The buffet itself was art. Shrimp and snails were piled majestically into a silver tureen with the hotel garden as a backdrop. Delicate slices of salmon were deliberately draped across a silver tray. Fresh salads of every type glistened with olive oil and glowed with the colors of freshly-picked vegetables.
From the moment we tossed our lines to the dockhand at Man-O-War Marina (http://manowarmarina.com), we felt like we were home. Though tiny in size, it is large on hospitality! This special island is a skinny two and a half miles long, and has about 300 year-round residents, many of whom are descended from early loyalist settlers who left the newly formed United States of America after the American Revolutionary War. They are friendly and good-natured and embrace you (if you are willing) into their culture and lives. In the two and a half weeks we spent on Man-O-War, we became known as the “couple from the big catamaran,” and my husband Jim was invited to join the men each afternoon at Andy Albury’s woodworking shop as they chewed the fat about island history, politics, and woodworking, and shared a laugh or two.
Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI) began 75 years ago with a community of climbers in search of quality outdoor gear. It has now grown to 129 stores, eight in Colorado alone. But Denver is a “flagship” store, making it a must-see if you are in town. A flagship store in the retail world means a large store with unique features that stands out as a showcase for the brand. In other words, not your everyday shopping experience.
If you like horses, country music, fried food, beer, a thrilling ride down a steep bluff in the back of a pickup truck, and sitting inside a large cave, then Tuscumbia, Alabama, has a spot just for you. Seven Springs Lodge and Rattlesnake Saloon are located on a 6,000-acre plot of land on Mount Mills Road. Just turn left at the sign pointing to the Coon Dog Cemetery. (Yes, Coon Dog Cemetery. Think Reese Witherspoon and Josh Lucas in the movie Sweet Home Alabama.) It’s off of Highway 157/Alternate Highway 72 West. Meander around the curves and woods on Highway 247, and you’ll be getting close.
This is The Berry Barn, a unique combination of working U-pick farm, plant nursery, garden and gift shops, restaurant, and wedding event venue — a mini-getaway in a unique country setting, a family-friendly destination where you can pick berries, shop, eat, or simply relax.
Gerbaud Chocolates is a versatile facility designed to host many different kinds of activities and events: shopping, workshops, tea room, themed tastings, and live production of chocolates. It is a large, modern, bright space that is unique among the many old-fashioned chocolate shops that surround it.
With their “grain-to-glass” philosophy, it’s the ideal setting, from the ingredients (grains including rye, wheat, malting barley, and potatoes) harvested from local Alberta farms, to the water from the Canadian Rockies, to the history of Turner Valley’s prohibition times of the 1920s.
Gingerly I step through the crumbling watchtower at Samatai West and onto the Great Wall of China. I will never forget that first moment. The wall snaking off in either direction as far as the eye can see, the trail undulating up and down along the crest of the mountain ridge. It stops you in your tracks. It takes your breath away. Steep, narrow trails up to watchtowers where guards in centuries past would have watched for invaders, followed by crumbling steps down the other side where we would pick our way carefully and make our way back down.
Charleston, South Carolina is a food town. Good old southern cooking is available, but so is fresh farm to table cuisine. Located at 18 Pinckney Street in the historic district is a charming old house off the beaten path with culinary magic happening inside.
This area has everything going for it to be a culinary dream-come-true: great purveyors of fresh produce, basically on the sea for fresh fish, and remarkable cattle ranchers. Then there’s the wine and olive oils. Put all those elements together and this is a foodie’s paradise.
