Love it or hate it, 2020 has been a year of armchair travel. When everyone was stuck at home due to shelter-in-place orders, many turned to sharing old vacation photos as a way to feel a little less cooped up. I have managed to avoid that trend until now, thanks to the Rooibos Cinnamon Apple blend from Adagio Teas, which transports me to an afternoon spent picking apples in Ohio.
The Rooibos Cinnamon Apple from Adagio Teas is a blend of red rooibos, apple pieces, cinnamon, natural apple flavor, and natural cinnamon flavor.
The dry leaf consists of small chips of rust-colored Rooibos accented with dried apple and cinnamon pieces, and it smells woody and sweet with a subtle apple scent. Once steeped, the blend produces a vibrant red-orange colored liquor, which smells inviting– juicy apples warmed up by subtle cinnamon.
The tea tastes like fresh, juicy apples and newly cut wood. The spice of the cinnamon is not as pronounced as I would have preferred but instead offers a subtle, earthy aroma. I also notice that the Rooibos used in Adagio’s blends has a sort of boozy quality about it, which whether intentional or not, makes this blend taste a bit like hard cider.
Whenever I sip the Rooibos Cinnamon Apple, I am instantly transported to the Lynd Apple Orchard in Pataskala, Ohio. During our visit last year, we meandered among rows of trees and picked Fuji apples in late Autumn sunshine, which always seems to glow a bit more golden this time of the year. Ollie had just learned to walk that week, but he preferred to sit contently in the grass snacking on fresh apples the size of his face.
Have you indulged in a little armchair traveling this year? Let me know where you explored in the comments!
Already tried Rooibos Cinnamon Apple from Adagio Teas? Why not try one of these tasTEA blends?
Right about now, my Twitter feed is filling up with snarky tweets that #SumsUp2019. Was this year really so bad, or is it easy for people to focus on the things that didn’t go right at the year’s end? This year wasn’t always easy or enjoyable for me, but I think it is easier for me to find and reflect on all of the amazing things that happened this year as opposed to all of the bad things.
A New Start
2019 started with a new job– an accounting assistant position, which allows me to work remotely from home so I can raise my son. In 2018, when my maternity leave was coming to an end, I still hadn’t made any attempt to find childcare for Oliver. I didn’t realize it at the moment, but I was avoiding the task because the thought of leaving Oliver in the care of someone else terrified me. This anxiety was not unique to me; I think most mothers, especially first-time mothers, are scared to leave their child in the care of someone else. But, also floating around my subconscious was the knowledge that I would be returning to hour-long commutes (each way), and a job that would require me to work upwards of 60 hours a week, leaving little time to raise my son. The moment I said out loud I wanted to stay home and raise my son, I had two potential job offers on the table. It was the best position I could be in– one made possible with all of the incredible experience I received at my previous job and my husband’s support because this meant taking a drastic pay cut since I would only be working part-time hours.
Oliver
Because this new job lets me work from home, I had front row tickets to watching Oliver grow up this past year:
He tried solid foods for the first time, and now he loves spaghetti, avocados, watermelon, chicken and rice, grilled cheese and tomato soup, and yogurt.
I watched him roll over for the first time, and I watched him crawl for the first time.
I watched him take his first steps!
I heard him say his first words, which was “dada”, although now all he wants to say is “mama”.
He turned ONE.
Not everything has been easy on the child-rearing front though. We had some obstacles to overcome this year too, but again, the privilege of being able to work from home and raise him helped ease the anxiety.
Oliver was diagnosed with torticollis and plagiocephaly, so every Wednesday for three months, we spent an hour at physical therapy.
When physical therapy wasn’t enough to correct the plagiocephaly, we had to get an orthopedic helmet to correct his head shape. It was a commitment both in terms of time and finance, but the results were worth it.
Oliver was diagnosed with an egg allergy, and now we always have to have epi-pens nearby just in case.
Travel
Considering Jon and I are new parents, the fact that we were able to travel so often this year blows my mind! Sometimes we were even able to drop Oliver off with grandparents and steal away for much needed alone time!
Cleveland, Ohio
First, we took a long weekend and explored Cleveland, Ohio. Cleveland probably isn’t on the top of anyone’s list for travel destinations, but it’s actually a cool city. We admired the view of Lake Erie. We watched a stand-up comedy show at Hilarities. We wandered through the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And coincidentally, the MLB All-Star games were taking place that week, so there was a baseball convention going on that had a lot of free and family-friendly activities.
Motor City Comic-Con
Jon, Oliver, and I spent a day exploring the Motor City Comic Con, and we left determined to make this an annual family event going forward. We spent most of the time exploring Artist Alley, and we purchased so much art that we have yet to display in the house. But, highlights also include seeing the top, left portion of David Tennant’s face, fangirling over Felica Day from afar, and this photo opportunity featuring baby Hulk meeting the real Hulk!
The Renaissance Festival
Jon unknowingly made my 5th-grade dream come true. Back in fifth grade, my class was supposed to go to the Renaissance Festival; however, my family moved away right before the trip was supposed to happen (this was actually a recurring theme in my youth– missing out on field trips because my family moved. I also missed out on the 6th-grade field trip to Washington DC as well as the senior field trip to Washington DC). But, I digress.
Jon, Oliver, and I found ourselves up in Holly, Michigan, and transported back in time. The Renaissance Festival was somehow better than I imagined. We feasted on smoked turkey legs, watched a Scottish Strongman Competition, saw a knight in shining armor preparing for a joust, and sipped a bloody mary from a little eatery called Bloody Mary Queen of Scots, haha.
Munich, Germany
We also jet-set across the Atlantic and spent a week in Bavaria. We spent most of our time wandering around in Munich, Germany, drinking beer, participating in and recovering from Oktoberfest, and tasting foods at the outdoor, weekend markets.
Salzburg, Austria
We also rode the train down and spent a day in Salzburg, Austria, which is quite possibly the most beautiful city I have ever visited. The elaborate, Baroque architecture was exquisite, and the buildings were so tall that I literally felt dizzy looking up at them. I even admired the sprawling Alps from a castle that was constructed back in the 1100s!
New York City
Most recently, I spent a day in New York City exploring Manhattan and doing all of the touristy things I never thought I would have the opportunity to do, like walk around in Central Park, see the Statue of Liberty in person, eat a slice of New York pizza, and experience the sensory overload that is Time Square. I also connected with one of my longtime pals, Bianca; she’s one of the only friends from high school I keep in contact with.
Books & Tea (and other things)
This year was terrible in terms of reading. I started a bunch of chapter books, but I only ever finished reading three (that’s one more than when I posted the other day). And, since once upon a time I considered myself a book blogger, it’s embarrassing to admit that! A lot of the time, I claimed I didn’t have the time to read, but even when I did find the time to read, I just wanted to decompress in front of the TV. You guys, I watched like eight seasons of Grey’s Anatomy this year. I’m almost current with the series.I did read a LOT of children’s picture books though.
My tea consumption increased drastically though! So did my tea collection even though I was on a tea buying ban. Weird how that works, right? And because I was drinking so much tea, I took the leap and started a youtube channel focusing on tea this year! I realize though I’m still pretty slow at posting content to my channel; the filming and editing process is very time-consuming. I might spend an hour filming, and then several hours more editing all of the material down to a coherent video that’s only 12 minutes long. It’s still a very satisfying and very rewarding process, and I love the small community I’m involved with on Youtube as well.
But, as much as I love Books & Tea, I realized the identity no longer suited me, so I took the leap and upgraded to a dot com. I also started working toward a writing routine at the end of the year, and this has improved my productivity and interestingly, my creativity too. I’m really hoping I can keep up this new routine so that my blog flourishes in 2020!
How was your 2019? Share with me some of the highlights of your year in the comments!
I used to live in Ohio (the Columbus metropolitan area), but that was twenty years ago, and it was much quieter back then. Now, the population seems to have exploded, and driving down to visit family usually means I’m white-knuckling it through congested traffic once I hit Delaware. But, not everything is so urban there. Columbus has a great metro park system, and one of the coolest metro parks is the Slate Run Living Historical Farm (1375 OH-674, Canal Winchester, OH 43110).
At the Slate Run Living Historical Farm, visitors are invited to step back in time and experience the 1880s Ohio farm life. Farm staff and volunteers wear authentic costumes and perform daily farm chores just as they would nearly 140 years ago (ie. without electricity and vehicles!) The farm even goes as far as to find names for the farm animals from the 1880s livestock annals.
Most weekends, the farm hosts exhibits where visitors can learn how to make sorghum molasses, how to dry and can food, how to prepare the farm for the changing seasons, or how to care for farm animals. The activities are seasonal, but the program guide on the park website can help you plan your visit.
Best of all? The Slate Run Historical Living Farm is free!
The day we went was particularly quiet because the farm was preparing for the big apple cider and apple butter demonstration that was to take place the following day. So, while it was a bummer that we didn’t get to observe or take part in any farm life demonstrations, we had the luxury of being able to roam the farmstead without fighting any crowds.
Highlights of our trip included petting Mayflower, the four-month-old calf, pumping well water to feed horses, grinding cornmeal, playing games from the 1880s, and of course taking in the amazing farmstead scenery.
If you’re ever near Columbus, Ohio, and you’re looking for an inexpensive way to spend the afternoon with family, make sure you check out Slate Run Living Historical Farm!
Have you ever been to a living history museum or farm? Tell me about it in the comments!
I don’t think I have ever openly declared my nerdom here on my blog, but I have demonstrated it here, here, here, and here. Now however, I would like to declare it:
I. Am. A. Nerd.
Like a stay-up-well-past-my-bedtime-even-though-my-infant-son-has-me-sleep-deprived-so-I-can-sneak-in-some-video-game-playtime kind of nerd. Or a I-lost-track-of-how-many-times-I’ve-read-Harry-Potter-kind-of-nerd. Or a I-used-to-write-Lord-of-the-Rings-fan-fic kind of nerd. I can’t believe I just admitted to that last one, but you’re beginning to see the picture, I hope. And now I can add to this list: a visited-the-Motor-City-Comic-Con kind of nerd!
A couple of weeks ago, Jon and I visited the Motor City Comic Con, and it goes down as one of the coolest things we’ve done together. Over 60,000 people visit the Motor City Comic Con over a weekend, and the convention floor is filled with comic book vendors, artists, cosplayers, celebrity guests, tabletop games, and celebrity guest-led panels.
Since this was our first comic con, we were a bit overwhelmed when we first arrived, but shortly we found our home in artist alley. We spent most of our time (and perhaps way too much money) there, but it was rows upon rows of artists and crafters selling fandom-inspired prints and coasters and comics and candles and postcards.
Here were some of my favorite pieces of artwork:
I love these clever pop culture mash-ups by Steve Jencks, especially Robocop replacing the Tin Man on the yellow brick road and Alien preparing to dine on ALF, while ALF prepares to dine on a cat. [WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM]
Okay, okay, so Jon may have chosen the wrestler prints, and I may have chosen the X-Files print, but I still love how they look like the covers of comic books. Artwork by Erik Hodson [INSTAGRAM]
These images hardly do the artwork by Sean Anderson justice. What you don’t see are the metallic and holographic leaf elements that make his superhero artwork truly impressive. He also had a series of superheroes set against Detroit landmarks, which was cool to browse through. [INSTAGRAM]
The artwork by Andrew Heath was perhaps my favorite. I loved it so much that along with a TARDIS print I also purchased a book of his artwork to display on the coffee table (that I will someday soon buy). [WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM]
As much as I loved Artist Alley, I know we missed out on the cosplay contests, and I would have loved to visit some of the guest panels (especially the Doctor Who After Hours event!) but, toting around Oliver made that challenging to do. Maybe we can look forward to that next year though.
Have you ever been to a comic con? What are some of your favorite fandoms?
Eating donuts, BBQ, pizza slices the size of my head, and playing pinball barely scratch the surface of what we did during our vacation in Maine last year. If you’re planning a trip to Portland, Maine, be sure to check out these places as well:
The Inn at St. John is Portland’s oldest, continuously operated inn. It’s an old, Victorian building located on the northwest side of downtown Portland, which is fairly removed from where most of the restaurants, shops, and nightlife are located– about a 25 minute walk. What initially drew us to this hotel was the price; the Inn at St. John is about $100/night cheaper than the rest of the hotels in the city. What would keep us coming back (aside from the price) is the incredibly kind hotel staff, the most comfortable bed ever, and these cozy bathrobes! The Inn at St. John comes so highly recommended on Trip Advisor and Google, and it’s worth every star. Plus, the savings in hotel accommodations allowed us to splurge in other areas.
We spent a few days in downtown Portland, Maine, and then we hopped a ferry out to Great Diamond Island to stay at the Inn at Diamond Cove. The stars must have aligned because when we arrived, we learned that we got a free upgrade from our King Room to a King Suite. Aside from a king size bed that swallowed us whole and a shower with the dreamiest shower head ever, which would have come with the room we booked, the suite also had a kitchenette stocked with dishes and cookware, a dining area, a balcony, and a living room. I have never stayed in such luxury before, and I swear, it was bigger than the apartment we were living in at the time.
The Inn at Diamond Cove also offers a lot of extra amenities like bicycle rentals (since motor vehicles were not allowed on the island), a recreation room with duckpin bowling, ping pong, and PINBALL(!!!), tennis courts, an indoor basketball court, a pool and hot tub, and so much more.
To top off the experience, Inn at Diamond Cove had some of the nicest staff, and the greeting at the ferry when we arrived set the tone for the customer service experience. One of the staff members helped us load up our luggage into a golf cart and drove us to the hotel; along the way, she gave us a little history about the island and pointed out places to check out as we explored the island ourselves. I also recall spending all evening downstairs at the lobby bar drinking Moscow Mules and chatting with the bartender. (True story: one of them went to school at Western Michigan University, which is my alma mater; small world, right?!)
Jon is notorious for packing the wrong kind of shoes for walking during vacation, so by the end of the first day, his feet were aching. Later in the week, when I suggested we walk to Bayside American Cafe for breakfast, which was a mile away from the hotel, he made sure to express his displeasure. And then, when we arrived we discovered we had to stand in line just to get a table at this popular brunch place. The trek and the wait was worth it though; Bayside served the best breakfast we had the pleasure of eating while in Portland. Make sure to try their Classic Eggs Benedict and Rocket Fuel coffee. And if you’re in need of a little hair of the dog, try out their Absolution, which is a mimosa with Absolute Raspberry and a splash of grenadine or the Honeymoon, which is Maine Meadworks wildflower honey mead and Brut champagne.
When hunger struck us late at night, and we were too tired to trek to the east side of downtown Portland, we walked next door to the 5 Spot for authentic Philly Cheesesteaks (the kind made with cheese wiz). I also had my first taste of Moxie, which was an experience in itself. Moxie starts out tasting like root beer but then morphs in to something herbaceous and medicinal. I liked it, but I might be in the minority.
If you find yourself craving grits while in Maine, make sure to visit Hot Suppa for some Southern-inspired cooking. Even if you’re not craving grits, go to this restaurant and order their impeccable Geechie Boy grits. I also had my first taste of kombucha here; I’ve never seen that on a menu before.
Is any vacation complete if you don’t consume at least one scoop of ice cream or gelato? Probably not, which is why you should visit Gelato Fiasco. The Gelato Fiasco offers irresistible flavors like Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramel Gelato, Maine Wild Blueberry Crisp Gelato, and Torched Marshmallow S’More Gelato. Side note: I just learned that Gelato Fiasco ships their Gelato nationwide. Be still my beating heart!
On top of living in luxury for a few days at the Inn at Great Diamond Cove, we also feasted like kings. Jon ordered the lobster roll for lunch and dinner, and if it were offered for breakfast, I’m sure he would have ordered it then too.
The Portland Art Museum is perhaps one of the best art museums I’ve visited. Sure, I’ve been to the Art Institute of Chicago, and sure, that collection is incredible. But, if you’re looking for a well-curated collection that you can view in one day, the Portland Museum of Art has it. I think my favorite part of the PMA collection was the pieces showcasing Maine’s artists.
The Green Hand Book Shop offers an eclectic collection of second-hand books. There seemed to be a book for every kind of customer. I found myself drawn to the children’s book section because it had so many books I remember reading when I was four or five. I didn’t leave empty handed…
Remember when I said Jon is notorious for packing the wrong kind of shoes? Well, after dragging him a mile to breakfast, I promised him a foot soak and massage at Soakology. We also got to sip on hot tea while relaxing. Jon had a refreshing ginger mint tea, and I had an enticing pine smoked black tea. Jon experienced a second wind after that, and he wasn’t so grumpy as I dragged him around the city more.
I miss flying in to the city and thinking, I don’t think I’ve seen this many pine trees in my life. I miss meandering the streets, exploring the shops, and being overwhelmed by all of restaurant choices. I miss hearing the sound of the ferry horns honking as they entered and exited the harbor. I miss tasting as many of the IPAs on the menu at Salvage BBQ and Slab Sicilian Street Food that our livers could handle and determining that Substance IPA from Bissell Brothers was the best (but still not quite as good as Michigan’s own Two Hearted). I miss how the temperature dropped what felt like 20 degrees the moment we rode the ferry out into Fore River/Casco Bay. I miss having Great Diamond Cove all to myself, or so it seemed, and I miss riding bikes all over the island. I miss the pickles– the weird, mustardy pickles. And the lobster rolls. I miss the lobster rolls too.
We spent most of our days roaming around the city streets in search of pinball machines, comic books, craft beer, and the best restaurants, and we hit the jackpot in Portland:
Featured Donuts from the Holy Donut: Triple Berry, Salted Chocolate, Maine Apple, Allen’s Coffee Brandy, Orange Creamsicle, and Maple Bacon
The Holy Donut | 194 Park Ave. Portland, ME 04102 or 7 Exchange St. Portland, ME 04101
The Holy Donut offers a sweet treat like no other. The key ingredient in their delicious, fried treats…is the potato. Yes, the Holy Donut puts potatoes in their donut dough, which creates this incredible yeast donut/cake donut hybrid. It’s cakey and moist but also fluffy and chewy, and the outside has just the right amount of crispness. Jon and I intended to just buy four donuts, but there were so many enticing choices that we walked out with a six-pack. If you visit the Holy Donut, you must taste the Salted Chocolate donut (which Jon and I fought over), Allen’s Coffee Brandy, and the Orange Creamsicle.
When you visit Maine, you probably wouldn’t think to eat at a BBQ restaurant. Honestly, neither did Jon and I. The only reason Salvage BBQ ended up on our radar is because it was located right next to one of the hotels we stayed at. Thankfully. Their chopped pork sandwich topped with coleslaw and side of mac and cheese was dreamy. Salvage BBQ also offers 17 taps, most of which were Maine microbrews, which is how we discovered Substance IPA from Bissell Brothers. Or, if bourbon is more your taste, they have an extensive selection of bourbon as well.
I knew I was going to love Slab the moment I saw the restaurant host; he was wearing a pair of lime green hot pants and singing along to Just a Girl by No Doubt. Also, the slices of pizza were as big as my head. Sorry, I shouldn’t say “slice”; they are referred to as “slabs” and serving sizes are measured in pounds. POUNDS. Be sure to order the Crisps and Dip starter with the White Bean dip and the original slab pizza. And if it’s Sunday…try the Hangover Wedge; who knew potatoes on pizza could be so amazing?
Slab also has an extensive drink list of micro brews and ciders. Jon and I both ordered one hard cider and one IPA. Yes…that dark brown liquid in Jon’s glass is not a stout or a porter or a brown ale. It is an IPA. I want to say it was Doom IPA from Founders (a Michigan brewing company); whatever it was, it was over 12% apv, and it tasted like regret.
Okay, so we didn’t come to Portland for the nerd culture, but when we found it we were delighted. Coast City Comics had shelves upon shelves of graphic novels, and in the back of the shop, there were several pinball machines waiting for us to spend our quarters. We spent an afternoon here playing games, browsing through graphic novels to add to our collection, and picking out t-shirts featuring artwork from local artists.
It’s been over a year since Jon and I took the much-needed, week-long vacation to Portland, Maine, and not a month goes by where I don’t think about it. It was probably the best vacation I’ve ever taken, and the only reason we ended up there is because airfare to Maine was the cheapest, ha! It is the vacation I measure all future vacations against (which actually kind of sucks because I didn’t anticipate booking THE BEST VACATION EVER on my first try). I think that had less to do with me though and more to do with how incredible the city is.
Our vacation to Portland also encouraged us to set the life goal of visiting every state in the U.S. for vacation. Pre-baby, we had set our sights on visiting Montana or Massachusetts or Alaska next, but now I think we will stay a little closer to home (Ohio? Wisconsin? Indiana?) until Oliver is a little older and won’t wail on airplanes.
What is your favorite vacation experience? Have you ever visited Maine? What are some places you would love to visit for vacation?
I don’t know what I was thinking when I accepted an invitation to visit Chicago at “month end” (ie. the beginning of October. Accounting is weird like that). It’s the worst time to be away from work when you’re a bookkeeper, but I decided to ignore the anxiety brewing in my chest anyway; I submitted a time off request, booked a round-trip train ticket for $54 (how can you beat that price?!), and tried to push the thought of having to complete three days worth of work in 1.5 days out of my mind.
After readingGreyhound by Steffan Piper, I couldn’t help but reminisce about my most recent cross-country trip. And by recent, I mean a trip I made in August 2008.
I’d always wanted to ride a train. There is something so fantastic about trains, assuming of course you don’t live right by a railroad where a train roars through at 3:00 in the morning as I did for the past three years. Still, to me, they seem like magnificent, old relics of the past. Or even better, they are full of magic and take people to places like Hogwarts! But, who has time to take a train anymore? With business meetings to attend or families to help take care of, taking a 23 hour train ride to a destination is preposterous especially when planes cut the travel time down by 21 hours. So, when my brother invited me to visit him in Cavalier, North Dakota, I decided I’d make an experience out of it and take a train cross-country.
The train was a mammoth! I’d only ever seen the piddly Amtrak that came through town– from Chicago to Detroit. But, the one I rode from Chicago to Fargo was a double-decker and incredibly spacious! I’d packed all sorts of things to keep me entertained, but not once during the 23 hours trip did I get bored. Looking out the window as we passed through each state was entertainment enough. It was so beautiful. I only wish I would have had the courage to find the lounge car with the big picture windows. What a thrill it would have been to see the land like this.
I felt pretty accomplished knowing I could check North Dakota off my list of States to Visit Before I Die (unofficial name). The land was so flat and sparse which made the North Dakota sky seem extra big compared to Michigan’s sky. The only things that occupied the sides of the road were sprawling fields of sunflowers, abandoned farmhouses, power lines, and…well, actually, that’s it. There was much more in Fargo, but I was hours north of any city that would be considered “big”; Pembina county only had a population of 1,500. There wasn’t a whole lot to see or do, but I’d go back in a heart beat. It was nice to be away from my hectic college town.
My brother has since relocated to Colorado; he moves around a lot because he’s in the Air Force. He much prefers Colorado over North Dakota since there is much more to do. I’ll actually be visiting him at the end of March. Sadly, I’ll be stuffed onto a plane instead of a train. I dislike planes. They fill me with such fear!
Have you ever ridden on a train? What did you think of it? Have you ever made a cross-country trip before?
By Golly, Ollie! 