September Mountain Matters |
|
|
Thank you for being a part of The Mountain |
|
|
It's been quite the month here on The Mountain. We've been cooling down after the rush of summer and so has The Mountain. Cooler mornings have just started to drift in with the fog, and it may just be sweater weather time! This has been The Mountain's 40th year, even the skies have been celebrating with us. This Photo above was taken at our Highlands Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Center, Business After Hours Event. Just moments after an intense rainstorm as people were starting to arrive. We thought it was going to be a wash out, and repeat of a few years ago but we were blessed with the appearance of this rainbow! As well as the harmonies of the Highlands Dulcimer Club who were gracious enough to play for us. It was quite special to welcome in the people of Highlands to share a bit of what makes The Mountain a unique place we all love. Walking tours, farm foods, Mountain gifts and raffles, as well as the gathering of good folks, and conversations all lended themselves to the success of this event. It is also the key to what makes The Mountain stand the test of time; community. |
|
|
Last August held our second annual Climate Justice Conference! What a week it was. Beverly and Marty did a wonderful job putting together powerful and provoking programing around the education and impacts of climate change, and what we can do in the face of something so overwhelming at times. Over 60 people from around the US gathered to share connect and collaborate with open hearts and minds. People from the Muscogee Nation attended to share their believes, and how they are reclaiming and creating a new cultural eco-village in their ancestral homelands of Oklahoma. The Farm gave workshops of what we can do as local communities and networks with regenerative farming practices to build resilience. As well as serving farm based dinners. We loved hosting an event like this and feel that it's core to the mission and message of The Mountain. If you would like to help in the culmination of next years event, or have an idea for an event or retreat in a similar dimension let's help one another. |
|
|
The youth in attendance were inspiring! A reminder of our "interbeing", that who I am depends on who you are. The world is part us, just as much as we are a part of it. Having that in mind can help us when dealing with one another or our circumstances. Hopefully having a little more kindness and empathy to transform our situations. If you are interested in this line of thought combined with the topic of climate change, a book I would personally recommend is Climate By Charles Eisenstein. A big thank you to our volunteer host Jon Reese during the Climate Justice Conference. As he attended wonderfully to our guest needs, helping to facilitate a smooth conference. If you are interested in coming to The Mountain to be a volunteer host let us know in our volunteer form! It can make the difference as a small staff and helps grow new connections and community. |
|
|
Whats Growing Down Below? |
|
|
Down on our Farm they have been working hard to preserve the harvest as we transition into a new season. Some youth from the Climate Justice Conference got to help plant our a few apple trees to add to the ever growing food forest. AmeriCorps came earlier in the month to help mulch and prep beds. The Farm gave a workshop for the Cashiers Historical Society. The SUUFI pumpkin patch is growing, getting ready for SUUFI. The Farm provided food for business after hours, and hosted a magnificent forest to table dinner. Be sure to sign up for our last one of the year. |
|
|
| | This month also ushers in a new farm apprentice Ela, who was a previous Ascender. "Hi I’m Ela, I’m an 18yo Farm Intern from south Florida. I’m excited for this Fall season at the Mountain! Being a steward to this beautiful land is really important to me. Thank you for welcoming me into your community" | | |
|
| | This month we say goodbye to Nia, who was a farm apprentice for the past few months. She had a background in the air-force and meteorology. Which came in handy as she must have brought her intuition for fair weather with her. It's been a good mix of rain and sun. We all thank her for her being and help. | | |
|
|
We're saying goodbye to Laurel Amabile, The Mountain's development director from 2016-2019. She is shifting careers to be closer to her home and husband. We were quite fortunate to have someone so passionate and joyous about her work and love of The Mountain and the UUA. I'm sure she touched many of you with that same enthusiasm, and helped spark interest and grew The Mountain in many ways. We are happy she is following a path that is right for her at this time. She looks forward to staying in contact with The Mountain and all of you. |
|
|
As of August, Christy Kelly is no longer with us. All of us at The Mountain are saddened by the news of Christy Kelly's recent passing. We are grateful for her years of service as our Director of Marketing & Development, helping us navigate several challenging years. She remained a close friend and trusted advisor to us ever since, and she will be greatly missed. Thank you, Christy! You can leave a word or memory for her family on her facebook. |
|
|
Behind us: We recently rebuilt The Mountain Website. It has been live for about two weeks. If you haven't browsed around please take some time to review it. We wanted to showcase and capture more of the feel and look of The Mountain and better communicate that sense with people who are unfamiliar. We hope you find it easier to navigate as well. Feed back and bug reports would be appreciated and can be sent to tanner.csonka@themountainrlc.org. This past month held our second board meeting of the year. Topics covered new trustee orientation, reports on goals, action plans, and finance planning. Learn more about our board and governance. |
|
Upcoming: September is shaping up to be a month of self reflection, preparing to go inward for the winter. Many unique spiritual groups are coming to The Mountain this month: The Shaman's Path, Gay Spirit Visions, and The Qollasuyu Gathering. We encourage you to join if you feel called to explore your inner landscape, while connecting with the landscape of The Mountain. There are many more programs on the horizon as well. Such as Thanksgiving (which is likely to sell out so book early) and New Years! (which has some major talent coming) Please take time to: Review all upcoming Programs. |
|
|
If you haven't been to The Mountain in a while please consider returning if you found it to be a place of healing or inspiration. We believe in the power of retreats. The gift to give yourself time and space to literally "pull back" from the world become spacious, listen, detox, get inspired, loose fear, remember who you are, find your people, and help others. We'd like to extend an invitation for considering taking a Personal Retreat. This would be a time of your choosing to take advantage of the space to refocus yourself in a direction you want to refine. As the air gets cooler, The Mountain quieter, and the leaves curl inward we invite you to do the same and change with the seasons. You can contact guest services to find the most appropriate time to come, as rates and services vary depending on groups who may be sharing The Mountain. The Mountain is a Membership Organization, as such we value your contributions and inputs to keep our doors open to all. Please consider donating to The Mountains Annual Fund or becoming a Mountain Member. Over 25% of our budget comes from contributions to help keep programing and camps affordable to all. We thank you for your support! We wish you a bountiful September, and we look forward to seeing you on The Mountain. |
|
|
|
|
