Summer Solstice 2010

2010-06-19T21:16:00.000-07:00

I can't believe almost a year has past since my last post. Alas, my resources have permitted a new MacBook to enter my life. May it be a tool that does not come to own me but is utilized to bring beauty into these worlds, cyber and all, through these hands, just as our ancestors learned to wield the knife with which to craft their dwellings, hunt their food, and scrape the hair from the hide. Like virtually everything brought into being through human hands, I honor that this blade cuts both ways, its destructive force just as present as its pro-creativeness. What worlds are created through these words, broadcasted into the ether? May it be for the greater good of all, and may it harm none. What follows is a chronicle of recent events that have led me to this place in time. Journey with me in reminiscence. Allow me to entertain worlds as yet unrealized.

2009-07-15T08:53:00.001-07:00

Good morning
I'm sending this blog from my garden. See my pumpkin turning orange on the vine.

Reporting from Luray, Virginia

2008-09-19T11:14:00.000-07:00

I have arrived safely in Luray, Virginia where I am staying with my grandparents, helping out around the house, working on personal projects, and secretly planning to swing the state towards a democratic election. I just attended a community celebration to kick off a recycling program in the town, met the mayor, and talked gossip with the neighborhood committee chair. Last night I attended a Tibetan Buddhist class that's on-going in the next town over, Stanley.

My grandparents first came to Luray when the tannery here was booming. It employed a lot of the town's folks, and once it closed down they all went to work for Wranglers.

Now that they're not in town anymore, everyone has found work at WalMart, and I mean everyone (seniors and all).

But, Luray's history goes further back than that. The town is probably best known for the caverns here that were discovered in 1878.

It's been a bit of a culture shock for me to be here, especially so close to election time. I have found myself surrounded by more McCain supporters than I'm accustomed to, but even some of the old guard are starting to lose their faith in the Republican party. They're just not living up to their empty promises and keep showing their true colors in terms of serving their own interests before those of the people.

Luray is just starting to get involved with the sustainability movement that is sweeping the nation. I found out about a group called Sustainable Shenandoah that is actively working to promote more sustainable farming practices. It's all farm land surrounding the town here, and while people aren't doing the nasty feed lots that you see a lot along the Highway 5 cooridor, they haven't quite caught onto the fact that antibiotics, growth hormones, and genetically modified food may not be the best stuff to ingest.
On my drive into town, I was told that the fish from the Shenandoah river have been turning up with lesions!

That said, the area is surrouned by some beautiful pristine forest. On one side of the valley, there's the Blue Ridge Mountain Range. On the other is the Massanutten. I'm looking forward to the fall color change that I've heard tell of. Stay tuned for more updates. Buy a T-Shirt that my friends Johnny and Evan made to support the Obama campaign!

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2008-09-06T00:19:00.000-07:00

OtterPup's Musings

Summer Solstice 2010

Reporting from Luray, Virginia

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