Rockport

We rented a zipcar for the day because I have so much credit and decided to go to Rockport, Ma. It was a very cute town on the ocean. There are a lot of cute little shops and restaurants.

Maine

We recently went to Maine for a weekend with 4 other couples. The cottage (or camp as they call it) was on a beautiful lake in central Maine. We did not have the best weather on Saturday - rain all day - but it was a beautiful day on Sunday. We had a great time jumping off the dock, playing spoons and other fun games until 2 am, kayaking and RELAXING. It was a great time - I can't wait to do it again next year!

Shucking corn!

Boys playing games

Girls playing games

Jumping off the Dock

A serious game of spoons

Hiking Mt. Cardigan

Saturday we went up to Mt. Cardigan in New Hampshire with our friends Katelyn and Adam. We hiked the 1.5 miles to the top of the peak and enjoyed a great view. It was the perfect day for a hike.

Grilled Pork Chops with Nectarine Salsa

I have been cooking a lot more lately with my open summer days. Here is one I made tonight that is one of our favorites and very easy! It is adapted from a recipe on allrecipes.com


INGREDIENTS

Salsa:

• 2-3 nectarines, pitted and diced
• 1 ripe tomato, seeded and diced
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 1 jalapeno
  
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
• optional - 2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
  
• salt to taste

Pork Chop;

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4(4 ounce) boneless pork loin chops

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat. Lightly oil grate.
• To make the salsa, place the nectarines, tomato, onion, cilantro, lime juice, and red pepper flakes in a bowl; toss to blend. Season to taste with salt. Cover, and refrigerate 30 minutes to blend flavors.
• Stir the cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper together in a small bowl. Place the olive oil in a small bowl. Brush the pork chops with oil, and season both sides evenly with the cumin mixture.
• Place pork loin chops on the preheated grill. Cook until lightly browned and juices run clear, about 4 minutes on each side - DO NOT overcook!
  
• Place pork chops on serving plates, and top with a generous spoonful of salsa.

The Shoot

Today was the photo shoot for Zipcars. It was supposed to take place from 12-2pm. I reserved my Zipcar unitl 4pm just in case it was running late, traffic or if I had time to do some errands. However, I did not end up getting home until 8pm (after getting groceries). This is what happened:

• Show up and wait for about an hour and a half to get hair and make-up done.
• Wait another hour and a half for my first shot to begin.
• Spend 1 hour in a shot with the CEO of Zipcars and other Zipcar members.
• Wait another hour to set up the next shot.
• Spend 1 hour in a shot that I don't really understand, but may end up being really cool with editing.

Overall, it was a frustrating first half of the day and a pretty fun second half. The photo shoots were fun to be in. Hey, maybe I will even make it in the magazine. I have no idea when the magazine is coming out, but look for a cover story on zipcars in Fortune magazine. I will keep you updated.

Photo Shoot

The Zipcar saga continues. I am now part of a photo shoot for Fortune Magazine with Zipcar on Monday. They say the photo shoot could last 2 or more hours - good thing I am not working now. I get more free credit for Zipcar, another free t-shirt and of course, my picture in Fortune. Who would have thought? I will keep up posted on how it goes.

Tim - not quite my own news story on CNN.com, but Fortune Magaizine is one of the contributors to money.CNN.com - I am getting close ; )

Exciting Plans!!!

The next few months are full of exciting plans. It is a great time to be living in the Boston area! Below is a summary of our upcoming events.

• This weekend we are traveling to Nantucket to visit a friend from work.
• Aug 21 My parents are coming to visit for a long weekend and we are traveling to Newport, RI
• The last weekend in Aug we are going to friend's cottage (they call it a camp here - very strange) on a lake in Maine with 4 other couples.
• Labor Day weekend we are camping for a night with friends on one of the Harbor Islands.
• Sept 18-21 Todd found us a great deal for a three night stay and flights for $70 a person to Washington DC - going with Bekah and Mitch.
  
• Sept 28 my sister and brother-in-law are coming to visit and we have tickets to a Red Sox game with standing room tickets on the Green Monster
• Thanksgiving we are possibly going to the Macys Day Parade in NYC
• Going home for Christmas!!
  
• Then no big plans until next July when our good friends are getting married in Ecuador - a wonderful reason to take a vacation!