Erie, PA

Place Visited: Erie, Fairview, and North Springfield, Pennsylvania, and Conneaut, Ohio, USA
Date: July 2018

To celebrate my parents' 50th wedding anniversary, we rented a bunch of cabins at Virginia's Beach right on Lake Erie. It was beautiful. We enjoyed touring around Erie proper, but the highlights were the Erie Maritime Museum and feeding the giraffes at the Erie Zoo.

Leesburg, VA

Place Visited: Leesburg, Virginia, USA
Date: July 2017

Oatlands is one of those places that I'd like to visit in better weather.  It was rainy and hot when I went, so while the gardens were beautiful, I really didn't want to spend much time in them.  The upstairs of the un-air-conditioned house was nigh unbearable.  But it's a neat house full of interesting history (featuring the ubiquitous Carters of Virginia, among others), so I'm glad I went.

Wilmington, DE

Place Visited: Wilmington, Delaware, USA
Date: July 2017

I had a coupon for free admission to the Delaware Museum of Natural History, so I decided to go.  No, it's really not anywhere close to me, and no, it wasn't really worth the drive.  It was small and had some very clever displays (and yes, I spotted Dude), but not something worth driving across two states for. That said, the drive itself did wonders for my mood and clearing my head, so the trip in general was totally worth it.

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.

Midcoast Maine

Location: Rockland, Portland, Wiscasset, and Freemont, Maine, USA
Date Visited: July 2015

I visited Maine for the first time this summer in order to take part in another first: my first bike tour, the Maine Lobster Ride sponsored by the Bicycle Coalition of Maine. We just biked the 15 mile route, but next year we're definitely going for the 30.

I saw and did so many awesome things on this trip, I don't even know how to sum it up. So I'll do what I always do, which is make bulleted lists:

Yummy food:

• Taco Trio
• Rock City Cafe
• 158 Pickett Street Cafe
• Catbird Creamery
• Salvage BBQ

Great shopping:

• Rock Paper Scissors
• Artist and Craftsman Supply
• Hello Hello Books

Nifty sites:

• Tall ships promenading along Casco Bay
• Bug Light Park
• Portland Head Light
• Urban Farm Fermentory

In short, Maine is great and I would definitely go back.

Baltimore, MD

Location: Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Date Visited: July 2015

Video Games Live is a fantastic show of video game music performed by a live orchestra and chorus, with game footage and other fun stuff projected on a screen behind the performers. The lead vocalist, Jillian Aversa, is a friend of ours, so when the group was in town we all went to see the show. Definitely recommended. We also enjoyed our dinner at City Cafe beforehand.

Portland, ME

Location: International Cryptozoology Museum, Portland, Maine, USA
Date Visited: July 2015

First of all, this museum is pretty tiny, and unless you're already convinced of the existence of Big Foot, you'll probably be more amused than amazed. That said, I had a grand time, and even picked up a coelacanth keychain.  Definitely worth a stop if you're in the area.

Rockland, ME

Location: Rockland, Maine, USA
Date Visited: July 2015

As part of our entrance fee for the Maine Lobster Ride, we also received free admission to the Farnsworth Art Museum. Lovely little place. Well worth the side trip.

White River Junction, VT

Location: White River Junction, Vermont, USA
Date Visited: July 2015

This was just a quick stop on my trip, but we did enjoy our time at the visitor's center. WRJ is such a great town.

Sedona, AZ

Location: Sedona, Arizona, USA
Visited: July 2008

When driving from Phoenix to Flagstaff, we stopped in Sedona, land of gorgeous rocks. I was interested to read that it was named after a woman, as I've never met anyone named Sedona before. It's kind of pretty.

Champaign, IL

Location: Champaign, Illinois, USAVisited: June-July 2012
Sometimes it feels like my hometown was holding out on me, because I've certainly discovered a lot more new awesome things about it since I left than I ever knew about when I was living there full time. The top page is mostly dedicated to food - I try to eat at places we don't have in Virginia whenever I visit - while the second spread is all about The I.D.E.A. Store, which is one of the most amazing stores ever.  If you're ever in the area, be sure to take a gander. You never know what you'll find there.

Elkridge, MD

Location: Elkridge, Maryland, USA
Visited: July 2011

I stopped by the Elkridge Furnace Inn because it's on the National Register of Historic Places, and while I was snooping around the grounds, looking for any additional snarfs, the head chef saw me and brought me inside for a tour. Super nice guy, as I noted. I have to go back and eat there sometime.

The "brief history" that takes up the bulk of the page is actually a single fold pamphlet that opens up to reveal - what else? - a brief history of the inn.

Fort Worth, TX

Location: Fort Worth, Texas, USA
Visited: July 2008

I had a free day during a business trip to Dallas, so I stopped by the famous Stockyards. Lunch was at Riscky's, where I ate calf fries before I knew what they were (and I can't really say whether I would have eaten them had I known). But I have no regrets! The weather was beautiful and my waitress was totally awesome. One day I'll go back when I have a little more time to plan ahead.