10 Things I'm Going to Miss about Frederick

The past several days have been a whirlwind of moving preparations. Finishing up the house inspections, doing a few repairs, selling furniture, and finalizing our liveaboard boat arrangements. It's a process that is both frustrating, nerve-wracking, and incredibly exciting. I've hardly had any time to stop and think about actually leaving Frederick and Maryland. But today I wanted to celebrate a few things about this wonderful little city that we've called home for the past four years. 

10 Things I'm Going to (Terribly) Miss about Frederick:
Evening walks downtown -- After dinner, Mark and I usually take Solo for a quick walk around downtown. We know the best alley-ways and places to stroll. We've gotten to know the neighbors and at least are on friendly-waving-terms with most of them. It's a simple little ritual that I will miss. 
Lunches on the canal - One of Frederick's main attributes is the number of fantastic restaurants downtown. Several of them are situated on the Carroll Creek Canal. Eating Saturday lunches on the patios, listening to the ducks quack and birds twitter will be greatly missed. One of our favorites is Doner Bistro, a German restaurant with a bit of Greek and Turkish flair. You haven't lived until you've tasted bratwurst in curry sauce. 

Hearing the carillon bells from my patio -- On Sundays, Mark and I like to eat lunch on the patio, if the weather is good. Seated at our tiny bistro set, we can enjoy some warm sunshine and listen to the distant tolling of the Frederick church bells and sometimes, the carillon (bell tower) at Baker Park. Every time, I feel like I've been transported to some other country. 
Trail runs at Gambrill State Park -- Another great thing about Frederick: the mountains are about five minutes away. Gambrill State Park is one of our favorite places for an impromptu camping trip or a quick evening trail run. I'm sure we'll be coming back to go camping in the future! 

Drinks at our local brewpub -- The first restaurant we visited downtown was Brewer's Alley. They have the best food and drinks. Seriously, if you're ever in town, go to Brewer's Alley and order their fish tacos. Or if fish isn't your thing... Aloha pizza. I'm telling you, you won't regret it. 
Watching the ducks at Culler Lake -- Every spring and summer, there are little baby duckies at Culler Lake, one of my favorite spots in the city. I love to take their pictures; Solo loves to bark and chase them. 

All our favorite shops, especially this one -- Frederick has its fair share of adorable boutiques. Our favorite by far is Citizen Frederick, a men's clothing and grooming store where most of the good are handmade or American-made. There's even an old-school barber shop upstairs! It's worth visiting just to smell all the good smells. Sandalwood, cedar, leather-- yum! 
Impromptu milkshake treats from Frederick Fudge and Ice Cream -- Seriously, this place has the BEST peanut butter milkshakes ever. Although this little burger shack came in close second. But Frederick Fudge and Ice Cream is within walking distance of our house-- so it wins the milkshake duel. 

Knowing all the shortcuts and back alleys to avoid traffic -- I've lived here long enough now that if I see a traffic jam up ahead, I know the best alleys and shortcuts to get around it. I'm no longer married to my GPS while driving around town. I actually know my way around. I know I'll learn DC too, but the first months in a new city are always intimidating. 
Our favorite sandwich shop  -- When you drive into the industrial park that houses this sandwich shack, you find yourself thinking "Wait. Is the GPS right?" Or if you're following someone: "Wait... Is this the part where they kill me and hide the body in an abandoned warehouse?" Okay so maybe not that extreme... But AKA Friscos has the best sandwiches, salads, and oh-heaven-why-are-you-so-good-to-us exploded potatoes. I have seriously considered buying some to-go tins of those potatoes just to get me through the first week in DC. 
What are your favorite things about your hometown?

The Oldest House in Washington

Welcome to the Old Stone House. Rather perfunctorily named, don't you think? 

Dating from 1765, the Old Stone House has the claim to fame of being the "oldest building on its original foundation in our nation's capitol." Like most old homes, the Stone House changed hands and looks several times over the course of its 250 year history. Originally owned by the Layman familiy, the Stone House consisted of just one room and had absurdly thick walls. In 1775, a rather wealthier lady (Mrs. Cassandra Chew) purchased the building and added the second and third floors-- giving the house its present appearance. Apparently, Mrs. Chew lived in the home with fifteen slaves at one point. Why one earth one lady needed fifteen slaves, I don't know!

Our National Park Service purchased the house in the 1950s due to the number of local Georgetown residents clamoring to protect the site. When I read that the NPS protected the house, I was surprised. Whenever I think of our park service, I picture the National Mall, Glacier National Park, or Yellowstone-- some sweeping natural vista. Not a little stone house in the middle of a busy city. Yet people recognized that this little house represented something unique and special.

Its simple beauty juxtaposes the domineering national monuments elsewhere in D.C. The house is not a monument to some heroic deed, national figure, or historical war. Instead, the Old Stone House stands as a monument to everyday life in colonial Washington. A monument to cooking, sleeping, dining, and working. A monument to the reality of life for some of our nation's very first citizens. 

Overtime, the Old Stone House has gained some legends. According to the museum employees, most of the familial records about the property are limited. Things like property records, lists, deeds. The primary legend of the Old Stone House involves Washington's favorite hero: our first president, George Washington himself. 

In 1810, the Old Stone House housed a clock shop run by a man named John Suter, Jr. In fact, the grandfather clock pictured above? One of Suter's clocks, built in the house in the 1800s and returned when it became a national monument. Coincidentally, the Suter family also operated an inn where President George Washington and Pierre Charles L'Enfant stayed while the designed the federal district. Somehow, the legend became tangled, and local folklore named the Old Stone House as the location of Washington's headquarters. We may never know for sure if Washington visited the house, but due to its history, it stands to reason that he may have visited and certainly at least saw it, maybe even strolled past its front door. 

One of my favorite features of the Old Stone House is the lovely English-style garden located behind it. True to its design, the garden reminded me of William Wordsworth's beautiful garden at Dove Cottage in Grasmere, England. All windy paths, tangled hedges, and sun beams. I commented to Mark that I could just take a book and sit on one of its benches all afternoon.  If you're in the Georgetown area and haven't visited the Old Stone House, I highly recommend it. I love how our nation preserves these beautiful places for us to visit, explore, and enjoy. May as well take advantage of the opportunity! If nothing else you can pretend to be Elizabeth Bennett traipsing about your dining room and kitchen. And what woman hasn't considered that fantasy? More info about the Old Stone House: Official Park Brochure Facebook Website Follow

Camping at Gambrill State Park

Last weekend, Mark and I welcomed August by camping overnight at Gambrill State Park, just a short distance from Frederick, Maryland. As we drove the short ten minutes from home to park, I couldn't believe that a place so quiet, serene, and woodsy existed just a tiny drive away. Abruptly, the suburban sprawl ends, you pass the last grocery store, and then you find yourself winding up a mountain road. Outside, the temperature cools as the mountain breezes begin to blow. Next thing you know, you've arrived in this nugget of wilderness just off the beaten path.

Deciding to camp overnight was a somewhat spontaneous decision. We both felt the need to "get away" but didn't have the time (or the funds) to go gallivanting off for the weekend. When Mark suggested camping, I thought "Hey why not? Smores sound pretty nice!"

One of our favorite trail-running and hiking haunts is Gambrill Mountain. On a whim, we checked to see if the area had a campground and, sure enough, it did. We scrounged our spare change for the site fee and packed our camping gear in the back of Mark's truck. Off we went!

There's something truly wonderful about camping, about going unplugged and unconnected. No electricity, television, cell-phones, iPads, laptops, or carhorns. Nothing to distract or stress you. Our only worry was keeping Solo away from the firewood pile. Apparently, pitbulls like to "help" by breaking and chewing all the firewood sticks. Re-positioning the little guy's leash solved that problem, much to his dismay.

We settled on the site's picnic table for a simple campfire meal. Around us, the woods sparkled with the pulse and hum of fireflies. I think that simple light captivated me as much as any Netflix show. I don't know that I've ever seen something so beautiful in its simplicity. "I could just sit and watch this all night," I remarked, mesmerized.

Our night was simple: frisbee, cards, dinner, and of course smores. We settled to sleep in our little tent and awoke the next morning to birdsong. You can't really go wrong with that, now can you?

Gambrill State Park

8602 Gambrill Park Rd.

Middletown, MD

My Summer Bucket List

Living in Georgia as a teenager, I used to dread summer. Summer meant 100+ degree weather, humidity so high and thick you felt like you were breathing underwater, an endless cavalcade of gnats, and my lily-pale skin taking on a boiled lobster hue. The only times fit for outdoor activities were early morning or early evening. And you best be armed with a glass of sweet tea because even then the heat could linger, rippling over the driveway asphalt. A visible, almost tangible, heavy heat.

Over time, however, I've grown to love summer. Perhaps it took experiencing a real winter to really appreciate the scorching summer sun. This year, after slipping on ice and shoveling away feet of snow for the upteenth time, I told myself This summer I am not going to complain about the heat. Not once. And I meant it. Even as hot as it has gotten this year, I have truly enjoyed the tingle of the sun on my arms, the heavy warm air, and the pulse and glow of fireflies at night.

To truly take advantage of this season, I put together a fun summer bucket list of things I feel truly encapsulate the freedom of these long summer days. I may not get around to all of them--after all, it wouldn't this list would lose the fun aspect if I forced myself to check off each item like a mandatory to-do list. Instead, its just a bucket list of things I both love to do and want to do this summer 2015.

1. Read, read, read.
As I mentioned earlier, one of my favorite things to do in the summertime is catch up on my reading. So far, I've read about four books. My goal is six by the end of the season!

2. Finish renovating our kitchen.

3. Camp at Chincoteague Island and kayak to see the wild ponies.

4. Indulge in something sweet at Rita's Italian Ice.
Hello, Georgia Peach Gelati, I'm looking at you. 

5. Eat clean and green.

6. Visit the downtown farmer's market.

7. Have a cookout on the patio.
Preferably one complete with a little table cloth and a jar of wildflowers.

8. Bike around historic Frederick.

9. Eat a juicy tomato-mayo sandwich, with a fresh banana pepper on the side.
These things are sacrosanct in our family.

10. Experiment with fresh salsa recipes.
I already burned our pants off with a recipe chock full of fresno chiles. 

11. Write several book chapters.

12. Go for evening strolls around Baker Park.

13. Locate a Maryland lake perfect for swimming and fishing.

14. Build an old-door headboard for our master bedroom.

15. Catch a jarful of fireflies.
The one bug that doesn't make me squirm or squeal. Well, butterflies don't either. 

16. Play a pick-up game of Ultimate Frisbee.

17. Watch fireworks in the park.

18. Go to a baseball game.
If you live in Frederick and haven't yet been to a Keys game, you need to go. So much fun!

19. Plant more flowers that any reasonable person needs.

20. Try my hand at plein-air painting.

We'll certainly be checking some of these off this weekend!

What's on your summer to-do list?  Got any special plans?

Comment below, I always love to know who has stopped by!