I am breathing a sigh of relief. After traveling off and on for nearly three months, my husband Chuck and I are home the rest of the summer. No trips abroad, no city vacations, no professional conferences. These days, I can actually work a regular schedule, rather than squeeze my writing and editing chores into off hours at airports and in hotel rooms.

While overnights aren’t on my agenda anytime soon, everyone needs an occasional break from their daily routine – no matter how satisfying. To this end, I am an enthusiastic proponent of what I call “vacation excerpts.” A vacation excerpt is a short, jam-packed representation of any experience that makes a long getaway so memorable. Here are some examples of what I mean:

An ocean lunch in the middle of a workday. I dined on very rare tuna and hushpuppies with a friend at the Oceanic Restaurant in Wrightsville Beach on Tuesday. I was tired of editing, bored with writing and fed-up with email. Simply put, I needed an excerpt.

So my friend and I pretended we were on vacation, surrounded by young couples with kids, ladies in straw hats and pastel Lilly Pulitzer ensembles and a group of rootin’-tootin’ senior citizens who kept sampling each other’s seafood. In true vacation style, we bypassed the rice pilaf that came with our meals and ordered French fries instead.

A fast game of digital cards. Long afternoons of pinochle and hearts have been a favorite vacation pastime as long as I can remember. When I crave an excerpt, I save the file I’m laboring over, click on one of my Big Fish Solitaire icons and have at it. If I close my eyes, talk to myself and laugh at my own jokes, I could swear I’m in Nags Head playing 500 with my husband, sister and brother-in-law.

A big batch of gorp. Gorp is a confection of M&M’s, cocktail peanuts and raisins. We mixed up giant bowls of the stuff on the many family vacations we spent in Nags Head. Every night, we munched and crunched until only a few stray raisins remained. In fact, vacation week was the one time of year we adults allowed our kids to stuff themselves with junk till they turned green.

Now, a few handfuls of grownup gorp – M&M’s with smoked almonds and dried cranberries – still spark memories of salt and sweet and warm blue ocean.

A drive in the country at dusk. In Wilmington, North Carolina, back roads are never very far away. When summer’s at its hottest, my husband Chuck and I will hop into the car after dinner, wind down the windows and head toward Burgaw and thereabouts. The feel of warm, damp air in my face, the strangely pleasing scent of Confederate jasmine laced with fertilizer and shrill canine barks mellowed by distance bring me back to childhood, when Sunday drives were our only vacations.

So, there they are – my favorite vacation excerpts. My guess would be that other folks wouldn’t find it too difficult to come up with a few of their own. One thing I know for sure, I couldn’t get by without indulging in an occasional excerpt. My deadlines may not go away – but for an hour or so, I sure do.

With Bon’s Eye Marketing’s editor-in-chief, Marita Bon, at the helm of their public relations efforts, the New Hanover County Aboretum had another successful event. Arboretum in the A.M. brought more than 400 people through the gate. To learn about the education and outreach showcase, read below. If you missed out on it this year, mark your calendars for 2011.

Arboretum holds tool sale, family activities at new garden event
Both grownup and junior gardeners will find plenty to do at the newest family-focused outdoor event to hit the Wilmington area.

Arboretum in the A.M., 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 24 at the New Hanover County Arboretum, 6206 Oleander Drive, will feature hands-on gardening projects, demonstrations and workshops. The agenda also includes a used garden-tool sale offering top quality equipment at bargain prices, as well as a full slate of children’s activities. Admission is free.

New Hanover County Extension Agent John Wooldridge, head of the planning committee, hopes to accomplish several goals. “We wanted to provide an education event on the grounds of the Arboretum that was available to everyone – a fun morning for people of all ages,” said Wooldridge, who oversees NHC Extension’s commercial horticulture programs.

“In addition, we wanted to hold a celebration of spring gardening that will show off all the resources provided by the New Hanover County Arboretum and Cooperative Extension.”

Besides providing practical tips and demonstrations for turf management, raised vegetable beds, container gardening and herb growing, extension experts will be on hand to answer participants’ questions. Meanwhile, youngsters will keep busy with an adventure scavenger hunt, sunflower-potting sessions and garden-themed crafts.

“Parents can enjoy the presentations knowing that their youngsters are having fun,” Wooldridge said. “Yard sale enthusiasts in particular will find the used garden tool sale a highlight of Arboretum in the A.M.”

Persons interested in donating equipment to the sale can contact Valerie DeSanti at vdesanti@ec.rr.com or 470-8180. Proceeds will benefit the New Hanover County Arboretum.

To learn more about Arboretum in the A.M. call 798-7664. Visit www.gardeningnhc.org for general information on Arboretum programs.

About the Cooperative Extension
The New Hanover County Cooperative Extension gives county residents easy access to the resources and expertise of N.C. State University and N.C. A&T State University. Through educational programs, publications and events, the agency delivers unbiased, research-based information to New Hanover County citizens.

About the Arboretum
The Arboretum, home to a wide variety of plants grown in the coastal area, as well as to emerging trends in plant material, occupies seven acres in the heart of New Hanover County. In its role as the Cooperative Extension’s “horticulture laboratory,” the Arboretum boasts a knowledgeable staff and many volunteers, all working to make the gardens beautiful and educational.

When we moved to Wilmington seven years ago, the biggest draw for us wasn’t the beaches or the coastal weather. It was downtown – the historic homes and buildings, the restaurants, the shopping, the Riverwalk, the festivals and the occasional star sighting (maybe not so much for Steve). Downtown has been a prominent setting in our lives. We got engaged here, married here and now run a business from here.

It’s hard for us to believe there are people who live in New Hanover and northern Brunswick counties who do not take advantage of downtown. Yet we come across people all the time who never set foot there.

Why? Is it the parking? You won’t find cheaper parking in a downtown area (i.e. Charlotte, Charleston, Savannah…). Is it safety? Well, I don’t like being downtown after 2 a.m., but I feel that way about any city or town.

Do It Downtown is asking these same questions in a grassroots effort to promote downtown to locals. It’s an effort Bon’s Eye Marketing strongly supports, because, as Joan Loch, owner of Crescent Moon in the Cotton Exchange, said at the first Do It Downtown forum, “We need a thriving downtown 12 months a year.”

With five theatres, five museums, 20 galleries, 50 restaurants, 100 shops and more, downtown has so much to offer. It’s why Bob Jenkins, owner of Wilmington Adventure Walking Tour Company, moved downtown more than 30 years ago.

“Why did I move?” he said. “The history, culture, architecture, the people. There’s not another city in North Carolina that has the diversity that downtown has. I’ve had to find 23 different translators. What’s incredible is that they’re all Wilmingtonians.”

Jenkins called the Do It Downtown movement a “dream come true” for him. He pointed to a wood beam in the middle of The River Room, a meeting and event space where the first forum was held.

“That beam is 500-700 years old,” he said. “This room is held up by that. People come from all over the world to see this city’s history. A lot of locals take that for granted.”

Do It Downtown hopes to educate people about the uniqueness of downtown and to dispel any misconceptions about the area.

“It’s about community,” said Richard Davis, president of the Brown Coat Pub and Theatre. “We are strongest when all businesses downtown are strong. We need each other, and we need the people of Wilmington.”

If you don’t often go downtown or try to avoid it all together, why is that? The folks behind Do It Downtown want your input.

*Bon’s Eye’s editor-in-chief, Marita Bon, is volunteering on the publicity committee for this year’s Garden Show. She also recently became a member of the Friends of the Arboretum Board of Directors.

THE 2010 WILMINGTON GARDEN SHOW
Saturday, Feb. 13 – 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 14 – 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jan. 25, 2010

Press Contact:
Marita Bon
910-392-8106
mts1049@aol.com

Arboretum Contact:
Gary Levesque
910-798-7670
glevesque@nhcgov.com

Planners for the 2010 Wilmington Garden Show are offering free admission to all Friends of the Arboretum members, as well as discount coupons for the general public on the Arboretum web site.

Slated for Feb. 13-14 at the Cape Fear Community College Schwartz Center in downtown Wilmington, the popular annual event presents a two-day opportunity to join “Friends,” a nonprofit organization supporting the Arboretum’s educational programs, continuing development and grounds preservation. Besides free admission to the show, said Membership Chairperson Noreen Stokes, members get other perks, too.

“Friends of the Arboretum receive 10 percent off merchandise from select vendors at the show and a chance to win one of 10 gift certificates, valued at $50 each, to the upcoming Master Gardener Plant Sale in April,” she said.

“People can sign up or renew their memberships in the entrance to the show as they come in.”

Vendors offering discounts include The Transplanted Garden, Arboretum Potting Shed, Five Oaks nursery and Shelton Herb Farm, among others. “Plus, there are businesses that are not at the show that give the discount all year – we explain all that at the sign-up table,” Stokes said.

Friends of the Arboretum likewise can take advantage of a reciprocal garden agreement, she added, providing benefits at botanical sites around the country.

“This is a huge selling point. We give new members the list at the show, and it’s also on our web site http://www.nhcgov.com/AgnAndDpt/COOP/Pages/ArboretumMembership.aspx,” she said.

“The most popular memberships are individual for $30 and family for $40. Contributor level is $100 and generally draws folks that really love the Arboretum and want to offer a little more support.”

While boosting Arboretum membership is a major goal, anyone who wishes to enjoy the show can get a price break. Discount coupons for up to four attendees are available now on the Garden Show web site, www.nhcgov.com/AgnAndDpt/COOP/Pages/WilmingtonGardenShow.aspx.

This year’s event, which features more than 50 vendors selling hundreds of plants, products and services promises to be one of the biggest in the show’s 17-year history, said Melissa Hight, show chairperson.

“We have an exciting schedule of speakers on both days, with presentations on English gardens, lawn care, roses, camellias and hummingbirds. We also are premiering a brand new pink hydrangea named ‘Invincibelle Spirit,’ for sale exclusively at the show, and we have a wonderful Silent Auction planned,” Hight explained.

Event hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, with free parking on-site at the Schwartz Center. Admission is $7, or $5 with coupon. Friends of the Arboretum and children under 12 are free.

For more information on the 2010 show, visit www.gardeningnhc.org.