There is Hope

A palindrome reads the same backwards as forward. This video reads the exact opposite backwards as forward. Not only does it read the opposite, the meaning is the exact opposite.
This is a video that was submitted in a contest by a 20-year old. The contest was titled "u @ 50" by AARP. This video won second place.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42E2fAWM6rA

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park

Last week I attended a business retreat just outside of Shepherdstown, West Virginia, a village brimming with charm and history. Located 90 minutes from Washington, D.C., one feels transported back to the 1800s as you walk picturesque German Street, lined with charming restaurants and unique locally owned shops. I also had an opportunity to spend an afternoon hiking in the Blue Ridge Mountains along a segment of the Appalachian Trail. The trees were in full autumn color, and the crisp temperatures ideal for a vigorous hike.

While in the area, I made a trip to Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. The Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers meet here, playing an important role the area's history. The park experience includes strolling the picturesque streets of this restored 19th century industrial village, visiting the several shops and museums. There are also a variety of tours and living history presentations, bringing the past to life.

Here is a quick recap of some of the interesting history that this park preserves:


Industry
The United States Armory and Arsenal, established in 1799, transformed Harpers Ferry from a remote village into an industrial center. Between 1801 and the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, the Armory produced more than 600,000 muskets, rifles, and pistols, and employed, at times, over 400 workers. Inventor John H. Hall pioneered interchangeable firearms manufacture at his Rifle Works, and helped lead the change from craft-based production to manufacture by machine. Other industries included pulp mills, cotton mills, tannery, flour mill, sawmill, and iron foundry. Today, only ruins remain of Harpers Ferrys 19th-century industrial heyday.

John Brown's Raid

John Brown believed he could free the slaves, and on October 16, 1859, he and his 21- man "army of liberation" seized weapons at the Armory and several other strategic points with intent of using the Blue Ridge Mountains for guerrilla warfare. Thirty-six hours after the raid had begun, Brown was captured in the Armory fire engine house by U.S. Marines. Brown was brought to trial and found guilty of treason, of conspiring with slaves to rebel, and murder. He was hanged on December 2, 1859. John Brown's short-lived raid failed, but his trial and execution focused the nation's attention on the moral issue of slavery and headed the country toward civil war.

The Civil War

The Civil War had a profound and disastrous effect on Harpers Ferry, leaving a path of destruction that destroyed the town's economy and forced many residents to leave and never return. Because of the town's strategic location, Union and Confederate troops moved through Harpers Ferry frequently. On April 18, 1861, after Virginia seceded from the Union, Federal soldiers set fire to the Armory and Arsenal to keep them out of Confederate hands. When the Confederates abandoned the town two months later, they burned most of the factory buildings and blew up the railroad bridge. Harpers Ferry was also the site of the largest surrender of Federal troops during the war.

African-American History

The first black arrived in Harpers Ferry in the mid-1700s as a slave to Robert Harper. By the time of John Brown's Raid in 1859, about ten percent of the town's residents were black. The town's 150 slaves, considered property, could be rented out, sold, used as collateral for business transactions, or given away. Another 150 "free" blacks worked as laborers or teamsters.
Following the Civil War, Baptist missionaries acquired several vacant Armory buildings and, in 1867, started the first integrated school, Storer College. The Niagara Movement (the forerunner to the NAACP) was also created at Storer College.

The natural beauty and the amazing history of this area truly are inspiring. To stand on the soil these historical sites stirs something in me, giving me a new appreciation to the lives and events that unfolded here.

IT'S SNOWING!!!!

Autumn Leaves

Fall is unfolding beautifully in and around Park City. As the days shorten and temperatures cool, the green leaves of summer give way to a stunning palette of reds, oranges, and golds. The air is crisp and clear, the crowds have left, and the trails are breathtakingly beautiful. I find myself wanting to spend all my time outdoors with my camera, for each day is a new unfolding of color that wasn't there the day before. I've uploaded 73 of the 730 photos taken over the weekend to Snapfish. Take a peep if you are interested :

http://www1.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=1332557002/a=14991447_14991447/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/

Two factors influence how and why leaves change color in the fall: less daylight and the weather. As days grow shorter and nights are longer and cooler, leaves begin to change color. During spring and summer, chlorophyll, the food factory of leaves and the thing that makes them appear green, is continually produced. As night length increases in the fall, chlorophyll disappears and other leaf substances remain, giving leaves their fall colors.

Certain colors are characteristic of particular tree species. Oaks turn red, brown, or russet; aspen golden yellow, and maples red and orange. While the absence of chlorophyll allows for the change of leaf color, the brilliance of those colors depends on the weather and the amount of moisture in the soil, making some years better than others. The Park City area had late snows last spring and a lot of early summer rains, giving us a splendid color show this autumn!

Most of my creative ideas have been inspired while in nature. While hiking the Park City area last fall, I brought my pruning shears and a large cloth bag with me to collect dried leaves, berries, grasses, wildflowers that caught my eye. I then created a wreath of all my findings, a photo of which I share here. This will now be an annual ritual, and I look forward to another creation this week.

No matter what part of the country you are in, get out into nature to enjoy Autumn's beauty.

Be Inspired!

Mark Your Calendars: PBS will air the inspirational new documentary by Ken Burns, The National Parks: America’s Best Idea beginning Sunday, September 27th. This 12-hour film will air two hours for six consecutive evenings, so set your DVRs!

Over the past few months, I’ve had the opportunity to represent the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) at several events in which segments of the film have been previewed, and have been awestruck by the cinematography and deeply moved by the stories of the people that helped create them and have fought for their protection. Ken Burns has spoken so eloquently about this project, and it has obviously been a labor of love for him and his team. When asked why he spent 10 years working on this project, Burns’ replied:

"Every American is a co-owner of the most spectacular
seafront property, the most most beautiful mountain ranges, the highest free-falling waterfall on the continent, the greatest collection of
geysers on this planet, and the grandest canyon on Earth. And, as co-owners we ought to, every once in a while, go visit this property of ours, make sure it's been taken care of, and then put it in our will for posterity so it's around for our children's children."

This documentary could not come at a more critical time. There are many issues impacting our national parks, including climate change. For example, a recent Sierra Club newsletter cites that we’ve already seen:

• The extraordinary glaciers of Glacier National Park rapidly melting.
• Grizzly bears in Yellowstone National Park face disappearing food sources as climate change wipes out the white bark pine nut.
• Increased drought and hotter temperatures in desert parks such as Canyonlands National Park, where the devastation of native vegetation is making it harder for bighorn sheep to find nourishing grasses and hide from predators.

Critical legislation is needed to protect our national parks and their trees, plants, and wildlife from the impact of climate. The U.S. Senate will begin debate on the climate change bill very soon. Please consider becoming a champion for our national treasures by contacting your state’s senators and urging them to pass this legislation.

Please be sure to see this beautiful and important documentary, and send me your thoughts about it!

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Spring is here! The other day I discovered a nest with one egg tucked in the container of flowers hanging on our front door. A new egg has appeared each day since, and there are now four. I haven't gotten a good look at mom, but believe she is either a warbler or a nuthatch. I was initially concerned because our house is up for sale and there have been a lot of people coming through the front door the last couple of weeks, but mom bird apparently doesn't mind. I read that most songbirds will lay an egg a day and sit on their eggs for 12-14 days. The baby birds are able to leave the nest about 14 days later and can fly a few days after that. I'll keep everyone posted on how things progress. This is a perfect example of the wonders of nature that occur right outside our front door (literally, in this case).