Food, Friends, and Festivities in Winston-Salem

When we planned our two-month summer sojourn in North Carolina, one of the main objectives of the Winston-Salem leg was to get our fill of urban amenities that are lacking in our very beautiful but very rural home community. I think I can say without reservation that we achieved that goal. After suffering through my … Read more

Welcome to Big Sandy Mush

Our home away from home for the month of July is the Big Sandy Mush, a secluded valley located about 15 miles northwest of Asheville. European settlement of the valley dates back to around 1800, but the mountains ringing the valley kept it fairly isolated. Generations of residents raised all their own food, kept cows … Read more

Old Home Week in Jupiter, FL

We lived in northern Palm Beach County (separately and together) for decades. I grew up in Martin County, which is immediately north of Palm Beach County. Over the course of those years we have visited All. The. Places. whether on our own or while hosting visitors from out of town. The area is full of … Read more

Cigars, Surrealism, and Socializing in Tampa Bay

After a glorious stretch of camping at the beach in two places along Florida’s Panhandle, it was time for us to start heading down the peninsula to the Tampa Bay area. Unlike the Panhandle, which was mostly new to us, Tampa Bay is familiar. My aunts, uncles, and cousins have lived in the area for … Read more