Recurve... Camp Manakin

Thanks to all of you that have called, emailed, or mentioned your shared love of Camp Manakin. I'm going to post some great pics soon... but in the meantime here's some I dug up from my computer.

It's nice to know I'm not the only one who thinks it's perfectly normal for a child to pursue in the course of a day: archery, riflery, survival swimming (Remember that? What a scream! We had to 1. tread water for 5 minutes and 2. blow up our jeans and shirts into floats, and no this was not some fundamentalist training camp!), riding, Hardyball (remember Hardy ball?), knife games and... oh yeah, crafts.

And the FOOD! Remember those long, long tables? They put Hogwarts to shame. Remember the butter and baloney fried sandwiches? I was always the kid everyone passed their pickled beets down to... and Evelyn scolding everyone? (She's in the picture above, I'm leaning against her... Gosh I loved that woman. Somehow I always ended up in the kitchen with her, where no one else was allowed to go, but she'd sit me on a stool and I'd "help" her and she called me "Little Kate" even that was not remotely close to my name.)

Long days spent fishing, walking through the woods to another activity, playing mumbly peg while we waited our turns... and we all had Indian names that indicated our tribe.

On rainy days we'd gather in the lodge to hear (very dramatic) TALL TALES... there was one Coach Hardy always told- Jack and the Beanstalk. Sure you've heard Jack and the Beanstalk. But NO ONE could tell a story like Coach Hardy. I don't think I ever heard that man NOT tell a tall tale. Then my uncle Fred would lean lazily on the porch & strum his guitar, playing Walbash Cannonball and '40s bluegrass on his banjo...

Those were days when summer was endless, days were long, and friendships were forever.

"Oh we like to ride the bus on the way to Manakin,
Oh we never make a fuss on the way to Manakin.
So we sing a merry song with a merry, merry tune-
On the waaaaaaay to Man-a-kin:

Oooooooooooooooohhhh!
Hooray, hooray for Mr. Hardy!
Hooray, hooray we're never taaaaaaaaaaaardy.
Hooray, hooray for where we're goin' and we've been, and Hooray For Man-a-kin! Hooray!"

So, it won't surprise those that have contacted me regarding our shared enthusiasm for Camp Manakin that I have decided to take up archery again.

I got the itch last year, and, when stepping in to the big sports stores, was completely put off by the compound & cross bows. No, I wanted the old longbows I recalled from my childhood. No matter what my cousins said, I was determined.

But I also wanted to have the option to use it hunting eventually, as there is quite an overpopulation of deer in our area. So, after much thought... I've gone recurve.

I bought a gorgeous old Fred Bear "black bear" recurve... and it sits to my left, next to the computer in my office... inspiration for a mom, business owner, wife- chained to her desk, her children, her life... to break free soon.

Just for a little while, to do something on my own, by myself, aiming at leaves as they blow across the field, gaging the wind, the distance, the speed, to slowly sharpen my aim and strength, to then teach my children the quiet, the concentration, the beauty of archery.




P.s. If this interests you, then here's some summer reading:
The Witchery of Archery, by Maurice Thompson, 1879.

 

in|ur magazine

Thought I'd share a brand new magazine by a dear friend Miz Leah:
BRAVO! What a beautiful publication!!!!
http://www.inurmagazine.com

Intentionally Urban

Intentionally|Urban (in|ur) magazine, pronounced “in yer”, is the urban lifestyle publication that makes conscious, urban living more fun and approachable. Charismatic and clever, in|ur speaks to the rock star who sits in meditation each morning and the busy professional who wants a more balanced life. It’s an experience – not just a magazine.

Having it all

Our first issue is dedicated to “having it all” because this is what in|ur magazine is about. We focus on living sustainably and mindfully while enjoying everything that city life has to offer. Can you be spiritual and still enjoy great music and your favorite watering hole? We say, “yes!” Our “Having it All” Issue highlights stories about things like sustainable high fashion, eco-friendly commuting, farming in the city, and environmentally-responsible musicians. You can have it all, it just might look a little different than what you’re used to. Do you want to have it all? Read on to learn how…

Giving Back
We are donating 5% of all advertising revenue to a local non-profit organization committed to bettering urban life. In each issue of in|ur magazine, we adopt one small non-profit to profile from one of the “Top 10 Greenest Cities in the U.S.” and donate 5% of ad sales directly to the deserving organization.

 

Bo Diddley, RIP.

On my 17th birthday I kissed my parents goodnight, closed my bedroom door, pulled on my go go boots and miniskirt, pulled the chain link fire escape ladder from underneath my bed, opened the bathroom window, lowered it down quietly, swung my leg out and over the windowsill, crept down, slowly, through the woods and embankment to the quiet van waiting below, gave it a rolling start, then off to the smoky club to open up for Bo Diddley.

Bo Diddley, RIP.

 

Are tattoos green?

Are tattoos green?

Tattoo art and technology has improved greatly in the past two decades. But are tattoos green? We all love art, but what the heck are we putting on our bodies? Many of my tattooed friends stringently monitor the food they eat and their buying habits to ensure they don't put anything artificial into themselves or contribute to materials that are non-recyclable.

But did you know many vivid tattoo inks contain Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS plastic)?

From wikipedia:

“Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, or ABS, (chemical formula (C₈H₈· C₄H₆·C₃H₃N)_n) is a common thermoplastic used to make light, rigid, molded products such as piping, musical instruments (most notably recorders and plastic clarinets), golf club heads (used for its good shock absorbance), automotive body parts, wheel covers, enclosures, protective head gear, vballs [reusable paintballs], and toys including LEGO bricks^[1]. In plumbing, ABS pipes are the black pipes (PVC pipes are white) and also in Plastic Pressure Pipe Systems. ABS plastic ground down to an average diameter of less than 1 micrometer is used as the colorant in some tattoo inks. Tattoo inks that use ABS are extremely vivid. This vividness is the most obvious indicator that the ink contains ABS, as tattoo inks rarely list their ingredients^[2].”

Plastic tattoos?
What else?

In 2005 two Northern Arizona students, Haley Finley-Jones and Leslie Wagner, wrote a research paper on tattoo ink. Because the FDA does not regulate tattoo ink, whatever is inked into your skin is pretty much left up to your local board of health/supervisors (and what do they know about tattoos? ; ) ). Their research revealed the discrepancies in ink and lack of medical oversight regarding what you are putting into your body.

The study found that:(from http://www.naturalnews.com/005887.html)

• inks used to make the body art may contain toxic heavy metals.
• when they looked at 17 tattoo inks from 5 manufacturers, researchers found evidence of a number of different metals, such as nickel and copper, in the products.
• It's unclear how much metal may be in the different inks - or whether there is any health risk.
• Still, the study authors say the findings highlight the lack of oversight of tattoo ink manufacturing.
• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which approves the color additives used in foods, cosmetics and drugs, does not regulate the inks used for tattooing, and no color additive has ever been approved for injection into the skin.
• "A lot of people are surprised by that," said Leslie Wagner, a chemistry student at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff and a co-author on the new study.
• Many tattoo enthusiasts may assume that an ink that's injected into the skin has been approved by regulators to meet certain standards, she noted in an interview with Reuters Health.
• However, it is not even clear what goes into a given tattoo pigment.
• Because the inks are not sold directly to consumers, manufacturers are not required to list the components on the product label, according to the FDA.
• And no previous scientific studies have attempted to describe the composition of the inks, Wagner said.
• In their research, Wagner and co-author Haley Finley-Jones have so far found that tattoo ink compositions vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, and from color to color.
• She and Finley-Jones presented the preliminary findings Sunday in San Diego, at the 229th national meeting of the American Chemical Society.

So, tattoo inks vary greatly, are not regulated, and often contain PLASTIC.
Does your tattoo artist even know what's in their ink? Is it safe? Is it green?

 

What I did for Valentine's Day

...In case any of you wonder whether I'm cool or a geek.

SO, I was emailing back & forth with my friend Justin about his (veddy popular) blog when suddenly, I ended it with:

"Oops I’m going to say goodbye now because Christoph just walked into the room and said he just did his first code in Java…
'Ooh! I want to do Java!' my eyes brightened... So I’m off! This is what geeks do on Valentines Day!"

I ambled over to his computer. There was his first code in Java, a typical admin page. "Type in your name into the text field..." so I did... He then explained about Java vs. .net's code-behind...

and then I looked at the source, smiled, and swooned as he hit "submit"... : )

public void doPost(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response)
throws ServletException, IOException {

String firstName = request.getParameter("firstName").toString();

response.setContentType("text/html");
PrintWriter out = response.getWriter();
out
.println("");
out.println("");
Happy out.println(" ");
out.println(" ");

out.println("I love " + firstName);
out.println("

Happy Valentine's Day ") ;
//out.print(this.getClass());
//out.println(", using the POST method");
out.println(" ");
out.println("");
out.flush();
out.close();
}