It was once thought to be a solely European thing to dine al fresco, but more and more American cities are picking up on the pleasures of wiling away a relaxing meal out in the fresh air. The latest trend is pop-up beer gardens. Pioneering chefs or establishments take over a side lot for a

Fall usually means the onset of chilly nights. Fight off the frost with some warm, cozy blankets. Don’t let the cold keep you inside. Outdoor rooms are meant to be used all year round. A crackling fire pit and some other heat sources can help make things comfortable, but a little extra may be needed

According to the website NationalDayCalendar.com, September 28th, 2016 is National Have A Beer Day. This coincides with the end of the annual Oktoberfest celebrations in Munich, Bavaria, Germany (yes, the end – years ago the festival was moved up a few weeks to take advantage of the warmer September weather). The first weekend of October is

“Outdoor room” doesn’t have to mean “out in the open.” There are many options for covering your patio space. Summer officially ended this week, but you still can catch some rays. While you’re admiring a beautiful sunset and reminiscing on a hot season well spent, lend some thought to the coming summer’s heat. The time

Labor Day is coming up. Those of us lucky enough to have outdoor living spaces will undoubtedly find people gathering on our patios this weekend (whether we invite them or not!). Labor Day is one of those holidays where we simply plan to grill big. What’s “grilling big?” It’s taking a simple meal for a

In an October 2014 survey on real estate/home decor site houzz.com, user Emily Hurley conducted a poll about the trend to use words or lettering as decoration. Ms. Hurley asked Houzz users, “What do you think about words directly on the walls as part of the decor?” Of the total 4346 votes, the majority of

One of the major stumbling blocks to spending more time outdoors is the dreaded mosquito and the itchy bite it leaves behind. Thankfully in our region these little pests don’t usually come with big problems like they do on other continents. Still, when we are plagued by bugs we tend to spend less time outside.

“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson This Saturday, June 25, 2016, the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) is encouraging all of us to slow down and reconnect with Mother Nature by camping out. Here’s some information from the NWF’s website: http://www.nwf.org/Great-American-Campout.aspx “National Wildlife Federation’s Great American Campout is also part

June 20th at sundown begins the new season. June 21 is the first full day of summer (September 20th will be the last). Many hot days await us in the coming months. Since we’re usually indoors through most winter and spring weeks, we want to maximize our time outside. When temperatures soar into the 80-90

Sunday, June 18, 2016 is Father’s Day. We’ve all done the funny hats and grilling accessories thing. In fact, we posted our own gift ideas list last year. That stuff is fun. But there are only so many gag gifts and gadgets one dad needs. This year, skip the grilling gear and give Dad an