Welcome back for “Day 2” of a recap of my recent “bucket list” vacation to the Tuscan region of Italy. Your response so far to the trip has been extremely positive (thank you!), and I hope you’ll stick around each week until we reach the end. Let’s get started on another day in Italy, shall we? Day 2: Orientation at the Agriturismo and Our First Winery Tour The morning is overcast and cool. I’m sitting on the terrace, nursing a…
As I mentioned in the last post, my wife and I were headed off last week for a “bucket list” vacation to the Tuscan region of Italy. It truly was one of the best weeks of our lives, and I hope to relay some sense of our adventure to you in the coming weeks. I’ll focus on one day of our trip in each post, and I hope you’ll come along for the ride. Day 1: Getting There is Part…
My, my – how the time has flown. Yes, this coming week – I will celebrate 50 years on this planet (as the helpful people from AARP have already reminded me with their recent large-font mailings). What does it feel like to be a half-century old? Well, truth be told – it doesn’t feel any different from turning 49, or 37 for that matter. In my head, I’m still the same person who it seems just graduated from high school…
Now that my youngest daughter is a proud member of the high school band, I recently got my first taste of that fall tradition that is celebrated in towns all over America – the Friday night high school football game. Now, you must understand that the town I live in has a population of about 400 people, and the high school itself also has a student body of around 400 (basically doubling the size of town on any given school…
Halloween is in full swing at the big-box home improvement store (the blue one) where I work as a Customer Service Associate (actually, we’ve had merchandise in for over a month now, but it came out in earnest over the past week). Yes, in addition to selling my normal inventory of grills, air conditioners, trimmers, and dehumidifiers – I now have to look at pumpkins, goblins and skeletons throughout my shift. If you know anything about me, you probably know…
I’ve spoken in this blog before about the Kitchen Shoppe, Inc. – a kitchen gadget and equipment store located in Carlisle, PA that also offers great cooking classes and hands-on events for all of us “would-be” chefs and kitchen enthusiasts. I just received their 2017/2018 cooking class schedule. There are some really great ones listed, and many are reasonably priced. They offer everything from “hands-on” demonstrations to multi-course, sit-down dinners where the chefs take you through the steps of successfully…
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past month, by now you’ve no doubt heard about the total eclipse of the sun that is upcoming this Monday, August 21st, 2017. The eclipse event won’t be a “total eclipse” here in the four-state area (we’ll get about 84% coverage), but that hasn’t stopped everyone locally from going off the deep end trying to get ready for it. Honestly, a month ago these yokels couldn’t tell you what an eclipse…
Ahhh, Europe. You’ve always wanted to go. Imagine wandering the museums of Paris, riding the London Eye for a bird’s eye view of the city, hoisting a pint in an authentic Irish pub, or hiking the wild highlands of Scotland. If you have the wandering soul of a world traveler, then these destinations may have always seemed out of reach due to cost, – right? Wrong! As a travel and food writer, I’m always on the lookout for good deals. …
Wow, the summer is really flying by this year. It’s already August, and even though the school year doesn’t start until September in Maryland this year (it was pushed back to a “post-Labor Day” start by state government decree last year), things are already starting to gear up on the education front – specifically, extra-curricular activities. Yes, band and sports parents know well the pull of the school campus come August. Daily fall sports practices (for things like football and…
Yes, it’s time once again for the annual Clear Spring Volunteer Fire Company’s annual summer carnival, taking place this week (7/31-17 – 8/5/17) at the carnival grounds just outside of Clear Spring, Maryland. In what’s become a sort of tradition at the Snyder household, we have driven by the grounds on several occasions on Sunday to see what sort of thrill rides and other delights the amusement company in charge of this year’s rides has brought to town for the…