Brunch in the ATL

I love this spot. It really offers little when it comes to ambiance or amazing cuisine. Yet, it has huge, delicious omelets, a seriously diverse menu and easy parking in The Highlands.

They are offering a lunch special this week. Buy One, Get One FREE! Coupon

I recommend the Greek Omelet! You can substitute egg beaters or egg whites and it comes with your choice of TWO of the following: pancakes (regular or multi grain), bagel (plain, whole wheat or cinnamon raisin), toast (whole wheat, sourdough, rye), English muffin, sliced tomatoes, sawmill gravy, grits, fruit, cheese grits, or homefries. I get the multi grain pancakes and oatmeal. It takes two people to eat this entree alone. Abby and I split the massive omelet and pancakes and got a to-go friendly sandwich for lunch at the office the next day.

If breakfast isn't your style, they have salads, sandwiches, and even a Special of the Day Entree' served with "vegetable" sides. You can also order a "real" cherry coke with cherry syrup and the Blue Cheese Chips are incredible and just as good as those at Buckhead Diner.

842 North Highland Avenue. Atlanta, Georgia

Cumberland Island & The Greyfield Inn

Cumberland Island, off the Georgia coast, was cut away from the mainland before the last ice age. About one third of the island is marsh. Thirteen miles of the island are desolate ocean beach. In 1850, the island reached its peak in population at 520 residents, 65 white, 455 black slaves. The abundant live oak were used for ship building. In fact, the timber on the island was once more valued than cotton. As I step onto the island I cannot decide which fascinates me most, the rich, haunting history of slaves and Spaniards or the current symphony of neighing wild horses, scurrying fiddler crab and cries of nearby shorebirds. I am instantly caught up in the feeling that I am in an enchanted far away place. The primitiveness of the island living is evident in the battered pickup trucks, vintage hand pump well and slightly overgrown, but used daily, tennis court.I am no longer in the year 2009, but more like 1954 and certainly not in the United States, but more like Rhodesia before the war and name change. It is a foreign land, with foreign foliage and rusty bicycles.The pace is slow and easy. The ocean air is moist and salve to my soul. I am in another time and another world and 20 years younger. The canopy's of trees become a cathedral and a wild horse, my trusty companion. My veil is blowing in the wind and my sword hangs across my chest. "Cocktails"! Did someone say, "Cocktails?". I am interrupted by a boy in khaki pants informing me of the rules of the house. "Honor bar. Got it."

The Greyfield Inn was built in 1900. My room is rather predictable and more museum-esque than comfortable, but nice and pristine and all a part of the escape to another time. The crisp white bedding and spartan antiques take me back and I find myself day dreaming again. I spend most of my day on the huge pillow strewn swing on the front porch, slipping inside intermittently to freshen my cocktail, scribbling my order in a spiral bound notebook with a dull pencil and take another dusty book from the library shelf. I spend a lot of time in the parlor too, when no one else is there, starring at the picture of Lucy Carnegie Ferguson. You can read her story in "Strong Women, Wild Horses". She bears a striking resemblance to her granddaughter, Gogo who splits her time between the island, Morocco and Martha's Vineyard. You must find her and ask about her jewelry. She makes it in this tiny little white shed near the Inn. If you don't get a chance to see it there, be sure and visit her shop on Sea Island in the Harris Teeter shopping center.

The Inn is the only accommodation on the island. Rates are around $500/night and include breakfast, lunch, cocktail hour hors d'hoeuvres and dinner. The food is good, not excellent. My favorite part is cocktail hour, not because of the cocktails, but the extravagant oyster roast centered around it: shucking oysters, by a fire, on an island, on the lawn of the palatial Carnegie estate. Lunch includes a picnic and a "midday exploration". I had my picnic lunch at the Dungeness Ruins and suddenly found myself dreaming again about what this palatial estate what have once been like and wishing the remaining bricks could talk. Park Rangers provide pick-up truck tours and answers to all your questions.(The book below, Bed & Breakfasts & Country Inns offers a One Night Free coupon and can be purchased for around $15 on http://www.amazon.com/).

One can also camp quite comfortably on the island. Do not go in the slap dab middle of the summer. You will burn slap up and you may die. There is nothing worse than a hot Georgia summer on an island in a tent with mosquitoes. I do not say this in jest. I am quite serious. Do not camp in June or July or August or even September. Consider yourself warned. You really need to make reservations if camping and pack light. Site costs are between $2 and $4 per person per night and are limited to a 7 night stay. About 10 miles from Sea Camp is a place called Brickhill Bluff that is a favorite for spotting dolphin and manatee. If you prefer restrooms and shower facilities, you may pitch your tents at the Sea Camp Campground. There you also have a grill, fire ring, food cage and picnic table.
$80 will cover round trip ferry rides, park admission, campsites and bicycle rentals for one couple for a day.

If you need to say overnight in St. Mary's, try The Spencer House Inn, owned by Mike and Mary Neff. 1-912-882-1872

Strong Women, Wild Horses

Coming soon... A review of Georgia's largest barrier island, Cumberland. This book is an excellent historical review and general juicy good gossip of the island. Read this before or during your stay and the story will come to life.

C-A-N-D-Y

"I don't like candy". That is a big fat lie. Last Christmas I got a package in the mail and inside the box, along with the gift were tons of little chocolate covered things in tiny boxes and individually wrapped and I sat them all aside and said, "I don't eat candy". Three days later they were gone. I do like candy. I love candy. It is good. I think it was the first word I learned to spell. When I was little Mom would spell it when referring to it, thinking I could not understand. Now, I limit sugar to baby kisses as often as possible and don't buy it and don't even go down the candy aisle, but I still breathe and am very much alive and just looking at candy makes my mouth water. I confess that I am truly not a big fan of hard candy or fruit flavors, although I did have some Korean or Asian Candy of somesort that was handed to me while on the back of a covered truck in Mozambique by a non English speaking Korean boy that was pretty amazing. But I attributed the experience to the fact that I was just really hungry. I have a rule that it has to be chocolate to be worth the calories. Plus, chocolate is good for you...right? Well, dark chocolate is...isn't it? This week a coworker left a bag of Hershey's Kisses out for the taking. They were the dark chocolate kind, in purple wrappers, so I took one. I walked back down the hall and grabbed another, but this one was orange. I put it in my desk drawer. I had lunch. I wanted something sweet. I opened the drawer. I pulled out the orange kiss. Its tiny paper flag read Pumpkin Spice. Oh my. It was pretty good. I had no idea Hershey had launched a line. Evidently they have. Years ago. They have peanut butter and candy corn and mint and caramel apple and all sorts. My quick research on the matter tells me they sell them exclusively at Target and only during certain seasons. They all get mixed reviews on their goodness. Not a single one of them are remotely good for you. There is way too much fat content. But I say you can have 1. But just 1. Everything in moderation. I found this site. I could stay on here all day and drool. I have changed my desired occupation. I now want to write exclusively for this blog: http://www.candyblog.net/

Household Products

Laura Steen knows everything. She really does. As a military wife, she has learned resilience and is strong and wise and stunning and funny and wonderful. Poor thing, she has to move a lot and therefore often references things in life by her location. I catch her saying, "Oh yea, I've been doing that since Clarksville" or "I've had this since Hawaii". She recommends Thrift...since Deridder. How, pray tell did we get on the conversation of clogged drains you ask? The answer is simple. We discuss everything. Yes, everything. Bras. Hairloss. Wrinkles. Boys. Girls. Babies. Clothes. Mold. Mildew. Airconditioning units. Jesus. Mothers. Sisters. TJ Maxx. Clogged Drains.

Laura says you simply follow the directions. She uses her tea kettle on the stove and boils water and uses that to flush down the powdered drain cleaner. She says you can hear it working!

Designs for the Home

Aunt Phylis introduced me to Nambe' and I love it. Nambe' was established in 1953 and named for a village near Santa Fe. "Martin Eden, a former metallurgist with Los Alamos National Laboratories, develped an eight-metal alloy that retains hot and cold temperatures for long periods of time". Their unique designs are displayed in art museums all over the world. They now make crystal, dinnerware and flatware. You can find Nambe' at Neiman Marcus and Macy's. There is one tiny, okay, not so tiny drawback with Nambe'. It all used to be made in Northern New Mexico. It is now cast in India or China. They state that it is the same alloy and that the move overseas was a necessity during the current economic times. I am trying not to hold this move against them. Would I rather have overseas Nambe' or no Nambe'? India schmindia.