High summer

A summer swim, a perfect surprise supper at Kitchen Roselli, race night at Bowman Gray, an evening walk in Carrboro.

Peach ice cream on the porch at Maple View, naps, long drives and quiet mornings.

The first August weekend brought the unexpected, in all the best ways.

Pea Island

I like to drive. And I've driven a lot of interstates, highways, avenues and boulevards in my day.  Only one road has my heart, and that's NC Highway 12. From the curve around Silver Lake harbor in Ocracoke to where the pavement ends, abruptly, in a sand dune north of Corolla, there are countless special places, and Pea Island is one of them. Just across Oregon Inlet, the wildlife refuge is mostly protected, but there are still spots where you can pull over, park, and sneak across the dunes. This past weekend, we spent two days there- walking the tide line, soaking up the sun, and swimming in the sea.

But first, girls gotta eat. My traditional roadside supper stop is Call of the Wild in Columbia. You'll drive right past it as you're headed east on 64 -- a shiny silver trailer parked outside of the fish market. Get the grilled scallops or a shrimp po' boy and always, always order the hush puppies.

I'll leave you with a lil bit of wisdom:

You can go out to eat, that's for sure -- but there's nothing a homegrown tomato won't cure.

Good morning

There's always time to cook, and walk the tiny bulldog.