Memphis Democrat
June 27, 2002

Last week I biked the Katy Trail with Tom, Tamar, Jeffrey and my friend Brian from California. It was a lot of fun getting acquainted with another part of Missouri and spending vacation time with my friends. I highly recommend the trip, though I would suggest going earlier in the spring when its cooler. Although, then you wouldn't be able to pick all those black raspberries along the trail.

We got back just in time to watch a bunch of folks load up a van and go to the Midwest Renweable Energy Fair in Wisconsin. Alline organized the trip to sell books from Community Bookshelf, the retail book business she runs.

But we've had other arrivals to keep the population up. Betsy just graduated from Washington University in Saint Louis and is spending a few months here helping with the gardening and the construction of Skyhouse. Gare returned with his wife Erin from Ohio. She is spending much of her time here doing research for the summer class she will teach at Antioch College, where she is a professor of Sociology.

We've had two really nice tour groups from Kirksville. One was a group of folks who get together to discuss simple living. The other was the Moberly Area Community College class in Conservation Biology.

A group of folks went to sing at the Relay for Life in Memphis and came back with a glowing report of the community spirit in evidence there.

We're really been enjoying the mulberries and black raspberries that have begun to ripen just after the strawberries gave up. Every evening after dinner you can watch Nicole going tree to tree to steal the berries from the birds.

We have been hard at work, too. Don has been tilling his new garden and adding in manure he picked up from a friendly neighbor in Arbela. Bella Ciao's final coat of plaster is finally finished, complete with a sculpted sun and moon. Bob made the most elaborate solar shower on this side of the Mississippi. It works by holding water in black containers so that it heats up in the sun. Bob then added a large platform shaded by one of his old hang gliders, complete with a clothesline to hang your towel and chairs to relax in nearby.

When we bought the land there was this no account barn that has beginning to fall down. We named it the Falling Down Barn and have watched gravity takes it toll the past few years. The interns have made it their mission this summer to deconstruct it, and a great big piece of it came down this week. We're taking suggestions for what should take its place.

Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage is a nonprofit and a residential community that demonstrates ecological sustainability in Rutledge, MO. We give a tour every Saturday at 1pm. Please call first before coming by, at 883-5511.

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