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What a difference a few decades make! The images of New York City were taken in 1970 (Bernard Gotfryd, Library of Congress) and in 2018 by Afif Ramdhasuma (from pexels.com). Earth Day has been celebrated on April 22 since it was established through grassroots efforts in 1970. It was a response to increasing concerns caused by smog (intense air pollution caused mainly by exhaust fumes), Great Lakes at risk of dying from pesticide runoff and waste dumping, and rivers that caught on fire (the Cuyahoga River in Ohio famously caught fire in June of 1969). It was also the year when monumental legislation was enacted to address all kinds of environmental concerns. ...read more
At Home | Inspiration
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If it’s true, as they say, that seeing is believing, then we at Mast Store would like to propose another entry to your quip collection: Doing is moving. “Doing” not only requires movement - “doing” moves you both physically and emotionally. ...read more
Local Flavor | Mast Family Favorites | Travel
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What is a library? It’s a big building with lots of books in it. But wait, it’s so much more. The library is a gateway to your wildest dreams, a place to learn, a place to imagine, a place to make friends. Today’s libraries are repositories of books, but they also are places to get help to learn to read or improve your reading, to improve your math skills, to listen to a performance by a string quartet, to watch a movie, to refine your crafting skills, and to gather with fellow writers. Yes, libraries are SO much more. ...read more
Adventure | Inspiration | Mast Family Favorites
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... Our favorite foods! Food is universal because everybody’s got ta eat! And the last two months of the year are filled with more than their fair share of family meals, work gatherings, special outings to favorite restaurants, tins filled with homemade cookies and fudge, and the anticipation of food traditions handed down from generation to generation ...read more
At Home | Recipes
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Even before we bought the Mast General Store, we were taken by the beauty of Valle Crucis. We’ve heard people describe the drive out Broadstone Road as traveling through a time portal. In the 1970s, fields in the river bottoms would be filled with tobacco, cabbage, or high with hay to feed cattle that were grazing in the summer pasture. ...read more
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The lucky few who have seen the Earth from a different perspective – astronauts - all echo the same viewpoint upon their return. Yuri Gagarin, a Russian cosmonaut and the first human to go to space, commented, “Orbiting Earth in the spaceship, I saw how beautiful our planet is. People, let us preserve and increase this beauty, not destroy it.”
Behind the Scenes | Inspiration
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This May, the traditional beginning of travel season, we're sharing travel stories from our employees along with travel tips and tricks learned along the way. Last week, we explored a variety of traveling tips with Deb. This week, we’re learning about the many benefits of hostelling with Elizabeth.
Elizabeth, an area manager at the Rivercross Made in the USA store in Valle Crucis (next door to the Mast Store Annex), shares her international travel experience of hostelling:
In 2013, I was lucky enough to spend the month of September traveling around the United Kingdom. I visited some absolutely wonderful places like London, Oxford, The Cotswold’s, and even Hill Top House, which is the home of Beatrix Potter. I’m grateful to have experienced so many of England's treasures, but the experience that meant the most to me, by far, was my time in the Snowdonia National Park in Wales.
After weaving around single lane mountain roads for most of the afternoon, we pulled up to a beautiful Victorian manor House called Bryn Gwynant nestled up to Mount Snowdon in the heart of the park. Once we settled, in we spent the rest of the evening enjoying views from the grand dining room windows, reading next to the fireplace, and getting to know our fellow travelers. We even managed a visit with some obliging sheep who were wandering around the grounds. It was an evening that I will remember for a long time to come.
Now to the best surprise, we were able to enjoy all of this for only $20 each per night! This was my first stay in one of the Hostelling International facilities and since that time, I’ve found that this organization offers opportunities for affordable lodging all over the world. They try to place their hostels in interesting locations where you can make the most of your environment, even if you don't have a car. Not only is it a great price, but you also have access to the public kitchens so you can save a little extra money by preparing your own meals.
Hostelling International has also begun to make their locations more family friendly, so if a bunk room isn't your style, most locations offer private rooms at a slightly higher price. Even if you aren't planning on leaving the United States this year, they have some great USA locations as well. If you are traveling on a budget, I recommend trying a hostel. I can't promise they will all be in Victorian manor houses, but if you do your location research, you should be able to find a hostel that will save you a little money and maybe offer an entirely new experience.
For more helpful travel tips, click HERE.