Sand Castles
I don’t know about you, but for me, the call of the sand is almost undeniable. Anytime I go to the beach, I want to do three things: lie in the sun, swim in the water, and build a sand castle.
Sand castles!
I can remember being 6 or 7 years old, in the school playground, building fortresses complete with moats, drawbridges, arrow slots and turrets. I remember the feel of the sand and the excitement that came from creating. Now my sandcastles are mostly of the online variety.
But every now and then, I find myself on a beach with sand that is just the right amount of wet. And I’m 7 again, full of creativity, and alive.
Kale
Kale is one of those wonder foods. The kind we know is good for us, full of nutrients and whatnot, but that many of us don’t know what to do with. Maybe you get a bunch of it in your garden box, or maybe you see it at the farmers’ market.
Here’s a tip for preparing kale so that even your kids will eat it.
Kale chips
Buy some kale. Not the fancy kind, just the kale kind. Rinse and tear into pieces roughly the size of a potato chip. Yup, a potato chip. Spread them out on a cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, and bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Or until the leaves are crispy, but not burned.
That’s it. These bad boys are tasty. It’s almost like eating potato chips. But better. Way more awesome.
Cards for Causes
Thanks to Andrew Nordquist for this recommendation.
According to the website:
Cards for Causes was founded in order to help support worthy causes by offering hundreds of holiday, all occasion cards and invitations where 20% of every card purchase is donated by us to the nonprofit cause of the customer’s choice.
That’s pretty awesome. If you’re going to buy cards anyway, say for a business, or for your own holiday needs, why not buy from a company that donates to a charity of your choice?
In addition, Cards for Causes sells Christmas cards made from 10-100% post-consumer recycled paper. Good deal.
Cards for Causes
Torre del Lago
Italy has its share of beach towns. From the Cinque Terre and it’s beautiful jewel-like villages, to the Amalfi Coast and its buildings nestled into dramatic valleys. This week, I visited Torre del Lago, a beach town west of Florence in northern Italy. Just down the road from some of the more fancy beaches like Viareggio, Torre del Lago has a gritty, fabulous feel.
Torre del Lago
With the dramatic, green ocean in the foreground, and the often snow-capped mountains in the background, Torre del Lago offers amazing views from its colorful, public beaches.
Not only does it have beach access, Torre del Lago literally means, “Tower of the Lake.” So for those who enjoy a more tame water experience, the town’s lake is a great, peaceful place to watch ducks swimming and eat a gelato. As if that was not enough, this town is where the famous composer Puccini worked and lived. Those looking for a cultural experience can tour his home, opera house, or the church where he is buried.
Street performers
Street performers are pretty awesome people. They perform nightly, or daily, doing all kinds of amazing things. I saw this guy in Rome. He was riding a super-high unicycle and juggling fire.
Um, that’s awesome.
Recycled Arts Festival
Recycled Arts Festival
If your mantra is Reduce, Reuse, Recycle; you’ve got to find time to check out the Recycled Arts Festival at Esther Short Park this weekend in Vancouver.
Over 70 artists specializing in everything from jewelry to clothing to metal arts and more will bring their Green goods.
The Recycled Arts Festival is sponsored by the Clark County Department of Environmental Services as part of their ongoing effort to encourage waste reduction, reuse and recycling in Clark County, Washington. Pretty darn awesome.
HARO
Help A Report Out, or better known as HARO, is a great and wonderful thing. It’s a way for reporters and journalists to find experts and sources on whatever they’re writing about. It also allows experts and sources a way to get exposure for their product or service.
Don’t feel like an expert? HAROs motto: everyone’s an expert at something.
Oh – and did I mention, all this connecting is FREE. Awesome.
Gozaic
Gozaic
Gozaic, a site about cultural and heritage travel, is part of the National Trust for Heritage Preservation.
On Gozaic you’ll find cool travel destinations that have some cultural significance. For example:
-
Florida Carriage Museum in Weirsdale, Florida
The Florida Carriage Museum & Resort is home to one of the world’s finest collections of carriages. -
Cliveden in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
During the 1777 Battle of Germantown a small force of British infantrymen barricaded themselves inside Cliveden to successfully hold off thousands of American troops.
Awesome, eh?
Water
Drink Water
Water is one of the most awesome things around.
It covers 71% of the earth’s surface, is vital to every living thing and it makes up about half to two-thirds of our body.
The health benefits of drinking water are innumerable. It helps with digestion, energy, metabolism and about a million other things. And when you’re thirsty, nothing tastes as good.
Go on, have a glass right now.
Magnetic chalkboards
Magnetic chalkboard
Strolling about at Saturday Market in Portland I ran across these totally awesome magnetic chalkboards. The surface is magnetic–which is how it holds the cute little heart magnet and chalk holder–and you can write on it with chalk.
Fabulous idea. And to add the whipped cream and cherry, many of these boards are sporting positive messages. LOVE it.
You can find these at Saturday Market in the Oh My Stars! booth by Tonya Gray or at GrayGirlArt.com.
Latest Topics
Trail mix is great. It's got protein. ...
