May 18 2012

Portland Trails– explore Portland!

By Nathan Strange | Corporate Office, Corporate Furnished, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Health, Travel, Lifestyle, Community, | (0) Comments

Portland Trails– explore Portland!

So, everyone knows about the 3.6 mile walking/running loop around Portland’s Back Cove, but did you know Portland has over 50 miles of networked trails?

That’s right! Portland Trails has 31 trails to run, cycle, hike, mountain bike, walk, snow shoe, and cross country ski on. Some of the trails lead to fishing, swimming, and picnic destinations that are stroller and/or wheelchair accessible

“Portland Trails is a nonprofit land trust that preserves green space for public access and connects people with places. Since our founding in 1991, Portland Trails has been dedicated to creating a network of trails in greater Portland, Maine that is available to everyone free of charge”. (http://trails.org/)

Want to bring poochie for a walk? Portland has 28 trails that are dog friendly! Don’t forget to stop by the Quarry Run Dog Park, its pretty much an amusement park for dogs.

Visit the Portland Trails website at: http://trails.org/ for more info. You can join to become a member and or donate at: http://trails.org/join-or-donate/ and volunteers are always welcome at http://trails.org/volunteer/ .

Get out there and explore Portland!

Photo by David Hanauer

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Get Out There!

By Ashley Anger | Corporate Furnished, Massachusetts, Apartment Living, Health, Travel, Environmental, | (1) Comments

kayaking

Now that it’s starting to get warmer and stay lighter, longer it’s the perfect time to get out and get active! Yankee Magazine is my favorite magazine to read, especially in the summer. In reading through it this month I came across their list for the best outdoor activities to do in Massachusetts. I couldn’t help but share with everyone. Click this link to check out more!
http://www.yankeemagazine.com/issues/2012-05/travel/best-massachusetts-2012/ma-outdoor-activities-2012

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Dare to Share

By Casey Swan | Corporate Office, Corporate Furnished, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Georgia, Lifestyle, Community, Casey Swan, | (1) Comments

I recently read an article on The Daily Good about the dirty little secret that one woman carried with her for years. Although she was altogether accomplished in many areas from hoola-hooping to reading Latin, she could not ride a bike. Once she revealed this confidence to a friend, she discovered that he was as mystified by her ability to bake cupcakes from scratch as she was about his ability to balance on two wheels. These two friends swapped a bike riding lesson for a cake baking lesson. The exercise brought them closer together, helped them value each other more, and solidified their own appreciation for the aptitudes they already had.

My friend Shelley sews beautiful quilts. I look at the finished products and marvel at her dexterity with a sewing machine. I grew up at the elbows of both my mother and my grandmother as they sewed clothing, household items, and all of my childhood Halloween costumes. I dream of making a polished looking skirt or reupholstering the pillows in the camper, but despite owning a machine of my own, my handiwork hasn't matured over the years.

I can't help but wonder why this activity comes so naturally to Shelley when the hours I have put in with my foot on the pedal haven't paid off. And then I remember that there are things Shelley envies about me, like my ability to plan and serve a meal whose centerpiece is not Hamburger Helper. And I recall how good I feel when I know I am nourishing my friends not only with food, but with that little piece of myself that I've instilled in the meal; call it kindness or love or soul.

The moral of the story is that everyone has strengths and talents, some that we recognize and some that we take for granted. Much has been said about generosity, but I think the best form is to share of oneself. Share your interests with a friend and you open the door for reciprocity, to learn a new skill yourself.

Technology has even advanced so you can benefit from the collective knowledge in your area right from your computer. SkillShare.com offers free online courses curated and taught by your peers. The aim of this enterprise is to create a collaborative environment in which every community is a campus and every citizen is both student and teacher. Upcoming courses offered for the Boston area include the art of conversation, how to empathize with others, and an introduction to belly dancing.

On this note, there is a fantastic, free event going on in Lowell this weekend. On Sunday, May 6, the Mill City Skill Share will host dozens of workshops around downtown Lowell to spread knowledge and to connect community members. Workshops span diverse interests from cooking to social networking, grant writing to moped maintenance. Registration begins at 9:30 am at the Mogan Cultural Center on French Street and workshops run between 10 am and 6 pm. Visit http://millcityskillshare2012.wordpress.com/workshop-schedule/ for an overview of everything you can experience this weekend, then think about what you know that other people could benefit from during next year's event!

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Would you spend $1,200.00 to "timeshare" a 15-carat diamond necklace?

By Debbie Melino | Corporate Furnished, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Georgia, Marketing, Health, Travel, Development, Lifestyle, Community, | (1) Comments

Well, thirteen women did just that! They are co-owners of a diamond necklace which they nicknamed Jewelia, in honor of the late chef Julia Child. My book group read their book, “The Necklace” by Patti Channer. The book tells the story of how wearing the necklace changed their lives, and inspired them to give the “gift” of Jewlia to raise money to support the community.

The book was written in 2009, and these women are continuing to support and inspire fundraising activities all over the world. http://www.womenofjewelia.com/past_events.html

I’d love to meet these wonderful women!

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April is Donate Life Month!

By Tim Richard | Corporate Office, Corporate Furnished, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Georgia, Health, Lifestyle, Community, | (2) Comments

April is almost through, but I wanted to take a minute to recognize that April is Donate Life Month, a cause that is particularly close to my heart.

April is designated as a month to help educate and inform people about the great need for organ and tissue donation and living donation. Over one hundred thousand people in the United States alone are currently on waiting lists in need of critical tissue or organs. These folks are in terrible need of kidneys, lung tissue, liver tissue and other tissue types that will help transform, if not outright save, their lives. In the past year over twenty eight thousand organ transplant surgeries were preformed, saving the lives of so many and impacting the lives of many times more. A little more that half number, about fourteen thousand, living donors provided the necessary viable organs to those in dire need.

April is also the time to celebrate the lives saved through transplant and those who make the decision to donate. The act of donation is a visceral sacrifice that positively transforms both donor and recipient, a true gift of life. Although there are some risks with donation, as with any surgery, most donors experience no change in life expectance and go on to live normal, happy and healthy lives.

As a living donor I can attest to the positive effects of donation. I know that actions can change lives at the very core and that everyone of us has it within ourselves to reach out to someone in need, be it a relative, friend or complete stranger, and change their life for the better.

Whether you have selected to be an organ donor on your driver’s license, donated blood, been tested for organ donation compatibility or just helped support a donor or recipient with kind thoughts and words, I would like to thank you! Please take the time to visit www.donatelife.net for more information about donation and to find out what you can to help save lives!