April 1, 2016 by Jaclyn

ColoRADo 2015: Rocky Mountain National Park

When we sat down to plan our trip to Colorado, we didn’t have many “musts” on the agenda. Mostly, we just wanted to spend time with Dan and Danielle and have them show us what they wanted us to see in their area. But there was one thing I did request – a day at Rocky Mountain National Park. I love our national park system – visiting Acadia with my grandparents and Yosemite with my parents are some of my fondest memories from childhood. Taking my kids to national parks has always been high on my list of family to-dos, and Steve had actually never been to one of the big parks before. (He’s been to Great Falls a million times, of course, and to various smaller DC sites run by the NPS, but not a big park – nope, not even Shenandoah.) So we told Dan that we really wanted to visit RMNP, and he was on board. Dan and Danielle live near the park and love to visit.

You’ve already seen some of our pictures, because we did our November hike around Bear Lake, deep in RMNP. But I hope you’ll indulge me and look at a few of them again, and a few more pictures of the park besides. It was just so breathtakingly beautiful.

Shortly after we arrived in the park, we saw this massive herd of elk. Apparently they’re very common – to the point that they will meander down to Estes Park and disrupt traffic. But we still thought they were amazing and majestic!

We pulled over on the side of the road for a few photo sessions every time there was a herd within eyesight. Danielle is truly gifted at spotting animals – and maybe more. Dan has told us that whenever Danielle expresses a desire to see an animal, as if by magic, they see the animal that same day. Even shy bighorn sheep are no match for her wildlife summoning powers. I told Dan he’d better pray she never takes it into her head that she wants to see a yeti.

We drove through the park and stopped now and then to marvel at the scenery. It was a good way to see the sights – with the kids still bundled cozily in their car seats.

As we got deeper into the park and continued to gain in elevation, the turns got sharper and the roads more harrowing – but the scenery was that much more spectacular. My knuckles were white, though, as we inched around some of those switchbacks.

As you know, though, the payoff was so worth it. Bear Lake was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been.

Heart-stoppingly beautiful.

After our hike around Bear Lake, we were all starting to get a bit peckish, so we drove down into Estes Park for dinner. Estes Park was an adorable and historic town with cute shops and restaurants and an adorable playground that, had it not been dark and cold out when we were walking around, I know Peanut would have loved.

We started out by strolling down a walk that ran the length of a sweet little stream and took us right into the center of town.

The restaurants were warmly lit and all looked so cozy and welcoming. We set course for a pub that Dan and Danielle recommended.

(Detour to check out the playground.) I really wish we’d been able to see more of Estes Park in the light! Like with Nederland, I was sure we were missing out on a lot of charm, by not seeing these places until after dark. Oh, well – I’m sure there will be other visits, so we’ll get a chance to play in all the best Rocky Mountain spots.

We warmed up from our chilly hike and walk with a delicious pub dinner. Steve got an elk burger, and I was more than mildly horrified that, after we saw herds of beautiful elk roaming free and wild in RMNP all day, an elk burger was what sounded particularly good to him – ha! I stuck with a turkey burger (I don’t eat four-legged friends) and a glass cowboy boot full of stout. Because when you’re in the Rocky Mountains, you drink glass cowboy boots full of stout. Hey, I don’t make the rules.

What a fun day! RMNP was incredible in its winter finery. Now I can’t wait to visit the park – and Estes – in the other three seasons! Next week, our final recap – I’ll share photos of a spectacular hiking spot not ten minutes from my brother’s house. Check back!

March 25, 2016 by Jaclyn

ColoRADo 2015: Opting Outside on Black Friday

Continuing with our Colorado adventures! We left off in Denver on the day before Thanksgiving. Back in 2015, I showed you pictures of our Rocky Mountain turkey day, so let’s roll right on to Black Friday. For years, I’ve fantasized about spending Black Friday on a peaceful family hike in the wilderness, but since we usually trim our tree on the Friday after Thanksgiving, we’re always busy decorating the house and getting ready for Christmas (which is also fun, don’t get me wrong). But this year, since we were out of town, our tree-trimming festivities were pushed back and we had a wide-open agenda on Black Friday. So my hiking dreams became a reality!

We started our day with a “walk around the block.” Dan lives in Roosevelt National Forest (yes, he lives in the National Forest – I know you’re jealous; I am too) so when he “takes the dog for a quick walk around the block,” what he really means is that he’s hiking on gorgeous wooded trails. We loved checking out his neighborhood of a few other cabins tucked into wooded clearings. (My hermit heart was singing.)

We saw this amazing sign ^ and I had to snap a picture to send to my sister-in-law Emma, who keeps backyard chickens. She totally needs a sign like this for her property.

And we took the occasional break to snap a picture and send it back east. Hi, Mom!

(If you’re wondering whether Dan is wearing a ladies’ hat, the answer is: yes, he is. Again.)

If this was my “block,” I’d walk around it every day!

We headed home for a quick lunch, and then were back at it, on our way down to Boulder to hit the trails there. Our destination…

Chautauqua Park, home of Boulder’s famous Flatirons! The Flatirons are beautiful rock formations towering above Boulder. I was itching to see them, but sadly, it started snowing fairly hard and our view was obscured. Even without a crystal clear day, though, Chautauqua Park was beautiful.

You can see a little bit of the Flatirons here. The whole park was dusted with sparkling snowflakes.

We walked about a third of a mile into the park and enjoyed the scenery, then decided to turn around because the kiddos’ cheeks were starting to feel quite chilly.

But not before we snapped a family picture!

(I know they look miserable, but they’ll thank me one day when they have a family yearbook to look back on and remember the fun we had together.)

(“You sure about that, Mom?”)

We turned around and picked our way over the slippery, snow-covered trail back towards the car. The view of Boulder was almost as pretty as the view of the Flatirons! We were all hungry and thirsty after a day of playing in the snow, so Dan suggested we head into town and hit a German biergarten that he liked. Sounds good to me! As we walked through the downtown area, I mused that I should probably order a beer, since we were going to a biergarten, but that what I really wanted was something warm. Imagine my delight to see a mug of gluhwein delivered to the table next to us, just as we were opening our menus. I will have one of those, please.

I’d never had gluhwein before. It smelled incredible and tasted even better. Only complaint was that it was gone too quickly. Yum.

We also split a pretzel and an order of fries. Peanut and the boys handled the fries themselves, but I put a hurting on the pretzel. It was almost as good as the pretzels our DC friend Stephen makes. Almost.

Not a bad way to spend Black Friday! I’d say that two hikes and a German biergarten made for a far better day than fighting the crowds at Target!

Next up: Steve’s first visit to a big national park!

March 18, 2016 by Jaclyn

ColoRADo 2015: Exploring Denver

Our trip to Colorado involved a lot of hiking. Like, a LOT of hiking. Steve and I, and Dan and Danielle, all really enjoy hiking, and there is so much jaw-dropping natural beauty in the Rocky Mountains – so it was no surprise that every day when we discussed what to do, we always wanted to hike. Still, we knew we had to mix in some more kid-friendly activities for Peanut’s sake. She’s a good girl, and I do believe that introducing kids to our natural environment through family hikes is a fun and important thing to do – but there’s only so much time a three-year-old really wants to spend in a hiking backpack. We wanted to be mindful of that and to make sure that we planned activities with her in mind; after all, it was her vacation too. And so we put together a day in Denver that was pretty much all about Peanut – starting with the Denver Zoo!

I have complicated feelings about zoos, and am on record as not being thrilled with our local zoo (or aquarium, for that matter). After a lot of thinking, research, and soul-searching, I’ve come up with the following articulation of my position: I’m not wild (pun intended) about the idea of zoos in general, but I recognize that they present the only way most people get to see and be in proximity to majestic animals. (Most of us are not lucky enough to afford African safaris.) If a zoo is well-designed, such that the animals seem happy and are not exhibiting stress behaviors, and the zoo places emphasis on education and conservation, I am cautiously okay with it. A zoo that is poorly designed, or does not have up-to-date facilities to ensure the animals’ health, comfort and well-being, and that prioritizes entertainment over education and consumption over conservation is not something I am able to support. (As for fairs and circuses, NEVER.)

All that said, and with only a morning’s worth of actually experiencing it, I was pleased with the Denver Zoo and happy to take my family there. The zoo was expansive, clean, and the animals seemed happy. (My brother, who also feels strongly about Earth and the creatures we are supposed to be stewarding, is also comfortable with the Denver Zoo.) So that’s how we spent our morning – checking out Denver’s animal population!

Our first stop was, OF COURSE, the sea lions! Peanut is a pinniped enthusiast – she sleeps with two stuffed sea lions and a harbor seal – and at any zoo or aquarium featuring sea lions (her favorite), we must visit them first. (Actually, if Peanut had her way, we’d spend the entire time with the sea lions.) The Denver sea lions were adorable – happy and playful – and we watched them chase each other around their habitat for more than twenty minutes. We only left – reluctantly – when everyone was getting too cold, standing in one spot for so long.

Mom got a treat, too. Peanut might love sea lions, but I love regular lions! The big cats are always my favorite – I used to love visiting the lions and their cubs at the National Zoo in DC – so I was over the moon to hear that the Denver Zoo had two lion cubs of its own. They had just made their public debut the previous day, so we were some of the lucky first few people to get to see them. They were so stinking cute, I cannot even.

(Sorry for the terrible picture quality. The cubs and their mom and aunt were behind a glass partition – I think for warmth – and I had a bad angle, so you can see the reflection of the crowd control fence. Just ignore the glare and focus on the cuteness, please.) The only sad thing was that Aunt Danielle wasn’t there to see them. She had to work – boo. We all missed her.

We visited a few more animals and caught part of the elephant show – very cool and educational – and only left when Nugget was hungry and Peanut was starting to get cold. (My only complaint about the Denver Zoo was the lack of nursing facilities. I ended up feeding Nugget in our parked rental car – a cozy mothers’ lounge would have been nice. But I do realize that most people will not have need of that particular facility.)

After the zoo, we headed across town to the Denver Aquarium. (Doing both in one day was definitely not the most efficient use of time. The zoo is close to the Denver Science Museum, so that would have made more sense for most people to do. But we knew we probably only had one day to really explore Denver, so we had to squeeze in the sights that Peanut would enjoy most. Next time we’re there, we will try to hit the Science Museum and the Children’s Museum – I was disappointed to miss out on that one.)

The Denver Aquarium, like the Denver Zoo, was really cool and Peanut had a ball. (Please ignore her mittens. Some battles are not worth fighting.)

We got to walk through this really cool underwater walkway, while rays and sharks swam all around. Peanut was absolutely enthralled. The girl loves marine life.

Another treat for Mom – a tiger! Don’t ask me to explain why this tiger is resident at the Aquarium instead of the Zoo. (As my brother said, “What? Tigers like water.”) He was absolutely stunning.

I mean, WOW.

Peanut was duly impressed.

After the tiger, we continued making our way through the aquarium toward the other big attraction – a stingray petting pool! Uncle Dan was totally into it and bought a little basket of shrimp to feed the stingrays.

Yikes! He offered to share his shrimp but the rest of us declined. So he got those stingrays all to himself. Lucky guy…? Peanut was on cloud nine because a mermaid, who had been sitting by the petting pool but was on her way back to her “tank,” waved to her on her way out. (She talked about the mermaid for days afterward.)

After the aquarium, we had one more stop to make – REI! The Denver flagship store was just down the block from the aquarium, and I really wanted to visit. On top of just wanting to see an REI flagship store (I’m not the only one who considers REI a tourist attraction, right?) I needed a hat and gloves. I wasn’t expecting the cold snap and hadn’t packed appropriate winter gear. (And yes, Nugget pulled his sock off just as I was snapping the picture.)

So we warmed up in REI and spent about fifteen minutes exploring and checking out all the cool gear, then I grabbed a hat and gloves and we headed back into the mountains. (If there’s any store where you can wear a hiking backpack around and no one bats an eye, it’s REI, amirite?)

Denver is such a cool town! We definitely only scratched the surface. I hope we’re able to spend a lot more time there in the future. Next week, we’re back in the mountains.

March 9, 2016 by Jaclyn

Twelve Months Hiking Project: Final 2015 Recap

Well, we did it! Twelve months of hiking in a different place each month! We managed to get ourselves outside and on the trails not only when the weather was nice or it was easy to get out the door, but also during the frigid cold of last winter in Buffalo, and even when we had a newborn baby. I’m really proud that we made a commitment and stuck to it, as a family, all year long (even if it was a fun commitment to explore our local hiking trails and get out hiking on vacations). It was a wonderful year, full of big breaths of fresh air, warm sunshine on our faces, and lots of joy as we explored together as a family. And in case you missed any of our recaps, I’ve gathered links to each of them here.

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January: Reinstein Woods Nature Preserve (Cheektowaga, New York)

February: Knox Farm State Park (East Aurora, New York)

March: Como Lake Park (Lancaster, New York)

April: Times Beach Nature Preserve (Buffalo, New York)

May: Darien Lakes State Park (Darien Center, New York)

June: Sprague Brook Park (Glenwood, New York)

July: Great Falls National Park (Great Falls, Virginia)

August: Eternal Flame Trail, Chestnut Ridge Park (Orchard Park, New York)

September: Niagara Falls State Park (Niagara Falls, New York) – with Rebecca!

October: Letchworth State Park (Castile, New York)

November: Bear Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park (Estes Park, Colorado)

December: Tifft Nature Preserve (Buffalo, New York)

Happy trails, indeed! We put feet on so many beautiful trails last year. Here’s to another year of fabulous hiking in 2016!

March 4, 2016 by Jaclyn

ColoRADo 2015: Indian Peaks Wilderness

Our second full day in Colorado was a big one. I’d asked Dan to show us the very best of his adopted home state, and he came through in a major way, starting with Indian Peaks Wilderness. If he was trying to show us how spectacular the scenery is less than thirty minutes from his house, he succeeded.

We got to Indian Peaks and suited up in our winter gear. The temperatures were very low – the Boulder-Denver area was enduring a vicious cold snap while we were there – but it wasn’t particularly windy that day, so it was really quite comfortable in the sun. Dan told us that we were going to walk to Brainard Lake, and he promised that it was only about a half mile hike along the road. Normally, he explained, we’d drive all the way, park near the lake, and hike the trails – which would be more to everyone’s enjoyment. But on this particular day, the road was closed – whether that was for the season, or just because of the snowfall, I don’t know – so our hike became a road walk. Although we’d have loved to explore the trails, a road walk was okay by us, too. There was snow on ground and it was deep in some areas, and we were up over 10,000 feet of elevation, so anything to make the walk a bit easier on the littles was welcome. The road was nice, but Dan’s promised half mile turned out to be two miles each way! Oops. It was just more scenery, and the kids were champs, so in the end it was fine.

Heading off on our walk! See that mountain? Our goal lake is at the base.

Shortly after beginning our walk, Dan pointed out a small path leading down to a pristine little pond. Steve wanted to stay on the road, so Nugget, Dan and I opted for a quick visit. So beautiful!

Seriously feeling so happy to be able to share all this natural beauty with my little boy!

We continued on our way, marveling with every step at the jaw-droppingly gorgeous views. As you can see, although this was a “road hike” it was still quite challenging! Between snow and ice making some of the footing treacherous, and wading through ankle-deep powder in other spots, plus the high elevation, it definitely wasn’t the easiest stroll we’d ever taken. I was happy to be getting in a good workout, though, and the mountains made for a good distraction from burnin’ legs and lungs.

Holla, Pawnee! I got unreasonably excited to see a sign for Pawnee Campground! Dan did not understand why I was laughing and snapping pictures because – now, this may come as a shock – he doesn’t watch Parks & Recreation. I know. I was appalled, too. But I forgave him, and instructed him to watch it ASAP.

Somewhere in there, the little dude fell asleep. That’s one cozy snowsuit!

Finally, just when our endurance was starting to flag, we made it to Brainard Lake… and the long walk turned out to be well worth it.

Cannot. Handle. The. Beauty.

After a tough year, many sleepless nights caring for a newborn and worrying about the future, it felt so good to be together as a family in such an awe-inspiring place. All our hard work and struggles just seemed to drop away as we took in the beauty all around us. I know it’s cheesy, too, but I was so grateful that Peanut and Nugget got to take this trip – even though they’re little, and Peanut will probably remember very little of it, and Nugget none at all. I want them to grow up with an appreciation for our beautiful natural places, and this trip was a good early step toward that goal.

After taking in the view for awhile, we headed back toward the car and made our drive down through the mountains, back to Dan’s house. We reunited with Danielle – who sadly had to work most days, and was missed very much during the activities she couldn’t attend – and headed out for dinner in Nederland, a cool little town not far from Dan and Danielle’s cabin. Our first stop in Nederland was the Carousel of Happiness, an all-wooden indoor carousel. I was a little stressed about some work drama (that lasted all week) but this Carousel did put a smile on my face the moment I saw it.

We managed to squeak in for the last ride of the evening. Dan and Danielle grabbed animals to ride on…

While Peanut and Daddy settled onto a bench. Peanut was pretty apprehensive about the whole thing – the carousel employees actually nicely delayed the start for us while we tried to talk her into riding. In the end she pretty much had to be dragged on, but I think she had a good time! Nugget and I didn’t ride – we had fun watching the lights, listening to the music, and waving at the rest of the family as they went by. (In retrospect, I probably could have brought Nugget on and sat with him on one of the benches. But someone had to be the photographer!)

Peanut was a lot less apprehensive once she was off the carousel. She enjoyed petting this wooden tiger. What a nut!

After the carousel, we headed to an Indian restaurant that Dan and Danielle had been wanting to try out. Since we’re all big fans of Indian food, it felt like a great fit – the food was delicious, and we pretty much had the place to ourselves, which meant very few people had their dinners ruined by our rambunctious children.

Nugget sat on Aunt Danielle’s lap and made grabs for her water while Steve and I attempted to bribe, threaten, cajole and browbeat Peanut into eating dinner. (Every. Single. Night.) Nederland was so cool – I just wish we’d gotten to see it in daylight! And I wish we’d been able to explore more of the trails around Brainard Lake. I guess we’ll just have to go back!

Next week, I’m taking a week off from recaps to celebrate a little guy who is turning ONE! But the week after that, we explore Denver – check back in two weeks!

February 26, 2016 by Jaclyn

ColoRADo 2015: Getting There and Settling In

Here we gooooooooo! For the next few Fridays I’ll be recapping our second vacation of 2015 – our trip to Colorado to visit my brother Dan and sister-in-law Danielle for Thanksgiving. This trip was a BIG DEAL for us – a big expense, a big effort, and a BIG payoff, because it was totally worth it to get to spend ten days with family members that we love so much and don’t see enough, enjoying one of the most beautiful places in the world (where they are lucky enough to live!). It was also a major first for us – the first time we’d flown with either kid. I spent the weeks leading up to the trip talking up the plane flight in a big way, and Peanut was excited. Nugget was not.

I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the flights went really well. Steve and I were both working the whole time – Steve entertaining Peanut and me keeping Nugget fed, calm and happy – so as to not ruin the flight for the rest of the passengers. Thank the travel gods, both kids behaved as well as I could possibly have expected. Nugget didn’t sleep, of course, because Nugget doesn’t do that sort of thing. But he was happy to eat, play and look around, and he had quite a few fans by the end of each of our legs out to Denver.

The first leg took us to Atlanta, which was weird for me! In my previous job, it so happened that I spent a lot of time in Atlanta, and I know the Hartsfield-Jackson airport like the back of my hand. I went on autopilot and started wandering off toward the C terminal, from which the flights to DC always depart. Ha! Steve was laughing at me. But it did feel strange to be in the ATL and not headed to work meetings, and to be toting a baby instead of a briefcase. Anyway, it was a fun blast from the past for me, and Peanut had a ball watching the planes out the window. There’s our ride to Denver!

We made it safe and sound to Denver, and Uncle Dan and Aunt Danielle were waiting for us when we arrived at the airport! They were toting a car seat that we’d ordered and had shipped to their house, so that we didn’t have to worry about renting one when we got to Colorado. (I’d heard horror stories about arriving at rental car facilities to find that they’d given a reserved car seat to someone else, and about rental car seats that were broken, unsafe, or dirty – so figuring out car seat logistics was actually my top priority for trip planning. We ended up taking Nugget’s car seat with us and buying a new seat – on sale – for Peanut. We’re keeping it at Dan’s house for future visits. It was the perfect solution!)

We spent our first evening relaxing at Dan’s house, and were ready to play the next morning!

After a relaxing morning around the house – well, relaxing for the kids, anyway; Dan, Steve and I each had to squeeze in a little work almost every day – we headed into Boulder to explore a bit.

Downtown Boulder was beautiful! At Danielle’s suggestion, we took a walk down the Pearl Street Mall. It reminded me of the Ithaca Commons – so pretty!

We had lunch at a cute little pub and brewery – I had black bean chili, which sounded like exactly what I wanted, and it hit the spot. Peanut enjoyed mac and cheese and some crayons.

And tortilla chips. Heh.

After lunch, we found a cool playground with bronze and concrete animals. Peanut dubbed the playground the “Ugly Pond Museum.” She had a ball running around and riding the animals, like ya do.

Totally jealous that Dan and Danielle live so close to this cool town! We didn’t even scratch the surface of Boulder – there was so much to see.

Next week, a hike, a carousel, and Indian food – check back!

January 27, 2016 by Jaclyn

Twelve Months Hiking Project: Bear Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park (November 2015)

As promised, continuing with my recaps of the final months of our family commitment to hike in a different spot each month, I have a great one for November: Bear Lake at Rocky Mountain National Park! I’ve been itching to visit Bear Lake ever since I started following RMNP on social media – the pictures the park posts are always stunning. When we decided to visit Colorado over Thanksgiving, one of my first acts was to research Bear Lake to find out if it was a hike that our family could do, with two tiny ones along for the ride. What I learned was that, once you get there, the hike itself is short and mostly flat. Excellent. Sign me up.

Of course, first we had to get there. Bear Lake is deep within RMNP, and we visited on a day of snow-packed roads. The winding drive up from the park entrance to the trailhead would have been harrowing under the best of circumstances. But in winter conditions, in a flimsy-feeling rental car with Arizona plates and no snow tires, it was kind of terrifying.

It was also beautiful.

After a white-knuckled ride up, we arrived at the trail head and suited up in our winter gear (and for half of our group, our baby carriers).

Elevation 9,475 feet! We just kept climbing and climbing on this trip – hard to believe that the air would feel thick in Denver – but it did. Between hiking at Indian Peaks Wilderness, over 10,000 feet in elevation – more on that coming in a few weeks – and Bear Lake, and staying with my brother in his cabin at over 7,000 feet, we were definitely out of our element. I think we all adjusted fairly well, though, and the hiking didn’t pose much of a problem. We did have to take it slower than we would at sea level, and we got out of breath a little more quickly, but overall I think we adapted quickly.

As I said, the Bear Lake hike itself wasn’t too difficult. The lake was only about 250 feet from the trailhead, and it was only a half mile to circumvent it, so that’s what we did. Had the weather been warmer, I’d have loved to explore more of the lakes in the area. We’ll just have to go back, in a warmer season next time.

We started out on a well-groomed path from the trailhead to the lake.

As with many of the hikes we did in Colorado, the trails were hopping! As you know, I love seeing other like-minded folks out and about and enjoying nature, so I was delighted.

The lake itself was spectacular. Hard to believe something this incredible was only a five minute walk from the parking lot. Only in Colorado!

After marveling at the view for a few minutes, we headed off on our hike around the lake. (Well, first we asked a fellow hiker to take a family picture of our entire group, thinking Nana would enjoy seeing all of the kids and grandkids assembled in such a beautiful spot. It was an epic fail and we ended up deleting the picture because it was so bad. The guy cut off all of our legs and squeezed the group into the bottom corner of the picture so you could hardly make us out at all. What are people thinking?)

Ah, well. Into the woods!

The entire hike around the lake was beautiful. My only complaint? I wish it had been four times as long! Well, maybe not – by the time we got back to our car, what felt like only a few minutes later, the kids were chilly and were definitely ready to cuddle up in their car seats. But we made the most of our brief time in RMNP. I’m already itching to go back!

After RMNP, we headed to nearby Estes Park for a delicious pub dinner and more exploring, but I’ll tell you all about that when I recap the trip.

The hiking in Colorado was really spectacular. I actually had a hard time deciding which hike to use as our November hike, because we were out exploring on foot almost every day and we did some really incredible walks. But Bear Lake felt right for this project, after I’d dreamed for months of visiting it. The snowy hillsides, craggy mountain peaks, and fresh pines combined to make a truly magical experience. Now I want to see it in summer!

Have you ever hiked at a national park?

November 20, 2015 by Jaclyn

OBX Trip 2015: One More Day in Old Dominion

On our way back from the Outer Banks, we had one more stopover – just one night (not enough time – it’s never enough time) in Alexandria, Virginia, where we used to live. This time we didn’t make plans to see any friends – we’d managed to connect with just about everyone we wanted to on our way down to OBX, and since we weren’t going to be in town very long on this pass through we just wanted to spend the time enjoying our old haunts – which meant Old Town.

We spent our last three years in the DC area living just south of Old Town, a few miles downriver and down the G.W. Parkway, and Old Town was basically our neighborhood. We were there every weekend, almost all weekend. Our farmers’ market, our favorite brunch spots, our favorite walking trails, and our church were all in Old Town. I miss all of those places every day that I’m away, so we made it our mission to hit as many as possible.

First stop was Fontaine Creperie, which was probably my favorite restaurant in Old Town. (Well… maybe. It’s actually more like a three-way tie between Fontaine, Pizzeria Paradiso, and The Grape & Bean.) It was Sunday, around noon when we rolled into town, so the place was packed with brunchers and the post-church crowd, but we were able to squeeze our family of four into a table for two. I enjoyed every bite: latte, Moroccan crepe…

And the Bella (Nutella and strawberries!) for dessert, shared between Steve, Peanut and me. (Sorry, Nugget.)

After Fontaine, we were pretty much stuffed, but we weren’t done with the Old Town Food experience – not by a long shot. We swung by The Grape & Bean to pick up iced coffees to take on a walk through the town.

The Grape & Bean is pretty much unlike anyplace I’ve been in the States. It’s a wine shop and communal table restaurant that serves amazing coffee, delicious French and Spanish dishes, and lots and lots of incredible wine. It reminds me a bit of a restaurant Steve and I visited one night in Beaune, France.

Iced coffees in hand, we strolled down the street to Founders Park, my favorite green space, right on the Potomac.

I love it there. Our walk was haunted by the memories of summer weekends past – and holidays, too. Like one Independence Day, when we lounged on the grass with our friend Carly, watching the boats and eating cherry pie right out of the dish.

We walked back along the waterfront and stopped to admire the view of the docks. (And hello Chart House! I had my law school graduation dinner there. Yum.)

Nugget was zonked.

Back on King Street – the main drag – we stopped into Why Not?, a children’s store that had always intrigued me. Peanut was still really young when we moved away, and I had never really explored the kids’ boutiques. She’s definitely interested in the merchandise now, so we had fun checking out the toys – and then I got really excited when we ventured upstairs and found a roomful of BOOKS! And not just any books – USBORNE BOOKS! Usborne publishes some really cool and unique kids’ books and I’d been on the hunt for a few for Peanut for ages, but they’re not easy to find. I let her choose what she wanted and she picked a book about outer space and one about airports. That’s my little nerd! We also grabbed a gardening alphabet, Good Night Virginia (to add to our collection!) and a couple of Usborne books for older kids, which I’ve put aside.

After all the walking, Steve and I were both feeling pretty thirsty, so we made our way back to The Grape & Bean, for the grape this time. Yes, we went twice in one day. Don’t judge. It had been two years.

We both ordered a French rose, and it was crisp and refreshing and summery and perfect.

Obviously, there was one place we absolutely had to hit while we were in town, so we closed out the evening at Pizzeria Paradiso.

Couldn’t decide what to get, so we ordered two small pizzas instead of one large: a Paradiso with mushrooms and pine nuts, and the Genovese, a potato-pesto creation that is my favorite thing on the menu. (Well, second favorite. The free olives they bring to the table are the best thing ever.)

Love this crowd.

The next morning we were up bright and early, the better to squeeze in a bit more fun before heading back north. We started at Le Pain Quotidien.

I had the smoked salmon breakfast, and I split an avocado tartine with Steve. Both were out of this world.

Fueled by LPQ, we headed off for one final stroll around Old Town before we had to pack up and roll out of Old Dominion. I could never get enough of walking through the historic streets, drinking in the scenery and the beautiful old homes.

Before leaving, we stopped for one more meal (I know it seems like we did a TON of eating on this overnight, and we did, but it had been so long since we got to enjoy our favorite places – we decided to treat ourselves, not worry about it, and get back to eating like grownups when we got home – so that’s exactly what we did). We swung by our old favorite sushi place and enjoyed some fresh seafood. Even Peanut got in on the act:

She’s an extraordinarily picky eater, but she will randomly eat her weight in sushi (don’t worry – she’s old enough for it, and we moderate her intake). It was good to get some fresh food before our long road trip. (Which was miserable – Nugget screamed the entire time – so let’s just look at the pretty Old Town pictures and pretend that part never happened, okay?)

Until next time, Old Dominion! No matter where I live, I’ll always love you best.

Have you ever been lucky enough to live in your happy place?

October 30, 2015 by Jaclyn

OBX Trip 2015: Seven Sunsets

The sunsets on the Outer Banks are justifiably famous. I know there are gorgeous sunsets all over the world, but something about these makes them special. As a treat to myself for vacation, I photographed and Instagrammed the sunset every night for the week of our getaway. Here they are, in all their glory:

Day 1:

Day 2:

Day 3:

Day 4:

Day 5:

Day 6:

Day 7:

Ahhhhhh. What’s the best sunset you’ve ever seen?

October 23, 2015 by Jaclyn

OBX Trip 2015: Light Bright

The Hatteras Light, with its ascending black and white spirals, is one of the most recognizable and beloved sights on the Outer Banks. It’s a must-visit for us each time we vacation on Hatteras. As kids, my brother and friend and I used to make a beeline for the lighthouse as soon as possible – in addition to being imposing and extremely cool, it was the headquarters for the Junior National Seashore Ranger program (a favorite vacation activity) and the backdrop for a Wednesday night campfire at which the adult Seashore Rangers would strum guitars, sing songs, and tell ghost stories to a crowd of appreciative kids and parents. All this is to say, the Hatteras Light is a fixture of our beach vacations and I couldn’t wait to see my kids enjoying it too.

In an effort to get a little more ocean time, Steve and I decided to mix up the routine one morning and hit Lighthouse Beach instead of doing our usual sound-lunch-nap-ocean. The first order of business was a visit to the lighthouse itself.

(I had to walk halfway across a field to get the entire lighthouse in my frame.)

Near the lighthouse is the ranger station, a small Outer Banks museum, and gift shop. We didn’t stop in this time, but hopefully next time we’re in the area we’ll find ourselves there a lot – I can’t wait until Peanut is old enough for the Junior Seashore Ranger program!

You can climb the lighthouse, but Steve is not a fan of heights. So we kept our feet planted on the ground and just enjoyed a stroll around the structure.

On our way to the beach, we spotted this imprint of a little friend in the concrete!

After visiting the lighthouse itself, we set up camp for the morning on Lighthouse Beach. We don’t usually go to Lighthouse Beach during the days because it’s a bit further from our rental house than our usual beach is. But it made for a fun change from the usual.