Travel

Fun with photos: Not Impressed

October 15, 2012

A few years ago, my husband found a hilarious way to keep the kids laughing while we waited and waited in lines at Disney World: Photo contests. I still laugh when I look at these pictures.

This time, he had an idea borrowed from McKayla Maroney’s not-too-happy photo at the Olympics and immortalized in mckayla’s not impressed.

So, while we had a great time touring Philadelphia and Washington DC last month, we weren’t always impressed.

Rough start: Not impressed with Liberty Bell but only Jilly understands what to do. . .

Not impressed with threats of detention in Philadelphia.

Not impressed with Old City Philadelphia. D still making fish lips.

Not impressed with this historic Philadelphia building.

Not impressed with a cat that doesn’t move.

No, we’re not impressed, Franklin Fountain. (okay, yes, you were delicious)

So, this is Capitol Hill? Not impressed.

White House Tour before 9am? Not impressed. (really)

Yeah, some fountain. . .not impressed.

Yeah, yeah, yeah Air and Space Museum.

Moon, schmoon. . .not impressed.

D is not impressed waiting for our bike tour to start

Jilly is not impressed with her helmet.

I am not impressed with this close-up.

Not impressed unless he comes to life like in the movie.

Yeah, White House (again). Not impressed.

Please tell me we aren’t the only goofy family that fills up the camera with photos like this. I wonder what the other tourists thought of us.

Filed Under: Fairly Odd Husband, Fairly Odd Kids, Fairly Odd Me, Travel, Uncategorized 4 Comments

I left my heart on Capitol Hill

September 29, 2012

I am not a city girl.

I love to visit cities—the energy, the great places to eat, the people-watching. . .I love most of it. But, I rarely enter any city neighborhood and think, I’d love to live here.

Capitol Hill in DC? You may have won me over.

I love the little two-level house we rented, right across the street from a public school. I love walking around the corner for milk, or to grab a bite to eat from a “dive” that was featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. I love strolling down to Eastern Market to pick up a quick something to cook for dinner.

And my girls went bananas over the Cupcake Wars winners’ shop they got to visit. Yeah, we watch a lot of Food Network.

I love being able to walk to the Capitol Building, the Library of Congress, the Botanic Gardens in the Smithsonian. I love how close we are to the Metro which can zip us just about anywhere. But, I also love our quiet little backyard—just a postcard stamp really—though so, so quiet.

Oh, and it helps that we see dogs everywhere. It makes us miss our Star so much, but it’s pretty clear she’d fit right in.

I’m not ready to give up our free-standing house, our quiet cul-de-sac neighborhood, or our happy little suburb.

But, DC? You’ve got my vote too.

Filed Under: Fairly Odd Me, Travel, Uncategorized Leave a Comment

25 reasons we’ll return to Mount Desert Island

August 29, 2012

1. The views! Every! Where! You! Look! Gorgeousness everywhere.

Day’s end in Southwest Harbor

2. $40 for an annual pass to Acadia National Park gives us a good reason to go back next summer.

3. Camping at Blackwoods Campground: big wooded lots, clean(ish) bathrooms, and so quiet in the middle of the night, I could hear the ocean roaring in the distance.

Yes, our tent. Yes, we are outgrowing it.

4. Lobster so fresh at Beal’s in Southwest Harbor, it was swimming that morning.

Before and after

5. Hikes for all abilities, even a scaredy cat like me. Though I will never ever do Beehive or Precipice. Going up the metal ladders on Beech Cliffs hike was about as radical as I’m every going to get.

I climbed this high!

6. Biking on carriage roads is the bomb. It’s especially cool when your 9 year old goes whizzing by on the downhill and disappears from view for a good long time.

The blond will be FAR ahead pretty soon.

7. 2 Cats for breakfast. Orange juice is fresh-squeezed, and the food is delish.

nom, nom, nom

8. Dive-in Theater with Diver Ed Boat Cruise. Laughed so much during this two-hour tour. It was hilarious, fun, interesting, and informative. The kids were glued to every word Diver Ed and his wife, Captain Evil, had to say. Worth every last penny.

My little Sea Cucumber lover

9. Popovers at Jordan Pond House Restaurant. As good as everyone says they are. Especially if you bike to the restaurant.

10. So, so, so clean. I never wished I had a garbage bag with me to pick up the trash I found on our walks.

11. I’ll make GORP again.

You know you want some.

12. Stars over Sand Beach. Lying on a blanket on a sandy beach nestled between rocks, gazing up at the amazing Maine summer night sky, having the constellations pointed out by a park ranger. . . so very relaxing and cool. Next time, I had better see one of the shooting stars everyone else saw, though we all got to wave to the International Space Station.

13. Swimming in Echo Lake. Warm(ish) fresh water with sandy bottom felt great after a long hike. Plus, we could look up to the mountain on one side and say, “we were up there!”

Echo Lake. Too many people to test the name.

14. Maybe I’ll touch Bubble Rock next time. Or, maybe I’ll just sit way over here again.

So. High. Up. (gulp)

15. The Boobles. One local told us to look for the two Bubble mountains by looking for the two that look like breasts. From then on, we called them The Boobles.

The Boobles. Heh, get it? BOOBles?

16. No internet service for the majority of our trip meant no fighting over iPads or video games, and no staring at screens. But, when we were jonesing for some Wifi, there were options, like this retro-funky coffee shop in town.