Hi Friend,

June has been full. I turned 51 on the Gulf Coast with my daughter, came home with a tan, a lot of good stories, and a birthday dinner at a restaurant in Bon Secour that I am still thinking about. The article is live, the podcast episode drops Wednesday, and Father's Day is this Sunday. So this week's email is doing a lot of work.

Let's get into it.

Nicky 🌿

FROM THE KITCHEN: Homemade guacamole

PIt is guacamole season. It is always guacamole season, but especially now — Father's Day weekend cookouts, summer gatherings, every backyard moment between here and September. This is the recipe I make on repeat because it takes five minutes, uses five ingredients, and is legitimately better than anything from a tub.

The short version: two ripe avocados mashed to your preferred texture, the juice of one lime, a clove or two of garlic, a small handful of cilantro, salt to taste. That is it. If you want a little heat, a diced jalapeño goes in. If someone at the table hates cilantro, leave it out — the lime and garlic carry it.

The one tip that actually matters: press plastic wrap directly against the surface of the guacamole before refrigerating, making sure there is no air between the wrap and the dip. That is what keeps it green. Not lemon juice, not the pit. Just contact wrap and no air.

It is also keto-friendly, gluten-free, and the thing people always ask me to bring to parties. I never say no.

FROM MY TRAVEL DESK: The Gulf Shores article is live

Five days. Two generations. One oyster farm tour, one rock concert, one glamping tent inside Gulf State Park, one parasailing run over the Gulf of Mexico, and one birthday dinner that I would fly back for tomorrow if I could.

I went to Gulf Shores with my daughter Paige to celebrate turning 51, and what unfolded was equal parts beach vacation, live music road trip, and the kind of travel that gives you something worth talking about long after the tan fades. Paige had never been. I had. Introducing someone you love to a place you love, and watching them love it back — that turned out to be one of the best travel dynamics I have ever experienced.

The full story is on the blog now, the Allegiant nonstop from OKC that changed the math on this trip, the glamping at Timberline inside Gulf State Park, the Black Crowes at The Wharf Amphitheater, the lemur experience at the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo, and the moment on the parasailing boat when I realized the group after us couldn't go up because a storm rolled in off the Gulf. Take the opportunity. You do not get to know in advance which ones will be the last one available that day.

NEW PODCAST EPISODE: Drops Wednesday June 24th on Untethered and Wanderwise

Heide and I are bringing the full Gulf Shores trip to the podcast this Wednesday — the planning, the parasailing, the birthday dinner at Fresco, and everything in between. If you want the behind-the-scenes version of what you just read, this is it.

The episode drops Wednesday June 24th. Find us wherever you listen:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4MPgFBfp1pAHEhaoiTxbQd​

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Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/untethered-wanderwise-female-travel-over-45/id1765978476​
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Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/37e88083-0a4e-4689-ad90-7dfc4c7c5e3a/untethered-wanderwise-female-travel-over-45​

Not a listener yet? There are plenty of other episodes waiting for you right now — we talk travel, life after 50, and doing things that scare you a little. Come find us.

FATHER'S DAY IS SUNDAY: A gift idea worth bookmarking

I mentioned this a few weeks ago and I'm bringing it up again because If you are still looking for something for the dad in your life and you do not want to overnight ship one more thing he does not need — Uncommon Goods has something worth knowing about. Their virtual experience classes are the kind of gift that gives him something to actually do. Virtual whiskey tasting. Virtual coffee tasting. Virtual mapmaking. Classes he can take from home, alone or with the family, on his schedule.

There is no shipping anxiety with digital experiences. And they tend to be the gift people talk about long after the occasion is over — which is exactly the point.

(Affiliate link. I only share things genuinely worth your time.)

FOR YOUR SUMMER CAMPING TRIPS: 59 no-cook camping food ideas

Summer camping season is fully here, and the best camping meals are the ones that don't require you to stand over a camp stove while everyone else is having fun. I put together 59 camping food ideas that require zero cooking — breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert — so you can spend more time around the fire and less time in front of it.

This one is a bookmark-worthy resource for every trip between now and Labor Day.

And while you're planning — outdoor games for teenagers are also worth having in your back pocket. This list covers the ones that actually keep older kids off their phones and genuinely engaged. It works just as well for the adults.

Find the outdoor games list here.

Happy Father's Day to every dad in your life this Sunday. Make guacamole. Take the trip. Listen to the podcast on Wednesday.

Hit reply if you have questions, recommendations, or just want to tell me something good that happened this week. I read every one.

Until next week,
Nicky