When the weather outside is frightful, A walk in the park can be delightful! I was hoping for both snow and frozen water falls, but I was disappointed by balmy 40-degree days over the Christmas holidays. My family and I had rented a cabin, right on the shores of Deep Creek Lake. Plans included going […]
Author: Jody Arneson
The Civil War Battle Nobody’s Heard Of
Almost everyone’s heard of the Battle of Gettysburg. But almost nobody has heard of the Battle of Monterey Pass, which took place immediately following the Battle of Gettysburg, as the Confederate troops retreated back into Maryland and across the Potomac into the relative safety of Virginia. The Battle of Monterey Pass was fought along a mountain […]
Six Great Romantic Dates for Valentine’s Day
It’s not to early to start planning that special date for your special someone! Romantic dinners are great, but truly impress your special someone with a creative idea to show how much you love to be with them! Although I believe any activity which you and your special someone are doing together could easily be […]
I Like Ike: Exploring the Eisenhower Farm in Gettysburg
“…above all else, a good leader needs integrity–a deeply ingrained honor, honesty and decency.”— Dwight D. Eisenhower, 17 October 1961 It was fitting that I traveled on I-70 to get to U.S. 15 to go to Gettysburg to visit the Eisenhower Farm, in Gettysburg, PA. Among Dwight D Eisenhower’s many accomplishments as our nation’s 34th president […]
Great Allegheny Gap: The Bridge-to-Bridge Ride
A friend and I took advantage of great spring biking weather and rode a short segment of the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP). This was my first ride of the season, so I kept it short, just 10 miles all told. This was my first foray to the GAP, so I wasn’t sure what to expect of […]
A Spirited Stay at Gettysburg’s Most Haunted Address
Gettysburg has witnessed more than its fair share of history, and subsequently, it appears that the small historic town has more than its fair share of the paranormal. I was extremely excited when a good friend of mine suggested we go on an organized ghost hunt at Farnsworth House Inn, in Gettysburg. Ghosts, an overnight […]
Starting 2017 with a Delightful First Day at Soldiers Delight
I love the idea of the First Day Hikes that have become popular over the past few years — what better way to start a new year than by getting out into our local parks and going for a hike? In October 2016, we adopted our third beagle, Charlie, from the Baltimore Humane Society. Getting to […]
Covered Bridges of Bucks County
At one time, more than 50 covered bridges stood in Bucks County, many of them spanning the Delaware River crossing into New Jersey. Bucks County still boasts 13 lovely, historic covered bridges — 10 of which still carry vehicles. Since their construction in the late 1800s, the covered bridges of Bucks County have symbolized the quiet rural life in the area. Bucks County […]
Hiking a (Small) Portion of the Allegheny Highlands Rail Trail
For this week’s blog post, I’m recalling a memorable — but accidental — day trip we took during a vacation in West Virginia a couple years ago. With winter about to begin this year, it’s the time to think about warmer weather day trips — perhaps start planning a few more! It’s my guess we […]
Seeing Birds at the National Aviary
Winter school break looms large over the holiday season. What to do with the kids between Christmas and New Years? Why, take them to the National Aviary, of course! There are few opportunities to get swooshed by a Victoria Crowned Pigeon (the bird is so much more fabulous looking than “pigeon” implies), or swooshed by […]
Lights on the Bay Brings Holiday Cheer
This year we also returned to Lights on the Bay, in Sandy Point State Park, to see what new lights have sprung up. It’s been several years since we’ve driven through the light display. The Lights on the Bay display is a 2-mile scenic drive along the shore of the Chesapeake Bay with approximately 70 […]
A Symphony of Lights Celebrates the Holiday Season
Going to Christmas lights displays, such as Howard County’s Symphony of Lights, has become a holiday tradition for my family. Symphony of Lights is a dazzling display of more than 100 larger-than-life animated and stationary holiday light creations, made up of more than 250,000 bulbs. During the past 21 years, nearly 2 million individuals have […]
A Different Kind of Gettysburg Spirits!
Gettysburg is almost as known for its ghosts as it is for its Civil War battlefields. But increasingly, there’s a different kind of spirits lurking around this historic town! No exploration of Gettysburg would be complete without checking out one of its wineries or distilleries, so we headed to Mason Dixon Distillery (MDD), well within […]
Twentythree Thousand, One Hundred Ten
The battle of Antietam, which took place on September 17, 1862, was a pivotal moment in the Civil War. It’s worth remembering that it was, and still is, the bloodiest single-day battle in American history. Every year on the first weekend in December, luminaries are placed in the battlefield to memorialize the fallen. Twelve hours, […]
Garden of Lights Celebrates the Holiday Season
This year, the Garden of Lights, Brookside Gardens’ holiday outdoor light exhibit, celebrates its 19th season as a Baltimore/Washington, DC area family holiday tradition. During just one month a year, Brookside Gardens is illuminated with more than one million dazzling colorful lights shaped into hand-crafted, original art forms of flowers, animals and other natural elements. Stroll […]