Home again!!!!!!!!

I am officially back in NC after a year away. I feel one with the universe. There's something about the air here that just makes me feel right with the world. And yes, it's humid as hell (it's NC in August after all), but my hair is doing the things I like already and I didn't even have to blow-dry it.

What can I say? Simple pleasures.

I'm posting elsewhere this week...please join the fun!!

I am on a road trip from San Francisco, CA to Wilmington, NC for the next two weeks. My friend Dana Hawley and I are blogging the trip: Where the Rubber Meets the Road. As soon as I arrive in ILM, however, this site will be my main priority...please, check it out!! I'll be back sometime around Aug. 24th...

Well look at that!

Charlotte is #10 on Outside Magazine's list of America's best cities and Boone is on its list for the best small towns!

An artist to look into

Xris Kessler is an NC based artist you should check out. He is also one of the most calming, sweet people I know, so I saw this story about him in Focus on the Coast (based in Wilmington) and had to post the link.

Xris' art runs the gamut, from just plain fun to thought provoking. He painted a series of portraits based on Grey Gardens a few years ago that absolutely blow my mind. I'm not an art expert, by any means, but this boy has talent...that's all I'm sayin'.

Evidently, he has a show in Greensboro in October. I will definitely be in attendance.

Eating local

I believe in local investment, I do. It is however, an option that I've always found either way too expensive, or extremely inconvenient---especially where food is concerned. I'm a single girl, with no one to look after, so I have the luxury of not having to think ahead as far as meals are concerned. Of course, that same luxury means that my diet tends to be extremely tasty, but not very good for me or my wallet. I love to cook, as well, but when I buy produce in any kind of bulk, it usually goes to waste.

I have come upon an option that looks extremely intriguing. I was cruising around the Slow Food Charlotte site recently and found a listing for Carlea Farms. The farm participates in a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. For 20 weeks and $500.00 (the 2009 rate), you can get a bag of ultra-fresh, locally grown produce every week, dropped off at the Tailgate Farmer's Market in Charlotte or the Matthews Community Farmer's Market. They also have recipes on their site to guide you through cooking all of your new found veggies.

Now, it's a little more complicated than all of that; there's an application you have to fill out and there's only a limited amount of spots available, but like I said, it's an extremely intriguing option. I'm going to have to check with my roommate to see if she's at all interested in participating with me because I'm not sure I could go through a full grocery bag of produce every week. I sure would like to try though! It would definitely help me eat a lot healthier, that's for sure.

Check out Local Harvest for more info about CSA programs in general. There's a handy map that will direct you to all of the local farms in your area that participate!

I can't shake this state!

There's something about North Carolina. There's something about the quality of the light through the trees and the insufferable humidity that I can't let go.

I've lived so many different places, but this is the only place I haven't been able to turn away from. I'm in California now and I'm jumping out of my skin to get back to North Carolina.

The people there are humble, but smart as a whip. Folks don't jam their talent down your throat. I can't say I know many people there whose egos outweigh their talent.

So, I'm happily returning in about a week...

And as a little present to myself, for the first blog entry, I want to put a video up of the little band that could, from Concord, NC: the Avett Brothers. My friend Steve introduced this band's music to me a few years ago. I remember that he complained about the outrageous fees the Avetts were charging to play at parties...now they're about to release their first major label record, produced by this schmo named Rick Rubin. Love it.