Social media fueled magazine for Washington D.C. Suburbs

A few years ago, a college buddy of mine suggested that we spend our summer trekking through the remote jungles of Amazonia. As enticing as this proposal sounded, the thought of contracting malaria, being robbed blind by shady tour guides, shot at with poison arrow darts, and eventually disembowled by ravenous tigers was not exactly my idea of a great vacation. So he suggested that we take a weeklong canoe trip down the Chattooga River instead. I stared back at him blankly. Had this fool even seen Deliverance?

“And this is where the famed Clint Eastwood film, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil was filmed,” said the plump, geriatric tour guide on her fourth reference to the movie in 20 minutes. Savannah loves its history and evidently loves being immortalized on celluloid as well. It makes sense, of course. The city begs to be filmed, a romantic relic to a bygone era, a distinctively Southern bygone era. I had my misgivings when I found myself there covering the local food scene at two Kessler properties, the Mansion of Forsyth Park and the new Bohemian on the Savannah River Front. My experiences in the South were limited. I had only been to Atlanta once before and hadn’t been particularly impressed by its much touted charms and traditional cuisine. Being that I don’t get to choose my assignments, I had little choice but to go. Images of a feisty Paula Deen and deep fried sticks of butter kept coming to mind. ‘I hope my arteries can handle this assignment,’ I thought while booking the tour.

For a minimal room and board fee, the advertisement indicated, one could enjoy a complimentary “working” threeday weekend at the old historical inn in Cape May, New Jersey in exchange for some light labor preparing the inn for their opening season. Alternately, you could sign up for fall, when the leaves become crimson, the guests' teeth start to chatter during walks along the seashore and the inn closes her eyes for a long winter's nap.

Weary of expensive vacations and tourist traps and seeking a new adventure that wouldn't break the bank or involve extensive travel time, my girlfriend and I decided to spend a long weekend at the inn to experience our first "staycation." The application form for The Chalfonte Hotel had a list of “chores” for which you could offer your talents. One could choose painting, landscaping, carpentry, cleaning or laundry. It’s ironic how all of the chores you dread doing at home suddenly sound fun when you get to “pick just one.”

Whitetail Resort
13805 Blairs Valley Road Mercersburg, PA 17236
717.328.9400
skiwhitetail.com

Liberty Mountain Resort
78 Country Club Trail Carroll Valley, PA 17320
717.642.8282
skiliberty.com

Wisp Resort
296 Marsh Hill Road McHenry, MD 21541
301.387.4911
wispresort.com

There is no place like home and nothing more comforting than a hot cup of soup, especially when you are sick as a dog.  Let me rewind and tell you about our recent (November of 2010) almost disastrous visit to Barcelona, Spain.

I asked my wife to join me at the end of a business trip to Barcelona.  My mother-in-law was in town and she was nice enough to agree to look after our children.  I made my hotel reservation at the new W Hotel Barcelona or as the locals call it Otel Doble Ve.  Things started great.  I have the dubious honor of being a Platinum member of Starwood Hotels which include W, Westin, and others.  So I was upgraded to a suite with the view of the Mediterranean, “Wow” lighting, remote controlled curtains, rain forest shower and more.  I looked forward to my wife arriving to town.

Many readers of this story may be native to Northern Virginia and know every hamlet from the Potomac River to the Blue Ridge. But for transplants like me, every trip in the man-van has the potential to uncover something interesting and new. On a recent excursion beyond the D.C. suburbs we discovered the wonderful little town of Winchester, VA.

Sunday was a day of mixed emotions.  Sitting in a sweltering church made of tin for two and a half hours on a hard bench listening to the Creole prayer was trying.  Watching the children sneak us smiles while they sat still in their Sunday best was heart-warming.  Sharing communion with the Haitians was special.  But the music was the true equalizer.  You just could not sit still during their hymns.  After the service, I took pictures of the children and they loved to gather around to see themselves on the digital screen.  This was my favorite moment in Haiti.

Since returning from Haiti, I am having a hard time processing our amazing, yet excruciatingly difficult week, as well as
re-entering the cyber-sports-work-commitments-back-to-school-phone-calls-doctors-appointments-$300-grocery-trips excessive land I call home. Not to mention, I was proud of my strong stomach in Haiti, especially as 8 of my 20 teammates were sick there .... but, I spoke too soon, and upon my return, I have had to call the doctor, eat bland foods, and really rest.

Right in the middle of James Taylor & Carole King singing "Shower the People You Love with Love," my diva sis-in-law said she could now take a JT concert off her bucket list. Made me think about mine. Was that why I wanted to go on a mission trip to Haiti in the middle of August? I know why I signed up on the church bulletin board 5 months ago. I had just heard Father Robb of St. Matthew's Episcopal Church deliver a sermon about "Taking the easy, and happy route in life. That was ok, but not really the life for which we were intended." I also had one of my best friends and fellow parishiners, Paige Fishel holding my hand. She was the last name on the list. 6 more openings. So easy to sign up when it was 5 months away. A few weeks later another BFF would take a spot, Beth Cascadden, and then a Chick's Picks customer, Sharon Adams, asked if she could join. She is a yoga and fitness instructor; great skill set to have on the trip too! Yep, this IS right .... it was MY payback time. My time to "take the hard road," to challenge myself, my faith. To get OUT OF MY BOX!!

My husband and I just enjoyed a much needed getaway for the Memorial Weekend. Let me clarify that.  HIS was a much needed vacation from work. Since I have recently become unemployed, it almost went against my grain to feel I have to get away from anything and go on a so-called “getaway.” Since escaping - albeit briefly - from the work world, leaving the nine-to-five in a cubicle, and doing what I’ve always wanted to have the time to do (be careful what you wish for...) - write, take photographs, paint - I just somehow couldn’t justify “getting away from it all,” and I almost felt guilty. Damn those nuns.