After a hectic week, and meetings in Washington, D.C., I decided to take a little R&R time and drove to the Outer Banks. I was surprised by how long the journey took, and was not thrilled when I became stuck in Washington, D.C. rush-hour traffic, which added an extra hour to my drive. I arrived around 10:30 p.m., making up some lost time en route, and stopped at the grocery store to purchase a few items. Arriving at my house, I found the water was turned off and a sub-freeze had hit the area. It is very unusual for the OBX to have this much cold, for this long a period. The water company had checked the house a few days earlier and found the pipes were frozen. I attempted to turn the water off at the street; the main near the house was on, but all I was able to do was loosen the clean-out. Even without the water on, I was able to cook a delicious dinner consisting of lemon chicken with capers and olives.  I recommend trying it! I had bought a few bottles of water which got me through the night, and by morning we had the water turned on. I spent the weekend walking the beach (in the sub-temps), catching up on paperwork and taking care of other administrative duties while enjoying some real relaxation. I also fancy myself a decent cook and took advantage of fresh mahi mahi (with tomatoes and leeks) and a wonderful sea bass with bok choy, onion, clams and mussels. I am back on the road today, gearing up for a trip to up-state Pennsylvania and then back to WHQ. — Fran Gallagher, publisher and CEO