Mount Vernon

Its seems to be the norm that people miss out on some local treasures when they live near by. Folks from NYC say they've never actually been over to the Statue of liberty and people in Washington D.C. will admit to not having been to most of the Smithsonian Museums.

I was one of those people for an absolutely stunning site just a mere 10 minute drive from my current home.

The Mount Vernon estate. It is the estate that was owned and lived in by George Washington and his wife from 1732-1739.

 

 

I'm no history buff by any means but the grounds alone were enough to draw me in and have me fascinated for hours! Not to mention that the drive up the George Washington Parkway onto the property was a treat in itself! The autumn trees were on fire with the red, orange and yellow that only Virginia could produce. It was breath taking!

 

 

You got to indulge in the times while walking around the estate. From the beautiful garden that Martha is said to have kept to the slave quarters as well as the mansion. All of it was beautifully restored to replicate exactly how it was experiences all those years ago. There were even a few areas that had actors there to educate the visitors on what they were seeing which was really exciting to see them in the clothing of the day!

The estate had a very sweet farm as well. Full of the most serene little animals that I couldn't help but getting photos of!

"I can hear you sweet ocean, we speak the same language"

One of my most incredible experiences while on Martha's Vineyard was on my second to last day there. I had wondered off on my own in the early morning in order to take a peek at the town of Aquinnah, their cliffs and the Gay Head light house that had been heavily mentioned during my research of the island online before my arrival. The bus ride was long and I was exhausted by the time I had arrived. With my phone charged at only 4% I wasn't even sure that Id be able to get a photo of what ever it was I was coming to see. 

There was sign that directed me on the trail heading towards the beach. I couldn't see the water at first. The cliffs were so tall and the bus arrived in a sort of valley that only gave your eyes access to look up to the stern  lighthouse on one side the greenery of trees on the other.

The trail had two options: "Direct trail to beach" or "Scenic Route" which I assumed meant you wound through the grassy plain and could relish in the field flowers that were surrounding the trail. I decided on the "direct"trail since I was already tired from the bus ride and just wanted to get to the "attraction". 

While walking the hard rocky soil slowly turned into grainy, shell filled sand. I could hear the waves crash  and I remember thinking began to get excited about the beach being so near again. It seemed like almost suddenly there was visual access. A few fences and the tall reeds allowed the water to peek from behind. I was already engulfed in the beauty of it! I loved it! But I had no clue what was coming. 

Walking further, the sand become thick along the trail and I ran into more families who were walking to the beach. Some saying hello with a smile and other keeping their heads avoiding eye contact. Either way I was in great expectation of where we were all going. It wasn't necessarily the same as approaching the other beaches I had been to on the island. There was no echo of children splashing and laughing and no music coming out of stereos underneath beach umbrellas. The only noise was the grandiose crash of the waves and the seagulls and the wind. It was beautiful just to listen to. 

I had finally arrived. It was breathtaking. I was thrilled. Smiling, scrambling to get my camera to make sure I didn't lose this moment. The beach fro twas full of large rocks, ones that you could sit on, so I did. I sat there and I tried to consciously "disconnect" so that I could relish in the moments. The waves, the sun the cliffs behind me. Taking deep breaths and looking around I soaked it in and became intentionally thankful for being able to be there, to experience it. Looking back and forth up and down the beach I thought again, as I had often throughout that trip, that I wish that EVERYONE had an opportunity to see this. Its simply not fair that this inst part of every ones journey, I truly felt moments like this are crucial to the life experience. But maybe I was being over-dramatic. 

I managed to get a stranger to snap a picture on my very much so dying phone but I was thrilled when I finally got to see the final pic. It represented so well what I was experiencing. I can t wait to get back to that beach. Next time I'm on the island I have full intentions to make an entire day out of enjoying Aquinnah and beautiful feelings that it gave me. 

I took the video below walking on that beach near the water. I look at it often. It was magical really.

My Travel Map

View Full Size Travel Map at Travellerspoint

To Travel

Marthas Vineyard 2014

        I never really got the chance to travel when I was younger. There were a few times when we would make our way to another state to visit family but we never "vacationed". The only trip I remember taking was around age 8 when my mother and father surprised us with a trip to Disney World in Orlando, Florida. The special thing about that trip was that we drove instead of flying. This gave us the opportunity to see sights throughout the east coast going all the way from Ohio to Florida stopping periodically along the way for a hotel stay. It was very special for me, now and then, as I realized that at that time that travel was a privilege. Not everyone got to go to Disney World, or to drive through the and see the red clay of Georgia or the beautiful mountains in the Virginia's.

Marthas Vineyard 2014

Most of my travel thereafter was with friends or through organizations. I was often chosen as the "tag along" when one of my friends parents allowed them to bring along someone on a family trip. (Lucky me!) I got to enjoy the beauty of a road trip all the way to Denver, Colorado and was invited to explore universities in the south  including in Atlanta and Tennessee. School also sent me to some wonderful places including an 8th grade trip to Chicago, a high school trip to Guadeloupe Mexico and  in college a service trip to New York City. 

Outer Banks 2014

  As I grew I continued to cherish just the opportunity say that "I've been there" and share my memories of it. There's something special in the opportunity to share where you've been in the world.
    Since adulthood (we'll post college I suppose) I've taken on as many travel opportunities that I can get! When married I was able to join my ex-husband on a trip to Phoenix Arizona which I absolutely fell in love with....as I do with most places I visit. A few more trips to NYC, a ski trip with friends to Colorado and a blissful week long stay on Martha's Vineyard are proof that the travel bug has bit me, and hard.

Keystone Colorado 2014

 
    My travel goals continue to expand as I find out of new places, hear about other adventures and study different ways to make extensive travel a reality.

Arizona 2010

   
There is a quote by Michael Palin:  "Once the travel bug bites there is no known antidote, and I know that I shall be happily infected until the end of my life'" I think this describes me perfectly. This blissful infection is taking me places. I'm excited to share!

This I Believe

Rummaging through my favorite book store in DC called Capitol Hill Books this weekend I came upon a compilation book called This I Believe. Its a collections belief statements from dozens and dozens of people across the country. Each essay includes the writer thoughts on something that she or she firmly believes.

These standpoints ranged from belief in a higher power to belief in the power of barbecue food. Yes, a heartfelt belief in barbecue food, and it was a well written piece at that!

What I loved about reading through this anthology was seeing life through the eyes of all of these people from across our country. It reminds us that everything is relative and everyone has their own truth. Life is beautiful in that way.

I decided to take some time to write my own essay on something I believe in: Summer Camp. Take a peek:

I believe in summer camp. I believe in the intrinsic and profound effect that these long summer days away from home have on a person. Its in those long days in the sun and the long nights around the campfire that settle into your soul with such a potency of happiness and belonging that it just can't be easily let go.
There are the friendships. Something about knowing that you're only with a group of people for a short period of time makes you cling to them. You dont hesitate to bond in a way that might take longer otherwise. The friendships made at summer camp are what all friendships in life should be like. Non-judgemental as we’re all sleeping in a cabin, the size of your closet back home doesn't matter.
There is the nature. The pure and sound nature that you get to run around and play in for days on end. In such a fast paced and polluted era of time, even a breath of fresh air can make you feel new but weeks and weeks of that blissful clarity can transform you.
The nature that surrounds you seems to inspire a whole new depth of creativity. Bead necklaces, dream catchers, lanyards and chalk paintings take on a whole new dynamic when at camp. Your creative juices start flowing from a place you never knew existed. Trying new things at summer camp is part of that profoundness previously mentioned. Being able to say “I've gone kayaking” or “I rode a horse once” or “There was this fish I caught way back when I was at in summer camp” becomes a special part of your childhood, your story.
Being away from home lets you be version of yourself that you can't always reveal around mom and dad, brother and sister. A free-er uninhibited side of you comes out when there are no preconceived expectations of the person you've always been. You can be a little sillier, a little more expressive. You make s’mores with people you may have never sat with at the lunch table at school. You create a hilarious skit with someone you otherwise would have assumed was no fun at all.
Summer camp changes you. It opens your eyes to the beauty of nature, sameness of people, the possibilities of you. This I believe.

I loved writing this! It was fun diving into something that really was and still is a part of me. That's where what we believe come from right? Our make-up. Our experiences.

Its somewhat terrifying to think that if we lived at a different time, in a different place, would we be a completely different person? Probably. What about us are we just born with and what about us is just from how we were raised? Nature vs. Nurture. Such an interesting thing to consider.

Take some time to check out some of the essays from This I Believe at www.thisIbelieve.org

Fresh Fig Cake

I always look forward to fig season. Well, I cant say always, as I got my first taste of fig just last fall. The fruit is such a beautiful ode to what I consider the season of perfection! The colors, the weather, the crispness of the air! And the FIGS!

The sweet little bundles. Their texture, both skin and filling are dreamy to say the least. The variety is  incredible as well. From Tiger Stripe to Brown Turkey each kind is just as delicious as the next. I've never tasted a fig I didn't absolutely love!

Ingredient List: 1/4 cup butter, 1 cup of sugar, 1 egg, 2 cups of flour, 2.5 tsp of baking powder, 1/2 tsp of salt, 1 cup of evaporated milk, 1 tsp of vanilla, 1/8 almond extract, 1 cup of fresh peeled figs

When I was young my mother was always keen to making me try new foods and I always was excited to do so. I loved that part of my childhood. Going to markets and other local stores, scoping out new and exciting food to try. Things as simple as pineapple salsa or as foreign to me as frog legs. I indulged in the opportunity to try it all. 

Preheat oven to 350'.  Lightly butter and Flour your pan. Sift dry ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.

As an adult I really value that gift my mother gave me. The gift of being open to new things and finding joy in what I don't already know. Trying new things can be really really uncomfortable. In fact it is most of the time.

 In a separate bowl cream the sugar butter and eggs until creamy. In another separate bowl also, combine the milk and the extracts. 

  Be it new foods, new friends, new towns or even stretching ourselves to new limits those growing pains are exactly that, painful.

In thirds alternate combining the wet and dry ingredients until well mixed. Gently fold in the peeled figs being careful not to over-stir. I had some little hands helping me :) aren't they adorable! 

Those experiences my mother gave me really allowed me to embrace that discomfort. To see the good in it. Looking back that seed planted might have been the source of alot of the "newness" I have embraced in life so far.

Pour into your chosen container shaking lightly to make sure the batter is evenly distributed. Bake for 20-30 minutes confirming the completion with a toothpick entered into the middle. If it comes out clean then all is well and your cake is complete! 

There is a quote that I really enjoy. It reads: "If it scares you, it might just be a good thing to try."

I don't know how relevant those words might be to food, even though some of the ugliest things have the most incredible taste! But, in life, in learning, in innovation, in development, in creativity, in possibility; I don't think those words could be more true. 

  This recipe makes one small Bundt  cake or up to three mini makes in a ceramic ramekin

In the mean time, here's to a delicious new adventure in our fresh fig cake!

Entrepreneur(ess)

"Don't Ever Pick A Fight With An Ugly Person, They Have Nothing To Lose"

"We've lost so many great souls this year. I hope that we can cultivate his humor, creativity, passion and pure silliness that is so needed in this world. R.I.P. (1951-2014)"

The passing of Robin Williams yesterday was kinda heart wrenching. It seems silly that you can feel such sadness for someone you never met before. But there is some validity that even though we never shook his hand and he doesn't know our names he was part of our lives. He made us laugh just like a friend would with his comedic genius in films like Ms. Doubtfire and through my personal favorite role of his, Genie, in Disney's Aladdin. And he gave us wisdom just like a sweet neighbor in his films like Goodwill Hunting and Dead Poets Society. He was a presence, a voice in our world. That presence and that voice will be missed. It really will.

It is reported that the cause of his death was suicide. Suicide? Could even a shadow of something so dark come from what seemed like such a vibrant light. His smile, his silliness and laugh all eluded such saturated joy for life. Its hard to imagine that he wasn't feeling all of those warm and fuzzy feelings that he was providing for us!

Immediately after the announcement of his passing there were many sources providing clips of some of his great work. This was my favorite:

Robin, your light shone so brightly while you were here. Thank you for having the courage to step into your gift, living our your destiny and serving the world with every ounce of it. That, my friend, will be a beautiful legacy of sincere smiles, heartfelt laughter and a sweet sweet presence that will be ALIVE forever.

Lakeside Refresher

      These past few weeks have been exhausting. Although they are the best case of exhaustion possible, you know, the kind that comes about because of late night out with good friends, early morning to go out and grow your business and eventful evenings trying exploring the city. None the less, the yearn for some rest has been pulling pretty strongly on my body.
     This morning after another LONG night (babysitting a group of nine 12 year old just really sealed the sleepy deal for me) I decided to try an regain a little energy with a morning walk before I went on to another busy busy 13 hour day.
     This little lake I found was INCREDIBLE. It was serene with the stillness of nature. The leaves, the water, the wildlife was so still and so calming. I grabbed my cup of tea and I threw in my earphones ( I'm not the only one who listens to philosophy lectures on YouTube right?) and walked my way around the lake indulging in the moment.
   

Follow my blog with Bloglovin