Looking back on 2021. We had such high hopes, didn’t we? Surely, we thought, it couldn’t be as bad as 2020. It turned out 2021 proved to be just as challenging in its own right. If anyone thought we’d be done with Covid-19 by the end of the year 2020, they were sadly disappointed. At least here in the Divided States of America.

Halloween.  Dia de Los Muertos. It’s not so much that I’m madly in love with the holiday, although I do think it’s crazy fun. I am, in fact, madly in love with all things fall. The trees are bursting with color and mother nature is gearing up for winter as we near the end of October.

How to ride the DC Metro. Let me start by saying something I’ve said many times before and will most likely say again in future posts. One of the best features of Washington, DC is that it is a very walkable city. It’s easy to navigate because the city is laid out in a grid.  With that being said, if you’re not a walker or you just want to catch a ride, the city buses and cabs are easily accessible. Of course, so is the Metro.

Solomons Island is in fact an island, but you’d never know it to look at it on a map. There is just a small sliver of water that cuts its way across the peninsula. But one thing’s for sure, the big attraction to Maryland’s southern tip is water. Lots and lots of water. Solomons Island is where the Patuxent River meets the Chesapeake Bay.

White Flags on the National Mall in Washington, DC. It’s a site we never thought we’d see, but then the world in which we find ourselves is no longer the world we knew before the pandemic. 687,167 on the day we saw the flags. It’s a staggering number. A staggering loss.

There’s a new museum in town. Planet Word and it’s all about… you guessed it. The written word. You might be wondering what a new museum has to do with cocktails and cupcakes. Read more, as they say.

The Bishop’s Garden is just steps away from the National Cathedral in Washington, DC. It reminds me a bit of the classic children’s tale, “The Secret Garden”. Not so much because it’s a secret, which it isn’t, but because it’s a serene little garden tucked away behind a rock wall.

Founded in 1772, Ellicott City is one of Maryland’s many historic towns found along the scenic back roads. Located just about an hour’s drive north of Washington, DC and maybe half an hour west of Baltimore, it makes an ideal day trip from either city.

Les Colombes. White Doves. How can something so simple be so profound and carry such a serene message of peace?

Hello Boston! It had been nearly 20 years since our last visit to Boston and it was well-past time to return. As the US continues to open up after 18+ months of Covid restrictions, and with both of us fully vaccinated, we hit the road north.