Another very warm weekend comes to a close and a very busy one with more outside activities than I usually tolerate in August. I competed my first 3D archery tournament with a rough start but an acceptable finish, scoring seven 10s in the max 30 yard class mainly in the second half. I also harvested… Continue reading All that glitters is not gold; all that sparkles, might be a cocktail
Wrestling for Whiskey Kitchen
The scorching temperatures this week have made outside activities downright unpleasant, minimizing my bird time in the afternoons. Therefore, I will forgo writing about any birds this week, instead featuring one of our favorite restaurants, the Whiskey Kitchen in Raleigh. While we usually frequent the outside covered tables, today we enjoyed the ambience of the… Continue reading Wrestling for Whiskey Kitchen
Welcome to Wrexham: Win the match, not the dead pool
Excitement came to town this week as Chapel Hill hosted an exhibition soccer match between Wrexham and Chelsea football clubs. Wrexham, a little blue-collar town in Wales, gained notoriety after their lowest tier professional football club was bought by Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney amidst the COVID lockdown of 2020. With a combination… Continue reading Welcome to Wrexham: Win the match, not the dead pool
Living in the Wild, Wild West
We have been watching the Yellowstone origin story, 1883 this month on Paramount. The nostalgia of playing Oregon Trail in eighth grade (your wagon breaks an axle and you freeze in winter, you forget your limes and die of scurvy, or you neglect to boil your water and succumb to dysentery) is strong with this… Continue reading Living in the Wild, Wild West
Go Fig or Go Home: The Power of Pollination
After an unusually cool spring, summer has finally arrived in North Carolina. With the world’s hottest days breaking records this week, the NC heat and humidity has been insufferable for this native Canadian. Our deck garden has responded to all the rain with a flourish of greenery, though the fruit has been slow to mature.… Continue reading Go Fig or Go Home: The Power of Pollination
Let Freedom Ring! (let the white dove sing)
Let the whole world know that today, is a day of reckoning! It’s Independence Day! Thank you, Martina. After failing seven times in the last week to get Blue Curacao to float on top of sweetened vodka (unwilling to use lemonade as all the online recipes suggest), I have come up with a new recipe… Continue reading Let Freedom Ring! (let the white dove sing)
Oh, Canada! (Wildfires, please stop burning)
In this special Canada Day edition of BB&B, I will be concocting my first (Bloody) Caesar, the “official” cocktail of Canada. Similar to a Bloody Mary, it incorporates clam juice into a mixture of tomato juice, vodka, lime, and spices/sauces with garnishes of your choosing. The Caesar was invented in 1969 by a restaurateur named… Continue reading Oh, Canada! (Wildfires, please stop burning)
A Tragedy of Titanic Proportions
The sinking of the Titanic on its maiden voyage in 1912 has always deeply captivated the public. From Hollywood to literature to real life shipwreck hunters, there is no shortage of juicy scandal and controversy surrounding this tragedy. Therefore, it is no surprise that a missing submersible transporting wealthy tourists would be one of the… Continue reading A Tragedy of Titanic Proportions
A Scotsman walks into a bar in North Carolina
Earlier this month, we spent an afternoon exploring the halls of the NC Museums of Natural Sciences and of History, across the street from each other in downtown Raleigh. Admission is free to both museums though donations are gladly accepted. The Natural Sciences museum has an impressive number of “live” exhibits, including a newly reopened… Continue reading A Scotsman walks into a bar in North Carolina
New York State of Mind
This week was the 155th running of the Belmont Stakes, the third jewel of the Triple Crown of horse racing at Belmont Park, NY. Horse racing has been under the microscope recently with Churchill Downs suspending all racing operations in the wake of an unusually high number of equine fatalities surrounding the Kentucky Derby. As… Continue reading New York State of Mind
Birds, Books and Bourbon 