Perfect Autum Day

I have been working on the 2010 Mission budget for a while, learning lots with a few longer days. Friday was a rainy day but cleared and warmed in the evening - I treated myself to a nice dinner in Manchester of steak, tilapia, and shrimp at Starwood Mountain Dining Co - a nice little locally owned place I have been to before. Sat was cool and I worked. Today was beautiful and after Church at Beverly UMC I joined a group going to Pine Mountain State Park for lunch. The picture below is from the top of Red Bird Mountain where we pulled off and took pictures.

The lodge where we ate a buffet lunch was busy today so we were able to put our name on the list and walk around outside for a while. This state park has some trails that I would like to go back to sometime. This was our view from our dinner table from Pine Mountain - looking in the direction of Frakes. What a glorious day! A quick stop at the grocery in Pineville on the way back. Tonight I had dinner with Chris and Karen and friends of theirs from New York. A great day spent with friends and now watching the Yankees - hopefully winning this series tonight and on to the World Series. Go Yankees!

Corny Stuff

Last weekend I had a chance to attend the Berea Spoonbreat Festival. A Corn Hole Tournament was being held as part of the festival. I did not have any idea what a Corn Hole Tournament was. The corn part comes from the four pound, 6" X 6" bags of corn seeds (pretty much like a bean bag). The boards are 2' X 4' in size and have several 6" diameter holes in them. The boards (decorated by the teams in various themes) are placed 27 feet apart. There are many other rules as to scoring, fouls, and team elimination. I believe the man in the light blue T shirt below is a official/judge of the tournament. Maybe something new for the corn maze??

A couple of other corny items - I just couldn't resist buying the carmel corn in the shape of a corn cob. Very funny and did not taste to bad either - purchased at a gas station.

Rainy Saturday

Saturday it rained all day and into the night. On my trip to London to the grocery store on Route 66 I saw many waterfalls where their are usually none. The second picture is of the Red Bird creek near my mailbox in the afternoon - very muddy - I was suprised to see it quite clear Sunday morning. Today (9/28) was the first cooler day when I actually wore a sweater.

Movie Premier

Friday, September 25th at 6 pm Mission Appalachia - The Story of Red Bird Story had it's premier showing in Pineville Kentucky at the Bell Theater. Todd Scoggins the director of the documentary and his family were in attendance. Todd was given a dulcimer from the Mission in appreciation of all his effort in creating this film. The women that plays the guitar in the trailer was in attendance and really enjoyed watching herself on the film. The film was GREAT! This afternoon Todd said that the DVD of the movie will be available in about a month for sale on the Red Bird Mission web site from the Craft Store.

Marching Band

Wednesday afternoon brings the Schwan's man every other week. This week after taking orders - while bringing in our food - I thought what is that I hear. The Red Bird School marching band was practicing. Twenty two in the group and leader Mark Smallwood. Mark and his family attend the Beverly UMC where I have been attending some - he is a very talented musician and reminds me of Bill Lavine.

Mission Appalachia - The Story of Red Bird

Todd Scoggins has directed a documentary film about Red Bird. On Friday, September 25th a private showing will be held for employees and other guests. On Thursday, September 24th the film will premier at The Bell Theater in Pineville KY. Please watch the trailer - link attached. If you are in the area I hope you will come to the premier. If you are unable to attend the premier follow the Clay Bornes Studio for future DVD releases

Trailer: http://www.imdb.com/video/wab/vi790495769

The following information is from the Facebook page of Mission Appalachia - The Story of Red Bird

Website: http://www.claybornestudios.com/welcome.htm
Directed By: Todd Scoggins
Awards: Official Selection - Louisville's International Festival of Film
Plot Outline: SYNOPSIS
Deep within the forests of Appalachia is a storied community of refuge and hope. The mountain people refer to it simply, and affectionately, as Red Bird. This mission has been in operation for nearly one-hundred years. The scattered populations and cultural uniqueness make it difficult for many service organizations to operate in this rugged, unforgiving land. But Red Bird has worked exclusively in this area since the 1920’s. The Red Bird Mission has been described as the most comprehensive mission site in the world. Nearly 3,000 people journey annually from across the United States to bring support to fellow Americans in this breathtaking landscape. These volunteers are frequently humbled and inspired by the richness of Appalachian culture. This documentary follows very personal stories of hope. The filmmaker was granted unprecedented access into the private, symbiotic relationship between Red Bird and the mountain people it serves. Highly protective of this relationship for decades, mission leaders grew to trust the filmmaker over the course of several years before allowing this project to proceed. Using discrete audio/visual equipment out of respect, the filmmaker captured inspiring stories of strength and resilience. While poverty in this part of the country is staggering indeed, this documentary looks beyond the broken houses and deep into the very soul and spirit of the people who so graciously revealed their homes and hearts. The result is a story of amazing faith and humbling compassion set in a backdrop of awe-inspiring beauty

Rain, Rainbow, and Software demo

This morning was dark and a rain storm rolled through - sunny by noon - when I left work tonight there was a very light rain and still sunny so I looked around and found a rainbow - did not see the pot of gold - but did capture it in this photo. At work today had the first of three online demo of accounting software - today was Financial Edge by Blackbaud. On the 15th Sage MIP and Accufund will demo. Any feedback or opinions on these would be greatly appreciated.