Sites in Central & North Jersey
While meandering our way from Central New Jersey up towards the New York border, we listened to Blind Faith by Joe McGinniss; this is a true crime book that took place near where I grew …
The New Jersey Botanical Garden
The New Jersey Botanical Garden was an unexpected delight, and it was free! And we got very lucky because it had been pouring on the day of our visit, but stopped just as we arrived, …
Grounds for Sculpture
I’ve recently come to the conclusion that maybe sculpture isn’t for me, as I mostly find myself muttering “What the…??” However, I’m making an exception for the works of J. Seward Johnson (1930-2020), a descendant …
The Popcorn Park Animal Refuge
I always hesitate to go to zoos, as I usually just feel bad for the animals, but the Popcorn Park Animal Refuge in Forked River, N.J., is a place near and dear to my heart. …
Baltimore Museum of Art
The Baltimore Museum of Art was founded in 1914 and has nearly 100,000 items in its collection. If you’re a Henri Matisse fan, you’d be in heaven – they have more than 1,000 of his works. …
Architecture / Authors / Books / Music
Scenes from the Pine Barrens and Asbury Park
I grew up on the Jersey Shore, living in Forked River until I graduated college. My parents moved a town over to Whiting not long after, where my grandparents were living in a retirement home. …
The American Visionary Art Museum
The American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore, Md., was founded in 1995 and contains 67,000 square feet of exhibition space. The museum specializes in “outsider” art and its permanent collection is 4,000 pieces strong. CNN …
The Pittsburgh Glass Center Bead Making Class
While visiting Pittsburgh, Penn., Doug and I took a class at the Pittsburgh Glass Center. I love glass art, and many years ago we’d made paperweights in a class we took while in Oregon with …
Architecture / Art / Authors / Beer, Wine, & Spirits / Food / Museums / US Presidents
Random Sites In and Around Baltimore
By a totally crazy coincidence, Doug and I were visiting Baltimore at the same time as our lovely and adventurous friends Don and Jen. Don was in town for a conference, so we only got …
The H. L. Mencken House
While in Baltimore we visited the H. L. Mencken House. As so often happens in our relationship, I’ve never heard of H.L. Mencken and Doug is all “Oh, I know Mencken, I’d love to tour …