Hurricane

     First, the week started with a 5.8 earthquake that struck about 40 miles outside of Richmond on Thursday. In my mind, it provided some mental preparation for what would hit the area about four days later. As Irene rolled in late Friday night, we spent our evening celebrating my dad's 62nd birthday. Hard to believe he is 62- such an inspiration to me in many ways. Recently, he helped me as I studied for the math section of the GRE, which I also took last week. I feel incredibly fortunate to have a dad as giving and caring as the one I do. I hope one day that I am able to be half of what he has been to me to my son or daughter. 
     Saturday morning brought some last-minute grocery shopping, along with grabbing some gas and batteries-gotta love our preparedness plan. The power went out around 10 Saturday morning, but we were fortunate enough to only lose it for about seven or eight hours. After watching part of a documentary on AIDS for my Epi class that just started, Peyton and I ventured out to see what the creeks were doing around Richmond. We found Staples Mill Falls- as it is now called-to be running brown (claw) level. The drop looked to be between 12-15 feet with a nice fluffy foam pile below. I called up Ben and sure enough, he was ready to fire it up. Ben, Burke, and Emily met me at my place and we headed over to Staples Mill for a few laps. All in all, an awesome drop. Definitely wish we had run it ten times, instead of just three, but I can't complain. Can't wait for it to come up again.

                                         
   Saturday night brought some music playing, chicken-of-the-woods eating, and more importantly, hanging out with some great friends.
  With church cancelled Sunday morning, Peyton and I stuck around the house and did some school work.. Around noon, Ben, Mert, Burke, Peyton, and I headed out to Tuckahoe for some mushroom hunting. We had some great success and found a nice chicken-of-the woods mushroom, along with what looked like some Western Chanterelles-which smelled like apricots, Eastern chanterelles, and a variety of other unedible-but still cool-varieties of shelf mushrooms. Since Ben is leaving for Blacksburg tomorrow, we decided tonight would be a good night to cook up the chicken and chow down. Below are a few pictures of the mushrooms, and the risotto dish we made.

  All in all, an enjoyable hurricane weekend. Glad we stuck around for sure. My prayers go out to those still without electricity and with homes damaged or destroyed. Also, I was glad to see the community come together, although later than what may have been preferred, to ensure shelter for the homeless.
Until next time..

More mushrooms

     My friend Jon and I went out mushroom hunting Saturday morning. After a walk down the dry Tuckahoe creek bed without too much luck, we came upon a huge Chicken of the Woods mushroom that was growing off an underground log. This was definitely the highlight of the hunt. Afterwards, we checked out the pine woods-a section of Tuckahoe I have been wanting to check for a while. Here, we found a nice Reishi that had just sprouted along with a cow's skull. As promised, here are some pictures from the weekend mushroom hunt:

I also found some mushrooms growing out of one of my flower pots this morning. Still haven't identified it. Doubt it's edible, but still cool none the less.

Valuable

         Yesterday afternoon, I had an experience that made me feel alive-it awakened my emotions. It was a moment that I hope to look back upon and be grateful to God for putting me in the place he had me. I had just gotten off the north bank of the Buttermilk trail, and was headed home on my bike via the Randolph community which is located just to the south of VCU's Monroe campus. I was on the final stretch of a short climb which leads from the buttermilk into Randolph when I looked up and saw a bearded man playing guitar under a large Magnolia tree overlooking the river. As I got closer I realized that I had met him on Wednesday at the Daily Planet. He called me over even before he recognized me, wanting me to listen to a Fleetwood Mac song he had just learned. When I took off my glasses, he then stuck out his fist for a pump and said that he remembered me from the day before. He asked me sit and listen to his new song which I had honestly never heard before, but it didn't really matter- I think he just wanted someone who would listen. When he finished playing his first song-he asked me if I liked country. I told him, of course, and that I also like bluegrass. He said, "Alright then, Michael, I'll play you a little grass. I've got a Bill Monroe song, I bet you've never heard". Sure enough, he then tore it up on his cracked Yamaha guitar which had dried glue spewing from its weather-worn face. For about the next twenty minutes, I sat back on the bench next to this beautiful Magnolia and took it in. With a cool breeze blowing off the James River, we exchanged glances- I could see his passion and pride coming through. As he played and sung songs by various country artists such as Travis Tritt, Rascal Flatts, and Willie Nelson, I watched a man who many would pass and label as "homeless" or "drunk", but to me, he was a man with a passion for music. A passion to show people that he mattered- that he had the ability to move people-to make them smile. And he did just that. At one point, I noticed a hospital band on his arm and asked him between songs if he had recently been admitted. He told me, "Oh yeah-I went in yesterday-thought I had a heart attack, but they let me go". Here he was, singing his heart out in ninety degree Richmond heat, having thought he had possibly had a heart attack the day before. Music is what brings him joy in life. He later on went to tell me that his guitar had been cracked when he knocked a guy upside the head for "wanting to take a piss on him". He thought he was going to get locked up for it, but the cops told him that they would have done the same thing. After he played about 5 songs, he asked me if I ever played. I told him I played a little and he asked me to play one for him, so I played him one I wrote-'Sunday morning blues'. I told him I needed to work on it some, especially if I was going to ever play with him- he said "No need to work on it-it sounds good the way it is".
     I could have stayed another hour listening to him sing, and at the rate he was playing songs for me, I think he could have stayed the whole night. Once again, it reminded me just how talented the homeless in Richmond are. I think at times, as providers, or community members, we forget (myself included) how much they have to offer back to us, and that is a shame. In this very situation, he was providing for me. He was giving me therapy I needed after a day in the office. He may not have realized what he was giving me, but it was an experience that I will remember and appreciate. One that made me smile and realize just how grateful I should be to be alive. I have been giving some thought to putting together a talent show that would serve as an opportunity for the homeless to give us-providers, community members, and friends-the therapy, the treatment we need.

Saturday's hunt

Last Saturday, I had the chance to go mushroom hunting on my own. I found some more chanterelles, a cauliflower mushroom, and a stand of reishi. I was reeally excited to find a reishi stand, as it is an amazing medicinal mushroom, used in teas, for immune support. Some Chinese medicine doctors consider it as valuable as ginseng. Looking forward to heading out again tomorrow morning with Jon for a hunt. Will post pictures from the harvest.

Mushroom hunting

    Woke up bright and early this morning to go hunting at Tuckahoe. No, not turkey hunting..this time I was hunting for mushrooms. One of Daniel's friends, Steve, has been hunting mushrooms for over 30 years. I called him up a few days ago to see if he would take me-so he did. We found several stands of chanterelles, and a few old chicken of the woods, as well as some cauliflower mushrooms. On our way our of the woods, I happened upon part of a deer skull under some leaves. I think I'll clean it up and give it to one of my friends who loves collecting old skulls of deer and cows. Definitely was a fun time stomping around in the woods bright and early with an expert woodsmen to show me the mushroom hunting ropes. Looking forward to doing it again soon!
Below are some pictures of the harvest.

A mountain weekend

   This past weekend was really awesome. Friday night Peyton and I hung out with Larry and Deshawn, our friends from Barton Heights. We took them out to dinner at Chipoltle, a stroll around the VMFA, and lastly a pit stop to Sweet Frog before taking them home. Saturday morning Peyton and I arose early and hit the road headed towards Friendsville, Maryland. I met a couple "friends" in Friendsville and got in a lap in on the Upper Yough. Peyton did some hiking while I paddled and she ended up meeting a Menonite family she hung out with along the trail. After paddling, we went over to Ohiopyle to get some ice cream and check out the falls. That night we camped along the middle Yough with Erin and a few other folks from PA. On Sunday morning, Peyton and I rented a duckie and had a great time paddling down the lower Yough with Erin. It was a great time being with Peyton and being on the river together. A couple pictures of the Upper and LowerYough below:

After paddling the Lower Yough, Peyton and I packed up and took off towards Davis, WV. When we arrived in Davis, we checked into our bed and breakfast and got a burrito at one of the local's favorite spots- Hellbender Burrito. The town was crowded with mountain bikers who had just competed at Canan Valley in a downhill single track race. After grabbing a bite to eat we set off for Blackwater Falls which is only about a ten minute drive from Davis. Below are a few pictures of the Falls and the beautiful scenery around Blackwater. We ended up sitting by the edge of the canyon till sunset. Below are a few pictures of Blackwater Falls park.

Once back in Davis, we drove one town over to Thomas to grab a drink at the Purple Fiddle Cafe. This was probably one of the coolest music venues I have been to in a while. With rustic wooden floors, drinks from mason jars, and fiddles lining the walls, it seemed like any folk musician's dream spot to perform. We made it through a few songs from a small folk group out of Asheville before we retired to the Inn. After a great breakfast at Bright Morning Inn on Monday, we set off for Lindy Point overlook in Blackwater Falls park. It had just started drizzling when we left, but we figured it might clear up by the time we drove and hiked down to the overlook. The rain picked up and poured on us until we got to the overlook. We figured we wouldn't see too much, considering visability was probably only 30'. We weren't that surprised to find even lower visability at the overlook. Despite a wet walk down to the overlook, we still managed to enjoy the cool, wet weather that has been a stranger to us in Richmond.

Our final stop would be Seneca Rocks, WV. The drive was rainy and foggy through the Canan Valley from Davis. We stopped in the general store once we arrived in Seneca and were told by the store owner that the trail was closed for maintenance but that there was a backup trail that would get us to the main hike up. It was a beautiful hike and equally beautiful views at the top. We had a quick lunch at the top and then enjoyed a leisurely hike back to our car. All in all, an awesome, restful, adventurous weekend. If you ever have the chance to check out Davis, WV- it is totally worth it. With Seneca, Canan Valley, Blackwater Falls State Park, Ohiopyle, and Friensville all within an hour, there is something for everyone.

"We need water, we need life"

     

    As I'm sitting here in my air conditioned office at work, I've already commented to at least three other colleagues this morning about intensity of the heat wave our city has been experiencing the last couple of days. As I think back to the last few days, I am reminded of the stories I read about the ongoing famine occuring in many parts of Africa. "Experts" are saying that this drought is one of the worst the eastern reigon of Africa has seen in over 60 years. Combined with the civil conflicts in many of these countries, food is as hard as it's ever been to find. UN secretary Ban Ki-moon says that in Somalia alone, over 3.7 million people are in serious need. He estimates it taking over $300 million in the next two months alone simply for an "adequate response".
    As I have sat on my comfortable couch, or at my semi-adequate desk chair, sipping on a cup of coffee, I am reading stories about people walking hundreds, and sometimes thousands of miles to simply find water, shelter, and shade. And here I am, complaining about the heat and how I had beads of sweat running down my face on my bike ride in to work. So- what do I do? Do I keep sippin on my coffee, laying back on my couch, looking at pictures of this "far away" land where PEOPLE are starving because they just can't find anything to eat? Maybe it's because I just can't relate to their circumstance that I can't feel their pain enough to actually do something about it. Maybe its because they are an ocean away and, well, shoot- I'm already working at a clininc for homeless people. We're handing out water to them on these hot days- isn't that good? Ok- I'm rambling- but these are my thoughts, and I feel as though I needed to write them down somewhere. I'm thankful for the ability to still feel emotions, even if it be rare. I pray for this visceral feeling of discomfort to continue-both here in the heat of the Richmond, and as we pray for those in need abroad.
Lord, bless these people who hunger and thirst. Be their portion.