Although spring is in the air, the early March day still promised cool temperatures. The leaves were not out yet, and a recent rain had left the ground a little muddy. Still, the temptation to go on a hike — to do something — ANYTHING — outside, was too much. A hiking we would go! […]
winter daytrip
Cooking Like the Masons at Gunston Hall
For my birthday, my sister gave me a day’s hard labor! She purchased two spots in an Open Hearth Cooking Class at Gunston Hall. The class promised participants that they would experience “one of the most fun, rewarding, and exhausting tasks of the 18th century” and they were right! It was a fine October day. […]
Frederick Douglass and His House on Cedar Hill
Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have the exact measure of the injustice and wrong which will be imposed on them. Frederick Douglass Frederick Douglass’ was a 19th century American hero, but his story still resonates with our times. He was a social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, husband, father, […]
Winter Walk in Swallow Falls State Park
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Disturbingly Informative, Not for the Faint of Heart
I finally got to visit the Mutter Museum, in Philadelphia. I’ve wanted to visit it for a couple of years, but something always intervened with my plans to do so. Finally, the stars aligned a few weeks ago; I wrote this post the same day I’d visited, so the reactions are very real, but raw. […]
Whether Natural Chimneys Or Cyclopean Towers, Still Awe-Inspiring
Natural Chimneys, limestone rock formations standing an impressive 120 feet above the ground, have intrigued our imaginations for centuries. Thus on a recent visit to Harrisonburg, VA, I traveled some 15 miles southwest of the home of James Madison University to visit the regional park where Natural Chimneys is located. I prefer an old, 1800s […]