A hot day today, 86 when we got back from our trip to the mountains. Apparently there was some rain while we were gone.
We spent the last few days in Pocahontas county, WV, to attend the Allegheny Echoes Masters Concert of the finest old-time and bluegrass musicians in the state, and to visit with the many friends we have made at Echoes over the years. I think I've been attending for 15 years, since 2006, with the exception of a few I had to miss. Our house guests came with us, and they had a great time too. Echoes is like a big, welcoming family.
On the Greenbrier River
I was especially happy to see my friends Kirk and Dave, both poets, with whom I often stay when I'm at Echoes. This year we stayed at Kirk's camp on the Greenbrier River again, and I was able to have some good conversations with these two good friends. Kirk is usually the teacher for the Creative Writing class at Echoes and has been my mentor, and my prod, for all these years.
We hung out with friends, cooked good food, did a lot of talking, porch-sitting, campfires, and singing. I was thrilled to meet a guy who is new to Echoes who also sings ballads. Ballad-singers are few and far between, and it was so good to talk ballads and sing them again. I haven't sung since the beginning of the pandemic, and the pipes were starting to get rusty. They got a good workout last night.
Today on our way home we stopped at Beartown State Park. This natural rock formation is truly magical, and I wanted our visiting friends to see it. I thought you might like to see it too. I know I've posted photos of the rocks before, but some things just need to be shared again.
I always expect to see fairies or gnomes here, and you can see why. There are deep, deep fissures that would probably be fatal if one should fall into them, natural tunnels, small caves and holes in the rocks that look for all the world like they are manmade, but are actually part of a natural process of erosion. The air at Beartown is cool and damp and the whole world just looks green. Magic.
