Interior with Dog, Henri Matisse, 1934, oil on canvas There’s a hidden gem in Baltimore that we either take for granted or tend to overlook: the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA). With more than 95,000 works of art, the BMA has a massive collection. Madonna Adoring the Child with Five Angels, Sandro Botticelli and Studio, […]
Year: 2019
Reflecting Absence: 9/11 Memorial and Museum in NYC
Every American, if they are old enough, has their own memory of that day, the 11th of September, 2001. A surprising number remember, of all things, the incredibly deep blue sky that yielded the planes which were the instruments of terror that day. A view of lower Manhattan from Brooklyn, taken around 8:30 a.m. September […]
Nine-Eleven Memorials
There is America pre-9/11 and America post-9/11, and a world of difference in between. The targets of the 9/11 terrorist attacks were the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington DC and, most likely, the Capitol Building — symbols of America’s financial, military and political influence on the world. The magnitude […]
Gentle Hike in Cedarville State Forest
Cedarville State Forest is a state forest and protected area in the state of Maryland, near Brandywine, Cedarville, and Waldorf. It offers hiking trails, campsites, a fishing pond, hunting land, and picnic and recreation areas. The headwaters of the Zekiah Swamp are located in Cedarville, extending south through Charles County for 20 miles, eventually emptying […]
Learn about Life on the Chesapeake at the Calvert Marine Museum
If you visit Solomons Island, MD — and you really should go check it out — you should visit the Calvert Marine Museum. At the Calvert Marine Museum you’ll learn about maritime history on the Chesapeake Bay, the area’s paleontology (and there’s quite a bit of that!), life working on the water in the Chesapeake […]
The Residence Inn by Marriott Fulton at Maple Lawn, a Dog Friendly Hotel in Howard County MD
Having a kitchen is convenient when we have an active itinerary planned! Traveling with our furry best friends can be a challenge, so it’s nice to find a hotel that’s dog friendly and comfortable! The Residence Inn by Marriott Fulton at Maple Lawn is both comfortable and dog friendly, and brand spanking new — its […]
Staying in Victorian Elegance at Haddonfield Inn
Located in one of the oldest towns in North America, the Haddonfield Inn was built as an elegant, Victorian home between 1868 and 1875 and was one of 80 new dwellings built in Haddonfield during this time. It is nestled in a neighborhood of elegant Victorian homes, like itself. As you explore all that the […]
Rediscovering the Arts and Crafts Movement at the Moravian Pottery
A wall of tiles in Fonthill Castle. No visit to Doylestown, PA would be complete without a visit to the Moravian Pottery & Tile Works, adjacent to Fonthill Castle, which local archeologist, collector, creative genius Henry Chapman Mercer designed and built. In fact, both the Moravian Tile Works and Fonthill Castle came out of Mercer’s […]
Malvern Hill Battlefield – Seven Days Battle
Now, birds nest in cannon that once sought to kill. The Battle of Malvern Hill, which took place July 1 1862, was the culmination of the Seven Days Battles, which were the climax of the Peninsula Campaign, in which the Northern Army of the Potomac, sailing around Confederate lines, landed at the tip of the […]
North Mountain View Trail in George Washington National Forest
After a long and strenuous hike the previous day, we were in the mood for a relatively short and moderate hike, so we settled on the North Mountain Trail. About a mile in from the trail head is a lovely view of the countryside below. The elevation gain is easy: less than 200 feet for […]
A Mural Surprise in Strasburg VA
More and more towns are creatively enlivening their outdoor spaces with murals — and what a wonderful trend! Strasburg VA, a sleepy but quaint town tucked into the Shenandoah Valley, about 75 miles west of Washington DC, offers eight lovely murals around town. Rich in beautiful views and history, Strasburg was founded in 1761 and was […]
Kayaking Lake Laura
Lake Laura is a mile-long, man-made lake near the border of the Virginia, West Virginia state line, in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley. The lake is surrounded by mountains, homes hidden in the trees high up on the shore. We’d intended to launch our own kayak… Literally up a creek without a paddle but […]
Revisiting an Incredible American Castle at Fonthill
One man’s dream home is a great American castle. We don’t have many of those, but this one is what we imagine when we dream of castles. Towers, great halls, a maze of rooms — Fonthill Castle has them all. It all started when he was 13. Henry Mercer accompanied his aunt, who was quite […]
Walking on History Along the Old Main Line Trail
The Old Main Line Trail follows the Patapsco River. It’s always exciting to discover something close to home that I’m definitely going to go back to visit, over and over again. A pair of Mallard ducks make use of a semi-permanent puddle along the Old Main Line Trail. That happened when I discovered the Old […]
Losing Yourself in Lost River State Park
White Oak to Cranny Crow Overlook Hike We didn’t get lost in Lost River State Park — the trails are well marked. The White Oak Trail to Cranny Crow Overlook is a 6 mile total (out and back) trail in Lost River State Park, a lovely park that was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps […]