Over Labor Day weekend we were invited to stay at a house two blocks from the beach in Oak Island, NC - how could we say no? Oak Island is less than a 3 hour drive from our place, but we still made...
Blog posts from Travel
Midwest 2023: Chicago food + drink
While we up in Chicago for my Dad's ash scattering, we got to visit a couple breweries and escape for dinner once evening with my siblings. It was great catching up and being in the same spot...
Midwest 2023: three days in Wisconsin
In 2022 we had plans to visit our friend's house on Lake Winnebago, Wisconsin, but ended up cancelling. Determined to visit, we re-scheduled for August 2023, first flying into Chicago and renting a...
Summer 2023: overnight in Lancaster PA
On our way back home from New York we stopped for a night with our friends in Lancaster, PA. After unpacking the car, they took us to Lititz to check out some breweries and local shops. Downtown was...
NY Summer 2023: food
Over the weeks we were in NY we tried a lot of different food options, from restaurants with a view to farmstands and spots in between. Below are our notes: July 2 We arrived in time to spend the...
NY Summer 2023: wine and beer tasting
July 1: Long Island Farm Brewery We stopped here after a long day of driving to stretch our legs. Though this brewery is about 30 minutes from my parent's house we had never visited before. I...
NY Summer 2023: sights
We spent the majority of July away from NC, escaping some of the heat and humidity. Though we typically worked during the day, we had plenty of time in the evening and on weekends to check out the...
Summer 2023: weekend trip to Connecticut
It has been several years since we had seen some of our family members in Connecticut, so the weekend after Independence Day we traveled up for a quick overnight visit. Our 9:30am ferry out of...
Summer 2023: overnight in DC
For our annual trip to NY this summer we decided to split the drive over two days, with an overnight in DC. That would let us see Leandra's cousin Cody, and also re-visit the Udvar-Hazy Center, a...
Scattering my Dad’s ashes
On my birthday this year, my sister, brother and I honored my Dad's wishes to have his ashes scattered by plane. My brother had a friend from his sky-diving days who owned a small airport in Ottawa,...
Italy 2023: Bologna food & drink
Monday On our first afternoon in Bologna we saw these little cakes in the window of Paolo Atti & Figli - torta di riso, so we had to try it. It is a lightly sweet cake made from rice that had a...
Italy 2023: daytrip to Modena
Modena has intrigued me for a while, after all it is the home of balsamic vinegar, with ham, lambrusco and other tasty items also produced locally. And with it being about 30 minutes from Bologna by...
Italy 2023: Bologna sights
Monday After checking into our apartment we walked about 15 minutes to the center, then onward to a view of the famous Bologna towers. There are a lot of power lines at the base, so it is hard to...
Italy 2023: 24 hours in Verona
There is always a delicate balance on where to stay and visit on our longer trips - moving every night is exhausting and impractical, but we also want to 'see all the things!' While planning this...
Italy 2023: a morning in Sirmione
Sirmione is on a peninsula - jutting into the southern end of Lake Garda - known for it's castle and spas. We wanted to check it out, and knowing it would get busy on the weekend decided to go early...
Italy 2023: lakeside walk to Garda
From Bardolino it is about a 40 minute walk to Garda. In the morning there is lots of shade, and since it was Saturday the path was busy with dog walkers, bicyclists, etc. Besides the amazing views...
Italy 2023: wine tasting in Veneto and Lombardy
During our planning, we became quite interested in the wine regions around Verona, and we were not disappointed in our visits. There are multiple appellations within 30-60 minutes driving, and each...
Italy: Bardolino food & drink
Thursday Dinner at La Piccola Osteria. I tried the macaroni picante (spicy) with Gorgonzola cheese, delicious! Leandra got the beef cappacio with a pile of cheese on top! We split a 500 ml carafe of...
Our Itinerary
2023 Trips
San Diego (Jan)
Orlando (Feb)
Richmond, VA (Apr)
Northern Italy (Apr)
NC Mountains (May)
Long Island (Jul)
Wisconsin (Aug)
Chicago (Aug)
Bordeaux (Sep)
Rugby World Cup (Sep)
Castile and León (Sep)
Seychelles (Nov)
Willamette Valley (Dec)
2022 Trips
Florida (Feb)
NC Mountains (Apr)
Washington DC (Apr)
Valencia, Spain (May)
Hilton Head, SC (May)
Pacific NW (Jun)
Long Island (Jul)
Florida (Sept)
Chicago (Sept)
Poland (Sept)
NC Mountains (Nov)
Euro Xmas Markets (Dec)