Periodically I’ll post my top picks. Links to the original posts will be embedded in the text. Let me know what you think of this new blog feature!My Top 7 Haunted Places the Blog Has Accidentally Visited*7. Fort FrederickHistorical reenactors in the fort have frequently reported a presence or hostile feelings coming from the front right […]
Year: 2015
A Rare Opportunity to Tour the Thomas Point Shoal LIghthouse
On the last weekend in September, my sister and I went on one of the few tours offered every year to the Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse. I mean, not just a victory lap around the outside like countless folks in their boats, but get off the boat and climb up through the hatches to the […]
My Top 4 Creepy Pix
Periodically (i.e., whenever the whim strikes me, I’ll post my top picks. This is the fourth of the My Top Picks posts. Links to the original posts will be embedded in the text. Let me know what you think of this new blog feature!So this post is a small departure from my other Top Picks […]
Shriver House Museum: The War Through the Eyes of a Family
I’m fascinated by the civilian experience that I learned about at this house museum because I believe my ancestors, who lived on a farm not that far away, may have had similar experiences, although their farm didn’t border a battle field. Like the Shrivers, my ancestors were immigrants from Germany. Like the Shrivers, the man […]
My Favorite 5 October Activities
Periodically (i.e., whenever the whim strikes me, I’ll post my top picks. This is the third of the My Top Picks posts. Links to the original posts will be embedded in the text. Let me know what you think of this new blog feature!The weather is cool, leaves are starting to turn the gorgeous colors […]
Oh Say Can You See… Fort McHenry and the Star Spangled Banner
Francis Scott Key was always sort of a hometown hero for me: I grew up in Frederick, MD, where Key is buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery as he desired, “in the shadows of the Catoctin Mountains.” Thus, Fort McHenry has always been a favorite destination for me. It’s a lovely place to walk along the […]
My Top 4 Things to do During a Government Furlough
Periodically (i.e., whenever the whim strikes me, I’ll post my top picks. This is the second of the My Top Picks posts. Links to the original posts will be embedded in the text. Let me know what you think of this new blog feature!It’s 27 September and Congress has just 3 more days to pass […]
Gettysburg Heritage Museum Shares Civilian Experience During the Battle
The new Gettysburg Heritage Center used to be the American Civil War Wax Museum. I have to admit: I never visited the wax museum. I eschew wax museums: I find them creepy. But having a museum dedicated to the civilian perspective of what happened in Gettysburg during that great battle sounded intriguing, and I welcomed […]
My Top 4 Maryland Bike Rides
Periodically (i.e., whenever the whim strikes me, I’ll post my top picks on a Sunday or Monday; right now I’m aiming to post a Top Pick at least twice a month. This is the first of the My Top Picks posts. Links to the original posts will be embedded in the text. Let me know […]
Getting to Know the Town of Gettysburg
This is part one of a five-part series over the next 2 months focusing on Gettysburg, PA as a great day trip destination. There is so much to do there — from strolling around the quaint town itself and eating at one of the taverns or cafes to touring the battlefields. My friend and I […]
Montpelier: James Madison’s Presidential Retreat
My sister and I are determined to visit all the local presidential mansions: Mount Vernon, Monticello, and Montpelier, among them. Montpelier is the estate of our 4th president, James Madison, and one of America’s Founding Fathers. He is known for putting his lawyerly training to work by helping write the U.S. Constitution in the late […]
A Summer Afternoon Exploring the Loudon County Wine Trail
All my previous blogs on wineries have focused on mostly Maryland wineries. (I’ve visited some 17 of them over the past 2 years, some multiple times — check out this list of places the Blog has visited.) I’ve also visited a few wineries on the Brandywine Valley Wine Trail in Pennsylvania. All along, I’ve been […]
Western Maryland Rail Trail: West from Hancock
The Western Maryland Rail Trail (WMRT) still beckoned to us, even though we hadn’t liked the east-from-Hancock section of it very much (for that stretch, recommend sticking to the C&O Canal, which is further away from the highway and a little more pleasant, but read more about that here). The blurb about the western half […]
Eating Smith Island Cake on Smith Island
I’d heard about Maryland’s state dessert for years, but never tried it. And since the 2-day trip on the Southern Lights excursion aboard the MV Sharpes Island with Captain Jack and the afternoon visit to nearby Tangier Island (VA), I’ve wanted to visit Smith Island. I was hoping it was as cute and quaint as […]
On the Trail of the Lower NCR: Ashland to Mile Marker 10
I’ve blogged about riding on the NCR several times before (check out here), but with today’s ride, I’ve now ridden almost the entire Maryland length of the NCR Trail (except for 1 mile). The plan for this ride was to meet at the parking lot off of Paper Mill Road in Ashland, then bike up […]