Being avid Ocean sailors my friend Edvin and I like to push the limits of our voyages to areas beyond the reach of civilization, deep into the waters where few sailors venture. As such two years ago we hatched an expedition plan to sail into the Arctic. The idea quickly grew with our research into the area, as we studied ice charts and satellite images we noticed new routes that were emerging into and through the Arctic. Our expedition soon became linked to a climate change message in an attempt to sail from Atlantic to Pacific via a new route that has cleared of ice due to polar ice cap depletion.

We put together an expedition boat and top of the line equipment for the expedition and along with my cousin Morgan set sail from Sweden to Scotland, Iceland and Greenland to test all our gear in the ice and freezing cold of the North Atlantic before next years Arctic attempt. As we set sail into Northern waters and the weather turned colder with every mile we made closer to the Arctic circle we began to pile on the clothing. However, our expensive offshore Ocean sailing boots did not keep us warm and what's worse cracked in the cold weather. My cousin happened to have a pair of boots on board the boat that were not made for high latitude Ocean sailing, they were a pair of BOGS - warm, flexible and provided the relentless protection needed for the harsh Arctic Ocean environment and are now our go to Ocean sailing expedition boots.

We are now in Newfoundland a year later making final preparations for the expedition for which we set sail in two weeks on a journey that will last 5 months. This journey will see us sail to the coast of Greenland which we will follow north until the polar ice stops us, then we will cross over into the Canadian Arctic where we will sail East and wait for a favorable ice report before we try our break through passage into Alaskan waters to complete the expedition in Vancouver.

It was therefore natural to partner with BOGS on our expedition so that we could comfortably undertake this expedition in the harshest and most remote area of the world. Over the next five months we will share our adventures with BOGS and as we reach major milestones: reaching the Arctic circle off of Greenland; sailing to our furthest North position of the voyage; crossing into unsailed waters; and finally our arrival home. We look forward to the journey ahead.

- Nick, The Belzebub II

On August 28th, 2011, Prattsville, New York was hit by the violent wrath of Hurricane Irene. Dozens of homes and businesses were destroyed as water climbed higher and higher. Among the ravaged was Young’s General Store, a third generation family owned hardware & feed business in Prattsville. We received a letter from Brian Young discussing the hardship his family has faced, and details of the fateful day in August when he watched his world crumble.

“In one swift swoop, our homes (both my parents and my own), cars, belongings and business were taken from us. The fact that I am even here to write this is a miracle. For 3 or 4 hours I clung to our shed roof with my parents, brother and our 3 dogs as we watched everything float away. While I was up on the roof I whispered to my brother one word, ‘morale’. We needed to stay positive while the wind and rain were making us shiver.”

That positive outlook kept the Young Family afloat facing the destruction of Hurricane Irene, and has remained vital in helping them rebuild their beloved business and store.

With no flood insurance and no help from the government, the Youngs have relied on the support of their community, vendors and partnerships they have built to help re-launch their business. Young’s General Store has been a long time customer of Bogs, and upon hearing their story, we wanted to show the Young Family our appreciation and support by supplying them with Bogs boots to help jump-start the rebuild of their new store in Catskill, NY, which is now open for business.

From one family business to another, we are sending well wishes to Young’s General Store and the entire Young Family as they embark on a new chapter. If you live in the Northeast, please be sure to pay them a visit!

Bogs is always happy to help out when we can by providing hard-working footwear to those in need – especially for use in natural disaster relief efforts. To submit your request, please send us an email: pr@bogsfootwear.com.
 

As the days get longer and the sun shines brighter, there’s nothing like getting outside and spending some good, quality time in the dirt. Around here, we’re definitely of the mantra that a weekend spent planting, digging, weeding and watering is one well spent. In fact, just a few weeks ago, we stopped by Woodhaven School in Beaverton, OR for a volunteer day where we worked in the garden, planted natives and removed invasive plants from the outdoor campus.

When tending to your garden, there’s nothing like a few tips and tricks from friends to really make it flourish. We recently asked our Facebook community to teach us a thing or two about their green thumbs, and the responses were incredibly helpful.

Here are just a few of our favorite responses, you can check out the whole list on our Facebook page:

• “For tomatoes (not the pasting varieties): cut off all the leaves below the top 3. The plants will grow much bigger and produce a lot more fruit.”—Richard

• “For home gardens instead of digging down, it's much easier to build up (just build a simple frame) and that way you can put new soil or better yet compost down to grow great veggies!!! And if you have kids they can be very helpful at watering and weeding...just be sure to show them which ones are weeds first, lol!!” –Kimberly

• “Put crushed seashells around your raised beds to help keep the slugs away!”—Amy

• “I've planted inch sq's of flower styrofoam in my garden just to keep it moist while on vacation.”—Mike

• “I love organic food but they're very expensive. So, I plant my own organic plants! I fill my compost heap with kitchen waste such as water that I use to clean fish, dead leaves, grass clippings and other organic matter that will rot down to fertile humus instead of using chemical fertilizers. These are all gold for my garden.” –Jeevon

• “Marigolds planted in the corners of my raised beds keep the rabbits out and stops their constant nibbling.” –Karen

Everyone who submitted a tip was entered to win a $100 gift card to BogsFootwear.com, and our lucky winner, chosen by Random.Org, is Ashley LM! Her tip was:

• "Have your children help with the garden! They love to remind you when to water and can't wait to grow lots of goodies to pick and eat! I am teaching mine the love of growing their own food St an early age!"

Congratulations, Ashley!
 

Dan Lehrer and Joanne Kruger have been farming enthusiasts for decades. After years of farming in their Berkeley backyard, the couple took a leap of faith and bought an apple orchard in 1999. They converted their new land to organic, planted several new apple varieties and built three greenhouses where they began growing edible, native and rare plant starts. Flatland Flower Farm was born.

Several years later, the farm continues to thrive and serve up organic vegetable, herb and flower starts as well as dry-farmed, organic, heirloom apples. This season, the farm is featuring two types of rare tomatoes, one brought home from the slopes of Mt. Vesuvius, near Naples, Italy. The Pomodorino del Piennolo del Vesuvi is known as the Mt. Vesuvius Cherry Tomato at Flatland Flower Farm and packed with flavor. The other is the Blue Tomato with a taste like it has been smoked on the barbeque. On the farm, they call it Smokey Blue.

By growing their plants organically, Dan and Joanne say, “we produce stronger, healthier plants that are typically more disease-resistant and pest-resistant than their chemical-dependent counterparts.” Growing organically also assists their company goal of, “providing great plants and apples for gardeners and eaters in the Bay Area.”

Flatland Flower Farm describes itself as a small family farm and nursery in the hills of Sebastopol, CA, “We started out as a backyard business and are still a backyard business! We just have a bigger backyard now.” And, thanks to their bigger backyard, the farm hosts great events throughout the year. The annual barbeque and plant sale is on May 6, 2012--right around the corner! There will be good food, music and the best selections of plant starts for you to take home.

Bogs fans in the Bay Area, be sure to check it out!

*Dan is wearing the Bogs Tillamook Bay