My Daily Travels

It has not been the best day for my hubby, who went under the knife early this morning. Oral surgery is the worst, but I made him a pot of Italian "pastina" soup, which is made from chicken or vegetable stock, carrots, celery, onions, garlic, parsley, thyme, bay leaves, parmesan cheese, and tiny... Sign in to see full entry.

There is no shortage of old barns nestled along Pennsylvania's countryside, with the majority of them being red in color, and now I know why. Farmers created their own paint by mixing skimmed milk, lime, and red iron oxide earth pigments, which imparted a distinctive red tint that created a... Sign in to see full entry.

We have a habit of going through tires due to so much travel for my work and our road trips. We had the oil changed on Little Blue before we left for our Maryland road trip this past week, but when we settled the bill, the mechanic informed us that our two front tires would not pass inspection this... Sign in to see full entry.

On our way to visit with John's older brother, Lou, we came across this inquisitive creature along our short country drive. I say inquisitive, because instead of running, she stopped in her tracks when I braked to see if I could have a brief chat with her. I rolled down my window, let her know she... Sign in to see full entry.

Given that we have so many animals visiting our yard, and we have flowers, herbs, veggies, trees, and fruit bushes growing in every corner of our yard, nothing and everything surprises us on any given day. This morning, we woke up to a downed tree branch from a lightning strike that hit too close to... Sign in to see full entry.

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.