our family in maine has an annual lobster boil every summer at reid state park. it’s always a blast with lots of seafood and fun in the sun! to prepare for such a large gathering, someone is always in charge of purchasing the lobsters and new england clams, aka steamers, from gendron’s seafood when it first opens. small lobsters are preferred, around 1 lb, as they are more tender than heavier ones. this summer, lobsters were only $4.75 lb, unfathomable to us southerners. we ate soft-shell lobsters, which did not require any tools to crack open.

on a funny side note, gendron’s seafood is actually located within a gas station. you can fill up your car while getting fresh live lobsters and clams! only in maine, right?

gendron’s also ships their seafood anywhere in the u.s., including hawaii and alaska. order here.

– ryan & gub

gendron’s seafood

1292 lisbon street
lewiston, me 04240
207-784-2646
800-896-2646

we spotted another pbr mural on the side of the graveyard tavern in east atlanta village. just when we thought we had seen them all, another one pops up.

be sure to check out the paintings in our june post, when we first started noticing the hand-painted ads around atlanta.

– ryan & gub

we have a new upcoming concerts section on our blog! here you’ll find a comprehensive list of shows worth checking out at the various venues in and around atlanta. no more flipping through a bunch of weeklies and websites to find out what good concerts are around the corner. this is your one stop shop! the upcoming concerts button can be found on the top left of our site under contact.

there are some great shows on the horizon. we are excited about dom, who opens for ratatat at the the masquerade, best coast at the drunken unicorn, lcd sound system & sleigh bells at the the tabernacle, and the classic lineup of guided by voices playing their only southeast reunion show at the the buckhead theatre. here are some other great shows that aren’t sold out yet:

best coast – fri, sep 10th – drunken unicorn – $12 – 9pm – tickets

titus andronicus – mon, sep 20th – the earl – $10 – 9pm – tickets

jamie lidell – wed, sep 22nd – the earl – $15 – 9pm – tickets

wavves – thur, sep 30th – drunken unicorn – $10 – 9pm – tickets

ratatat & dom – fri, oct 1st – the masquerade – $20 – 8pm – tickets

lcd sound system & sleigh bells – wed, oct 6th – the tabernacle – $32 – 8pm – tickets

school of seven bells – mon, oct 18th – the earl – $12 – 9pm – tickets

guided by voices – sat, oct 23th – the buckhead theatre – $26.50 – 9pm – tickets

– ryan

anytime we head towards the coast, we try to visit nearby lighthouses. they are always fun and fairly historical, plus they provide great views when you can climb to the top. last year we visited a few southeast lighthouses between a trip to hilton head island, sc and our anniversary trip to amelia island, fl.

the amelia island lighthouse was awesome! tours are offered on the first and third wednesday of each month and begin in a small museum with old photos and information on the lighthouse. the tour-guide, who happens to be the granddaughter of the last amelia island lighthouse keeper, gave an oral history filled with stories of growing up on the grounds. it was very interesting. we also walked around the lighthouse, although we couldn’t climb it.

next, we visited the st. johns river lighthouse on our way to st. augustine. the lighthouse was on a naval station, so we could only see it through a barbed wire fence. it was still worth visiting though, especially since we got to take our car on a fun ferry ride on the way.

we also went to the st. augustine lighthouse which was great! the black and white striped painting was one of the cooler designs we’ve seen on a lighthouse. we were able to climb to the top and get a great view of st. augustine and the atlantic ocean!

on a different trip to hilton head we stumbled upon the harbour town lighthouse. although more of a tourist attraction than navigational aid, the lighthouse does appear on navigational charts and has a light that can be seen for 15 miles. you can also climb to the top for a great view of the island.

– ryan & gub

we recently tried rustico prosecco by nino franco. we’ve been keeping an eye out for this bubbly since it was mentioned in june 5th’s splendid table episode. prosecco is a dry sparkling wine made from glara grapes, which are mainly grown in the veneto region of italy. these italian grapes were formally known as prosecco grapes.

the fermentation process of this sparkling wine takes place in stainless steel tanks, making it less expensive to produce then champagne. as a result, prosecco has drastically risen in popularity outside of italy in recent years. if you’re looking for a great bubbly for under $15, keep your eyes out for a prosecco.

we found the 2008 rustico at the candler park market in atlanta. we spent a nice summer evening drinking this crisp, dry prosecco!

– ryan & gub

we heart peaches and boiled peanuts from our nearby roadside produce stand! david’s produce & specialties has the feel of an old general store and offers all sorts of southern goodies. they sell locally-grown organic produce, including great heirloom tomatoes and shelled peas, as well as homemade sweets, preserves and sauces. the homemade layered cakes are supposed to be amazing, although we haven’t tried them.

– ryan & gub

david’s produce & specialties

3561 lavista road
decatur, ga 30033
404-325-0709

we always visit york beach if we are up in maine. it’s this beautiful little beach town with picturesque houses along the coast. near the boardwalk you’ll find an old timey arcade called the fun o rama as well as indoor candlepin bowling and putt putt. it’s pretty awesome. there are also lots of shops and restaurants to check out as you walk along the cute streets in this new england beach town.

one of the years we visited york beach the fog was so thick you couldn’t even see the ocean. there is a photo of the fog below.

– ryan & gub

i turned 30, which is kind of crazy. to make the most of such a big birthday, i tried to do something fun every hour and take photos.

here’s what i got into:

last time i drove to chicago, i visited the abraham lincoln birthplace national historic park in hodgenville, kentucky. this 100-year-old memorial is actually the original lincoln memorial; the washington d.c. memorial came later. the cabin where lincoln was born is on display, as is sinking spring, the lincoln family’s water source. the park recently celebrated lincoln’s bicentennial with various events and festivities.

the memorial was really great, especially when splitting up the drive from chicago to atlanta. i am also a sucker for kitchy souveniers and had a blast at the nancy lincoln inn. i found all sorts of old timey lincoln products i could not resist buying. if you are ever looking for a fun excursion while driving through kentucky, keep your eyes out for abraham lincoln’s birthplace.

– ryan

abraham lincoln birthplace

7120 bardstown road
hodgenville, ky 42748
270-358-3137

we have been on a kick of trying white wines from unique regions of the world. we recently had a rhône wine from the côtes du rhône appellation, which we learned is one of the oldest vineyards in france. we had a bottle of 2007 belleruche from m. chapourtier, made with white grenache, clairette and bourboulenc grapes. we enjoyed this crisp white wine along with fresh cut cucumbers from our garden. it was dry, light and great for summer drinking.

be sure to click on the image above to see a larger version. the wine label featured braille, which we had never noticed on a bottle before.

we found the belleruche from m. chapourtier at the candler park market in atlanta.

– ryan & gub