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.

Artomatic

Location: Hyattsville, Maryland, USA
Visited: December 2015

Artomatic is a lovely art show with over 500 artists, taking over an entire building. I attended the last show, in Crystal City, and I'm glad I made it to this one as well. And just barely - I finally managed to attend on the next-to-last day of the show. I was sick as a dog and it was probably a terrible idea, but I'm glad I went all the same. Very inspiring.

Charlottesville, VA

Location: Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
Visited: November 2015

We spent the weekend in Charlottesville to visit friends and to attend a Cider Week event in Richmond. We had a lovely time and drank some very tasty cider. Also that weekend we tried some kind of weird tea and ate some delicious food at Firefly and Lampo (you can't read it anymore, but at the bottom of the receipt it says, "Heroes in a Half Shell. Turtle Power."

Millwood, VA

Location: Millwood, Virginia, USA
Visited: November 2015

My original plan was to visit the estate at Long Branch but it seemed pretty closed so I wandered down the road to nearby Millwood. The Burwell-Morgan Mill was a nifty little tour, and then I had lunch at the Locke Country Store across the street, where I ate cornbread made from flour ground at the mill. Very tasty.

Washington, DC

Location: Washington, DC, USA
Date Visited: August 2015

This was my first visit to the National Arboretum. Very pretty. We toured the herb gardens and the bonsai and penjing displays. There were some bits that were confusing, where a mystery plant was very clearly not any of the nearby tags (for example, we're fairly certain this pretty purple pea pod is neither corn nor cotton nor barley nor millet nor sugarcane), but that's okay. We still had a good time. I'll have to go back in a different season. Or at least when it's not quite so beastly hot.

Afterward, we grabbed lunch at Hogs on the Hill, which was decent but not too memorable. The milkshakes from Checkers next door were, though. Wow.

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.

Chantilly, VA

Location: Chantilly, Virginia, USA
Date Visited: June 2015

Here we have a bit of a meta-post, because I basically scrapbooked a scrapbook festival. Scrapbook Expo was my first such event, though I only went for the shopping. My friend and I tried and failed to get a seat at any of the make-and-takes, but we did have a lovely lunch at Texas Roadhouse. All in all, a pleasant morning. Afterward, a couple other friends joined us at my house and we spent the rest of the day having a project party. Good times.

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.

Sperryville, VA

Location: Sperryville, Virginia, USA
Date Visited: May 2015

I went on a random drive and somehow ended up in Rappahannock Central, a little arts/shopping/dining community in Sperryville. I had a wonderful time. I started with lunch at El Quijote, where I had tapas for the first time (and next time I will be sure to go back with other people so I can try a bigger variety of dishes), then wandered River District Arts and The Middle St. Gallery before touring Copper Fox Distillery, where I brought home a bottle of single malt whiskey for my dear husband.

Now, there's no way I can list all the amazing artists I saw on my tour, but here are a few: Mary B. Allen, Leslie Hilton, Frederick Kahler, Virginia B. Costello, Phyllis Northup, and Wayne Paige. Definitely a good place to wander if you're looking for inspiration.