By Aimee Johnson, Account Executive

First, I have to admit that, yes, I have been watching Zac Efron’s new series on Netflix, “Down to Earth” and it has become a guilty pleasure! And no I am not of the generation that swooned over Zac and High School musical. I can honestly say I’ve never seen it.

One episode of “Down to Earth” explores the centenarians of Sardinia’s Blue Zone. Who doesn’t want the gift of longevity?! Needless to say I was hooked from the start.

Blue Zones describe the 5 places around the world where people consistently live over 100. From these zones, there are evidence based common denominators called the Power 9:

1. Move naturally
2. Purpose
3. Downshift
4. 80% Rule
5. Plant slant.
6. Wine @ 5
7. Belong
8. Loved ones first.
9. Right tribe.

Learn more about Blue Zones and the Power 9, here, or with all this extra time at home living in our new COVID world, maybe it’s worth trying some of these Blue Zone recipes!

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6125071/

https://www.lacucinaitaliana.com/trends/healthy-food/the-blue-zones-kitchen-has-the-secret

By Tonya Mott, Vice President of Operations

I know you’re probably thinking it’s way too early to start thinking about booking campsites for the 2021 summer but I promise, you are wrong.  Let this blog post be a warning that if you want to camp at the most beautiful campgrounds and get the prime spots you have to book at least 6 months in advance (some up to a year in advance).

Most of the places I mention in this article were booked in February 2020 for this summer.

Here’s how we spent the infamous summer of 2020.

Porcupine Campground – Hope, Alaska Click here for details and reservations

• The view of the inlet from our campsite – Hanging with Papa (campsite #12)

• Fishing – Showing these girls how to properly hold a fish

• Hiking trails – Before and after (That’s my nephew in the background, in his pack on the ground and passed out)

• Exploring unique little town of Hope – Menu at the Seaview Café & Bar

Blueberry Lake Campground – Valdez, Alaska Click here for details and Click here for reservations

• You’re in the mountains and have beautiful views of valleys and glaciers

• Fishing – One spot has its own private lake access

• Hiking trails – My husband thought it would be a good idea to ride the wagon down the trail. That ended with him on the ground and a bent wheel.

• Exploring Valdez

Savage River Campground – Denali Park, Alaska Click here for details and reservations (this one was summer of 2019)

• The views of the mountains and the park

• Hiking trails – The river hike is beautiful and kid friendly. My sister almost lost her stroller (sans kid, thankfully) to the Savage River.  Naughty buggy, was the name given to her stroller by the New Zealand tourist that was so graciously taking our family photo as it took off down the hill. My brother-in-law saved the day and caught it as it was about half way in the water.

• Denali Park and the visitor center. They had all kinds of kid’s activities. My niece, Olivia is officially a Junior Park Ranger.

2020 has been a strange year to say the least but I will say it has been one of the best summers for our family.  We explored this great state of Alaska from the north, east, south, and west ends!  We are looking forward to new adventures in 2021.

By Bailey Penrose, Employer Services Account Manager

I don’t know about you, but being encouraged to stay at home during these turbulent times has really upped my YouTube consumption.  Quite possibly Google should start paying me a portion of ad-revenue based on the uptick.  One thing I find myself binging are the videos released by museums, many of whom have adapted their content to online visitors.  Museums have always held a fascination for me, and imagining exploring their many hallways while stuck at home engages my brain while helping me remember the world outside.

The British Museum’s channel is fantastic and they have recently been releasing a series of videos about ‘Objects of Crisis’, little snippets that introduce some pretty interesting artifacts.  My favorite so far has been the ‘The Meroe Head of Augustus’ as A.) the guest speaker is Mary Beard (her books are wonderful, I recommend SPQR) and B.) the conversation around how we regard statues throughout time was engagingly thought provoking.

Whether you prefer to explore topics related to art, history, nature, or some combination of them all, why not give some of these museum channels a try?

The Met

American Museum of Natural History

National Museum of American History

The National Gallery