Turn off the television!

If you can’t take a vacation, sometimes a nice overnight trip does the trick to clear your mind.

We did this recently because originally he was going to take a written test for the police department in Frederick, Maryland, but decided not to a few weeks after booking the trip.  We have friends who’ve lived there for many years and urged us to come down anyway since we’d never been to his house before.

So we set out early last Saturday around 6 AM on our trek to Maryland.  The scenery was breathtaking as soon as we hit Pennsylvania on I-78W.  The City of Frederick went above and beyond my expectations.  Between the historic locations located throughout the city, the shopping district, and the many restaurants abounding in downtown, I was speechless.

 We spent a few hours on Saturday into the evening walking around the center of the city.  Our first leg was a very impressive local park with swinging bridges, pools, tennis courts and a duck pond. 

 Dinner was at a brewery restaurant where my boyfriend got a beautiful beer sampler.  The smaller sized beers were arranged in six slots, numbered and described on a card tucked in the stand.  He ordered a “Meat Monster” pizza, which had four kinds of meat and a nice crust.  My cajun tilapia was wonderful with a side of corn and assorted vegetables.  Dessert was homemade mint ice cream at the family kitchen table, courtesy of the mint garden they keep in the backyard.

She showed me how to make homemade Belgian waffles (which cost a fortune in a diner) with a waffle maker on Sunday morning.  (Yes, we are getting one soon.)  Using any pancake batter, these machines can make a dozen waffles in an hour or less.  We added strawberries, peach yogurt, butter, and blueberry syrup.  Yum!

 A few hours before our departure, we hiked a kid friendly trail at a state park (they have two boys) and had a picnic lunch at an overlook site.  I toured some banquet facilities at the park, including The Tea Room and the adjacent pavilion, both of which have fantastic views of Frederick. 

Our one night away from home was needed badly.  After two days without watching television or using a computer, we both realized how house bound we’ve become.  Starting this Saturday, we are doing a Letterbox quest at a park in Trumbull to get some outdoor exercise.  Hiking a kid friendly trail was more enjoyable than sitting on the couch and watching Chiller all day.  When all the Trumbull sites are exhausted, we will branch out to Fairfield and eventually outward to the rest of the state.   In each quest, we’ll see a museum or park and get some exercise.

The family we visited watches very little television.  They spend time outdoors gardening, hiking, riding bikes and walking downtown.  The kids go the playgrounds during the day and do arts and crafts.  Their parents take them to outdoor concerts and Civil War reenactments.  The kids love any trip where they see ships and trains. The older boy is building a wooden ship.

It was breath of fresh air to see open space, relaxed residents and spend time with a family of such diverse interests.  They appreciate homemade ice cream, walks in the park and sitting on the patio at night eating their dessert.  Evenings are not all about television shows and computer games.  Sometimes you have to cut yourself off from the familiar to see how life could be lived better.

Viva Maryland! (We want to come back soon!)