Maryland my Maryland

I lived in my home state of Maryland for close to 40 years, until I took a job in New England and moved away. For the last year and a half, I have been physically located in New England, though I find that a significant part of my heart remains in Maryland. This surprises me, because I had been ready to try living somewhere new and was bored with Maryland. Of course, it is the leaving that helps you realize what it is you left behind.

Luckily, going home is an easy hour-long plane ride, and last Fall I had a day with a friend with nothing on the agenda. We decided to wander.

We headed east to look into some thrift shops for doors that my friend wanted for her home. We didn't find the doors, but we did find the aptly named world's ugliest ashtray, in a building with the most crooked stairs I have ever seen.

We also decided to stop along the way to visit the Crow Winery which is, believe it or not, hidden away behind these beautiful fields of corn. The cornfields, which were so boring to drive through as a kid, are now a sign that I am in familiar territory. Even better when a family run cattle ranch and vineyard is tucked away behind them.

When we got out of the car at the vineyard, the proprietor approached us. "Oh, are you here to volunteer?" Um, what's this, now?

It turns out we stumbled upon harvest season, and they needed people to help sort the grapes. They offered us a freebie - wine, or beef - in exchange. In all honesty, we would have volunteered completely for free. The next thing we knew, we were standing at a conveyer belt, sleeves rolled up, with other wine-loving individuals to the right and left of us, sorting through the grapes as they came down the conveyor belt, pulling out any stems or twigs or (live) bugs that we could find. We felt not unlike Lucy Ricardo.

Bonus: when we returned to the winery a few months later for an event, they remembered us and gave us free t-shirts as a thank you for volunteering!

I now know just how many bugs and twigs can make it through into the vat of grape juice as it ferments into wine. I know this, and I am okay with it. I still drink the wine.

That night, we went on a scheduled ghost tour of Easton, MD. My friend and I love ghost tours. Do we believe in the ghosts? Maybe. But believing or not, the tours are always a great way to get a unique view of a local place, it's characters, and its charm. Plus, what is spookier than wandering around a graveyard at night?

I had no idea that Maryland could be this interesting.

That's me, sorting grapes.

Bonfire

I had never been to a bonfire.


I went home for a weekend last year to run a Halloween-themed 5k with a friend, and because it was Halloween weekend, there were lots of fun local things to do.

We joined some other good friends for an evening at Unity Churchill Nursery, in Churchill, Maryland, for their annual Burning Bush festival. Guests are invited to bring non-native invasive plants for a ceremonial burning.

We indulged in yummy food, ice cream, and mead, and then headed down a long, dark, windy path through tall grass to the pyre.

A great percussion ensemble played music while nursery staff lit the blaze.

We enjoyed the evening in the crisp fall air, surrounded by nature and the elements.

That's me on the left.

Maine is a little weird

I decided to get out and about today, and was inspired by a friend's recommendation of the best Nordstrom Rack being just an hour and a half away, in Portland, ME. We don't have a Nordstrom in New Hampshire. At all. In the entire state. So while the Rack is not the full-on retail store, I figured that could be a fun destination around which to build a day trip.

I head towards Portland, and stopped at the rest stop in Kennebunk for a quick pit stop, though got sucked in to the Popeye's chicken. I tried to resist, but couldn't do it. While I standing in line, I couldn't help but notice how bizarrely different each person was around me. Everyone seemed perfectly nice, but there was a refreshing lack of homogeny that we just don't see in New Hampsha.

Onward to the Rack where I was largely disappointed. I tried on a whole bunch of stuff and nothing was quite right. I ended up leaving with two pairs of Smart Wool socks (if you haven't tried these socks, do your feet a favor and get some), and a replacement moisturizer, since they had the only I like for travel at half off.

So, my time wasn't totally wasted, but yeesh.

Onward from there to downtown Portland. Note to self: be sure to plan future visits to Portland so that I arrive earlier in the day, as everything closes at 6pm, even on Saturdays. 

Well, not everything. Bars and restaurants stay open later, but I really wasn't in the mood for jello shots, thank you very much.

I arrived downtown at 6:10, too late to try to enjoy the gin distillery tasting room or shop at Simon Pearce. I did get in a very nice evening walk, though I didn't take too many pictures. It was chillier than expected, and while I remembered to bring a light jacket, it wasn't enough to be comfortable, so I kept my hands mostly in my pockets. Additional note to self: remember that it is generally ten degrees cooler in Portland or on the sea coast than it is in southern New Hampsha.

The last suitcase you will ever buy

I have been pondering buying a new suitcase for a while. I have a great duffel-style carry on that I got from Eddie Bauer on sale for a steal. I love this bag, but have coveted spinner wheels and perhaps a bit more packing versatility. This bag will remain my go-to for short trips, thought.

Before going to France last year, I bought a slightly bigger carry on bag. It's Samsonite, and I bought it from Marshall's for not very much money. I thought I might be getting a bargain, but instead, I got what I paid for. It's a nice bag, good size, expandable, fits a lot. But the handle you use to pull it is already, after less than a year, starting to get wobbly, and the spinner wheels require you to muscle the suitcase along so badly that I just drag it on the back two wheels anyway.

So, it's getting the job done, but is far from perfect.

I really want to find the last suitcase I'll ever buy, and I think today I did just that.

A friend recommend a company called Away Travel. They have minimal options, but what they do, they do really well. They have two sizes of carry on, and two sizes of larger suitcase, and that's it. All have a hard case, which is great because when I do check bags, inevitably they arrive at my destination full of wet, soggy clothes from sitting on the runway in the rain. Also, the hard case will protect a laptop, should I need to check my computer for a future trip.

The suitcase has a TSA-approved rechargeable battery which can connect to a USB port and charge all sorts of electronics (to provide some context, it can charge an iPhone 8 times). Compression straps, a shoe compartment, a laundry bag, and tons of internal space make this bag really versatile.

I can't decide if the best part is the lifetime warranty or the 100 day return guarantee. You can use the thing and still return it within 100 days if you find it isn't right for you.

I realize I sound like an ad for Away Travel; I swear they are not paying me to write this. I just really love great travel gear.

You can share the joy of the perfect suitcase as well! Use this link to purchase your new best suitcase for $20 off!

I'll be sure to post photos of  mine when it arrives!

Pumpkins

Last Fall, I was invited to meet a friend and former coworker at the Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence, Rhode Island. He was there to scope out a Halloween exhibit that the zoo puts on every year, to see if it's scaleable for the zoo where works.

He told me it was a Halloween event, and I knew it involved pumpkins, but wow. Just...wow. What a thing to behold. The exhibit itself was one thing. About a half mile trail, lined with pumpkins. Big pumpkins. Little pumpkins. Teeny tiny pumpkins. Pumpkins that are several times bigger than I am. Pumpkins up in trees. Pumpkins on the ground. All were detailed in their carvings. All were real. All were hand carved. There were thousands upon thousands of pumpkins, grouped into themes. There was an alien theme. A move theme. A political theme. Some were just nifty jack o lanterns.

The pumpkins themselves were amazing, but the real impressive part, for me, were the two men who showed us around. They are the contractors who bring this exhibit to the zoo every year. They commission the artists. They choose the music. They direct placement of the pumpkins. They know where each and every pumpkin is placed and how it should be presented. As we walked through the exhibit, if a guest had shifted a pumpkin even the slightest bit, these guys knew.

They knew about the artistry, about the sound, about the wiring, about where to acquire the requisite pumpkins. They were so proud of their work, and it showed. These men are true artists. This show was a thing to behold.

It's always a gift to meet people who are doing exactly what they should be doing in life.

Travel plans - 2017

Travel for this year thus far is as follows:

January:
Started the year in Florida
Ended the month heading to San Francisco and Sonoma/Napa.

February:
Quick trip to Maryland for Oscar weekend

March:
Florida

April"
San Diego

May:
Spokane, WA
Maryland

June:
Houston
Dallas
NYC

July:
Pittsburgh

August:
TBD (Woodstock, NY?)

September:
Heading to Italy

October:
Florence and Venice!

I have been working on honing my packing skills so that I can advance to expert level. I await compression cubes and a packing folder to see how those help me cram as much as possible into a small carry-on bag. I am also experimenting with toiletry bags, actual cloth vs plastic (for liquids).

I'm not sure what it is about this point in my life that is inspiring me to travel so damn much when I only took maybe 2-3 trips a year in the past, but I like it and hope I keep it going.

I [heart] art museums

Robert Indiana

One of my favorite things to do, especially when I travel, is visit the local art museums. There are always new exhibits to see, and as a former visitor services professional, I enjoy details that others tend to take for granted. For example, I notice where the trash cans are placed, and how accessible the space is. I really take note of the staff and volunteers and how they interact with guests.

Today, I went to the Baker Museum, in Naples, Florida. It’s a small museum with a very nice Robert Indiana exhibit. He’s the artist who designed the iconic “LOVE” sculpture that’s now associated with Philadelphia. Off to a good start, we were excited to head upstairs to join the tour in progress.

Art is all around us.

My background is in literature, not art, but I spent many years as an educational interpreter and I appreciate good educational zoo or museum experiences. This was not a good educational experience. This poor lady seemed so out of her element. She did not know the artworks at all, and would stop to read the card next to each piece, reading the name of the artist to us. She pointed to one painting, saying only “the broad brush strokes evoke the movement for which the impressionist period is known.” The piece was not an impressionist painting. And the brush strokes aren’t the hallmark of impressionism. And also … that’s it? The brush strokes? That’s all she had to say about this painting before moving on to a portrait. She read the name of the subject off the card, and then said, “And this is a very nice portrait of [subject’s name.]” And moved on. We didn’t follow.

Sometimes I do not get
modern art. 

What a contrast to a recent private tour I was lucky enough to receive when I met with the volunteer coordinator at the Currier Museum in Manchester, New Hampshire. This is a lady who not only knows the art in her museum, she loves the art in her museum. She took me around that museum, showing me all of her favorite pieces, telling me the stories behind them, and comparing one piece to another. It was fascinating. After we were done, I looked at my watch and was stunned to see I had been there for nearly two hours. It felt like minutes, that’s how interesting her tour had been. She also shared knowledge not just about the art, but also about the building itself, and the founders of the museum. I love that stuff.

Also terrific was the tour guide/educator at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. She had several specific pieces of a modern art exhibit chosen ahead of time, and walked us through each one, asking leading questions, and encouraging us to come to our own conclusions

about the pieces before telling us more about the history of them. She had chosen pieces that were drastically different from one another deliberately to highlight the different elements that can go into creating a work of art. My absolute favorite was Chuck Close. He made the most incredible large format portraits. They look so realistic that even up close, I would have bet money it was a photograph. My eyes said, “photograph” even after my brain read “portrait with oils” on the info card. Chuck became paralyzed and couldn’t paint the same way anymore. The educator took us around the corner to look at a large portrait done mosaic style. It was huge, and gorgeous, and impressive. And it was done by the same artist. After his paralysis, he found a way to create within and around his physically limitations. Thanks to that educator, my eyes were opened in a way they would not have been without her information and enthusiasm. Thanks to her, I saw more than two styles of portraiture, more than two lovely if slightly different ways of depicting a person. I saw the will of the spirit. I saw perseverance and beauty. I saw the way that art will find a way.

Rock Paper Scissors

Want to know the best part? At the Baker, I saw some abstract paintings by Willem de Kooning. When I looked up Chuck Close’s name to make sure I was getting it right, I learned that he was influenced by de Kooning. (I need to learn more about this, as Close made exceptionally realistic portraits, but de Kooning is known for abstract works).

Art and the spirit and humanity – it’s all connected, even across time and geography.