Canine Captain ~ Mick’s Travel Adventure

January 23, 2015 by Candi Licence

As you may know, Mick is a rescue dog and is still wary of new people. So, we weren’t sure how he’d do in a crowded airport and in a confined space on the plane where he couldn’t get away from the hustle of the crowd. Bottom line, he exceeded all our expectations.

Mick loves to be with Michael and will put up with most anything to be by his side. He loves me, but Michael is THE ONE. We tried to do everything to make his trip as stress free as possible and he did everything he could to be the best traveler.

Mick and Michael hamming it up in the cockpit

Mick “got into the mood” of being around a lot of moving people when we were in and out of the Sofitel lobby on Friday and Saturday. Everyone thought he was so gorgeous and he planted himself right by our sides and looked regal. As long as he could see Michael he was fine – cautious and alert, but fine. When we were leaving for the airport, we got onto the airport shuttle first so he could be in the back and would be able to see people approaching. We got to the airport 3 hours before our flight to be sure there would be no issues checking us all in and we would have time to walk Mick before he got on the plane for a 3.5 hour flight.

Upon arriving at the airport, Michael and Mick stayed at the curb with our 6 checkable bags and 4 carry on’s while I tried to find a porter. We knew we would have to check-in inside the terminal because of Mick (curbside check in wasn’t an option) but there was no way we could manage all the luggage and Mick. I found a great porter who had a lovely accent and great attitude who managed our mountain of luggage and took us to the front of the line to get checked through. He was from Haiti and we had a good conversation about life while waiting for the agent to free up. We had all our necessary paperwork – Mick’s current health certificate, vaccination records and import permit for Grenada – in addition to our passports, tickets and clearance to take Mick on the plane. There was a slight delay as they checked to see if we needed a USDA seal but it got sorted right out and we were on our way to security.

My favorite airline perk

Yeah for TSA Precheck. As you can imagine, the security lines for American Airlines in Miami are huge. American is the airport’s largest airline and takes up 2 terminals and 70 gates. We waltzed right up to the Precheck “line” and there was no one in front of us. We got our tickets and passports reviewed right away and then breezed through to the monitor screening. With TSA Precheck you do not need to take out liquids, you can keep your shoes on and computers can stay in your carry-on luggage – YES! Michael buzzed when he went through the screening machine, as was expected, because of his knee replacement. Mick and I sailed through and I just needed a quick swipe on my hands to be cleared.

Next we headed to the gate to drop our bags and to figure out where we could walk Mick. The airport has a few pet relief areas but most are not fenced and are in extremely high traffic areas (people and cars). I thought Mick would be too “alert” to relax and do his business while being kept on a short leash. There was one fenced-in area two terminals away, between Terminals E and F. We were at Gate D9 and had to pass 20 more gates just to get to the beginning of the next terminal. Talking with airport personnel we figured it would take 15-20 minutes each way, plus whatever time Mick needed to go to the bathroom – it was 3:10 and our flight was leaving at 5:00. I left Michael at the gate with all our carry-on luggage and power-walked Mick through the terminals. We were moving!

The funky (and fabulous) pet relief area at the Miami airport

The pet relief area was on the island between the commercial and passenger vehicle lanes so traffic was zipping by on both sides. The space was about 20 feet wide at one end slivering down to 5 feet at the other end and 30ish feet long – small! It had a fence that was about 2 feet tall, no double security gate, part of it was paved and part had some grass, trees and plants. Not ideal, but I was thrilled to find it and to be able to let Mick off the leash and roam about. Mick relieved himself and we wouldn’t need to worry about him being uncomfortable while on the plane. We power-walked back. Mick was panting and I was sweating, but mission accomplished!

Checking the view out the front window was part of Mick's pre flight procedure

Checking the view out the front window was part of Mick’s pre flight safety check procedure

Our great friend, Dan Carey, is an American Airlines pilot and he contacted the pilot flying our plane to let him know we would be on board. As we were being paged by the pilot, Dan’s wife Alison called and said she was just a few gates away and would stop by. I was astonished. Dan and Alison live in New York, not Miami. Dan had flown into Miami the night before and was on a layover before flying to Europe. Alison flew down to meet him for dinner and was on stand-by trying to get back to NYC. Wild! It was so great to see Al – she and Dan are wonderful friends and this really made the trip extra fun.

Mick checking out the Captain’s seat

We met the pilot and he invited Mick into the cock pit. He was so excited and said he’d had a lot of kids in his seat but this was the first dog. Mick made himself right at home. I’m not sure what the other passengers thought as they boarded the flight. After his photo-op, Mick settled right down into the bulkhead floor space and cautiously watched everyone board, but seemed quite relaxed overall.

We had a great dinner in Business class, with real silver. YUM!

The flight was great – We were flying Business Class in order to get the bulkhead seat with extra leg room so Mick could lie in front of us and not spill into the aisle. The bonus was we got to check 6 bags, they fed us a real meal (!) and had Sapphire Gin and tonic for Michael, good wine for me, all at no extra charge – we were living large!

Since we were in the first row, we were off the plane first which worked well for Mick. In Grenada, you need to walk down stairs and cross the tarmac to get to the terminal. We got right through immigration, got our bags and then got on line for customs. We were in the red line because we needed to declare Mick. It was a long wait because all the students were coming back from the holiday break and needed to also get their electronics checked through. Mick’s paperwork checked out fine and we just needed to pay a one-time VAT tax to get him into the country.

Mick’s executive seating on the bulkhead floor

We were out the door, into the sweet Grenada air and jumped into a king cab pickup truck driven by Marcus Gabriel, the gentleman we are renting our 4 wheel drive from, to be driven to our new home in Woburn. We got to the house around 11:30 PM and were on the pool deck by midnight, just in time to see spectacular fireworks for Sir Royston’s 70^th birthday (the owner of the fabulous Spice Island Beach Resort). We joked that it was staged for our benefit and it was a wonderful way to be welcomed home to Grenada.

Operation Grenada ~ Moving Ourselves to the West Indies

January 21, 2015 by Candi Licence 6 Comments

My fantasy of living in the Caribbean is coming true – for 3 months at least. We’re traveling to our heart home of Grenada and, for the first time, it will be more than just a couple of weeks. We think we’ve been coming to Grenada for 25 years. Not every year, but most years, and some years more than once when we were trying to launch our idea for a Villa resort (see the post The Original Dream ~ a Boutique Villa Resort in Grenada West Indies for more background).

After abandoning that dream, being in Grenada is more relaxing. Before it was lots of meetings – with our Lawyer, architects, the Government, construction manager, etc., etc., etc. Now it is just a few meetings to move our personal lives forward. Last year, we became Permanent Residents of Grenada and, hopefully, on this trip we will become Citizens and will maintain dual citizenship with the US and Grenada.

Packing for Grenada has always been a challenge. Luggage can’t weigh more than 50 lbs. and we’re only allowed 2 bags each before hefty charges are levied. This has marginally worked in the past with each bag at its weight limit, plus heavy, carry-on bags all filled with photography equipment, computers, presents for friends, as well as our personal items squished in. This year, being here longer, we need/want to bring more with us, plus we have Mick and his stuff.

Figuring out how to get Mick to Grenada was a real challenge. The openings to the cargo area in the airplanes that fly to Grenada are too small to take a crate large enough to hold Mick – we tried flights from both Miami and New York – no go. I tried looking at coming down by boat but couldn’t find anything workable – freighters no longer accept dogs. We even tried the option of flying to Barbados (on a larger plane) but couldn’t get Mick from Barbados to Grenada at a reasonable cost, plus we heard some horror stories of animals getting caught in quarantine there.

Finally, we worked out a way to have him accompany us on the plane and I upgraded our seats to Business Class bulkhead seats so he could lie at our feet and not spill onto the aisle. More on that adventure in another post.

We also had to figure out a 3 month storage option for the things we travel with in the US and a place to store our car. We definitely didn’t want to leave our car at the Miami airport for three months. Michael had a great idea to store everything in Venice (where they have car as well as regular storage because of the snowbirds) and we would loop back that way after Grenada, on our way to New Orleans – our next stop. Great idea. Next, we would need to rent a vehicle one way to get from Venice to Miami. We needed to rent a van because we had so much luggage, plus Mick. All doable, but lots of planning, logistics and coordination. In the end, it looked something like this for a Thursday departure from Venice –

Monday – pack for Grenada,

Tuesday – pack up our house items and pick up a local truck from the storage facility (leaving our car there),

Wednesday – load the truck with help from a local man, drive to the storage facility, load everything into the storage space, return the truck, pick up our car, and clean the house

Thursday – final cleaning, pick up rental van to take us to Miami, drive back to house and pack van with all our Grenada bags, drive the car and van to the storage place to put final items in our unit, leave our car, give Mick a quick dog park run and head to Miami.

PHEW! Usually, we leave a day between packing the storage unit and leaving to allow for more leisurely cleaning and final organization, but after we had everything scheduled and planned, we decided to leave on Thursday, a day early. We wanted to see an outdoor Chihuly exhibit near Miami in both daylight and at night and the exhibit was only open in the evening on Thursday night, so things were a bit rushed. Plus, I had a really bad head cold so I wasn’t fully feeling well. Fortunately, we’ve now got packing/storage down to a science and we were still able to get everything done and get on the road in time to see the Chihuly exhibit so Michael could take pictures in the late afternoon light as well as after it got dark.

Another thing we did to prepare for this trip that ended up being brilliant was signing up for TSA Pre-check which assigns you a known traveler number and allows you to bypass the regular security line and procedures at the airport because they have already checked you out – including fingerprinting you during the application process. I had been getting this perk for free the past couple of years because of my previous business travel but it is hit or miss and when it was a miss at La Guardia airport and, horrors – I had to wait in a long line, take off my shoes, pull out my liquids and my electronics after being spoiled by the luxury of fast security pass throughs, I knew I wanted this perk, guaranteed, every time I fly. Michael wasn’t thinking he’d sign up since he travels so infrequently now, but thinking about bypassing the security hassle in Miami when we also had Mick was too good to pass up. TSA Precheck is a wonderful option that is $85 for a five-year clearance and it made all the difference when we were in Miami. If you travel with any frequency, check it out. You can pre enroll online and make an appointment to finalize paperwork and to get your picture taken – the appointment takes about 15 minutes if you pre enroll. Very Cool!

We also needed to find a pet friendly hotel near the Miami airport for Thursday and Friday night and schedule a Venice hotel for our return. This has been our most intricate logistical move to date. We ended up staying at the Sofitel – Miami airport, a completely lovely hotel that was very accommodating. Fortunately, they were running a weekend special so it was also affordable. On our way back, we will stay at the Holiday Inn in Venice. The Holiday Inn hotel chain has upgraded their facilities nicely in the last few years and they are a great, pet friendly option. We’ve stayed at their other locations and have been very satisfied.

We had a good reminder to always be ready early in case of a problem when we both went out early on Saturday – Michael to mail a package back to Venice storage of things we needed for our 2 days in Miami but didn’t have weight allowance to take with us to Grenada and me to walk Mick. Evidently someone tried to access our room which had an electronic lock and double locked itself when they made multiple attempts to enter. I came back first and my key wouldn’t work. I thought my key was deactivated because it was our last morning and it was 11:30 AM. We had asked for a late checkout at 1:00 PM and I thought it was just a timing issue. After going back downstairs and getting new passkeys made – twice, I knew we had a bigger problem – one that we found out was more complicated than we expected. The bellhop’s master key didn’t work and engineering’s magical override gadget didn’t work either. They eventually had to disassemble the whole lock to get us in. We had plenty of time – we were all packed and were catching the 1:30 airport shuttle, but I could easily imagine the stress if we were pressed for time as the engineer tried to hurry through the long process of disassembling the lock mechanism. Good planning averted a potential disaster – Thank you Michael for always wanting to be ready early! Clearly, the adventure was beginning.

Imagination Revealed ~ Dale Chihuly’s Glass Inspirations

December 31, 2014 by Candi Licence 4 Comments

This is part of a ceiling (!) that you walk under, between two galleries. It is indescribably beautiful.

Molten glass ~ Vibrant, intense colors swirling and dancing in fantastical patterns and shapes ~ these form the creations of Dale Chihuly, a master of glass blowing. Dale’s imagination, creativity and skill has changed what people thought was possible with glass and through his teaching and art he has spawned a generation of magnificent glass artists whose works stem from his seemingly unlimited brilliance.

These are some of his colorful, organic shapes. Stunning!

I saw Dale’s work when I was in Seattle a couple of years ago and was completely fascinated with his ability to bring life to his imagination and use wizardry to create shapes that are achingly beautiful and seem to speak directly to your heart. His museum is an extravaganza of light, color, shapes and magic. Dale also has a significant collection of his works in Saint Petersburg, Florida. Seeing his collection and sharing it with Michael was on the top of my “Must Do” list during our Sarasota area stay.

This is a small portion of a display that filled an entire room. It was like walking into a surreal world of vibrant colors and amazing shapes

Dale also had a large display of art work that I believe are initial ideas for his glass creations. They were extraordinary as well.

Dale also had a large display of painted art work that I believe are initial ideas for his glass creations. They were extraordinarily beautiful as well.

The Chihuly Collection is relatively small, you can walk the exhibit in an hour, and you can also spend a long time there being fascinated with Dale’s artistic process, his consummate skill and his ability to see worlds that we didn’t even know existed until we view his work and experience his magic. His works are complex. You can experience them at many levels – the “grok” level where you see and experience the whole piece, a more detailed level where you can see the components that comprise the piece or you can focus on each component and wonder … How did he think this up? … How did he form it? … How does it fit together? … How did he even imagine that glass could be manipulated like this? As you can see, I am fascinated and enchanted by his work and his influence.

This huge sphere had incredible detail. I have no idea how he does this.

This huge sphere had incredible detail and was part of a larger piece that is shown in its entirety, below. I have no idea how he does this.

In any setting, a single piece of his work is extraordinary – for example, a chandelier in an entranceway to a theater. When a group of his works are presented together, you get a view into a bewitching world of power, sorcery and enchantment. Do not miss any opportunity to see Dale’s extraordinary genius.

It's hard to pick a favorite, but if I had to, it might be this. When Dale was studying in Venice, he created lots of glass spheres. One day he dropped them off a bridge into water to watch how they would float down the canal. He had some local boys collectin gthem and they put them in an abandoned boat to bring them back. This is the inspiration for this complx and beautiful piece which was displayed on black glass so it reflected all the colors like water would do. This was a stunning piece.

It’s hard to pick a favorite, but if I had to, it might be this. When Dale was studying in Venice, Italy he created lots of glass spheres. One day, he dropped them off a bridge into water to watch how they would look floating down the canal. He had some local boys collecting the spheres and they put them in an abandoned boat to bring them back. This is the inspiration for this complex and beautiful piece which was displayed on black glass so it reflects all the colors like water would do. This is a stunning piece. I originally saw it in Seattle and was thrilled that it is also displayed in St. Petersburg so I got to see it again and share it with Michael.

Delectable Ritual ~ Savouring the Sunset

December 21, 2014 by Candi Licence 2 Comments

A beautiful sunset, viewed from our deck.

A beautiful Outer Banks sunset, viewed from our deck in Duck, North Carolina.

My favorite thing about our house in Duck was that the main deck faced west and had an extraordinary sunset view. Jessica’s Dune is on a hill, one lot from the Currituck Sound and that lot is undeveloped because it acts as the community access to the sound. This means there is nothing built on that lot and it provides an unparalleled sunset view.

Just another day in paradise.

We used to have a house on Cape Cod, Massachusetts in Truro that had a similar, extraordinary view and it was there that I first realized that there are beautiful sunsets many nights, we just weren’t normally in a place where we could see them. It seems silly now, but I was amazed that you could see fabulous sunsets, night after night after night. When we saw our first sunset at Jessica’s Dune, I knew we were going to re-establish the sunset ritual of being on the deck every night possible and watching the sun sink slowly and brilliantly under the horizon.

A gorgeous sun getting ready to sink under the horizon.

Sunset watching is at its best starting around 15 minutes before the sun slips below the horizon and can last just a few minutes after it sets or can last up to 45 minutes depending on the clouds and the clarity of the sky. Some nights there were no clouds at all and the show was in the rich colors of the sky as it changed from orange, to red and then to purple. Watching the changes reflected on the water was also fabulous and it was often difficult to decide if the sky or the water was the prettiest.

I love that it is always a mystery what you will see and how, on some nights, the colors seem to last forever.

We often had dramatic cloud formations.

The ritual begins with one of us calling to the other that “It’s time!”. Then with some wine and maybe some cheese we’d head out to the deck. Sometimes we’d sit in great Adirondack chairs to watch and other times we’d stand at the railing. Inevitably, we’d think this is the best sunset yet, and I’d run downstairs to get Michael’s camera – hoping we didn’t miss the magic and Michael could take a few great shots. The best part was that we didn’t need to go anywhere. We just had to look out the window and walk out to the deck to see these extraordinary light shows.

We caught this sunset on the way home from Okracoke. We were driving like mad to get to an open spot on the road so Michael could capture this scene. Breathtaking!

It was really hard to pick just a few shots to include in this post because we really had many, many, MANY beautiful sunsets that could fill an album of wonderful evenings spent together. This delectable ritual will always be one of my favorite memories of the Outer Banks.

This was one of the nights with no clouds. The color of the water was enchanting.

This was one of the nights with very few clouds. The color of the water was mesmerizing.

Dinner on a Sandbar ~ Blue Moon Beach Grill

November 26, 2014 by Candi Licence Leave a Comment

Insider tip: Eat at the Blue Moon Beach Grill in Nags Head. A couple of locals told us we had to eat at the Blue Moon Beach Grill so one Friday night we headed south for dinner. Like so many places here, they don’t take reservations but we thought we wouldn’t have too long a wait since it was off-season. We arrived around 7:30 and all the tables were filled but the hostess thought it would only be about a 15 minute wait. There was room at the bar so we ordered some wine and started taking in the sights.

As expected from the name, this is a beachy bar and grill. Lots of beach art on the walls, an open kitchen and inviting bar for drinking, eating dinner or waiting for a table. We didn’t have to wait for long for a table to open up.

The bar area

The open kitchen and beach art

I love the concept that all of the Outer Banks are essentially sandbars

We really liked our server who was friendly and efficient. Michael started off with a Caesar Salad that was nothing like we’ve ever had before. It was Chopped Romaine tossed in a homemade Caesar dressing with applewood smoked bacon, fresh tomatoes, caramelized Vidalia onion, grilled lemon, and shaved parmesan. Very different, OK, but I wouldn’t get it again. We prefer a traditional Caesar salad.

For entrees, Michael got their “Angel’s Delight” which was Shrimp and Blue Crab, sautéed in a light white wine sauce, with tomatoes, green onion, roasted red peppers, garlic, and basil and served over angel hair pasta. His dish was fabulous. I had their Ahi Tuna Special with Asparagus and a thick Tamari sauce. I love rare tuna and really enjoyed this entrée. Michael and I split a lovely cheesecake that was light and tasty.

I LOVED my Ahi Tuna special

a light, heavenly cheesecake

Michael's Angel's Delight - a perfect name for this wonderful entree

Michael’s Angel’s Delight – a perfect name for this wonderful entrée

The surprising Caesar Salad with Tomatoes and caramelized Onion

Blue Moon Beach Grill is an unpretentious restaurant that has a good atmosphere, great wait staff and wonderful food ~ AND you get to eat on a Sandbar. YUM!

Best Beach Getaway ~ Ocracoke Island

November 10, 2014 by Candi Licence

An island that can only be accessed by ferry ,,,,, 14 miles of National Seashore … a single, charming, quaint village surrounding a beautiful harbor …. very few tourists because high season is over …. This is a recipe for a fabulous beachy getaway. A few people encouraged us to go and to stay overnight.

We left right after the lunar eclipse in early October and had a perfect 2 day excursion. By 8:45 AM, we were packed and headed towards Hatteras Village which is at the southern end of Hatteras Island and the ferry port for Ocracoke Island. We had one stop on the way to try an “Ugly” at the Orange Blossom Bakery and Cafe in Buxton. An ugly is an apple fritter that is HUGE and is a favorite in this area of the world. We pulled in around 10:15 AM which was a perfect time to pick up a sweet to eat on the ferry ride. Confession: We didn’t really like them that much even though everyone raves about them – off day?

There is a lot of beach driving on the Outer Banks. This Bumper sticker captures the carefree feeling!

One of the Hattersa Village "cottages" right by the ferry dock.

One of the Hatteras Village “cottages” right by the ferry dock. Reunion, anyone?

Got to the ferry dock and lined up for the free 40 minute ride to the island. Free! Unbelievable. The ferry carries any vehicle that can travel on a road – cars, BIG trucks, RVs, etc. It is first come, first served unless you are a resident or service person – these folks get priority boarding. As you sit in lines you try to determine if you’ll make the cutoff for the next ferry or have to wait for another one. It’s a mystery until the last-minute before boarding because all of a sudden a few huge trucks can arrive in the priority lane and totally change the dynamics. This was the case with the first ferry. A lot of trucks trumped regular cars, but it was a beautiful day and we were sitting in a lovely harbor with our Kindles so no problem. We squeaked onto the second ferry and were on our way. It was a perfect day – sunny, about 75 degrees with a gentle breeze blowing. We got out of the car and went upstairs to an observation deck to soak in the sights and sounds. The ferry ride was part of the fun.

The ferry ride was part of the fun. Here we are heading out of Hatteras towards Ocracoke Island.

When we arrived on the island, we decided we would drive into town first to briefly check it out, find the lighthouse that Michael wanted to shoot at either sunset or sunrise, grab a bite to eat and then head for the beach. We discovered that the lighthouse would have the best light at sunset so we planned to return just after 6PM to set up. We had lunch at a cute restaurant that had shaded patio seating so Mick could join us while we ate. This was great because it was hot out and we don’t really like leaving him in the car even with the air conditioning running. Mick loves being in vacation places because everyone misses their dog and he gets all their love and pets.

Mick and I getting ready to stake out our perfect spot. Notice the off-season “crowds”.

We then headed for the beach and chose the first parking lot outside of town because it had outdoor showers and we could rinse Mick off at the end of the day. The beach was absolutely stunning and there were less than 10 cars in the parking lot. The beach was wide and had a shallow entrance into the ocean. There were medium waves and a great breeze. We frolicked in the water with Mick for a bit and then settled in for some serious sun time. This was the prettiest beach we’ve seen at the Outer Banks and mostly they are all stunning beauties.

Late in the afternoon, we rinsed off and then headed towards the lighthouse. Mick and I strolled the grounds while Michael set up and waited for the light to turn soft. The brochures said this lighthouse was a photographer’s dream but I think the Bodie lighthouse with the grasses and marsh made a more idyllic shot. However, the Ocracoke lighthouse is no slouch either. This shot, with the fencing drawing your eye in, was wonderful.

After shooting the lighthouse, we headed to the hotel to check in. Pretty much all the hotels on the island are older motels but all well-kept. Ours, The Inn on Silver Lake, had lots of pet friendly rooms on the first floor, all with lovely sitting areas in front and facing the harbor – complete with rocking chairs. It was a lovely early evening so we sat outside rocking and reading while Mick enjoyed his dinner. Later, we headed over to The Flying Melon for dinner. Funky name but we liked the looks of the restaurant. I checked the internet and they didn’t have a website but they did have great reviews on Trip Advisor and Yelp.

The Flying Melon Cafe on Ocracoke Island

The funky and fabulous Flying Melon Cafe on Ocracoke Island

The rooster is a sign of hospitality. I really liked this one.

The rooster is a sign of hospitality. I loved this one, several were displayed throughout in the cafe.

The fabulous Mushroom Cheesecake. I need to learn how to make this.

We had a fabulous server and dinner at The Flying Melon Cafe. Michael had a scallop, mushroom and cheese appetizer and I had a Mushroom Cheesecake which was really like a cheesy, mushroomy mousse – both were delicious. For entrée’s, Michael had a house smoked, bone-in Pork Chop with a Cherry Citrus glaze and I had a seafood platter that had Bluefish, Shrimp, Scallops and a Crabcake – what a delectable feast! We split a crème brulee and headed back to the Inn. It was a balmy evening and we sat outside on our deck rocking and reading books for about an hour before turning in.

The next morning I gathered up a respectable continental breakfast from the front desk, we sat on our porch and had a lovely meal and then headed off to the beach. The wind changed direction overnight so the waves were very gentle and rolling. The water was warm and Mick had a great time running into the water after Michael and then back to me. We had a few more hours of luxurious sun time.

It was one of those perfect beach days you dream about. Soft, east waves, lovely breezes, warm sun and I could feel myself melting into the chair with happiness. We’re at the time of year when each day is especially cherished because you know it’s going to turn cooler any day – early fall was already overdue. We finally dragged ourselves off the beach and reluctantly headed towards the ferry. We had one moment of indecision, maybe we should just stay over another day? … but decided to stick with our plan and potentially come back the next week.

Day 2 - Another perfect day. Waves were calmer because wind was coming out of the west.

Day 2 – Another perfect day. The waves were calmer because wind was coming out of the west.

The ferry ride was, once again, a treat all by itself and as we drove off the ferry and back onto Hatteras Island, I was on the lookout for a place to eat. It was 3:30, that weird time where places were finished serving lunch and not open yet for an early dinner. As we were driving through Buxton, I saw a sign for Buxton Munch with a sign that said they had 5 stars on Trip Advisor so we did a quick U-turn and drove in. What a find! As Michael gave Mick a quick walk, I approached the door. There was a sign saying they closed at 4:00. My phone said 3:57 so as I pulled open the door I wondered if we would be able to eat. The young woman behind the counter could not have been nicer. She said sure but we’d have to order for take-out. No problem there as there were picnic tables right outside.

The feeling good groove at Buxton Munch

One of Buxton Munch’s delicious wraps

I didn’t want to delay the gracious staff any longer so I ordered for both Michael and me – a Crabcake wrap with Avocado and Black Beans and a grilled Rockfish wrap. Both came with great corn chips and cole slaw. I ordered drinks and as the server was waiting on our order she started cleaning up – including the soda machine but she said no worries, she’d leave Michael’s selection for last in case he wanted a refill!

The interior was adorable and had lots of 60’s memorabilia and Far Side comic books around. They even had a Woodstock poster. How fun! Their tag line is – ‘A groovy little place with a whole lotta taste’ and this sums it up perfectly. I wish this special place was closer to Duck – I’d eat here often. The food was super fresh, spiced well and really great.

We headed home satisfied and happy. This was a perfect trip – so much so, we returned the following week. Michael had loved sitting outside of our hotel room so much that I rebooked there again and we pretty much did a repeat visit – beach, Inn on Silver Lake and Flying Melon again. YUM!

It was hard to pick the “best” picture to show Ocracoke’s majestic beauty

The first time we went, the dunes were covered in small yellow flowers that were incredibly vibrant and beautiful. When we returned with the intention of taking pictures of the flowers, we were disappointed that they were somewhat gone by. This was a gentle reminder to seize every moment and never wait! This getaway will be a highlight of an already wonderful segment of our travels and a not to miss recommendation for anyone coming to the Outer Banks.

The dunes covered with yellow flowers. This is the “gone by” picture. Imagine what it looked like the week before!

Whirlwind Tour ~ Showcasing the Essence of the Outer Banks

November 5, 2014 by Candi Licence 6 Comments

How to experience the magic, fun and specialness of the Outer Banks in 2.25 days without going into serious overload was the challenge.

Michael’s Aunt, Anne, was planning a short visit from the Washington D.C area. Anne has done a good bit of traveling but has never been to the Outer Banks. Because the Outer Banks is only about 5-6 hours from DC, she has heard tons about it from friends and we wanted to give her a feel for its specialness without spending hours in a car.

Anne planned to arrive around 5 PM on Friday and stay though the weekend, leaving Monday morning. We made reservations to go to The Paper Canoe for dinner for 7:30, thinking this would give us time to catch up and watch the sunset before heading out for a leisurely dinner. The Paper Canoe is our favorite OBX restaurant and was closing for the season on Saturday. We wanted to be sure to have one more dinner there and thought Saturday night might be a madhouse, or even worse, they might run out of favorite dishes.

Anne called about 5:15 and said she was 12 miles away – however, she was still on the other side of the bridge and traffic was completely stopped due to an accident. Two+ HOURS later, she pulled into our driveway at 7:25. UGH! I had already called the restaurant and moved our reservation to 8:00, the latest they would serve us at this time of the year (off-season). So, Michael and I watched the spectacular sunset while Anne sat in traffic (and missed it), we all had a quick drink to give Anne a car break and then we headed 10 minutes down the road to dinner.

This was the sunset we wanted Anne to see ….

The Paper Canoe always has exceptional food and thankfully, they were at their best so Anne’s weekend got off to a fabulous start. We shared two appetizers – Mussels in Garlic sauce and fried Wontons in a Tamari sauce. Both were excellent. For entrées, Michael and I shared grilled Shrimp with Gouda grits and spinach in a delightful sauce and Scallops with Crabmeat and Carrots in a different, yummy sauce. Anne also had the Grilled Shrimp. The entrées were outstanding and made you want to lick the plates clean! It was a perfect last meal at this wonderful restaurant and we were so happy to share this special place with Anne.

This is one of two beautiful tea cups that Anne handmade for Michael and me

On Saturday morning, Michael set up an informal photography shoot. Anne is a Potter and she submits her creations to competitions and shows via photographs. She wasn’t thrilled with the quality of her photos and was asking for some pointers. Michael showed her ways to make great looking pictures using indirect light which would reduce the potential glare off the glaze and eliminate harsh shadows while highlighting the beautiful details in her work. Anna had brought us two of her hand thrown tea cups as a gift. We love pottery so they were a perfect present and will be a great reminder of a fun weekend with Anne.

Later on Saturday, we headed over to Corolla to a place called Whalehead which is a restored hunting estate that is on the Currituck Sound and has a mansion/hunting lodge, a romantic wooden bridge and is next to the Currituck lighthouse. The park like grounds are made for strolling and the bridge, boathouse and harbor area are delightful. After that, we headed over to the Atlantic Ocean to see the Corolla beaches which are wide and have a gradual slope into the sea. We laughed, watching some poor workmen trying to get a huge garden arch onto the beach for a late afternoon wedding. They were triumphant when the finally got their vehicle over the sand dune leading to the beach and could off-load the arch.

The majestic Whalehead Mansion/ Hunting Lodge

Michael then dropped Anne and me off in downtown Duck and we headed out for a little retail therapy, browsing our way through the delightful shops. Anne is an excellent Potter so we started with Greenleaf Gallery, a fabulous gallery that specializes in Pottery, Glass and Jewelry. Anne and I spent so much time examining their collection that the owner came over and asked which one of us was the Potter!

We continued on and I showed Anne that Duck had constructed a boardwalk that extends the length of the downtown area along the Sound which gets people off the road and into nature between clusters of shops. The boardwalk views are breathtaking. We strolled along, popping into a few more shops and then came to the end just before sunset. I called Michael and invited him for a drink on the deck of the Blue Point Bar and Grill. Anne and I grabbed a waterside table, we ordered drinks and the toasted a great day and a beautiful sunset with Michael. The sky was crystal clear, the setting sun was golden and then the sky turned from purple to deep red with a sliver moon above. It was so lovely. We headed home and Michael made a delicious dinner of steak, rice and veggies. It was a great meal with lots of great conversation.

On Sunday, Michael made a breakfast feast of bacon and cornmeal waffles with fresh berries, whipped cream plus a delicious syrup which was a combination of maple syrup and Grenadian Nutmeg syrup. What a way to start the day. We headed down to Hatteras island and on the way I pointed out Kitty Hawk, the Wright Brothers memorial, Kill Devil Hills (rumored to be named that because of the deadly Rum that was distilled there), and Nags Head. We drove to Bodie Island so Anne could see the lighthouse and the beautiful marshes that surround it. Then we drove over to the Atlantic side to see Coquina Beach, the first Hatteras beach. There are beautiful dunes, a spectacular beach and the surf was calm with small rolling waves. It was a perfect day and there was hardly anyone on the beach. Michael and Mick explored and took pictures while Anne and I walked the shoreline looking for unusual shell pieces that had been weathered by the water and sand. Anne headed back with heavy pockets of treasures that may show up as decorations on future pottery.

I tried to be very clever and take Anne to the Silver Bonsai Gallery in Manteo since we were only 10 minutes away, but it’s off-season and they were closed which was too bad because they also have wonderful pottery, jewelry and spectacular inlaid wood framed mirrors. I was really disappointed because I know she would have loved it and it would be too far out of her way to detour for a visit on her way home.

The beautiful dunes at Jockey’s Ridge State Park

Jockey’s Ridge butts up against the gorgeous Currituck Sound

We still had some lovely afternoon sun so we stopped by Jockey’s Ridge State Park on the way home. Jockey’s Ridge has the highest sand dunes on the east coast, some towering 120 feet high. This is a large park that looks like a small desert in places and also has lovely wooded trails that lead to the Currituck Sound. This is also a very popular area for people to hang glide, catching the prevailing winds that rush over the dunes. We took Anne to the sound beach which, like so many places here, is incredibly beautiful. It has a submerged sandbar peninsula that juts out into the sound. At low tide, you can walk way out into the sound and be surrounded by water which is really cool.

The in-progress necklace creation I'm making for Anne

The in-progress necklace creation that I am making for Anne

We finally headed back home with the plan for drinks on the deck and sunset watching. I showed Anne some of the jewelry I’ve made and we went through my bead stock. We picked out some cool shell pieces, pearls and silver beads so I could make her a custom necklace. I tried to complete it before she left but because of the unusual and dissimilar shapes of the shells it’s like an intricate puzzle and putting the right shapes together so they hang nicely is time-consuming. We got the general idea right and the necklace was about half way finished when we realized we were missing the sunset! Horrors! Drinks in hand we watched the sun just sink below the horizon and then the beautiful evening colors in the water and sky emerged and entertained us for another 30 minutes or so.

Michael cooked a feast of Salmon and vegetables with vermicelli noodles in a chicken stock with all kinds of spices plus lemon grass, ginger, scallions and peppers. It was a take-off on the fish in a clay pot recipe he’s perfected and was great. We had more good conversation and a lively discussion of all the wonderful snippets of fun that we had over the weekend. I think we did a good job showing Anne the good food and good shopping that can be had here as well as the variety of beaches and the ‘in your face’ extraordinary nature that surrounds everything. What fun we had, sharing this special place.

Wild Mustangs ~ An Outer Banks Adventure

October 18, 2014 by Candi Licence Leave a Comment

A Wild Horse Adventure chariot, courtesy their website

Tooling along a pristine beach in a modified Hummer, looking for wild Spanish Mustangs is fabulous fun. The Outer Banks has a herd of about 100 of these wild Spanish Mustangs that have graced these beaches since the early explorers brought them to America by ship in colonial times. It is thought that the horses swam to the Outer Banks after coastal ship wrecks and they have called this beach area home since that time. These Mustangs are now protected and roam freely in the northernmost part of the Outer Banks, in the area just north of Corolla, North Carolina up to the Virginia border.

North Carolina “Route 12”, courtesy Wild Horse Adventure Tours website

The herd’s territory begins where RT 12 becomes a sand road along the beach. This is four-wheel drive territory and is popular with fisherman, home owners who really want to get away from it all and, of course, horse lovers. There are a number of thriving businesses who will drive you into the sand, tell you local history & horse lore and try to locate horses. It’s an adventure for the drivers as well as the riders because the horses travel throughout the area, grazing all day long, so everyone is on the lookout for the next group of horses. They can never predict where they will be on any given day, at any particular time – and that’s part of the fun.

This is the only tour that has Hummers

When I started researching the different companies, I was pleasantly surprised to see that all the companies had consistently great reviews. That was a great starting point and a testament to the companies that organize these tours – it didn’t look like I could make a bad choice. That being said, I then tried to see how the companies differentiated themselves and found 2 basic differences – the type of vehicle/seating and where they looked for horses. Every tour has access to most of the area and a couple of touring companies have access to private areas. I was intrigued by the ability to drive in the private areas because I thought less “traffic” might yield better horse viewing but I ended up deciding based on the vehicle type and seating. Most of the companies that could enter the private area were reported as having a very bumpy ride and they had bench seats on each side that faced inward so you’d always be craning your neck to see out of the vehicle. I chose Wild Horse Adventure Tours because they had Hummers (the biggest vehicles), had individual seats so you wouldn’t be bounced into each other and “stadium” seating so everyone had a clear view.

What a motley crew! …waiting to get loaded into the Hummer.

We planned our trip when our great friends, Mary Ellen and Lee, were visiting. We’ve been friends for ages, ever since Mary Ellen moved in across the street from us in Willington, Connecticut. They are the best kind of friends – fun, willing to be spontaneous and easy to be with – nothing is a problem and we laugh all the time. I love Mary Ellen like a precious sister and special friend. And Lee is wonderful as well. They moved to Vermont a number of years ago and on some weekends, we helped them build their beautiful house high up on a mountain with spectacular views of the White Mountains. Most weekends, they’d drive up to Vermont by themselves, work like crazy people and drive back lateish on Sunday night. We’d call them about 30 minutes out and tell them we’d have dinner for them when they got home. They’d pull in, we’d unload their truck and while they fed animals, Michael would grill steaks, I’d pull the rest of dinner together and then we’d sit on the deck, have a lovely dinner and hear all the adventures. Those were great times and I’m thrilled that we have been able to keep the friendship alive by trying to see each other at least once a year, hopefully twice. Anyway, Mary Ellen and Lee are “horse people” so we knew they would love this adventure.

We got to the site and I immediately determined that the best place in the Hummer would be Lee in the front seat riding shotgun to the driver and us in the second seat with Mary Ellen at the window and Michael and me in the middle so Michael could stretch his leg out in the extra leg room. The person loading the Hummer was very accommodating and we got to sit exactly where we wanted – YEAH! Off to a great start. Our driver, Maggie, was a cowgirl from Colorado who was working the beach circuit for the summer. She was fun, upbeat and very knowledgeable. Maggie drove us all over and told us a lot of interesting facts about the area, the horses themselves and how they are taken care of. The horses stay in small groups and graze throughout the day all across their territory. This day, they were mostly in people’s yards eating the good grasses and soaking up the sun and the good vibes. Because they are protected and you aren’t supposed to be within 50 feet of them, they are very relaxed and don’t move as you approach them. The people renting the houses looked thrilled to have these special guests in their yards munching away – the kids, as you can imagine, were over the moon. Lee is a Ferrier so he was looking at the horse’s feet to see how they were doing and got into a conversation with Maggie about natural hoof shaping which she also believes in.

Just another day, lounging in the sun, in paradise for these Mustangs

We had a great tour and had lots of fun. I wish that we could have seen the horses on the beach or in the forest but, alas, this day they were content hanging out on people’s lawns. We may need to go again to try to get some more pictures in a more “wild” environment. Enjoy the Wild Horse Adventure Tours website pictures below. We’ll post more pictures if we take another tour.

Horsing around on the beautiful Outer Banks beach

It's great having a friend to give you a ride.

It’s great having a friend who will give you a ride.

Misty morning munch. This is such a tranquil sight.

Momma and her Baby, how sweet is this?

Afternoon swim

Marvelous Moondance ~ Full Lunar Eclipse

October 15, 2014 by Candi Licence 1 Comment

[Wednesday, October 8th.] The alarm goes off at 5:10 AM. We both jump up and rush to the window. YES! There is a beautiful full moon in the western sky and no clouds on the horizon. BINGO. We are going to be able to shoot the full lunar eclipse.

The moon lighting up the water at the very start of the eclipse

As we look closely, we can see the eclipse has just started. The upper left side of the brilliantly white moon has a dark smudge. At this point, I don’t think you’d even notice the eclipse had started if you weren’t looking for it. We scramble to get dressed and hurry across the street towards the dock with camera equipment and Mick, of course. Michael sets up behind the dock so he can frame the shot with the dock jutting out into the sound. And we wait. Or really, I wait. Michael is already taking shots, checking his exposure, the angle and doing whatever magic he does to create beautiful pictures.

As the moon continues to sink slowly towards the horizon, the shadow marches across the moon and more and more of it becomes obscured. This is going to be a dance between dark, light and the horizon. In a perfect world, we’d be shooting this in the Central time zone so the eclipse would be completed before the moon slips below the horizon, the sun would be coming up 1 hour later and it would be still be dark at the end of the eclipse. Or, the eclipse could have happened yesterday when the moon was higher in the sky – but yesterday, clouds covered the entire horizon so the moon would have sunk below the clouds before we saw the eclipse. So, for us, for this event; this is the perfect world.

Headlights from a car behind us, perfectly illuminates the dock

As the eclipse continues to conceal the moon’s light, everything gets darker and it becomes much harder to see anything other than the moon. The water turns into moving darkness, we can no longer see our house outlined on the horizon. It’s hard to believe that 25 minutes earlier it felt almost like daylight because the moon was so bright. The moon turns more orange and then red as the eclipse progresses.

A Heron lands on the dock to my delight.

To my delight, a Heron lands on the dock.

As Michael continues to shoot pictures, a couple of interesting things happen. Since the dock is directly across from a side street, lights from a car coming up to the stop sign shine out towards the sound. The headlights perfectly light up the dock, exposing the dock in the darkness and creates a beautiful contrast to the dark sky. Later, behind us, the eastern sky starts to light up with the early dawn and a heron flies from a nearby tree and perches on the dock. This gives Michael an interesting, additional subject in his view finder.

At this special time – when the moon is getting darker as the full eclipse approaches and the sky is getting lighter with dawn, the moon actually seems to disappear. Although if you stare hard, in the exact place you know the moon must be, you can still see … something. And then it is gone – not below the horizon yet, but the sky is too light and the moon is too dark to even pretend we can see it.

Time to pack up and go get some breakfast. We were so lucky that the sky was clear and we were able to witness this beautiful eclipse.

The moon turns redder and the sky slowly begins to lighten with the dawn

An Unexpected Gourmet Delight ~ Mike Dianna’s Grillroom

October 12, 2014 by Candi Licence 1 Comment

Mike Dianna’s Grillroom in Corolla

As part of the process of lightening our load, Michael has placed a number of ad’s on Craig’s List to sell off items have been traveling with us. These are in good condition and have value but we’ve decided they are too heavy or too much to continue to lug from place to place (for example, Panini maker, pasta maker, blender, juicer, fishing poles, extra luggage bags, etc..) One person who responded to the ad, Amy, happened to be a server at Mike Dianna’s Grillroom and said it was unpretentious but had great food, so we decided to check it out.

The bar area at Mike Dianna’s Grill Room

Based on her comment about it being unpretentious, I misinterpreted that to mean a beachy place maybe with picnic tables so I was pleasantly surprised that it was a lovely, nicely decorated restaurant. We were hoping to have Amy as our server, but it was a slow evening for the restaurant and she had left early.

The entranceway to the restaurant

The menu looked great. Michael ordered a salad that was absolutely fabulous. Restaurants seem to be doing a much better job now making fabulous salads as opposed to just a few years ago. I had a she crab chowder that was excellent. Everywhere we have eaten, here and in the Keys, has had different but consistently excellent chowder. I couldn’t be more pleased as I love chowder, but I think I’m going to be very spoiled by the time we leave here.

She crab chowder – YUM!

Michael’s fabulous salad

Michael’s wonderful pasta special

Both the seafood and the steak entrees sounded delicious. Our server spoke extensively about the quality and excellence of their steaks. I had been planning on getting grilled tuna but was really swayed by his steak descriptions so when he said the tuna had sold out, I ordered the “measly” 6 ounce filet mignon. Lots of their steaks were huge portions, from 12 ounces all the way up to 30 ounces! Michael ordered the pasta special which had shrimp and clams. His sauce was so good it make you want to lick the plate.

My "measly" 6 oz. Filet Mignon was out of this world good

My “measly” 6 oz. Filet Mignon was the best!

I can’t even begin to describe how good the steak was. I’ve eaten at a lot of steak houses – Capital Grille, Ruth’s Chris, Peter Luger’s, and Morton’s as examples and only Peter Luger’s compares with Mike Dianna’s steakhouse. My filet didn’t look extraordinary (I think it was because it had a dry rub on it) so I wasn’t expecting the incredible burst of flavor that I experienced. After I stopped moaning in pleasure, I gave Michael a bite and he agreed that the taste was exceptional. I immediately regretted ordering the 6 oz. steak and wished that I had ordered the 8 oz. portion.

We passed on dessert but will definitely be back to eat here again. I’m hoping they sell the rub they put on the steak, I’d love to buy some for home. And I’m not planning on even looking at the fish entrees – No way, it will be steak again. I’m crossing my fingers that it will live up to my memories of my first dinner.

The Outer Banks has an amazing display of Mustang horses throughout the towns. This one is in front of Mike Dianna's

The Outer Banks has an amazing display of decorated Mustang horses throughout the towns. This beauty is in front of Mike Dianna’s

Candi and Michael ~ On The Move

Tales from Grenada and Beyond