Tony Bourdain's Fish Shack & The Dolphin

We were watching Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown on Netflix the other night. He was in our favorite city, Charleston. Within a second of seeing Tony having an alfresco meal with his buddies by a tin red-roofed shack, I instantly knew where he was. Here's a photo to prove it. That little building is where Tony had an "impromptu" meal. Good thing the crew was there to catch it all. Not caught in the episode was the dolphin swimming in front of the shack looking for handouts.

Anybody from Charleston already knows where this is but I'll refrain from saying anything else lest it become some sort of shrine to everybody's favorite snarky, booze-swilling, troublemaking tv host.

Tony — if you're reading this, that's a compliment and you can stop by our place in Charlotte to drink our booze and make trouble any day. 

This photograph was captured with the Sony NEX-7. 

Shark Week — Siesta Key Sand Bar

It's Shark Week! Every photo this week will have some reference to the ocean, sharks or some of their friends. This is what the surfers and swimmers at Siesta Key Beach look like from 350 feet up. Whenever I'm flying near the ocean, I always make a point to take a couple straight-down photographs like this in hopes that I'll manage to catch the back or shadow of a shark or other big fish. Tell me if you see anything!

This photograph was captured with a DJI Phantom 3 Professional drone.

Fred's General Mercantile

Beech Mountain is such a great place all year! With skiing and snowboarding in the winter and biking, hiking and disc golf in the summer, there's always something going on. The red building in this photograph is Fred's General Mercantile, known to most as just "Fred's." Fred's has been serving visitors and residents of Beech Mountain for decades and is the go-to spot for everything you could need from hardware to wine. There's even a grumpy cat that doesn't like to be looked at the wrong way! Note to self: get a photo of that cat some time.

This photograph was captured with a DJI Phantom 3 Professional drone.

Mouth of Shem Creek

Shem Creek opens up into Charleston Harbor just between Fort Sumter and Pinckney Island. It is usually super tranquil and a great place to go paddleboarding or kayaking as long as a shrimp boat doesn't come in to dock as you're paddling by. The shrimp boats bring dozens of sea birds intent on getting a free meal.

On the other hand, the creek is full of dolphins and they usually follow the shrimp boats around, too.

I guess there's really never a bad time for some time on the water in and around Shem Creek! For the less adventurous, there are several fantastic restaurants lined up along the creek as well. 

This photograph was captured with a DJI Phantom 3 Professional drone.

Norwegian Sky

When we docked in Nassau, it was really neat seeing and comparing all of the other cruise ships to ours. Each had a unique vibe and the design was drastically different from one to the next. This ship was docked next to us and they were throwing quite the embarkation party! The peacefulness of this photograph belies the craziness that was going on just an hour before.

A dozen Norwegian crew members were dancing and generally throwing a welcome party right on the dock as their passengers were arriving. They even had one of those giant blow-up figures that you see at car dealers — I'm not sure what the deal was with that thing! It was a really great marketing tactic for the people aboard other cruise lines. It may have been my imagination but I swear they were making people do a shot of tequila before they were allowed to return. We might have to check out Norwegian next time!

This photograph was captured with a Sony NEX-7. 

Snowy Tower

It's officially summer and the mercury is in the upper 90s in Charlotte so let's take it back to a much cooler day in Hogsmeade Village at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

I think the temperatures that day were in the low 80s but still, they've got fake snow and white skies so it seems a whole lot cooler! 

This photograph was captured with a Sony NEX-7. 

From Barcelona to the Bahamas

I was surprised to find that the gardens surrounding the marina on Paradise Island were clearly inspired by Barcelona's most famous architect, Antoni Gaudí. Not exactly the first thing you'd expect to find while walking through a high-end outdoor mall in the shadow of the ultra-modern Atlantis Resort.

In hindsight, it makes a lot of sense, though. Gaudí's unique style was heavily inspired by the ocean and to say everything he did was way over the top would be the understatement of the century. Sounds like a certain pink hotel that can be seen peaking out from the back of the Gaudí-inspired mosaic in this photograph.

This photograph was captured with a Sony NEX-7.

On the Prowl

This cougar lives in a protected habitat on Grandfather Mountain. I knew they were big but I had no idea just how enormous they were until we saw one in person! They are sometimes called mountain lions and they definitely live up to the name!

This photograph was captured with a Sony NEX-7. 

UK World Showcase

When some storm clouds rolled through Epcot on an otherwise sunny day, I headed straight to the UK World Showcase. The storm clouds and accompanying drizzle really brought Epcot's tiny British village to life! 

This photograph was captured with a Sony NEX-7.

Vickery's

Vickery's is a great waterfront bar and restaurant on Shem Creek in Mount Pleasant. Every trip we take to Charleston always starts with lunch at either Vickery's or Poe's Tavern on Sullivan's Island. If you go in the early afternoon, you are almost guaranteed to see a few dolphins playing along the creek. The dock has been newly renovated and now connects in a loop with the boardwalk over the marsh, which makes for a fun walk after lunch. 

This photograph was captured with a DJI Phantom 3 Professional drone.