I didn’t do too badly on my 2014 wishlist — of the 11 items I wanted to do, I did 8 1/2. Check out the entry from a year ago to read about what I wanted to do, and see what I actually did get to go see and do by following the new links […]
Year: 2014
Feeling the Love for the City of Brotherly Love
Remembering a favorite destination this past fall during this Christmas week! A sunny but cool October Sunday lured us to Philadelphia, a city we really haven’t had a chance to explore. I’ve been there a few times over the years, as have my husband and even my boys, on school field trips. We decided to […]
Accidental Tourist: How Playing a Game Brought Me to New Places
My husband and I recently discovered Ingress, a game we can play on our phones, either during a day trip or as the goal of a day trip. We first started it while biking along the C&O Canal. For those of you not familiar with Ingress, it’s an augmented reality massively multiplayer online role playing […]
Enjoying the Holiday Sights at Longwood Gardens
There is something about holiday lights and decorations that beckons to the kid in us. Toy trains, Christmas ornaments, colorful lights — the Christmas season definitely speaks to my inner child. I like bright colors and shiny things, so last year I’d added seeing Longwood Gardens to my 2014 wishlist. Longwood Gardens offers everything your […]
Two Days and Eleven Lights: Day Two
This is part two of Chesapeake Lighthouses, Southern Expedition, a two-day excursion to 11 lighthouses around the Chesapeake Bay. From Tangier Island, we headed straight over to Onancock, VA, arriving around 5:30 p.m. We unloaded our bags, and headed up the street to our respective inns (Captain Jack arranged rides for those in the group […]
Two Days and Eleven Lights: Day One
My sister and I had been on the shorter “Passage to Five” excursion offered by Chesapeake Lights in May; before we’d even gotten off the boat that day, we’d signed up for the once annual 2-day trip that takes place every August. Update May 2021: Unfortunately, Chesapeake Lights no longer offers lighthouse tours. The lighthouses […]
The Famous and the Blameless at Laurel Hill Cemetery
If you are at all interested in exploring a cemetery, then Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia, is the one you should start out with — especially if you think it’ll be the ONLY one you decide to tour. Laurel Hill’s creators and organizers intended the cemetery to serve as a civic institution designed for public […]
Retracing a Veteran Ancestor’s Steps in Cold Harbor National Battlefield
When my husband and I had visited Richmond last June, my sister reminded me that our ancestor, George Washington Spertzel, the second generation of Spertzels in the United States, had fought at Cold Harbor. I’m pretty proud of his story and his service to our country, and that’s why I’m writing about our visit to […]
Remembering Our Dead
The muffled drum’s sad roll has beat The soldier’s last tattoo; No more on life’s parade shall meet The brave and daring few. On Fame’s eternal camping-ground Their silent tents are spread, And Glory guards with solemn round The bivouac of the dead. The Confederate graves at Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, VA. In honor of Veterans […]
Autumn Glory in Swallow Falls State Park
“Autumn burned brightly, a running flame through the mountains, a torch flung to the trees” ~ Faith Baldwin, American Family We went on a weekend getaway in search of some romance, my husband and I. And in search of autumn’s exquisite show. And maybe along the way, we’d visit some places we’d never been to […]
Great Grapes! Autumn 5k Run at Distillery Lane Ciderworks
Another fine fall day lured us out last Sunday with the prospect of some exercise and fun in a rural setting in the heart of Frederick County, MD. Both my sister and my friend had signed up to participate in the Great Grapes Race Series, this time at Distillery Lane Ciderworks, and I was happy […]
Favorite Places: Cunningham Falls
There are some places I like to return to over and over again; Cunningham Falls, in Frederick County’s Catoctin Mountains, is one of those places. I’d tried to bring the boys there a year ago, during a lovely cool spell in August, but we were turned away because I hadn’t realized the summer-no-dog policy in […]
Seeking Autumn Glory in Shenandoah National Park
“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” ~ L. M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables My husband and I love going leaf peeping every autumn, and try to come up with interesting itineraries for a one- or two-day trip. This year we planned an overnight trip, leaving mid-morning to drive […]
Working in the Coal Mine!
Coal fired America’s Industrial Revolution, and helped shaped the country we live in today. Anthracite coal was the heating and iron-making fuel of choice, and Pennsylvania’s coal mines, which produced anthracite coal, thrived in the late 19th and early decades of the 20th century. To fill all the jobs necessary to mine coal, companies employed […]
Pedal Through the Past: Biking through History
The prospect of biking through three national parks and two states in one day was intriguing, and doing so while gaining some insight into local Civil War history and heritage was almost too good to be true. That’s what I was thinking as I signed my husband and I up for Pedal Through the Past […]