Another year has passed – it’s OBX time yet again after more years than I can count. When asked where OBX is and what the letters stand for, this is it: Outer Banks. Some dude a long time ago added the X because it sounded cool. It’s used everywhere today.

If you’ve ever been to Carmel, Ca. you’ll remember the literally dozens of art galleries in the semi-large downtown area, all designed for tourists, of course. I doubt many locals ever go into the myriad shops, clothes, furniture (go figure), restaurants (some are really good so that’s a possibility for locals) and again, all the TONS of galleries. So what? you wonder.

Taxes are all done, a tear-dampened check sent off, a goodly amount of booze dulled your pain, and now you’re looking forward again to a magnificent spring with maybe a mini-vacation to your in-laws in June.

The 17th is St. Patrick’s Day, but alas, it falls on Sunday, so you need to rethink this. How about you plan to celebrate on Saturday night and on Sunday you can sit in your sham-rocking chair to recover.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone - This is probably the most renowned holiday of the year. Why, you ask. Because, I reply, this is the only day when chocolate sheds all its calories, sends them wafting into the ether, do not pass go, directly out of our solar system to find a young star that needs beefing up. We are the winners.