Howdy Reader! My friend and I took an impromptu trip to Leavenworth (a Bavarian-themed town in WA) this week and let me tell ya, the fall colors were poppin'! The dark evergreen forests made the yellows, oranges, and reds of the turning trees so much brighter along the mountainsides in the North Cascades. We went midweek and just after Oktoberfest, so town was a little quiet, which I didn't mind. Kris Kringle (a Christmas store with any ornament you could think of) wasn't super crowded like...
11 months ago • 1 min read
Howdy Reader! We’re a week into October and fall is in full swing! I’ve already had my first pumpkin spice latte (no shame) and am eyeing a corn maze to get lost in this weekend. I even FINALLY visited Cedardale Orchards in Mt Vernon, WA where they make freshly pressed apple cider and made-to-order hot apple cider donuts on the weekends. If you live in or are visiting Washington State this month, here are a couple of my favorite fall day trips: Snohomish Pumpkin Patches (45min from Seattle)...
11 months ago • 1 min read
Howdy Reader! Charlottetown Airport (YYG) is now officially the smallest airport I've ever visited. This map is the entire airport: When we landed on PEI, we walked outside down the ramp, across the tarmac, and immediately entered into baggage claim where family and friends were waiting to greet their arriving parties. No crossing of a security barrier or anything. Upon leaving, I must've been on the first flight of the morning because TSA opened their doors as I walked up. I was the first...
12 months ago • 1 min read
Howdy Reader! Did you know that the smallest province of Canada, Prince Edward Island, grows 25% of the country's potatoes? That's more than any other province! You cannot drive around the island without seeing potato fields, stands selling "Fresh Potatoes", or restaurants touting they serve PEI potatoes on their menus. Potato Pie One dish in particular stood out on my trip, the Potato Pie at the Prince Edward Island Preserve Company. This thing has layers of potato slices and cheddar cheese...
12 months ago • 2 min read
Howdy Reader! Have you ever seen a house made out of glass bottles? I hadn't either until I visited the Glass Houses & Gardens on Prince Edward Island. Let me save you a plane ticket and walk you through the property from the comfort of your own home Toodles! Follow me on the socials! P.S. Did you know I offer a Big Island Itinerary Consultations? If you need help ironing out the kinks to your Big Island travel plans, let me help you! P.P.S. You should join my free Facebook group: Big Island...
about 1 year ago • 1 min read
Howdy Reader! Niagara Falls has never been a bucket list item for me. I've seen plenty of waterfalls in my time and I had this notion that Niagara was overhyped and over touristy. But when my friend and I ended up just 45 minutes away from it on our Ontario portion of our Anne of Green Gables trip, we figured we should go, cuz YOLO! Best. Decision. Ever! Niagara Falls is so powerful it takes over all your senses: sight, sound, smell, feel, taste...you're not just looking a waterfall, you're...
about 1 year ago • 1 min read
Howdy Reader! As I hinted a couple weeks ago, I recently got back from a trip to Prince Edward Island for an "Anne Shirley pilgrimage". I’ll confess: I didn’t even read Anne of Green Gables until a few months before this trip. And to be honest… I didn’t even like it. Anne was kind of obnoxious. My connection to Anne is much more superficial but still nostalgic. I was a homeschool kid who grew up watching the 1980s Sullivan Productions with Megan Follows. I still get full-body chills when the...
about 1 year ago • 2 min read
Howdy Reader! On my trip to Toronto, I luckily stumbled upon the fact that if I made a sliiiiight 30-minute detour I could see the filming location of the Rosebud Motel from Schitt's Creek. How could I pass up on an opportunity to view such an iconic TV building?! Let me tell you, it is appropriately in the middle of nowhere Ontario. It sits unassumedly off a non-busy country road. Trees block the view as you approach and it's down a short embankment. Blink and you'll miss it. I was so...
about 1 year ago • 1 min read
Howdy Reader! I just got back from a 10-day trip to Canada! I finally fulfilled a dream of doing the Anne of Green Gables tour—not because of the books, but because of the 1980s Sullivan Productions movies (no other versions count, IMO). I’ll talk more about that in another email once I’ve had time to collect my thoughts coherently. For now, I just wanted to share with you a rapid fire of impressions that stood out to me in Canada: I’ve been to BC a few times, but never long enough to form...
about 1 year ago • 2 min read