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Entry bubble Go West, Young Man!

By: Sam | December 12, 2007 | Category: Travel

Recently, I saw the movie “Into the Wild,” which is a screen adaptation of Jon Krakauer’s acclaimed bestseller. The book tells the true story of Christopher McCandless who, after graduating from college, donates all his money to charity and heads on a journey out West.

When I read the book several years ago, I was not only struck by McCandless’ inner journey but also his outer one through the American West. It’s a part of the country that I haven’t really explored, but the spirit and scenery has always fascinated me. And seeing the breathtaking images of the Pacific Crest Trail and Denali National Park on the big screen only heightened my curiosity and sense of adventure.

If I truly wanted to “go west young man” (or lady in my case), where would I go and what would I want to see? At pueblo.gsa.gov, I found two helpful publications, National Park System Map and Guide and National Trails System Map and Guide. These full-color maps list activities at more than 300 parks, monuments, and historic sites, along with 17 national trails. They’re a great starting point for discovering all that our national parks and trails system have to offer.

Another great resource is USA.gov. Just typing “national parks” in the Search box gave me tons of quick links and images to help make my planning easier. You can find a national park by name, location, topic, or activity. This link is great for someone like me who likes to swim and hike but isn’t so into snow skiing. There’s also a link to National Register Travel Itineraries, which can take a lot of guesswork out of your planning.

Once you’re ready to explore, visit Recreation.gov to make reservations for campgrounds and tours and to buy an annual pass for national parks and federal recreational lands. If you aren’t able to take a trip sometime soon, don’t worry—you can still experience the wonder of our national parks with the National Park Service’s Soundscapes. Make sure to check out this sound clip of a bison in Yellowstone!

| View Comments [5] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: into   national   park   parks   pueblo.gsa.gov   recreation   service   the   travel   usa.gov   wild  

 

Entry bubble Volunteer: It’s the Gift That Keeps on Giving

By: Sam | December 05, 2007 | Category: Home and Family

One of my 2007 New Year’s goals (I don’t like saying resolutions) was to volunteer more.  And with a new year right around the corner, I have to admit I wasn’t that successful in achieving it.  Like many, I found it much easier to give financially than to give my time.

However, this goal will be back at the top of my 2008 list, and this time I intend to follow through.  Before Thanksgiving, some friends and I volunteered at Food & Friends, a wonderful D.C. organization that prepares, packages, and delivers meals and groceries to more than 1,300 people living with HIV/AIDS, cancer, and other life-challenging illnesses.  I also have become involved with One Brick whose motto, ‘commitment-free volunteering,’ is great for a busy gal like me.

I really like these two organizations, but I also want to find some others to share my time with.  Thankfully, USA.gov has a great “Public Service and Volunteerism” page that can help make my search easier.   From volunteer opportunities at national parks to the Smithsonian, there’s something for everyone no matter where your interests lie.

I found the following three sites to be very useful in helping me match my interests (reading, music, the environment) and talents (shopping, multi-tasking, knowledge of all things pop culture) with organizations around the D.C. area.  Please feel free to share other helpful sites along with your volunteering experiences in the comment section.

  • USA Freedom Corps:  Helps you find service opportunities that match your interests and talents in your hometowns, across the country, or around the world.  You can also learn how to earn the President’s Volunteer Service Award.
  • NationalService.gov:  The Corporation for National & Community Service offers information about volunteering and administers several volunteer programs, including AmeriCorps and SeniorCorps.
  • Volunteer.Gov/Gov:  A single, easy-to-use web portal with information about volunteer opportunities.  You can search by keyword, state, activity, agency, and/or date range.

| View Comments [1] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: resolutions   usa.gov   volunteer   volunteering  

 

Entry bubble Sold to the Highest Bidder!

By: Nancy | October 18, 2007 | Category: Money

As an extension of Colleen's post on online shopping, I would like to introduce you to the dress that was not meant to be: blue 1950s dress

Trying to be proactive, I’m planning to stage my midlife crisis rather than letting it catch me by surprise. Determined to get it all over with in one day, I’m ushering in my 40th birthday (more on that traumatic milestone in a future post) with a 1950s-style party. I'm doing up the house in kitschy retro decor, serving 'back in the day' food like pigs in a blanket  and am dressing for the role of the happy hostess.

I stalked this fifties frock at an online auction site, staying up past my bedtime to bid on it right to the nail biter ending. And with five seconds to go, somebody who did not NEED this dress like I did beat me out by a dollar. A lousy buck.

Not that I’m bitter.

Now I know online auctions aren't new. But there are still millions of people who have never tried one. And there are lots of others, like me, whose bidding skills could use a little finessing.

Internet Auctions: A Guide for Buyers and Sellers lays out the basics of the online auction world with tips on bidding, listing items you want to sell, and keeping from getting ripped off by unscrupulous dealers.

If you collect anything, from velvet Elvis paintings to Fiestaware and don't want to pay antique store prices, or can't stand to fork over half your paycheck at the mall for new things like designer shoes (hello, Samantha!), there's somebody at an online auction site willing to sell it to you for a better price. And one of those somebodies, it turns out, is Uncle Sam. The Government Sales and Auctions page is one of the most popular destinations at USA.gov. When I first heard about government auctions, I envisioned outdated furniture or 20th century computers. But a look at some of the things up for bid online from the government put my imagination to shame and forced me into the 21st century. Government auction sites are filled with modern computers and office furniture; late model cars, trucks and boats; jewelry, clothes and home decor; art and collectibles; houses, farms and commercial property and more. Everything's been seized by law enforcement or used by the government, and it's up for bid online at fair prices.

So why buy retail when you can save a bundle and enjoy the hunt in an online auction?

As for me and my dress situation, all is not lost. In fifties fashion, I dried my tears, smoothed out my apron and dove back into that auction site, scoring a little periwinkle number, circa 1955.

This was the dress that was meant to be.

 

 

 

 

| View Comments [2] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: auctions   nancy   online   shopping   usa.gov  

 

Entry bubble Helping Find Missing Kids

By: Nancy | October 04, 2007 | Category: Home and Family

It seems as if a week doesn’t go by without a new high-profile missing child case in the U.S. or abroad making TV headlines.teddy bear sillhouette I study the photos and home movie clips that they show. And I always hope somehow as I’m out shopping or commuting, that I’ll recognize a face from the news reports or from the back of a milk carton or an ad in my mailbox and will be able to help reunite a family.

More than 2,000 kids are reported missing every day after being abducted by a parent or stranger or after running away from home. The information on USA.gov’s Missing Children page can help you and your child learn how to lower the chances of abduction and can help you learn what you need to do right away if your child is missing.

The page features steps to take within the first 48 hours after your child has disappeared, giving you the information you need to become an effective partner with law enforcement, volunteer searchers and the media in finding your child. There’s also a link to the resources of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. For more than 20 years, the center has been a clearinghouse for information about missing child cases, a training provider for law enforcement and social service professionals, and a source of helpful tips to share with your kids about being safe on their trip to and from school, in the neighborhood, and at crowded public places like malls and amusement parks. The page also links to the FBI’s photo database of children abducted by their parents. And there are links to sites about Amber Alerts and Code Adam—two ways that law enforcement and local governments, businesses and the public can work together quickly to share information when a child is reported missing

It’s easy to get discouraged when so many missing child cases remain unsolved or have sad outcomes. But there are so many success stories of children being returned safely to their families because law enforcement and people like you and me paid attention to those news stories and to the people and things they saw around them and reported sightings that brought about happy reunions.

| View Comments [4] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: children   nancy   safety   usa.gov  

 

Entry bubble The Photo Finish

By: Nancy | September 27, 2007 | Category: Home and Family

We met yesterday to talk about how our first week of blogging’s been going. Everybody really enjoys doing it, and we’re grateful for the comments we’ve been getting on our posts.

But the one challenge that several of us ran across was finding the perfect photos to go along with our blog entries. Our office belongs to a couple online copyright-free photo services. But there’s also a resource for terrific, free photos right on one of our own websites. You can find online images from the government by using USA.gov’s search box and selecting “images.” Or you can go directly to the U.S. Government Photos, Graphics, and Multimedia page to search dozens of government online image galleries and videos.

I was amazed to find tons of contemporary and vintage pictures, maps, charts and graphs from federal, state and local government websites.

I found heroes making history...

Martin Luther King Jr

 

and scenes from everyday life.

Family at a picnic

 

Sports.

Women's football

 

Famous works of art...

George Washington portrait

 

and the not so famous.

child's drawing of a house with caption keep Kansas pretty

 

Images that brought back happy vacation memories...

Barnegat lighthouse

 

and destinations that are out of this world.

Something to keep in mind is that not everything you find on government websites is in the public domain. So be sure to check the individual websites that host the photos you’re interested in using to find out what their copyright policies are.

Take a look and share the links to the great photos you come across.

 

Guaranteed, you’ll find everything from soup...

Woman making soup

 

to nuts.

Squirrel with a nut

| View Comments [7] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: images   nancy   usa.gov  

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