Just sitting here in the DBH living room wondering what to post and update to all of you tonight. We had a pretty productive day on the worksites and we had a very good dinner/happy hour as well! This is especially for Matt and TJ, Arnold Palmer has been made and it is great! Plus Patrick and myself discovered the art of making a "killer" AP just using one cup [which is honestly very convenient, especially when you are the last one to take the AP in the jug and have the obligation to fill it up]
I have decided that everyday, we will have 3 bloggers post updates for the worksites! B/c we are apart from each other and very busy, I wanted every group to have a say on the blog and to keep all of you posted with work being done. The representatives for the groups are as follows: Green (Brett), Blue (Lora) and Yellow (Nem) This will insure you get to hear all of the updates, latest information and "inside jokes"
Here is another cool interesting piece of information to share with anyone who is interested. Every year, Clintwood surprises me with some AMAZING people. They constantly want to sit down and talk with you. Not just say "hey, whats going on" and then head off to the next thing like we are apt to do here in Chicago. They really want to get to know YOU, what YOU care about, what drives YOU and why YOU enjoy Clintwood so much. That is part of the essence of this beautiful place; everyone takes the time to talk with you and enjoy learning. They have time and they really do make the small things in life seem important and matter! It is just simple and very relaxing. Anyway, while Nem, Joey and I were running on Sunday morning, we ran into a gentleman along the track just outside the Dorthy Baker House. His name is Larry and he came up and just started talking to us. After quite some time, he asked us if we like bluegrass music?? Well, naturally my response was yes! (Mission 08, "my grass is blue", "Maw's", the little kid trying to cheat Matt and I while playing slapjack" etc)
He said that Friday they were having a jam get together at the Jetti Baker Center, which is right off of Main Street in downtown Clintwood. I told him I would try to get us there and look forward to seeing him there (more info about this on Friday) Just another great person and story for all of us to remember him by
So after listening to our Clintwood de facto theme song for about 45 more times today (It was the Lazy Song by Bruno Mars) we finished up dinner and got ready for Mr. Kennedy to come over. After many more AP's, music breaks, and the most painstaking cleanup ever we were ready to hear a good ole coal mining story.
For those of you who don't know, Mr. Kennedy has been a resident of Clintwood and Dickenson county for all of his life. He was a coal miner for around 24 years and got out of the industry back in 1995. Since then, he has gone back and gotten his degree and now is a social worker for the county ( and he loves it!) The coal mining industry has been around for a LONG LONG TIME. Larry said that the Appalachia region and the mountain range is the oldest mountain range on the earth! The reason there are so many rolling hills and not sharp valleys and peaks is due to the erosion over centuries and centuries. Probably millenium. Either way, he informed us about the 3 types of coal (the main type that is mined in Virginia/West Virginia/Kentucky is Bituminous coal. More than 1/3 of our countries coal production comes from the Appalachian region. The coal mined in this region is mostly used for steam generation for electricity and metal production. Larry also talked about the dangers associated with mining (we have all heard of the scary mining collapses and tragic deaths). He also mentioned that since he left the industry back in 1995, security protocol and measures have been taken. It is a WHOLE lot more strict and regulated than it used to be. He also got to show us all of his tools and helmets and even some COAL!!
Anyway it was great to visit with him, he is such a great person and very knowledgeable about the history of Clintwood and Southwest Virginia! So glad he could stop on by and that I could share this information with all of you. Anyway gotta hit the hay, need some zzzz's for the worksites tomorrow. We will update y'all tomorrow from the sites. Just remember, Suns Out/Guns Out!
Peace and Love,
Chief
Sounds like a good time so far. My dad loves blue grass music, so if you want a copy of some blue grass I can hook you up. :). I can also let you know when the blue grass festival comes to Naperville. You also brought back memories of my grandpa (PapPa) who was a coal miner in West Virginia. Looking forward to reading more posts!
ReplyDeleteJennyO