemed like we faced a sea of people. Somewhere in the jumble of people I knew I would find a Friendly Face from Home, our Head Librarian, Mike, and his wife, Susan (of amazing food fame).

In the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch Country, the audience would appreciate the concert and enjoy the music without necessarily giving any outward sign. Lancaster County is home to The New Holland Band, however, and the love of Band music is deep here. Several of the members were present and were as familiar with many of the programmed works as each of us. By the end of the concert, the seemingly placid audience was as enthusiastic as every other tour audience in their display of appreciation and patriotism.

Following the concert, leftover funds from the Tour Party were used to host an additional pizza party. Tour promotees and the Colonel pitched in the extra needed to cover what the remaining funds did not. Space and hotel limitations meant splitting the party into two rooms, the breakfast area and Trox’s room. The breakfast area was the quieter of the two, with Trox’s room reminding me of the days of the Percussion Party. I guess I really have become a Toe Tag.

The next morning even Karen and I threw in the towel on the morning walk. I woke in the wee hours of the morning to what sounded like thundering rain. Creeping to the window, I peered into the gloom and saw a veritable downpour, made louder by the tin roof of the bay window below me. Leslye, Liz, and I were meeting Mike and Susan for an Amish breakfast later, so I curled under the comforter for another hour’s sleep.

Breakfast was a treat; I’ve eaten breakfast out so rarely this Tour, I had a hard time deciding what to order. Mike ordered Baked Oatmeal for all of us to sample and offered some of his scrapple to anyone interested in sampling the local cuisine. Scrapple is something of an acquired taste, so Mike went solo on the scrapple. Leslye was showing signs of Week Seven Syndrome, so we decided she really needed a Whoopie Pie in her life. She and Liz bought one of each flavor (chocolate, pumpkin, and chocolate with peanut butter cream) to share later; I will be interested in her thoughts. Whoopie Pie is a coveted dessert at my house (only available if we make it to the Amish Market during its limited hours of operation) with an ongoing debate over chocolate vs. pumpkin.

It was so nice to spend time with Mike and Susan, but time flies and they needed to head back to Virginia. I will have to remember to pester Mike until he brings me Susan's recipe for Pumpkin Whoopie Pie. Back at the hotel we packed up and prepared to move on to Bensalem; it seems like the buses are open and loaded a little earlier each day.