Roaming About

A Life Less Ordinary

Category: Sightseeing (page 12 of 18)

The Art of Our Nomadic Minds – Almost Heaven, West Virginia

December 12, 2019 / / 39 Comments

I’ve mentioned it before on this blog: Mark and I don’t plan much and often “wing” it on the road, whether that’s in regards to our route, what we visit, or where we park for the night. It’s just easier to go with the flow; we don’t have to plan, research, and be disappointed if things go wrong and we love putting our flexible minds to good use.

When the three of us left Newburyport, Massachusetts, the end of September, we had about a week to cover the 1,000-mile distance to Campbellsville, Kentucky. Two stops were anticipated: Greenwich, Connecticut for two days of quality time with relatives, and the southern Walmart in Hagerstown (yes, there are two), Maryland, to meet up with our awesome van friends Duwan and Greg.

Greenwich, CT

What can I say? It is always a joy to be with our brother-in-law, Brian, and his lovely wife, Margaret. Fabulous, smart, pretty, and beaming niece Chelsea came over for one of the days – the cherry on top. She introduced her rescued Korean dog Mochi to us and we also met the two new kittens. Can you tell why this is a happy place for us, with all this love for animals and people going around?

(Hover over photos to read captions or click to enlarge.)

Chelsea and Mochi
Hello Mochi!
Two newly adopted and playful kittens
Doggy heaven!
Dinner with the family: Chelsea, Brian, Margaret, and Mark
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IWSG Writing Update December 2019 – Stopping Point

December 2, 2019 / / 46 Comments

Every first Wednesday of the month, the IWSG (Insecure Writer’s Support Group) engages writers to share their fears, thoughts, progress, struggles, excitement, encouragement, or anything really, about their writing. A different question is posed each month as a writing prompt. Answering it is optional. For December, the question is: “How would you describe your future writer self, your life, and what it looks and feels like if you were living the dream?”

This amazing, supportive group of writers was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Today, the co-hosts are Tonja Drecker, Beverly Stowe McClure, Nicki Elson, Fundy Blue, and Tyrean Martinson.

My answer to the question

While most writers will have fun answering this question, it scares me to think about being a full-time author, or a writer who has reached the dream of becoming successfully published, respected, famous, or even well-paid. You see, that would mean there is no time for anything else! And, as much as I love and enjoy and am used to writing, my first and foremost passion is to travel. From experience, I can tell you this is a tough combo! So, I guess my perfect writer life would be to see and experience the world, with enough “down” time to write whatever I feel passionate about and sell the end products. Or, be a dedicated and successful author with plenty of time to travel.

My book progress

As hinted at in my last IWSG post, it wasn’t looking good for my memoir querying progress in November, despite really believing in it earlier. The first week, we traveled from Massachusetts to Kentucky (more about that later) and I took care of my monthly editing job. Then, I was extremely busy with translations for two full weeks, as in 10-hour days behind the computer. The following week, I rewrote the first paragraph of my query letter (and again and again) and submitted my memoir project to 40 more agents. Yes, I did it! Days before Thanksgiving (and my birthday). This concludes my list of 130 agents, gathered over the months.

Campbellsville, Kentucky, our home for seven weeks
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5 North Shore Destinations within 1 Hour from Boston (or Newburyport)

November 21, 2019 / / 42 Comments

After my parents met Mark, Maya, and me in Quebec City and explored a chunk of Maine with us in Zesty, we all settled in the home of my in-laws in Newburyport, Massachusetts for the last week of their US vacation. Mark and I happily offered up “our” room above the garage and moved into another guest room of what we fondly call “our home base”. It has, in fact, been both Mark’s and my official residency for over a decade. The area is full of treasures.

My favorite photo op in Rockport

1. Newburyport

I was delighted to have my parents visit us in my “second home”. I’ve grown fond of this seaside town over the years and couldn’t wait to finally show them why. Having visitors around turns us into tourists and helps us appreciate the beautiful surroundings we have grown accustomed to.

My in-laws own a condo in this building in downtown Newburyport.
Antique store
Public restrooms
Maritime Museum
Lighthouse restaurant along the rail trail
The Unitarian Church that Mark’s parents attend
Entrance to the church
Church-turned-restaurant – I’ve never eaten there
One of the many stately homes along High Street

Newburyport has a wonderful waterfront area and boardwalk along the Merrimack River, two rail trails to walk and bike on, an attractive downtown, outdoor art displays, and many historic buildings. It’s a joy to take Maya for long walks. There are museums, heaps of restaurants and bars, and the necessary antique shops, typical for North Shore villages.

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IWSG Writing Update November 2019 – “Slush” Pile of Work

November 6, 2019 / / 46 Comments

Every first Wednesday of the month, the IWSG (Insecure Writer’s Support Group) engages writers to share their fears, thoughts, progress, struggles, excitement, encouragement, or anything really, about their writing. A different question is posed each month as a writing prompt. Answering it is optional. For November, the question is: “What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever googled in researching a story?”

This amazing, supportive group of writers was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Today, the co-hosts are Sadira Stone, Patricia Josephine, Lisa Buie-Collard, Erika Beebe, and C. Lee McKenzie. Feel free to swing by their sites!

My answer to the question

As a non-fiction writer who mostly shares personal experiences, my research is quite boring and usually involves fact checking, consulting my diary, or searching for photos in my archives to get a better picture – Do I have that location correct? Is this name spelled right? How long was that distance again?

I imagine fiction writers have much more exciting answers, so I’m looking forward to reading about their strange Google results. It should be fun!

Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg, PA
Interior of the capitol
Dome of the PA State Capitol

My book progress

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Snapshots from Maine – Indian Summer at the Coast

November 2, 2019 / / 44 Comments

In my previous post, I showed why Quebec City was the perfect place for my parents to join us; it is the most beautiful city of Canada. After a few days of sightseeing, we left the city and the country. Instead of driving all the way to the coast of Maine, we decided to split that long journey up by stopping about halfway, in Kingfield. This is the town where our friends Jen and Mark have a second home. They generously let us stay there – again – to charge our batteries.

Maya shares her space…
Brushing Maya
Let there be light!

Kingfield

Of all the places to get rained on, this was the most favorable, as we planned to relax for most of the day. Luckily, we managed to go on a short walk to the hidden waterfalls and on another one to the river. Fall had arrived, but the weather remained comfortable.

Revisiting this pretty waterfall with Maya
Colorful fall!

Bar Harbor

This cute town on Desert Island is the gateway to Acadia National Park. I didn’t find a hotel for all four of us (and Maya), but the affordable place we booked for my parents (fall special at US$120 a night), was located in the center of Bar Harbor, in walking distance to everything. The room came with an adjacent parking spot, so Mark, Maya, and I managed to sleep in our camper, low-key.

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Snapshots from Quebec City, Quebec, Canada

October 23, 2019 / / 59 Comments

Quebec City is the most beautiful city in Canada. We heard – and read – it left and right. We believed it. We wanted to visit, but it didn’t fit in the schedule when the three of us made our way east from Utah, the beginning of summer. We’d already made a serious detour to add Canada’s runners-up Eastern cities (Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal), as well as Niagara Falls, to our route into Massachusetts.

Mark, Maya, and I would be back in the country in August and September, to explore Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island, before meeting my parents. What better place for them to fly into than Quebec City? Coming from Belgium, it would be a gradual change towards New England’s attractions. When in Old Town Quebec, one could easily feel transported to a historic town in Europe. It is the only walled city north of Mexico and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

(Hover over the photos to see captions or click to enlarge.)

Part of the Citadel
View towards Old Quebec
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Wordless Wednesday: An Axe, a Brewery, and a Bridge

October 16, 2019 / / 51 Comments

The World’s Largest Axe

There it is… it’s big.
Zesty and the axe
Maya and the axe

The Nicest Brewery on Our Journey

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IWSG Writing Update October 2019 – Sightseeing Instead of Submitting

October 2, 2019 / / 52 Comments

Every first Wednesday of the month, the IWSG (Insecure Writer’s Support Group) engages writers to share their fears, thoughts, progress, struggles, excitement, encouragement, or anything really, about their writing. A different question is posed each month as a writing prompt. Answering it is optional.

This amazing, supportive group of writers was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh. Today, the co-hosts are Ronel Janse van Vuuren, Mary Aalgaard, Madeline Mora-Summonte, and Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor. Feel free to swing by their sites and see what they’re up to.

The question for this month’s blog hop is long: “It’s been said that the benefits of becoming a writer who does not read is that all your ideas are new and original. Everything you do is an extension of yourself, instead of a mixture of you and another author. On the other hand, how can you expect other people to want your writing, if you don’t enjoy reading? What are your thoughts?

My answer

I believe that reading benefits people, whether they are writers or not. The advantage of being a writer who reads is that you always learn, consciously or not, and this improves your craft. The disadvantage of reading for me is that, 1) I compare myself to other writers, leading to two trains of thought, either “I’ll never be able to write this well and become successful” or “I can and do write like that, so why am I not becoming successful?” And, 2) I get annoyed by typos, feel like I have to proofread and correct the copy, and try to retain wisdom. As a result, reading often feels like work instead of enjoyment. In general, reading does make me a better writer.

However, I don’t agree that not reading means that you don’t enjoy reading, as suggested in this question. I rarely read because of time constraints, not because I don’t enjoy it. Also, writers might purposefully NOT read much (in certain genres) to develop original ideas and unique voices. Nothing wrong with that.

The world’s largest axe in New Brunswick
The world’s longest covered bridge in New Brunswick
Definitely the most impressive covered bridge we’ve seen and walked/drove through
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Snapshots from Nova Scotia – Cape Breton and the Cabot Trail

September 21, 2019 / / 49 Comments

Mark, Maya, and I had five weeks to explore the Canadian Maritimes, before my parents would arrive from Belgium. Time flies! Especially when all hiking and sightseeing is postponed on rainy days. We knew we couldn’t circumnavigate Nova Scotia in its entirety, due to long distances, expensive fuel, and time constraints.

Crossing New Brunswick took about a week, then we spent another one in the Halifax area, where we had to choose: travel about the southwest corner of the province or the northeastern part. We picked the latter and headed to Cape Breton Island, many hours and kilometers away.

We hit the Cabot Trail – a famous scenic drive – on the first day of September. Another traveler had recommended we’d drive counter clockwise to take in the dramatic vistas from the best angle, so we did. While pretty, it wasn’t as spectacular as we anticipated; the nicer parts reminded us somewhat of the Acadia National Park shoreline in Maine.

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Snapshots from Nova Scotia – Picturesque Ports & Places

September 15, 2019 / / 46 Comments

Mark, Maya, and I spent about two weeks in Nova Scotia, a beautiful province that is part of the Canadian Maritimes. This is the first of two posts I will publish about our time there, the end of August and the beginning of September 2019. Before that, we explored the southern part of New Brunswick.

Economy

Our intended camping experience near and hike to Economy Falls failed, due to the road’s horrible condition. Mark and I could have biked to the trailhead, but not with Maya. Ten miles of running beside bicycles on top of a five-mile romp in the woods would be too much. So, we opted for free camping option two: Thomas Cove Coastal Reserve. There, we found a peaceful spot to park along the Bay of Fundy, at the beginning of multiple flat but fun hiking trails. (Click on photos to enlarge and read captions.)

Not a bad spot for a couple of nights
Almost low tide in the Bay of Fundy
Look at all that cushy moss – Maya loved jumping around in it!
Nobody else was around during this fun walk in the woods
Exposed rock during low tide
Hiking in the woods
Low tide
After running around for miles, Maya’s tongue was hanging pretty low!
Giving Maya a bath – finally the outdoor shower comes in handy!
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