Producing the YOLO shoot in Seagrove, FL, earlier this summer was one of the more fun photo shoots I've had the opportunity to do. Not only did Mary Katherine Stump, our writer, and I get to spend the day picking the brains of Jeff Archer and Tom Losee (above), the entrepreneurs behind YOLO Boards, but we also got to learn how to stand-up paddle. The sport, in which one stands on a more-buoyant version of a surf board and paddles, is like nothing else—tranquil yet exciting, calming while seriously working the core muscles. I've been hooked ever since—I even convinced my husband and some friends to try it on our vacation. To get the full story and find out what YOLO means, pick up the October issue of Coastal Living. In the meantime, check out these photos taken during our shoot!

Chris Lambert, a local YOLOer, loaned us his meticulously-restored vintage VW bus for the shoot. So we loaded it up with boards and tailgating essentials and headed for the beach!

Madra Medina McDonald, of M Public Relations, and Mary Katherine return to the bus after give the sport a try.

Our photographer, Colleen Duffley. Check out her studio, Studio B, here. For more info on YOLO Boards, click here.

**Special thanks to the Lamberts for loaning us their VW and taking such great behind-the-scene shots! 

Before the Cancun airport opens its new runway to jets, runners will get a once-in-a-lifetime chance to try out the surface. The Cancun airport run on Oct, 10 is open to anyone who wants a chance to jog along a  air strip.

The event should be a cakewalk for experienced runners. The runway’s mercifully flat, of course, and since the 5K and 10K races start at 7 a.m., participants won’t have to face the full heat of the tropical sun. Registration is $200 pesos (about $15 U.S. dollars) if you register before October 8, or $250 pesos ($19) to register late.

But for runners, it should be worth every centavo. After this event, you can only try the course if you’re willing to be pursued by security officers.

Of course, Cancun is really just excited about the new $67 million addition, which will allow the airport to have simultaneous takeoffs and landings on both runways. Its new control tower, the airport brags, stands more than 315 feet, making it among the 20 tallest in the world.

Our September issue’s roundup of great coastal roadtrips, has me daydreaming about a wonderful drive I took last month.

About 20 of us gathered for a family reunion in the cute town of St. Michaels, Maryland, on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay, where we shopped, wandered, toured and ate our fill of seafood. We stayed at the Harbourtowne resort just outside of town, which was a delight. Our group had a separate wing with adjoining patios, and we talked into the night as a cooling breeze blew off the Bay.

After we said goodbye, I took a meandering route back to D.C, driving shaded country roads to the Oxford-Bellevue Ferry, which calls itself the nation’s oldest privately run ferry, dating to the late 1600s. The ¾-mile trip crosses the Tred Avon River, and is a wonderful chance to get out on the water. Along with cars, there were plenty of bikes on our Sunday morning crossing. The area has some of the best cycling routes in the country. But even from the driver's seat of a rental car, I could tell we were somewhere special.

Photo: Talbot County Office of Tourism

How are you guys? It's been a while since I've posted, and I wanted to catch everyone up on what we've been up to. We've been busy!

I hope you've had a chance to flip through the September issue. As you may have noticed, editor Lindsay Bierman mentioned in his editor's letter that we recently welcomed a new member into our Coastal Living family—Chippy the sea lion!

Chippy

"This 600-pound sea lion was rescued by The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, CA," Lindsey writes. "I'm sorry to tell you this, but when The Center's vets examined him, they found a bullet in his head. (Don't worry, they nursed him back to health!) This year, shocking numbers of sea lions and other creatures have been coming ashore starving and weak. Their food sources seem to be moving away from the coast or disappearing, and no one knows why."

But you too can welcome a marine mammal into your family. Visit marinemammalcenter.org or call (415) 289-7339 to learn more and join The Center's Adopt-a-Seal program. Here's a few more friends who need your help.

Astro


Calloway

Poppy


Garnett


Repo