Delightful surprises awaited us on the 2021 Frederick County Barnstormers Tour — read about what awaited us at the Hamilton Willard Shafer Farm!
agritourism
Grand Old Barns on the Frederick County Landmarks Barnstorming Tour

Join us to explore Frederick County’s agricultural heritage (part 1)!
Cow Cuddling at Mary’s Land Farm: Cute Farm Animals Carry Away Our Stress

Doesn’t taking a few minutes out of your day to hug a calve sound calming?
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, […]
Let the Road Take You Where It Wants to Go — Finding Yourself on a Barn Driving Tour
We were a little stir crazy from being quarantined for the pandemic, but weren’t comfortable heading out to a store or even to a park where there were likely to be a lot of folks around. So we decided to just go for a drive in the countryside… taking our car for a “stroll,” so […]