Trompe l’oeil, the finest example we’ve ever been privileged to see was in Montpellier, France. We were never meant to stay in Montpellier, but it proved to be a best of the best experience.

The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception sits on the campus of the Catholic University of America, in Washington, DC. The dome, which reaches a height of 237 feet and boasts spectacular shades of blue and gold, can be seen far and wide.

Dumbarton Oaks Museum and Gardens is a missed opportunity for many visitors to Washington, DC. It’s a bit off of the main tourism lane and unfortunately, too many miss this gem.

Let’s take a picturesque stroll through the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden. Shall we?

If you’re of a certain age, you remember typewriters, right? And, what did you use to erase typos back in the dark days? A typewriter eraser that spun on a little wheel insert and it had bristles to wipe away the erasure dust. There it is, pictured above. The world’s largest typewriter eraser. Created by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen

Kinetic Art; art in peaceful silent motion.

Once upon a time we lived about 45 minutes north, of our current home, in Frederick, Maryland. It’s a beautiful mid-size city with a population of about 70,000. It was our home for nearly three years and it’s where we were living when we sold our house and bought one-way tickets to Europe. But, that’s another story.

#Hikers365Challenge. Happy New Year! I think the question begs to be asked, will it really be a year of new and good, or a repeat of not-so-good that enveloped the past two years? Never give up hope, but oy vey, Omicron. What’s next?

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.

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.

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.