Sunday Sunshine

The Illinois River Canyon was a good place to be today.

You needed to pay attention to the road surface as well as the riveting scenery.

Pearsol Peak had the first of this season's snow.

Breast Cancer Sitepage:

Linda sent these pictures and email tonight.

.....Blue skies.....from now on! Took my first walk in weeks with Kalmi this afternoon. What a treat.....slowly turning colors, butterflies,flowers, birds, and the biggest treat was a flock of about 30"crirdkkking" Sandhill Cranes flying south. What a neat sound to hear them talk. I feel the best I have in months, and just soaked it all up on this gorgeous day. Before I was too feverish or weak to get out. Now I am getting connected with Mother Earth again!! And she is glorious in New Mexico now.

page:

Linda is out of the woods! Her treatment for breast cancer allows her to resume her life of joy as a thriving, creative, productive woman. Some women cannot afford the mammogram that could save their lives. Click Every Day.

Another Dulcimer Birthday....

You can hear the voice of newest dulcimer.

Another Dulcimer Birthday....Part Two

She's "Back in the Wood," as Carole refers to one of the major passions of her life. There lives a new four string, deeper bodied model as of October 1st. The absolutely perfect join of the two pieces of the back showcases the natural grain in a gentle sunburst pattern.

The sound holes echo the voluptuous symetry of the body.

An amethyst stone found a home in the scroll

Every one of Carole's creations are one of a kind. Each one sings with it's own, very unique voice, determined by the tree of it's origin, and the shape and size of the body and the thickness of the wood....etc. It appears to me that being a luthier is as much an art, as it is a science.

Training

Training

Look who I saw on my way to town yesterday...

Running the Rock and Roll Marathon in Tucson means that a live band will be playing at every mile post of the 26. Mary did this marathon two years ago and is going to repeat the fun soon. Chris was riding with her today. Somedays Elwin is on the bike. Boy do I want to film the day the cowboy rides...........

Buckwheat Bonanza

We hear that Madelyn will have her Third Birthday celebration tomorrow. We were lucky enough to be invited to today's party. Bacon, scrambled eggs, and homemade salsa were on the menu as well as the bodacious buckwheat cakes.
Billie and Elwin made it a Two Can Event!

This chef weilds a spatula with the best of them.
Madelyn has now had her SECOND birthday celebration for this year. Elwin very kindly made buckwheat cakes for us all this morning at 8 AM. His friend Billie, a fine fiddler from Texas originally, helped him with the wing ding and then entertained us royally. Mary, always such a gracious hostess, used her most dramatic china: square red plates. Equisite red/purple roses from the garden graced the table also. The food and the company were splendid.



As soon as the dishes were done, Billie kicked off the music with this barn raiser.





Dancing before noon assures the celebrant a long and happy life.

Trash Dog Tribute

Els does believe that "IF YOU ARE NOT PART OF THE SOLUTION, YOU ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM." We have seen her stop and pick up garbage--if needed-- on almost every walk we have been on for years. Thank you Els. You remind us that we are able to make a difference in the world we will hand to our children ..... and their children.

A recent letter to the editor suggested that a drop off site in town would help keep people from going up into the hills with unwanted items and pushing them over a cliff. Part of the $30,000 grant money, could be used to set up a dumpster in town where people could drop off unwanted items for free or for a small fee. There also needs to be a serious education effort on recycling the excess of our grossly consuming lifestyles.

Ed Gross is a retired forest service person. He and Jerry Darbeyshire, also a retired USFS person, know the back roads of the area like their back yard. Harve Timeous completes the original group. Ed uses the computer to keep track of sites needing attention, and inform the "can do clean up crew," of important news. This is a rare version of the gentian and a lovely perk for those on this particular trip.

Can you imagine rounding a corner in our pristine watersheds......and seeing such an abomination?

Celebration of Accordians

What's better than one accordian?? Two accordians!

Five Butterfly Species....

Came to the Accordian Festival held at the East Fork Swimmin' Hole on the Illinois today. Some of the other locals arrived too -- to cement the folklore of what happens on the "Road to Pluto."