| Our Stone Mountain Campout ... by Mark Williamson Well, I had been looking forward to this camping trip for a long, long time, I’ll tell ya’… This was my first trip with “Friends/Foxfire” folks and I’d been looking forward to meeting some of the people and playing and singing with ‘em too! I thought I was going to go on the April trip but in the end, the cold, wet weather kept me from going. So I was determined this time! Even though it was forecast to be as hot as the blazes, I wasn’t about to miss this one! And I’m soooo glad I went. I thoroughly enjoyed the company of all 3 of my new friends; Laura, Patti, and Nancy and as far as I’m concerned the trip just couldn’t have gone any better. It was about a six hour drive from my home in Newport News, VA and the campground is in a beautiful place! I just new it was going to be great when I got to Rt. 21 in the mountains and got to looking around at the land around me. I was thinking, “Yeah, I am in the mountains again!” (That’s a pretty big deal for this “flat-lander”.) Then I got inside the park to where the camping area is and poof, there it was, Laura’s little sunshine flag out by the road by site 34! It was a great little site. It was on the edge of hilltop meadow where we could walk out and set up our camp chairs and do some serious star gazing … but I’ll come back to that. Another neat feature of this little site is that although the tents and fire pit where out in the hot sunshine, there was a little grove of shady evergreens just to the side of our site, and that made a great place to sit and relax and get relief from the heat of the day. And when it would blow, the breeze would come right through our ‘little grove’. Friday was hot, hot, I kid you not – but Saturday we picked up that little breeze and man, it was pleasant in our grove. We had a nice long card game of ‘Phase 10’ on Saturday afternoon – we played for hours, and I never gave a thought to the heat. I just kept thinking, man this sweet! Perfect weather; soft and warm, beautiful place, and 3 great people to hang out with. I can assure you right now “friends” members – we are in the right hands under Laura’s presidency! I’ve never met and find it hard to believe that I ever could meet a more intensely-devoted John fan. If you ever find that you need the answer to a John trivia question e-mail Laura she’ll know. As I pulled up to the site, she and Patti were watching on a portable DVD that Laura had, the recordings of 5 shows that John did for the British T.V. audience early in his career. (’73 I think.) I know a lot of people who love John, but wouldn’t necessarily shop for that DVD! John said it himself in the show – he’s no Fred Astair, but get this DVD off e-bay like Laura and you can see John try his hand, er’ feet at it! John himself would be proud to have Laura as a friend I’m sure. She’s a nurse, so caring for people comes naturally to her. She and her husband care for injured animals as a hobby and then return them to the wild, so she cares about the animals too. It’s also very apparent when you talk with her she cares deeply about the environment as well. So Laura not only loves John, but lives a life that involves her with the things that John cared about, sang about and stood up for; so yes “friends” members, we are in good hands. (Ah, thanks, Mark) After dinner on Friday it came to the time that I had been looking forward to for so long – music time! I got out my Taylor, and Laura brought out her Takamine and it was time to get serious and play some John songs. There may be some “Friends” members out there who would be shy about coming out to a trip like this and not knowing who you would be camping with… well, have no fear… John’s music is excellent ‘friend-making glue’! It gives you something essential that you share with the other members. That comfortable feeling that I feel when I’m immersed in John’s music, whether listening or playing, was obviously shared by my camp-mates too. Oh, that brings me to my first ‘Patti’ story ... While the DVD was spinning away on Friday afternoon and John was in the middle of an excellent, intoxicating lullaby with that high sweet voice from the early days soaring clear and strong, the DVD suddenly stopped! Man, did Patti let out a war-hoop! I thought she’d been stung by a bee! Hang in there Patti – it’s just a DVD… we can push the play button any time. Patti is such a sweet person. She’s got an emotional streak in her running just beneath the surface – and John can really tap it! He moves her to tears every time she hears “For You.” Patti is bat-girl too, man! She’s got all the camping gizmos you could think of. It seems as though every time one of us thought “oh, we need blank,” Patti would reach into her Explorer, and poof! There it would be. Tarps, grills, card table, fire starter, you name it she’s got it. Patti will be the first to tell she’s no singer – but don’t believe her. If you get the opportunity, ask her play and sing Ponies for you… she’s excellent! On Saturday afternoon we drove down to the mountain stream running through the park for some heat relief. Patti had brought some “doughnuts”, foam floats with webbing that you sit in and ride down a river on. We walked down to the stream and man, that water was shockingly cold! With all the hot weather this summer it just didn’t seem to make much sense that the stream wasn’t 80 degrees…. but sure enough it was probably closer to 65! Too cold for me! Just getting my feet in was enough. But Patti and Nancy toughed it out. It took a series of dunks, getting in a little deeper each time, but they did it – right up to their chins! That Nancy is quite the courageous country-girl. I was so impressed seein’ her enjoy the river like she was… and right after we saw the snake too! (It was a pretty little critter that wanted no part of us and skedaddled down stream.) Nancy and I got to have a nice conversation on Saturday about her son who’s an accomplished fisherman and guide who lives on Watts Bar Lake in Tennessee. I like fresh water fishing myself, so it was neat to hear that there was a professional tournament angler in the extended ‘family’. Nancy really enjoyed our music time during the camp too I could tell. She would tap her feet and sing along, she knows a lot of lyrics by heart! I’m so glad that she came along. Well, I’ve finally come the part about the star-gazing. We were there for the Persides meteor showers after all. I’m still not sure how you pronounce it; I called it “Persides-Benz.” (That’s probably wrong.) Anyway I can’t say it was “rainin’ fire in the sky” like John sang about, but it “sprinkled” a little and the few ‘shooting stars’ (the experts call em’ meteoroids) we did see were really neat. They appeared to be pretty darned close too! One of the best ones I saw was one of the first ones I saw on Friday night – a nice track across the sky right above our camp that lasted for at least a full second. I thought it was pretty amazing. Well, I hope you can tell I thought my first camping adventure with the “Friends of J.D.” group was a huge success! I’m already looking forward to the next time I can get together with my new friends – and some of you too! Peace my Friends, See you soon! ~ Mark Williamson |
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| Denver Delights ... From time to time, little things happen that remind you of John. They always make you smile ... I like to call them 'Denver Delights' ================================================================= Thanks for sending me your 'Denver Delights' ... Keep them coming and look for them in future newsletters ... Laura ================================================================= From Laura ... Danny & I were watching "Gold Fever", they were doing a show in Colorado. So, I was especially interested! The host of the show, Tom Massey was standing in the middle of the Rocky Mountains when he said "John Denver knew what he was talking about, these mountains are HUGE! Then while he was in a Beautiful Stream panning for GOLD he started singing "Rocky Mountain Gold, in Colorado"!! :o) Also, while at work, I had to go pick up some medicine at a local drug store. John was singing "Sunshine on my Shoulders" ... I said "Aaah, that's my FAVORITEST Singer in the whole world ... is that a radio station?" I was informed they were listening to one of John's CD's. That's even better ... Far Out ... Forever, John Denver! <+><+><+><+><+><+><+><+><+><+> From Pat L ... Sitting in a tiny cafe in Talkeetna, Alaska, I watched curiously as a lone musician set up his mike, amp and chair in the front of the room. As he pulled out his guitar, I half wondered if he knew any John Denver songs. The second song he sang........"Take Me Home, Country Roads!" Thus, proving once again that you can travel to the ends of the world (or to the most remote spots) and still encounter John Denver music! FAR OUT!!!! Please send me YOUR Denver Delights ... I know they're out there! |
| Special Events ... Make plans to come CELEBRATE John's Birthday ... and the New Year with your JD Friends ... in Greensboro, NC. (stay tuned for more information) ~><~><~><~><~><~><~><~><~><~><~><~ Christmas Card List ... Please send me an email with "Christmas Card List" as the subject if you'd like to participate in our card exchange this year! ~><~><~><~><~><~><~><~><~><~><~><~ Birthday Wish List ... we've had a lot of fun this year sending birthday greetings to each other ... if you'd like to be included in the 2006 Birthday Wish List ... Please send me an email with "Birthday Wish List" as the subject! |
| Visit the NC Friends of JD's Home Page for Important Links and Member Informatiion ... Past Events and Trips to Colorado ... Oh, and MORE Photos, too! |
| Foxfire News Our Connection Group at Windstar Our territory includes South Carolina, North Carolina and Virgina. www.wstar.org Are you just a fan of John's music or do you believe in saving our environment and are you willing to do something about it?! Come on and join!!! When you do join, please let me know so I can keep a current list of members and won't have to scramble at the end of the year. You do what you can do and I'll do what I can do and ... together we can make a difference! |
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| Got any Ideas or Anything You Want to Share? E-mail ME......CountryRoadsNC Send me anything you would like to include in the newsletter....... Poems, JD in the News, or share a great JD moment. Peace my Friends, Laura Bollinger Patti Buser President, NC Friends of JD V. President, NC Friends of JD |
| This is for the refugees, the ones without a home, A boat out on the ocean, a city street alone. Are they not some dear mother's child? Are they not you and me? Are we the one's to bear this shame and they the sacrifice? J. Denver |
| JD on Ebay ... John Denver -Definitive All-Time Greatest Hits (2 CD) ... Ends Sept 17th SUNSHINE DVD 1973 Movie John Denver Music ... Ends Sept 13th John Denver Guitar Pick Necklace ... Ends Sept 14th John Denver - Song's Best Friend (2005, DVD) ... Ends Sept 14th John Denver Take Me Home Hardback 1st Edition ... Ends Sept 19th TWO 70's SONG BOOKS JOHN DENVER ... Ends Sept 16th |
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| September 2005 |
BACK HOME AGAIN Want to join our group? BACK TO THE INDEX ... Email Me ... |
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| Check out the new webpages ... Denver Delights ... ... John Denver Sanctuary ... ... Visiting Aspen Colorado ... |
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| Click HERE to Visit |
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| What I Do In Honor of John Denver I really enjoyed reading what folks had to say to this, in the Rocky Mountain High Newsletter. So, I'd like to ask all of you who belong to the NC Friends of JD the same question. What DO YOU do in honor of JOHN DENVER??? ~ Email me your thoughts on this ~ (click here) |
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| Patti Buser |
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| Enjoying our shade ... Patti, Mark, Laura & Nancy |
| NC Friends ... Mark & Patti |
| We saw deer, turkey, butterflies, and other wildlife ... |
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| enjoying the 'rippling waters' |
| Mark ... walkin' on water? |
| Nancy Roberts |
| "Friends I will remember you" |
| Patti Buser |
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| "This is for the refugees, the one's without a home" ... ALL of us have been affected by this tragedy ... some of us have friends or family from the area ... a member of our group, Terry Nolan (Terriace@aol.com) is from New Orleans ... I've not heard from her ... Pray she and her family are safe. As for "WHAT CAN I DO" ... you do what you can do and I'll do what I can do ... and together we can help make a differance ... AMERICAN RED CROSS disaster_relief_fund_2005 http://www.uan.org/news/083105.html http://uan.infopop.cc/groupee/forums/a/frm/f/124103991 http://www.nsalamerica.org/ http://www.noahswish.org/ |
| Centering Tip from Tom Crum Opportunity ... Last week my car was broken into - window smashed, cell phone stolen. It happened while I was taking a wonderful walk with friends. When we returned to my car and my friends pointed out the shattered window, I watched myself go into automatic, observe the damage, take a quick inventory of what might have been taken, and think out the next step. We called the police. As the officer took my report, one of my friends called over to ask how things were going. I replied that everything was fine, that I was lucky to have had my wallet with me on our walk. The officer stopped, looked at me, and said, "You are a very wise lady. Most people I deal with in this situation are going a little crazy." Was I centered? Yes, I think I was. I remember breathing deeply when I saw the broken window and that probably triggered a centered state. I use deep breaths to center myself more and more these days. I have a friend who has been lying in a hospital for almost two years, unable to move, fully cognizant, and able to communicate only with his eye movements. It is hard to get upset about a broken window and lost cell phone with that image etched in your mind. "Don't sweat the small stuff. (It's all small stuff.)" is a great quote. It is even more wonderful when you can enact it in the moment, when it counts. Breathing and all this centering stuff really helps that happen. Every day, practice a few deep breaths, find your center, embrace it. That way it will be there for you when you need it. ~ Judy Warner |
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