12 Aug
11 Aug
It’s Official: We Have Camping Mojo (and groovy sweatshirts to prove it)
When we showed up in Brattleboro, Vermont the other day, we stepped out of the truck to find blue skies, cool breezes, and the perfect New England summer weather that we are willing to drive hours to soak up each year. We also found out that our camping buddies had a little surprise for us. Last summer in the Finger Lakes we had all come up with a group logo while sitting around the camp fire one night. Eventually Joe drew it out on a paper plate that proceeded to get pinned on various trees wherever we have camped for the past year. Well.... Read MoreIs It Time To Get Darn Tough With Your Sock Drawer?
I recently read an article in the Wall Street Journal about socks, and it may have changed my life. The article was about the market for “high performance” socks made by companies such as Darn Tough and SmartWool–socks that range from fifteen to twenty-five dollars a pair. Yes. Fifteen to twenty-five bucks a pair. For socks. Some of you may want to stop reading at this point, and if you do, trust me, I understand. The part of the article that really caught my attention was when sock entrepreneur Thomas Lee said that,... Read More
06 Aug
Theo’s Philosophy of Travel: Let’s Give It a Chance
On day sixteen of our road trip through North Carolina and Virginia Theo informed me that he wanted to go home. He was simple and direct. “Daddy, I want to go home.” Max disagreed. “Daddy I want to go to another campin’ ground.” I could have stayed on the road for the rest of the summer, but alas, for a variety of reasons, it really was time to go home. However, I tried to keep both boys happy. “Well guys, we are going home tomorrow, but we are going to go camping again this summer!” Max smiled.... Read More
04 Aug
A Scavenger Hunt for all Ages: Story of the Forest, Shenandoah
We were stale. By the end of last summer, we had Max and Theo hiking up to three miles no sweat. On our trip to New York State we took on trail after trail, finding waterfalls and gorges and swimming holes. But a pregnancy and newborn took its toll on all of us, and a year later the trail blazers were rusty. Even though I had found some online descriptions of kid-friendly hikes, I decided to talk to the rangers at the Big Meadows Visitor Center so we didn’t get in over our heads with the preschoolers and newborn we happened to be... Read More
02 Aug
Luray KOA: Neat and Tidy, Meet Your Match
When my husband suggested that we break up the drive from Asheville to New Jersey by stopping in Luray, I was less than supportive. I barely had clean clothes left. There was nothing but crumbs in the pantry. I was ready for home. But pushing Wes past six hours is, at this point, a self-defeating proposition, so I agreed to a couple of nights at the Luray KOA right outside of Shenandoah National Park. And my husband was, as he so often is, pushy yet right. My first comment about the campground was “Wow, this entrance is small.” I... Read More
30 Jul
