Covid has driven everyone stir crazy. Outdoor activities have become more popular and small excursions have been a way to safely relieve stress. This post is less about one particular trip and more about the collection of smaller ones we've taken during this crisis. In one instance, to get some air and have a minor adventure, we headed out to the Virginia tidewater. Lunched at little bistro in Irvington and, at the suggestion of a waitress, discovered Hughlett Nature Preserve on the Northern Neck. Only about 1/1/2 hours from Richmond.
We ended up going back to the Northern Neck a year later for the Urbanna Oysterfest. The beer and wine access is confined to roped off areas (?!) - but the food and oyster combinations are heavenly. Highly recommend. The area is surrounded by lots of inlets and dominated by water. We stayed in Kilmarnock at an AirB&B - on the water, of course, and bopped around art galleries and antique shops. To some, this might be a little too remote, but we see it as a hidden gem.
Though we're now thankfully retired in Richmond, we've made a couple excursions up to Washington. It's only two hours away on US95. My old roommate - before Martha - who was also a dear friend - Charlie Smith - passed away last year. His sister, Sheila, (who I helped in a 90s congressional campaign) hosted a small get-together at the Monocle, our old stomping ground, to raise a glass in his memory. We took it as a city-get-away opportunity and stayed at the Phoenix Park Hotel. It was nostalgic and comforting to walk the area and visit with old friends. This was my "home" for so many years and I sometimes miss it.
Over the past few years, we've also taken up "house-sitting." There are several websites that facilitate homeowners who are leaving and want someone they can trust to care for their pets. These arrangements give us an opportunity to explore an area like a local - for free - and give us house-sitters when we leave town. Our first was a few years ago for a couple in Baltimore. While they went to Spain, we looked after their two cats. A recurring relationship has been with a family in Alexandria near Mt. Vernon, on an inlet to the Potomac River. Two stints taking care of their border collie, Fritz and tabby, Daisy, were delightful and Martha has kept up the relationship. More recently, we returned for a third time with their new border collie, Honey (Fritz passed on). We've kayaked off their pier, romped around Mt. Vernon, bicycled up to Old Town and visited DC restaurants and attractions. On the most recent stay we took in the Van Gogh Immersive Experience.
For one reason or another, we're always running back to Chicago and, of course, Holland, Michigan/Castle Park. In October we drove(!) with Chris and Partick to Chicago for a celebration of Cathy Clarke's 100th birthday. Nate drove up from Nashville. I used it as a creative opportunity to compose a nostalgic slide show for Cathy. We only stayed at an AirB&B for a couple nights in Rogers Park - where I visited a childhood home. Then made the brutal 15-hour drive back to Richmond. But it did give the boys a chance to see a couple of their cousins - Carolyn and Samantha.
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