Walt Hampton

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The Friday Five

We decided to have some fun by sharing a few of our favorite things—products, books, people, food, and places— with you each Friday. These are things that have made our life easier or more pleasurable in one way or another. We hope they do the same for you.
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Product
Vitamix
If you had ever told us we’d spend $500 dollars on a blender, we’d have laughed in your face. Both of us are pretty good at hanging on to money. For the longest time, we had a run-of-the-mill blender here in Ireland, which smoked whenever we’d add the tiniest chunk of cucumber. With a Vitamix, you could throw in a car tire, then a block of ice, and produce a fluffy protein shake that would make you weep. We finally broke down and bought one off of Amazon UK, which was even more expensive than the one we had in the States thanks to the VAT. But, whatever. So worth it.
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Book
Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania
OK, we’re not done with Erik Larson books. In fact, we’re both on something of a bender. Last night we had a debate over which Larson book we considered the best, and we both agreed it was Dead Wake. You may recall–if you actually stayed awake in history class–that it was the sinking of The Lusitania that brought the U.S. into WWI. Wilson was dead set on keeping America out of any foreign conflict, particularly one on the other side of the pond, but German submarines insisted on pushing their luck. Walt cried at the drowning part. But that’s only because he has a heart.
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 People
Rich Roll, IG
One of us downloaded his book before we ventured off to climb some mountain in Papua New Guinea. This is how we discovered an extreme athlete who made us look like tree sloths in comparison. A former obese, alcoholic lawyer, Rich turned his life around in an ungodly short period of time. Like, a year from rock bottom, he was doing back-to-back Ironmans.
You’ll want to check out his podcast too.
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Food
Peanut Butter Banana Ice-cream
OK. Wanna know why you need a ridiculously expensive blender? Because of this dish right here. If you’ve got a thing for ice-cream, and really, who doesn’t, then you’re going to love how you can have your cake and eat it too. You can consume a day’s worth of calories in one foul swoop by cracking open a pint of Ben &Jerry’s. Or you can toss into that blender 4 frozen bananas, a handful of carob nibs, a few TBS of peanut butter (remember, we’re American), a splash of almond milk, a little sea salt, and….you’ve got yourself two servings of heaven.
Place
Castletownshend
Look. We’re not getting very far these days. In fact, we felt like real adventurers last week when we took a drive into Cork city for an appointment. But none of that matters because at the top of our hill lies the Buckley farm. Each morning we get to exchange greetings with the Buckley herd as they make their way to the milking parlor. We can’t quite figure out what happened to the bottom half of this cow’s tail. Without it, she’s got nothing to defend herself against the flies. This upset Ann far more than it did Walt. Who has the heart now?


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Wishing you adventure, health, and joy,
Ann and Walt