Beach Week Aftermath

Welcome back everyone!

I ended up taking time off of blogging while at the beach.  Obviously I didn't intend to, but the week ended up being a busier one than I anticipated.  I didn't even get any reading done!  However, I did spend lots of time with a great bunch of people playing board games, card games, computer games, going on a double date night, having late night chats, making a trip to the outlets, and celebrating my birthday.  I've been reviewing all the photos I took today, but also relaxing because I don't feel so hot.  It's really rather nice to have an excuse to relax after such a busy week.  I know most people don't feel like a vacation is work, but when I'm around a lot of people and get no real time to myself for a while it can be really draining.

Here are some highlights from the week at North Myrtle Beach:

On our first night there the moon was still nearly full and begging to be photographed, so I did!

The yard leading up to the beach.

I stayed up all night Tuesday because the air conditioning was out at the beach house, but in the morning when it was a bit nicer out (it was incredibly muggy all week and mostly very hot with the occasional thunderstorm) I went out to the beach and watched the sunrise with my camera and a couple of the guys.

And finally a little close up nature shot, my favorite kind!

As for the indoor activities I didn't take many photos at all.  Just a shot of the tournament poster I made for our Magic: The Gathering tournament, which I did surprisingly well in.  

On the way home we grabbed Michael to make things more fun and stopped at South of the Border, one of the kitschiest little bits of America that ever happened.  There we saw:

A terrifying jaguar with an unhinged jaw, the horrors!

Our brother Davey, flying his kite.

A very fake shark.

The sad mannequin, with tear stained cheeks, the poor limbless guy.

King Kong and a menagerie of other fiberglass creatures, real and imaginary.  My favorite was the lavender jackalope, I should have taken a picture of it and now kick myself for missing the chance.

The giant sombrero tower.

And the iconic sign.

We also saw plenty of fiends of old corn, peanuts, and tobacco (what's pictured above).  We got stuck in traffic on I-95 multiple times before and after lunch, and eventually got off of it altogether.  But we did enjoy the side trip for a fantastic Cuban lunch in Fayetteville, NC at Habana Cuban Restaurant.

We may have gotten home Saturday, but Sunday was busy too as Allan (Bryan's dad) and I went to see Garrison Keillor on his Prairie Home Companion: The America The Beautiful tour.  I had heard about it only a couple weeks before and near the same time heard of Keillor's upcoming retirement.  Having listened to the show with my parents many Sunday afternoons I had fond memories of his show and wanted to be able to see a bit of it live just once, and thus asked for a ticket as a birthday gift.  While the performances on this tour aren't all aired on the radio they have many of the same features as the show, plus some delightful sing along elements too.  We had a wonderful evening with perfect weather, and a fantastic venue in the Koka Booth Ampitheater in Cary, NC.  I'm hoping to take Bryan (and anyone else inclined to go) back this fall for some of their more moderately priced bluegrass concerts.

I'll be back Wednesday with another set of book reviews.  Thanks for reading!

Love,

Lydia

Getting to Know You: Durham

Hey folks,

So Bryan and I have lived in Raleigh the past 2 and a half years and we explored the city a bit.  But Bryan grew up there and knew a lot of interesting things to do and we didn't even get to all of them before moving.  Now here we are in Durham and I can't wait to find new places to eat, shop and hang out around town!

One of my goals is to try a new restaurant every month, and since we go for a date night once a week it's perfect for trying them.  I thought I'd share some of our discoveries with you all since some of you might be locals or visiting Durham sometime!

Our June discovery was The Blue Corn Cafe.  They're a fantastic little family run restaurant on 9th St near Duke University.  They specialize in Latin American foods of all kinds.  I think Bryan and I were both a little nervous since we're not as familiar with most of the foods on the menu, but everything we had was delicious!  We tried their chips and queso with refried beans as well as their homemade salsa, which all had just the right balance of savory and spicy flavors.  Bryan had the Ropa Vieja, it's a steamed beef dish with red sauce over saffron rice.  He also had a side of Cuban bread with it, which proved to be a favorite.  The Ropa Vieja is definitely a comfort food type of dish, it's hearty with a good bit of spice, but not too much for a wimp like me.  And then I had the fish special of the day, which featured locally caught fish over rice with salsa (spicier than I thought it might be, but so good!), as well as fried plantains, and a side of refried beans.  While I really enjoyed it I'm looking forward to going back for the Chicken and Mole, and Bryan has already asked to return for some Ropa Vieja.  The staff at Blue Corn was fantastic and we felt so welcome during our visit.  We hope you'll stop by and check them out too!

Now that July is here we decided to head back the the 9th St neighborhood and try out Heavenly Buffaloes.  I had seen them on Google maps, which can sometimes go really well, but can also have interesting results.  In this case it was both!  I got all dressed up thinking we'd be going inside and sitting down, but when we got to the restaurant it was actually just a cute little place with an order window.  We weren't perturbed though, and since Bryan and I had been thinking about wings all day we decided it would be a good night to watch a movie together at home.  So we tried out the Honey BBQ, (good, but not a stand out) Carolina Honey Mustard (sooooo good, I don't know how I'll manage to try many more sauces because I know I'll always want to get this one now), and the Zesty Garlic Parmesan (just the perfect amount of spice with plenty of complexity to the flavor, Bryan loved it), with a side of waffle fries that were also seasoned with Garlic Parmesan (great flavor too, but eat them before they get cold or they're not nearly as good).  I loved it and Bryan enjoyed it too, though I think we was slightly more disappointed it wasn't a place we could go inside to eat.  However, they do have late night hours Wednesday-Saturday, so I think we've found our late night food stop.

Hope you find some good eats too.  Feel free to tell me about your local favorites in the comments!  Until next time.

Love,

Lydia