“Oh when the sun beats down and burns the tar up on the roof
And your shoes get so hot you wish your tired feet were fire proof
Under the boardwalk, down by the sea, yeah
On a blanket with my baby is where I’ll be
Our Everyday
Sharing our stories, big and small.
Posts from the “travel” Category
Four years ago I brought Lucas to Pirate Adventures in Annapolis. His vivid imagination overwhelmed him and he couldn’t enjoy the adventure. He sat closely to me on the boat, clutching my handbag so that the pirates couldn’t steal it.
It was a beautiful summer day, perfect to enjoy Annapolis. I knew Penny and Oliver would enjoy the pirate experience so after four years we made our way back to Pirate Adventures. To my surprise Lucas remembered every detail of that day four years earlier; how he tripped in the parking lot and scraped his knee and the things I said to ease his worries and keep a smile on his face.
Tagged: Annapolis, Chesapeake, childhood, Pirate Adventures, travel
Tagged: beach, family vacation, lighthouse, North Carolina, Outer Banks
Forty three years ago my parents immigrated to America, leaving behind their parents and siblings. We grew up as four daughters and two parents. It was always just the six of us. Our aunts, uncles, cousins miles away and known only as names. A generation later my children have three aunts and uncles and eight cousins on my side of the family. Unlike siblings, cousins share a similar history but not the same roof, eliminating any rivalry or bickering. My children are the youngest three of eleven grandchildren. They are lucky to have eight big cousins who show them only patience and humor, granting every request for a piggy back ride, game of chase and to borrow their iPhone.
This 4th of July marks the end of childhood for the oldest three cousins, Summer, Justin and Simone. This fall they will start college as confident, independent adults. The foundation of family and love will help them make good choices, realize new possibilities and hopefully bring them home every holiday.
Middleburg is history, picturesque countryside and lots of charm. Middleburg, Virginia was established in 1787 by American Revolutionary War Lieutenant Colonel and Virginia statesman John Leven Powell, who purchased the property from Joseph Chinn, a cousin of George Washington. Powell changed the name from “Chinn’s Crossroads” to Middleburg because the town was the halfway point between Alexandria and Winchester along the popular Ashby Gap trading route, along what is today Rte. 50.
The town has a rich history, including serving as the site of two skirmishes in 1863 as part of the Gettysburg Campaign during the Civil War. After the turn of the century, the town became a popular destination for foxhunting and steeplechasing, earning it a reputation as the “Nation’s Horse and Hunt Capital”.
Tagged: celebration, chef, cuisine, food, Greenhill Winery, Middleburg, Salamander Resort, travel, wine
Tagged: Belize, Belize Ocean Club, Monkey River, Placencia, travel
Placencia is perched at the southern tip of a 16 mile long, slender peninsula. Once an isolated, sleepy fishing outpost, a mile-long concrete sidewalk serves as the main street for Placencia Village. It has the distinction of being the narrowest street in the world in the “Guinness Book of World Records.”
Tagged: Belize, Placencia, playground, travel
The Cayo District is the largest in Belize. It is located on the western side of the country which borders Guatemala. The nation’s capital, Belmopan, is in the district. The district capital is the town of San Ignacio.
Tagged: Armenia, Belize, Cayo, color, playground, San Igancio, travel
My horseback riding experience is limited to nose to tail, group trail rides in tourist destinations and I love it. It is a beautiful way to see and experience a place. I didn’t think we’d be able to ride in Belize due to our children’s ages so was happily surprised when we learned they could accommodate us.
We depart Sleeping Giant for a 30 minute drive into Belmopan. Our driver turns down a narrow, dirt road surrounded by brush. The road comes to a dead end and he tells us we have arrived. 9am, not a soul in sight. There is an abandoned shelter to my right surrounded by high grass. Where are the horses? He gets out of the car and rings a bell letting them know we are here. No one comes. We follow him down a path that opens up to reveal the river ahead and my hesitation vanishes. Our boat arrives. Using strength and a rope our boat captain literally pulls us across the river to bring us to Banana Bank. 
Tagged: Banana Bank, Belize, Cayo, horseback riding, travel
None of my children know how to ride a bike. Our neighborhood backs to a farm filled with wooded trails, streams and waterfalls. We’ve only explored the trails once. When we went to Great Falls Park last summer for a family hike we enjoyed a solid hour of whining and complaining.
Based on my children’s ages and their obvious love of adventure and exploration I had managed expectations of our excursions.
St. Herman’s Blue Hole National Park features 575 acres of forest rich with wildlife, two cave systems and the Blue Hole, a sapphire-colored pool formed by the collapse of an underground limestone cave. The main attractions in the park, the St. Herman’s Cave and the Blue Hole, are connected by an underground stream. Julio, our guide, meets us at the park entrance and fits each of us with a helmet, headlamp and inner tube. As we walk the 200 yards through the forest to the cave entrance, Julio points out the national tree, termite nests and the path left by cutter ants. When we arrive at the cave entrance my children fall silent. Backlit by the depth and dark of the cave Julio begins telling us that the Maya believed that the Rain God, Chaak, lived in caves and therefore performed rituals and sacrifices within the caves. Maya also believed that many caves were entrances to the underworld, or Xibalba. Today many native Belizeans do not venture into the caves.
Oliver clutches my hand a little tighter and whispers, “Mommy, I want to go back.”
Tagged: Belize, Blue Hole, Mayan, ruins, St. Herman's cave, tubing, Xunantunich
Our Everyday 