Day 162 of 365 Days of Being Thankful

   

          Today I am thankful that Dan and I took a road trip to Conowingo Dam. 

(.https://www.chesapeakebay.net/issues/conowingo_dam). video

 The info below is from Wikipedia:
The Conowingo Dam (also Conowingo Hydroelectric Plant, Conowingo Hydroelectric Station) is a large hydroelectric dam in the lower Susquehanna River near the town of Conowingo, Maryland. The medium-height, masonry gravity dam is one of the largest non-federal hydroelectric dams in the U.S.
The dam sits about 9.9 miles (16 km) from the river mouth at the Chesapeake Bay, 5 miles (8 km) south of the Pennsylvania border and 45 miles (72 km) northeast of Baltimore, on the border between Cecil and Harford counties.
The dam supports a 9,000-acre reservoir, which today covers the original town of Conowingo. During dam construction, the town was moved to its present location about 1-mile (1.6 km) northeast of the dam's eastern end. The rising water also would have covered Conowingo Bridge, the original U.S. Route 1 crossing, so it was demolished in 1927.
The Conowingo Reservoir, and the nearby Susquehanna State Park, provide many recreational opportunities.

        The area below the dam is excellent for birdwatching. At least 170 species of birds have been observed and recorded at the dam. Large groups of great blue herons and bald eagles, sometimes well over 100 of each species, have been observed at the dam. The largest numbers of eagles are present in November, and the largest numbers of herons are present in the winter months

          I have wanted to go for a few weeks but Olivia and Olya either had work or had plans with friends. Olivia was at Six Flags amusement park with her boyfriend and his brother and his brother's girlfriend.  Frankie's mom won four tickets on a radio station and gave them to the kids!  Olya said she had to finish her take home exam for her Economics class. So today I asked Dan if he wanted to go without them, he was quick to say yes.  We went to the cemetery and then took off on our road trip.  We packed lunch because it is always about the food for Dan!  Then we checked out a close-by state park that we could camp at.  All in all, a good day and I am thankful for that!  We stopped at a Goodwill store along the way. I bought some plastic mixing bowls so Olivia can practice mixing hair color.  I also got some charcoal which supposedly lights instantly, and new toothbrushes and floss.  I also bought two new candles. I could have spent the day there! It was a really good store so I will have to take Priscilla there.  It was a little pricey but I always feel like the money is going to a good cause. Just as we got to the dam, it started to rain!! We sat in the car and ate lunch and then got out. It was only drizzling so it was fine to stay out of the car.  The dam is huge.  We went there because eagles swoop down and eat the fish near the dam. I was excited because I wanted to see the eagles.  It was rainy and overcast so we only saw one eagle!  There are tons of picnic tables and places to view the eagles. There were lots of people there taking photos with telescopic lens.  We spoke with one man and he showed us the eagle photo he had just taken and he pointed to the rock that the eagle was sitting on. That was really cool! There were also lots of black vultures there on the rocks.  We then went to the visitor center and watched a movie about the town of Conowingo which no longer exists because it was flooded out and was under water! Now that we know where it is, we can go any time both girls are off.  Then we checked out a close-by state park we could camp at. It was a really nice park and the spots were good but only 6 spots had electric hookup and only two were near the bathrooms!
   

        On the trip back home, we saw an Ollie's store and of course, we had to stop.  Even though we need absolutely nothing, we always fill a shopping cart! I got some shirts for Dan for Father's Day, some snacks(again...all about the food), and a new broom. There were five items in the cart when I went to the restroom, but the cart was full when I got out of the restroom and we checked out.  I don't even know what Dan purchased but I have a suspicion some of it was snacks! 
      We actually passed the rest stop on I 95 where we first met and picked up Olya for hosting over the Christmas holidays in 2008.  Their flight from Ukraine had been diverted from Phila to NY.  A driver was bringing the kids in a van.  He didn't want to stop at the rest stop so we all pooled our money and offered the driver $150 to stop at the rest stop.  We were with a group of five or six other families.  The driver decided to stop (I wonder why)and let us get the kids.  I remember when Olya stepped out of the van, she was so, so, so adorable.  She had on a red coat and high boots. She chatted away with Olivia.  Olivia was so happy to have a playmate for a few weeks and maybe a forever sister. 

 
         On the way back home last night,, we stopped at Renee and Adam's house,  They invited us for cake because they had a lot left.  Tomorrow is Adam's birthday and they had gone to dinner the night before and had some birthday cake left. Olya met us there  Apparently, she could leave her exam work for cake! Again, it is always about the food for the Fleddermans! Adam showed me the new items he purchased for their living room.  Adam has really good taste!  He picked out most of the furniture in their house.  Renee is fine with Adam choosing because he has good taste.