My Daily Travels

Let me start out by saying that the town of St. Michaels, Maryland, is a dream island straight out of a Hallmark movie. The main strip running through the historic village was dotted with period storefronts all open for business. Everyone parked and enjoyed the sights on foot. The Hooper Straight... Sign in to see full entry.

All of our hard work and overtime from this past year have paid off, and now it's time for John and me to take a much-needed break away from it all. We are heading out tomorrow morning on a mini road trip to the towns and islands surrounding the Chesapeake on the western side of Maryland. We have a... Sign in to see full entry.

A black, angry sky arrived quickly yesterday, followed by relentless torrential downpours over western Pennsylvania. In multiple areas around Pittsburgh, flooding was prevalent after heavy rain pummeled most of the area around my neck of the woods. I'm not sure how we dodged the bullets, but... Sign in to see full entry.

The one and only chipped ham is the deli meat that’s thin enough to read a newspaper through and beloved enough in western Pennsylvania to basically have its own fan club. Born out of Pittsburgh in the 1930s, chipped chopped ham (often just called “chipped ham”) was originally created by Isaly’s, a... Sign in to see full entry.

It began to lightly rain last night, and it has continued to pour down for most of the morning. The accompanying thunder in the background has offered a bit of comfort with the knowledge that the rain will continue to clean the hazy, smoke-filled air resting over Pittsburgh. Another benefit is that... Sign in to see full entry.

I woke up early this morning with a scratchy throat, and I was a bit groggy. While filling the bird feeders, I noticed the hazy sky, which is the direct effect of the Canadian wildfires looming in the air. Two bottles of water and a Benadryl later, I am feeling better. It is a day better spent... Sign in to see full entry.

I transplanted to Pittsburgh in 2002 from Nevada. I am originally from Delaware, but I lived in several states before moving to Nevada, so I have had my share of good and bad food. Pittsburgh is a foodie city with many traditional foods that started out of necessity or were handed down by the many... Sign in to see full entry.

You never know what you will see down on the riverbank, especially when it comes to wildlife, but there they were, an eagle and a squirrel chilling out together, hanging out on a tree branch. Granted, we do have an overpopulation of both in my neck of the woods, so maybe they have learned to... Sign in to see full entry.

We have a huge variety of ethnic restaurants in and around Pittsburgh, so choosing a meal can sometimes be difficult when we're looking to dine out, but we reserve Tuesdays for Mexican food. I usually order enchiladas with beans and rice, and John orders the steak tacos, but today I ordered the... Sign in to see full entry.

The past few weeks of rain have caused our grass to grow higher than it should be from an aesthetic perspective. And our visiting Robins will appreciate the shorter grass when it comes time to hunt for their meal. Between yesterday and today, the sun has dried our grass out enough for a proper... Sign in to see full entry.