Hanes: The Quiet Green Company

I have just had the privilege of joining my awesome wife Carolina Mama who is a part of the Hanes Comfort Crew get together at Walt Disney's Contemporary Resort. Of course I will have to write about some of the incredible experiences, but I want to share how I was very impressed with the fact the Hanes has been quietly becoming more & more green every year. This is something I am very passionate about as you know!

This began several years ago.
"In 2009, our CO2 emissions from our transportation and logistics operations fell by 41 percent."
Thanks to Hanes efforts last year, 70 million water bottles did not hit the landfills last year. Instead, they were turned into Ecosmart Fibers that was then used to produce clothing! Unbelievable.

They recycled 25 million water bottles last year, what an incredible jump in just a year. We need more companies like this committing to environmentally friendly ways of doing business. That is awesome!
Check out Hanes Green Page today to learn more about a major company taking initiative to reduce their footprint. I can't wait to share more about this awesome company.

Until next time,
Boulder Mountain Man

Madagascar at DPAC, Durham, NC

Looking for some fun with the family, without the video factor?! Always a favorite is going to the live theatre. Madagascar is coming to the Durham Performing Arts Center this weekend. I wish it were here for a longer stretch, I hope many folks can get there.

Our entire family really enjoys DPAC, they really do an awesome job of promoting culture other than video/media! The facility is state of the art and is really a spectacular building. I love the fact that CarolinaMama and I are teaching the Tigers the love of the arts through events like Madagascar and Beauty & The Beast!

Hope you can make it out this weekend, if not, be sure to check the schedule of DPAC. There are some big time names & events coming soon!

Do you enjoy the live show? Hope to see you there! Hope this helps with some fun family ideas for your weekend time together.

Until next Family Friday Fun,
Boulder Mountain Man

Need a Week to Spend in Charlotte, NC (Friday Family Fun Day)

CarolinaMama, the Tigers & I had the pleasure of spending a 24+ hour period of time in Charlotte, NC and the surrounding area. It is amazing how much there is to do in that awesome city.

You can start with hanging out downtown, there are a lot of local restaurants with great food & atmosphere. The Carolina Panthers play in downtown Charlotte, what a beautiful stadium they have built there. Don't forget you could spend the day at the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

I discovered what looks like an awesome museum. Carolinas Aviation Museum They are running a special right now, $40 for a Family Membership. It is good for unlimited visits for a year. It is right off the end of one of the runways of Charlotte's super busy Charlotte Douglas Airport! I have to say, they have my all time favorite on display, the F-14 Tomcat. Photo below courtesy of the museums website.



I am going to say how much I enjoyed with the Tigers Crowder's Mountain State Park, it was great to be on a little bit of a hill again. This was about 45 minutes away, to the west. To the east: Concord, NC. I will write some more about what a fun city Charlotte is another time. As per the title, a full week still may not be enough!

How about you? Plans to visit Charlotte anytime soon! Have a great week! Until next Friday Family Fun Day,

Until next Family Friday Fun,
Boulder Mountain Man

Beautiful Charlotte, NC

Loved the weekend with my family in Charlotte, NC to launch Eat.Think.Smile! Awesome product! Ode to Colorado!!

Healthy snacks with cocoa as a main part of the product, after an hour hike at Crowder's Mountain State Park on a 70 degree January day! It really does not get much better than that!

Have a great week!

Greatest Show on Earth, RDU area RBC Center!!! (Friday Family Fun Day)

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, the Greatest Show on Earth! Is coming to RBC Center in Raleigh, NC.
This truly is an awesome thing to do over the week/weekend of Feb. 9-13! I cannot get over how many great things there are to experience living in the RDU area of North Carolina!

I remember vividly going to Denver, CO from Boulder to see Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, the excitement before after and during of course the incredible show! I cannot wait to go with my Tigers & Carolinamama to see this awesome Circus.

It has to be hands down the best Circus in town! I have not seen this show for 20+ years, and cannot wait to see what magic they have do display with all the technology growth of the modern age! You need to get there if you can, this will be a great way to get together with your family and step out of the norm, even the norm for entertainment!

How about you, are you going? Have you been? It is truly an unbelievable experience, one that you and your family will not soon if ever, forget! Hope to see you there.

Until next Family Friday Fun Day,
Boulder Mountain Man

Enterprise Car-Rental Leads The Way On Going Green

Going somewhere for Friday Family Fun Day/Weekend? Get to Enterprise car rental, where they have awesome rates, great customer service and best of all, a phenomenal Green Program.
Check out the link above, and you will be very pleasantly surprised.

Enterprise Car Rental leads the way in car rental in more ways than one! Not only the biggest, but the greenest! I am thoroughly impressed with their Keys to Green Program.

This is very impressive. "Delivery of 500 Nissan LEAFs will begin in January 2011 and will continue throughout the year. In addition to the LEAFs, the company will offer customers electric vehicles from other manufacturers as they become available."

This is an excerpt from the link to that part of their extensive Green Program.
Take a look at this exciting program with the link above.0 Next time you are needing to get a rental car, let's support an awesome effort to reduce our pollution and dependence on foreign oil.

Don't forget that Enterprise has bought Alamo and National Car Rental!
Go Enterprise, Go Green!

Do you like renting cars to go somewhere fun?

Tell me of your awesome experiences with Enterprise Car-Rental!

Until next Family Friday Fun,
Boulder Mountain Man

A-Gloves: Warm & Touch Screen Functional!

Welcome to 2011 ! A very Happy New Year's Wish to you all. I am going to begin my year by talking about a phenomenal product I have had the privilege of using this Fall/Winter. It is called Agloves, yet another awesome invention & company out of my great hometown of Boulder, CO! These gloves are ingenious way to use your touch screen with out having to take off your glove to do so in this really cold winter we have been having. (So much for Global Warming?!:)

Agloves are a perfect layer glove. It is a wonderful feeling knowing I can take off my thicker glove to make a quick call or text without having to completely expose my hand to the elements. These gloves are knitted with silver-coated fibers throughout the entire hand and fingers. These fibers are what makes your touchscreen work.

They have come in very handy this winter, as it has been really cold for what we are used to here in Central North Carolina. It is awesome being able to slip my hand out of my heavier glove or mitten to make a call and not feel like I am getting frostbitten!
Check these awesome gloves out today. They offer a 90-day return policy so you can really give it a true try. CarolinaMama and I have been using them the entire cold season so far, and plan to finish out the winter with these always close by!

Photo is courtesy of Richard Osoria from Cedarhurst, NY, whose picture won a spot on their website! Great photo, Richard!

If you have any good experience with these gloves, let me know! If not, get out and experience it yourself!

Raleigh Christmas Parade-Friday Family Fun Day

It's almost "The most wonderful time of the year!" Start kicking Christmas off a little early this weekend if you are in the Raleigh-Durham area. Check out the ever popular Raleigh Christmas Parade in downtown Raleigh. It begins Saturday, November 20th at about 9:30 am. It lasts approximately 2.5 hours, and the weather forecast is absolutely perfect for a parade. It is boasting the 66th annual parade. Wow!

And how's this for some fame: "Join us for the largest Christmas Parade between Washington, DC and Atlanta." How awesome is that? The parade ends at the state capitol! This parade features all kinds of awesome things you would love in a parade, highlighted by the big fancy balloons you get to experience in something like the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Bundle up a little in the am, and then shed the layers as the beautiful day (forecast) unfolds. What a great way to have some family fun, at a great time of year! If you can't make it in person, it is on WRAL-TV from 10am-12pm, and is also re-broadcast on Christmas Day! What a great tradition! Check out the 2010 Raleigh Christmas Parade for more information.

How about you, do you have a favorite Christmas event or Christmas parade? Hope to see you out there this weekend.

Until next Friday Family Fun Day,

Until next Family Friday Fun,
Boulder Mountain Man

Photograph of the parade last year from the website for last years parade.

America Recycles Day

Ok, how did I almost miss 11-15-2010, or whatever year since 1997 is America Recycles Day! Perfect timing, I was just going around the house to gather the recyclables, as tomorrow is trash/recycle day. I am very grateful that about 2 years ago or so, our town in NC delivered a recycle bin. My family and I fill that bin up every 2 weeks, and take it to the curb to be picked up. So in all honesty, I am just doing what I would normally do. I love timing like that!!
I love that Jack Johnson song, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle! So appropriate! Find out how you can make some simple changes in your neighborhood, and find out what products are recyclable so you can also be more environmentally friendly.

Check out this awesome website... for some great links & ideas! America Recycles Day

Game Night - Family Friday Fun Day

Tonight, instead of going out or having movie night, have a game night instead! This is a great way for family interaction and a great way to teach the kids how to both win and lose graciously. There are many great options. Board games, card games, strategy games.

Not video games, mind you. We love movies and video games, but there is a lot less interaction with these avenues. A fun way to spend time together at home on the weekend is to have one weekend night as a movie night. The other night or maybe a Saturday afternoon, play some board games. Try it one weekend. We obviously cannot do both every weekend, but it this a great way to have fun a little differently. They say variety is the spice of life.

I find myself wanting to spend a little more time at home instead of constantly being on the run. It seems we just get busier and busier as the children are growing up right under our noses. Have a fireplace? Sit in front of the fire and play the games! Have some hot apple cider or your favorite cup of tea while playing.

What are some of your favorite games to play? There are so many great ones to chose from!

Until next Friday Family Fun Day,

Until next Family Friday Fun,
Boulder Mountain Man

Friday Family Fun Day

This Friday Family Fun Day, we're going local again to the Duke Chapel.
Going to the Duke Chapel is like stepping into another time and another world. This entire area of the Duke University Campus is built European style. They don't build them like this anymore, folks. We have not been in a while, but anytime is a good time to see this amazing architectural masterpiece.

The attention to every detail is absolutely amazing, not just at the chapel, but in the surrounding buildings as well. You could spend hours looking at even the smallest details, because they are so very prevalent throughout this area of campus. I will talk another time about the Sarah P Duke Gardens, which are literally right next door. You truly need a full day to appreciate them both if seeing both the same day. That is the wonderful thing about living near there, you can break it up and take it all in at different times.

If you ever get a chance to hear any kind of music in the chapel, it is simply amazing. One tip, there are many weddings there, so if you are really wanting to see the inside of the chapel, and your aren't from the area, you may want to find out their schedule so you can adjust yours accordingly.

Writing about it is making me long to get back there, as well as the gardens. Being an Architectural Engineering major, I truly appreciate every little detail about all the buildings on this part of campus. These small pictures do not bring this building and those around it justice, you must experience this for yourself!

The weather is supposed to be spectacular this weekend, so whatever you do, try to get out and get some fresh air! Big plans for you? Let me hear from you some of your favorite spots.

Until next Friday Family Fun Day,

Until next Family Friday Fun,
Boulder Mountain Man

Green Acre Farm - Friday Family Fun

This weekend I am letting those of you in the Raleigh-Durham area know about Green Acre Farm in Cary, NC. This is one awesome corn maze. They have all kinds of activities for the entire family.

Included in the $8 entry fee is the corn maze of course, hay rides and bouncy action for the kids. This is a wonderful place to spend a fall day. What is really great about it si the fact that it is so close to Raleigh-Durham. If you don't have the time to go to the "true" country, this is a great way to be in the "country" even though it is surrounded by regular city.

We want to make Green Acre Farms a part of our fall tradition. Check it out today, don't miss it. They are open (I should have posted this earlier) from September to October 31. You can grab your pumpkins there also. You can also get some very nice Christmas trees during that season as well.

You still can get out over the next couple of weeks. Hope you can break away from some of that fun football to get some fresh area.

Until next Family Friday Fun,
Boulder Mountain Man

Harpers Ferry Family Fun Day

This week we're going to Harper's Ferry, West Virginia, Maryland, and Virginia! 3 states in less than an hour's time! This is a very quaint, historically rich town that we really just ended up there one Saturday as we were enjoying a country drive outside of Northern Virginia. It is a peaceful place, with some awesome shops, restaurants, and lots of history.

Anytime of year is great, but if you can do it in the fall when the leaves are changing that is when I recommend the most. It happens to also be the beginning (or end) of the nationally renowned Shenandoah National Park with Skyline Drive as a highlight for the fall! We never did make Skyline Drive, but I have heard it is a must see.

So, if time permits you need to spend 2-3 days in the area taking in the breathtaking scenery and then enjoying the awesome history of our country.

Did you know that President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed legislation creating Harpers Ferry National Monument on June 29, 1944!

How about you, is it fall weather yet in your neck of the woods? Big plans this weekend, or is it time to watch your favorite football team?

Until next Family Friday Fun,
Boulder Mountain Man

NC State "Green" Golfing Green

Today for Family Friday Fun Day, we are in North Carolina, NC State. Of all things to stumble upon in the Going Green World, we have golf courses that are going green! The Lonnie Poole Golf Course at NC State University is an amazing new innovation that takes Reduce, Reuse, Recycle to a new level!

What a great concept: A high class golf course that is environmentally friendly, with further research on how to implement "Green" greens at other resorts! If you are in the Raleigh, NC area to golf, you need to come check this innovative course out. Swing in the Lonnie Poole Golf Course at NC State University today, and enjoy golf at a new level.

Do you like to golf? Let me know how golfing on an environmentally friendly golf course goes for you. It's cooling down in our area, how about yours? It looks like a great weekend for golf!

Until next Family Friday Fun,
Boulder Mountain Man

Car Recycling!

This is a new one I just discovered! You can recycle your car! You can call You Call We Haul to come pick up your clunker. It is a free service, and they do recycle 95% of the vehicles that are turned into their service! The one thing I am not sure about is whether or not you can write this off on your taxes.

I am really glad that this is an option for us, especially in the United States where cars are the dominate source of transportation! It truly is awesome how many ways we can Reduce, Reuse, Recycle in the times we live in. So, look into recycling or donating your car today!

Family Friday Fun -Great Falls Virginia

This weekend, I am going to feature a place that our whole family has some absolutely wonderful memories of some awesome times together in an incredibly beautiful setting. This place is in Great Falls Park, Virginia on the Potomac River. We ended up loving it so much when we lived in that area, we ended up buying a year pass. One of the best things about the year pass was how different it would look in each season.

Great Falls, VA is a small town outside of Washington, D.C. and the park is up the road from the town. When you go to the park, you really have a hard time realizing that you are 15 ish miles up the river from the Nation's Capital, Washington, D.C. It is a park far enough removed from all the hustle and bustle of the area that your really do step into another world.

One of our favorite memories was a time we went over to the park because the area had been receiving a lot of rain, we wanted to see how full the river would be. It was a very impressive sight, as the Potomac had over-run its banks some. It made for some very loud, full, frothy conditions in the river.

It is $5.00 for the car for 3 consecutive days, and only $20 for the year pass. If you are in the D.C. area, any time of year, you need to check this park out. You can also access the park in the next state over, Maryland, just across the river. We have been there during every season, and it is hard to say which is more beautiful. With Fall around the corner, it is a great way to see some awesome fall colors while enjoying the awesome waterfalls.

How about you? Big plans for the weekend? If you are in the D.C. area, and letting everyone else hit the roads, check this awesome park out!

CarolinaMama and the Tigers!





Pictures are by Boulder Mountain Man and Carolina Mama.

Until next Family Friday Fun,
Boulder Mountain Man

Top Ten Simple Ways to Go Green

Check out this awesome resource from Microsoft News Center. This is a great resource to find ways to reduce waste by different avenues of recylcling. One of these links we really do tend to forget about is how to recycle our electronics. Talk about saving some space, let's start recycling these products instead of filling up the landfills with them! This is an awesome resource on helping to recycle more. We use rechargeable batteries as much as possible.

There are several companies such as Energizer that make batteries that will recharge in 15-20 minutes, one kit includes an A/C and car charger! Stay tuned, I have some information on a company that will help you go green while vacationing coming soon!
Remember, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. It is becoming easier to this every day.

What can you do to help reduce your footprint today!?

Ocean Isle Beach, NC

For Family Friday Fun, make it a fun weekend at the beach. Ocean Isle Beach, NC is our favorite place to go in North Carolina.
We love to stay at Ocean Isle Inn, where the awesome staff just recently earned The Gold Star of Excellence Award from the Myrtle Beach Area Hospitality Assoc. for the third year in a row!
At the end of June, things just got even better. June 28th or so, the Ocean Isle Inn was notified by ResortsandLodges.com that we have been recognized as the #1 Atlantic Coast Vacation Destination!
The biggest reason we love Ocean Isle Beach is there are no chains, it is quiet even in peak season because it is so nicely localized.
Calabash is 15 minutes away, so if you are wanting some incredible seafood not as close, it is there for you.
Check at Ocean Isle Inn today at Ocean Isle Beach, school year's coming!

Until next Family Friday Fun,
Boulder Mountain Man

Make it a Movie Night!

For your Family Friday Fun, make it a movie night! We have really enjoyed making that a tradition in our home over the last few months! We all have our favorites, and the Tigers have been loving watching the original Star Wars Trilogy. (I am having them watch the way I had to, the last 3 then the first 3!) I am not, however, torturing them for 3 years in between movies the way we all had to!

Red Box, Netflix, Blockbuster...Awesome options for your movie night. Two weeks ago I surprised them with a night out at the theatre and we saw Disney's Oceans. What a great movie! For the most part, we really enjoy just relaxing around the house, and who can forget the Little Caesar's Pizza that has become a great tradition as well!

So how about it? When do you do your movie nights? Make it a fun night anytime!


Until next Family Friday Fun,
Boulder Mountain Man

Go Brita! A $5 Way to Recycle!

Brita does it again. You need to check out this link to see an amazing event.http://www.filterforgood.com/"FilterForGood partnered with “The Biggest Loser” trainer Bob Harper to show how easy it is to take small steps to help sustain your body, mind and the environment." That is really awesome! There's even a chance to win concert tickets to see Dave Matthews Band or Jack Johnson this summer!

Let's get out and support this! Remember to recycle that water bottle while you're at it! Our family does it both ways! If we have the water bottle to dispose of, we make sure it goes to the recycle bin! Get the word out, let's make a difference.