I was back logged on nature time, thank goodness I escaped from the city this past weekend. I was whisked away to Nantucket as part of a work trip. My boyfriend came home about a month ago and asked if I would be interest in going to Nantucket for the food & wine festival. The way he asked me you would have thought he wanted to take me to Ohio in the middle of a blizzard. My response was, "Is that even a question?" I anxiously counted down the days till our trip and upon my arrival I realized it was everything I had hoped for and more.
The second day we devoted to exploring the nature preservation on the far northern part of the island. It's a long walk before you hit the preserve but we refused to rent a Jeep and drive. We wanted to feel connected to all that was around us.
About half a mile from the entrance and many sandy footprints we could see the wonderful escape we were about to discover.
I started getting nervous about potential tic bites and Steven (my beloved) quickly started calming my fears. He was so committed to making sure I wasn't nervous that he began speaking and gesturing passionately and his feet just couldn't keep up. He slipped off a sand mound and rolled his ankle.
I instantly knew he was hurt by how quickly he went down. We both agreed we needed to turn around, find ice, get back to the car and hope that he could manage the walk. About a quarter mile from the car we stumbled upon a beautiful Wauwinet Inn. We found our oasis through the "Nantucket Desert" at their restaurant Toppers. The clientele was sophisticated and reservations were required to dine al Fresca. A very nice server guided us the bar/lounge where we quickly ordered a bag of ice for the ankle. We had eaten a late and large breakfast but couldn't pass up the bowl of Old Bay fries. The perfect complement to these delicious bites was of course an Aperol Spritz. We both agreed that this was the most delicious Spritz we had tasted, aside from Steven's own recipe. I give you his take on this refreshing drink. Sometimes life forces you to stop and redirect your discoveries. Life also reminds you that living in the city for too long can make you forget of other looming potential dangers, sand.
Aperol Spritz
3 parts Prosecco
2 parts Aperol
1 part soda
An organe wedge for garnish
Combine the first three ingredients in a large glass filled with ice, starting with pouring the Aperol, then the soda and top with the Prosecco. Stir slightly and finish with the orange.
