My Future at Fifty One

life at fifty one

Fifty-one years ago, I came screaming into this world. By some cultures, that makes me 52 today. Either way, I don’t feel a half-century old. I certainly don’t think of myself as 51. That is until I see a selfie of some old guy who looks like me. Then I remember the many orbits around […]

Read More

Flowing Freely in Forest Reserve 27

forest reserve 27 mountain biking

It’s Saturday morning and I am swooping down a single-track trail in Lusaka’s Forest Reserve 27 though a green canopy that wasn’t here just two months ago. Recent rains have transformed these 1,8000 hectares from a dust bowl into a stunning green mountain biker paradise in just a few weeks. Now I do my best […]

Read More

Walk Slowly Uphill When Facing Flat Tires

zambia mtb repair

Swoosh! I fly down the hills outside of Lusaka, with a smile on my face and my hands on the breaks – but only lightly! I am finally really enjoying mountain biking in a country that’s not known for good single-track trails – or at least I haven’t found them yet. I’m spoiled with Carolina […]

Read More

First New Job Task: Take Hardtail to Lusaka

Mountain bike shipped to Lusaka

This week, I started a new job. I’ve traded the private sector profit of Deloitte for the public sector promise of the US Government. I am now the Senior Digital Development Advisor for USAID/Zambia, working from the Mission in Lusaka, and when not here, from my home in Chapel Hill. My aim is to increase […]

Read More

Paddle Fast! Your Cardboard Boat is Sinking

Paddle! Paddle! I yell at the kids in their cardboard boat. Paddle faster! Yet, their boat is slowly sinking under them, as the water seeps in the bottom, compromises the sides, and the duct tape fails at the seams. This is the annual Eastwood Lake Cardboard Boat Contest, and trophies – and bragging rights! – […]

Read More