All the people
That they may all be one.
Big Coal’s Campaign of Lies
First, a confession: I bought the latest issue of Rolling Stone for my Jonas Brothers-loving daughter. But inside I found this article about the coal industry’s ability to dupe all of us into thinking that coal is “clean.” It’s not even close. And, as I’ve posted before, mountain top removal threatens tens of thousands in the Appalachians.
“Then there’s the environmental impact of mining, especially in Appalachia, where ‘mountaintop removal’ has already polluted 1,200 miles of streams and swallowed up entire communities. By the time the industry is finished, the EPA projects a loss of more than 1.4 million acres — an area the size of Delaware.”
Next month, I’ll try to meet with Congressman Vern Ehlers (R – MI) and encourage him to co-sponsor the Clean Water Protection Act. You can help too by visiting ilovemountains.com and getting in touch with your elected officials.
My Level V Whitewater Experience – Photo Evidence
For those of you non-believers. . .
Get ready, we’re coming home!
Friday is almost finished, and we are tired, exhausted, and spiritually refreshed. We worked together on some extreme weeding today in historic Lewisburg. The guys ganged up on an obstinate shrub while the ladies plowed through piles of weeds to clear space for a future yard. We ended our afternoon in a Civil War cemetery for a closer view of US History.
It’s been an incredible adventure, and while the kids have been great, we’re all more than ready to hit the road and sleep in familiar surroundings. Hope to see you all in church this Sunday when the kids share a little during the children’s message. Thanks to everyone for their support to get us here – you’ve made a big difference in the lives of many, many people.
From the top: The kids take to the weeding this morning, Moby the Van is ready to head home, Kevin tears into the shrub that wouldn’t die, and a tombstone in the Lewisburg Civil War cemetery.
Happy Birthday, Kyle! (or, "It felt like the worst spanking of my life!")
Careful, now. Don’t get ahead of me . . . while today is Kyle’s 17th birthday, there was no spanking in West Virginia. That quote refers to the reaction of Kate Quinn after flying off Jump Rock, a 25-30 foot drop into the New River. (She’s fine, Ann. We all jumped off the rock, even Pastor Tracey!)
Austin did make New River history when he found himself caught in a “hydraulic” that kept him between a rock and a hard place for quite a few seconds before being pulled to safety by one of our river guides. Kevin also spent some time under our raft, but kept his cool and popped right back up.
Our white-water rafting trip is something we’ll never forget. Awesome doesn’t even begin to describe the sensation of soaring along Stage V rapids or tipping our rafts on purpose as we approached a massive rock. Awesome does describe the painful sunburn on my pasty white legs (photos to come – just thought I’d prepare you). A few ibuprofen and a gallon of aloe vera should do the trick.
Pictured above is the New River Gorge bridge, the largest arch bridge in the Western Hemisphere. That’s not us in the raft, but we did go through the same pass at the end of our trip!
Save Energy, Save the Mountains
Our focus in WV tonight was mountaintop removal, a process that blows up the tops of mountains throughout Appalachia to get to the precious coal underneath. While it’s a much more efficient way to mine, it leaves a permanent scar on the pristine hills and valleys of West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee. The Bush Administration has helped their coal industry donors keep up this practice, but you can help the people of Appalachia reclaim their land, their clean water, and their heritage.
Please visit ilovemountains.org or christiansforthemountains.org to see how simple it is to take action. Write a member of congress. Turn off your lights. Raise the temp on the AC. Pray.
(graphic from NY Times)
West Virginia Wednesday
Another beautiful day in Greenbrier County, WV. We wrapped up our work on Elmo’s house and helped stain one woman’s porch. All of us gathered at a new site just underneath a bridge that crosses the Greenbrier River to help shovel dirt and put up a tin roof. Kyle earned the title of “Top Dog” for his extraordinary climbing abilities (plus, he was the only one daring enough to climb up on the roof). The rest of the caterpillar crew carefully hauled one piece of tin after another to the guys up top.
Last night, we offered our talents to lead the evening’s worship. We also enjoyed a performance by John Wyatt, a local folksinger.
Tomorrow, we hike to Hiko for our well-earned day off – the white water rafting we’ve been waiting for!
From the top: The House of Elmo, the new construction site, the girls dig their Wednesday assignment, Kyle gets carried away, and the caterpillars lift a hot piece of tin to the roofers.
Goodnight from Alderson
A few more pics before signing off this Tuesday evening: Rev. Kyle offers to baptize y’all in the Greenbrier River, Kevin suffers the stings and arrows of outrageous hornets, the boys prepare to leap into the river, Chris and the West Virginia countryside, and Tessa displays her everyday cheerful disposition.
Live from West Virginia, Tuesday Edition
Teams Moby and Ahab (named after our gigantic white whale of a van and its close-but-never-able-to-catch-up counterpart) took on two jobs today. Ahab’s girls continued work on the House of Elmo and Chris took the boys of Moby up the mountain to tear the roof off a mobile home. Only one minor incident: Kevin was attacked by a hornet, but his stomach has returned to its normal appearance. As for the girls, let’s just say the swarms are keeping them on their toes. Most everyone has enjoyed a dip in the local swimming hole (Greenbrier River), and we’re all looking forward to our sidetrip to Hiko, WV on Thursday for whitewater rafting!
From the top: Proof that Kate Q. is working, Maria adds a little latex look to her cheek, your humble blogger adds another coat to the House of Elmo, Team Ahab is all smiles after another day on the job.
We’re on a mission. . . from God.
Your Lit Lounge Lizard-in-Chief is off to West Virginia for a week of house rehab in the Appalachians. It’s an impoverished area, one hit hard by mountain top removal. I STRONGLY encourage you to visit ilovemountains.org and see how your area is connected to this destructive means of mining.
I’m taking the laptop along for the ride, but can’t promise that I’ll be posting this week. I can promise to get everyone up to speed after our safe return home. Have a great week!
