harpoon point-to-point

i've been road biking for 5 years at this point, but it's been a way to work out--not something i truly enjoyed. after participating in the annual harpoon brewery point-to-point ride in windsor, vt with my family, i understand why so many are obsessive with biking (a la skiing) these days! a great day, a wonderful (hilly & tiring ride) through vermont, a great cause, and some good beers to to top it all off at the end of the day. nothing i could possibly imagine to complain about! i will definitely be there next year--and might upgrade to a longer ride!

we spent a few hours the next day kayaking down a portion of the connecticut river, with an outfitter attached to the path of life sculpture garden (a very interesting establishment that would survive only in vermont).

hops at harpoon's windsor, vt brewery

http://www.harpoonpointtopoint.com/

what we need now

i never thought i'd read something like this in the harvard business review. i thought this article was pretty well put. it describes well the balancing the human "survival act," as it's called in the article, with our higher values.

"So how do we learn to rise to our best selves more often?
The first answer is to acknowledge how often we fall short of the ideals to which we aspire — and how much help we need in living them more fully. We need humility in place of hubris, and even a sense of shame, where it's warranted, as a spur to behave better."

philosophers would probably get into this being a very "human" conundrum...as most animals wouldn't have to debate about self-interest vs. generosity. but seems like something we all grapple with, all the time. brings to mind that e.b. white quote:

i arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. this makes it hard to plan the day.-e.b. white (we'll let it slide that he's a cornell grad.)

http://blogs.hbr.org/schwartz/2011/08/what-we-need-now.html

focusing on what works--the outliers

we hear a lot about failed development projects, things that implementers can improve on, wasted development aid funds, development projects which do more harm than good...you get the picture. think bill easterly.

i listened to a talk from the positive deviance initiative (based at tufts university, although that's not why i'm writing about them) yesterday. the positive deviance method focuses on what is working, and allowing people to live better, right at this moment. instead of going into a community and telling people what will work, the method listens to members of the community and identifies the outliers. those who are succeeding against the odds. not the sick, but those who are thriving. and again, instead of telling the community what they need to do to improve their predicament, the method encourages the community to realize the solutions--and implement them.

yes it sound a little crunchy, and yes, it's probably really difficult to monitor and display concrete results (good or bad). but, it sounds like a good way to work in this field if you want to be an optimist.

http://www.positivedeviance.org/

weekend in denver

tim and i flew out to denver a few weeks ago to have a mini-reunion with my high school girlfriends- i hadn't been out since i cracked my leg a year and a half ago! i know colorado is beautiful year-round,  but i almost appreciated it more in the summertime. we packed in quite a bit in 3 days! these are shots from our "hike" in breckenridge.

columbine- the state flower! and i learned something today!

snow on breckenridge

weekend in the north country

we just returned from a tiring, but rejuvenating weekend in westport, ny. had the chance to catch up with many good friends, had some laughs, and attended an amazing chapel service on sunday morning. quite a long ride from boston--but certainly worthwhile.

lake champlain experienced record water levels this year --and landslides happened.
so,camp dudley is housing a few campers in yurts!

another incredible sunset at the schoolhouse

crowne point bride--almost completed!

the most powerful photo essay i've seen...

this photo essay, which a friend who is currently working in afghanistan posted, depicts the world's most dangerous countries for women. it is haunting. powerful. emotional. frightening. all of the above. what amazing women, and what incredible circumstances they must face on a daily basis. makes one think about how much we take for granted here, and how much there is to be done to make life better for women everywhere.

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2011/07/worlds_most_dangerous_countrie.html

my new favorite restaurant

friends, i have something very important to report. i have a new favorite restaurant. the food at sushi thai garden (rod dee thai here in boston) is amazing. this is something that is simply not negotiable. but the lobster pool restaurant in rockport, ma is just incredible. great food, a casual atmosphere where you bus your own tables, BYOB, a guitar for guests to borrow and play, a sunset to be compared with the schoolhouse in westport, ny (note: to be compared with--not to beat!) and free seaside smores over a fire when the sun goes down.



so the lobster was tim's...but what could be better than this?



i just can't say enough. tim and i had a wonderful meal at the lobster pool a few weeks ago and i've been lazy to get a post up about it. some people may prefer upscale ambiance for a birthday dinner...for me, this was perfect. we spent less than $30 on our food, brought a great bottle of wine, weren't bugged by a waiter looking to flip our table, and stayed for hours.

can't wait to go back with family and friends in tow!

i've never seen anything like it- people actually picked it up!

http://www.lobsterpoolrestaurant.com/main/index.php

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.