adventure Archives - Wanderboomer

BY Nancy Mueller 4 Comments ON March 7, 2014

International Women’s Day – May I Quote You on That?

To celebrate International Women’s Day on March 8th, I’ve compiled a few of my favorite inspirational and empowering quotes by notable women around the world:

Adventure

Photo courtesy of iFly Seattle

“When a great adventure is offered, you don’t refuse it.” – Amelia Earhart, Aviator

Assertiveness

“I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life’s a bitch. You’ve got to go out and kick ass.” – Maya Angelou, Poet/Activist

Beginnings

“Throw your dreams into space like a kite, and you do not know what it will bring back, a new life, a new friend, a new love, a new country.” – Anaïs Nin, Author

Courage

“The best protection any woman can have . . . is courage.” – Elizabeth Cady Stanton, American Abolitionist/Women’s Rights Activist

Fear

“I’ve been absolutely terrified every moment of my life – and I’ve never let it keep me from doing a single thing I wanted to do.” – Georgia O’Keeffe, Artist

Food

“When I walk into my kitchen today, I am not alone. Whether we know it or not, none of us is. We bring fathers and mothers and kitchen tables, and every meal we have ever eaten. Food is never just food. It’s also a way of getting at something else: who we are, who we have been, and who we want to be.” – Molly Wizenberg, Author, Blogger

Friendship

“Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down.” – Oprah Winfrey, OWN Network CEO, TV Show Host, Philanthropist

Happiness

‎”When one door of happiness closes another one opens, but often we look so long at the closed door we do not see the one that has been opened for us.” – Helen Keller, Author/Activist

Independence

“I think the girl who is able to earn her own living and pay her own way should be as happy as anybody on earth. The sense of independence and security is very sweet.” – Susan B. Anthony, American Suffragette/Women’s Rights Advocate

Kindness

“Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.” – Mother Teresa

Love

“Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope.” – Maya Angelou

Reinvention

“It’s only too late if you don’t start now.” – Barbara Sher, Author, Career/Life Coach

Stillness

“You must learn to be still in the midst of activity and to be vibrantly alive in repose.” – Indira Gandhi, First Female Prime Minister of India

Travel

“Nightingale saw chaos in Egypt; Flaubert saw harmony. Nightingale saw the misery of life; Flaubert saw the glory. Both saw clearly, and both were looking at the same thing. In the end, they saw what they needed to see.” – Rosemary Mahoney, Author, Down the Nile

“I have my own set of survival techniques. I am patient. I know how to pack light. I’m a fearless eater. But my one mighty travel talent is that I can make friends with anybody.” – Elizabeth Gilbert, Author, Eat, Pray, Love

“Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.” – Maya Angelou

Women Power

“I think the key is for women not to set any limits.” – Martina Navratilova, Tennis Pro

Work

“Hard work keeps the wrinkles out of the mind and spirit.” – Helena Rubenstein, Polish-Born Cosmetics Entrepreneur

Writing

“So much of good writing is Feng Shui – moving the furniture so the energy can flow.” – Lauren VanMullem, Writer, Former Wanderlust and Lipstick Blogger

Wander on!

Nancy

What about you, wanderboomers? What’s your favorite empowering/inspiring quote for women by women? Please share with us here.

BY Nancy Mueller 4 Comments ON June 28, 2013

Tightwads on the Loose – A Spirited Sailing Adventure

Covershot of Tightwads on the Loose by Wendy Hinman

Tightwads on the Loose, Wendy Hinman’s engaging, fast-paced memoir, shares an important lesson: “The weather trumps all plans.”

Breaking Away

Tightwads on the Loose Garth and Wendy Hinman

To quell their restless spirits, Hinman and her husband Garth embark on a seven year Pacific odyssey aboard their 31-foot sailboat, Velella, named for tiny jellyfish-like creatures propelled by prevailing winds. The author traces their route from Seattle to Japan via Mexico, French Polynesia, New Zealand, the Solomon Islands, the Philippines, and Hong Kong, with layover (planned and otherwise) destinations in between.

Life at Sea

Tightwads on the Loose Cave Swimming

Hinman paints enticing descriptions of days “filled with snorkels, hikes and books instead of meetings, deadlines and email” and shipwreck dives in the Philippines. Images like: “Under a starry sky, the tropical air thick with the scent of plumeria and papaya . . .” had me packing my bags to join in her vagabond lifestyle.

But experienced open-water sailors will identify with the ebb and flow of Hinman’s seagoing tale. Her adventures fluctuate from daydreaming days bobbing on calm, cerulean waters to terrifying moments of close-call catastrophes. Yet the yin yang rhythm of Hinman’s journey is exactly what she loves about cruising, accepting that she couldn’t “just choose the good parts.” She reminds readers that life’s great adventures lie just outside our comfort zone.

Tightwads on the Loose Mexico Wendy Hinman at Honeymoon Cove

By settling for an easy life, we risk boredom. We also lose the chance to grow from facing unexpected challenges. After her miscalculation nearly results in a mid-ocean collision, Garth empathizes: “Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgment.”

Learning by Living

At its heart, Tightwads on the Loose reveals a journey of self-discovery. Hinman learns to rock climb, rappel and “run zip lines across deep canyons” in a temporary position as a tour guide. But her inner discoveries run even deeper.

She adapts to a 24/7 relationship with Garth, her opposite in social needs. And time becomes her most precious gift: time to ponder life choices made consciously or by default; time to appreciate people’s interconnectedness despite language and cultural differences; time to affirm what brings her alive. Priceless lessons by any measure.

Coming Home

Tightwads on the Loose Wendy Hinman in Japan

Having had such soul-enriching experiences after a life at sea for seven years, how did wander woman Hinman feel about rebuilding her life back on land? Apprehensive. With Garth’s transition into a new job, Hinman felt the loss both of his daily companionship and a clear goal for herself.

Thankfully for us, Hinman’s on-board journals set the stage for her next great adventure: published author of her compelling memoir, Tightwads on the Loose, with a sequel in the works.

Wander on!

Nancy

What’s your favorite sailing adventure, wanderboomers?

Postscript

The deeper my roots grow in the Pacific Northwest, the more I discover how many intrepid, awe-inspiring women live here. In occasional future Friday posts, I’ll share their stories with you. On “Fearless Women Fridays,” I hope their stories will inspire you to chart a path of your own remarkable adventures.

BY Nancy Mueller 10 Comments ON October 11, 2012

Foraging Fun with Jennifer Hahn

Author. Poet. Teacher. Naturalist. Forager. Jennifer Hahn packs an impressive resume after more than 25 years as a wildlife adventurer whose travels span hiking the Pacific Crest Trail from Northern California to Canada and kayaking solo from Ketchikan, Alaska to Bellingham, Washington where she now resides. Along the way she’s also led tours throughout the Pacific Northwest, Baja, Mexico and the Galapagos Islands.

In person, Jennifer is petite, vivacious and down to earth – literally. Her passion for sustainable foraging fills her conversations and writings.

After publishing her first book, Spirited Waters: Soloing South Through the Inside Passage, Jennifer began a second book about the foods in the wild that had kept her alive on her kayaking adventure. But as a steward of the environment, she felt morally responsible to include only those foods that wouldn’t be decimated by greater consumption, resulting in her book, Pacific Feast: A Cook’s Guide to West Coast Foraging and Cuisine, and companion laminated guide, Pacific Coast Foraging Guide: 40 Wild Foods from Beach, Field and Forest. Included are her harvesting guidelines like the 1-in-20 rule when it comes to sustainable foraging. If there are more than 20 plants, you can dig one up and leave the rest for reproduction. If not, take none.

With Jennifer in the lead, we’re off for a day of our own foraging adventure to discover the diversity of tasty edibles found in our own backyards.

Hiking with Jennifer through the six acres surrounding the home she shares with husband, sculptor Chris Moench, is a walk on the wild side. She cautions us to watch out for stinging nettles before describing their diverse uses in cooking, fiber production and medicine. Nearby we discover wood sorrel, a shamrock-shaped plant with a lemony flavor that grows in moist, shady places.

Further along Jennifer points out huckleberries, purslane, a plant high in omega 3 with a crisp, lemony bite that’s perfect in stews, and the licorice “many-footed” fern root, good for soothing sore throats. A self-described spiritual eater first, she demonstrates how to harvest mindfully and says “Thank you” to the plant for giving its life after breaking off a piece for closer inspection.

Our picnic lunch at nearby Lake Padden begins with Jennifer’s recitation of Rumi’s poem that starts, “Lord, the air smells good today . . . ” Newly inspired and satiated, we continue our day of foraging fun with an afternoon hike, gathering native trailing blackberries, salal berries and strips of madrona bark we find on the ground along the way.

But our day of sustainable food discoveries is not quite finished yet. Still to come is dinner at Ciao Thyme, a popular Bellingham kitchen restaurant, where restaurant owners Jessica and Mataio Gillis will show us how to create cooking magic with the fruits of our labors. I can hardly wait . . .

What about you, Wanderboomers? What’s your favorite recipe using locally sourced foraged food?

BY Nancy Mueller Leave a Comment ON July 11, 2012

Mountain Trek’s Roasted Red Pepper Frittata

In a previous post on my hiking adventure at Mountain Trek, I posted this photo as one example of the yummy spa cuisine I enjoyed during the weeklong retreat. Now it’s time to share the recipe for WanderFood Wednesday . . .

Roasted Red Pepper Frittata (serves 4)

4 large eggs
4 egg whites
1 c. roasted red peppers
1 clove garlic
2 Tbs. sour cream
1/2 c. swiss cheese – grated
1 tsp. prepared mustard
1/2 c. sundried tomatoes – chopped
2 Tbs. fresh basil

Roast and peel peppers and set aside. May use purchased roasted peppers.

Lightly oil individual oven proof dishes. Chop peppers and distribute evenly into dishes.

Whip egg whites until stiff. Whisk whole eggs, mustard, basil, garlic, 1/2 of cheese and sour cream together and fold in stiffly beaten egg whites.

Pour egg mixture into baking dishes, sprinkle with 1/2 of cheese. Top with sundried tomato.

Place on a tray; bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

Garnish with chopped parsley before serving.

Do you have a favorite breakfast recipe to share with us from your travels, Wanderboomers?

BY Nancy Mueller 32 Comments ON October 31, 2011

It Started with a Pith Helmet

At least I think there’s where my wanderlust all began . . .

More years ago than I care to remember, I was standing among my childhood friends a week before Halloween. Mrs. Banner, our elderly neighbor, had asked us to come over because she had a surprise for us. As she led us up the creaking stairs into her attic, we were wide-eyed with curiosity. What would we discover?

Across the room in the farthest corner stood a dusty, dilapadated suitcase. Mrs. Banner picked it up, placed it on a chair, and said, “Go ahead. Open it.” I don’t remember who of us unlatched the fastening, but I do recall an overpowering smell of moth balls as we all joined in to open the suitcase.

At first we were puzzled. “What’s this?” we asked her. “Why, that’s a pith helmet, of course!” When we still looked confused, she elaborated. “World explorers wear pith helmets when they go on safaris in Africa, looking for animals like elephants and jaguars.” “And what about this?” we asked as we continued pulling out more clothing pieces. “Well, this is part of a kimono that women wear in Japan. And this one I’m sure you know. It’s a witch hat. But not just any witch hat. Oh, no. This one will take you on a broom around the world in one night – but only on Halloween, of course.”

Was that the moment my wanderlust took flight? I wonder. All I know is that Mrs. Banner had given us a priceless gift – the gift of imagination and its power to lead us beyond the border of our tiny town into a world of daring adventure. The pith helmet may be long gone, but my lust for travel goes on.

What about you Wanderboomers? Can you remember when your wanderlust began? Share your story with us here.

Have a Happy Halloween! Boo!

International Women’s Day – May I Quote You on That?

Tightwads on the Loose – A Spirited Sailing Adventure

Foraging Fun with Jennifer Hahn

Mountain Trek’s Roasted Red Pepper Frittata

It Started with a Pith Helmet

Destination:

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