Berkeley Springs, WV

Place Visited: Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, USA
Date: November 2016

Atasia was my very first spa experience and I must say, it was delightful.  I was like jelly the rest of the day.

Berkeley Springs, WV

Place Visited: Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, USA
Date: November 2016

Berkeley Springs is a tourist town, with plenty of food and shopping options.  This particular weekend there was also a Festival of Light - a psychic fair.  That was...interesting.

Berkeley Springs, WV

Place Visited: Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, USA
Date: November 2016

A friend invited me to her annual ladies' spa weekend in Berkeley Springs.  We didn't use the public baths, but my appointments were in the afternoon so I had a lot of time to wander the town, including the cute little museum.  The weather was lovely as well - quite warm and sunny for November.

Culpeper, VA

Place Visited: Culpeper, Virginia, USA
Date: August 2016

The first two spreads I refer to as Pinterest Pages, since they're just so pretty and artistic: first the Culpeper postcards, then all the maps. It's kind of how I want all my spreads to turn out, but as we have seen, that does not happen very often.  One of the highlights of my visit was Raven's Nest Coffee House, which employs some of the friendliest people I've ever met.

Quicksburg and New Market, VA

Place Visited: Quicksburg and New Market, Virginia, USA
Date: October 2016

Shenandoah Caverns was a delightful surprise.  The caverns themselves weren't that amazing (geologically they're not too different from Luray or Crystal Grottos), but the rest of the place was just the kind of tourist trap I adore.  The main building includes Main Street of Yesteryear, a selection of shop windows decorated with animatronic scenes that are supposed to be charming but are mostly the nightmarish variety of uncanny.  Which I love.

Then I went down to American Celebration on Parade, a collection of parade floats created by the owners of the caverns.  Turns out they've made floats for every Presidential inauguration since Truman, plus countless others.  These things are massive and so detailed.  I spent quite a lot of time here.

Afterward I decided to grab a bite to eat at Southern Kitchen, where I enjoyed Lloyd's famous fried chicken.  All in all, a very nice day.

Alexandria, VA

Place Visited: Mount Vernon, Alexandria, Virginia, USA
Date Visited: September 2016

I wasn't going to post another Mount Vernon spread, but this time around I did something a little different: I took a Potomac River ferry and attended the Colonial Market & Fair.  Both were lovely, though the weather was terribly hot.

Washington, DC

Place Visited: Frederick Douglass National Historic Site, Washington, DC, USA
Date: November 2016

I'd never been in Frederick Douglass's house before and it is amazing.  I went with some sketching buddies and we sat on a stump in the front lawn and drew the house until the staff told us they were closing.  (The gold foil is from a delicious candy one of my friends gave me.)  I wish I'd had a chance to see the informational video beforehand, but that's all right.

Colonial Williamsburg, VA

Place Visited: Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, USA
Date: October 2016

We spent a pleasant weekend in Colonial Williamsburg in the fall with friends.  We ate a lot of good food, but I think the best in terms of meal and ambiance was Shields Tavern.  The Official Ghost Walk was just okay - I'd been hoping for history but it was actually just weird stuff that happened to people who worked there.  It was still fun to walk around at night, though.

The Plains, VA

Place Visited: The Plains, Virginia, USA
Date: May 2016

I actually had plans for a sketch outing at the National Zoo that day, but I'd neglected to account for the Rolling Thunder Memorial Day ride, which involves hundreds or maybe even thousands of motorcycles descending upon DC. When it took me two hours just to get to Arlington, I turned around and headed back west. On a whim, I took the exit for The Plains. I stopped by a farmers market for lunch, then enjoyed my first cold-brew coffee at Happy Creek, where I drew the scenery. After that I wandered the local shops and galleries. All in all a nice day.

Silver Spring, MD

Place Visited: Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
Date: August 2016

This was my very first DC Drink & Draw meetup, and my first time at Denizens Brewing Co. The beer and food were both quite good, but the company was even better. I love this crowd. There's often an informal theme, and this time was Thank You For Riding Metro (because of the crazy scheduling and closings that is SafeTrack). We each drew our own Metro car, then linked them all together on the wall. It was fantastic.

Champaign, IL

Place Visited: Champaign, Illinois, USA
Date: June 2016

I visited my usual spots (The IDEA Store, Habitat ReStore, and Cafe Kopi), plus made a couple of new stops. I discovered CU Woodshop Supply through a billboard on the drive in. We had a great time checking out all the tools and gorgeous wood. Oishi Hibachi Steakhouse was recommended by friends. It was standard hibachi, which means it was fun and delicious. Oh yeah, and the Sakura Gelly Roll Moonlight are fantastic gel pens I had a blast playing with. I love Champaign. My trips there are never long enough.

Manassas, VA

Place Visited: Manassas, Virginia, USA
Date: July 2016

I finally made it down to the Manassas Museum, then spent some time wandering downtown. I stopped by my favorite coffee shop in town (Grounds Central Station), drew the train station, and browsed Prospero's Books, which was quite the adventure. The nice ladies at the visitor center had me pick up a brochure for the art installation downtown, where the paintings had been turned into banners that hung from the street lights. I included my favorites that depicted Manassas in some way.

Fort Washington, MD

Place Visited: Fort Washington, Maryland, USA
Date: April 2016

My 10-year-old self was too excited for words by this place, an actual old military fort you can wander around almost everywhere in. The view is amazing, but mostly I just enjoyed tromping around, seeing every inch. I'll definitely be going back.

Fort Foote, MD

Place Visited: Fort Foote, Oxon Hill, Maryland, USA
Date: April 2016

Fort Foote Park has some ginormous cannons and a gorgeous walk down to the river. There wasn't a soul around when I was there.

Oxon Hill, MD

Place Visited: Oxon Hill, Maryland, USA
Date: April 2016

Oxon Hill Farm was pretty quiet and chilly when I visited, but all the buildings were open so I got to see the cows, pigs, and horses. Though I grew up in the Midwest, I've never lived or worked on a farm, and yet for some reason I still feel a little nostalgic at the smell of hay.

Manassas, VA

Location: Manassas, Virginia, USA
Visited: January 2016

Manassas is right next door to my hometown but I don't visit often. I will, however, have to go back to Grounds Central Station sometime. The coffee is good, the staff is super friendly, and the atmosphere is cozy.

Charles Town, WV

Location: Charles Town, West Virginia, USA
Visited: January 2016

Historic downtown Charles Town is pretty much closed on Sundays, I discovered. I had a decent waffle at Grandma's Diner, was a little concerned what Needful Things (which was closed) might actually sell, and saw some nice art at the visitors center. On my way there I also stopped at the Collectable Treasures indoor flea market. Didn't buy anything, but it was fun to browse.