A funeral in the cove

We said goodbye to Red Wilson this week in a little church up in the Cove. A World War II veteran, Red was part of the Normandy invasion and his family honored him with a military burial.

Country funerals are a window to a culture and past that is unique and disappearing. Family and friends, generations of folk who have never left the place where they were born, gather in the hollow to say goodbye to a neighbor and help the widow through the ordeal.

The practice is well established: Say last goodbyes to an open casket; listen to fire and brimstone preaching about making your reservation for heaven because if you don't, Jesus will come and steal you in the night and you will go straight to hell; then walk up the hill together to the cemetery for more preaching; afterwards, take fellowship with the family at long church tables filled with huge platters of ham and roast beef, green beans, mashed potatoes, and every kind of whipped jello dish you can imagine.

Back roads of Hardy County

When I wasn't taking photos of the the bicycle racers, I looked around and really saw what's on our back roads!

Lost River Classic

Today was the inaugural race for the Lost River Classic, and the first such event for Hardy County. Our county’s quiet roads and challenging terrain make it an ideal spot for cyclists. Local officials and the highway department were strongly supportive of this new event and I feel encouraged that our local leaders will be increasingly aware of the need to preserve and protect our rural treasure.

Some of us "locals" set up a picnic area at the top of a steep hill and drummed for the riders to cheer them on. We got some great smiles from these amazing athletes!

I miss you Mom

It was a year ago today doctors told us we should begin hospice services for Mom; not a day goes by that I don’t think of her...or Deni, our wonderful hospice nurse, the professional and compassionate person who helped us through the slow and painful process of dying.

It began six months earlier with a phone call from Dad. "Mother's in the hospital --they found cancer in her colon." In the space of a moment, everything changed. This is how I moved back home with my 86-year old parents in California.

Hospice life is quiet. Days are long, time seems stopped, every moment like the moment before. Nothing can be rushed, it goes on until it is over--Mom in an unfathomable place, withdrawn and other-worldish, heavily drugged to keep her out of pain. As I reflect back on the year, I now fully understand what was given to me. Thank you, Mom, for giving me the opportunity to tend you, still my inner chatter, practice patience and compassion, learn the gift of silence, notice life's small details, and get to know my father as a person.

Thank you Maggie!

It was Maggie who introduced me to the Adirondack Mountains. I can't find words clean or vivid enough to describe the air, the alpine spruce, or the call of loons on Heart Lake.

We hiked to Wright's Peak (one of 46 peaks higher than 4,000 ft), drummed around the campfire, and cooked bacon and eggs for breakfast. There is nothing like mountain air! And the alpine ecosystem reminds you just how fragile our planet is. We must all make a greater commitment to conservation of earth's precious resources.

New Yorkers love flowers

I think upstate New Yorkers really love their flowers! Maybe because they have such short summers they go all out to spruce up front porches, flower boxes, and perennial beds. Whatever it is, they create some very beautiful spaces. They also get outdoors--everyone is walking, pushing strollers, driving with the top down, sitting on benches, painting houses, working in gardens, loading up canoes and kayaks, generally soaking up the sun.

I've been walking through the neighborhoods in Oneonta and Saratoga Springs admiring all the hanging baskets, wicker furniture, and old stately homes with giant windows, wide open porches, high turrets, and ornate detail. We don't have anything like this in West Virginia!

Waking up in upstate New York

This is my first trip to upstate New York; the land makes me think of Algonquins and Iroquois, the hunting ground of the Mohawk Nation--incredible abundance of rivers, streams, lakes and ponds. I drove all day enjoying sparce population, big farms, rural landscape, roadside wildflowers, and healthy-looking forests.

A day in D.C.

Washington D.C. is a beautiful place, especially in summer on the National Mall with all the international visitors, American families, and student groups. I learned something today--I'm a lousy photographer when it comes to monuments and you really can't do a good job if you are in a hurry. I'm posting these photos to remind myself that I have a long way to go!

Making Hay

I always feel a bit uneasy until I have my winter hay stored in the barn but this morning I'm feeling relaxed because I just purchased 100 bales. Most of the farmers around here make big round bales but a few farmer still make smaller square bales which are easier for me to handle.

It's been an excellent summer for making hay--every field is on the second cutting (which I prefer because the hay contains fewer weeds). My donkeys and sheep like a thin-bladed orchard grass but I also buy some heavier timothy for the coldest winter months. Donkeys love alfalfa too but it's very rich and they are already too fat!

Tas!

This is Tas, and he has the ability to inspire!

So does our vet, Dr. Martha Hunt.

They stopped by this weekend to show off Tas's new set of wheels. Together, they demonstrate the power of love and creativity. Just being around these two live spirits makes your heart sing.

A lazy Sunday

I'm feeling lazy today--maybe I should get outdoors and take a walk. These photos were sitting in a folder called "revisit" so I decided to do just that!

This person rocks my world

I met Ann in 1982 in a Cambodian temple in a Vietnamese refugee camp in the Philippines.

We worked together in international education in Asia and the U.S. for 15 years and then we developed and ran several small businesses in Lost River, West Virginia.

We recently sold two of our businesses and are
currently taking a year off to spend time traveling, reading, gardening, drumming, generally enjoying life and feeling grateful for all that we have.

I wish I had started taking photographs way back then...but I guess it's not too late to start now!