I confess. I ate a packet of Dunkin’ Donuts Munchkins en route to my weekend getaway at Canyon Ranch. Not exactly a promising portent for visiting this almost three-decade old temple of wellness tucked into the Berkshires.

Tis the season for the Pantone Color Institute to declare its color of the year. For 2017 it is shade number 15-0343, AKA “greenery” -- a bright “yellow-green shade that evokes the first days of spring.” The color authority doesn’t just pick a random hue. Its researchers spend the prior year observing trends from fashion to décor. What they noted: fashion houses from Michael Kors to

As soon as you open the door to aMano, an Italian eatery in Mattituck, there is a hominess that hits you. Maybe it’s the long, burnished mahogany bar alive with happy tipplers. Or the warren of intimate rooms that flow seamlessly into each other.

Two tables away a Chocolate-Caramel Tart arrives with a candle, accompanied by audible oohs and ahs from its recipient. Across the room a bottle of Veuve Clicquot is poured into the glasses of a table of six.

One of the secret joys of living in a summer resort year-round is, in a word, winter. On the North Fork, that’s when you can tour the wineries at leisure; enjoy the stretch limo-free-roads; dine at the area’s best restaurants, no need to book ahead; walk the beaches in solitude;

When do one and one equal more than two? This is not a trick question. There is a synergy created when pairing wine and food. To drag out an old maxim from math class (or was it science?): the sum is equal to more than its parts.

From Orient to Mattituck, holiday shopping is always a special treat on the North Fork. Goodies can be found in the many local shops, stores, and boutiques that dot the landscape all along the North Fork. Featuring beautiful antiques, unique jewelry, great books, locally made candles, vintage furniture, gourmet foods, luscious chocolates, and more.