~ The following was published in The Floyd Press on March 4, 2010 and on their online site HERE.

Asa Pickford was laid-off and snowed-in when he made the decision to join up with an international disaster relief organization bringing aid to victims of January’s catastrophic earthquake in Haiti. “I was ready to help and I had the skills,” said the Floyd Countian.

Pickford, who is a metal fabricator, pipe welder, and blacksmith, learned about the Ananda Marga Universal Relief Team (AMURT) from his friend Aaron Staengl. Staengl is a member of Ananda Marga, a social and spiritual movement based in India that focuses on personal development through meditation and yoga and emphasizes service to others. For decades AMURT has been assisting underprivileged people all over the world to become more self-sufficient in the basic necessities of life: food and water, education, shelter, and healthcare. “They were already in Haiti before the earthquake,” Pickford said.

In Haiti, Pickford said he will be distributing food and first aid and will be helping to build needed infrastructure. “Mostly I’ll be entertaining kids,” he said, adding that he packed “pennywhistles and goodies to hand-out.” As the father of 5 year old Indigo, Pickford is practiced at interacting with children. “That’s going to be the hardest part. I haven’t been separated from her for more than a few days,” he said about his daughter.

Scheduled to be in Haiti for a month, Pickford said he’s prepared for the physical and emotional challenges that are ahead of him. He’ll be living in a tent in the Boudon neighborhood of Port-au-Prince. “I’ll see the best and worst of life,” he pointed out.

In preparation for Haiti’s warm weather climate and rustic conditions, Pickford had his shoulder length hair cut. “It’s the start of the rainy season. It will be miserable there,” he said. As another perquisite to his journey, he received immunizations for Hepatitis C and A, typhoid, tetanus and malaria. He also received an outpouring of support from family and friends. “Within an hour of posting his intentions to go to Haiti, weeks ago on Facebook, he was getting donations,” his father, Steve Pickford, said.

Steve Pickford explained that many of the items his son packed for the trip were donated or bought locally with discounts. These include power snack bars, sturdy boots, a backpacker’s hammock, tarps, cords, tent stakes, a water purifier, and a waterproof digital camera. The camp items will be left in Haiti when Pickford returns to Floyd. “He’s hoping to set up a sturdy camp that he can leave for another aid worker,” his father said.

On Monday, February 22, Steve Pickford drove his son to the airport in Greensboro, North Carolina, for the first leg of his plane trip, but not before making a stop to say a last goodbye to Indigo in her classroom at The Blue Mountain School.

Armed with a donated electronic netbook and a GPS device for navigating Port-au-Prince roads, Pickford, who speaks fluent Spanish, said he hopes to set up a blog to document his experiences and so that his supporters can follow his progress.

By Wednesday morning, February 24, Pickford was settled in Haiti and had posted a message to his Facebook friends, along with some photos of smiling Haitian children, work sites, scenes of wreckage, and women hand-washing laundry.

“I will be working with some engineers as project manager to install a retaining wall behind the school to keep the hill side from moving any closer,” he wrote about his first job. He thanked everyone for helping to make his trip possible and promised to tell all the wonderful people there about the people in Floyd and beyond who are wishing them well.  ~ Colleen Redman blogs daily at http://looseleafnotes.com

Wearing a Mardi Gras mask, I had to be asked while being ticketed and wrist-banded at the door if I was old enough to be served at the bar.

After being snowed-in and cold for weeks, party-goers turned out in sold-out numbers and showed up in full Mardi Gras regalia, shaking off winter blues on the dance floor.

The event was put on by Republic of Floyd to benefit Blue Mountain School, the alternative school that my sons and many others in the room went to. I got a good laugh when Wild Life bassist John Winniki joked on stage that front man Richie Ursomarso (who was enjoying the set like big kid) went to Blue Mountain, saying something like, “It took a while but Richie (in orange) finally graduated.” Winniki and Ursomarso were joined by bandmates Luke and Jake Thomas (Kari and Mike Kovick’s nephews).

Between the rocking tunes of Wild Life, the Floyd FunkStars, Joel Vendetti and others, I don’t see why we can’t have a ball every month.

I was mesmerized by the belly dancing performances of the Gyroscopic Tribal troupe. At least one dancer (Leia on the right) is a Blue Mountain School alumnus.

The belly dancers weren’t the only ones to show their midriff. That’s longtime Blue Mountain School supporter and current board member Luke Staengl talking about the accomplishments of past Blue Mountain school kids, including his two sons, an engineer and an artist.

During the live auction with Tom O’Neill, my young friend Mars asked me if I knew what time it was. I held up my arms to show him wasn’t wearing a watch and the auctioneer thought I was bidding.

I told my friend Mara (a Blue Mountain School alumnus whose daughter in now enrolled) that she should wear red more often, as she spun me around like a flamenco dancer. I nearly danced my socks off. Well, they kept falling down. (Sorry Mara I missed the shot. This one is of Starroot and Willow, hot in red).

Speaking of red hot, it was my first time drinking beer with capsicum in it (from our local micro-brewery Shooting Creek) and eating Chef Natasha’s King cake, which tasted like a marzipan stolen, only sweeter. The night was sweet from beginning to end. Joe agrees!

Post notes: More photos and narrative to come in The Floyd Press this week. Video clips of the wildly entertaining evening are HERE, HERE and HERE. A story on Blue Mountain School is HERE.

~ Colleen Redman blogs daily at looseleafnotes.com.

The snowed-in took advantage of Sunday’s sun to get outside for a walk in the neighborhood. This group broke the cabin fever with tea and cookies and good conversation inside the warmth of our house before heading back up the homegrown plowed hill to their farm.

The creeks were bulged and rushing.

Old mailboxes were full of winter’s special delivery.

A snow covered mill looked picturesque at sunset.

Horses enjoyed a supper of hay.

~ Colleen Redman blogs at looseleafnotes.com.

It had been a snowy weekend. I had barely been out of the house. All the K-12 public schools in the area had already announced they would be closed on Monday, so I had assumed the Will Kimbrough show at Roanoke’s Kirk Avenue Music Hall Sunday, Jan. 31, had been canceled due to weather.

At almost 6 p.m., my wife (and New River Voice Managing Editor) Taryn Chase checked out the Facebook page for Kirk Ave. and saw that the show was still on. It was a long trip on a cold, Sunday night in which road conditions were less than ideal, but I had a Subaru and thought, “Why not?” (more…)

Those familiar with the culinary talents of Michael Gucciardo have waited five years for him to come back home to Floyd. A native New Yorker, Michael learned how to cook authentic Italian food from his father and other family members born in Italy. Although he has cooked in Virginia restaurants throughout the region, his Floyd following of fans was formed during his many years as chef (and sometime co-owner) of The Pine Tavern Restaurant.

Gucciardo’s new place, called Mickey G’s Italian Bistro and Pizzeria, was packed on Saturday night, just two nights after the restaurant’s opening. One table of twelve was there to celebrate Gucciardo’s return. A Frank Sinatra recording played in the background. Neighbors greeted each other, as waiters (mostly Gucciardo family members) hustled by carrying dishes that showed off Gucciardo’s knack with capers, sun dried tomatoes, artichokes, olive oil, garlic, and roasted red peppers.

Some diners couldn’t resist craning their necks to see menu offerings at other tables. There were mussels, fried squid, swordfish, antipasto salad, meatballs, pizza, focaccia bread, and dishes with names that were hard to pronounce, such as rapini salsiccia (pasta with broccoli raab and Italian sausage).

The portions were hearty and affordable, and the ambience in the bistro was lively. At one point Gucciardo came into the dining room area and customers toasted and applauded him. It was obvious by the turnout and the warm reception he received that Floyd is glad to have Gucciardo back in town.

Post Notes: Mickey G’s is located next to the Floyd Fitness Center on Parkview Road. Menu listing and other information can be found at the Mickey G’s website. A short video clip of Gucciardo interacting with diners on Saturday night can be found HERE.

~ Colleen Redman blogs daily at looseleafnotes.com.

A Museletter Mascot, a 30 year anniversary party, and a monthly crossword puzzle of Floyd County trivia were some of the ideas given at the Consensus Workshop at the library on Saturday.

The workshop was facilitated by Andy Morikawa of the Community Foundation of the New River Valley to discuss the future of the Museletter, the homespun community forum created for the purpose of sharing literary/artistic entertainment and ideas on self-reliance, growing and preserving food, holistic health, and home schooling by some of Floyd’s back-to-the-land-settlers more than 25 years ago.

A mix of 15 longtime and newer Museletter supporters attended the three hour workshop, which not only assisted the group in arriving at a common place of clarity, but modeled the structure of the consensus building process that Andy is so skilled at guiding. After laying out some guidelines, such as “speak for yourself, one person at time, share the air,” Andy prompted us to individually share when we first saw the Museletter, what it means to us, and how we see it evolving.

The stories shared were rich and varied. Museletter collating coordinator, Virginia Neukirch, talked about the positive community interaction of the monthly stapling and labeling get-togethers that she does with individuals with disabilities and others in the community.

Jayn talked about the Museletter as a writer’s training ground and how she didn’t start out thinking of herself as a writer, but having her writing published in the Museletter was instrumental in building her confidence to become one. Elisha, who will be sharing layout coordination and who grew up reading her parent’s copies, said “It’s the roots of Floyd. It brings the community together.” Pat Woodruff picked up her first copy in a downtown café and thought it looked cool. She said she appreciates that the Museletter features stuff that the local newspaper misses.

A turning point for me was when Andy asked us to brainstorm a list of all forms of local media (print and online) and then asked “Which one is closest to what the Museletter provides?” None really were.

Our Brainstorming sessions were broken up into three working tables and eventually revealed the “Focus Question: How Can We Make the Museletter a Better Community Forum? From there, ideas flew on how to increase subscriptions and submissions through more visibility and community interaction. A semblance of ideas congealed and before we knew it we not only had a plan, we had people willing to implement it.

The consensus was that the Museletter needed a Facebook page - perhaps a first step in the Museletter’s online presence, because who knows where more visibility and interaction will lead? In the first hour of being on Facebook (Saturday) 15 friends of the Museletter had signed on. As I type this today (Sunday) 157 have joined the Museletter fan club.

As someone who has been directly involved with the Museletter since I moved to Floyd in 1985 (in large part because of what I read in the Museletter after Bob Grubel sent me one), I left the meeting feeling proud of the cultural record that the Museletter has created and uplifted by its potential.

Thanks to everyone who participated and to our fans. Signed, A Muse.

Note:  Visit us on Facebook.   Read more about A Museletter HERE.

Colleen Redman blogs daily at looseleafnotes.com