Fire and Ice: A Longwood Christmas Celebration

We started our Christmas season with a visit to one of our favorite lights displays: Longwood Gardens. We took a year off from our now almost-annual visits because of the pandemic, which made returning this year even better. We arrived during the daylight, the better to appreciate the last rose bloom …  … and the […]

Two More Delicious Creameries Along Maryland’s Best Ice Cream Trail

A sunny August afternoon lured us out again for some more ice cream — this time we decided to drive out to northern Baltimore County and Harford County MD, to Broom’s Bloom Dairy and Prigel Family Creamery respectively. About a decade ago, Maryland dairy farmers came up with a creative – and delicious – plan […]

Take the Shawangunk Scenic Drive to Enjoy Autumn Color!

Going leaf peeping is one of my favorite fall activities — and last year’s pandemic just made going on long drives sound even better!  We were in upstate New York — in the Catskills — at just about peak autumn foliage color, and, because of the pandemic, a number of our intended hiking destinations (lovely […]

Old Forge Loop Trail, Foundry Park and a Little Surprise Civil War History!

The Old Forge Loop Trail was billed in AllTrails.com as being great for kids, and so I was about to dismiss this walk, until I noticed that there were ruins and a waterfall.  The Hudson River from Foundry Dock Park They had me at ruins. Turns out, the waterfall is meh, but the history and […]

Mysteries of the Hudson Highland State Park: Cornish Ruins Hike

Why are ruins so fascinating? Do we expect to see the ghosts of the people who lived or worked there to suddenly appear? I don’t know the answer to that, but I’m fascinated by ruins. There’s something sad and creepy and symbolic about beautiful places that have been abandoned.  There’s almost a fairytale set of […]

Cool Sights Along the Maryland Creamery Trail in Frederick County

Our goal was simple and sweet: head out to sample two stops along the Maryland Creamery Trail in Frederick County. Along the way we enjoyed the pretty farmland countryside, discovered some hidden Civil War history, found some instantly instagramable old trucks, and — oh yeah, enjoyed the best summer snack ever! About a decade ago, […]