ode to 37 clamshell

over the past 5+ years, i have spent quite a bit of vacation time at tim's grandfather's cottage in chatham, ma, on the beach and on the water with tim's family. although i had spent some time in chatham as a little tyke, i've gotten to know the area a bit more recently...it's impossible not to love it...here are some of my favorite shots from memorial day weekend. maybe another post will include some of my favorite things to do!

what a wonderful place!

walking back from an afternoon and cocktail hour at the beach

...and i've realized that i should probably start including posts about my shoebox-sized apartment in cambridge to counterbalance all of this talk of vacationing!

a few days in the berkshires...

my mom is a college professor, and is always on the academic calendar. as i'm back in school, i'm now able to join her! i had a few days in between the end of finals and being back to work, and took advantage of it by going away in the berkshires with my mom for a few nights.

we stayed at the beautiful inn at rock hall, and as we were there mid-week, we were the only guests there. it was surreal. i like to go out for a meal here and there, but for the most part, i'm pretty self-sufficient. as the only guests, being self-sufficient was a challenge! we enjoyed being there so much that we barely spent any time outside of the inn.

amazing kitchen!

elaine mixes up a blueberry mojito

http://www.19rockhallroad.com/

super money maker

i'll admit that i can become a fan of most african tunes. on my first trip to zambia, i developed a keen appreciation for a radio commercial...."hello africa, tell me how you doin!" i love this video, and the idea behind it. what a guy, this mr. ebbo. this could very well be why i'm so excited about this organization and the super money maker. but there's more to the story which is actually very interesting...

kickstart, an organization that works to fight poverty through technology, developed the super money maker, an irrigation pump sold in kenya (and now tanzania) for less than $150, and produced this video as part of its marketing efforts. uniquely kenyan marketing efforts, that's for sure! donor funds are used for product development and marketing, but once the product reaches the "tipping point" of profitability, kickstart pulls out, and allows the supply chain to operate in the private market. the technologies have one goal in mind in the development stage: helping the poor generate income. an interesting model, and a really great video that i'll probably watch at least five more times.

day trip to marblehead

through this blog, i'm truly realizing how in touch i am with the seasons. last friday, i decided it was time to take the first day trip of the spring season. i've barely done any exploring since moving to boston, and it was time to start to change that...you can't work all the time! marblehead is a 40 minute drive from our place in cambridge-amazing how close boston is to these cute seaside towns! its seems like the town is packed with sailors and vacationers in the summer. i can only imagine what it will look like 3 months from now. boats in the water, shops open past 4:30, wait times at all the local restaurants and bars...

not so in the middle of march! still, a nice day, and a welcome break from the books. we made sure to stop at the landing, right on the harbor, for a beer before heading back to the city. a little "vacation" amidst final papers, exams, and study groups!


empty streets of marblehead



marblehead harbor...2 boats...the harbormaster and the mooring guy!

tim hates being the subject of my photos. oh well.  we now live 45 minutes from the ocean! woo!

international women's day 2011

i'm a day late in getting to this--no matter. yesterday, the world celebrated the 100th anniversary of international women's day. i spent quite a bit of free time clicking through the websites of different organizations to see how they were marking the occasion from a communications standpoint. there were a few websites i paid closer attention to...emma willard, my high school, and usaid, as i've developed quite an affinity with the usaid brand over the past few years! given that i'm studying women's health and women's right to health, i was particularly interested in mary robinson's blog recognizing womens' right to health, and the need for the international community to help realize the right: http://www.gatesfoundation.org/foundationnotes/Pages/mary-robinson-110307-international-womens-day.aspx. my favorite class this semester focuses on the right to health, but the right to health for women is particularly interesting/important in my mind.

i've was lucky enough to be raised by a woman who wanted to show me what it meant to be  'strong' pursue any career that i wanted to. i was lucky enough to attend an incredible high school that introduced me to women in the past who fought for a woman's right to high-quality education, and my classmates, who continue to amaze me all the time. and i am lucky enough to have found a few mentors in my professional life who have guided my career decisions thus far and have helped me learn quite a bit along the way. i have many wonderful women to thank. guess it's time to break out that stationary and get cracking.

winter at the samuel p. avery boathouse

we spent a weekend in the wonderful town of westport, ny a few weeks ago with some very good friends. it was great to be up in the adirondacks in the winter (despite the lack of skiing i did at whiteface). i thought it was pretty incredible that we were able to stand on lake champlain with the ice fishermen--where we would have had to use a boat 6 months ago, we were able to walk on the ice. dudley has become one of my most special places--so many wonderful memories over the last few years-- i feel very fortunate to be part of the gang there (thanks tim).

standing in front of the samuel p. avery boathouse, my former place of business.

yes, that is my friend todd ives swimming in the water.

does it get any better than this?

feels like home in washington dc!

i'm currently in washington for the annual fletcher school career trip--and walked through our old neighborhood in between panel sessions today. what a spot! we were so lucky to live right smack dab in the middle of the city. so many good restaurants, so easy to meet up with friends..tim's walk to work consisted of an entirety of five minutes--we could walk anywhere for that matter, to the white house, museums... it will probably be the only time in my life that i will live NEXT DOOR to an embassy. although this "graduate school" stage in the game is good for many reasons-- i miss it!

the starbucks where our whole adventure started- where we first found our apartment!

2035 p street! (couldn't see if the futon was still on the roof)

snowstorm in cambridge

i was scheduled to begin orientation at the fletcher school today--my first day of school! sadly, the snow got in the way. everything in boston seemed to be closed for the 14+ inches of snow that fell. it was nothing like the "snowpocolypse" in d.c. last year, and i was amazed with how quickly the cambride dpw plowed those roads--but it was fun to walk around town and watch the big dig out!

harvard square

tim broke out the skate skis in the morning!

looks like that tree might need to go--but in cambridge, of course, there is a public hearing scheduled to discuss the matter in depth. UPDATE: Indeed this is the case: http://www.malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXIV/Chapter87/Section3



bahama mama

i'll be the first to admit that nassau isn't the most cultural of places to travel to. cruise ships, senor frogs, the atlantis, coconut drinks, rum tasting, parasailing...nothing truly "bahamian" about that. our day in nassau in january, however, was wonderful. blue skies, warm weather, clear water, a beautiful beach...and a yard glass at senor frogs to top off the experience. it was my third visit to nassau, and instead of critiquing the tourist destination, we enjoyed it-- it was worth it! 

holidays in vermont

we were lucky enough to spend 4 days in peru,vermont over new year's with tim's family. a welcome change of scenery from busy nairobi. it is amazing that time can fly by so quickly, with so little on the agenda. i had no complaints--and enjoyed every minute of it!

back to skiing--x-country at least!

downtown manchester, vt, near the equinox hotel (the best bloody mary around!)

new years eve drinks at the mill tavern, londonderry,vt