Tales from the Road

Georgia Potter Gets a Gigantic Commission (and Survives)

2009-11-11T16:40:06-06:00

The first 100 of a nearly 630-piece commission for LaGrange, Georgia, potter Genna Grushevenko.

My pal Genna Gruchevenko has been unbelievably fired up lately. Sorry, I couldn't help myself. Potters call forth so many good wordplays. But seriously, the Ukrainian-born potter was recently asked to do a 630-pot job for Kia, the big new employer in Troup County, and he's nearly finished. It's a pretty huge mountain to climb, and, though I haven't yet checked with him, likely a once-in-a-career type gig. Well-deserved, I might add.

Genna and his wife Signe (who I wrote about in the May 2007 Georgia issue) live in my hometown, and, year after lucky year, the duo keeps sparking creativity on South Greenwood. They helped found what's called the Artists in Residence house, a studio space/gallery. They inspire locals to follow their own art callings (my mom can attest). And, they're just plain fun to be around.

Though, if the pics on Signe and Genna's blog are any indicator, no one's seen much of him for a few weeks. Keep going Genna, you're almost free and kiln. I mean clear.

See the killer work of both Georgia artists this and next month in Savannah and Asheville. In Savannah, Signe will be at the Telfair Air Fair on November 14-15. Then, starting on the 21st, they'll have a solo show in Asheville's 16Patton Gallery. See a new painting (oil on linen) by Signe below.

Big Man in Tulsa

2009-11-03T16:54:35-06:00

So it's my first time in Tulsa and I'm driving past the fairgrounds and suddenly I see this giant. Nearly wrecked the rental car. Giants make me nervous, for some reason.

This one, however, has been standing in the same place since about 1966, reminding folks that Oklahoma was once the largest oil field in the country. Apparently, in all that time, the oilman has never made a threatening move, even to protest America's dependance on foreign oil, lament falling oil prices, or to make his views known on the state of the industry. He's been a silent guardian at the fair standing up equally to Oklahoma twisters and the winds of time.

There's something to be said for that.

NC's I-40 Closes After Rockslide, But We Have Your Alternate Routes

2009-10-28T14:19:21-05:00

Fall is a popular time of year for visitors to the Smokies—those from all over flock for a glimpse at the sprawling view of reds, yellows, and oranges. But early Sunday morning, a rockslide hit North Carolina’s Highway 40, leaving a mountainous pile of boulders just past the Tennessee state line and closing the road in both directions.

Authorities say the rocks may leave the road blocked for several months, but don't let a highway closure put a hold on your road trip just yet! There are several detours available, so there's no need to miss out on long Fall drives or Winter ski trips this year.

Follow the link for additional routes that offer a scenic drive and great stops for amazing views.

Take Exit 435 (Newport, Tenn.) off I-40 West. Make a left off the exit ramp onto Highway 321/32 (Cosby Highway) toward Newport. Make a right onto Highway 25/70 (East Broadway Street). Continue on Highway 25/70 toward Hot Springs, N.C. In Hot Springs, make a right onto N.C. 209. Bear left at Ferguson Supply Store to stay on N.C. 209. Continue on N.C. 209 through the Crabtree and Iron Duff communities. N.C. 209 soon intersects with I-40 at Exit 24. Continue on N.C. 209 to Lake Junaluska. From here, take the Great Smoky Mountains Expressway (U.S. 19/23/74) east to Exit 106 to Clyde and Canton. Take Exit 103 off U.S. 19/23/74 West to Maggie Valley. Continue to the following exit (Exit 102) to Waynesville.
Take Exit 407 (Sevierville, Tenn.) off I-40 West. Make a right off the exit ramp onto Highway 66 (Winfield Dunn Parkway) toward Sevierville. Continue straight through intersection with Main Street in Sevierville, where road becomes Highway 441/71. Stay straight on U.S. 441, which becomes 441/321/73/71. Continue on this highway through Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, at which point you will enter the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Follow U.S. 441 through the national park to Cherokee, N.C. Make a left onto U.S. 19 and follow to Maggie Valley.
For those who would prefer an all-interstate detour, take I-40 East to I-81 North to I-26 East to I-40 West. From I-40 West, take Exit 31 to Canton, Exit 27 to Clyde, Lake Junaluska and Waynesville, and Exit 20 to Maggie Valley.

(Courtesy Haywood County Tourism Development Authority)

- Compiled by Katie Kelly

Off-Season Oysters on the Brink

2009-10-28T11:37:12-05:00

I read this morning in the New Orleans Times-Picayune that oysters in the off-season are on the brink. Regulators could be shutting down restaurants from serving the Louisiana staple - how many times have I had a dozen at Acme, Casamentos, Pearl! - from April to October. Same goes for Florida, the Carolinas, the Chesapeake, and onward. In an effort to cut down on a rare bacterial illness from bad bivalves, the new FDA sterilization rules means big time losses for oystermen, restaurants, and consumers. To put it in perspective in New Orleans, Lousiana harvests one-third of the nation's oysters. If the FDA plan happens, the new rules will likely take effect in 2011.

Read the full article here.

The Walls at Strawn's-Shreveport, LA

2009-10-16T07:30:00-05:00

Shreveport icon, Strawn's Eat Shop, is best-known for its strawberry pies topped with smooth domes of whipped cream.

But this little restaurant (featured in SL's November mega-story "Secrets of the South's Best Diners") also serves a mean meat-and-three lunch. The daily menu is so stone-sure, it's painted on one of the walls...

I say "stone-sure." Then I take a closer look. Apparently the 'corn' on Wednesday and the 'purple hull peas' on Sunday are scripted over a veggie that has been whited-out.

So I ask what was knocked off the rotation.

"It was English peas on both days," says a waitress. "Boss man got rid of them, because he said they stunk."

There's also a great mural near the ceiling in the dining room depicting some of our country's best-loved presidents (Kennedy, Lincoln, and Washington) lauding the virtues of a slice of Strawn's strawberry pie.

Top 10 Southern Ways to Celebrate Our Blog Award!

2009-10-12T11:21:56-05:00

Yesterday morning, TALES FROM THE ROAD, the travel and culture blog for Southern Living magazine, received the Bronze Award from the Society of American Travel Writers. We were chosen out of 25 other such blogs for the honor during SATW's annual conference in Guadalajara, Mexico.

It's the first award for TALES, and in the spirit of awards, we'd like to celebrate in ways only Southerners would choose. After all, we Southerners know how to have a good time. Here's our best picks for an unabashed, deep-fried, roll-tide-roll victory lap:

10. We'll drape the blog in a Derby garland of roses. Roses are the official flower of Kentucky's great race, and Governors since Burgoo King won in '32 have been draping the 554-rose blanket across the winning horse's back. Hides the smell of hay, we guess.

9. We'll build a raft and float the Mighty Mississippi. Every true Southerner has contemplated their inner-Huckleberry. Problem is, no one wants to go to Minnesota this time of year. It's already snowing.

8. We'll take a BBQ road trip. Here's the plan: Catch a flight to El Paso and drive straight-shot through Tejas, Arkansas, Memphis, Alabama, Georgia, and the Carolinas, all day and night until we hit the Atlantic - only stopping for the greatest in smoked, hickoried, slathered, pulled, sweet deliciousness. Newcomer of the year: this place in Homewood, Alabama. Wow.

7. We'll finally get to meet Reese Witherspoon. Perhaps she can help us figure out how to properly celebrate an award. And maybe sing us a little June Carter Cash ditty. Watch her here.

6. We'll have a "Blessing of the Blog" ceremony. Prayer is nothing new to us. And we particularly love creative church sign word play. (What's missing from ch__ch? U R.) But, we find great Southern pride in anything that gets a special "Blessing" like shrimping season or fox hunting hounds. In Aiken, South Carolina, every Thanksgiving morn, hundreds gather in Hitchcock Woods for the running of the pups. Someone get us a bottle of Dom.

5. We'll get dunked. Keeping on the Big Guy theme, we were so inspired by our pal Val Luesse's October Southern Living story, "Baptism on Moon Lake" about a beautiful Mississippi spiritual tradition, we're calling the good reverend. We hope the water doesn't hurt our hard drives. Do yourself a favor and go read her piece today.

4. We'll splurge on the best hotel in New Orleans. It's called the Soniat House, and there's no better spot in the French Quarter. Tennessee Williams would swoon.

3. We'll buy a new suit. Or dress. Depends on our mood. And if we do, we're hollering at Atlanta's Sid Mashburn and Florence, Alabama's Natalie Chanin. Style masters of our Southern universe. (See below how pumped Sid is about our blog award.)

2. We'll say two words: The. Beach. Is there anytime we don't love putting our toes in the sand? I don't think so. If the Panhandle's 30-A is your fancy, TALES swears by the mid-October long weekend. The new white-washed, idyllic, ocean-spray It spot? Here.

1. And finally (likely first and foremost in what we'll do post-award) we'll be calling our mamas. Because that's what good Southerners do.

Thanks SATW and to all you readers out there in the cyber-South, TALES is a pleasure to produce. We love our South. Keep reading and we'll keep writing.

Help Atlanta's Flooded Local Farmers

2009-10-07T10:40:13-05:00

Georgia's small farms took a devastating hit with the record-setting rains. Some even lost all their crops. Judith Winfrey, owner of Love is Love Farm near Atlanta, saw an overflowing Aneewakee Creek ruin most of their fall harvest completely.

To help, a series of events and fundraising efforts will be happening in the coming days. Slow Food Atlanta is a great place to start if you'd like to help out these growers. Visit SFA here.

RELIEF EVENTS:

WHOLE FOODS: All 7 Metro Atlanta Whole Foods (including Harry's Farmers Market) stores will be hold a 'Donate Your Dime' program for the entire month of October. You can donate your $0.10 per bag refund to the Georgia Flooded Farmers Relief Fund when you shop at any Whole Foods store and bring your own bags. On Wednesday Oct 21st, all 7 Metro Atlanta Whole Foods stores will be donating 5% of their net sales to the Georgia Flooded Farmers Relief Fund. This includes the Harry's Farmers Market stores in Marietta and Alpharetta. In addtion, the Briarcliff, Cobb, and Duluth stores will be holding special farmers' markets at the stores where you can purchase produce directly from local farmers.

Oct. 7-11, Rosebud: Rosebud is hosting a week-long dine out to raise money for the Georgia Flooded Farms Relief Fund. Dine at Rosebud anytime between Monday, October 5 - Sunday, October 11 (lunch, dinner or brunch) and 15% of the proceeds will be donated to this important fund. 1397 North Highland Ave Ne

Oct. 8: Brick Store Pub and Leon's Full Service in Decatur will donate 20% of all profits to the relief efforts. Click here for more.

Oct. 11, Woodfire Grill: Woodfire Grill will host a fundraiser for Love is Love Farm, starting with a cocktailm party at 6, followed by a seated dinner.

Oct. 11, Canoe: Chef Chris Hall & friends will be cooking for Canoe on Sunday, $33 per person for three-course prix fixe menu. All proceeds benefit the employees and staff of Canoe after it was wrecked by epic flooding in Atlanta last week. Please contact them for more information at 770-434-1114.

Wartrace, Tennessee, makes me glad I live in the South.

2009-09-29T15:23:02-05:00

TOP 3 REASONS why I love the little tiny town of Wartrace, Tennessee. Go.

1. The mayor of Wartrace, Tennessee, makes guitars for a living. Really really nice guitars. Like he ships them to Germany good. You can meet him on any given work day in "downtown" Wartrace right across from the red train car and the old Walking Horse Hotel. His name is Don.

2. Don sells the town's water to the George Dickel company. That sounded worse than it actually is. As mayor, Don helped work out the deal with the TN whiskey makers to buy their spring-fed water. It's a huge boost to the local economy. And besides making some fine guitars that Nashville adores, Don does whatever he can to help Wartrace thrive as a community. Even if you don't like whiskey, you gotta like a man who loves his town.

3. The name. Down the road is Bellbuckle, Tennessee. Further on, Bugsnuffle. Not lying. These little word gems bring a grin to my face. I read on the historical marker next to the red train car that the town got its name from Native Americans who fled to the area when Nashvillian settlers were fighting them for their property. So the running path cut right to where Don makes guitars and walking horses graze and the whiskey water flows. Their trace.

Keep reading...

Southern Living has always loved such tiny towns, the ones where there's only one of things, coffee stops and diners, post offices and middle schools and barbers (scratch that, even small towns have competition among the barbers). But now, with the October release of a re-charged version of SL, we officially get to champion the little mapdots that could with a new column.

I came across Wartrace on Google maps. Since I used to live in Nashville, I was scoping out the area online one day.

Daydreaming I guess. When I scrolled towards Chattanooga, out of the southeastern corner of my map a road cut across called the Walking Horse Highway, or something like that. Any road with such a label wins for me. So I starting virtually driving from I-65 near Lynchburg across the Horse Highway and on into a town called Wartrace. Pretty soon, Google wasnt good enough for my imagination.

When I visited the first time, I had breakfast at the Iron Gait, a one-room country kitchen about a mile or so from the main intersection in town. I had a simple breakfast of eggs and grits while the rain stopped. It was quiet in the cafe, a work day already two hours begun. So I read the Tennessean while I waited to go meet Don the mayor-guitar maker and his son Stephen.

They were very kind people. Soft-speaking and willing to explain all the old guitar-maker tools and cuts of exotic wood and old pictures on the walls. Stephen showed me around the workshop and the airtight, temp-controlled room where they keep their stock of fine woods. They get the wood from everywhere, he said, Brazil, Africa even. His favorite was rosewood, and his dad Don talked to me about the hand-fit herringbone work on each instrument. They told stories about flat-pickers, the old hotel, and Kenny Chesney's music video.

Later I took a drive out into the country. It was rolling and very green, gorgeous after a morning of rains. I passed a strawberry farm. Horses stared at me as I slowly passed, wondering who I was and why I had come to their pasture. The barns and fences reminded me of home, where I grew up, a place we call Rushland. I wondered if their horses had gotten used to the train like ours had. If their creeks rose up beyond the banks like ours did after big summer rains. If their high school loved football too.

My father grew up on a Tennessee Walking Horse farm. I always wondered what the creatures with such a commonly worded yet aspirational name must look like. And what type of walking they did to claim the title. Being near them in Wartrace, where Tennessee's fertile dales and tree-covered ridges ebb down into a region called The Great Valley, made me feel like I was walking in the shadow of a grandfather I'd never known. Driving the roads he had traveled looking at horses. Smelling the same sweet cool air. A place whose water was worth buying.

Keep a lookout for upcoming towns we love. We're going to write about the best around, almost every issue. In November, the magazine will profile a small hill country find where it's legend that Billy the Kid spent his twilight. And where pies fix everything.

*Photos by Robbie Caponetto

The Funniest Woman in Georgia

2009-09-28T10:59:30-05:00

Fans of storyteller-humorist Lauretta Hannon know her as the Cracker Queen. We’re calling her the funniest woman in Georgia. She published a new memoir this year and counts NPR’s All Things Considered a friend. Now, Lauretta’s traveling the South telling her tales about the best BLT she’s ever had, why women need to calm down, and how bugs can cure Georgia’s woes. And lucky for us, Lauretta's kindly sent us an excerpt. Read on.

MAMA AND THE CHAIN GANG

By Lauretta Hannon

There wasn’t much to do in Warner Robins in the early 1970s but ride around. So that’s what Mama and I did.

During my preschool days, we tooled around in the butter-colored Cadillac, which was stocked with vodka and orange juice. I sat on the armrest in the front seat, biting at the air rushing from the vents. This was before child seats and air bags, but I had the ultimate protection: the Mama Arm of Steel. At the slightest tap of the brake, her arm would nail me against the seat.

Our greatest adventures involved chain gangs, crews of convicts working by the road. We never slipped anyone a shank in a homemade cake or provided a getaway car, but what we did do was just as thrilling.

When we’d happen upon these crews, we’d rush to the nearest convenience store and buy cartons of cigarettes for ’em. We might have been broke, but Mama was never cheap. She bought the best brands: Marlboros, Kents, and Winstons.

My job was to break up the cartons so that we could hurl the packs out the window. Timing was crucial, as the men had to snatch the cigarettes before the boss man, and his shotgun, could intervene. Not once did we ride by without doing something: Our mission was too important, and way too fun.

The excitement never faded. We didn’t know when or where we’d come upon a chain gang, so it was always a surprise and a call to action—regardless of where we were going or what our plans might have been.

Mama would floor it once we were sure contact had been made. I’d leap over the front seat and press my face against the back window. I loved watching the prisoners smile and hoist the packs high above their heads as we fled in a cloud of red dust. Sometimes one of the men cried, but I knew he wasn’t sad.

As a four-year-old, I saw the radical happiness I had caused. For the first time, I became aware of my own power—and it felt damn good.

I savored the view long into the distance. Once they were out of sight, I’d stretch across the backseat and picture them in my head—the men in stripes, with their wide grins and salty tears.

We chatted with Lauretta and (between laughs) jotted down a few of our questions and her hilarious answers. This gal is a trip.

What three words best describe you?

Exuberant, funny, human-chihuahua.

Who is your favorite person?

My dog Boots.

Who's the funniest person alive?

Mama. She posts original sayings on her fridge. My favorite: "Money isn't everything, but it sure quiets the nerves."

Why do you love living where you do?

Because that's where my man is. I also have a great front porch.

What about men drives you crazy?

Everything about men drives me crazy – in a good way. I had a fantastic relationship with my Daddy.

If you had a superpower, what would it be?

I'd rid the world of polyester, bad jazz, and cornbread made with sugar.

What is your perfect meal?

This sounds like a death row inmate's last request: homemade potato chips from the old Crystal Beer Parlor in Savannah; a BLT from Nu-Way in Macon; and sweet tea and lemon icebox pie from the Silver Skillet in Atlanta.

What's your strangest childhood memory?

It's a tie between buying boiled peanuts from a leper and meeting my Uncle Buddy on the chain gang.

What about men drives you crazy?

Everything about men drives me crazy--in a good way. I had a fantastic relationship with my Daddy.

What about women drives you crazy?

Our obsessions with things that don't matter.

Does humor ever get you out of trouble?

Always. A sense of humor saves me every time.

What would you change about your home state?

More lightning bugs, less Atlanta.

What's next?

A darkly comic novel set in the place that fuels my imagination most: Middle Georgia.

BUY THE BOOK HERE.

My Own Appalachian Trail Journey

2009-09-15T15:21:16-05:00

My first hike on the AT felt like I stepped into a perfect postcard. October’s blue skies served as a backdrop as I plodded up a steep trail through gold and russet leaves. I was walking up my first rugged mountain: North Carolina’s Standing Indian (5,498 feet) with a group of six friends, and we told stories and sang songs along the way.

The path unreeled ahead, a dusty rut, wide enough for two of us to walk abreast. Grasses with dots of yellow, red, and purple wildflowers swiped against our knees. Fingers of buttery light reached into the trees, lighting the forest floor.

When the trail turned sharply, I’d reach out for a nearby tree trunk, and felt smooth places on the bark, created by countless other hands. At the top, the view made all the sweating and climbing worthwhile.

The AT met my expectations for beauty that day. I went on to hike along much of the Southern half of the AT: in North Georgia, North Carolina to the Smokies and beyond, and even in Virginia and Maryland.

The trail drew me back not too long ago to join the Konnarock Crew—one of the volunteer groups that rebuild portions of the AT every summer (appalachiantrail.org for more info). We camped along Virginia’s Mount Rogers, spied wild ponies, munched wild blueberries, and dug into some back-breaking labor (without a shower for a week!).

The biggest surprise along the AT is how populated it can be It’s more like a friendly pedestrian highway on weekends where hikers stop to greet, to pet each other's dogs, and to chat about the route. In the evenings, the shelters and campgrounds fill with gabfests.

No matter how beautiful and awe-inspiring the AT can be, at the end of the day, journeys here are all about story making and storytelling.

Have you hiked along the AT? Where are your favorite places? Mine feel more like mental snapshots I took along the way (both of these come from the Smokies):

--Crossing a rushing stream in winter where rhododendrons the size of school buses hugged the banks in thickets, their glossy leaves curled up tightly like cigars.

-- Cool hillsides in summer’s midday with deer napping in the shade.

--A bear cub shimmying up a tree to hide (fun to see, but I knew momma bear had to be nearby too).

Musician Jim Dickinson--We'll Miss Him

2009-08-22T13:47:39-05:00

The late Jim Dickinson, second from left, sits with (left to right) son Luther, wife Mary Lindsay, and son Cody. Jim’s good buddy Lightin’ the basset hound is seated center. For more on the piano* that served as the centerpiece for this photograph, see below. Photo by Art Meripol.

Memphis and the greater world of music lost one of its most knowledgeable, talented, and entertaining denizens last week. James Luther Dickinson died Saturday, August 15, at his home outside of Coldwater, MS.

Jim leaves his wife Mary Lindsay and their two sons, Luther and Cody, who many music fans know as the guitarist and drummer, respectively, for the North Mississippi Allstars. He also leaves us all with music he’s written, performed, recorded, and produced, having played with such icons as Bob Dylan and The Rolling Stones, and worked with bands, such as The Replacements and Memphis’ own Big Star.

Finding Jim at his home off a backroad in the North Mississippi hill country was as difficult as reaching the proverbial wise man on top of the mountain…and just as rewarding. A gravely voiced raconteur who typically played the piano and organ, he knew and understood the origin of just about any American music form and, once you found him, would share that knowledge freely. He raised two of the most talented musicians of their generation, who are as respectful as any parent would hope their children to be.

Probably the most colorblind human I’ve ever known, he came from that Memphis of the 1950s and 60s that created Sun Records and Stax Records, in which black and white musicians worked together to meld an art form that still influences us today. He had a sincere appreciation for black music and culture, and believed that great things came from people reaching across the divides that separate us, color barriers in particular. It was a belief that went beyond his music, once telling me he and Mary Lindsay moved to Mississippi, just south of Memphis, so their two boys could go to a school in a rural environment with black children – not all that common a thing, even today. Jim also told me about his “first musical experience,” or at least the one that convinced him music was his calling.

He was eight or nine and in downtown Memphis on a Saturday with his father. They came across a jug band playing in an alley, behind his dad’s office building. “Will Shade was playing the tub bass and singing 'Come on down to my house, honey. There is nobody home but me.’ I had never seen anything like it before in my life,” Jim said.

Later, he said, he realized, “I wanted to find that. What is this, where is it, and how do I find it? I had heard some Dixieland music, some boogie-woogie, but I had never heard anything like that. It was just right down the street from me, but it was black and I was white, and I couldn’t get there. It took me years to break down that barrier, and I finally met Will Shade not long before he died. Got to know him. The man was a genius who just happened to play in a jug band, but that was it for me, the moment it began.”

I was fortunate enough to interview Jim at length on a few occasions. I always went away with my head bulging full of new-found knowledge and a greater appreciation for music, especially that which came from Memphis and the surrounding area -- the most fertile ground for growing music ever, period. Having come from a musical family – his mother, a pianist, told him he was a seventh generation musician – the man just “got it” and fostered a broader, deeper understanding to those willing to listen. Most of those who worked with him claimed it made their music better, richer. Bob Dylan, in his acceptance speech for his 1997 Grammy for Time Out of Mind, called Jim his "brother."

Music was in Jim's blood, in his soul, and in turn, his music became a substantial part of our collective soul. In short, he made the world a better, immensely more entertaining, convivial, boisterous place.

Thanks, Jim, for all you did, and best to you Mary Lindsay, Luther, and Cody.

For more about Jim Dickinson, read this excellent blog post from Joe Nick Patoski.

For his obituary, see The Commercial Appeal.

* The Dickinson family posed on the piano purported to be the very instrument on which Otis Redding wrote, “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay.” Jim said he couldn’t confirm the story, but had found the piano – damaged by a flood – in a barn in Rossville, TN. He placed it outside his recording studio near Coldwater, MS, claiming it was in a state of “decomposition.”

A Quest for The Perfect Cowboy Boots

2009-08-19T21:07:09-05:00

It began innocently enough. Earlier this summer I spent time on a Texas ranch to research a story. While there I fell hard ... fell for the look of cowboy boots. Since returning home my fascination grew. I needed some cowboy boots of my own.

To be perfectly clear, these aren't boots that I'm going to wear horse riding. I just like the look of them, and what Southern girl doesn't? Thus began my quest for the perfect pair: ones that I could wear at work, on the road, with jeans, with dresses, when line dancing. OK maybe not that last part.

Here are some of my favorite stops along the trail of the perfect pair:

Wildflower & Wax -- Located in Helena, Alabama (just outside Birmingham), this store actually specializes in making their own beautiful and delicious smelling candles (here is their blog). But the owners discovered that customers were interested in the vintage cowboy boots they had on display for decoration, so they started selling vintage boots from all over the country.

I found several pair I liked, but none in my size. If at first you don't succeed ...

Keep shopping.

I looked around online a bit but am a believer in trying on boots for the right fit. So when I had some extra time during a Texas trip last weekend (Lubbock), I tried on a few dozen pair on for size.

At Cavender's, a chain that has been in business since 1965, I found rows and rows of gorgeous new boots in every size, shape, and color.

Simple, ornate, tall, short, dressy and casual (seriously, I had no idea of the range of possibilities), I pulled pair after pair from the shelves, trying them on and learning from their friendly salespeople how boots should feel and fit.

Here were some of my favorites (at right).

Although several of these caught my attention, I had a feeling that the perfect pair was still somewhere out there, waiting for me.

Luckily, I happened to be going to Nashville after Texas.

The odyssey continued.

Following a friend's recommendation, I stopped off at the legendary Katy K's, whose customers sing on the Grand Ole Opry. Rockabilly and rhinestone fashion galore, I knew this was my kind of place. And indeed, this is where I found them: The Ones.

As soon as I put them on I knew I'd found my glass slippers. These vintage boots would go with everything, had an ever so subtle but colorful pattern, and fit like magic.

Move over Carrie Bradshaw. You don't have anything on a Southern girl with the perfect pair of boots. (But if another pair come along, there's still room in my closet ... )

Related Links:

40 Things Every Southerner Ought To Do

Music City Shopping

Hoop Your Way To A Hotel Discount

2009-08-06T20:28:42-05:00

Recently I've started hooping for exercise. As in hula hooping, the thing that you did when you were a kid. It's a ridiculous amount of fun, and there are even health benefits (but that's another story for another time).

Let's just say you can't feel bad when you have a brightly colored hoop spinning around your body and the music way up. I even have a collapsible one for travel, which gets a lot of attention in airports.

What? You've never seen a grown woman carry a laptop on one shoulder and a fold-up hoop on another? It is a conversation starter to say the least.

Random person: Um, what's that around your neck?

Me: It's a hula hoop.

Random person: Seriously?

Me: Yep, wanna try?

Random person looks suspiciously at me, backing away slowly.

OK, so it's a bit bulky and I don't take it everywhere. But I'm not the only Southerner who is into hooping -- in fact the Hotel Palomar in Dallas is offering a 50% discount to anyone who can hula hoop for one minute upon check-in. And if you can't make the full minute, they'll offer a free-upgrade if you hoop for 20 seconds. How fun is that?

The deal is upon availability and runs through Sept. 7. Now go get your hoop on.

Related Links:

Southern Living: Dallas Like A Local

Southern Living Live Healthy: Hula Hooping To Health

Hooping.com - What is Hooping?

Top Ways to Thrill-Seek in the South

2009-08-03T14:43:50-05:00

Maybe it's the Spanish moss dripping eerily from live oaks in the moonlight, the hushed secrets of multiple cultures, or the imaginations of a thousand storytellers--the South is a born-and-bred backdrop for intrigue. The region is fertile ground for folklore and secret societies (that old Greek fraternity/sorority handshake counts for something), and mystery is bound to entail. Similarly, we're home of the famed phrase: "Hey y'all, watch this!" A Southerner will try anything once.

I strung together a little listing of ways to get your heart a-racing in the South. What are some other ways to get thrills below the Mason-Dixon?

10 Ways to Thrill Seek in the South

1. Take a Ghost tour in a Southern City. Charleston, New Orleans, Savannah, St. Augustine, Key West--it doesn't take an October 31 calendar date to send chills down your spine in these historical towns.

2. Lose your stomach on a roller coaster. The anticipation of the climb, the click of the chain, the release and consequential scream--nothin' like a roller coaster, huh? Test your nerve on these coasters.

The Manta at SeaWorld in Orlando, FL
Afterburn at Carowinds in Charlotte, NC
Thunderhead at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, TN
Goliath at Six Flags in Atlanta, GA

3. Bring one of Kathryn Tucker Windham's books to life. The famed storyteller from Selma, AL scribed six books based on "true" local folklore in various Southern states. Read up and then go out exploring the haunts Windham lists.

4. Tour an old military base. Some of America's most influential battles took place on Southern landscapes. Weather or not you decide they're haunted, you've gotta admit they're pretty intriguing.

Fort McAllister in Savannah, GA
The Depot in Huntsville, AL
The Antitam Battlefield near Sharpsburg, MD
Fort Leaton near Presido, TX

5. Zip-line at Historic Banning Mills. Remember how free falling down a zip-line and into the backyard pool was so fun at age 12? In Whitesburg, GA, they've figured out a way for adults to give it another go. Screaming is acceptable for all ages.

6. Experience Thirteen Bridges in Montgomery, AL. For generations of central Alabamians, this was THE way to be spooked. There's been mention of Confederate soldier ghosts and possessed cows on Bargainer Road, but you've got to see for yourself. The trick is to exit the car with a bunch of friends (bonus points for wearing camo) and trek down the small, swampy road across rickety creek-covering bridges until you cross the final bridge, #13. On your way back, a bridge "disappears" and there's only 12. Bizarre.

7. Faces your fears and slither into the zoo. Alligators, snakes, lizards--oh my. But hang out with the creatures for a bit and those chills will subside.

St. Louis Zoo in St. Louis, MO
North Carolina Zoo in Ashboro, NC
Houston Zoo in Houston, TX
National Aquarium in Baltimore, MD

8. Freak out over heights. For the super-daring, there's hang gliding off of Lookout Mountain in Rising Fawn, GA. Even if mounting the St. Louis Gateway Arch, the Vulcan statue in Birmingham, or your local rock climbing wall is more feasible--you'll be reminded why that lurching pit in your stomach makes us love/hate heights so much.

9. Check out the Myrtles Plantation in Francisville, LA. Always at the top of spooky mansion listings, this home was built in 1796 and has plenty of tales to tell. If you can tough it out, try spending a night at this bed and breakfast. (Tours offered for the faint of heart.)

10. Brave the rapids. Riding huge waves, dodging rocks, and lurching over "hidden" drops are all a part of paddling down the Ocoee River in southeast Tennessee or rafting down the Gauley River in West Virginia. Do you dare?

Prefer to live vicariously through characters in the comfort of your well-lit sunroom? Try one of the South's latest mystery novels:

Heroic Measures

By Jill Ciment (Pantheon Books, $23)

On Friday night, the weekend holds great promise for Ruth and Alex Cohen. A realtor has valued their East Village co-op at nearly a million dollars, and the open house begins in the morning. Then Ruth notices that her beloved dachshund, Dorothy, is unable to stand. Fearing for the little dog's life, the Cohens run into the night and find chaos. The city has become paralyzed by the rumor of a suicide bomber with a gasoline truck parked in the Midtown Tunnel.

In Heroic Measures, Florida author Jill Ciment traces the fate of the family as the long weekend unfolds and the city holds its breath. She deftly crafts her story from the perspectives of Alex, Ruth, and even Dorothy as they struggle to make sense of the chaos. While Dorothy languishes at the animal hospital and potential buyers vacillate, the Cohens are left to worry about their dog, themselves, and their future in a city going mad. Placed in the context of a national crisis, this family drama becomes all the more poignant, its players flawed and frightened but remarkably hopeful as they wait for one small dog to walk again.

The Scarecrow

By Michael Connelly (Little, Brown and Company, $27.99)

For newspaperman Jack McEvoy, life is never dull at the LA Times, even when he's being laid off. Given two weeks to train his eager successor on the crime beat before he's show the door, Jack decides to go out in a blaze of glory--to write a murder story so phenomenal, so prize-worthy, that he will be remembered long after he leaves. There's only one problem: The case seems open and shut, but the young man accused of raping and suffocating an exotic dancer is innocent of the crime.

As Jack begins to weave together the threads of this sordid tapestry, he finds himself faced with a brilliiant, deviant mastermind--one who has studied Jack's work and is tracking his every move. Partnered with his onetime lover, FBI Agent Rachel Walling, Jack must find the scoop of his career before the Scarecrow strikes again.In The Scarecrow, Florida author Michael Connelly returns to characters introduced in The Poet for a past-paced trip into the dark heart of a sadistic killer. Bottom Line: Fans of Connelly's Harry Bosch novels will not be disappointed. Lauren Simpson

Shimmer

By Eric Barnes (Unbridled Books, $25.95)

Robbie Case seems to have the world by the tail. A 35-year-old CEO of a $20 billion company, he oversees 5,000 employees and a network that handles gargantuan amounts of financial information. But the technology is all built on a lie, a giant Ponzi scheme that threatens to collapse the company and its employees.

Memphis writer Eric Barnes makes his debut as a novelist in Shimmer, a ripped-from-the-headlines tale of deceit and intrigue. How long will it take for the company to collapse? Robbie maneuvers the lies on a shadow network server named Shimmer and tries to delay the inevitable. "Work. Work harder. Work until the problem went away." But no matter how many hours Robbie puts in, his secrets are just a few clicks away from imminent discover by his senior staff, competition, and stockholders. But this page turner isn't for techno geeks only Bottom Line: Even the computer challenged reader will be wired into the intrigue. Wanda McKinney

Okay, your turn. What gives you a rush? Post below or shout at me on Twitter: EAStallings.

SL Book Review: Last Minute Summer Reads

2009-07-31T15:51:53-05:00

You've got a few more weeks of sweet summer left for lazy days curled up in the sun with a book in hand. Check out our latest book reviews and read our picture-perfect location suggestions. Where would you picture reading one of these books?

What are your suggestions for last-minute summer reads?

Beach Trip

by Cath Holton (Ballantine Books, $25)

Twenty-three years after graduating from a small Episcopal Southern college, four friends reunite for an island getaway in North Carolina's Outer Banks. I know, I know. Beach Trip sounds like your typical chick lit summer read. But this novel will surprise you. What begins as a lighthearted book about rebuilding an old friendship becomes a truly touching novel about love, loss, regret, and renewal.

Tennessee author Cathy Holton gives voice to four strong characters--Mel, Sara, Annie, and Lola. All have taken different paths since graduation. All harbor secrets. And by the end of the book you will understand and care about these women as if they were your old friends, as well. Joyce Butterworth

Perfect spots to read:

With your toes in the sand--Nag's Head or Bald Head Island in North Carolina's Outer Banks
As the characters relive college years, find a quiet spot on a beautiful southern campus: Sewanee, Duke, University of Virginia, Tulane, Samford University, College of Charleston, and Vanderbilt all claim gorgeous campuses.
In honor of Beach Trip's Atlanta attorney Sara, curl up at Joe's Coffee in East Atlanta
Or channel character Annie and Nashville and grab lunch at Red Wagon Cafe in East Nashville.

Driftwood Summer

by Patti Callahan Henry (New American Library, $14)

Novels hold the ability to teach us, reflecting our own families and histories. This is such a book, much more than the story of three sisters dealing with life, each other, and an ailing mother. And along with the books that fill one sister's business--Driftood Cottage Bookstore in mythical Palmetto Beach, Georgia--the stories of the sisters' lives slowly reveal themselves in this latest novel by author Patti Callahan Henry.

In Driftwood Summer, the author finds ways for the struggling siblings to find common ground, noting that hard times tend to draw us all closer--even if it takes some hollering and tears along the way. The writer also throws in an off-kilter romance and a big does of humor. Bottom line: This volume offers up all the ingredients of a great summer beach read. Allison Barnes

Perfect spots to read:

Find a beach communities or barrier island on the Atlantic coast like Tybee Island, GA, Isle of Palms, SC, or Folly Beach, SC.
Give a nod to the author's alma mater--Spread out on the lawn in front of Samford Hall at Auburn or grab a table across the street at Cambridge Coffee.
If you can, a hammock or other fitting spot on the banks of the Chattahoocheee River in Georgia, where Henry drafts her novels

The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder

by Rebecca Wells (Harper Collins, $25.99)

The Bayou state played a big part in the popular Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Siterhood, and Louisiana author Rebecca Wells continues that same Cajun accented sense of place in The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder. In this new book, the author captivates with the quirky and the magical, bringing them together in a charming river town named La Luna, which is protected by the Moon Lady. Wells also introduces Calla Lily Ponder, daughter of the town's beautician and dance instructor, who also practices the art of healing.

Blessed with her mother's gift of healing, Calla plans to spend her days working alongside her mother in their tiny salon, The Beauty Porch. Tragedy ends Calla's childhood too soon, however; then her first love breaks her heart. These events send Calla to the big city of New Orleans. Here she learns the art of cosmetology and rediscovers the healing power of friendship--and the true value of her mother's gift--as she grows and blossoms like her namesake flower. By turns cosmic, tragic, and sweet, this novel will delight the fans of Ya-Yas everywhere. Bottom Line: This latest book from the author of Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood is another bayou classic. Lauren Simpson

Perfect Spots to Read:

Poolside at the Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans
Tucked away on a bench in Audobon Park in New Orleans
Tucked in bed after a nice Cajun dinner at J. Gumbo's in Lousiville, KY
Gulf beaches near Lousisiana--Panhandle beaches like Grayton Beach, Seaside, and Seagrove, Alabama beaches of Gulf Shores or Orange Beach, or South Padre Island, TX

SL and Tucker Blair's Where to Wear Guide

2009-07-30T15:16:12-05:00

Look down deep inside yourself. Is there not a miniscule iota that appreciates your first-grade teacher's precise selection of seasonal sweaters? Now, I'm not advising us to trot off and go crazy with Santa and shamrocks, but let's be honest: Sometimes dressing appropriately just feels so right. And, oh yeah--it looks so good.

Enter Tucker Blair. This fabulous fledgling company out of Washington D.C. whips up hand stitched needlepoint items in evocative designs. "We want you to find the item that reminds you of the places and times you love most, whatever and wherever that may be," says founder Taylor Llewellyn.

Is there anything more Southern than working under the tagline "Classically Casual?" Taylor gave me some thoughts about some of Tucker Blair's threaded items, and where they would shine the brightest on-location around the south.

Where to Wear Guide

WEAR: South Carolina flag belt. "We tend to get a lot of orders for this belt from the Charleston area zipcodes and they’re often spotted along King Street at the bars and shops," says Taylor.

WHERE: Charleston, Kiawah Island (Taylor likes Sanctuary Hotel), Anson Restaurant, Galart & Maliclet French Cafe (my fave), Sullivan's Island. Check out our August 2009 issue for a run-down on Chucktown's South of Broad area.

WEAR: Crab flip flops.

WHERE: Baltimore or Annapolis, MD. "It’s always appropriate to wear the Crab flops to Cantlers in Annapolis where we often go grab soft shelled crabs on the weekends," Taylor says.

WEAR: Pink Elephant belt.

WHERE: Politickin', of course. "Pink Elephants is great for the Republican enclave Capitol Hill Club in D.C.," says Taylor. From Montgomery to Jackson or Raleigh to Tallahassee, you don't just need to be on the official Capitol Hill to get in the mood to celebrate your party ties. (But it would be rather appropos.)

Disclaimer: Tucker Blair does custom products, too. Dems, make your voice heard. I have a favorite mascot, but will remain neutral for the sake of this blog.

WEAR: Orange and blue striped headband.

WHERE: My last blog mentioned my Auburn loyalties, and we got a little feisty out there, people. No worries--My family raised me to know that people that are "different" from us are still great, wonderful Southerners. So I'm going to make another Auburn reference, and gird my loins for the backlash. Just know that the great folks over at TB will craft a headband just for your team, too. And isn't the SEC the best conference out there anyway?

WEAR: Marlin belt. "Two of my best friends encouraged me to make the Marlin belt after telling stories of their deep sea fishing trips," Taylor says. He also said Tucker Blair has new fish belts in the forecast.

WHERE: The Gulf, The Keys, your favorite seafood spot. (Catch our Top 10 Southern Seafood Dive list.) "The belt kind of makes me think of Hemingway drinking Daiquiris in South Florida for some reason," Taylor adds.

WEAR: Shamrocks and mugs belt.

WHERE: St. Patrick's Day festivities in Savannah, of course. Taylor said Notre Dame alums also enjoy this design.

WEAR: Needlepoint dog collars.

WHERE: Take Fluffy, Fido, or in my case, Harper out on walk. Jupiter Beach in Palm Beach, Discovery Green in Houston, and William B. Ulmstead State Park in North Carolina are some good, dog-friendly zones.

*Note - As a college student, I love seeing people walk their dogs on my campus. Consider your local collegian.

Alright, y'all--it's your turn: Where in the South would sport a Tucker Blair belt, headband, pair of flip flops, or dog collar (Not you, silly. Fido.) For more inspiration or information, head over to tuckerblair.com.

That'll Be The Day: The Buddy Holly Story Returns To Lubbock

2009-07-10T10:37:17-05:00

Several weeks ago I found myself surrounded by family and friends of rock and roll royalty.

While visiting Lubbock, Texas, I was invited to a performance of "Buddy! The Buddy Holly Story."

The musical, which tells the life story of Lubbock's native son and rock pioneer Holly, is being staged by the non-profit Lubbock Moonlight Musicals and features cast members from of the London production of "Buddy! The Buddy Holly Story," which closed earlier this year.

The talented performers (including many local residents and Texas Tech students) brought Holly's music alive under the Texas stars. Adding to the depth of the experience was the fact that so many people in the audience -- and even on the stage -- had personal connections to Buddy Holly.

The woman sitting next to me went to school with him. His niece, Ingrid Holly Kaiter, sang in the show. And as an encore, his nephew, Eddy Weir, joined Matt Wycliffe (who plays Buddy) on stage, for a rocking guitar duet. I spoke briefly to Eddy, who said it was an honor for him to be play in the musical depicting his late uncle's life and legacy. Countless others in the audience shared how proud they were that the musical had returned, so new generations can learn about this music pioneer.

As far as British actors playing boys from West Texas -- I have to say they got the accent down just right. And by watching all of the young people in the audience it's pretty clear -- the music definitely hasn't died.

Lubbock Moonlight Musicals presents "Buddy! The Buddy Holly Story" at the Wells Fargo Amphitheater in MacKenzie Park, July 25 and August 1, 7, 14, and 22 at 8 p.m. For more information, visit www.lubbockmoonlightmusicals.org or call 1-800-735-1288 or 806-770-2000.

The Buddy Holly Center - While in Lubbock, learn more about the man and his music

Southern Bucket List

2009-07-08T11:16:02-05:00

If there is one thing (and trust me, there's more than one thing) I've discovered in my two months interning in Southern Living travel headquarters, it's that these people know the South. Seriously--any one of the editors can rattle off where locals dine on the freshest seafood, the personality of City A compared to City B, and how on earth to pronounce that little island of the coast of Carolina.

These erudite scholars of the South were prime suspects for assistance in compiling a Southern Bucket List. Here's their Top 40 Things to Do in the South Before You Die.

What have you done? What would you include on a Southern Bucket List?

Not for the faint of heart

1. Try hang-gliding at Jockey's Ridge in Nag's Head on the Outer Banks area of North Carolina.
2. Take an adventurous whitewater rafting trip down West Virginia's Gauley River.
3. Hike the Appalachian Trail--or at least part of the 2,000 mile trail.
4. Compete in the Texas Water Safari, the world’s toughest canoe race—"even if you only make it to the first rapids," Les Thomas says.
5. Brave the zipline adventure at Historic Banning Mills , GA.
6. Raft in Olympic glory down the Ocoee River in southeast Tennessee.
7. Swim across the Mississippi River.

8. Hike to Laconte Lodge in the Smokies. "It’s a lodge that you can only get to by a pretty intense hike," Taylor Bruce says.

9. Island hop as you sail down the Carolina coast.

Simply southern

10. Sit on a screened porch on a summer night and "just listen to the music made by the bugs and the night birds," Nick Patterson says.
11. Stroll the Alamo plaza on a moonlit night or the River Walk as the sun rises in San Antonio , TX.
12. Experience Washington D.C. in its element on the Fourth of July. "Watch fireworks, hear speeches, witness parades and feel the patriotism," Joe Rada says.
13. Catch an iconic southern sunset.

Key West, FL
Ocracoke, NC
Davis Mountains, TX
On the western steps of the U.S. Captol in Washington D.C.
On the east bank of the Mississippi River in Natchez, MS or Memphis, TN

14. "Meet even more incredible southerners," Richard Banks says. Hit up our events calendar to find some locals near you.

15. Relax at The Greenbrier or The Homestead. "To my mind, these two gracious resorts, just an hour apart on opposite sides of the West Virginia-Virginia border, ooze with Southernness. We chose The Greenbrier for our wedding reception site and The Homestead as our go-to after the reception. You can’t get more Southern—or more pampered," Carolanne Roberts says.

Shout from the stands

16. Watch southern teams tear up the NCAA college basketball charts. "See the University of Memphis men's or women's basketball team win a national championship," Richard says. "Go Tigers!"
17. Trek over to Tampa during February, March, or April to soak up MLB spring training. Take a page from the little boy I babysit and bring a couple of pens and baseballs--you're going to in the presence of greatness.

18. Tailgate at a SEC football game. Make sure you've got all you need so you can focus on tossing the pigskin or shaking that (orange-and-blue) shaker. War eagle!

Shore things

19. During the heat of the day at Padre Island, take a break and watch a release of youth Ridley's Sea Turtles--the rarest sea turtles in the world.

20. Take a seaplane ride to the Dry Tortugas—the southernmost point in the continental U.S.
21. Dive into Rainbow Springs on the hottest day of the summer in Florida's Rainbow Springs State Park.
22. Hang ten in North Carolina. Read about Amy Bickers and her son Jacob's f ive days at WB Surf Camp in Wrightsville, NC.

23. Ride along 30A to see the snowy sands of the Florida Panhandle. "I grew up thinking snow was cold and wet," Carolanne says. "Now I know snowy sand is simply the coolest and those lapping waves the prettiest I’ve ever seen." Rosemary Beach, Seagrove, Seaside, Alys Beach, Watercolor, and Grayton Beach are simply idyllic.

Get cultured

24. Discover more of the South's great music. An area that launched numerous genres and artists, the South's music scene is still hoppin'. Check out concert listings and musical festivals near you.

25. See fabulous art. Whether it's at the High Museum of Ar t in Atlanta, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, or at Duke University's Nasher Museum of Ar t in Durham, NC--spectacular art facilities dot the map.

26. Own an southern souvenir. Traditional folk art and crafts in the South include sweetgrass baskets from the Lowcountry, blown glass pieces from Blenko Glass Company in Milton, WV; pottery from Seagrove, NC, and quilts from Gee's Bend, AL. Check here for more about the folk art scene in the south.

27. Witness the Osborne Light Spectacular at Disney World. "For Lower South Southerners who don't see much snow at Christmas, the fake flakes are sheer delight," Carolanne says.

28. Among all the sights to see in D.C., sit at Abraham Lincoln’s feet and look out on the national mall from the Lincoln Memoral.

29. Three words: Spoleto Festival USA.

30. Visit an iconic sculpture in the South.

Castings in the battlefield at Vicksburg, VA
Monument Avenue in Richmond, VA
The Vulcan in Birmingham, AL "I live in Vulcan's shadow and know his personal charm, his park, his awesome view at night, and what he means to the history of Birmingham," Carolanne says.

Taste tests
31. Enjoy a cup mango ice cream at the Menger Hotel, a San Antonio, TX delicacy for more than 100 years.
32. Finish Louisville's Urban Bourbon Trail.

33. Sip a frozen margarita while you bask on the cantina style patio at Joe T. Garcia’s in Fort Worth, TX.
34. Eat an autumn apple you picked from a tree in the Catoctin Mountains, MD.

35. Take down a Big Orange at Tanner's Big Orange in Greenville, SC.
36. Drink a Lone Star longneck in the general store at Luckenbach near Fredericksburg, TX--in operation since 1849.
37. "I want to teach my son how to cook barbecue shoulder over a charcoal-filled hole in the ground," Richard says.

38. "Cast a net for my own dinner of shrimp," Taylor said. Look out for Joe's October issue story on this very topic.

39. Eat a dish in its native habitat.

Sample crab cakes in Baltimore, MD.
Peel shrimp in South Carolina.
Try etoufee in New Orleans, LA.
Swallow oysters in northwest Florida.
Grab some brisket in Texas
Bite into Mississippi catfish.
Dine on ham in Virginia
Feast on North Carolina pork barbecue.
And of course, eat grits in any deep south state.

Uncategorized

40. Date a southerner. More specifically, "date George Clooney," Amy says. Hey, the Lexington native counts.

A few of you were quick to Twitter more must-do's:
Eliz_Mahaney says to check out To Kill a Mockingbird in Monroeville, AL; hit up an SEC football tailgate at The Grove in Oxford, MS; and spend some time at The Cloister in Sea Island, GA.
My friend Juliabiebs reminded me that Priester's Pecans in Fort Deposit, AL has delectable and renowned candy.
Danieldreher mentions that a weekend at Lake Martin near Alexander City, AL is a must-do as is a golf trip at the Peninsula Golf Club in Gulf Shores, AL.
RobbieChampion piped in, reminding us to tour the Jack Daniels Distillery in Lynchburg, TN.

Follow me on Twitter (EAStallings) or comment below and let me know what tops your Southern Bucket List!

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 Sloan 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, girly, polka-dotted, striped, shiney, sophisticated home decor delights they eye. It's like being inside a day-dream ([615] 794-3345).

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: Chez Lulu

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.

CHEZ LULU

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 Salt Factory 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 Salt Factory, Roswell really feels like Sussex.
The interior vibe and look first signaled to me that Salt Factory 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: Salt Factory is worth its salt. Try it out.

Salt Factory
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