The last leg of our journey brought us from the Midwest back home to DC, and we took the opportunity to drive scenic routes.  We followed the Mississippi River, train tracks, and winding country roads to take in small towns and beautiful landscapes, rather than zipping from city to city on the interstate. Our journey included the Great River Road in Wisconsin, the River Valley Scenic Highway in Minnesota, the Bluegrass Highway in Kentucky, and the Ohio Scenic Byway. Of course we stopped at distilleries in bourbon country, the Red Wing shoe factory in Red Wing, MN to check out the world’s largest boot (and buy some work boots for ourselves), and ate the best Italian food in Pittsburgh.

The Living Room in Cincinnati was our most unique venue, AR Workshop Alexandria allowed participants to see power tools in action, Pittsburgh provided our best view from the 31st floor of the Industrious offices, and Chicago was representative of the diversity of experiences in our workshops.  Some of the attendees there included:

• a mother who owns a home and rentals and brought her daughter who is a first-time homebuyer

• a woman who has a background in construction and opted to sell her home and live full-time from a van while contemplating next steps

• an architect who is home shopping with her new husband

• a government worker rehabbing an 1890s home after a challenging and disappointing experience with a contractor, and

• a woman preparing changes to her home to eventually age in place