I’ve discovered that when I tell some people I just toured a cemetery and had a lot of fun, the expressions on their faces cause me to wonder whether they think I’m a creepy death-obsessed devil worshiper. Other people exclaim “Cool! Why didn’t you bring me along?” A couple weeks ago, my friend and I […]
Year: 2013
Rediscovering a River: Kayaking on the Potomac
One of the reasons living in Maryland is so fun is the proximity to some great cities (Washington DC and Baltimore are in our backyard, Philadelphia is a couple hours away, and New York City is a mere 4 hours away); access to spectacular natural resources (Chesapeake Bay, Potomac River, Deep Creek Lake to name […]
Yoga in the Vines at Black Ankle Vineyards
Yoga in the Vines at Black Ankle Vineyard was a much different wine and yoga experience than Yoga in the Vineyard at Elk Run. The Elk Run experience was cozy and homey, while Black Ankle was more spacious (upscale?) and bucolic. Black Ankle also has been offering wine and yoga longer. One of the yoga […]
A Happy Visit: Longwood Gardens
He who plants a garden plants happiness, according to an old Chinese proverb. Both Pierre S. du Pont and his wife Lilian planted a lot of happiness, as they planned and developed their estate, Longwood Gardens. I felt so very spoiled walking through the gardens. From the visitors center we turned right, into the formal Idea […]
Catoctin Mountain Reverie
The plan: bring the boys to one of my favorite spots, Cunningham Falls, in Cunningham Falls State Park, not far from Thurmont, MD. Climb the falls, like I did when I was a kid, tell them the ghost story told to me when I was in 6th grade (for which I can find absolutely no […]
Segway into a Battlefield Tour: Gettysburg National Battlefield
I have been visiting Gettysburg periodically for as long as I can remember. I grew up in Frederick and drove through the battlefields (on route 34) to visit my aunts and uncles and cousins who lived just north of Gettysburg my entire childhood. Even as an adult, I found myself returning there every few years, […]
Elk Run Vineyards and Winery: Yoga and Wine in the Vineyard
Daytrip Pal mentioned she was going to a vineyard to do some yoga — so I asked her to write about her experiences. — Daytripgal A Guest Blog by Daytrip Pal If you like yoga and you like wine — then how about yoga and wine? A couple weeks ago I tried a new thing […]
A Day on the Bay: Tilghman Island, St. Michaels, and Sailing on the Selina II
What started out as a romantic day on the Bay for the hubby and I turned into a day trip for the entire family the following week — that’s because there was plenty to do for just the two of us, and plenty for the boys to enjoy as well. The plan for the romantic […]
Finding the Stories: Rock Run Historic Area
Visiting an historic home, or old factory, or those fast disappearing grist mills, is a walk among the ghosts of the former inhabitants. I love exploring these places, peering into corners for the stories of the people who lived and worked there, and Rock Run Historic Area, tucked away in the Susquehanna State Park, in […]
Lady Liberty and Ellis Island
Every once in a while I’m going to throw in some favorite day trips that the boys, Ed and I have taken, like the one we took to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. That was a year ago — Liberty was being renovated, and unfortunately, we couldn’t go up to the top. Then, […]
A Taste: Wineries of Maryland (first in a periodic series)
I am sipping one of the wines we purchased even as I write this. Last Saturday — a glorious day of bright blue skies and few clouds lingering overhead — my friend, husband, and I visited three local Maryland wineries: Serpent Ridge Vineyard, Berrywine Plantations/Linganore Winecellars, and Black Ankle Vineyards. According to the Maryland Wine […]
I Spy a Change of Plans: International Spy Museum
We awoke to a morning of steady and heavy rain fall. Today our plans were to join in on the 150th Anniversary celebrations of the Battle of Gettysburg, walking Pickett’s Charge, although not as re-enactors, at the exact time of day as the original. Then, as the Confederate side met the Union lines, Taps would […]
A Visit to the Ponds: Lilypons Water Gardens
Although perhaps not a destination in and of itself — unless you have or would like to have a backyard water garden — Lilypons Water Gardens is set in lovely Frederick County farmland, and well worth a visit if you’re near by or taking a scenic drive through southern Frederick County. If you’re visiting SugarLoaf […]
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A Place to Return To: New Market, MD
One of the places that I keep returning to is New Market, MD. Just a few minutes up I-70 (from Baltimore), New Market calls itself the Antiques Capital of the World. Whether true, or not, there are a lot of antique and boutique-y stores along its main street, and it’s a pleasant afternoon walking up […]
A Necessary Stop: Fort Necessity
We trusted 22-year-olds a lot more back in the 1700s than we do now. It’s not because life is more complicated now, because that’s arguable. Back then we (and by we I mean not us but our British colonial overlords) told a young man to take a bunch of men and forge a road where […]