Small dog is clearly on a surfboard.
Dog is moving fast with ears flopping in the breeze.
Dog is accompanied by motorcycle rider.
Here’s the dog’s driver.
Dog is in a cage, on a surfboard, strapped on a Harley Davidson carrier, pulled by a motorcycle and traveling in style.
The End
Cayman Island pirates are set to reunite at Tybee Island Pirate Festival. Pirate friends EJ Bodden of Grand Cayman and Sharon and Capt. Don May of Beaufort, SC, will enjoy three days of piratical fun at the Tybee Island Pirate Festival. EJ, Sharon and Don have been pirates since the mid 80’s and look forward to this reunion to pillage and plunder Tybee Island.
The 6th Annual festival is October 8-10 featuring Eddie Money and Drivin’ N’ Cryin’. We love you, Eddie! Two Tickets please!!!
Here’s the schedule if you want to have some swashbucklin’ fun too!
Posted in Community
Tagged celebrations, events, festival, Georgia, pirates, travel, Tybee Island
The best halibut I’ve ever eaten! You should have been here! It was a memorable evening with fine wine, perfect food pairings, a lively group of guests discussing some swinging resorts and plenty of duck fat!
Greg Norman’s Australian Grille in North Myrtle Beach delivered a big WOW with the predominantly California wines from Majestic Fine Wines and Chef Jeff Edwards’ presentation of a six-course menu. Most of us could not eat all of that food or drink all of the six wine choices, but we gave it our best shot.
Chef Jeff Edwards
Leah Carlto
Leah Carlton, Majestic’s Carolina region sales manager, introduced each wine and discussed the Kendall -Jackson company and its heritage. The company was begun in 1982. Its founder Jess Jackson, now age 80, his wife and family continue to run the daily operations of the winemaking. As one of the largest landowners in California, the company grows their fruit on some 14,000 acres of coastal vineyards.
The evening opened with Tuna Tartare spiked with mango, avocado and crispy wontons served with Kendall-Jackson Grand reserve Pinot Gris 2008. The rich bright wine is made with a touch of Chardonnay, Muscat, Viognier, White Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Roussanne in addition to the primary Pinot Gris and fermented in French oak barrels. Only two thousand cases were produced. Diners loved this course and the reasonably-priced wine served in the Shark Pub with its spectacular view of the Intracoastal Waterway. 
The second course of Roasted Acorn Squash was thick, rich and a huge hit paired with Freemark Abbey Chardonnay 2009. Among the group’s Chardonnay fans were our new friends Rob and Suzanne Cure, West Virginia residents who frequent these and other fine wine dinners during their regular visits to the Myrtle Beach area. They were immediately pleased with the subtle oak flavor of this wine.
Wondering about the duck fat? The third course of Poached Halibut took honors at the end of the evening as everyone’s favorite course. Cooked in the style of Gascony on a Butternut Squash Gallett and Pomegranate Essence, the dish was so outrageously good it demanded the chef’s explanation. The Gascony region of southwest France is famous for its ducks and geese products such as pates, preserves and foie gras. The real secret to this favorite dish: it’s cooked in duck fat. Now you know.
Also, the Chardonnay lovers were thrilled with the creamy, viscous Kendall-Jackson Grand Reserve Chardonnay 2008, tasting of its eight-month fermentation in French oak.
Next came the Bone-in Roasted Veal New York Sirloin with a Carrot Celeriac Hash. Meat lovers were happy with the big veal dish. Red wine aficionados were excited by the Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon 2006. Nothing can describe this Napa fruit flavor more than the velvety smooth mouth feel.
The fifth course was Seared Bison Strip Loin. A few guests commented that they were not big eaters of red meat, although they preferred the red wines with anything. We love bison on a regular basis, a bit pricey and not always in a regular grocery but low fat in comparison to other red meats. The meat lovers licked the plate clean on this big course. The wine was an intense concentrated Yangarra Estate Shiraz 2007, nicely complimenting the bison. This wine is produced from grapes of a single vineyard located in South Australia.
The grand finale was the Black Forest Tart, a fat chocolate cherry treat, served with Cambria Julia’s Vineyard Pinot Noir 2008. All of the rich fruits and earthy flavor lead to a silky taste well suited to dessert.
Duck fat was not the only attraction, but we would go back for it any day!
Posted in Wine
Tagged dining, dinner, Myrtle Beach area, restaurants, South Carolina, tourist towns, travel, updates, wine
Sarasota Jungle Gardens was a stop on our Florida trip that I was super looking forward to. I have always wanted to see a real, live, pink flamingo, and once I read that you could feed these right out of your hand–I just couldn’t wait. I am not sure what the fascination is with the tall pink birds. Maybe it is just that they are pink..? I don’t know, but I was excited.
We drove in from I-75 and after mapping it online I saw that we would also be really close to the Ringling Museum and Gallery and Ca’ d Zan. Therefore I thought it might be nice to take the scenic route to the gardens. So we took the University Parkway exit to the end, went through the light across US 41 and onto Ringling Plaza. Wow! What a sight the Ringling Museum is as soon as you enter the plaza! It is huge and impressive looking with its big gate across the front! I am already excited about that visit one day soon, but I had read that the Ringling grounds may take a full day– at least.
So we took a left at the gate on Bay Shore Road and followed it all the way to the Jungle Gardens. Off-season is the perfect time to hit these tourist hot spots and the parking lot only had a handful of cars on this early Saturday afternoon. The prices were a little high though, $15 per person except Grandpa who was over 60 and only $14. Luckily I had a coupon for $1 off everyone in the party and I think they are pretty much always available on their website, so don’t go without it! Then you can use your savings to buy the large bag of Flamingo Food that is for sale at the ticket counter. You have to feed the flamingos–it makes the visit!
And off we went! There was a reptile show going on when we arrived, but we opted for the self-guided tour and passed by the zoo keeper holding the snake entirely too close to the humans for my comfort level! First we checked out the alligators and crocodiles which Florida is famous for. They were huge and looked to me to be in entirely too small a wading pool for such a beast…they didn’t move, but I guess they were all alive and happy–enough. Directly past the archaic monsters was the parrot and exotic bird area with at least 40 colorful and quite vocal feathered friends. They were amazingly vibrant in their colors and several spoke to us saying, “Hi!” and “Hello.” The most surprising part about the parrots was to learn that several of them were 60 or 70 years old!
Apparently most of the animals who make Sarasota Jungle Gardens their home are all from rescues, rehabs or owners who have “donated” them with the decision that they could no longer care for their exotic pets. That makes sense since the lifespan of the various parrots is at least that of the average human. Probably not a good pet choice, just my opinion, unless you have kids who can take care of it 50 years or so after you buy it. It doesn’t seem fair that the more common pet, our most loyal and cherished companions, dogs, don’t get even a quarter the life span of the parrot. Oh well, they were pretty.
Next on the path were prairie dogs and monkeys, and we made our way through the butterfly garden and around to the lake, across which I could spot in the distance–The Flamingos!! So excited! Get the food ready!
The seagulls, ducks and one big black goose who have all voluntarily made Sarasota Jungle Gardens their home (who can blame them, tourists passing through every few minutes with big bags of food) were first to arrive for grub. We did manage to attract one flamingo who was not shy and made his way through the crowd of shore birds to claim his lunch. We continued to wind our way through the lush 10-acre jungle with over 100 species palm trees, reading all the little placards that describe plants and animals. We eventually came out on the other side of the lake approaching the large flock of waiting flamingos.
The aggressive big black goose led the way when he spotted us, and I swear I think he had even stalked us through the trees a few times, knowing that we still had most of an entire bag of food left. These extremely tall pink birds are not shy! And when I say tall, I mean that you will be eye to eye with them if they stretch out their long pink necks even part of the way! The flock is probably numbered at near 30 birds, and they are truly majestic and awesome. The most surprising characteristics about the friendly fowl are how long their necks are, how tall they are and how their beaks curve at an almost 90 degree angle! Most, if not all, of the salmon-hued birds were hatched here at the gardens and hand raised by zookeepers until they joined the flock to roam free which explains how friendly they are.
I could have stayed there all day hanging out with the tall coral-colored creatures, but the heat was almost unbearable combined with over 80 percent humidity, the index had to be over 100. So we made our way past the recovering birds of prey, another favorite of mine since I volunteered at the Raptor Rehabilitation Center outside of Charleston, SC, when I was in college, and found respite in the nicely air-conditioned gift shop that you have to pass through on the way to the parking lot. Still enamored with the flamingos we just had to buy a five dollar beanie baby version for the youngest of our crew to take home as a keepsake…although, I admit, I really wanted the stuffed giant one to sleep with myself!
All in all though I do have to say that the price seemed high, and as far as zoos go, I have never been a huge fan because it is hard to reason to myself about their cramped living conditions. However, I tried to keep in mind that the majority of these animals came from inhumane situations or rescues from the wild and they are being rehabilitated and are now hopefully educating the public. The flamingos, though, made the trip completely worth it! Let me know what you think.
Take a walk down Dearborn Street today through Olde Englewood, and sadly about a third of the shops will be closed with signs in the windows that state “See you in October!” Since the season in South Florida runs contrary to most other destinations in the country, the shop owners there head back, we are told, to sister stores in destinations with a more traditional “season” in places like Mackinaw City, Michigan. That is what we heard about the owners of Mermaid Cache, a whimsical looking beach shop with items in the windows including handmade jewelry, colorful dresses, beach wraps, and other finer quality looking gifts and collectibles. The passerby wasn’t a hundred percent sure about the locale of the sister store, but she said if her “memory served” it was Mackinaw City. That is one store, we hope to find open on our next trip to the area.
Luckily, we did find Girlieman Chic’s doors open year round. Girlieman Chic is a women’s consignment store that packs a ton of bargains into a tiny space and is opening in a new larger location down the street October 1. I would highly recommend starting from the back and working your way to the front since I discovered a Chico’s brand dress in the Final Clearance room in the back for only $3 that fit me like a well worn glove and was in like new condition! In addition to clothes they have a very funky collection of shoes and handbags and some rather amusing buttons, cards and trinkets. The owner’s sense of humor shows through in her store, a trait we greatly appreciate!
Additionally, the Life is Good store: At Home with Style is open year-round and is full of all the neat items that make that brand so fun. They also have a variety of upscale home decor items that would make planning for your next cocktail party a blast! Another section of the retail shop includes pampered pet specialty products like bowls, leashes and outfits for your 4-legged companion and carriers for the smallest of the species deigned to resemble couture handbags.
After checking out a few other beachy shops, some open and some not, and making notes of the ones we hope to explore on the inside during our next stop over in sunny, (and HOT!) southwest Florida, we decided to make a stop in a local eatery for a snack and cold libation. It was late afternoon and as they say “five o’clock somewhere!” so we decided a cerveza and some chips and salsa might be a nice snack. We had spotted Compadre’s Mexican restaurant when we first arrived on Dearborn Street and thought the front porch there looked like a beckoning spot to sit and take in the scenery while cooling down with a cold one. The staff was friendly and we enjoyed the authentic chips and salsa along with a couple of Coronas and decided that while Englewood is certainly on the sleepy side, it was a very relaxing stop in our tour around South Florida.
