Tales from the Road

Nashville or Bust

2009-06-22T15:28:51-05:00

Friday 6/12/2009 at 4:02 p.m. - I get an email from my best friend, an intern at Birmingham's stunning Museum of Art. What on earth were we going to do over the weekend? The following is our conversation:

Ashlyn: Cabin fever. BAD. i'm about to say lets jet off to ATL or nashville
Sloan: really?? can we please? i just said those exact same words to my mother i am DYING to get outta this town. (I should add at this point that, despite a Braves game, we have been kicking it in the fabulous 'Ham for approximately 5 consecutive months.)
Ashlyn: you think we could swing it? you know i'm in if you are.
Sloan: well. we'd have to decide where first.
Ashlyn: ha. okay, hm. can we go to n'ville?

Bingo. 1.5 hours later, with Vera Bradley bags packed and Dave's new album blaring, my counterpart and

I hit the road: I-65 northbound to Nash-town.

With Sloanie at the wheel, my fingers were text messaging (90-to-nothing, a relatively common activity) to our Nashville friends: Where should we eat? What's fun at night? Where do we shop?

Here's my Top 15 Reasons to Spontaneously Jump in a Car for a Weekend to Nashville:

(in order of 6/12-14/2009 weekend appearance)

1. Because only in the south can you feel normal about sticking gardenias in the air conditioning vent

on your roadtrip.

2. SATCO - Guided to dinner at San Antonio Taco Company by our Nashville-dwelling friends, we were

instant fans. Twinkle lights in trees and classic rock piped out onto the porch were perfect additions to

the al fresco Mexican dinner. Spotted: Fajitas, guacemole, cheese dip, chips, cheap beer, college boys

and girls. 416 21st Ave S, (616) 327-4322

3. Greenhouse Bar - The monicker is true--I legitimately felt like I had intruded into a gardener's territory at this eclectic, off-beat bar. Spotted: Gravel underfoot, wooden benches, and they say Nicole Kidman likes the adjacent Food Company.

2211 Bandywood Drive, (615) 385-3357

4. Love Circle - Perched high atop a hill, this spot offers a magnificent view of the night lights of Nashville. You'll probably understand why it earned its romantic name. Vandy track trots up the hill; bring your running shoes and take the challenge. (Ask a local and drive slow--it gets a little windy near the top.)

5. Because on Broadway between 5th and 1st, I felt oddly like I was in a warped Times Square, where everyone wore cowboy hats. Granted, this was right after the CMA's had let out for the evening.

6. The Big Bang Bar - Who doesn't love a good dueling piano bar?

411 Broadway # 2, (615) 747-5851

7. Hillsboro Village shopping - Beneath this polo-wearing, headband-owning guise, you'll find the slight traces of a hippie, which meant stumbling into Pangea was a pretty wonderful experience. (1721 21st Ave S, [615] 269-9665) Social Graces (1704 21st Ave S, [615] 383-1911) was an obvious choice for Sloanie and me, as was the stock of dresses at FireFinch (1818 21st Ave S, [615] 385-5090). And the simply charming BookMan/BookWoman (1713 21st Ave S, [615] 383-6555) is consistently voted best used bookstore.

8. Zumi - Brand new sushi spot recommended to us by local store owners in the Hillsboro Village. Spectacularly well-priced (and tasting) sushi accompanied with great customer service. Spotted: Edamame, recommendations of Pacific Queen rolls and Black and Gold rolls, pristine white square plates, a yuppie-ish crowd, a patio with a shaded option.

2119 Belcourt Ave, (615) 383-5770

9. Because driving to neighboring Franklin, TN from Nashville is a delightful straight shot down smooth Hillsboro Road, lined in graceful oaks and big ole houses.

10. Historic Franklin - Let's be honest, Sloan and I can shop with the best of 'em. This quaint street with century old store fronts was a slice of heaven for us. Headbands galore and a treasure trove of jewelry exist at What's In Store (407 Main St, [615] 794-7560) where Taylor Swift is a fan. Wood floor and chandeliers deck Philanthropy, a shop loaded with apparel. Ten percent of the store's proceeds go to charitable foundations. (434 Main St, [615] 791-1125) In Lulu ([615] 794-3345), girly, polka-dotted, striped, shiney, sophisticated home decor delights they eye. It's like being inside a day-dream.

11. Because there is a Billy Reid at the Mall at Green Hills. The Alabama designer has been featured in all the heavyweight glossy fashion magazines for his perfectly preppy Gatsby-esque creations. Hear that, Taylor?

12. Pancake Pantry - Trust me and dozens of other fans: the good ole fashioned breakfast is worth the time you'll clock in the waiting line. Spotted: chocolate chip pancakes, grits, big booths, wood paneled walls, polite southern waitstaff.

1796 21st Ave S, (615) 383-9333

13. It's fun to be starstruck. "The Kings of Leon are from Nashville. I am in Nashville. The Kings of Leon are from Nashville..."

14. Because Vanderbilt's beautiful shaded campus is a great place to walk off your Pancake Pantry meal--a walk around the whole campus can take you about 45 minutes if you hit the right stride.

15. Because on the return journey, Nashville may put you in the mood to belt out the following: Garth, Taylor, Lady Antebellum, Rascal Flatts, and Dierks Bentley. Not that I'd know from experience or anything...

What'd I miss on this trip? I fell in love and will definitely give Nashville another visit very soon!

An Intern's Guide to Birmingham: A Date with Mama

2009-06-16T16:25:57-05:00

Maybe it's just that it's-my-birthday ecstasy, but when my mother pulled in from Montgomery to take me out to birthday lunch, I was thrilled to spend some time catching up in the beautiful (albeit steamy) June sunshine. I adore my internship in the Travel/Livings Department of Southern Living, but when mom asked to whisk me away from my cubicle for a bit, I delightfully obliged.

The choice of restaurant was easy: Give a girl French lessons for five years, and she's got a built-in affinity for anything francais, mais oui. We trotted over to Chez Lulu, a bohemian yet refined French cafe tucked into Birmingham's English Village. (Think decor of Grayton Beach's Red Bar with less flip flops and sand, more ballet flats and white table cloths.) Lush reds, walls covered in scrolling-gold frames, and European food: Perfect ambiance for a new 21-year-old and her mama.

After bonding with my waiter Austin over mutual Samford University Bulldog love, he guided me to the cucumber soup. Gazpacho is one of my favorites, and Chez Lulu nails both summertime soups. Mom adored her roasted eggplant and caramelized onion served on focaccia bread, while I was tres satisfied with a goat cheese, pesto and tomato sandwich.

Adjacent to Chez Lulu and under the same ownership, the Continental Bakery supplied the fantastic bread of my sandwich. European methods are still used in the bakery for the pastries and breads made fresh daily. The quaint streets of English Village are lined with galleries and interior design shops (Did I mention a salon/spa and nail place?)

What about you? Where do you head to find your French fix down here in la sud des Etats-Unis? (that means "the south," y'all.)

p.s. Just to make you a bigger fan of Southern Living, you'll be happy to know they go all out for birthdays around here. Who says you need to take a day off of work for a "personal day" birthday? I'll stay right here, thankyouverymuch.

An Intern's Guide to Birmingham: Gilchrist's

2009-06-09T16:22:03-05:00

Okay, okay. So while I may be interning in a city where I go to college, let's be honest: You kinda lose the "explorer" habit when sophomore year hits. This summer, I'm going to finally dig into Birmingham like I am a fresh out of the gates traveler. And while I may be no novice to Birmingham, there a a plethora of mossy Shades Creek rocks I have left to unturn. Keep checking back with me--I'm a girl on a mission and I will welcome any and all ideas you have for me!

GILCHRIST'S
I've smugly uttered the following phrase approximately 26 times: "Oh, well I never order the same thing twice." My, my. How cosmopolitan. But alas, as I add years to my life I find some comfort in having my "usual." At my table. In my restaurant.

Enter Gilchrist--despite the menu, I always relish my toasted wheat pimento cheese, complete with a juicy southern tomato and leafy lettuce. I even forgive the plump sandwich's forlorn attempt to contain all of the cheese as it drips onto the styrofoam plate. Gilchrist's famed limeade adds to the panoply of flavor. Must admit that I've never tried anything else on the alphabet-sign menu. And when my BFF Sloan and I went today, once again, I proved myself a creature of habit.

Gilchrist is an Mountain Brook village mainstay, tucked into its old-school, drugstore location in Birmingham for decades. And I'm cheating again: There wasn't exactly much exploring involved for this one. It's my favorite: It's a pledge sister outing away from our glorious campus cafeteria. An after-school stop for my 9-year-old boyfriend and I before baseball practice. It's even calmed my nerves on a first date with a not-9-years-old boy. (Are we calling that a date? Whatever.) Company regardless--I'll have the pimento cheese on toasted wheat with a limeade, please ma'am.

Gilchrist's Drug, 2805 Cahaba Road, Birmingham, AL 35223, (205) 871-2181

What are your favorite Magic City haunts? I'm so anxious to add to my list!

Rope Swing: Locust Fork River

2009-06-09T11:40:27-05:00

This past weekend my family and I experienced the beauty of the Locust Fork River for the first time. One of Alabama's longest remaining free-flowing rivers, it twists and turns its way between ridges and cliffs just north of Birmingham. Home to several rare aquatic species, including a few stands of the beautiful Cahaba lily, the river meanders lazily in places, while at others its waters rush between rocks, over shoals, and, when I hit the chutes just right, over the bow and all over my wife.

The river also included an extra surprise: a rope swing that just begged the three boys on the float to take her for a test drive. Heath Ross (photo at left) braved the heights first, while his brother Ian went last. My son Aaron swung second, as seen here in this video. I can't think of too many other sights that scream summer fun more than this.

Good Friends

The Friends of the Locust Fork had offered this trip as a means of introducing the river to a few newbies. (Thanks to the Friends for their hospitality and my buddy Neil Ross for connecting me with them.) The group organizes a few trips each year on the river and serves as an advocate for keeping the river and the surrounding area ecologically healthy.

Ian Ross prepares for his maiden flight on the Locust Fork rope swing.

Judging by recent events the Friends have scored a few successes. They recently stopped a years-long attempt at damming the river and have lobbied Alabama's Forever Wild Land Trust to purchase some 3200 acres along its banks that were to be used for the aforementioned dam. A vote* to consider that purchase is scheduled for this Thursday, June 11, 2009, at Jacksonville State University's Little River Canyon Field School (call 256-782-5697 for more information or visit the Outdoor Alabama website).

* This just in: The effort to purchase the 3200 acres along the Locust Fork is still alive. Alabama's Forever Wild voted yesterday (June 11, 2009) to have the property assessed. Once that step is complete, the real crux move of finding the monies necessary to purchase the property will begin.

Just one of many beautiful vistas along the Locust Fork in north-central Alabama

Spoleto Festival USA- Charleston, SC

2009-06-05T07:58:32-05:00

by Ashlyn Stallings

You know those little triggers that cue the voice in your head to say, “This time last year?” Lately for me, memories ensue with the thick scent of confederate jasmine or the lowcountry cookbooks lying around my apartment—it’s safe to say I miss Charleston these days.

This time last year, I was interning at the fabulous Spoleto Festival USA in the Holy City. Trotting up and down King, George and East Bay streets to hit up shows with my comp tickets, I was high on art, music and dance during the 17-day festival. This is the last weekend, so check it out now.

Spoleto’s 33rd season began on May 21, 2009, but there’s still time to jaunt over to the peninsula and catch a few shows. Don John, a radical modern reworking of Mozart’s Don Giovanni, is causing quite a chatter in Charleston, on stage through the weekend. Also this weekend, beauty Stefania Dovhan makes her operatic debut stateside in Louise, an opera set in Bohemian Paris. Sensational acting troupes, flamenco dancers and vaudeville theatrics are also in the wings this week.

Charleston City Paper’s Spoleto Coverage

But I’m mostly craving the spectacular concerts, especially those directed by Charles Wadsworth. The conductor won my heart last year, and as it happens is stepping down after this festival. Don’t miss his chamber music performances. Works by romantic composers Tchaikovsky and Brahms and Mozart’s classic Requiem will also be played.

Smattered over 11 Chuck Town venues, Spoleto festival-goers have an opportunity to see the city and grab some of that renowned cuisine between shows. (And you know about the shopping, right?) Become a fan on Facebook for the opportunity to snatch up free tickets to various shows. Thousands make the pilgrimage to Spoleto each year, and the masses are on to something. The finale in itself is a feat, as picnic blankets pepper the grounds of Middleton Plantation against the firework-lit sky.

If you’re not one for spontaneity, jot down Spoleto Festival USA 2010 in your planner.

Meeting Folk Artist Mose Tolliver

2009-05-24T20:58:42-05:00

(I visited Mose Tolliver at his home in 2005.)

I'm heading to Tallahassee, FL, this week to interview an artist for an upcoming feature on the great Southern folk artists you need to buy now.

(I would tell ya more about it, but I don't want to scoop the story. Keep your eye on the mag...)

I'm a folk art enthusiast, investing any extra cash into pieces I admire and the artists who create them. The trip reminds me of my first folk art encounter: A trip to see Mose Tolliver, one of the most noted artists of the contemporary folk art genre...

My friend David had been to Mose T's house in Montgomery, AL, a few times, so he scheduled our road trip. We stopped at a gas station as we got into town and picked up a half case of Bud Light, a gift that David said would ingratiate us to the artist. We visited with Mose in his living room for a while. He was confined to his recliner, but he grew increasingly animated as he told stories, especially about recent trips to see his girlfriend.

We asked about his work, so one of his daughters led us to a bedroom. She pulled several black garbage bags from underneath the bed. They were full of her dad's dusty paintings on scrap pieces of plywood.

(I bought 'Wild Cat' and 'Tree of Life' from Mose T)

David and I were fortunate to have that experience then, because Mose passed away a year later at the age of 86. The trip sparked my still-vibrant interest in folk art.

(Listen to NPR's 1995 interview with Mose T and his daughter Annie. Their portion starts around 5:15.)

Who is your favorite folk artist? Any interesting artist encounters?

My Great Stone Crab Adventure

2009-05-15T12:29:47-05:00

Buddy Grimm stepped off his long, flat stone crab boat just as the sun began its last half-hour in the south Florida sky. He looked beat: reddened on his forearms and ears, his loose and tatteredoxford shirt stained by tobacco and sea salt. His three crabbers lifted the day's catch in large rectangle boxes filled to the top with pink-and-black stone crab claws. Looking at the catch, I thought of two things: 1) Would the poised and frightening claws come back to life if I touched one; and 2) Were a bunch of crabs swimming in circles out beyond Chokoluskee Bay?

I recently found out that I love stone crabs. I grew up going to the Panhandle, where grouper and scallops rule on menus, so stone crab claws were not a household seafood for me. Even until a few months ago, eating crabs of any kind seemed to me more work than dinner. That is until a week ago.

Southern Living is not a perfect place to work, but on some days I'd swear I have the best job in the world. Last Thursday was one of those days. We called Buddy's nephew Justin Grimm in Everglades City, about 50 feet from the docks where I first met the stone crab family, and we ordered 10 succulent pounds of south Florida stone crabs. A day later they were on my doorstep. Post photo-shoot --- look in your August SL for the image --- my friend Paul and I sat out on my patio with a Home Depot hammer, a plate of crab claws, a large fries from McDonalds, and ice-cold Corona. We cracked those suckers and dipped them in the mustard sauce until we'd had our fill. As we ate, I couldnt help but realize that not 48 hours earlier, Buddy was out checking his traps, harvesting the claws (one per crab), and blanching his catch on the docks. The meal was nearly as wonderful as the trip to Everglades City.

I suppose I owe a thank you to FedEx.

Sweet! THE PLAYERS at TPC Sawgrass

2009-05-07T06:30:00-05:00

Everybody fears #17. The island hole at TPC Sawgrass haunts all of professional golf's big boys (Tiger, Phil, and the rest of the pack) who are swinging away at THE PLAYERS tournament kicking off today in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL.

I understand. I played the course last Spring with my father (see my story on the TPC Sawgrass Experience in SL's April '09 issue). #17 beat me. Dad smote it, however, and I even shot a video of his tee shot.

The hole's myth dominates most conversations around there. You can't even enjoy a nice dinner in the Sawgrass Marriott's Augustine Grille without it leering at you from the dessert menu.

I ordered the restaurant's signature sweet, the Island Green Cheescake (above) with its chocolate wrap, blueberry syrup, an edible flag, and a green candy alligator. I couldn't finish it. You got it. #17 beat me twice.

(Sawgrass Marriott guests can chip golf balls to the "practice" #17 in the lake by the hotel.)

Tobacco Road Trip

2009-05-06T12:40:45-05:00

Last week I traveled to North Carolina. It was my first trip to NC in the two years I've been on staff at Southern Living. After tens of thousands of miles logged in the far reaches of Texas and in Louisiana's bayou backwater, seeing the rolling, tree-wealthy range of central North Carolina was the freshest breath of air I've had in a long while. At times, I felt like I was in another country, maybe Scotland.

I took a half day to drive south and east from Durham, where tobacco warehouses are now flats and coffee shops and architect firms, hoping to catch a glimpse of true, old-school tobacco farms. For some reason, the trade intrigues me. Maybe it's the old green barns; maybe it's my occasional affinity for a late-night smoke. Either way, the out-there-ness of McGee Crossroads, NC, and Benson, NC, was as relaxing as a two-hour massage.

before leaving Durham, I walked around the new downtown development called West Village and an existing revitalization called Brightleaf Square. Both are shinging examples of reclaiming a downtown industrial space. After sushi (buy one get one free, in fact), I hit the road with the Avetts singing their Carolina lungs out.

Farmers off Highway 50, an hour south of Raleigh, spoke to me about the beginning of planting season, pointing me down Zack's Mill Road to see some "good old barns" and freshly churned fields. One particular man, fixing some greasy machine in his bright red barn, looked at me funny when I asked about his favorites. I guess the tall green barns are normal to him, and some kid asking about them might seem like someone asking about the sky. I ended my drive in Kenly, east of Benson, at the farm life museum, which was closed. I snuck around back and poked around the time-period dwellings, rusted tools laying around, rockers on a faux cabin porch. I wasn't nearly as interested in that as I was in the man in his red barn.

nothing but footprints

2009-05-01T11:11:54-05:00

Hikers, spelunkers, and other outdoors lovers often advise "take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints." As a photographer, I've always tried to adhere to that. Yesterday morning at the beach in Camp Helen State Park in Florida's beautiful panhandle, I found a lot of different footprints to photograph.

There was an abundance of crisscrossing tracks from people, raccoons, crabs, shore birds, and a lot I didn't recognize. My favorites were those of different species crossing paths like these of a child and a raccoon. Photographing early in the morning let me find many before the day's human traffic erased the beach dwellers' tracks, and the angle of the early morning sun helped define the shapes. I shot straight down with a 'normal' 50mm lens.

Pensacola: Celebrating 450 Years

2009-04-16T13:38:33-05:00

Photo: Robbie Caponneto

A 450th birthday calls for some serious celebrating and Pensacola plans to commemorate its founding all year long. The Florida Panhandle city, home to a festive lot of residents well rehearsed in the art of merriment, has planned a slew of events throughout 2009 and in the process remind St. Augustine which city was actually settled first. (See below for the answer.)

The King and Queen of Spain officially kicked off the celebration back in February with a visit and salute to Spanish explorer Don Tristan de Luna who, in 1559, founded the settlement that later became Pensacola. During the first weekend in April, the city held the Pensacola Spanish Food and Wine Festival, during which 12 Spanish wine makers – a turnout so large as to surprise even the event’s organizers – offered samples of their delicious wares.

Upcoming Events

In the coming months, Spanish artist Miguel Zapata will present an exhibit of his work and the city will be treated to a visit from the Juan Sebastian de Elcano – the world’s third largest tall ship. Even annual events, like the Pensacola Seafood Festival, Great Gulf Coast Arts Festival, and the Blue Angel Homecoming (the Navy’s jet acrobatic team is based at NAS Pensacola) will offer extra touches in honor of the birthday.

The Lee House offers visitors a terrific view of the bay from its porch and balcony.

Downtown Pensacola

The anniversary-related events are, however, just a part of Pensacola’s storyline. Over the past decade, Pensacola has emerged from the shadow of sister Pensacola Beach -- at least where tourist coverage is concerned -- and established itself as one of the hottest destinations on the Gulf Coast. The sound-side city has quietly renovated its historic downtown, creating a roughly half-square-mile district that is eminently walkable, mischievously fun, and plenty romantic. Restaurants and shops offer local fare and hard-to-find wares, while three new inns have recently opened downtown: New World Inn, Sole Inn and Suites, and Lee House B&B. The latter, operated by local restaurateur Norma Murray and her pediatrician husband Patrick, offers spanking new, eco-friendly accommodations along the waterfront.

Shops fill storefronts up, down, and around Palafox. For instance, Artesana Imports and its wine shop, located on West Garden Street, sell hard-to-find flatware and other housewares, as well as wines that run the gamut from budget to top-shelf. On Palafox, Distinctive Kitchens offers a wide selection of kitchen wares, wines, and cooking classes, while artist JY sells her art, jewelry, European cosmetics, and other items just across the street at Art Praha.

Restaurants, such as stalwarts Jackson’s, Global Grill, and Fish House, offer locally influenced fare, knowledgeable staff, and that singular Gulf Coast sense of fun that insists we not worry about tomorrow’s wake-up call, as it’ll be waiting for us whether we go to bed early or not at all.

Elsewhere

Beyond the central business district the city offers even more, such as the National Naval Aviation Museum, the Noble Manor Bed & Breakfast, and restaurants, such as the Coffee Cup (520 E. Cervantes, 850-432-7060) and Chet’s (3708 W. Navy Boulevard, 850-456-0165), the latter, according to a reliable source, offers some of the best mullet on the planet. Of course, if you've made it all the way to Pensacola, you should definitely spend a little time at Pensacola Beach and enjoy some of the whitest sand on the Gulf Coast.

Alas, there’s much more to see and do in the Pensacola area, much of which we’ll cover in upcoming issues of Southern Living. In the meantime, make a beeline for P’cola. A 450th anniversary doesn’t come around all that often, you know.

See CelebratePensacola.com for a schedule of anniversary-related events and other information. For general info about the city of Pensacola see VisitPensacola.com.

Pelican sculpture's dot the Pensacola landscape. This bird, near Seville Square, depicts the five national flags that have flown over the city. Photo: Stephanie Banks

Who’s Older: Pensacola or St. Augustine?

Spanish explorers first attempted to settle Pensacola in 1559 -- some six years before St. Augustine -- but abandoned the former about two years later due to storms and other hardships. The Spanish didn’t return for another 100 years, instigating something of an identity crisis for Pensacola and most of the Florida Panhandle, as it was traded and taken by a variety of countries and quasi-government entities. In all, the flags of five nations have flown over this section of the Panhandle: those of Spain, France, United Kingdom, Confederate States of America, and USA.

Blogging from 36,000 Feet

2009-04-02T08:21:54-05:00

Okay, so this is really cool. I caught wind about the Southwest Airlines Wi-Fi, but it didn't cross my mind this morning when I hopped the plane from B'ham to Dallas.

Then, Bam! Here I am, blogging in real time from the skies. Their wi-fi homepage shows me the progress of the flight. (It's 8:15 a.m., we're going 450 mph, our ETA to Love Field is 68 minutes, it's dark, and we're wearing sunglasses...) During this testing period, the service is as free as the two packs of peanuts sitting on my tray.

Now, what could I write about? The guy in 12D holds his newspaper close to his face. The woman in 13D brought cheese crackers. She offered me one, but I politely declined.

I never promised the post would be exciting. Just cool.

Kachina Peak, Taos Ski Valley, NM

2009-03-28T15:02:51-05:00

Kachina Peak as seen in the distance from the intersection of the Highline and West Basin trails

My head was in the clouds and my burning lungs felt like they were in my stomach…being digested. At an altitude of some 12,000 feet, I looked up at the final approach to Kachina Peak, breathless and more airheaded than usual. More than a little humbled, too, as the words of the ski shop clerk down in Taos Ski Valley (TSV) echoed in my head with a sort of taunting lilt. When I had asked him earlier in the week if the hike to the ski resort’s highest peak would take me the 45 minutes a local had estimated, he in turn asked me, “Where you from?” Upon hearing the place I call home is the relatively low altitude Birmingham, AL, he smiled and answered my original question with a confident, perhaps overly so, estimate of, “An hour and a half.”

Back on the mountain, I looked at my watch and reveled in the fact that he was wrong. By his reckoning, I should’ve reached the top five minutes ago, yet I still had another quarter mile to go – all of it up hill.

Note the person carrying the red skis in the group of people in the lower right-hand corner of the photo. According to Ed (see below), she had started her first ascent of Kachina at about the same time we did. Here she's just lapped us during her second ascent. Amazing.

All that gasping notwithstanding, the hike to one of New Mexico’s highest peaks was way more than worth the effort. The 12,481-foot Kachina Peak is the cherry on top of TSV, yet it and the other ski runs that slide off the Highline (aka East Basin) and West Basin ridges are not served by a lift – a wish of TSV founder Ernie Blake that’s still honored. Such lack of automated access keeps the traffic down, but there are still plenty of skiers willing to make the hike and enjoy some of the best panoramas and skiing in the Rockies.

On My Own
Having parted ways with my wife and son where TSV’s highest lift stops and the Kachina trail begins – the family prefers to let the chairs get them up the slopes – I started my approximately two-mile hike towards the peak with skis on my shoulder and provisions in a backpack. Having been advised by the ski patrol against going it alone, I tried to keep up with a group of men and women of various ages, who, I should note, quickly left me winded and in their wake. I was happy to rest up and worm my way in with the next group to come along.

Such was the luck of Cindy and Ed from The Woodlands, Texas, that we stumbled upon each other. I can’t remember if they caught up with me or me with them, but being the good reporter I asked the couple very short questions about their time in TSV that required lengthy answers from them. (In the video below, that’s me wheezing off camera.)

Up, Then Down
In March 2008, TSV allowed snowboarding on the mountain. Many of us old-line skiers had our reservations, but after a year, I for one feel comfortable about the decision. For starters, it increases business and helps ensure TSV will remain a family-owned resort – one of the few remaining in the U.S.

On the way to the peak, I saw as many boarders as skiers passing me on the trail. One such boarder was Vince from Albuquerque, who plans to graduate from the University of New Mexico this spring and get a post-graduate degree in physics from University of California, San Diego.

A photography buff himself, Vince helped me shoot some video on the peak, and afterwards tried to reassure me I could make it down a run designated as a double black diamond. (A much gentler slope than your typical double, sources tell me it was rated such because of the hike to get there.) Still, I suspect with his knowledge of such things as gravity, mass, and velocity, Vince was calculating if my skis would reach the bottom of the run first, especially if I went down face first.

For more information about hiking to Kachina Peak during the ski season, which in 2009 ends April 5, see skitaos.org.

For general information about the Wheeler Peak Wilderness and Carson National Forest, of which Kachina Peak is but one part, see the U.S. Forest Service site or SummitPost.org.

Jamaica in Houston? Yea mon.

2009-03-27T11:03:30-05:00

Mark your calendars for April 19-20 and 25-26: The global music community is descending onto Houston for iFest. From Celtic to Tejano to African drum circles, the city will be jamming out both weekends. Since 1971, the iFest has been THE international event of the year in hTown, and for good reason. When you look at all the offerings, it will make your head hurt it's so packed.

Editor's Pick: Rootz Underground, one of Jamaica's hottest reggae bands, shown above. There's plenty of good acts to catch on the 10 stages. So, if international travel is out for your family this summer, head into Houston. Tip: If you buy before March 31, one-day tickets to all the shows are only $7.50. For a preview of Rootz Underground and other performers, continue reading...

View from a Cave: Devil's Den

2009-03-18T21:31:27-05:00

Detoured off I-540 to hike at Devil's Den State Park in NW Arkansas. Followed unmarked paths to crevices and blazed trails to caves. Didn't make it too far into this one. Next time, I'll pack a flashlight.

March Madness in the South!

2009-03-18T16:39:56-05:00

Ah. It's FINALLY here. My very favorite two days of the sporting year. Thursday-Friday of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tourney, the day when giants are knocked off, when the little guy hits the game-winner to clinch immortality on his home turf. Tune in to this post to hear all about the South's best sleeper teams likely to shock the hoops world. Even President Obama is in on the fun.
1. East Tennessee State Buccaneers vs. #1 Pitt Panthers. I love East Tennessee. So pretty this time of year. So here's the good news all you Buc fans in Kingsport, Johnson City, and Gatlinburg --- at least your boys will have a nice drive home from Dayton on Saturday. Why They Will Lose? This low-post player named Blair for Pitt is an absolute rock. Why They Will Lose Bad? Pitt was the cool-guy pick to win it all last season, but they lost in the 2nd round to Michigan State. Expect these guys to be focused on the Final Four.

2. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers vs. #5 Illinois Illini. First off, if you had to pick a Hilltopper or an Illini in a bar brawl, who'd you go with? Exactly my thought. I really have no clue which either is. That said, these Kentucky boys know how to knock off a higher seed. Last year they hit a 30-foot bomb at the buzzer to win their first round affair. Why They Will Win? Sorry boss (Our fearless reader-in-chief is a big UK fan), but ever since the Big Blue faded, the Big Red has stepped up. Take solace in knowing your hometown Cards are a Final 4 lock. Why They'll Lose Round 2? The Hilltoppers meet the Goliath-killer of all-time, Gonzaga...in the Pacific NW. No chance.

3. Mississippi State Bulldogs vs. #4 Washington Huskies. I know. An SEC sleeper? But MSU is a 13 seed that didnt exactly top the rankings this season. But a strong finish to win the conference crown gives them the big MO. Why They'll Win? I don't know why, but I love this team. They have fire. They are aggressive. And their coach reminds me of a dear old dad. You rock Stansbury. Why They'll Be Proud in Starkville? Because the Dogs will reach the Sweet 16. Even a lose to UConn won't shame these Delta jewels. When ya'll get home, try out Ty Thames new restaurant on Coach.

4. Virginia Commonwealth Rams vs. #6 UCLA Bruins. My bigtime sleeper. Several reasons tell me that the Rams are contenders, perhaps the most dangerous team in the East. The coach learned the ropes at 2-time champ Florida. They have some military discipline at their school. And their leader is a bonafide gamer. Why They'll Knock Off a Titan? Senior guard Eric Maynor, above, will control the game and beat the Bruins. He's proven himself already, beating Duke two years ago. He'll do it again. Why They'll Shock the World? No they won't win it all. But....the VCU Rams will once again knock off Duke to reach the Elite 8.

Oxford Restaurant Burns

2009-03-16T17:07:38-05:00

Some people think of Oxford and immediately think of The Square, The Grove, and Ole Miss. For me, Oxford is a bastion of Mississippi culture and great Southern dining. So it disheartens me to report that Yocona River Inn, one of the community's culinary landmarks, was destroyed by fire on on Thursday, March 12.

Proprietor Paige Osborn, who lives next door to the restaurant, woke up around 1:30 a.m. when she heard her dog barking. "As soon as I opened the bedroom door, I saw a barrage of flashing colors through the window, and I knew something was wrong," she says.

The fire began on the enclosed back porch, which functioned as the restaurant's kitchen. "The back wall is completely gone. Some of the interior walls are gone. The rooms on the back side of the building are pretty well gutted. The floor's still there, and three outside walls are still standing," says Paige. It was first reported around 1 a.m. by a local community fire fighter who was returning from another call and noticed the building ablaze. The exact cause of the fire is undetermined.

Paige, a New Orleans native, moved to Oxford for grad school in Southern Studies in 1991. She fell so in love with the town, she chose to stick around and opened the Yocona River Inn in June 1995. "It's been my baby for over a decade--it's my life," says Osborn. "I'm definitely planning to rebuild."

Yocona is more than just another college town restaurant. Located out in the sticks (you better know where you're going if you hope to find it), it is a grass-roots BYOB eatery founded on community pride and great food. As John T. Edge, director of the Oxford-based Southern Foodways Alliance says, "Yocona is among our most community-focused restaurants. It matters to the people of Lafayette County, both as a place for peerless filet mignon and as place of neighborly congregation."

Updates on the restaurant can be found at www.yocona.com.

HOW TO HELP REBUILD: Yocona River Inn Patron Share Program

In the wake of the fire at Yocona River Inn, a cadre of loyal customers is raising funds to aid proprietor Paige Osborne as she works to reopen the restaurant.

Leading the charge are Randy Yates, proprietor of Ajax Diner, John Currence, proprietor of City Grocery, and John T. Edge, director of the Southern Foodways Alliance.

Dollars raised will serve as bridge funds for Osborne and her employees, offsetting some of the expenses incurred between the date of the fire and the date of the restaurant's reopening.

Here's how the "patron share" program works:

1) Write a check for $250, payable to Yocona River Inn, and mail it to Paige Osborne, Yocona River Inn, P.O. Box 2609, Oxford, MS 38655.
(Gifts in the name of friends and family are encouraged; so are multiple shares.)

2) Yocona River Inn will acknowledge your "patron share" with a letter and then open a house account for you.

3) Each time you dine at Yocona, one-half of your bill total will be paid from your house account balance, until that balance is retired.

4) In recognition of your purchase of a "patron share," Paige will install bricks, engraved with the names of supporting patrons, in a new courtyard that will front the building.

For questions on the logistics of this effort, email John T. Edge at johntedge@mac.com

Billy Reid is my Homeboy

2009-03-16T15:23:43-05:00

I wish Billy Reid was my roommate. Then whenever I needed to look especially cool and dapper and Gatsby-gone-South, I'd just raid his closet. Last month, the New York Times ran a killer piece giving the Alabama fashion designer major kudos. He deserves it. Now only if I can convince Billy to move from Florence to Birmingham.

Spook Hill -- Lake Wales, FL

2009-03-13T23:33:16-05:00

There’s something strange afoot in Lake Wales, Florida. Automobiles seem to defy gravity on one notorious side street.

Just down from peninsular Florida’s highest point, the aptly named “Spook Hill” has been thrilling the willing for nigh on 100 years now by making wheeled vehicles seemingly roll up hill. Is it the result of a buried magnetic pole? Or is it the protective ghost of a Native American chief and the gator with whom he fought to the death, both of whom are supposedly buried nearby? Or maybe it’s a Bermuda Triangle-esque portal to another universe?

Actually, it’s an optical illusion that makes cars and such appear to roll up hill. Because the hill on the north end of the street is relatively big and steep, it makes the south end of the street – the approximately 100-yard stretch on which cars appear to roll up hill – look as if it’s on an incline, too. In reality, it’s a slight down hill.

Or is it? Yes, really it is, but it’s still a lot of fun to experience it firsthand, as evidenced by the videos posted here. Rob Quam, executive director of the Lake Wales Care Center, kindly and expertly serves as our guide to this oddity of the natural world.

If you’d like to experience Spook Hill for yourself, head east from either Highway 27 or Scenic Highway 17 on Dr. JA Wilshire Ave (also listed as North Ave.). Just past the Old Scenic Highway, take a left (north) on N. Wales Dr. The sign explaining Spook Hill and the white line that marks your starting point are just a block up the street.

From the vantage point of the sign, it really does look as if the section of road just in front of us comes up hill from the point where the truck is parked.
Take 1
Rob explains the phenomenon of Spook Hill.
Take 2
Many of the tourists who visit Spook Hill mistakenly expect their automobile will roll up the steeper incline, seen here in front of our SUV. Rob had made this point earlier to photographer Gary Clark and me so we wouldn't be disappointed when we actually experienced the "Spook" for ourselves. Imagine, then, my surprise when he, with Gary as his accomplice, made it appear as if the truck rolls up that steeper hill. I'm the chump heard in the background laughing like a hyena.

To learn more about Spook Hill see http://www.lakewaleschamber.com/lakewalestourism.asp.

To learn more about the Lake Wales Care Center, the wonderful organization that Rob Quam helps lead, see http://lakewalescarecenter.org/services.htm.

Note: You may notice Lake Wales is spelled differently on the sign in the opening photo of this post. "Wailes" was the original spelling and was changed, explains Rob, when the name was accidentally misspelled on a sign hung on the town's original railroad depot.

My Numero Uno Nashville Recommendation

2009-03-12T13:09:19-05:00

I can claim a few towns as my own, at least enough so to give strong local-recommended, mother-approved tips on what to do. Foodie heaven Charleston, mega-opolis Laaa-Grange GA, Grayton Beach, and everyone's favorite string music capitol Nashville. Just yesterday on a Mexican beach (Tulum, but don't tell anyone, ok?), I ran into a man on his way to Nashvegas. Going to the Whole Foods executive board meeting. Big wig, I know. Anyways, he mentioned the Music City, so I quickly mentioned The Station Inn on 12th. If you like live music and popcorn and possibly pitchers of Bud, well, JT Gray's cinderblock wonderpalace of banjos and mandos will slap you happy. Enjoy.
Oh. And if you were wondering about my top 3 favorite memories about the Station Inn, here they are, in both english and my limited espanol (since I am still in Mexico).

3. The time Chris Thile, the wunderkind mandolin picker who was part of the phenomenal trio Nickel Creek but who now fronts the Punch Brothers, snuck in the side door of the Inn just to watch. Sure, I was bummed that he didnt jump on stage and melt faces with his lightnin-quick mandibles, but hey, talk about affirming a joint's cred. Boom.

Tres. El tiempo cuando Chris Thile, el mandolin hombre de muy bueno Nickel Creek pero ahora juege con los hermanos de Punch, entrada en el puerta otra solemente mirar. Si, si, es desilusionado que no muy muy rapidos dedos y hace musica, pero hola, el lugar es authentico.

2. Man, that took a while. OK, 2. Mister Tim O'Brien. Night was late, place was packed, my table was front left. The king of bluegrass, at least my friends' fave, stormed Nashville like the true Grammy-winner he is. Front row!

Dos. Muchacho, es dificil. OK, dos. Senor Tim O'Brien. Noche fue tarde, el lugar atestado, y mi mesa fue centro izquierdo. El rey de bluegrass, mi amigos opinion, irrumpie en Nashville como el champion. Centro izquirdo!

1. Meeting one of my very best friends one night and him asking me, "Hey, you ever been to Station Inn?" "No." "You like bluegrass?" "I don't know." "Come on." And that was the beginning.

Uno. Cuando yo conoci mi amigo mejor y el pregunta, "Hola, tu sabes Station Inn?" "No." Te gusta bluegrass?" "No se." "Vamos." Y este el comienzo.

Photos by Moonlight

2009-03-12T12:46:02-05:00

This moonlight photo would never have worked the old way Southern Living shot images. Want to know why?
With film, details in shadowed areas weren't revealed before the bright areas were burned out or overexposed. That resulted in images with too much contrast to reproduce in the magazine. And the colors in those images would shift in strange but not desirable ways. With the digital cameras we now use there has been a subtle but exciting shift in what's possible. Long exposures under low or even extremely low light levels now are easy as long as you have a tripod.

If you're technically minded, this shot was taken with a Canon 5D and a 50mm lens almost two hours after sunset. My ISO was 800 and the exposure was 10 seconds at an aperture of f.11. I tried several exposures up to 30 seconds and the colors and brightness in the shadows remained spot on.

If you have a digital camera and a tripod, don't be afraid to try long exposure photographs at night. You might surprise yourself. And at worst, you always have a delete button.

Natchez, MS: In Memory of Miss Maggie

2009-03-04T16:28:54-06:00

(photo by Robbie Caponetto)

“Everybody wants to know when they will win the lottery," said Margaret "Miss Maggie" Burkley. "It’s not the winning or the losing, though. It’s the playing of the game.”

SL Photographer Robbie Caponetto and I sat down with Miss Maggie last March while researching our story The Allure of Natchez in the March '09 issue. We found her, because when we asked locals about the unique personalities and characters, they all recommended we make an appointment to see her at her pink house on the bluff.

Why? She was the town psychic, and even though I called ahead, I had a feeling she knew we were coming...

(listen to Miss Maggie tell of her first palm readings and when she knew she had psychic abilities)

Robbie and I brought a sack of beignets, Miss Maggie brewed a pot of coffee and chicory, and we spent the whole morning talking about life, love, and happiness.

She told us about growing up in Natchez and how, as a young woman, she first tried her hand at palm reading during a church social gag game. Her interest blossomed when she realized she could read between the lines.

Miss Maggie had held the hands of people from every color and demographic, and after our interview, she gave each of us personalized readings.

I know what you're thinking, and I was fairly skeptical as well. But I realized that Miss Maggie was more than the town psychic. She was a brilliant listener, and she served as a de-facto counselor for countless answer-seekers in distress.

That morning, she was surprisingly spry, and we watched her clap with pure joy when she got excited. But she also shared with us that her health was waning.

Just before the story went to press in December, a Natchez friend called to tell me that Miss Maggie had passed away. Her obituary in the Natchez Democrat read, "Maggie was well known locally as an art and antiques dealer, an active preservationist and a psychic. She was well known for her great enthusiasm, energy and eccentric creative genius."

I could not have described her more perfectly.

If you have any Miss Maggie stories, please share them in the comments section below.

Natchez, MS: John David Montgomery

2009-03-02T17:16:26-06:00

The first thing John David Montgomery ever gave me was a pair of red chopsticks. To be fair, they were the only things he ever gave me. To be even fairer, he tried to give me a Bud Light when last I saw him, but I politely passed. I still had a ways to go on the bottle in my hand...

(John David sings a verse of 'House of the Rising Sun' at the Under the Hill Saloon)

I met John David while researching, The Allure of Natchez, a big story on the Mississippi River town in the March '09 issue of Southern Living. He's part of the story, but back to the sticks.

Some call John David “J.D.” Some call him the mayor of Under the Hill, a commercial section of town that backs up beneath the town’s bluff. (If Under the Hill had toes, they would always be sticking in Old Man River.) Some call him the head bartender at the Under the Hill Saloon. There are books that have been, should be, and will be written about this place. It’s like a fine bottle of bourbon: Beautiful and pleasing to admire when capped. Once opened and poured, however, it awakens, burns, brings laughter, and in excess, darkness.

Again, back to the sticks. A handful of people determined that John David looks like Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita's beloved character from the Karate Kid Trilogy), and those few began calling him such.

Remember the scene when Mr. Miyagi, in teaching Daniel focus and patience, catches the fly with chopsticks?

John David has a party trick where he “catches” a cigarette--a Marlboro Red in fact--with chopsticks and smokes it.

I snapped the pic, then he gave me the sticks.

He also has a signature rendition of "House of the Rising Sun," that you'll likely catch him performing on weekend nights in the Saloon. Click on the audio box above, to hear him for yourself. Do yourself a favor and meet John David in person, though. He's one-of-kind.

Charleston Chefs Get James Beard Award Nominations

2009-02-25T17:14:19-06:00

The James Beard Foundation recently announced the Semifinalists for the annual James Beard Awards, the Oscars of the food world. And not one, but three Charleston chefs got the nod.

Pictured from left: Chef Aaron Deal of Tristan (nominated for Rising Star Chef of the Year), Chef Sean Brock of McCrady's (Rising Star Chef of the Year and Best Chef: Southeast), and Chef Mike Lata of FIG (Best Chef: Southeast)

Now, Momma taught me it's rude to say, "I told you so." No one likes a know-it-all. But in the February issue of Southern Living,
you'll see that we highlighted all three chefs in "Bite-Size Charleston", an appetizer crawl through some of the city's best restaurants. I'm not saying, "I told you so." I'm just saying. Seriously.

Stay tuned. On March 23, the Finalists will be announced. And on May 4, the winners will claim their medals.

In the meantime, next time you're in Chucktown (as the city is affectionately called), be sure to stop by Tristan, McCrady's, and FIG to see what all the fuss is about. You'll see why this compact area in the Lowcountry is gaining recognition as one of the food capitals of the country.

Photos: Aaron Deal, courtesy of Tristan. Sean Brock and Mike Lata by Jennifer Davick.

Good Tennessee writing

2009-02-23T13:20:00-06:00

Yesterday I read something very, very Southern in the New York Times. For months now the newspaper fairy has been delivering to my doorstep a free copy of the Sunday Times. I used to "borrow" the local public library's copy early sabbath AM --- returning it before the den of books opened on Monday --- until, lucky for me, the daily gods saw fit to save me the two-mile drive. Now, it's waiting thickly folded and wrapped in thin blue plastic when the sun comes up, minus that obscene $5 price tag Starbucks requires. But, back to the gorgeously written piece...it was about a frozen deer carcass in southeast Tennessee.
The writer is Kevin Wilson. I know him, barely, from my earliest introduction to this thing called the writing life. He sat in for my then-professor, the great and often-unheralded novelist Tony Earley, when Tony had an interference. Sidenote: Tony's "The Thing and the Other Thing" lecture should be explained in brief to fully explore Kevin's short piece in the Times. Here goes my best Cliff's Notes of it...
The Thing and the Other Thing: This is TE's naming of metaphor in fiction. Plain enough for all the college freshman wannabe writer. Always, always, always Tony assigns his intro fiction students Ernest Hemingway's early stories. "Indian Camp" and "The End of Something" come to mind immediately as I think back. For time's sake, let's use the latter to explain the Thing and the Other Thing (TOT). Once again, here goes. So the class reads this slender collection of stories, a dream assignment for us lazy reader-students, and a classic work of American writing, then the students come prepared to hear about TOT. Tony delivers an explanation humbly given and softly spoken, like a quiet planting of a seed. Immediately, the students question TE's skill/talent/expertise because of the dreadfully boring title. They can't get past it. Couldn't he choose something more sexy, The Butcher and the Babe, perhaps, or something more catchy like Meta-Dummies. Even so, he patiently starts in with a story.

"The End of Something" is about 3 pages long and shows a guy and a girl breaking up. He's rowing a boat or something near an old warehouse on a river, stumbling through the breakup dialogue, and by the end he goes fishing with a buddy and the girl boo-hoo's off. Seems pretty simple. Hemingway, what a hack right? Wrong. There's a whole universe of stuff happening in this 10 minute read. It's incredible. Ask Tony. What I missedthe first go-round was the warehouse, the old timber factory on the river, how it exudes in its emptyness the leftover way of life crumbling and gone away right next to this young love that's as dried-up as the concrete slab where machines once hummed. The relational break-up, if it were a fish, is swimming in the sea of sad endings. The Thing and the Other Thing. They look enough alike to inject more meaning but not too much to hammer the idea too hard.
So, when you click on this link to Kevin's nonfiction piece, "Winter in Tennessee," think about Tony's classic lecture. When Kevin taught our class, he more than once referred to The Thing and the Other Thing. Years later, when I read books and stories, I do the same.

* * * * *

Be on the lookout for Kevin Wilson's upcoming story collection, Tunneling to the Center of the Earth. And buy Tony's two highly-praised-in-the-press Jim Glass novels, Jim the Boy and The Blue Star.

Under the Big Top

2009-02-23T11:10:14-06:00

“He is not my friend.” That’s what my 3-year-old daughter, Campbell, said when she first laid her eyes on a clown at Ringling Bros. and Barnum Bailey circus. We went an hour before the show to the All Access Pre-Show. All ticket-holders can go early to take pictures with the clowns, get performers’ autographs, meet the performers, and even see an elephant paint. I found it a good way to introduce my first-timer to the circus.

Once the show started, Campbell was dazzled (I was, too). Magic tricks. White tigers. Hilarious clowns. Amazing stunts. This circus is far more impressive than the one I remember from my childhood—more Cirque de Soleil than Ronald McDonald.

One tip: bring extra money for all the toys your little one will want. Campbell seemed to be more interested in a light-up thingie than the show at times (and she's still talking about cotton candy).

By the end of the night, my daughter wanted her own red nose and asked, “Can the clowns come to our house to play?” We haven’t had any of them over (yet), but we will know we’ll be visiting them next year – under the big top.

Here’s a list of upcoming 2009-2010 Huntsville, AL Thu 2/26/2009 - Sun 3/1/2009 Norfolk, VA Thu 4/16/2009 - Sun 4/19/2009 Hampton, VA Wed 4/22/2009 - Sun 4/26/2009 Miami, FL Wed 1/6/2010 - Mon 1/18/2010 Nashville, TN Fri 1/22/2010 - Sun 1/24/2010 Charlotte, NC Wed 1/27/2010 - Sun 1/31/2010 Columbia, SC Thu 2/4/2010 - Sun 2/7/2010 Raleigh, NC Wed 2/10/2010 - Mon 2/15/2010 Atlanta, GA Fri 2/19/2010 - Sun 2/28/2010 Highland Heights, KY Wed 3/10/2010 - Sun 3/14/2010 Washington, DC Wed 3/17/2010 - Sun 3/21/2010 Fairfax, VA Wed 3/24/2010 - Sun 4/4/2010 Baltimore, MD Wed 4/7/2010 - Sun 4/18/2010 Charleston, WV Wed 4/21/2010 - Sun 4/25/2010 Tulsa, OK Tue 6/8/2010 - Wed 6/9/2010 Oklahoma City, OK Fri 6/11/2010 - Sun 6/13/2010 San Antonio, TX Wed 6/16/2010 - Sun 6/20/2010 New Orleans, LA Wed 6/23/2010 - Sun 6/27/2010 Corpus Christi, TX Wed 6/30/2010 - Sun 7/4/2010 Austin, TX Wed 7/7/2010 - Sun 7/11/2010 Houston, TX Wed 7/14/2010 - Sun 7/25/2010 Dallas, TX Wed 7/28/2010 - Sun 8/8/2010 Fort Worth, TX Wed 8/11/2010 - Sun 8/15/2010 Lexington, KY Wed 8/25/2010 - Sun 8/29/2010 Kansas City, MO Wed 9/8/2010 - Sun 9/12/2010
Visit w tour dates.
Von Braun Center
Norfolk Scope
Hampton Coliseum
American Airlines Arena
Sommet Center
Time Warner Cable Arena
Colonial Life Arena
RBC Center
Philips Arena
The Bank of Kentucky Center
Verizon Center
Patriot Center
1st Mariner Arena
Charleston Civic Center
BOK Center
Ford Center
Alamodome
New Orleans Arena
American Bank Center
Frank Erwin Center
Reliant Stadium
American Airlines Center
Ft. Worth Convention Center
Rupp Arena
Sprint Center
ww.Ringling.com for information and to purchase tickets.

Sweet, Sweet Valentine's

2009-02-12T11:14:43-06:00

Hey, just a quick post from the Romance-Isn’t-Dead department. As we barrel into Valentine’s weekend, I was reminded recently how simple displays of love can mean so much.

A friend told me about when, this past Saturday night, she and her husband were driving home from a dinner out. “He kept driving around in circles, and I’d ask him what he was doing. He’d say ‘I’m not going to tell you.’ He was playing ‘Moonlight Serenade’ by Frank Sinatra on the stereo over and over.’
“We drove around for 30 minutes before he finally pulled up on this beautiful overlook, dimmed the lights of the truck, came around, and opened my door for me. I didn’t want to get out at first,” she says, but her hubbie convinced her and they danced while the Chairman of the Board crooned. “It made me feel pretty special. All warm and tingly, and like I was the only person in the world that mattered right then to him."

Not that there’s anything wrong with diamonds or expensive dinners out, but it’s hard to beat a simple heartfelt gesture like that, which got me to thinking – a little late this year, I might add – about what the heck it is I’ll do for my Valentine’s. Music and a moment with my wife is hard to beat, so I think I'll rip a CD of our favorite love songs, plus one or two twisted tunes to keep things from getting too syrupy. And because she's so sweet, I’ll make my wife (and, OK, me) a dessert this weekend. (I think we’ll fix Brownie Tiramisu.) Maybe we can even make it together listening to a little of the music listed below.

If you’ve got a favorite tune or tunes that’s just right for Valentine’s, let us know. If you’d like to fix a special dessert, SouthernLiving.com has 25 recipes just right for that special someone.

14 Love Songs for the 14th

Love and Happiness: Al Green
Let’s Stay Together: Al Green
My wife and I were raised in Memphis back before Al was a reverend and still ruled the local airwaves. And let me add this --Memphis soul trumps Motown R&B, except in the case of...

Sexual Healing: Marvin Gaye
With all due respect to fellow Memphian Rev. Al and all the other Soulsville serenaders, is there any more romantic a singer than Marvin Gaye?

Walking on the Moon: The Police
Just a wonderful tune about love-induced bliss.

That's Amore: Dean Martin
Dino's version probably isn't the original song of love-induced bliss, but it's the standard by which all the rest are compared.

Castanets: Alejandro Escovedo
Just like the song goes, “I like her better when she walks away.”

Wild Thing: The Troggs
While this song has become associated with bacchanalian frat throw downs, it’s really a sweet little ditty.

Hate It Here: Wilco
A melancholy tune that explains how OCD tendecies can help numb the pain of lost love. As Jeff Tweedy sings,
“I try to stay busy
I do the dishes, I mow the lawn
I try to keep myself occupied
Even though I know you’re not coming home
I try to keep the house nice and neat
I make my bed, I change the sheets
I even learned how to use the washing machine
But keeping things clean doesn’t change anything”

I Got You Babe: Sonny and Cher
‘Nuf said.

She’s No Lady: Lyle Lovett
Lovett sings, “She’s no lady, she’s my wife.” ‘Nuf said, part II.

Ain’t No Sunshine: Bill Withers
“And she's always gone too long anytime she goes away.” True that.

When It’s Good: Ben Harper
An ode to reckless, reckless love.

Wicked Game: Chris Isaak
My wife and I can’t help ourselves – every time we hear Isaak’s signature soulful moan, we’re compelled, ala Beavis and Butthead, to mimic it. We’re goobers, but at least we’re goobers together.

When My Baby’s Beside Me: Big Star
Just as I began this list with Memphis music, I'll end with it and on a powerfully positive note from the original power pop band -- all things are possible through love. Whether that's changing the world through warmth and amour, or just making someone feel like she's the most important person on the planet.

Snow Day

2009-02-10T14:02:20-06:00

For me, it was love at first sight.

Growing up, we never went on snow-filled vacations, but opted for with sandy beaches instead. I never got "snow days" from school, but instead watched Dallas shut down due to ice. Snow was something I had only seen on the big screen. So when I saw all that snow in Taos, New Mexico last year, well, I was smitten.

From watching skiers at the Bavarian Lodge and Restaurant to driving to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Angel Fire, a visit to Taos is all about relaxation and exploration. Taos Ski Valley right now has 84 inches of snow and primo conditions for skiing. Or, if you're like me, making snowballs and simply gazing at the beautiful white stuff.

Check it http://www.skitaos.org for more information.

Eat at Red Salt Pub in Roswell, Georgia.

2009-02-06T09:33:52-06:00

Downtown Roswell, Georgia, a suburb about 14 miles north of Atlanta's Buckhead neighborhood, feels much like a little English village. Clockmakers, painters, tidy and cute cottages, the whole bowl of cheerios. Now, as restaurant men with an affinity for country pubs opened Red Salt, Roswell really feels like Sussex.
The interior vibe and look first signaled to me that Red Salt would be worth it more than a pint. Exposed brick? Check. Shiny hardwoods? Yep. Stripped down, bulb-loving lighting that Edison would absolutely love? Here. It was 11:45 am when I walked in for lunch and within minutes, every seat in the house was full.

Food highlights: London Broil with cheddar mashed potatoes; fish tacos; the oven-fired pub pizzas. But, what I really wanted and didn't see until I was halfway through my meal? The Butcher's Special: Serrano ham, prosciutto, cappicola, and sopressata. All shaved on the spot and served with bread for a perfect starter. You just can't get shaved meat these days.

Roswell surprised me. I'll be back. My final opinion: Red Salt is worth its salt. Try it out.

Red Salt
952 Canton Street
Roswell, GA

January Ice Storm -- How you can help

2009-02-03T11:19:34-06:00

As news of the ice storm and its drastic effects on Kentucky and parts of Arkansas, Missouri, and Tennessee, spread in our offices, the common question was "How can we help?" Over the next days and weeks as a staff and magazine, we'll do everything we can to keep readers and travelers updated on progress in those areas touched by the storms.

In this effort, we ask for your help as well.

As news comes to you, please let us know by posting comments at the bottom of this blog post. What restaurants and grocery stores are open? What community projects are starting up? Where can families find aid and relief? Any pertinent information that people in these areas would benefit by knowing, post it. Also, if you read of any info relevant to your family and friends in these towns, consider calling them and letting them know. With such a storm, internet service is likely down. Sources tells us cell phones are your best bet.

January Ice Storm -- Utility Outages and Photos

2009-02-03T10:39:11-06:00

Last week's ice storm left considerable destruction in several states, including Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, and Illinois. Some communities may not have electricity or municipally supplied water for weeks. Stay tuned to this site for information concerning how you can help residents rebuild infrastructure and get their lives back on track.

If you're planning a trip to the area or just want to know how family and friends who live in these states are faring, see www.wpsdtv.com for information on utility outages in Kentucky. The list includes county-by-county information concerning electrical outages, what businesses are open, road conditions, locations of warming centers, and water boil orders. The site also includes information on Missouri, Illinois, and Tennessee counties affected by the storm.

(Photo: Wendy Davis, Cunnigham, KY)
Wendy Davis, my wife's cousin, lives in Cunningham, KY, a small town about 30 minutes west of Paducah. She sent the following photos, as well as the one above. She notes, "Most of the roads have at least one lane completely blocked. It's dangerous because people have to go one lane at a time. There are some roads that have been completely covered." Wendy also says that many people are still having difficulty even getting out of their driveways, as limbs and, oftentimes, whole trees block the way.

"I had never seen this before," says Wendy. "It was almost like every single blade of grass was in ice. After it warmed up a bit we could pull the ice off the grass in a single piece."

"Notice the power line is snapped in half [on the far left-hand side of the photo]. You can see the jagged wood still in the ground and the top is on the ground beside it. I can't tell you how many poles look this same way. It's so weird, they are literally snapped in half."

This photo "shows how the trees are just snapped at the tops. It looks like a helicopter just came down and chopped off the top of all the trees."

Another NOLA Dining Tip

2009-01-28T15:42:46-06:00

Sure, Grand Isle is a famous fishing village in South Louisiana that has endured more than its share of hurricane misery, most recently from Gustav. It's also the name of a new dining spot in New Orleans that captures some of the soul of the Lousiana coast in all its funky appeal.

Connected to Harrah's Casino, but facing Fulton Street, Grand Isle offers up vintage Louisiana cuisine in an evocative setting. Large, black-and-white photographs by Fonville Winans, the legendary photographer who captured the rustic glory of the Bayou State in the 1930s, set a nostalgic mood. So does the menu: Po-Boys, marinated crab claws, platters of crawfish, crab meat au gratin. (The turtle stew is outstanding.) Between the photographs on the wall, the mosaic tile and Cypress walls, and the quick pace of waiters bearing steaming plates of Cajun-spiced goodness, Grand Isle is the kind of place that offers the comforts of the past, but with an invigorating sense of style. In my book, that's the perfect combination, and a reason to return.

575 Convention Blvd.
New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 520-8530

Memphis Art Opening: Robby “Slim” Johnston

2009-01-27T11:32:25-06:00

(Photo: Ken Walker)

I’m like a moth to a bug light when I see a front porch like the one in the painting above. It’s like a mood ring. In a cheery state of mind, I see the light emanating from inside and immediately hear music and voices, expecting the door to swing open and the party to spill outside. In more introspective moments, I focus on the emptiness, the tidiness, the skull, as metaphors for the spent spirit after a long day…and wonder how long before that party spills outside.

(Photo: J.M. Allen)

OK, maybe I’m a little one dimensional, but the painting and others featured in “Slim Visions” by Robby Johnston opening Friday in Memphis open themselves easily to interpretation. Robby, who’s been like a brother to me for almost 40 years (we met in first grade), has roamed Memphis and the surrounding Delta with his eyes and, dare I say, heart open. His current works focus on shotgun homes, as well as Delta landscapes and, in a nod to bluesman Robert Johnson, the darkly magical crossroads.

He says each painting is typically an amalgam of places he’s seen over the years, “the rural South a land steeped in a strong dichotomy of joy and pain. To me these particular works are about family and the simple life, where less is more." And, no, he corrects me, it's not just about the party that's about to take place on the porch, but about "love for each other, and how people get by in the home."

A drummer since junior high, Robby has done some of his wandering while driving to and from gigs at area clubs and colleges. He earned the nickname “Slim” from the late Bill Story, owner of Wild Bill’s, the famed juke joint in Memphis’ Vollintine-Evergreen neighborhood where Robby has occasionally performed. Hallowed ground to many folks from Memphis and way beyond, the club was also the subject of Robby's first paintings.

(Photo: Ken Walker)

A relative newcomer to art, Robby began what is his “wonderful outlet” in 2007, and has since then become one of the most popular artists at downtown Memphis’ Center for Southern Folklore, where he’s sold the majority of his works until now. “I’m so glad I picked up a brush,” says Robby, who finds inspiration from various folk artists. “When I started, it was more or less just for my eyes, but it’s really become something I want to share, and I’ve been surprised at how people have responded.”

Last year, he began taking lessons from local artist Amy Hutcheson, who he says has helped him refine his technique and "see new things. I think I’ll keep painting for a while. I love it and it’s easier on my ears than drumming.”

(Photo: J.M. Allen)

Show Title: “Slim Visions” by Robby Johnston
Opening: Friday, January 30, 2009
Where: Eclectic Eye (an eyeware boutique and art gallery)
242 South Cooper St.
Memphis, TN 38104
www.eclectic-eye.com
For those of you unfamiliar with Eclectic Eye, it’s located in the Cooper-Young section of Midtown Memphis. The area is one of the city’s hippest entertainment districts, offering plenty of restaurants and clubs, as well as a few shops. So come early, stay late, and make a night of it.

Go Local in Dallas: Reasons 16-20

2009-01-26T13:16:39-06:00

Continuing our local's look into the city of Dallas, here are the next five reasons to visit Big D. Also, I didn't mention that this list of 25 is not ranked. It's a sum-greater-than-the-parts deal. OK, let's get to it.

16. They've painted the town.
Oak Cliff is the artist enclave in Dallas. In the colorful fray, you'll find mural vituosos Jeff Garrison and Chris Arnold, the big thinkers behind such projects as "The Storm," shown above, and "Mass Transit," below. The silent conductor makes his cement symphony in the downtown Arts District, near the museums. On "Mass Transit," notice the size of the cars parked below the boy pulling his town train for scale appreciation. I found myself mesmorized by the eneregy on the huge parking garage and quite inspired by such grand projects. For further info on Jeff and Chris, check out the Oak Cliff write-up here.

17. This Rattlesnake went to the bar. Dean Fearing is a food god around Dallas. So when we heard he was leaving the Mansion (collective gasp!) and heading up food/drink at the Ritz-Carlton's new venture, the SL team waited with high expectations. I'm here to report his only mistake: The Rattlesnake Bar is so cool, you might never make it into the dining room. Happens to the best of us. Dark enough for mood, glowy for effect, and as handsome as a thoroughbred -- Dean's outdone himself with the 'snake.

18. Fashion stars on the rise. I am by no means a guru -- though I do love dancing with a lady in a pink BCBG -- but Dallas seems to be the non-NY/LA fashion capitol of the US. Besides Fashion Week, the Market, and flagship Neiman's, Dallas is also home to a newish contest, Texas' Next Top Designer, spotlighting the Lone Star's most creative and undiscovered talents in the clothing universe.

19. Drive to Denton. OK. I get it. Sending you all to a northern suburb in a Local's Dallas piece seems ironic. But, some of the finest live music in Dallas happens in the college town of Denton. If I had to narrow it to two musically-inclined events, do this: Saturday morning pickin' sessions on the courthouse square, then a nighttime get-down at Dan's Silverleaf two blocks away. I'll be bringing you much much more on this live music gem soon.

20. Catch the train. From pre-dawn to near midnight, trains connect the DFW metroplex. Who doesn't love a train? What kid wouldn't LOVE to hop the locomotive and ride from downtown to the Fort Worth Stockyards? Well, it's not difficult at all. Day passes are $3. Single rides, $1.50. All aboard.

**********

For REASONS 21-25, click here.

Southern Living covers, II

2009-01-22T08:58:43-06:00

Check out two more vintage covers from Southern Living's early years. Other than the hairdo, Jackson Square's sidewalk art still looks pretty much the same. If you readers have any SL's from the 60's and 70's, feel free to share favorite story subjects, pictures, or advertisements.

Go Local in Dallas: Reasons 21-25

2009-01-21T10:32:59-06:00

In the February issue of Southern Living, I wrote about "the most misunderstood metropolis in America" --- Dallas. Big D. The Other Dubai. The Central Coast. Where the east ends. The nicknames help to push this fashionable boom city into unflattering light. Fortunately, we don't research with Wikipedia. Truth be told, Dallas is a killer town. I've never in my life been more welcomed into a big city. It's very local, if that makes any sense. And I've never been more happily surprised to find indie music joints, laid back beer gardens, ambitiously green locals, and enough material to warrant a follow-up, top 25 list of reasons to kick it in Dallas sometime soon. So here we go...

21. They are building a waterfront.
A WATERFRONT! I start here because, in life, some stereotypes are true. And only in Texas would people set their minds to building a downtown waterfront on par with Savannah. I love it. The far-reaching endeavor is called the Trinity River Corridor Project, a band of dreamers and water lovers who've put forth a $2.2 billion dollar-plan to revolutionize the city. Their "Balanced Vision Plan" includes boating, sailing, and fishing recreation; three new lakes on the western side of downtown; equestrian and hiking trails in the Trinity Forest; two bridges designed by world-renowned architect Santiago Calatrava (the models of which I saw and were astounded by); plus numerous other community-accessible features. The Savannah comparison may be an ambitious one, but, hey, we are in Texas, remember?

(I snapped this photo at the TRCP office last April. They also have models of the proposed bridges.)

(Trinity Overlook Park, an early phase of the grand Trinity River Corridor Project.)

22. The pizzas at Fireside Pies. I stopped by their Knox-Henderson spot for a light supper when I was in town. The place thrummed with people. Luckily, I was dining solo (see this post for a further explanation) and found a seat at the fireside bar.

23. Bill's Records. The legendary music store moved locations in the past couple years, but landed in one of the hippest sections of Dallas, the Cedars/Southside. New digs, but same old massive collection of vinyl. If you stop by the South Lamar shop, ask Bill about Ben Harper. If you don't know who Ben Harper is, iTunes him. You'll not find a softer, more mellow songwriter this side of the 70s. After snagging a Beatles LP, head over to Lee Harvey's, a saloon I mentioned in the printed piece. Bill can direct you there, but it's only a few blocks away.

24. Old theaters. Lakewood and Granada. I am one of those people who's obsessed with the way things used to be. I also love Texas writer Larry McMurtry's novel The Last Picture Show. That said, Dallas has some relics. "Arc deco palace" Lakewood still shows films on it's one screen, though Joan Baez is performing here in late February. The Granada, a staple of the Greenville neighborhood, is more live music than anything. It wins local "best venue" awards like clockwork.

25. The Dallas Arboretum. Admittedly, I am not a flower person. But, I grew up with one, helping her to plant bulbs every year, plucking yellow daffodils around Easter, etc, etc. So, when I dropped by the Arboretum, I was stunned. The place is magical. Especially if you find that perfectly temperate late morning and grab a bench by the Jonsenn Color Garden. Admission is $9.50, kids under 3 go free.

To continue reading Reasons 16-20, click here.

SL at the Inauguration

2009-01-20T10:41:57-06:00

January 20th 2009, Washington, D.C., 9:34 a.m.

"Twenty degrees up here feels a lot colder than twenty degrees in Birmingham," says Southern Living assistant travel editor Farrah Austin. She called us this morning from her spot alongside thousands and thousands and thousands of people in front of the nation's capitol building.

There's a buzz in our magazine's offices, but it hardly compares to Farrah's perspective...
In the few minutes that we talked, she shared a blur of images and details:

"One of the coolest things was that when I got here around 6 this morning, there were volunteers in red hats saying 'Welcome' and 'Have a nice day.'"

"I just heard a San Francisco girls choir serenading the crowd, but all I can see now are hats, flags, and lights from the jumbo tron."

"Everyone here is doing a countdown, asking for the time. We can't wait for it to start."

"There's a merry-go-round spinning with kids on it. There are kids up in a tree looking out at everything."

"So many people are selling stuff--Obama keychains and lighters."

"With all these bodies so close together, you think it would be warmer. People are cold and hungry, but everyone is still nice and polite. At first people were frigid. Now we're all excited. There's a great spirit of brotherhood and friendship."

Browse our Complete Inauguration Travel Guide
• Farrah's Guide to Washington, D.C.
• Washington, D.C. Restaurant Guide
• Washington, D.C. Attractions

SL in Ecuador: The Throat of Fire

2009-01-15T06:19:15-06:00

(Tungurahua as seen through our bus's window. --photos by Tanner Latham)

It’s roughly a four hour bus ride from Quito to Ambato. We rolled south on the Pan-American Highway, also called the avenue of the volcanoes. About 45 minutes from our destination,
one of the neurosurgeons spotted Tungurahua, which means "Throat of Fire" in Ecuador’s indigenous language. It was an active volcano that had been rumbling recently. Villages were evacuated the week before we arrived.

It dominated the horizon. A cloud of dark gray ash continually plumed up and out. When the bus windows were open, we smelled the low burn. No major eruptions while we were there, though.

SL in Ecuador: The Beginning of the Mission

2009-01-14T07:37:32-06:00

(Plaza de San Francisco, Quito, Ecuador--photo by Tanner Latham)

Photographer Cary Jobe and I were in Ecuador for a week last year researching "The Common Language of Caring," a story that starts on page 74 in the February '09 issue of Southern Living.

A medical mission team, comprised of many Southern doctors, nurses, medical techies, and volunteers, returns each February...
to a couple of hospitals in the city of Ambato. Medical Mission Ecuador was started 17 years ago by an Ecuadorian-born surgeon in Lexington, Kentucky, who decided to give back to his home community.

Cary and I shadowed them every step of the way--from the breakfast table to the operating rooms during surgery. We embedded ourselves, fully synching with their routines. We joined these men and women in a cultural immersion.

We discovered so many stories during our time there--more than we could ever tell in one magazine article. Over the next week, I'll share several of those stories and Cary's incredible photography on the blog.

We were complete tourists for a day after landing in Quito, haggling in the markets with cameras dangling around our necks. We hung out for a while in the Plaza de San Francisco (above), taking in the sights and the people.

(A Kichwa woman. The Kichwas are direct descendants of the Incas.--photo by Tanner Latham)

Once we boarded the bus bound for Ambato, however, our attitudes changed.

The mission had begun.

Behind the Story: Wide Open in West Texas

2009-01-07T09:31:31-06:00

The towns of Marfa, Alpine, and Marathon embody the far west Texas spirit of wide open possibility. If you react like locals to the almost endless spread of landscape, you'll be on the next plane to El Paso. For some backstory on the assignment and my three trips out west, watch the audio slideshow.

Out to Dinner, Stop 7: Lake Wales, FL

2008-12-28T22:27:24-06:00

They just don’t make them like this anymore. With a winding lane that twists around a central fountain and between brightly painted, gabled buildings, the 78-year-old Chalet Suzanne looks more like an old-world village than a Florida motel. Add a high-end restaurant that’s served celebrities from around the world, a soup factory that’s fed astronauts, and an airstrip atop the highest ridge in peninsular Florida, and the little 26-room hideout in Lake Wales easily scores the classification as unique.

The terrace of the Balcony Honeymoon Suite

While American and Russian astronauts took Chalet Suzanne’s soups to space (on board Apollo 15 and 16, as well as a joint Apollo-Soyuz flight), many visitors drop in from above via a 2315-foot grass airstrip on the hotel property. Some come for the night and longer, while some just for dinner at the on-site restaurant just off State Road 17.

Long known as a place for special occasions, Chalet Suzanne’s restaurant built a reputation on its five-course dinner that includes such signature dishes as grapefruit caramelized under the broiler, romaine soup (the same kind that went to the moon), and lobster Newburg. It’s a menu that has attracted the power and Hollywood elite, including the likes of Bert Reynolds, John Glenn, and Robert Redford. You can see their mugs and those of other celeb visitors in a “book” of photos that hang from a wall in the restaurant’s lobby.

According to Dee Hinshaw, who operates Chalet Suzanne with her husband Eric (his grandmother founded the resort), the restaurant recently introduced a few tweaks. In addition to the traditional five-course meal, they now offer an a la carte menu that gives diners a less-expensive option. There's also a full brunch, which like dinner, is served everyday except Monday. (This just in: Chalet Suzanne has hired a new chef. His name has not yet been released, but plans call for him to begin working at the restaurant in January 2009.)

The Little Swedish Bar

The restaurant layout is itself an experience, with 14 different levels, all patched together over a period of decades, using materials from a chicken house, a stable, and quarters for the help. Steps and doorways lead to separate alcove-like dining rooms. Over one such space, the terrace of the “Balcony Honeymoon Suite” offers a nice view of the scene below. Hiding away at the lowest level is the dimly lit Little Swedish Bar, where a staircase leads up to faux windows just above what has to be one of the coolest and coziest liars on the peninsula. Slanted color bars, angle from floor to the dark-wood bar. Enjoying a cocktail here, it’d be easy to forget the time – whether it’s day or night, or even this century or the last – back when they used to make places like this.

New Year’s Eve at Chalet Suzanne
Tradition continues at Chalet Suzanne’s restaurant, which will host a full night of festivities on New Year’s Eve. For the 21st year, a magician will perform tricks tableside and a pianist will play until 10 p.m. in the restaurant. Music will continue in the lounge area until about 1 or 2 a.m. Staff and visitors alike will do the bunny hop through the restaurant and into the kitchen just after midnight and be treated to cornbread and hoppin’ John.

Chalet Suzanne: 3800 Chalet Suzanne Drive, Lake Wales, FL 33859. See http://www.chaletsuzanne.com/index.html or call 863-676-6011 or 800-433-6011.

For directions:
If you plan to fly in, see http://www.chaletsuzanne.com/airstrip.html.
If you're driving, http://www.chaletsuzanne.com/directions.html.

Out to Dinner, Stop 6: Balsam, NC

2008-12-17T19:52:14-06:00

Even after 100 years of mountain solitude, Balsam Mountain Inn, opened in 1908, remains as tranquil as it is painted white. According to one guest when I visited last fall, the leaves beginning their magic show on the hills, "I just sort of fell in love with the rocking chairs on the porch." Couldn't agree more. An added, and often overlooked, bonus to the driveway-wide porch? The restaurant there is fit for a Carolina king.

I only ate on one evening, but the kitchen smelled so divine, I ordered two entrees. I'm serious. I was not ashamed; I was starving. (Well, I am sort of ashamed.)

As the sun set on my patio table, aromas floated around me. Apple-honey barbecue slow-cooked over open fire; local trout seared in a pan with white wine; and white cheese macaroni baked in the oven. None of this I saw, but, with my stomach grumbling, I imagined the whole deal like a kid on Christmas Eve.

Eating alone is something we should talk about. Often, when the subject of my job comes up in conversation, this topic arises. Is it weird? Do you get lonesome? Do people look at you across the room with eyes that say, Poor guy? These are the questions. My answer. Yes. Yes. No. Weird? Yes it is weird. Lonesome? Sure, especially when people are loving life and friendship and the day's news two steps away. The looks? I try not to make eye contact. But back to the weird. Don't let anyone say otherwise. Eating in a restaurant, whether it is a place jamming jazz music and full of well-dressed folk, or it's a candlelit bistro perfect for a quiet supper --- the place is not meant to be shared with an imaginary friend. These are social venues. I know a guy who eats alone a lot. He owns a bar in my town, a real divey joint, late night hang for late night people. And he eats out before the 11 PM shift starts. Brings whatever thick paperback has hit attention and enjoys a steak or whatever. But, you never catch him without reading material. The book is his diversion from the weird thing that is eating alone. My advice: Eat at the bar. It changes EVERYTHING. Eating alone at the bar is cool. I do it more than 78% of the time. You might even be sitting next to me.

Back to the Balsam. They don't have a bar. So I sat outside on a stone patio enjoying the fading outline of the firs atop the mountains that rose over that ways. It was a gorgeous scene. Worth a picture. Except I was alone. So, I figured what the hoo --- I am ordering the pecan-crusted trout and the filet. Yep. Why not. And you know what? It felt better than a single meal alone. Two meals alone is fishy, mysterious, and like a slight-of-hand. The waitress was so weirded-out that I bought both entrees, I think she forgot that I was sitting all alone.

Victory.

Balsam Mountain Inn
www.balsammountaininn.com
800-224-9498
Rates begin at $145 per night.

P.S. The guy I quoted from the porch was one of Nixon's Secret Service guys. Stood outside the Oval for several years. Told me some pretty wild stories about the former Chief.

For the Birds in Old Salem

2008-12-16T13:30:23-06:00

While researching "Old Salem by Candlelight", (p. 40 in Southern Living's December issue) I took a stroll down Church Street in this historic district of North Carolina. Four birds waddled out, crossed the street, and bee-lined to a pile of corn kernels scattered in a front yard.

A local later told me he had heard of a gaggle of vagrant guinea hens inhabiting the neighborhood.

He thought it was an urban legend.

For a slide show of images from the story, click here.

Out to Dinner, Stop 5: Atlanta, GA

2008-12-12T17:19:05-06:00

In Atlanta for the Bama-Florida game—the Tebow Blowout—we Crimson Tiders needed to drown some serious sorrows. Destination: Two Urban Licks, a short cab ride away from the scene of disaster.

What primo territory for re-grouping, attitude adjustment, and, as it turned out, talk of food, not football. We mingled with gloating-but-friendly Gators at the bar, thumping to the blues combo in the corner, and sampled the Infusions straight (when served formally, these hard-hitting concoctions “enhance” fruit juices and other bases). So: Shots of the Old Timer (Jack Daniels, oranges, maraschino cherries), then the Citrus Kiss (Absolut, lemons, limes), and—call us wild and crazy—the Hurricane (multi-fruits with Barcari and Flor de Cana rums). Tebow Schmeebow.

Later, with dinner, came the from-the-barrel wines, interesting vintages from boutique vineyards and worth a future evening of study. Four of us ordered from the small plate side of the menu. Our favorite: the first, then second, helpings of Thai Tuna Tartare. In between, we scarfed down Salmon Chips (a short smoked salmon balancing on hefty crisps with chipotle cream cheese, capers, and red onions). We even went beyond the goal line with pumpkin bread pudding with spiced rum caramel sauce and four spoons.

Defeat blurred. Hey, we’re the only team in the nation with a perfect regular season. See my accompanying iPhoto (above) for the sight that greeted us as we waited at valet for our car. Know what? We shared a good laugh with our fellow SEC brothers and sisters. After all, smirk, smirk--there’s always next year. In the meantime: www.twourbanlicks.com. Go, win or lose. It’s a winner.

Out to Dinner, Stop 4: Dothan, AL

2008-12-12T09:04:15-06:00

Sometimes those little voices in my head offer good advice. I don't know why but while driving to Florida this past fall I bypassed my usual haunts in Montgomery and Ozark, and decided to look for dinner in Dothan. I guess the voices convinced me I needed to try something new. That is, in part, my job as a writer, after all.
Sure enough on the north side of town, I spotted what was then the brand new Thai House. It was late, rainy, and the parking lot was mostly empty, but a sign on the door flashed open and the smell of curry and lemongrass lured me the rest of the way as I got out of the car.

Summer and Nalart Siriphatra

The Heat
The way I ran to the table must have telegraphed my hunger, since my server brought me my soup almost as soon as I sat down -- I had ordered the Thai spicy and sour shrimp soup. The lemongrass and lime leaves melded with the spice to fend off the chill and bring on what my wife refers to as a "food buzz."

The couple a few tables over had ordered a tilapia dish as well as a panang curry. Both smelled heavenly, making the decision of what to order all the more difficult. But after several false starts, I finally ordered the green curry. The menu showed it had three stars, meaning very spicy. To put that in terms most of us can understand, it was nose-runny hot but not so spicy as to induce brow sweating. Perfect for me. The chicken in the dish was tender, while the bamboo and red and green peppers fresh.

Dream Come True
After I dinner, I introduced myself to the owners, Summer and Nalart Siriphatra. Come to find out, theirs is a story of love, food, and being far from home. Nalart had come to the states from Bangkok to oversee a chicken operation in Baker Hill, AL, where he met Summer in 1999 and subsequently fell in love with the Abbeville native. Nalart had wanted to open a Thai restaurant, so the couple chose Dothan, in part due to the relatively sizeable population and tourist traffic going to and from the beach.

"This is as close as possible to what I ate growing up," says Nalart. "The locals here might not like strict Thai spice, but I want to make sure it's authentic and delicious. This is a dream to have my own restaurant serving the food of my old country in my new country."

Thai House
4177 Montgomery Highway, Suite 10
Dothan, AL 36303
334-699-2064

P.S. Southern Living Online Editor Claire Machamer, who's from Dothan, says Kyoto Sushi Japanese Restaurant, located just a few doors down from Thai House, offers some of the best sushi she's ever had. Check them out at 4177 Montgomery Highway, Suite 2; 334-699-1078.

Out to Dinner, Stop 3: Nolensville, TN

2008-12-11T09:02:39-06:00

"Barbecue is the closest thing we have to cheese in France. It’s our food. There’s no getting around it.”

These words spoken by Patrick Martin of Martin's Barbecue Joint in Nolensville, TN (about 20 miles outside of Nashville), tell of his love for the Que. We're talking God and country love---first kiss love---favorite football team love---the kind of love a man feels when he's found the "one." But his adoration for pulled pork goes far beyond succulent slices of meat layered on greasy buns. With smoke in his hair, fire in his eyes, and barbecue sauce in his veins, this Que connoisseur specializes in the fine art of whole hog cooking--an old-school culinary art form that has him winning recognition by respected pit masters from Memphis to Manhattan.

With one visit to his restaurant---a wooden structure with a large front porch---I knew why.

"We cook ours low, slow and fresh every night, " says Patrick. The 22 hour process is enough to make anyone quit. "You can't just go make another one right quick if something goes wrong. So it takes a degree of guts to replicate something that takes-up most of your day."

Though he learned to cook whole hog much later in life, Patrick was taught the virtue of doing things "properly" at an early age. As a kid his parents never owned a gas grille and never bought lighter fluid. "A charcoal chimney starts a fire just as fast," he says.

With whole hog so good "it'll make a puppy pull a freight train", Patrick isn't one to waste his bounty.

Meat that's left over goes into the green beans and Brunswick stew. His flavor rich meals aren't the only things I liked about Martin's barbecue joint. It's the spirit of the place. The spirit of the man behind the really good food. "Barbecue," he says, " It's the one time when people's social, racial, and financial differences disappear. That's the beauty of it--the beauty of good barbecue."

What to order: The Red Neck taco (sorry my camera wigged out before I could take a picture). It's a humongous, and unbelievably tasty meal. Patrick starts with a plate sized ho cake, round with the taste of cornbread but the texture and look of a flap jack. Then he tops it off with pork, sauce, and cole slaw. Some roll it up like a burrito. I ate mine lady-style with a knife and fork.

What to take home: Homemade cracklin. Only real southerners know what this is. (for those who don't, they're like pork rinds but a lot tougher and crunchier) Patrick sells it in white bags so the grease soaks through. "If you can't see through the bag," he says, "something's wrong."

What's for dessert: Mama Martin's (Patrick's mom) fresh coconut cake which she drives down from Memphis every week. It's soppingly moist.

Check out Martin's new blog to learn more about opening a BBQ joint.

Out to Dinner, Stop 2: Charleston, SC

2008-12-09T11:26:00-06:00

(Photo by Jennifer V. Cole)

Anyone who has read any of my Tales from the Road posts has surely picked up on a theme. From nostalgic musings on bacon grease to recounting a muddy afternoon spent with feisty pigs in a North Carolina pigsty to my ode to Donald Link's Cochon restaurant--when it comes to pork, I'm like a kid in a candy store. Sometimes I even hear angels.

When I found out that Aaron Deal put a new dish on his lunch menu at Tristan that celebrates pork belly, I had to make a pilgrimage. I don't mean to be sacrilegious, but let's just say I was moved by the porcine spirit.
Chef Deal, a 26-year-old native of Morganton, North Carolina, and a graduate of Johnson & Wales, might be the youngest executive chef in Charleston, South Carolina, a town ripe with culinary talent, but you'd never know it. Lawd have mercy, that boy can cook.

The Dish

Pork belly with heirloom baked beans--at first glance it seems so simple, like a riff on a backyard barbecue. And yet, as you dig in, you discover a harmonious complexity. The pork belly, cooked for six hours at 250 degrees, is delightfully tender, with a thin ribbon of smile-inducing fat that melts into each bite. The beans, Heirloom Red Brick Beans that date back to the late 18th century, come fresh from the Chef's Garden (a sustainable farm in Ohio that provides niche and specialty greens and vegetables to discerning chefs across the country). These beans are cooked for eight hours (yes, eight) with orange zest, bacon (giddy up!), shallots, blackstrap molasses, orange juice, and Tristan turnips (a turnip grown by the Chef's Garden especially for Deal's restaurant). The result? A mahogany and white medley with a toothsome firmness, almost al dente, that marries a nutty earthiness and a sweet zing, with just enough sauce to encourage you to twirl chunks of pork belly around the bottom of the plate. And it's all topped off with a drizzle of Blis bourbon barrel-aged maple syrup.

Pork belly, bacon, bourbon--three of my favorite things in one dish. It's almost like this dish was created with me in mind. Did I mention those angels?

Tristan 55 S. Market Street, Charleston, South Carolina 29401; (843) 534-2155; www.tristandining.com

Out to Dinner, Stop 1: Houma, LA

2008-12-08T08:58:32-06:00

Houma, Louisiana is true Cajun country, home to some outstanding down-home food. But on a fishing trip a few years ago, I discovered Cristiano's, one of the best restaurants I've visited anywhere in Louisiana. It's a great surprise and worth a drive.

Owner Cristiano Raffignone was raised in northwest Italy and knows how to create a unique dining experience. (He also owns Martinique Bistro on Magazine Street in New Orleans.) First, the atmosphere: A spacious side patio features palm trees and soft lighting that create a tropical vibe. Inside, the restaurant features small dining rooms; the walls are adorned with the evocative New Orleans photography of Frank Relle.

The lounge in back, with leather sofas, eclectic music, and plantation shutters continues the tropical feel. The waitstaff is top-notch, and as friendly as any you'll find. (We asked them to make sandwiches for the next day's fishing trip, and they obliged with some ciabatta creations that were far beyond what we'd have come up with ourselves.)

The menu changes seasonally, with a "classic" menu that remains year-round. Flavors here combine a Mediterranean sensibility with a fresh-from-the-Gulf creativity. Gnocchi comes with lump crabmeat and fontina cheese. Roasted red pepper garlic butter seasons Louisiana grilled oysters. Those are the kind of inventive creations that keep the menu surprising and fun. When you add the kind of celebratory atmosphere that seems part of the fabric of South Louisiana, you end up with a dining destination that sticks in the memory for a long time.

Muddy Waters, Memphis, and Ms. Beyonce

2008-12-05T16:10:20-06:00

I don't understand the Blues. I don't know the Blues. My dad only played country music on our car trips growing up. I listened to Mariah Carey and REM and Crash Test Dummies as a teenager. And now the songwriters I drift towards like Bon Iver might put Howlin Wolf and Buddy Guy to sleep. It wasn't until I heard Solomon Burke sing "How I Got to Memphis" - a song that to this very day makes me want to call the river city home, just for a little stint, to feel the hurting truth of King Solomon - that the Blues knocked on my door. But even as I write this, the soft, cottony talking Blues angel in my backseat mumbles two words. Muddy. Waters. Yessir, Muddy Waters, my friend.
The Blues are like white truffles. The ones growing in the wild that people use Italian hogs to hunt down. A pound of the suckers sell for like ten million bucks. They are lone, they are mysterious, prized, flavorful, and some people who want to look cool might drop them onto menus or into conversation, but really, they don't know a truffle from a summertime shroom sprung up after the rain. All that to say: I know about as much about the Blues as I do about truffles. Others know much much more. But I respect the Blues nonetheless, as much for its rarity as for its mystery.

Muddy Waters is the guy, They say. The Icon, legend, myth almost. The proverbial They say he's the link between farmtown porch Blues and bigtime recording company Blues. His name is enough, for me at least, but his singing and guitar-playing and overall Bluesyness make him very much a movie-in-waiting. Cadillac Records, a new film starring Beyonce, Adrian Brody, Mos Def, and others, chronicles the move of Blues from the Delta to Chicago. I'm dying to see the movie - I hear Beyonce delivers a breathtaking Etta James, spinning her own "At Last" - and, if for no other reason, I want some background on this Muddy Waters character. And I need to know more about these Blues.

Two falls ago, friends from historic Blues spooktown Clarksdale, hometown of Muddy Waters, took me to Helena, Arkansas to the King Biscuit Festival (since renamed). We watched a man named Super Chicken, who kept yelling "Somebody shoot dat thing!" and who was having a personal carnival on stage with his homemade guit-boxes. At some point after midnight, I wandered off to a side street downtown, a pretty deserted place, even during the festival weekend. On one quiet corner, a man was singing into a mic, alone except for a small white guy sitting and playing electric guitar, almost unnoticeable. This singer looked like a drifter, dirty clothes, bent up mesh hat, aged teeth. And he had the largest mouth I'd ever seen. It was a bit weird. But. But. His voice. Good God. It sounded - and I am really saying this the only way I know how - it sounded like he'd swallowed a 1920's radio. It grizzled, warbled, shook, and died off, then it hounded back up the hill again. I can see the drifter right now thinking about the scene. People were entranced by the man.

I think about that guy when I think about Muddy Waters. I imagine a Mississippi when guys like that could be found in every little town, where juke joints popped up like barber shops and Blues music hung around like smoke. At least I hope that's what it was like.

Cadillac Records trailer

Solomon Burke singing "How I Got to Memphis" live

Eric Clapton on Muddy Waters

Southern Living covers, 1966-1968

2008-12-04T10:34:55-06:00

Yesterday I hit the red leather-bound volumes of Southern Living, starting at the top left corner of the shelves in 1966. What I found felt very much like a time capsule.
The March 1967 cover photo of Johnnita Harkins, Mississippi's 1966 Junior Miss, actually led into a story titled, "What Makes a Teenager Tick?" where the writer documented her time at the Mobile pageant. Johnnita's monologue focused on the mysteries of teenagedom, where she mused about "busy life," before she sang a bit of "Wonderful Day Like Today" for the crowd.

September 1966

One of the more popular and iconographic travel locations in the South, San Antonio's Riverwalk, was subject for the September 1966 cover. Photographer Bob Lancaster captured a group on the Casa Rio supper barge the day before Thanksgiving 1965. Editor Lena Sturges story, "Try a Mexican Meal Afloat," described what she called, "Venice in the Southwest."

May 1967

Churchhills Downs. Early May. Seersuckers, mint juleps, and the $5 windows. Writer Paul Plawin seemed even more thrilled than I. His words:
"You don't see the Kentucky Derby, or watch it, attend it, make it. You behold the Kentucky Derby...When the voice on the public address system announces, "Ladies and gentlemen, 'My Old Kentucky Home'," and a band in the infiled strikes up a blaring rendition of this Kentucky anthem and the throng, 100,000 strong, stands and begins to sing along, and you get goose-pimples on the back of your neck and your hair feels like it's standing stright up like so many little pins, this is what you came to behold."
September 1968

Football on the cover? I know. War Eagle indeed. What's more Southern than Saturdays in September?

November 1966

John McKinney visited the George Franklin hunting plantation in Holly Ridge, Louisiana for his piece about sportsmen (and -women) in the bayou. His first sentence was a quote from one of the hunters: "Most anyone can eat a whole mallard!" The 18,000-acre land lease was shared by 125 Louisiana families, who seemed one-of-a-kind characters themselves. The cover shot, taken from a duck blind at sundown, hangs in my office.

If you enjoyed the look into our archives, let us know. Southern Living's been around since 1966, so there is definitely more where these came from.