A Dutch Wonderful Day

Amy and I have been friends since 7th grade. In our 20s, I moved to Vegas and she moved to Philadelphia. She was the only friend who flew out for my wedding. This trip up the East Coast has allowed us the opportunity to stay with her family for a few nights. It was so nice to finally see her beautiful home and spend quality time with her, her husband and their children. It didn't take long til our four children were playing together which makes my heart happy.

They invited us to a place I'd never heard of before, Dutch Wonderland. It's an amusement park near Lancaster, Pennsylvania. My kids absolutely LOVED it! They rode a ton of rides, but the roller coasters were their favorite.

There's a waterpark section which is like a brilliant watery playground. Asher spotted the huge water slides right away and talked me into going with him. We sat together on a double raft and went down the slide in complete darkness. It was quite thrilling and fun. Asher LOVED it!

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When looking at the map of the area, I spotted a town named Audubon. I thought that was interesting and then learned that John James Audubon actually lived in the area and his home has been turned into a museum and art gallery. Of course I had to visit and do some birding on the property.

It was a wonderful place to bird with a variety of habitats. I noted 27 species and especially enjoyed the Goldfinches and an Indigo Bunting as they were visiting the tall flowers in the yard. Trails take you thru woods, over bridges, and to a river. Audubon's own drawings mark the paths.

An aviary holds disabled Great Horned and Screech Owls that can't

 be returned to the wild. It was fun to see them up close.

A new museum is scheduled to open on the property in 2019 at which time they'll display his very large Birds of America book. I saw the plans for the new building and it looks amazing. I look forward to walking thru it one day.

I must admit I was disappointed when I asked a question about a bird and got blank stares. They called over someone else, who called over someone else to learn that no one could answer my question about which flycatchers tend to hang out right outside their window. I would think Audubon himself would be sad that those working at a museum bearing his name would not have developed a deep love of birds. Or maybe they appreciate them just not to the extent of a typical birder.