Renfrew Museum and Park. Day Trip.

Last week, my parents took us to Renfrew Museum and Park. It's located in Waynesboro, PA and although, I grew up 20 miles away, I had never heard about it.

Boy, have I been missing out!

Renfrew is a terrific example of a Pennsylvanian German Farmstead on about 100 acres. 

It's a gorgeous location with an amazing Heritage Garden (with numerous Heirloom vareties and TONS of Herbs) and LOTS of space for the girls to run around. They do a fantastic job with the upkeep of all the homestead buildings and the grounds. There are a handful of nice trails throughout the property.

We went on a stormy day and we weren't able to play in the beautiful Creek or take a house tour. We will definitely becoming back.

On September 6th, they will be having a Heritage Day complete with a Conestoga Wagon!

You can learn more about Renfrew here.

North Beach, MD. Day Trip.

I can't believe it's been a month since I last posted.

We've been soaking up as much Summer as we can.

Lots of Gardening.

And, honestly, I've been a bit worn out from all the referring I've been doing. The girls adore each other, but they squabble A LOT. Nye-Nye starts Pre-school soon, so it will be interesting to see how that changes the dynamics between the girls.

No large Vacation for this Summer, instead we've had several Little Adventures.

North Beach was one of them.

Neither Papa Bear and I had ever been to North Beach before, which is surprising since we both grew up in the area.

In fact, I had never heard of it before I read an article in the Washington Post that mentioned the town. 

North Beach is a tiny, very low-key Beach Town complete with a Boardwalk. There are no serious waves, which is just right for our kids at this age. There is a lovely pier, perfect for fishing. There are nets that keep out jelly-fish and large fish. And, there is the cutest two-story ship play-ground right on the water's edge.

The best part?

North Beach is only 40 miles from our house.

We left house at Anala Bear's Naptime and arrived in time for Lunch. We played for a few hours,washed off, ate some funnel-cake and drove home at 4 pm. 

Everyone had a blast.

We can't wait to go back.

Supposedly there is a terrific Farmer's Market/Art Fair/Classic Car Show every Friday. We are going to try and hit that up one Friday in September, while the weather is still warm.

It was definitely worth the money. Beach fees for Out-of-County Residents are $15 ages 12-54 and $8 for ages 3-11. The Beach was super clean, the facilities were decent and we didn't have to deal with being stung by jelly-fish. We are thinking about getting a Season Pass for next year.

Claude Moore Colonial Farm Summer Market Fair. July 19-20th 2014.

This time of year it's so hard. There are just TOO MANY cool things to do.

I can't believe it's time for "Claude Moore Colonial Farm's Colonial Summer Market Fair" already.

We have been to two Market Fairs over the last few years and it is hands-down my favorite event in Northern Virginia.

The volunteers do a phenomenal job with authenticity and food (and beer) is top-notched. They have killer meat-pies and veggie-pies, baked olives, roasted chicken among other things. 

There is plenty too do, but it's not too overwhelming to go with small children (like the Ren Festival). They always have a Kids Area with a few interesting activities. 

Everything is very reasonable and the site is quite lovely.

Claude Moore Farm has three Market Fairs a year. Their Summer Market will be July 19-20th from 11 am - 4:30 pm.

Tickets are $7 for Adults and $3 for Kids.

More information can be found here.

Here are a few photos from the Autumn Market Fair that I never got around to posting.

These two were my favorite from the day.

Baltimore Herb Festival. 2014.

It is that time of the year. Tons and tons of Plant Sales are happening every Weekend.

The absolutely BEST Plant Sale I have ever been to is the Baltimore Herb Festival.

It is a massive event held at Leakin Park with oodles of vendors selling all sorts of plants, including some hard to find Herbs. Last time I went, I came back with at least 25 different herbs ...

"Comfrey", "Mugwort", "Meadowsweet", "Lady's Mantle", "Feverfew", "Boneset", "Calendula", "Tulsi", "Lemon Balm", "Echinacea", "Pennyroyal", "African-blue Basil" and "Marshmallow"...to name a few.

If you live in the area and are curious about Gardening or Herbalism, check out the "Baltimore Herb Festival." Just make sure you bring a wagon or wheelbarrow to haul everything.

Mark your calendars, it is THIS Saturday, May 24 from 9:30 am - 3 pm.

National Arboretum.

I've been wanting to visit the National Arboretum for at least two years. 

On Friday, we finally made it.

Our Family has been a "One-Car Family" for about 4 months now (which has been a relatively easy transition). But, it means that trips with the girls have only been happening on the Weekends. 

With the weather turning nicer, I decided it was time to venture past our neighborhood

I dropped off Papa Bear at work and bit the bullet and drove into D.C.. I am notorious for getting flustered and lost, while driving in D.C..

So, I wasn't surprised when it took an extra 40 minutes for me to find the place.

It's HUGE.

We had a nice time despite the mile walk to and from the parking lot. And, the baby missing her morning nap, and the 3 year-old pooping in her underwear and the overly-tired baby screaming during most of the walk back.

It was fun, I promise. 

The Capital Columns were beautiful and both girls had a blast exploring them.

We were only able to explore a very tiny part of the grounds.

There is a large Herb Garden that I can't wait to see. But, I think I'll either go by myself or wait until the girls are a little older.

There is A LOT of walking (unless you can figure out the Tram Schedule).

The United States National Arboretum is a wonderful local resource. They have numerous workshops and an amazing Plant Sale (that actually started on Friday). There are tons of Bonsai Trees and Azaleas. And, even a Full Moon Hike.

It's a photographer's Dream.

Here a few of my favorites...