A Great Way to Start 2009

Finally back home from our little mountain retreat and had a great time--which feels good to say since my partner and I had a very rough 2008. So maybe the new year has better things in store.

I didn't take very many photos, but I liked this guy here I saw all decked out on the sidewalk. Very dashing, no?

Let's see, favorite parts about the getaway. It was very cold and windy, which was a nice change. And it snowed New Year's Day! The next photo is of some folks trying out the sledding.

Best part was the food! We had a great New Year's Eve dinner (mmmm, roasted figs wrapped in prosciutto) and managed to find a place that served the traditional Southern black-eyed peas and collard greens for New Year's Day. Gotta bank up some good luck and money for 2009! And our lunch yesterday was excellent--best Monte Cristo sandwich I've ever had (crispy, crunchy with powdered sugar and strawberry jam).

And excellent mountain vistas! Seems I did most of the driving and couldn't get in many good photos, but trust me--the views were breaktaking. It was also nice to see a few of the area ski slopes lit up at night, twinkling in the distance.

This last photo is of some buildings in town all decorated for the holidays (across a lake).

So I'm crossing my fingers for more good things in 09!

A Great Way to Start 2009

Finally back home from our little mountain retreat and had a great time--which feels good to say since my partner and I had a very rough 2008. So maybe the new year has better things in store.

I didn't take very many photos, but I liked this guy here I saw all decked out on the sidewalk. Very dashing, no?

Let's see, favorite parts about the getaway. It was very cold and windy, which was a nice change. And it snowed New Year's Day! The next photo is of some folks trying out the sledding.

Best part was the food! We had a great New Year's Eve dinner (mmmm, roasted figs wrapped in prosciutto) and managed to find a place that served the traditional Southern black-eyed peas and collard greens for New Year's Day. Gotta bank up some good luck and money for 2009! And our lunch yesterday was excellent--best Monte Cristo sandwich I've ever had (crispy, crunchy with powdered sugar and strawberry jam).

And excellent mountain vistas! Seems I did most of the driving and couldn't get in many good photos, but trust me--the views were breaktaking. It was also nice to see a few of the area ski slopes lit up at night, twinkling in the distance.

This last photo is of some buildings in town all decorated for the holidays (across a lake).

So I'm crossing my fingers for more good things in 09!

Heading to the Mountains to Ring in 2009

I'll be gone for a couple of days as my partner and I are headed to the hills. We have a special place we like to go every now and then, and we've spent a couple of New Years Eves there. Very quiet (and cold) but we like it. Maybe we'll see some more snow, too.

So Happy New Year everyone. I hope 2009 brings you much love and peace.

Heading to the Mountains to Ring in 2009

I'll be gone for a couple of days as my partner and I are headed to the hills. We have a special place we like to go every now and then, and we've spent a couple of New Years Eves there. Very quiet (and cold) but we like it. Maybe we'll see some more snow, too.

So Happy New Year everyone. I hope 2009 brings you much love and peace.

Another Mountaintop Shamanic Experience!

"I am a student of our universe, and I serve to chronicle its wonders."

At my most recent shamanic workshop, this statement came to me during one of our activities, and it truly distills who I have always been and who I aspire to be. Sort of my own little mission statement.

The photo above was taken at another local state park where we held a sacred circle, communed with the elements, blew our conch horns (oh, what fun!) among other shaman stuff. The weather was beautiful and so was the energy and the people.

I'll post more later on some of my observations and insights, but that's all for now. Trying to catch up on routine things after a very busy week.

Thanks for visiting and come back soon, now, ya hear?

Another Mountaintop Shamanic Experience!

"I am a student of our universe, and I serve to chronicle its wonders."

At my most recent shamanic workshop, this statement came to me during one of our activities, and it truly distills who I have always been and who I aspire to be. Sort of my own little mission statement.

The photo above was taken at another local state park where we held a sacred circle, communed with the elements, blew our conch horns (oh, what fun!) among other shaman stuff. The weather was beautiful and so was the energy and the people.

I'll post more later on some of my observations and insights, but that's all for now. Trying to catch up on routine things after a very busy week.

Thanks for visiting and come back soon, now, ya hear?

Virginia Roadtrip Leads to Mountaintop Removal

Over the Labor Day weekend, my partner and I visited areas around Fancy Gap and Hillsville, Virginia. The rolling Appalachian mountains and their beauty always stir a deep ache and longing in my heart. I grew up not that far away, and visiting the mountains was always a favorite way to spend time. I was happy to see that the main road into these communities is still 2 lanes and provides plenty of great views--no interstates yet!

While meditating on the beauty of these mountains as well as my recent shamanic workshop in a local state park, I was reminded of a friend's email about mountaintop removal.

To save money and time, many electricity companies are simply removing the tops of entire mountains to get at the coal. Basically they strip it of all vegetation, blast the hell out of it and then dump the waste in the valleys. No, there isn't any mountaintop removal in that part of Virginia as far as I'm aware, but it disturbs me nonetheless.

Our insatiable appetite for coal and energy leads us to do irreversible things to our planet. Not only are we exhausting irreplaceable resources but we are damaging its beauty. Maybe Fancy Gap and Hillsville are safe now but for how long? If we keep on this current track, is anything off limits?

Check out ILoveMountains.org to learn more on moutaintop removal. You can enter your ZIP code to see the closest coal-fired power plant to where you live ("What's My Connection?") and whether it receives coal taken by moutaintop removal. You can educate yourself about how this process works and its environmental effects, plus legislation that hopes to end this damaging practice.

Image of mountaintop removal in West Virginia.

Virginia Roadtrip Leads to Mountaintop Removal

Over the Labor Day weekend, my partner and I visited areas around Fancy Gap and Hillsville, Virginia. The rolling Appalachian mountains and their beauty always stir a deep ache and longing in my heart. I grew up not that far away, and visiting the mountains was always a favorite way to spend time. I was happy to see that the main road into these communities is still 2 lanes and provides plenty of great views--no interstates yet!

While meditating on the beauty of these mountains as well as my recent shamanic workshop in a local state park, I was reminded of a friend's email about mountaintop removal.

To save money and time, many electricity companies are simply removing the tops of entire mountains to get at the coal. Basically they strip it of all vegetation, blast the hell out of it and then dump the waste in the valleys. No, there isn't any mountaintop removal in that part of Virginia as far as I'm aware, but it disturbs me nonetheless.

Our insatiable appetite for coal and energy leads us to do irreversible things to our planet. Not only are we exhausting irreplaceable resources but we are damaging its beauty. Maybe Fancy Gap and Hillsville are safe now but for how long? If we keep on this current track, is anything off limits?

Check out ILoveMountains.org to learn more on moutaintop removal. You can enter your ZIP code to see the closest coal-fired power plant to where you live ("What's My Connection?") and whether it receives coal taken by moutaintop removal. You can educate yourself about how this process works and its environmental effects, plus legislation that hopes to end this damaging practice.

Image of mountaintop removal in West Virginia.