For a fun, off-the-beaten-path adventure, my husband and I reserved a night at False Cape State Park, Virginia’s southernmost state park. This rustic park offers primitive camping on a deserted, remote beach or inland. False Cape is on the southern edge of the Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge, and you have to hike or bike… Read More Beach Adventure
On the edge of the Black Forest just across the French border from Alsace, the spa town of Baden-Baden is a relaxing stop on a European road trip. My husband and I were headed to the tiny town of Ingolstadt to stay for a few days and visit the Audi Factory there, and we had… Read More The Spa Life in Baden-Baden, Germany
School’s out and it’s time to explore. Living in Virginia, we’re lucky to have plenty to do in our home state – from beaches to mountains and from historic sites to theme parks to national parks. We also have Washington, DC on our doorstep, opening the door to plenty of cultural offerings. Want to do… Read More Summer Fun
Virginia is a great place to celebrate Independence Day. We have authentic Americana and historic sites galore. Here are some of the best places to visit for July 4: An American Celebration, Mount Vernon – Fireworks, military re-enactments, a naturalization ceremony, birthday cake and a visit from George and Martha Washington are highlights of July… Read More Celebrate America on July 4
With five people in our house who all have different tastes, making a meal everyone can customize makes feeding a crowd easier. I use my bread machine to whip up a big batch of pizza dough and from there I can make large pizzas, individual-size pizzas and breadsticks. Everyone can pick their own toppings, from… Read More Homemade Pizzas
There is nothing I can write about Anthony Bourdain that won’t be written far more eloquently by those far better at writing things. I never had the chance to meet him, though I would have loved to. His unique style of travel writing and documentary filmmaking was a huge inspiration in creating my blog, and… Read More On Anthony Bourdain
If you’ve read my previous two posts on entering contests and sweepstakes, you learned how to prepare for entering and where to find online contests and sweepstakes to enter. Besides the contest and sweepstakes websites I mentioned in my previous post, there are also plenty of opportunities to win via social media. Have you ever… Read More My Contest and Sweepstakes Hobby – Part 3
As a Francophile, I knew I had to take my kids to Richmond’s French Food Festival last weekend. The Festival is a mission of the Little Sisters of the Poor, who assist the elderly poor with independent and assisted living as well as nursing care. Richmond has plenty of food festivals, from Greek to Indian and… Read More Richmond’s French Food Festival
This delicious and easy-to-make dish is perfect for the whole family. You can serve it with some Mexican or Spanish rice, or just a loaf of crusty bread. It was a great excuse for me to use my mandoline slicer too. Heat 2 tbsp. of vegetable oil on medium heat in a large skillet. Dice… Read More Quick and Easy Southwestern Chicken and Veggie Skillet
If you’re following my blog, you know that I’ve walked you through the first step in starting up your contest and sweepstakes hobby in a previous blog post: creating a separate email address and determining how to organize your inbox. Doing this will allow you to filter the many email messages you’ll receive from companies… Read More My Contest and Sweepstakes Hobby – Part 2
Dogwood Dispatches 