I just found this website – and it’s great fun.  It has about 500+ photos on it, info on biking across the Golden Gate Bridge, etc.

Best – it has a FREE 43 page document titled Bike the Bay in 1/2 a Day, Your Way. It’s an itinerary that takes you from Downtown San Francisco to the Ferry Building, along the Embarcadero, past Fisherman’s Wharf, through the Presidio, across the Golden Gate Bridge, down the hill into Sausalito and ferry back to The City. There’s more – 15 sites in all, and 75 photos. It’s all fun and free. 

Want to see where I live? Check this out :-)

1. Go to the link: http://www.QuirkySanFrancisco.com

2. Fill in your name and email address; then click on the button: Bike the Bay in 1/2 a Day, and you’ll be enrolled (no obligation - I checked).

Even if coming to “Cali” isn’t on your priority list (or budget) soon, the photos might change your mind!!!

We had a BLAST, and all the clothing that wasn’t taken (which was thousands of dollars worth) went to a charity, Image for Success, that dresses women (and their families) with two weeks’ worth of business and personal clothing. Check it out! 

I hope you enjoy this podcast, and please let me know if there are other experts you might like to hear interviewed on our Coffee Chats.

If you have comments on this episode, call the Listener Comment Voicemail at +1 (206) 350-3537, e-mail sandy [at] beabondgirl [dot] com or leave a comment below.

Click the red button below to listen.

[display_podcast}

What’s your favorite part? I have to say mine is either the gal dressed up as the Ladybug (and her comeback to the “Tastes like Chicken” question) — or the little boy who raises his hand after the little girl gives the perfect answer in “Pick Me! Pick Me!” fashion, then thinks a little, and says “Um…what she said.”  Ha!

Ever seen da Vinci’s “The Last Supper”?

The Bite

Then you know food can be art. And that’s what the founders of Slow Food International – a nonprofit devoted to bringing back whole foods that are cooked and savored slowly – are all about. If you’re into food prepared the old-fashioned way (and with sustainability in mind), add slow foods to your daily menu for a more vibrant…er, palate.

The Benefits

• Eating becomes art. Getting to know ingredients, producers, and the cultural history behind our foods makes for more soul-satisfying meals.
• An easel way to avoid empty calories. Many additives in processed and fast foods are chemicals that lack nutritional value and sometimes wreak havoc on your health.
• Painting a greener landscape. The slow food movement promotes biodiversity of crops, organic farming, and the preservation of family (not factory) farms.
• An energy-saving Renaissance. Example: The production of a 1-pound box of cereal requires almost seven times as many kilocalories of energy as it provides in nourishment.

OK, you know, it’s the last one that gets me. I keep harping on posts like The Story of Stuff (long, but worth watching), but those are the things that astonish me.

When I posted my comment today on IdealBite, I was reminded of my Podcast 8 about Life-Affirming Rituals, including Saying Grace (start at 25:00 for this portion). As you may remember from that one, a student of mine wound up losing weight, literally just through the act of thanking the “folks” that had gotten the food to her. She used to eat in the car, standing up, junk-food-on-the run. When I suggested she and her husband start saying Grace over everything they ate, they originally balked because they “don’t do that God thing.” I explained that wasn’t what this was about — this was Giving Thanks to the farmers, truckers, plants, animals, etc. that got that food TO them. The actual physical energetic “beingness” that went into what they were putting in their mouth.

Once she started doing that, first, she found it ‘disrespectful’ to eat standing up. And in the car. She and her husband felt weird saying grace over take-out boxes, so they put the food on plates. Which made them stay at the table longer, and the Grace started them talking about something besides Their Hard Days. Ultimately they started cooking.  And she started losing weight.

If you have my book, check out page 127 for a reminder about Mindfulness versus “Guilt-Ridden Scarfing” — and a discussion about “sensory awareness” when eating. It also talks about Living CAMP (check out the “eating a banana” link).  If you don’t have my book, it’s not pretty, but I have a PDF copy of the page for you here as I originally sent it in to my publisher: guilty-pleasures-sidebar-page-127

How’s about starting a quickie Thankfulness Practice, today?  You’re GOING TO EAT IT ANYWAY, my dear, so…why not?

The article described the Native American tradition of the “potlatch.” It is a tradition that values generosity above all else.  A potlatch, which is a very grand ceremony, is an exercise in giving away material possessions, food, and money.

Apparently, it is not uncommon for the host of a potlatch to give away so much of their own resources to guests that the host ends up with nothing. However, the host can regain this wealth by attending potlatches as a guest.

 In this way, a potlatch validates generosity and encourages the flow of resources in a community, while at the same time continually reaffirming the importance of community ties.

This paragraph really made me sit up and take notice, because it reminds me of what I learned from “John Jr.” in my car ride with him, as detailed in Podcast 9 on “Living Green”:

“When we are held in a web of trust and connection, we can give generously, knowing that when it is our turn we will be supported. In this way, our whole sense of ownership becomes less individualistic and more communal. Resources are in an acceptable state of flux, moving within the community through the vehicle of the potlatch, which serves the additional function of strengthening community ties. This seems clearly preferable to isolating ourselves from one another and hoarding our resources.”

Isn’t it time to create a community in which a flow of resources happens in this way, in which we support one another to be generous?

The “Give Away Girls’ Nights” listed in my book is an example of a potlach – having fun, and giving away an object that is dear to us. By doing this, perhaps we can inspire someone there to throw their own potlatch. And so on, and so on – by starting this out, trusting, and loving, perhaps we could find ourselves with a tradition that supports and validates generosity even as it creates a safety net for leaner times.

Don’t just think about it – do it.

The video podcast that I refer to in this podcast is The Story Of Stuff by Annie Leonard. You can go back and find where I blogged about it a few weeks ago, or just click the link here. It’s a bit long, but it definitely explains the whole manufacturing process and Planned Obsolescence — I think this would be great to show kids.

If you have comments on this episode, call the Listener Comment Voicemail at +1 (206) 350-3537, e-mail doubleohsandy [at] yahoo [dot] com or leave a comment below.

Click the red button below to listen.

---

From: merr<snip>

Hi All,
 
Did you know that Earth Hour takes place today?  What is this?  Well, apparently the idea started in Sydney last year, where between 8-9pm on 29th March, businesses and individual households turn off all their lights for one hour, to become a little more aware of the huge amount of power our daily lives consume. 

I’m writing this in the middle of “Earth Hour” (8.40pm Melbourne time), so I’m attempting to type by candle-light, which is a little difficult, particularly since the only candles I could find are scented ones, so I have “coffee” on one side and “ocean” on the other.  I think I’ll have to invest in some candle-sticks for next year! 

Last year about 2 million people in Australia participated, and this year I think it’ll be much more (it has received lots of publicity in the newspapers, etc).  Many cities around the world are also taking part, including San Francisco, I think.  Lots of buildings in cities are turning off all the lights for an hour, which is very cool. 

I snuck a look out my door, and it seems that most people in my street have turned out their lights too (or maybe they’re just out…).  I’ve also heard that some restaurants are taking part, so everyone will be eating by candle-light for an hour.  So, if you think of it, maybe you can have your own “earth-hour” tonight, between 8-9pm.  Its actually quite fun! 

Love and Happy “Earth Hour” — Merr 
 
Just a quick addition: I just read that last year it was hoped the energy consumption in Sydney might drop by 5% (during Earth Hour), but it actually dropped by 10%!  Isn’t that incredible?!  Even the Sydney Harbour Bridge & Opera House will be in darkness for the hour.  Cool!