Do you remember where you were when it happened?

I am speaking, of course, of Saturday afternoon's successful attempt to set a Guinness world record for skinny dipping -- it's pretty safe to assume a record was set since there wasn't one before.

The event, which took place at 3 p.m. "Eastern Nudist Time'' at more than 135 locations around the country, was sponsored by the Florida-based American Association for Nude Recreation and was intended to serve as a finale to their Nude Recreation Week.

Carolyn Hawkins, a AANR spokeswoman, said that the group had not completed compiling numbers but they know that more than 8,000 participated and they are hoping the final count will reach 20,000.

Most of the gatherings took place at AANR clubs, but there were some public clothing-optional beaches, such as Gunnison Beach on the Jersey Shore and Haulover in Miami.

OK, so it sounds like you missed it. If you would like a running start at the next attempt, the folks at About.com have compiled a list of 10 resorts, campgrounds, and clubs in the New England where you can kick the tires on a clothing-free "nakation.''

Alan Berner/The Seattle Times via AP
Skinny-dippers crowd the pool at FS Family Nudist Park in Issaquah, Wash., on Saturday.

The 17th Annual Rock River Artists Open Studio Tour is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, July 18 and 19, beginning at the Old Schoolhouse in South Newfane. Leave it to Vermont to create a unique opportunity for guests to enjoy the state's beauty, while on the hunt for local artisans. Tour-goers pick up a map and explore samples of each artist's work before setting out on their adventure. Mid-tour lunch options in the area include the famous Ken's Hot Dogs and the newly opened Newfane Café and Creamery. Many stops along the tour offer light refreshments and great conversation as well. For more details about the tour, lodging and directions, please visit online or call 802-258-9082.

Photo courtesy of Rock River Artists

Looking for something to do this weekend? Wiggle your way down to Castine, a gem of a town on the Blue Hill Peninsula, for Celebrate Castine. This three-day festival, July 10-12, 2009, is a home-grown good time: street fair, art exhibits, boat trips, dining events, tours of Maine Maritime Academy's State of Maine training ship, wine receptions, paddles, hikes, a walking tour, canine entertainment, and a big band night. Better yet, most events are free.

Never been to Castine? All the more reason to go. Few towns have as rich a history as now serene Castine. Strategically located on the tip of a cape, surrounded by water on three sides, including the entrance to the Penobscot River, it was fought over by France, Britain, and Holland for centuries. Historical markers throughout town bring those squabbles to life, and make it especially enriching for a an easy-going walk or pedal.

Castine is also architecturally rich, with beautifully restored and maintained Federal and Georgian homes and a splendid Queen Anne inn (the Pentagoet, have a drink with Jack in Passports Pub, definitely make reservations for dinner, and snag a room, if you can). It's also home to the Wilson Museum, (filled with eclectic treasures), a handful of forts, Dyce's Lighthouse, and Maine Maritime Academy.

Photo by Hilary Nangle for The Boston Globe

Created in 2004, the Hygienic Outdoor Art Bizarre Bazaar appears in unison with New London's SailFest to provide a venue for artists and crafters to display and sell their works. The show's 5th year is scheduled for July 11-12, along the streets of New London, and spilling into the sea, where its SailFest attracts thousands.

More so than other art shows, the Hygienic Outdoor Art Bizarre Bazaar offers the truly unique, like Peruvian singers, a children's pirate parade, bustling beer garden, Cambodian dancers, blacksmith and glassblowing demos, fine arts and crafts of many mediums, and live music around every corner. Visit online or call 860-444-0659 for details.

Photo courtesy of Hygienic Outdoor Bizarre Bazaar

Paris is good to my comings and goings – little things to welcome me back or make me miss her when I go.

Before heading out for the summer, I bumped into Fred Valade in the northern reaches of Belleville while looking for my last lunch in Paris and asked where to get a good steak tartare in the neighborhood. He gave me a "no-can-do'' shrug and instead pointed me toward the new divin restaurant – a shiny, new and unfettered by capital letters.

The concept isn’t new, but there’s nothing to be tired of: a product-centric menu that cleverly goes easy on the chef at service time and a host of good organic and natural production wines. The restaurant is run by a pair of brothers, but divin is a direct cousin of the likes of La Crèmerie and Le Verre Volé; the more the merrier for this kind of place.

I had a thick slab of chunky pâté, full of deep, meaty and wonderfully liver-y flavor, all protected by a snow-white layer of fat and served with big, plump capers and good bread.
I washed it down with a (well-recommended) Côtes du Rhône, smacked my lips, and headed to the airport with a smile.

divin
35 rue des Annelets
75019 Paris
011 33 1 40 40 79 41

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Globe travel correspondent Joe Ray writes his own blog, Eating The Motherland and contributes to the English language version of Simon Says! the French food and lifestyle blog run by French food critic Francois Simon.

Photo of organic and natural production wines at the Crus et Decouvertes wine shop in the 11th by Joe Ray for The Boston Globe

Call it the Broken Guitar Blues. And it's become something of an Internet hit.

Canadian musician Dave Carroll says he had his $3,500 Taylor guitar smashed by United Airlines workers during a spring 2008 trip from Halifax, Nova Scotia, to Omaha, Neb.

After the carrier refused to pay $1,200 in repair costs, Carroll channeled his ire into a song, "United Breaks Guitars,'' which he performed with his Halifax-based band Sons of Maxwell, filmed, and put on YouTube. The video has reportedly been viewed nearly 400,000 times since being posted Monday.

The Chicago Tribune reported that United has since had a change of heart and is talking to Carroll about compensation. But Carroll told the LA Times travel blog that he's no longer interested in the money and harbors the company no ill feelings.

He does, however, plan to make good on a promise to write a trilogy of tunes about the incident, the second part of which is due out in August and focuses on his relationship with Ms. Irlweg, a customer service representative.

It is, he tells the Times, the first song he’s ever written with a tuba in it.

If you found yourself unable to access Southwest's site to score tickets yesterday there's a reason.
The discount carrier's big 48-hour fall sale, which featured the cheapest fares the airline has offered since 1996, drew so much traffic that it hobbled the company's website for about five hours yesterday.
The airline, which will begin service from Logan in the middle of next month, launched the sale Monday and it ended yesterday. Paul Flaningan, a company spokesman, told Bloomberg News that portions of the website went down about 9:30 a.m. and were restored by about 2:40 p.m.
Southwest offered mea culpas but decided that it would NOT extend the sale to make up for lost time due to the techical hiccup.
The sale, which was atypical in that fall discounts aren't usually offered till later in the summer, kicked off a mini-price war as most of the major carriers rushed to match fares on competitive routes.
The lesson here, if any, is that these days sales pop up quickly -- and disappear as quickly. So if you're in the market for travel the best deals often go to those who act quickly.

Photo by istockphoto.com

Stoweflake Mountain Resort is probably most famous for its luxurious spa treatments and gourmet cuisine, but an increasing number of visitors also know it for its Annual Hot-Air Balloon Festival. This year marks the event's 23d anniversary. More than 25 balloons will hover and soar in the skies above Stoweflake Besides the colorful airborne display the festival also features live music, children's activities, beer and wine garden, food glorious food, and of course, balloon rides.

The three-day event kicks off Friday, July 10 with a twilight balloon launch. Saturday and Sunday follows with a jam-packed schedule including sunrise launches at 6:30 a.m. -- a sight not to miss. Viewing all launches is free, and admission to evening events is $8 for adults, with kids 12 and younger admitted for free. Balloon rides are priced at $275 per person plus tax and advanced reservations are highly recommended. Tethered rides are available for just $10 a person.

Stoweflake offers a special balloon flight package that includes: two nights with daily breakfast, balloon welcome basket, admission to festival, and all for $366 per night [double occupancy]. For details visit online or call 802-253-7355.

If you've never gone to a Greek festival, it's time. It should be on everyone's list of to-dos. The 11th Annual Greek Heritage Festival will be held the weekend of July 10-12 at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church in Saco, Maine. Last year's event saw almost 15,000 visitors come through its gates to enjoy the food, music and festivities dawn to dusk.

The Hellenic & Near East Musical Society Ensemble will play Friday and Saturday from 5-9 p.m., with Greek dance ensemble, V.E.V.A., entertaining the masses on Saturday at 4 & 7 p.m. Enjoy narrated church tours and Greek culture lectures and videos, bookstore, religious items, Greek grocery store, souvenirs, coffee house, and much, much more. Children will be entertained by the many activities just for them, and the food, well the food is almost the whole reason to go, and you can expect the traditional loukoumathes (Greek fried dough balls), baklava ice cream sundaes, and gyros dripping with slow roasted flavors.

Admission is FREE, with ample on site parking and handicap accessibility. Make plans now because rain or shine, the show must and will go on. For more information, contact Stephanie Koutroulis at 207-284-5651.

Southwest Airlines, which will launch service from Logan starting Aug. 16, announced
a big 48-hour sale, with one-way fares going for as low as $30, $60, or $90 based on length of travel.
The move bucks a recent industry trend, which saw the major airlines raising ticket prices over the past couple of weeks as the beleaguered carriers once again find themselves facing volatile fuel prices.
The terms of the Southwest sale go like this: For flights up to 400 miles, you could pay as little as $30; 400-750 miles $60; and more than 750 miles $90. These fares don't include taxes and fees, and you must purchase before July 9 for travel from Sept. 9 through Nov. 18. Also you can't travel on Fridays or Sundays.
The complaints with this kind of deal tend to focus on the fact that sale fares tend to be in rather short supply. But here in Greater Boston we have an advantage because Southwest doesn't begin flying till next month, so, for the most part, there's no shortage of seats available for the fall.
I plugged in a few September and October dates for flights to the Midwest and California and found a number of openings at sale prices.
This sale could also kick off a smallish price war on competing routes, according to one airline analyst who was quoted in a Reuters story.
"While airline ticket prices have stabilized recently from their free fall, airlines are by no means out of the woods as oil prices remain volatile and demand precarious," said Rick Seaney, chief executive of FareCompare.com, in an e-mail this morning. "Later today we should see significant airfare matching activity (even for the modest 2-day purchase period on the Southwest sale) as legacy airlines will not want to be undercut."

The Franklin Park Zoo invites you to come celebrate the summer birthdays of 2 of their western lowland gorillas. Okie turns 16 on July 11, and Gigi, the oldest gorilla in the Zoo turns 37 on July 13. The Tropical Forest area will be festively decorated, and visitors can sing a birthday tune while watching the birthday duo enjoy special treats made special for the big day.

The gorillas public birthday bash will be Saturday, July 11 at 11 a.m. The event is free with regular admission: $13 for adults, $7 for kids, and 2 and under are free. Visit online for details or call 617-541-LION.

Photo courtesy of Zoo New England

Wandering across America in the 1970s and '80s, Jonathan Kendall was a
flaxen-haired, blue-eyed, free spirited wood carver who described himself as
a Cabot descendent born of an Anglo-Catholic Movement father and a
seamstress mother who restored Thomas Becket's vestment garment (Archbishop
of Canterbury circa 1162). From New Mexico to New England, Kendall landed
with one of his partners Charles McLeod at Wellfleet's Our Lady of Lourdes
Catholic Church in 1976, bartering a summer's camp spot in exchange for a
pair of iconic hand-carved church doors. Today the church building which
fell into disuse is being restored as Wellfleet Preservation Hall, a
community and performance center. When it opens in 2010, so will Kendall's
doors.

Meanwhile across the street, Wellfleet Congregational Church will host Dar
Williams performing with the IBIS Chamber Music players to benefit the
restoration, Saturday, July 18 at 7:30 p.m. (Williams married into a
musical, Wellfleet-going family and gives some of her summer time to
community projects; she helped the Wellfleet public library go solar in '08.)

If you don't know Dar's music, here's a sample: "It's Alright'' from her recent "Promised Land'' CD.

IBIS musicians come from the Boston Pops, National Symphony and Kennedy
Center Opera House Orchestra.

Kendall who died in 2004 would have bartered another wood carving for a $40
Williams concert ticket, but he'd no doubt appreciate the tribute of a
touring artist as famous as he was itinerant and unknown.

"Kendall was like Hansel in the Hansel and Gretel fable, leaving the crumbs
of his true story in a trail of art works," says Wellfleet resident Mark
Gabriele, a preservation committee member who researched the artist's life.
Kendall made notes on the backs of the art pieces, often with details about
the place where it was made. "There are owners of his work all around the
country. He was known to borrow cars and disappear with them. Whenever he
had a car, there was an irresistible urge to go someplace else." Gabriele
says.

Today you don't have to camp in a church yard or be an outsider artist to
barter your way around the world with your work. A Toronto-based artist
Katherine Dolgy uses SabbaticalHomes.com, to offer her paintings in exchange
for lodging. (Sabbatical.com caters to academics seeking or owning property
for rent, exchange, or house-sitting.) Instead of rent, Dolgy leaves
paintings incorporating people, places or objects of personal importance to
the owner.

Anyone want to trade their Cape Cod beach house for a blog?

For concert info and tickets visit wellfleetpreservationhall.org, e-mail
Nicholas@wellfleetpreservationhall.org, or call 646/265-7952.

Posted by Patricia Borns, Globe correspondent

PALERMO - Dad can be very good at bonding with the locals. His eyes might glaze over with a museum guide or, say, me when I get going about food, but give him someone salty in a tweed cap or a tour bus driver and in five minutes, they’ll be sharing a bag of sunflower seeds with Dad telling the joke about the drunk twins from the County Cork.

In Palermo, this happens with Sicily guide Jean-Paul Barreaud, the man who introduced me to pastry chef and gelato god, Santi Pallazzolo, and spoke my favorite Motherland quote: “Sicilians eat like ogres.”

Their bonding subject was instant: Palermo traffic.

“I like your car Jean-Paul, are those claw marks on the bumper?” asked Dad.

“The only pedestrians with untouchable rights are pregnant women,” replied Barreaud, not skipping a beat. “Everyone else is fair game.”

I couldn’t tell if Dad, a true road warrior, was terrified or agog in admiration for the Palermitans, but I can say that he never took the wheel and after returning home, he wrote a lengthy e-mail thanking me for driving.

Barreaud brought us to U Zù Caliddu, a former smuggler’s safe house in the hills above Palermo run by a sprawling family that includes a grandmother in the kitchen and a four year old playing soccer in a Spider Man costume in the dining room.

There’s a 15-euro fixed-price menu that could put even the hungriest ogre under the table, but it’s also a great way to get a handle on family-style Sicilian. The antipasto includes great examples of the sweet and sour caponata, roasted ricotta and a pizza cousin called ''old man’s face'' – a square and thick pie with a cheese-laden red sauce that Dad promptly got all over his shirt.

Seemingly from nowhere, the guide pulled out a bottle of miracle stain cleaner that he sprays on Dad’s shirt
.
Barreaud looks at me and smiles, “He’s becoming Italian!”

U Zù Caliddu
C/ del Piano dell’ochio
Torretta (PA)
011 091 8983913

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Globe travel correspondent Joe Ray writes his own blog, Eating The Motherland and contributes to the English language version of Simon Says! the French food and lifestyle blog run by French food critic Francois Simon.

Photo by Joe Ray for The Boston Globe

Direct Air, which flies from Worcester Regional Airport to Sanford (Orlando) and Punta Gorda (Fort Myers) in Florida and to Myrtle Beach, S.C., is offering 50 percent off its lowest available fares from July 3 through midnight July 12. The sale is good on all available flights, into 2010.

The airline is presenting this as a deal to benefit last minute "Gotta get away" folks and "long term planners" who want to book winter flights at big savings. Travelers must use promo code "JULY4" to receive the offer. Visit the website or call 877-432-DIRECT (3473).

In addition to the discounted airfares, the oceanfront Myrtle Beach Sea Watch Resort is offering a "Stay 2 nights and 3rd night free offer, and USAVE car rental is offering a free day rental with 3 or more paid days.

This year marks the 400th anniversary of French explorer and cartographer Samuel de Champlain’s travels by sail, oar, and paddle to the lake that bears his name. One of the largest celebrations is the 13-day Burlington International Waterfront Festival that runs July 2-14.

Planning to visit during the Waterfront Festival gives visitors the opportunity to see live music, comedy, film, and theater. Musical performances by Tony Bennet, Aimee Mann, Steve Earle, Dan Zanes, and Buddy Guy are planned. There are history forums and exhibits, children's activities, a mammoth parade, food and drink, and many outdoor experiences. Activities are spread throughout the town, with varying costs. Visit online or call 802-264-0766 for schedules, tickets, lodging, and other details.

Photo courtesy of Burlington City Arts

If you think Maine is all about the coast, you need to venture inland and discover the lakes, rivers, woods, and peaks that define the region between Bethel and Millinocket. Not only does this region rival the coast for natural beauty, it's also wildlife rich. You won't see a puffin, but your chances of spotting a moose are high.

Making that easy is the new Maine Woods Discovery program, a collaborative venture by Alpine resorts Sunday River, Sugarloaf, and Saddleback Maine; the rustic lodges and nature-based programs of the Appalachian Mountain Club and Maine Huts & Trails; and rafting and recreation outfitters Northern Outdoors, and New England Outdoor Center.

These entities have put together seven one- to three-day packages, each combining accommodations with activities and some meals, with rates beginning at $75 per person. Packages include geocaching, hiking, biking, paddling, rock-hounding, and craft-making. Read on for details.

If your favorite tweets come from feathered creatures, the Maine Birding Trail is for you.

Along with this spring’s official launch of the online trail, there’s a just-published companion guidebook, Maine Birding Trail (Down East Books, 2009) by Bob Duchesne, a Maine state representative, avid birder, and Maine Audubon guide who founded and has worked on the trail website since 2003. Duchesne says the project will continually change as birding sites are upgraded or protected according to the need for habitat protection. It’s his labor of love, developed in collaboration with Maine state government, Maine Audubon, and local birders.

The book identifies more than 260 accessible sites, dozens of other locations that are not part of the official trail and additional bird-watching venues in nearby Campobello and Grand Manan islands in Canada.

The book is not a guide to birds. In fact, there are no photos, no flight pattern charts or any of the other usual birding tools. It’s a travel guide to places throughout Maine from the southern beaches to Aroostook County, identifying which species you’re likely to see where. Chapters correspond to Maine’s official tourism regions rather than habitat zones.

In addition to driving directions and local maps, Duchesne gives visitors a heads-up on terrain. In Washington County, a Down East locale of undeveloped lakes where he says the tiny village of Grand Lake Stream has been the center of a robust hunting and fishing tradition since the 19th century, traditional sporting camps and lodges are marvelous places. Nearby, “the Little Mayberry Cove Trail begins at the outlet dam and follows the shoreline for 2 ½ miles through mature hemlock forest. Black-throated Blue Warblers, Scarlet Tanagers, and Eastern Wood-Peewees are common among the many songbirds found along the trail.” The Pocumcus Lake Trail is good for Ruffed Grouse and “judging by the abundance of moose droppings, it’s also a pretty good corridor for wildlife in the thick woods.”

Posted by Janet Mendelsohn, Globe correspondent

Because, baby you can drive your car aboard the CAT high-speed ferry, then on to Halifax, where McCartney is headlining an outdoor concert on July 11.

The CAT is offering a three-day package including:

• round-trip vehicle and passenger transportation from Portland to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.

• two nights with daily breakfast at the Oak Island Resort and Spa (45 minutes from Halifax).

• open admission tickets to the outdoor concert at The Commons, in Halifax, on July 11. (Bring chairs or a blanket.)

Price is $541 per person, based on double occupancy. Fuel surcharges and Port and Security fees are extra.

Note: It's about a three- to four-hour drive from Yarmouth, where the Cat docks, to Halifax, but you'll probably want to take longer to see some of the sights en route.

Do you find yourself shuttling between Boston and points south on I-95 ?

In a road food story I shared some Georgia eateries from years of driving the East Coast. Now comes a new find off the highway near Florence,
S.C., in the former cotton and tobacco town of Darlington. You'd never know it
from the scruffy exterior -- or maybe you would -- but Bay Island Seafood has
been a local favorite for 20 years. Traveling with me was Charlotte Jenkins,
the owner-chef of Gullah Cuisine in Mt. Pleasant,S.C., who's a divining rod of sorts when it comes to food. We'd missed lunch and
the restaurants in Darlington had stopped serving, when she noticed the
faded blue storefront at 1316 South Main.

Inside, the seafood market sells whole pan fish like croaker, black bass, and
Virginia spot, while the kitchen turns out plates of perfectly fried seafood
done bone-in in the Gullah style. Just look in the seafood case and see
what's fresh (we chose the croaker), and the staff will fry it up. The
portions are generous, prices cheap (a 4-piece dinner cost $8.99), and
there's plenty of sit-down space as well as take-away. Willie Pearson, who
owns the restaurant, also sells big plastic bottles of his own hot sauce. The
label contains a dedication to his mother.

Charlotte had also wanted to buy a lottery ticket in Darlington because she
thinks small lotto stores are the luckiest, but we'd forgotten that, too.
After our meal, she said, "No worries. We hit the jackpot with Bay Island."
Bay Island Seafood
Darlington, S.C.
(843) 393-5986
Directions: From I-95, take Exit 164 (US 52 N.) toward Darlington. Continue
straight about 5.2 miles to Joe Louis Blvd. and make a U-turn to restaurant
on opposite side (US 52 S.).

Posted by Patricia Borns, Globe Correspondent

Photos by Patricia Borns for The Boston Globe