Deth

Fitness and everything else

First Time Having Rita's Water Ice In Years

We went to the oldest granddaughter’s softball game last again and while I can’t see what’s going on, it’s important to me to go to some of her games. Unlike last time we went a couple of years ago, she’s no longer afraid of the ball. It also seems that she likes stealing bases. She seems very competitive now.

The other grandkids didn’t even bother with us, but it’s not a bad thing as there is a playground right there and their cousins were there. They were off playing the whole time like kids should be doing.

Afterwards, they were going for ice cream for the youngest’s birthday. The line at the ice cream place was too long, so we wound up going to Mount Joy’s Rita’s. It’s been years since we’ve had Rita’s.

I used to really like Rita’s water ice when I was a kid. Root beer was one of my favorites, and that’s what I got today. Mixing rum with the water ice can be good too. We did that down at Cape May a few years back.

Did you know that the first Rita’s was in Andalusia, PA? We used to walk there or ride our bikes to that store from Nan and Pop’s house, which was a couple of blocks way. They would give us money to go, and Nan wanted a root beer if they had that flavor. I liked most of the flavors back then, but they seemed to taste more like real fruit then. I can sort of remember pieces of cherry or strawberry, but that could be a false memory since that was a long time ago. They also sold soft pretzels! You just don’t see many places around here selling soft pretzels like I did back in the Philly area.

I think that their water ice is a lot different from it used to be. Maybe I am remembering wrong, but it seems that for one thing it’s a lot sweeter than it was when I was a kid. That wouldn’t surprise me at all though because what isn’t sugared up these days? I think I read in the past that the company ended up getting sold too.

Last time I was down that way, the Rita’s was still there in the same place. Everything else is entirely different in the area than it was in the 80s when we’d ride up to Rita’s, though. The only thing that’s left from those times is the same shitty McDonald’s. They could never get an order right in that McDonald’s.

The remnants of the Woodhaven Mall that was across the street is just a bastardized strip mall now. There really aren’t many malls left anymore. Things change.