On a hilltop overlooking the Patapsco River Valley, stabilized ruins sit serenely in a park just above Ellicott City. I’ve known vaguely that these are the former Patapsco Female Institute, which was founded in 1837 as an elegant finishing school for young women. Despite living in Ellicott City for almost two decades now, only recently […]
Month: January 2016
The Lost Post
C&O Canal Between Monocacy Aqueduct and Catoctin Creek Aqueduct I call this the lost post because I had this article almost completely written — I was just feeding in the photos, when my beagle, Meeko, sat his big fat hairy butt on my little laptop and butt-erased most of the post. I was more sad and […]
Getting to Know the Ghosts of Gettysburg
Gettysburg is as known for its ghost tours as the battle itself, which caused so much alleged paranormal activity. The ghost tours are everywhere! Stroll along Baltimore Street or Steinwehr Avenue at 7 or 9 pm and you’ll see multiple groups. There are now more than a dozen to choose from, a ridiculous number for […]
My Top 5 Winter Day Trips
Periodically (i.e., whenever the whim strikes me, I’ll post my top picks. This another in the series of the My Top Picks posts. Links to the original posts will be embedded in the text. Let me know what you think of this new blog feature! 5. Snowtubing, of course!There are lots of places to go, […]
Snow Tubing Winter Fun
One of my favorite wintertime activities is to go snowtubing. It’s better (although more expensive) than going sledding, and for those of us intimidated by skis and snowboards, a great alternative. It’s one heck of a great way to feel like a kid again! My favorite place to go is Boulder Ridge, part of the […]
Day Trip on a Budget: Fort Necessity
This is my first day trip on a budget post, and I’m going back to one of the first posts of this blog: Fort Necessity, which is part of the national park system, for the material. I’ll be drawing on a lot of my day trips to national and state parks, because quite honestly, they’re […]