When it is too pretty a weekend to stay inside, too hot to work outside, you have a new-to-you motor home, and sank a small fortune into a pontoon boat with all the toys, what you do is call up your best friends and neighbors and ask them to go camping and boating with you. 

Audrey and I make up the food, Phillip (my husband) and Randy fuel the vehicles and off we go to our local resort area on Kentucky Lake.  Early Friday afternoon we set up camp and put the boat in the water, cook out, and play some Jimmy Buffet on the stereo to set the mood for the beginning of summer.  Couldn’t be more perfect, right?  Little did we know of what the morrow would bring . . .

Saturday morning we cooked a big breakfast, packed some beer, water, and snacks, and headed for the pontoon boat.  We found a nice little quiet cove, threw the noodles in the water, and played like children.  After awhile, we dug out the intertubes and went over all the rules and signals since Randy and Audrey had never been tubing before.  I’d say they were excited about it.
 

Audrey and I went first.  Phillip, our captain, pulled us all around the cove while Audrey got used to it.  When we tired, it was Randy’s turn to go next.  Audrey and I played lookout.

Now Randy’s got a head full of salt and pepper hair, very white teeth, and is well over six feet tall.  Audrey and I laughed and laughed at how big his smile was and that all you could see were his white teeth and long legs up in the air through the water sprays.  After learning the signals for going faster, us lookouts told the captain to speed it up.  He took a spill or two and then was ready to get back on the boat.
 

While blowing up a different tube, Randy gazed around and said, “This is just like a dream.”  Audrey and I both thought he was just having a great time.  After a few minutes, he said it again, this time with a vacant look in his eyes.  We still didn’t pay that much attention to him and after another intertube was blown up; we asked him if he wanted to try it.  He said okay.  Back in the water he went and the captain pulled him round and round.  After he wiped out, we pulled him back in the boat.(click on Read More below for the whole story)<!--pagebreak-->

Several weeks ago, my sister, Lorri, and I traveled to West Virginia to visit our grandmother who was in the hospital.  We left on a Thursday morning, arriving around 7:00 p.m. that night.  Lorri and I agreed to spend the night in Grandmother's room so our Aunt Becky could go home and sleep in her own bed.
 

IN OUR BUSY computer-driven wired world, the internet, e-mail, blue tooth, cell

phones and black berries were supposed to make modern life easier and more

convenient.  But nowadays it seems that these devices increase the pace of life to

a faster tempo than ever.  Despite living in a ‘global village’, in this increasingly

urban society we are also becoming disconnected both from each other and from

the delicate rhythms and seasons of our fragile planet.

OUR HIGHLAND ancestors were far more connected to their community and to the

seasonal cycles of the environment around them. Life was tough.  Survival was a

challenge. Timing was everything.  Life depended on understanding the balances

of nature and knowing the intertwined patterns of the seasons, weather, crops,

livestock and game. A harsh winter or sunless spring meant a bad harvest, famine

and devastation.*  In the rains and mist of ancient Caledonia/Alba, it was no

wonder the Druids venerated the coy sun and marked and observed the four

Albanns, or equinoxes and solstices with alternating desperation or enthusiasm. (Click on Read More below for the whole story)

Today we bring you a bricklayer's accident report that was printed in the newsleter of the English equivalent of the Workers Compensations Board.
 

"Dear Sir:
I am writing in response to your request for additional information on the accident reporting form. I put "poor planning" as the cause of my accident. You said in your letter that I should explain more fully and I trust that the following details will be sufficient.

I am a bricklayer by trade. On the day of the accident, I was working alone on the roof of a new six-story building. When I completed my work, I discovered that I had about 500 pounds of bricks left over. Rather than carry the bricks down by hand, I decided to lower them in a barrel by using a pulley which, fortunately, was attached to the side of the building at the sixth floor. Securing the rope at ground level I went up to the roof, swung the barrel out and loaded the bricks into it.
 

Then I went back to the ground and untied the rope, holding it tightly to ensure a slow descent of the 500 pounds of bricks. You will note on my accident form that my weight is 135 pounds. Due to my surprise at being jerked off the ground so suddenly, I lost my presence of mind and forgot to let go of the rope. Needless to say, I proceeded at a rather rapid rate up the side of the building. (Click on Read More below for the rest of the story.)

In 1964 the principal chief of the Creek Nation of Oklahoma, who boasted the surname McIntosh, attended the annual gathering of his clan in the Highlands. To everyone’s surprise, he appeared in full Native regalia. The Plains Indian headdress, beaded shirt, and moccasins contrasted sharply with the kilts, sporrans, and dirks. To a bagpipe audience, he explained his pride in his dual Creek-Scottish ancestry.

Alexander Ross remained devoted to his Indian wife, as did Angus McDonald, Donald A. Smith, John McLoughlin, and a number of others who stayed with their Native or mixed-blood women for life. Whichever arrangement prevailed, however, the end result was to produce a number of Scoto-Indians.

The emergence of these Scoto-Indians should not be all that surprising. Historically there were a number of parallels between the American Indians and the Highland and Island world from which the traders usually came. In each case the physical conditions of life, governed by the change of seasons and often perched on the edge of hunger, proved similar. There could not have been much difference between an Isle of Lewis beehive shieling and a Great Plains tipi or a Mandan earthen lodge. (click below on Read More for the whole story)

If you're looking for detailed information about comparing RV models for the

purpose of purchasing one, there are sites such as RoadTrek

(http://www.roadtrek.com) where you can find out detailed specs of various makes

and models of recreational vehicles, as well as performance statistics and what

other users and owners have to say about their experience with the vehicles

available.

If you're open to trading and open market auctions for your next recreational

vehicle purchase, rather than going through recreational vehicle dealers, perhaps

you would find the best deal for you and your particular situation by using a

service such as http://www.rvtraderonline.com.  (click on Read More for the rest of article)

From The International Llama Registry


Welcome to the fascinating world of llamas!
If you have recently purchased or are thinking of
acquiring your first llama, you are joining a rapidly
growing group of llama enthusiasts around the world.
Llamas are delightful animals with a unique history.
Though they share a number of characteristics with
more familiar livestock, they have some very special
attributes. This review of the important facts about
llamas will acquaint you with your new family member.

HERITAGE
Llamas are members of the camel (camelid) family. In
addition to the well-known, one-humped Dromedary
camel of the Middle East and the two-humped Bactrian
camel of Asia, there are four native members of the
camel family in the Americas today: the llama, a
domesticated beast of burden regarded throughout the
world as the premier symbol of South American
animals; the domesticated alpaca, selectively bred for
its fine, multi-hued wool; the free-ranging guanaco,
probable progenitor of the llama and historically
common herbivore of the arid lands of South America;
and the wild vicuña, fine-fleeced denizen of the central
high Andean mountains. (Click on Read More below for the whole story)

Although it might seem strange, llamas actually make great pets. They have sweet,
gentle personalities and are usually very affectionate with their owners. You can

even train them to do certain things!
Llamas originated from the plains of North America. They have been around for

about 40 million years! They are now found in South America though because they

migrated there 3 million years ago. Llamas started to be domesticated about 5,000

years ago by Andean tribes. They are actually one of the oldest domesticated

animals around today! They started being kept in the United States in the 1800’s.

The llama is a very strong animal. They can carry 25 to 30 percent of their own

body weight for up to eight miles! They measure up to six feet tall and weigh up to

450 pounds. They also come in uncountable numbers of colors and their hair has

different fiber textures.  (Click on Read More below for the whole story)

Our four kids, ages 2 to 10, loved the idea of a motorhome trip, but my husband, TJ, and I were prepared to hate it. For wilderness lovers like us, the idea of camping in a gas-guzzling recreational vehicle--complete with microwave and VCR--held little appeal.

What we found, on a five-day trip through the Colorado Rockies, was that traveling by RV is a great way for our family to explore the scenic towns and backroads of our home state. Motoring through the spectacular high country of Rocky Mountain National Park, Steamboat Springs, Leadville, and Breckenridge, we always had our home base with us. In between hikes and bike rides, the kids could make a pit stop, grab a snack, or take a nap. It was like car camping with indoor plumbing and a coffeemaker.

What the kids loved: Inviting their friends over to tour the Winnebago Minnie the night before we left. Unrolling the RV's shade awning. Climbing the ladder to the roof. Pushing the button to operate the slideout, expanding walls that zoom out to double the living space. And zooming it in again ... and out again ...
(click on Read More below for rest of story)   

Camping for most people means a tent and sleeping on a mat on the ground. If

that doesn't really appeal to you, then camping in an RV is what you need. It is

the ultimate camping adventure.

RV's come in many sizes and shapes. They start with campers that fit in the

back of a pickup truck. These can have full kitchens, beds, a shower and toilet

in them.

Next there are van conversions called Class B motorhomes that are basically

a cargo van converted into a camping vehicle. These can have a raised roof

for more head room. They also contain the same amenities as the truck

camper.

Next up is the Class C motorhome. The front end looks like a pickup truck, but

the similarity ends there. There is a sleeper extension over the cab and the

back end looks like any motorhome you are probably familiar with. Basically a

cargo box with windows, but much prettier. The Class C has all the amenities

of home. A kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and living room. You could live in a

Class C.