by Wendy
Jack and I had our share of rainy beach days last year. It happens. Luckily, our trip to Duck, Outer Banks, in early July was almost 100% sunny.
Outer Banks in North Carolina is one of the most beautiful beaches within a 6 hour drive for us. Hatteras Island is one of Jack’s favorites, where we’ve rented houses previously. During this visit, we opted to stay for 5 days in The Sanderling Hotel in Duck. Beach hotels can be a gamble – but we felt like we won the lottery. Continue reading
by Jack
I love wine and as I came to appreciate it more and more the concept of “terroir” gained a firm role in defining what I love about it. A French term, terroir is the combination of grape varietal, soil and climate that together produce a unique and distinct wine. This is integral to the prominence of celebrated wine regions such as Bordeaux, Burgundy, Tuscany and Napa where each are heralded for wines of a recognizable character from varietals well suited to their specific conditions. The ripe velvety Cabernet Sauvignons of Napa, the crisp, steely Chardonnays of Chablis, have their own special characteristics not found in Cabs or Chards from other regions.
Which brings me to Garrigue, another French term. Garrigue refers to aromatic mix of resinous herbs and shrubs in the rocky hills of southern France. Lavender, thyme, cedar and salt air combine on the warm ocean breezes to create an unforgettable perfume. Many say these transfer into the wines of the region as well. I was reflecting on this during a recent beach vacation and thought I could identify a “Garrigue” for each of my favorite seaside venues along with a wine or two that share it. Continue reading
by Sunny
After reading my dad’s recent Hawaii posts, I started thinking about some of my favorite restaurants to visit on vacation – particularly beach vacations. The following list gets my seal of approval for delicious food and can’t be beat locations.