We will be relaunching BRCT this summer with more elements, information and interactive features including podcasts, targeted feeds and community-building aspects. Please look for the new and improved Back Roads, Charming Towns in a few months.
In the meantime, we will continue to share periodic entries on great places to relax, relocate and retire.
Boxes, boxes everywhere. That is much of my life these days. As D Day approaches in our move south, I find that more of our possessions than not are wrapped, bubbled and labelled.
I remember when Stirling and Alex were wee ones and Ken worked for a furniture retailer. In those days, we also often found ourselves surrounded by boxes, but for different reasons.
As everybody knows, for small children the box is as intriguing as the gift at birthday or holiday time. On many occasions, Ken would cart home refrigerator or television boxes and they became places to build magical fantasies and family memories. In fact, for Alex's seventh birthday we even constructed an eight-foot tall ship hull to grace the front yard and introduce the party's pirate theme.
These days, it is Smokey who has made empty boxes into his playground. Yesterday, when I assembled and stacked 50-plus empty boxes to expedite the moving process, Smokey was in kitty heaven, leaping and tumbling from one box to the next. It provided a much needed light-hearted moment at an otherwise hectic time.
Until the next time I can report back from the moving circus . . .
On the menu of life's greatest stressers, the following are all typically at the top of the list: job change, relocation, becoming an empty nester and gutting and rebuilding a home from the inside out. We are in the midst of experiencing all of these at Casa Grodner. As a result, stress levels are sometimes high, and hours in the day often too few. All great BRCT fodder.
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Georgia is gaining ground on Florida as a preferred relocation and retirement destination for snow birds and sun worshipers alike. At least, that is the conclusion to be drawn from the recently released United Van Lines' annual migration study.
Specifically in 2006, United statistics showed that for the first time ever more people moved out of Florida rather than into the Sunshine State. United, the nation's largest mover, finds that its results often mirror state and federal demographic statistics. The company has been evaluating this information for the past thirty years.
Why do so many folks have Georgia on their mind?
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NJ: Fran and I are both professional refugees of the B.C. As two Jersey girls, when we decided to get together for lunch earlier this week, it made sense to find a midway point in our state to rendezvous. Due to the hour time difference between charming Middletown, her neck of the woods, and Basking Ridge, mine, we had to do a little research to find a location. To our good fortune, we discovered the perfect spot in the quaint and tasty Metuchen Inn (above).
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For those living in the Northeast but with dreams of moving to warmer climes, there is an upcoming travel show you won't want to miss.
From January 19-21 at the Hilton in Parsippany, New Jersey, Living Southern Style magazine will be hosting the Live South Real Estate Show, the largest resort and retirement real estate show in the country. Meet experts, attend seminars on topics from building your dream home to selecting the right location, and visit exhibitors from Delaware to Florida, South Carolina to Virginia and every state in between.
Just the Facts
The Live South Real Estate Show is from 5 - 8 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. on Sunday. Attendance is $15 per person at the door, but is complimentary if you pre-register by calling 1.888.248.2989 or online at www.livesouthshows.com.
In spite of being enamored with my new rustic memory stick 
(it arrived yesterday and is true perfection!), I told a friend earlier this week that I felt like there will be a backlash sooner rather than later of people becoming exhausted with the expectation (their own or others) that they will be connected 24/7. Apparently I was more prescient than I realized.
In today's USA Today, Janet Kornblum writes about a small but defiant community of "tech-no's" who are perfectly pleased with not being so easily accessible to others.
Continue Reading...Yesterday was D Day. The day that circumstances nudged me to begin the journey that will mark 2007 as a year of true change.
Of course, today reality hit when I got sidetracked by a misbehaving mobile phone and an erratic elbow.
Continue Reading...NY & NJ: When Alex went with his friend Sam to the Goldsmith
family 
lake house in Ithaca, New York a few summers ago, he
naturally enjoyed the seasonal pursuits of splashing, running and relaxing that such a location inspires. But one of the more surprising outcomes of his trip was a visit to the Corning Museum of Glass, a first-rate museum and educational center with one of the world’s premier collection of art and historical glass. Here Alex witnessed glass being blown, twisted and made into objects both artistic and functional, and even got to try his own hand at the art. A delicate crystalline flower in swirls of blue, yellow and white is an object of great pride that continues to evoke a smile and memories whenever it catches his eye.
While Corning may be a more recognized name for some in the annals of glass lore, glass production is equally indigenous to the small southern New Jersey community of Millville. And there, one will find the very special WheatonArts.
Continue Reading...Southern Living released their annual Readers’ Choice Awards winners in the publication's January 2007 issue. Great escapes suggested by their readers and editors that are BRCT-focused and worthy of your consideration include (drum roll please):
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Always dreamed of living in the country, among rolling pastures lazily populated with barnyard animals? But a little intimidated at the thought of living amongst and caring for full-size horses, cows and pigs?
A whole breed of pint-size livestock is now available for the raising and enjoyment of today's gentlemen (and gentlewomen) farmers.
Continue Reading...In yesterday’s New York Times “Life’s Work” column, 
Lisa Belkin talks about New Year’s resolutions: the hopes they convey for the days ahead, the disappointment they create as the year draws to a close and we examine personal promises laid fallow. Much of this disappointment comes from setting (and verbalizing) goals that are "too": too grand, too many, too far-reaching.
So you live, relax or have retired to America’s back roads and charming towns. But that of course doesn’t mean that you don’t want to stay plugged in. Today’s technology has allowed more of us than ever to telecommute, to embrace digital resources or to stay connected to people and places around the world.
But being high tech doesn’t mean you can’t express your sense of back road wonder in a decidedly beautiful, low tech package.
In a recent study released by a University of California Irvine professor and reported in the LA Times, an interesting parallel was discovered between the density and friendliness of a community.
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For the last several weeks, I have taken a detour in defining what "I will be when I grow up." The mission never really changed, but I started to rethink the way I was going to get there. And while the alternate route in and of itself has proven to be a mere detour, it has helped to clarify how I will make vision into reality.
I guess in this regard, I am not unlike most people. As we all know "sometimes life gets in the way" of even the best-laid plans, dreams and choices. But it is what we do with the knowledge learned during those detours that makes them more valuable than they would seem to be at first glance.
So whether it's in life or in your travels, metaphorically or practically, embrace the back roads and circuitous routes. What they may uncover is worth the alternate path.
GA: The Cloisters at Sea Island has been a haven for peaceful relaxation since it opened in 1928. 
Now, after a recently completed multi-million dollar renovation to the Mediterranean structure, the resort entices more than ever.
The 100-room main structure -- consisting of 64 rooms and 36 suites -- has been beautifully restored by architect Peter Capone and designer Pamela Hughes. Rooms feature views of the surrounding woodlands, marshfront and Black Banks River . Richly hued Turkish rugs and Irish tapestries sparkle alongside original features, like intricate moldings and colorful stained glass.
Continue Reading...Why would a well-regarded residential builder scrap his business model after 27 years of success? Believe it or not, it is because he decided to listen to a bunch of girls.
Continue Reading...The census bureau is much more than an agency of people bean counters. Through the analysis of data collected through mail, phone and in-person surveys, the bureau provides insights into the fabric of our country. The Wall Street Journal highlighted some of these trends in yesterday's Personal Journal cover story by reporter Erika Lovley. Many of those "fun facts" into America's towns, small and large, may even help you decide on the perfect place to relax, relocate or retire!
Continue Reading...AL: My sister Sheri is an angel. Not just a sweet person but genuinely a being sent from the heavens above. How do I know this?
I know because when she heard about a neighbor with five children and another on the way, dealing with a life threatening illness, her first and only thought was how she could help.
And because she lives in Crestline, a charming hamlet outside of Birmingham, others in her community also rushed to help the Robinson family, with donations of goods and services pouring in from throughout the community and the city at large.
The result is that this Saturday, October 21 at the Mountain Brook Baptist Church from 8 a.m. - 3 p.m., Sheri and her band of merry elves will be conducting a charitable tag sale, with items ranging from a used car to new shoes to antique knick knacks.
But what they will mostly be offering is a dose of human kindness and compassion at its best, often most easily found in a small town. And this is something that most of us can never get enough of.
Info: sewsheri@bellsouth.net or 205.529.3027
UPDATE: On October 28, 2006, David Robinson, 36, passed away. Dave was the former proprietor of Dave's Deli and Backstage Catering in Crestline Village, Alabama.
His community is continuing to offer emotional and financial support to Janet Robinson and Dave and Jan's five children (the sixth is due in February 2007). If you are interested in providing assistance, you may still reach out to Sheri Corey, who is continuing to spearhead this effort.
AL: On a narrow side street across from the community football .jpg)
field in Crestline Village, an unassuming shop occupies a quaint yellow bungalow that fits quietly into its surroundings. But the of-the-moment, reasonably priced treasures to be found at Bags & Baubles are fantastic enough to qualify this store for shout-out-loud, rock star status.
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I have rhapsodized on Back Roads, Charming Towns about the increasing desire of Americans to buy vacation or retirement homes in college towns, small towns, on farms and prairie land.
Now, many of us are looking for another type of place to relax: environs where creatures creep, crawl, soar and coexist with humans. Bird watching, salamander hunts and flora and fauna hikes are all popular pursuits for yet .jpg)
another sector of the relaxation set.
To me, a road trip exploring points unknown is heaven. To my children -- as is true with many kids -- such an outing is often torturous. Even as young adults, they still want to know (even if they don't verbalize it as frequently) "are we there yet?"
I am working hard to rejigger their perspective. As they have gotten older, I believe we have made some progress.
Continue Reading...NJ: We recently had reason to celebrate. Alex was accepted 
to his first-choice university for the fall of 2007 (Roll Tide!), so naturally we wanted to head to one of his favorite spots. In this case, the Minute Man Restaurant on Highway 202 in Bernardsville, NJ filled the bill.
From its caramel-colored, wood-slathered walls to the mile-high pies in the front case, a trip to the Minute Man is like a big, friendly hug.
An article in Monday's Wall Street Journal by Kelly Green states what we at Back Roads, Charming Towns already know is a growing trend.
No, not that brown is the new black, but that small towns 
are the new retirement destinations. While golf courses, mountain terrains and shorelines continue to lure many in their retirement years, small town America is a preferred location for an increasing number of us.
What is it about these communities that makes them so appealing?
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NJ: An electrical outage along the rails this morning meant that I was detoured on my way into the B.C. It wasn't an unpleasant experience, providing an excuse to take the walk I am usually too rushed to enjoy from the station to the office. The weather today was beautiful and the atmosphere was brisk.
But I am getting ahead of myself. First, before I could get to excuses for taking walks, I had the pleasure of enjoying a train station, reimagined on this particular morning as a charming town center.
Working in the "big city" brings a cacophony of delights and challenges. .jpg)
As I work in my "out with the old, in with the new" transition mode -- both mentally and literally -- I become more acutely aware of what I will (and won't) miss when I finally am out of here.
Here is the list.
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NJ: Even on an overcast day, there is a glow permeating Wightman’s Farms in Harding.
Perhaps it results from the rush of activity brought on by youthful exuberance, perhaps it emanates from the brilliance of the season’s rich autumnal hues.
Continue Reading..."It is Rosh Hashanah, that's why the trains are so crowded," the weary conductor advised his colleague via cell phone. "Just try to get people on and off the train as quickly as possible."
Indeed, you could feel that holiday spirit energizing the air today. People scurried through the train station, on their way out of the big city to infiltrate surrounding small towns and join family and friends in celebration.
"It's harder than ever to separate work and play," heralds Fortune magazine in their annual Business Life issue. In this case, they go on to say that this may not be a bad thing when people have found a career that allows them to have fun and make money while exploring their passions.
This perspective will become increasingly relevant for many of us as work and life become more intertwined as a result of the advantages and challenges of living more connected lives.
Continue Reading...“Going back to school” used to mean that one was returning 
to earn a previously elusive undergraduate diploma, to expand knowledge and marketability with a graduate degree or to take courses for pleasure or a change in professional focus.
Today, it is just as likely to mean that you are buying a weekend retreat in the college town where you previously attended classes. And increasingly there are endless options geared specifically at allowing you to recapture that college spirit.
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Money magazine is one of several publications that put together annual rankings of the best places to retire. Lists usually consider such factors as the cost of living, property taxes, a community's amenities, weather and housing stock. But how many of these communities, in addition to the things you can measure, possess that beautiful spirit, an undeniable je ne sais quoi? The answer is several.
NC: The rhythmic patterns are the first sounds you hear. 
The twirling and swaying are the first things you see. The palpitating energy is the only thing you feel. Asheville’s legendary Drum Circle (shown at right. Photography offered by BRCTraveller Alex Grodner) is an experience not to be missed if you happen to be in Western North Carolina on any given Friday night when the weather is warm and the spirit is willing.
NJ: As you watch the parade of people saunter by proudly with their latest acquisition – golf clubs, garden 
equipment, antiques, light fixtures – you know this must be a unique place. And you would be right.
Twice a year the Visiting Nurses Association of Somerset Hills gives folks a chance to find their latest “must have” at their humongous rummage sale. Held at the Fairgrounds in Far Hills, New Jersey, this is the state’s oldest and largest sale of its kind.
Part of the fun of this sale is its charm. Run by volunteers who care passionately about the cause and realize that this sale draws attendees not just from the immediate area but also from as far as Connecticut, Pennsylvania and New York City, the event is run with the precision and marketing savvy of a true retail establishment.
I am disappointed in myself. For the last two weeks, I have allowed myself to be sucked into the madness of nonproductive activities and been manipulated into those actions by the hysteria of unhealthy people.
Continue Reading...Ken, Alex and I had the best intentions of showing the summer out with a bang and making great use of our Labor Day weekend. A visit to the Hell's Kitchen flea market and Chinatown on Saturday, the Frenchtown Riverfest on Sunday and a pool party thrown in for good measure. Are the anticipated arrival of showers, compliments of Hurricane Ernesto, going to dampen our spirits and plans?
Continue Reading...As offered by BRCTraveller Stirling Grodner
NY: We had been gone all weekend and I just wanted to go home. But my dad and my brother had other ideas. They wanted to go play at Taughannock Falls, a waterfall outside of Ithaca, New York, and the waters surrounding it. In spite of my weariness, I certainly wasn’t going to let them have fun without me!
All week, the night air has cooled just enough in Basking Ridge to .jpg)
allow us to sleep with french doors flung open, a reminder that the days of summer are numbered yet again. As autumn approaches, we welcome it with a bittersweet resolve as the fleeting days of summer retreat.
Want to help the season go out with a bang? Below you will find a listing of fun, unique, full-blown celebrations being held around America this Labor Day weekend, worthy of your time and participation.
Continue Reading...MS: 363 days ago, a region of quaint hamlets were overcome by powerful waters, tearing at the delicate web of humanity.
363 days ago, a chain of events put in motion by the spontaneity of nature and perpetuated by the inefficiencies of man broke the hearts of a nation.
363 days later, we have witnessed the worst and the best of the human spirit, as people have come together to rebuild lives and communities that were traumatized to their cores.
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As offered by BRCTraveller Ginny Herman
GA: "I took this photo around 8.30 am coming down from my cabin towards town, going past all the rhododendrons, hemlock trees and creeks. I turned the corner and WOW. It was a wonderful experience that set the mood for the entire day for me."
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CT, NY, VA & AL: The fashion gurus tell us that monograms are back "in."
For a girl raised in the South, it was never really out of fashion. For me, there are few things in life that don't look better with a little personalized pizazz! A gold filigreed monogram ring. Bath towels. Guest robes. A sofa slipcover. Engraved glasses and silver platters.
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Small-town shops in Connecticut (Personal Best Monogram Shoppe), New York, Virginia (The Monogram Shop) and Alabama (Oodles of Ribbon) are offering ideas and choices for anyone who wants to add monogrammed accents to their home, their life, their style.
Continue Reading...PA: Travelling the Dutch Country of Pennsylvania on Highway 22 .jpg)
near Hershey, an unusual sign catches your eye around the borough of Shartlesville. “Roadside America Exit Here” it quietly beckons. Always a glutton for “out-of-the-ordinary” attractions, I found the allure too much to resist – I had to explore further. Pulling into the driveway and crossing the attraction's threshold, I had some initial reservations. After all, this was about as 1950s,
Roadside .jpg)
Americans.
(And down the road is Ina Stoudt's not-to-be-missed antique store, crammmed to several sets of rafters with antique and vintage furnishings, household decorative items, unique tchotchkes and eclectic vintage clothing.)
Continue Reading...NC: Stirling and I went to a recent house sale in our town of Basking Ridge, a community with its fair share of antique lovers. Our purchases were fun -- Stirling's first antique piece of furniture (a pine dresser for a future home), silver serving pieces, and an exquisite Japanese bone china tea set. But it was meeting the sale's organizer, Carolyn Remmey, and the tidbit that she shared that were the best deal of the day.
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Today's New York Times ran an article on "happiness decor" or how making one's environment cheery and bright can affect your mood and perhaps even be a factor in your overall happiness.
It is a philosophy that more of us are applying to all aspects of our lives, including me.
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NJ: A place where animals lounged and basked in the sun in days past is a place where human beings love to hang out and live in the present. Basking Ridge, New Jersey is today’s featured “charming town.”
Located 36 miles west of New York City in central New Jersey, Basking Ridge is a combination of rural simplicity and small-town amenities with big-city proximity.
Continue Reading...Stirling and Alex went to Alaska with their grandfather. Stirling sent me this postcard in (partial) jest.
She knows me well enough to know that I have romantic notions about old buildings, renovated barns and relocated structures. Before we moved into our current home in Basking Ridge, I seriously researched saving a historic home from a summer estate and moving it to a new lot (ultimately the home was demolished to make room for three, new $1.5 million homes). And on a recent trip to the Finger Lakes, NY, I was enamored (to the boredom of my family) with an abandoned, red Dutch-style barn on the approach to our friends' lake home.
As we make decisions about our future living arrangements, I know my family waits with anticipation (and perhaps a little fear) to see what crazy ideas I propose for our next "home sweet home."
It is state fair season in much of America. Over the years, .jpg)
this annual event has evolved from a simple celebration of a locale's agricultural progeny to include a full-blown extravaganza of music, amusements, and family activities.
To visit the state fair is a chance for some to revert to activities that evoke childhood memories; for others, it is a chance to experience some of life's simple pleasures for the first time. Regardless of your vantage point, the state fair is a great way to spend a day or a weekend -- eating fresh produce and down-home cooking, enjoying local arts and crafts and experiencing the novelties available on local fairgrounds everywhere this summer and fall.
Continue Reading...ND: "Do you have what it takes to be a 21st century pioneer?" Some towns in North Dakota are asking this question as they seek new residents and explore innovative ways to sustain an easy-going lifestyle while bolstering dwindling populations. In fact, you may even be eligible for free land and tax incentives if you are willing to pick up and move to the northwestern regions of the state.
www.prairieopportunity.com is the brainchild of The Northwest North Dakota Marketing Alliance, a coalition of leaders from local municipalities, looking for people interested in making a move to this very rural setting. But for modern-day homesteaders up to the challenge, the benefits can be many: magnificent wildlife, majestic scenery, entrepreneur-friendly environments and small town living.
Continue Reading...So this is the second weekend in a row that I have travelled by air. This time, it was from Asheville -- after dropping Stirling off at college -- to Indianapolis (to see Ken and Jimmy Buffett), by way of Atlanta. The trouble this time, it seems, was that people who work for airlines 1) can't be honest and 2) possess horrible customer service skills. Or at least that was my experience, this time, with Delta Airlines.
Continue Reading...TN: Antique European watering cans, flower pails, wagon wheels and saddles may not be what you.jpg)
would expect to find for sale along a small-town stretch of highway in central Tennessee. But then the Highway 127 Corridor Sale is unlike most any event you could possible imagine.
Billed as the “World’s Longest Yard Sale,” this 450-mile extravaganza stretches from Kentucky to Alabama, meandering through Tennessee and Georgia along the way. Now in its 19th year, the sale has earned a reputation as a truly unique experience and bargain-hunters' paradise.
Don Daniels, who runs the aforementioned booth (pictured at right) packed with these treasures and more from England, Holland, and France as well as points throughout the United States, has been participating in the 127 Corridor Sale since its inception, and has been named a "shoppers' favorite" vendor for several years.
VA: The pink low slung building with turquoise window frames blinking across its facade lazily .jpg)
co-exists with a horse pasture in Natural Bridge, Virginia. A King Kong gorilla statue keeps a watchful eye on the colorful outpost. And inside, you are welcomed by a bronze life-sized Elvis. You have arrived at the very original Pink Cadillac Diner.
In their July/August issue, AAA World explores the topic of sisterly excursions in "Getting Away With 'the Girls" a growing tourist trend.
My own recent girlfriend getaway was with my sister Sheri and friend Helen to visit Stirling, who is in college in Asheville, North Carolina. We stayed at the Biltmore Inn on the grounds of the magnificent Biltmore Estates. Even though the trip was in mid-January and snow flurries had apparently followed us from New Jersey, it was still a terrific bonding, chicks-only experience.
Continue Reading...OK, so two days ago I was lamenting the legions of lines I encountered on my trip from New York to San Jose for the BlogHer '06 conference. While I don't take back any of the aggravation I was feeling, I must admit the one thing that travel by car or train cannot capture is the aerial majesty of the American landscape.
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Right now we are soaring over the Rockies on the way back East. While the views are certainly impressive from the ground, they do not compare with the views to be witnessed from overhead. So maybe I won't give up air travel after all . . . .
CA: .jpg)
After the circuitous ride down a makeshift road kicking up dust on bald fields, the first thing you notice in climbing off the bus is the smell. It is not an offensive or over powering scent, just one that is clearly present. But after all, this is the Gilroy Garlic Festival.
Considered one of America’s premiere food events, the festival -- now in its 28th year -- was started when local garlic growers pitched the idea to the town of Gilroy, California. No one expected much that first year. So when attendance far exceeded expectations, the pungent fest was born. In 2006, the Gilroy Garlic Festival is expected to draw 130,000 guests.
As soon as I arrived, I was on the lookout for the infamous -- and interesting-sounding -- garlic ice cream.
Continue Reading...Today at the BlogHer conference, I had a moment's pause in my master plan to buy a PT Cruiser convertible next year to take on the endless road trip. The reason for my hesitation? The folks from Saturn were on hand here in San Jose and gave us the chance to test drive their cars (smart corporate types, appealing to use women car buyers!), including the oh-so-sweet Sky convertible.
In addition to its fabulous handling, nice sound system and sharp good looks (this one had red and black leather seats --hot!) it was just a truly fun drive.
Perhaps I'll be rethinking my decision after all . . .
Today I flew to the BlogHer conference -- my first, their second. It wasn't a quick trip -- New York to San Jose, California -- all for 36 hours of wisdom about this new world of blogs into which I am venturing, from a female perspective. (PS just a few short hours in, it has already been so worth it). What was aggravating, however, was not the distance travelled but the mode and manner in which the travel occurred. It is during trips like these that I come to remember why I much prefer leisurely car or even train travel to crowd-crazed air travel (UGH).
Continue Reading...NY: On the approach into Woodstock, New York, it would be easy to overlook the sign .jpg)
pointing you towards the Hawthorn Gallery and Red Barn Antiques. But don't make that mistake -- this is one place you won't want to miss.
Tucked in next to the gas station-turned-Sovreign Bank is
Elwyn Lane. Follow this road around the bend and through a residential area and all the sudden in a clearing to your right, the red barn that houses The Hawthorn Gallery beckons. On first approach, what immediately catches the eye, beyond the striking red building, are the intricately carved wooden and stone architectural fragments that lean against walls, nestle into ground covering and rise mystically from overgrown flower beds.
And that is just the beginning of the treasures to be found
in this unique place.
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I am on the way to pick up
Thinking about buying a second home -- a place to get away on weekends or during vacations, a future retirement location, a long-term family compound to be passed on to your children and grandchildren? According to The National Association of Realtors (NAR), you are not alone.
Continue Reading...Somehow it seems appropriate to begin this blog in conjunction with a holiday associated with family, friends and fun, all things we hope will be enhanced by your visits to Back Roads, Charming Towns.
With my sister and daughter in tow, we took a 12-hour road trip today, the Saturday of Independence Day weekend. We ruled out the beach (we knew that would surely be a shore bottleneck) and the Amish country (the "monsoon of June" had just swept the Delaware River over the banks of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, leaving a soggy, muddy mess by Saturday). We opted for the Catskills and specifically, the village of Woodstock. While there was the anticipated traffic on the New York Thruway, it was only when we got to Exit 16 that matters went from bopping to bleak.
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We also welcome photos, entries or tips from readers (see Ginny Herman's photo capturing a glorious Blue Ridge, Georgia morning or Stirling Grodner's story on Taughannock Falls, New York).
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