Picking out an olive oil can be an overwhelming experience. The number of oil-containing bottles and tins gracing a grocery store’s shelves is almost as impressive as the cardboard boxes lining the cereal aisle. Of course like breakfast cereals, not all olive oils are created the same. So how do you choose? Maybe you look at price. Maybe [...]
Sitting on a mountaintop in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina, legend has it that if you listen very carefully, you can still hear the drumbeats of the Cherokee Indians that once rose above these mountains. Prior to the 1800s, the powerfully moving sound created by these Native Americans juddered through the mountains, [...]
It is 2:30 pm, a work meeting ran long, and you’re going to be late getting home to greet your 3:00 book club members. In your car, stuck in a mess of traffic, you might normally break a sweat, but instead, you reach out to your assistant to make your current time crunch more manageable. But this isn’t just any assistant, this is Momo [...]
Scanning through one of those ubiquitous, glossy real estate guides can cause dizzying effects when all you see is agency after agency jockeying for your attention with hundreds, possibly thousands, of residential properties for sale. For you the homebuyer, the challenge is to find the ideal home among so many choices that fit your [...]
Rancho La Puerta is a magical place where people escape from the mundane to revive their souls and gain a fresh outlook on life.
Year after year, the Ranch is voted a top spa destination by both Condé Nast Traveler and Travel and Leisure magazines. As for what sets the Ranch apart from other spas and resorts, it’s difficult to narrow down [...]
North Carolina's mountains are well known for pristine lakes, world-class golf courses, and scenic hiking trails. But less visible is the rich literary underbelly known to the lucky readers among [...]
There are all sorts of misconceptions about sulfites found in wine. Yes, many winemakers add small amounts of sulfites to preserve their wines, but sulfites are also naturally occurring. Sulfites in wine, usually red wine, get the blame for everything from headaches, sleepless nights, congestion and hangovers. Those who speak out against [...]
// what to drink now
Looking for something pink to drink for a Valentine’s Day outing? Turn to rosé in a can by Amble and Chase. This rosé, sourced from Provence, France, will add to the fun while wetting your whistle, $19.99 for four [...]
Like the Oscars are for the film industry, a fierce competition known as the sofi™ Awards is for the gourmet and specialty foods industry. Little known to the layman, this contest, in its 45th year, calls for hundreds of gourmet and specialty food companies nationwide, small and large, new and old, to duke it out for the Best Product of the [...]
At the end of every year, we turn the page to move ahead into the next year. Like the old saying goes, “out with the old, in with the new,” we reflect on our past and plan for our future. With good intentions, we look ahead with a positive forecast bound by our goals and resolutions. Personal growth in the form of fitness, money, self-help, [...]
Several decades ago in the days of spy secrets, espionage, and space wars, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) had a little known and well-hidden facility right in our own backyard, an undisclosed satellite-tracking center sitting on 200 acres. Opened on October 26, 1963, this top-secret campus located deep within North [...]
