Easter, Taxes and the Rest of My Siblings . . . Oh, My!
As full time RV’ers, sometimes the weather dictates our travel and sometimes other commitments dictate our travel, despite the weather. Loosely translated, we probably would not have chosen to be in the Philadelphia area in mid-April had it not been for Easter and the need to get our taxes done by our accountant in Limerick.
It was a short jaunt from our visit with the Workman’s in Dover, PA to our planned home base at Brandywine Creek Campground in Lyndell, PA. (See our review here) We thought we would try a different campground in the area after staying at the West Chester KOA in the fall of 2016. Surprisingly there is not a great selection of campgrounds that can accommodate Charlie and the Big Tow’er in the Phoenixville / Limerick area, where we would be spending the majority of our time. Brandywine Creek Campground is about 30 minutes from the places we needed to be in the area so it was worth trying out.
After our Monday arrival at Brandywine Creek Campground, our first task was a Tuesday appointment with our accountant in Limerick. Souder Scenna Accounting had done our taxes every year that ICED by Betsy had been in business, so we knew it would be best for them to “finish the job”, so to speak, and complete our 2016 taxes. As always, getting our taxes done by Fred is combination of business discussion with some RV talk mixed in. Fred is the owner of Class A motorhome and enjoys traveling with his family so there is always much to talk about in the RV world. When our appointment was done, Betsy realized that the ICED by Betsy page was officially closed. Good memories, but Betsy commented how it seemed like that period in our life was now a distant memory. After our appointment we made a quick stop to see my dad. My dad has been in an assisted living center in Phoenixville for a little over a year and a half now. We chatted with him before heading to a Phoenixville Boys Lacrosse game to hang out with my sister Ceil Kapusta and her husband Kris. Their son Lucas plays on the team, but unfortunately is currently sidelined with a broken bone in his right arm. It’s not the same when you go to see your nephew play and he pretty much has the same view of the game as you due to his injury. It was still fun to catch up with Ceil and Kris, sitting in the sun, watching the game.
The next couple of days were filled with small errands and that mundane stuff I’ve mentioned in the past. On Friday afternoon, we headed back to the Kapusta house to spend some time with them, and with my younger brother Rick and his wife Karen. Now we had just visited with Rick and Karen exactly one week ago as we passed through Richmond, but we never miss the opportunity for some laughs and good conversation with family. (Read about that visit here) The Kapusta’s oldest daughter, Lexi, was also home from college for the weekend, so one more person to catch up with that we don’t get to see that often. Saturday was another drive to Phoenixville to meet up with the group again. Before heading to the Kapusta’s we took the time to stop in and visit some of our old friends at the Phoenixville Farmers Market. It was fun chatting with some of our vendor acquaintances, but most importantly we stocked up on the gluten free pizza crusts we love from Rose’s Gluten Free Bakery. After arriving at the Kapusta’s we learned that the destination of choice for the group this afternoon was Victory Brewing Company. Victory Brewing Company is a craft brewery headquartered in Downingtown, PA. Founded by childhood friends, Bill Covaleski and Ron Barchet, Victory officially opened its doors in February of 1996. If you’ve followed See Simple Love you know that I have a gluten allergy and we often speak of searching for gluten free restaurants and food. So a brewery would not be the first choice for Betsy and I, but we’re team players so we went along for the ride. Since beer is pretty much liquid gluten I didn’t have much hope for the menu at the restaurant. As I always say, “I can find something to eat at any restaurant”, and Victory was no exception. I thoroughly enjoyed my Wedge Salad with steak, bacon, and blue cheese and Betsy raved about her Beet & Kale Salad. Everyone else enjoyed their beer and life was good for all!
Easter Sunday was another trip to Phoenixville (You’re beginning to see why our campgrounds proximity to Phoenixville is important to us!) and another chance for family time. It was a full house for Easter dinner. My dad was there, and it’s always great to spend time with him. We almost accomplished the rare feat of all six siblings being in the same place at the same time. We had five out of six there, along with their spouses. My sister Connie didn’t make it from Raleigh. (We got to meet up with her for dinner less than two weeks ago. Read about that visit here.) She instead got to spend time with her new granddaughter in Raleigh. As always there was lots of food and even more desserts! Even though my siblings are geographically diverse (Including my sister, Annette, and her husband, Mike, who are also full time RV’ers!), we always enjoy the chances when we get to spend time together.
On Monday we had made plans to meet a couple, Randy and Joanna, who we’ve gotten to know through our RV life. Ran and Jo were originally from Malvern, PA and were on a similar timeline as ours last year in selling their house and embarking on their full time RV adventure. We keep in touch with them through social media and always try to catch up with them in person when our travels cross paths. They are staying at the West Chester KOA during their time in the area and they were interested in checking out Brandywine Creek Campground for future visits. We met at the campground and gave them a quick tour of Charlie and the campground. We all stopped talking long enough to head to The Whip Tavern in Coasteville, PA for a proper English dinner. As always, it was fun catching up with Ran and Jo and we’ll see them down the road!
Tuesday, our last night in the area, was one more trip to Phoenixville to see my dad one last time and have dinner with the Kapusta’s. They were also gracious enough to allow Betsy to get a load of laundry done instead of using a campground laundromat. More laughs, more food, another great night before heading down the road! Thanks for all of your hospitality over the last week and a half and we’ll see you soon!
