Back Down to Charleston

It's Saturday and all I keep thinking about is how I want to be back at Folly Beach in South Carolina. A few weeks ago, Anthony and I took a trip down to Charleston but honestly, three and a half days in a new place isn't enough sometimes.

I want another night where we can fall asleep to the sound of the tide coming in through the open balcony door, only to wake up to the sight of surfers bobbing in the water waiting to catch the next wave.

I want another late dinner on the elevated deck at Loggerhead's, complete with live music and frozen drinks and a view of a sliver of the ocean.

And I definitely want another giant breakfast biscuit from Callie's Hot Little Biscuit.

Some observations:

*Angel Oak Park on Johns Island closes early but you can still stick your hand through the page fence to take a kick-ass photo of this ancient oak tree.

 
**The brewery scene in Charleston is out of control in the best possible way.
 

***No one will judge if you have an alcoholic beverage with every meal.

We can always go back, and I'm pretty sure we will. In the meantime, we have these photos of classic Southern homes and pretty fountains and yummy meals to help us fondly remember our jaunt.

More good news!

With yesterday's exciting news still fresh in my mind, I couldn't be happier to see the Design*Sponge New Haven guide that I wrote posted on Jauntsetter, one of my favorite blogs (and one that I already gushed about in a previous post)!  September is going well so far...

Photo of New Haven, CT, courtesy of Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism

Travel Diary: Maine

We've been home for about two weeks and I am still thinking about our vacation.  Our trip to Maine was a great getaway and we enjoyed every minute.  This was meant to be a relaxing, sit-on-the-beach trip, but we definitely explored the area and found some really fun and interesting sights along the way.


Anthony and I left Connecticut around 6am on a Saturday morning and headed north.  There was little traffic and we got to Ogunquit ahead of schedule.  Instead of staying in a hotel, we rented a small condo for the week, and by 10:30am, we were in our temporary home, staring at the lovely in-ground pool right outside the slider doors.


We couldn't have picked a better condo to rent.  We were only two blocks away from the center of town and about six blocks from the beach.  There are adorable shops and restaurants on the main drag in Ogunquit and it was so easy to find a nearby place for breakfast or dinner.  And, of course, there was a Ben & Jerry's close by too. 

Some of our favorite moments from the trip:

On our first day, after a quick lunch, we headed right down to the beach.  Without our chairs or even our swimsuits, we took off our shoes and stood in the cold water.  There were tons of families enjoying the day and we sat on the sand for a couple of hours, taking in our surroundings and talking about plans for the rest of the week.  What a lovely way to spend an afternoon.

Kites flying above at the beach

The next day in Kennebunkport, we parked in a residential area and walked to the stores and restaurants by the water.  It was a breezy day and there were lots of bike riders and even horse-drawn carriages on the roads.  The homes in the area were just gorgeous and provided the perfect scenery for our walk. 

Kennebunkport

The Marginal Way in Ogunquit is a path that runs along the shore for over a mile.  We walked this one night after dinner in Perkins Cove, just when it was starting rain.  It's a twisty, hilly walk spotted with lots of wooden benches and little enclaves to stop off and take pictures--the views are unbelievable.  Perkins Cove itself is great with boats coming in and out of the port/dock and tons of restaurants.  We had lobster and fresh corn-on-the-cob at Barnacle Billy's and sat out on the deck for an authentic experience. 

Perkins Cove

When in Portland, we spent some time at the Portland Observatory, which is actually an old watch tower from the mid-1800's.  Captain Moody used to station himself at the top and use flags to signal to the town which ships were coming into the port.  Today, the Observatory is a national landmark and the views of the city (and the beautiful Casco Bay Islands) are breathtaking. 

View from top of Portland Observatory

And, of course, Anthony and I spent our last night in Maine (which was actually the night before our 6 year anniversary!) on the beach looking at the sky during a Perseid meteor shower.  It was so quiet and serene, and just the perfect way to say goodbye to Maine.

On the beach at night

We were lucky enough to have wonderful weather for almost the entire week of our visit.  The sky was picturesque and I couldn't stop taking pictures of the clouds. 

It's still summer but we are already talking about another visit to the Maine coast.  I wonder what Ogunquit's like in the fall...

Did You Say Alpaca?

We spent our last day of vacation in Portland, Maine (I know, I know, I still haven't posted on the trip but it's coming!).  After a delicious late lunch of fried shrimp and scallops, we walked along the water a bit, checking out the boats and the beautiful views.  And that's also where we came across one of those displays with hundreds of pamphlets of area attractions that I can never pass up.  I'm sure Anthony inwardly groans every time I stop and start loading up on cards about hot air balloon rides and outlet shopping and wax museums.  This time, I controlled myself a bit since we were getting ready to head home to Connecticut leave behind all good things in Maine, but I couldn't help taking a pamphlet for an alpaca farm that was three hours north of Portland.  The farm itself looked gorgeous and the fluffy alpacas were adorable.  Maybe on our next trip, right?

Or maybe on our next "Exploring Connecticut" weekend.  Last year, we made a list of several things in Connecticut that we wanted to see.  There are so many things to see and do right in our own state.  A little searching led me to the Safe Haven Alpaca Farm in Hampton, Connecticut, just far enough for a fall day trip.  Now all I have to do is convince Anthony...

Photo courtesy of metro.co.uk

Happy Earth Day!

 (Photo from From Me to You)

 
Today is the 40th anniversary of Earth Day and with today's weather in the Northeast, it feels like the Earth sending us a treat.  There's a slight breeze and the sun is warm but the air is crisp, my favorite kind of weather.  I'm using today to think about what I can do to reduce my footprint in the world, like remembering that I put cloth bags in my car for when I go grocery shopping and actually taking them into the store with me.  There are lots of small things that we can all do to make a difference and I need to start being more conscious of that. 

My favorite Earth Day memory is from my junior year in college.  One of my good friends on campus was president of the student club SEA (Student Environmental Association) and I somehow got roped into being the secretary that year.  We really wanted to do some fun activities and the club members (who were basically a bunch of our friends) were on board.  In the fall, we collected bottles and cans from the townhouses where senior parties were thrown--by Sunday mornings, there were hundreds of cans from the Thursday, Friday and Saturday night parties.  I also arranged for the head zookeeper from the Beardsley Zoo to come and speak in February. He brought many animals and we had a pretty decent turnout.  But for Earth Day, we thought that it would be a great idea to sell plants in the campus center to students, faculty and staff.

The big problem with this was that we didn't have any money to buy the plants in the first place.  I had been working on some other fundraiser projects and I knew that companies, large and small, were usually willing to donate to a good cause.  I called the local Home Depot store and the manager promised us 200 plants as long as we could pick them up.  The plants were in small, spongy planters, like the ones that are sold at elementary school plant sales and were all different colors.  I didn't have a car yet (it took me another 6 months to save up for one) so I had to borrow a friend's Pontiac to load up the plants, get them to the campus center, bring them in, arrange them on the table and make sure there was at least one SEA member there at all times to sell them for 50 cents each from noon to 4:00pm. 

The event was extremely successful--we sold every plant and people kept coming by while we were cleaning up asking for more.  We donated the money and for a few days, felt really good about our contributions.  I remember how stressful it was to get everything ready in time and still go to class, do homework, go to my job and go to meetings for other organizations I was in.  It seems so silly now but we all were thrilled when Home Depot offered all of those plants for free.  Thinking back on it makes me smile and wish I had window-boxes to plant some cheerful flowers of my own.

Shake Shack!

I'm sure this will be the first of many posts on this topic but I love New York City.  Growing up a little less than two hours away ensured several trips a year when I was young.  Once I hit college, I sometimes made it in once a week.  And now that I'm an adult with responsibilities and a full-time job, blah blah, I only make it once every month or two.  Even though the shopping and the museums are wonderful, the parks are some of my favorite places to visit.  Once inside Central Park, it's hard to think about the pulsing city that surrounds it.  The smaller parks that are hidden behind townhouses or just come right out of nowhere while you are walking are the best.  New York City parks allow visitors to pretend like they are locals. Sitting on a bench with your shoes off while sipping an iced tea lets you blend in and experience being a 'true' New Yorker for even just a few minutes. 

Last September, A and I took a rare vacation day off together and traveled into New York on a Friday.  It was beautiful out and we walked down to Herald Square and from there headed to the Flatiron District.  Once there, I made a beeline towards Madison Square Park to claim my spot at the end of the Shake Shack line.  I had heard so much about the burgers, shakes and fries from this stand that I had to try some myself and A was totally down to help.  We sat at a small, metal table and ate and talked until the sun started to go down and it got a bit chilly, but we were having such a great time, we stayed a bit longer.  The lights went on in the park and soon, we were surrounded by families with their kids and dogs and it was just lovely.

I was reminded of that day this morning when I saw that the Shake Shack just posted its shake menu for April.  With 'Pancakes and Bacon' scheduled for Saturdays, I see another lazy New York Saturday afternoon in our future! 

 

(This image is from TimeOut New York, but it looks exactly like the meal we had!)