The Day I Learned How to Surf in a Waterfall

I'm over winter.  I have no problem with cold, and snow is well and good, but now we've just got crusty blackened thrice-melted-and-refrozen ice-snow that is nothing but treacherous.  I miss running on terrain that isn't salty street and sidewalk.  Even the track is still buried!  Also, days of endless sunlight are the best (one reason why Antarctica was awesome!!) and it's about time for the doom and gloom of midwinter darkness to succumb to the lengthening hours of daylight.

Perhaps some time spent focused on happy summer adventures will strengthen spring's arrival!  Brain, it's time to relive last summer's whitewater rafting adventure on the Penobscot with Three Rivers, the Home of Serious Fun.

(Sidebar: Technically, this adventure was supposed to be whitewater rafting AND skydiving in one action-packed weekend.  But reality kicked in and the weather decided to nix the skydiving portion of the trip.  Jump and Raft therefore turned into just raft.)

Considering the myriad ways I've traveled on water, it's a bit odd that my first legit whitewater experience was just last summer.  I've kayaked in Norway, canoed in Virginia, taken an overnight ferry in Italy, jet skied in Maryland, and even rafted down a river in Russia for a week, but there weren't any rapids involved.  This time it was serious whitewater in Maine -- I even had to wear a helmet!

A Gallon's Worth of Awesome Pubs in Boston

I am ashamed of myself. 

This blog is over a year old and I haven't written a single post about the best city on America's east coast.  NO not NYC, I'm talking about BOSTON!  With St Patrick's Day looming on the horizon, it's the perfect time to start ... with a tour through some of my favorite pubs around the city.

I wish could tell you exactly how many pubs are in Boston, and the immediately surrounding cities that aren't technically Boston (I'm looking at you, Cambridge and Somerville), but I'm finding this statistic rather elusive.  Suffice it to say, this nightlife scene is extensive and fantastic.  (To provide a baseline, here's a map with a pin for every pub/bar that's been graced by my presence at some time or another.)  Irish pubs dominate, but there are loads of places that don't have a specific affiliation and definitely do not qualify as bars.  Pubs have a different (better) vibe.  I love them.  All of them.

BUT I have narrowed down some favorites so you won't be overwhelmed by the selection!

Songs for the Wandering Soul III

Some of you may have been curious about the quote that currently decorates the heading of this blog.  Or maybe you weren't curious.  Maybe you never even noticed there's a quote.  Surprise?  I'm going to tell you about it anyway.

There's a great little Celtic-influenced band from Virginia that writes heaps of great songs with beautiful music and insightful lyrics.  They've already been featured in Songs for the Wandering Soul, actually!  They have a brilliant tendency to put to music those thoughts and emotions that we wanderers struggle with all the time. 

So about that quote.  Paloma.  It's a beautiful song that expresses that overwhelming urge to move, to get out and experience things that are new and unfamiliar, because that's where you find your happiness.  It sounds so easy, right?