Saturday, May 25, 2013

Great Greats

My great-great-grandfather Ruben Seay was born in Spartanburg South Carolina in 1829.  He was the grandson of the first (or at least farthest back) Ruben in the Seay family, a Revolutionary War veteran, but that's a story for another day.  The second Ruben Seay moved to Alabama, then to Illinois and finally to Missouri, where he joined the Confederate Army.  He served in several battles until he was shot in the windpipe in the Battle of Corinth Mississippi. A Union solider noticed that he was breathing, dragged him into the shade of a large tree and gave him brandy to drink.  Ruben Seay always credited the solider with saving his life. 

It's like a song, right? I've heard the ballad of the Blue Eyed Boston Boy and his comrade the Tall Dark Man, but they were both fighting for the same side.  There's gotta be a song about a Yankee and a Reb sharing brandy on the battlefield.  If not, I ought to write it.

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Uncle Tom Newberry's Pond

Shall we gather by the river... or perhaps the pond.

I don't know who Uncle Tom Newberry was, but I love this photo.


Thursday, May 2, 2013

Colestine Camp Out, June 21 - 23, 2013


It’s Colestine Camp Out time again! Wahoo! Mark your calendars for June 21 – 23.   

For the fanatically committed, we’re also hosting a work party on June 1

I hereby propose a Camp Out menu: 
    Friday: Fish
    Saturday: Mixed Grill 
Bring stuff. Share.

Earth, Air, Fire, Water; all things in balance, except when they are not.  Last year’s camp out was the year of Water in the form of rain. What element will we celebrate this year?  It has been a hot, dry spring, but one thing is sure:  I can’t control the weather.

The land has undergone a dramatic change since last year. The forest looks a little scalped after the Lomakatsi Project thinned 60-some-odd acres of conifers and small oaks. They left dozens and dozens of slash piles that we thought would be burned by spring, but that didn't happen. We also got an early, heavy snow in December followed by a cold snap that froze everything solid for weeks. As a result, some major tree tops and limbs came down, including one upstream from Queen’s Bath that is blocking the walkway along the creek.  Sequoia has been stacking and burning like a superhuman, but there’s only so much one man can do and it’s too late in the season to burn any more. So, expect some detritus and devastation, but nothing too dramatic. It’s all for the long-term good of the ecosystem.

The only constant in this life is change.  We have been watching this land evolve for 18 years now. What an extraordinary gift.