Archive for the ‘Adventuring’ Category
Just Because… A Follow Up
Wednesday, November 14th, 2012
Remember on Friday when I challenged you to do something just because? Well, this weekend we found ourselves saying yes to something just because. We took a trip to Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. The weather was warm, the fall colors stunning and aside from an incredibly disappointing lunch (and an incident involving frozen custard) it was a lovely way to spend the day.
There was lots of climbing—large rocks, old ruins, dried up C&O Canal locks. I had to look away for most of it and let Dave take the lead. He’s far better at letting the kids take calculated physical risks than I am. Some days I have to fight the impulse to roll them in bubble wrap before they leave the house.
Generally though there was lots of running up paths and along bridges. And the kids found treasure along the way, including brightly colored leaves and shells in the river. I brought home a few leaves to put in my press. Think I’ll frame them as a souvenir.
Have you ever been to Harpers Ferry? It’s worth the trip. Here are some photos I captured from the day. (more…)
Posted in Adventuring, Fall | 2 Comments »
Scenes from the Farm
Wednesday, October 10th, 2012
© Dave K Cooper
This weekend, we visited Sharp’s Farm in scenic Howard County, Maryland. Like many of you this time of year, our weekends are filled with apple picking, pumpkin patches, corn mazes and hayrides.
Sharp’s is a working farm, hilly and beautiful. Things aren’t perfect, they’re real. You’re encouraged to explore at your own pace and there’s something so deeply warm and genuine about it, that it almost…almost makes me want to abandon city living for the country. Almost.
By now, you probably know I love anything new; anything we can ‘discover.’ This trip was full of discovery. We met and fed the gentlest goats in the world. We listened to pigs sleeping. We saw a cotton field for the first time and picked apart fallen cotton pods to see what was inside. And we discovered a mass of bones that our little scientist gathered up for her science teacher. Of course, we couldn’t walk away without a peck of apples for pie and a big ol’ massive-sized pumpkin. It was the perfect fall day.
Posted in Adventuring, Features | 1 Comment »
Traveling With Kids | Japan
Thursday, July 5th, 2012
I am a big believer in getting out there to see the world. But when you have kids, it can seem daunting. I know first hand how amazing, and sometimes crazy, it can be to travel as a family. So I asked one of my favorite bloggers, who just happens to be an expert at traveling with kids herself, to head up a new column here called Traveling With Kids. I’m thrilled to share Jillian’s inaugural post with you today. It’s a great one. Enjoy!
When Jen from Classic Play! approached me with the idea to become a contributor I was ecstatic. And when she told me her idea of starting a column about Traveling With Kids I knew this was a match made in heaven. How incredible that I can combine two of the things I love to do the most, blogging and traveling.
I’m a mother of three kids (10 year old twin daughters and an almost 8 year old son), we live in Northern Italy and we’ve been an avid traveling family since the very beginning of this whole parenting gig. Our first overseas trip with kids was when our twins were 5 weeks old and we pretty much haven’t stopped since then. Our kids have clocked more miles on airplane than I can count and I think they’re close to hitting the 100 flight mark pretty soon.
For this first encounter I decided to jump right in and do a little write-up about our most recent trip to Japan. In the future I’ll be covering all sorts of different aspects of Traveling With Kids as well as specific destination descriptions. (more…)
Posted in Adventuring, Traveling With Kids | 16 Comments »
It’s the Classic Play Summer Travel Guide!
Wednesday, June 20th, 2012
What better way to kick off the official first day of summer than with a summer travel guide? Grab a lemonade, crank up the Go-Go’s and let’s get vacationing!
Editor’s note: this guide is ridiculously east coast biased. We have to head west one of these days!
clockwise from top left
St. Michaels, Maryland | Williamsburg + Busch Gardens, Virginia | Nags Head, North Carolina | Philadelphia Museum of Art | Ocracoke Island, North Carolina
Posted in Adventuring | 3 Comments »
Adventuring in St. Michaels and Oxford, Maryland
Monday, June 11th, 2012
photography by Dave K Cooper
It was Saturday morning. We sat around the breakfast table, bellies full of syrup drenched waffles. It was a rare quiet moment. I think it’s called a food coma. A voice pierced through the post carb loading haze.
“What should we do today?”
I grabbed my trusty friend, Laptop, and typed St. Michaels Day Trip into the search box. We had visited St. Michaels before and it was the exact place that would match the slow, laid-back pace of our morning. The searched produced an interesting link—one that mentioned wine tastings, a ferry ride and quaint farmhouses. Sold!
St. Michaels, a small historical town located on the banks of the Chesapeake Bay, is a mashup of Mayberry, maritime and money. It’s home to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum as well as Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld. Both are said to have homes there.
While visually the town is charming, think picket fences and wrought iron gates, it’s the pace that had me smitten. It’s the simple joys in life that make me happy. I live for quiet moments watching the clouds go by, leaves flutter in the trees, ships sail across the bay. St. Michaels delivered all three. (more…)
Posted in Adventuring | 2 Comments »
Adventuring | The Philadelphia Museum of Art
Monday, June 4th, 2012
This past Mother’s Day, Dave and the kids surprised me with a trip to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. After loading up the car with gas and road trip snacks, we set out for adventure. Two hours and a can of Pringles later, we arrived in the city of brotherly love. (more…)
Posted in Adventuring | 4 Comments »
Adventuring | Lilypons Water Gardens
Thursday, May 17th, 2012
photos by Dave K Cooper
I’m all about experimenting. So in that spirit, I’m going to try a new column here on Classic Play called Adventuring. Something slightly more organized and in-depth than the Weekending in Pictures thing I typically do. This is evolving. In fact, after I wrote the piece, I realized the format is a bit unusual. I’m not sure where I’ll take it eventually, but that’s kind of what adventuring is all about isn’t it?
So what’s the premise? Right now, I hope to take you to some of the off-the-beaten-path places we go. I’m sure I’ll throw in some well known ones too (I have a ton of photos from the Philadelphia Museum of Art I can’t wait to share). The idea is to discover adventure and wonder in unlikely places.
Ready? I’m kind of anxious. Let’s see where this thing takes us… (more…)
Posted in Adventuring | 3 Comments »
