Southern Road Trip – Part Four (Coons for Sale)

Thank you, South Carolina.

Coons for Sale

Get 'Em Here

Southern Road Trip – Part Two (Best Meal of My Life)

After leaving Destin on Sunday morning, we drove about 5 hours across Florida to Jacksonville.  We were planning to spend the night there and go on a kayaking excursion to Kingsley Plantation in the morning with Kayak Amelia.  Disappointingly, thunderstorms prevented us from doing that.  We were bummed to miss out on the kayak tour but Jacksonville was not a complete loss.  On Sunday night, I ate what I have been calling ever since, the best meal I’ve ever eaten.

We went to dinner at Bistro Aix, a French inspired restaurant in downtown Jacksonville.  After looking over the menu, I decided that the sides that came with the Roasted Duck Breast sounded delicious.  Unfortunately, duck is not my favorite.  Instead, I ordered the duck accompaniments with the Grilled Pork Tenderloin.  What came out of that kitchen was the most amazing, perfect summer dish ever.  The pork was served over a bed of sweet corn, yukon potatoes, sugar snap peas and huckleberries.  Sweet corn is one of my favorite flavors and along with the huckleberries offered the perfect amount of sweetness.  The peas had added crunch and freshness and the few chunks of potato added savory goodness to balance out the dish… Delicious!  Please go to Bistro Aix if you are ever in or around Jacksonville.  You won’t be disappointed.

Oh, and Todd had Mussels.  He said those were good too.

Best.Meal.Ever.

Bistro Aix’s Bill Delivery System

Todd’s Mussels

Southern Road Trip – Part One (Destin-ation: Fun!)

On Friday (5/14), Todd and I left GR for a week-long double wedding/Southern road trip adventure.  Our first stop on the trip was Destin, Florida where we celebrated the wedding of Todd’s friends, Josh and Kari.  The wedding was held at the Sandestin Resort which is a beautiful and massive resort with multiple hotels, condos, three golf courses, a main street area called Baytowne Wharf with bars and restaurants, pools, beach access, tennis – you name it.  We stayed in a condo that was just a short bike ride to both Baytowne Wharf and the beach.  The owners of the condo had 4 bikes which was great for getting around easily.  In addition to the bikes there was a free tram available  that went around the whole resort which was a godsend after enjoying the offerings at the bars around the Sandestin.

Now, onto the wedding!  Josh and Kari’s wedding was beautiful.  The site where the ceremony  was held overlooks the resort’s bay and the reception was held directly behind the ceremony site.  Kari was such a laid back, calm bride and that really set the tone for the whole weekend.  Just a fun, relaxing celebration of their marriage.  Also, the bridal party looked great – both the bridesmaids and groomsmen were a good-looking group.  Enough rambling, I’ll let the pictures do the rest of the talking!

The Beach at the Sandestin

Josh and Kari after saying “I do”

Sunsetting at the Ceremony

The Wedding Party

Bridesmaid’s Bouquet

Group Shot

Another Wedding Party Shot

Enjoying the Reception

Next Stop: Jacksonville!

Southern Road Trip

Our Road Trip Route

I’m writing from the road today; Todd and I are in the middle of a wonderful, week-long Southern Road Trip!

Our trip began on Friday, May 14 in Destin, FL where we attended the beautiful wedding of Todd’s friend Josh and his bride, Kari.  On Sunday, May 16 we picked up a trusty, dark grey Chevy HHR from the local airport and set out for Jacksonville, FL.  On Monday we stopped at Jekyll Island, GA on the way to Savannah, GA where we stayed until this morning when we drove towards Chapel Hill, NC.  We’re spending tonight and part of tomorrow here in Chapel Hill then we will head to Greensboro, NC to meet up with a second wedding party for Todd’s friend Ryan’s wedding to his fiancé Mary Elizabeth.

We have had a great week so far and have seen a lot of interesting things along the way, eaten great food and had a great time with friends.  I can’t wait to write about all of our experiences in more detail but want to wait until I can add some of the photographs I’ve taken along the road.  Stay tuned!