Good Idea #27: Appalachian Adventure

A good old friend of mine has just set out on a six-month hike up the Appalachian Trail.  Grace and a friend left Athens, Georgia on Saturday and will end up in Katahdin, Maine in mid-October.  The pair will be using the time to channel their creativity and find inspiration for art, photography and writing.  The journey is inspirational and I envy the months that they will spend in the great outdoors.  Follow Grace and John's fascinating journey at:  www.awayfromtheclank.blogspot.com

To learn more about the Appalachian Trail: Click Here

Update: Eco-vacation in the Virgin Islands

Hi folks!  We're back from vacation and back to life.  I thought you'd like to check out a few pictures from our stay at Maho Bay Camps on St. John, USVI.  I would recommend Maho to anyone looking for a serene, simple vacation and who is concerned about the impact that big resorts have on the environment.  Maho does its best to conserve resources, recycles glass and paper through craft projects (recycling services are not available on the island) and uses elevated walkways and structures to reduce its impact on the surrounding landscape.  The attitude is laid back and focused on the outdoors and a simple way of life.  This is not a resort for the spring-breaker looking for a week of partying but is perfect for families and anyone else looking to avoid that type of experience.  In short it was a wonderful week of hiking, snorkeling, kayaking, swimming and true relaxation.

Click below to check out more beautiful pictures of our trip to St John!

Good Idea #26: Eco-vacation in the Virgin Islands

I'll be taking a hiatus from blogging for the next couple weeks, but I wanted to share a little bit about where I'm going!  I'm not just excited to got to the Virgin Islands for the first time and spend a week on the beach during away from the rainy Portland spring, but I'm also excited that the resort we'll be visiting is entirely environment friendly.  I'll share pictures of our trip when we return, but for now check out more about the resort at www.maho.org.

Holiday Recap

I may be a bit late on this, but I just couldn't wait until next Christmas to share all these holiday memories and ideas.  So here is what my Christmas and New Year season looked like, along with a few good ideas to stash away in your stocking until next year:

Leavenworth, WA 

 

Our Christmas season began with an early-December trip to Leavenworth for the annual Lighting Festival.  The residents of this little Bavarian village nestled in the mountains of central Washington deck the whole town in lights, line the streets with fire pits and open the doors of shops full of candy, clothing, home good and novelties to Christmas shoppers. 

If you're in the Northwest during the holidays, Leavenworth is a fun and festive way to get in the spirit. 
To learn more about Leavenworth, visit www.leavenworth.org

Holidays Around Here

This year we went for simplicity in our holiday decorating, focusing on natural elements and neutral colors.  I went a little green, re-purposing paper bags from holiday shopping as wrapping and chose the rest of my wrapping paper selection to match.  My favorite new addition to my wrap collection this year was heavy weight black and brown paper from Ikea.

These holiday penguins were hand-made by my very talented mother.  She sent them to us along with the hand-made Christmas trees that you can see above the gifts in the first picture the first winter we lived in Oregon.  They have made an appearance ever year and will continue to for many many more.

This leather Zuny reindeer is one of my most prized Christmas decorations.  It is actually a memo clip (the head is attached to the body by a magnet) and the movable head makes it all the more adorable.  Zuny has an amazing line of leather animal home accessories that are beautiful, sometimes useful and will brighten up any home.  Go to http://www.zuny.info/

Keep reading to see more of my natural Christmas scheme and more holiday adventures!