Harvest of Summer Bounty - Plant Nation - Pejuta Oyate

Over the years at the Family Cabins near Pelican Lake,  I would harvest choke cherries, pin cherries and other fruits from the land.  One of my fun memories is making jelly with Winnie Leonard, our neighbor next to the cabins my brothers and I purchased in 1967.  She showed me how she hung a jelly bag after cooking the berries into juice and then adding pectin, which is a natural way to making the sauce jell.    Apples have natural pectin, so when I harvested the choke cherries this past week at my friend Rob's place 5 miles North of me here, one of the other trees nearby was an apple tree.  The tree did a give away of these small apples that I will include in my first recipe to make jelly later today

Apples have natural pectin, so when I harvested the choke cherries this past week at my friend Rob's place 5 miles North of me here, one of the other trees nearby was an apple tree.  The tree did a give away of these small apples that I will include in my first recipe to make jelly later today - look for an update......:-)

Celebrating Life with Music - Connection to Ohio and Tennessee ancestors

Here is the Pacific Ocean from the Sunshine Coast of Australia that I experienced early in my walk about for 2 months in Australia and Asia in August through October in 2011.
Taking an Easy Does New Years Day, Aware of my ancestors and the strength of Mother Earth, Ina Maka. Aware of the water and the wind of the islands and lands I visited this past year. The rain in the rainforest of New South Wales where I participated in an initiation ceremony supervised by Aboriginal Elders. Listening to Prairie Home Companion as well, Garrison is my elder whom I met in 1976 when I performed on my first show at the St Paul Science Museum Auditorium . For the new year, there in indigenous music in the Hawai'i by the Pahinui singer. Here is a link to listen to. Gabby Pahinui in 1975.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBYDxvusWao&feature=related
 I sang with another man on the red road this past Friday and recorded songs that came to us, for me the pejuta oyate and chan oyate songs that honor my connections with the plant and tree nations, who model staying grounded with deep roots.

Thinking of my ancestors Emma Helena Paul Eicher and Henry Eicher, who with their three children, Emma Esther, Charles and Edna Helena Eicher likely used the cherry highboy my friend Mark Mueller-Dahl and I honored by refreshing its wood.
Here are photos of Emma Esther and Charles when they were young

Emma Esther is the older born in 1875, Charles in 1883.

Here are Edna the youngest, 1885 with her older brother Charles. Edna is my grandmother, who married Noah Elwood Weaver in 1909.  Charles married and had a family and Esther Eicher remained single and took care of her father, Henry after Lane, his wife died in 1913 when having surgery for a goiter in Dayton Ohio. Esther maintained communication with her cousins, through Franz Eicher, her grandfather's wife Eva Margaret's sister,  Barbara Bohlender Lender who moved to Tennessee. Here is a letter from Lydia Oberheu Pfau, the granddaughter of Barbara B Lender to the granddaughter, Esther Eicher of E Margaret Eicher sent from Lydia in Rugby TN in 1947 - My great aunt Esther lived with

Henry Eicher, her father on Bellbrook Road, east of West Carrollton at that time.

Lydia is one of the three Oberheu daughters, the others are Jennie who married James Lourie, father of Helen Lourie of Rugby and Nellie who married Charles Brooks.

5K Bill Huyck's Reunion Arb Walk/Run June 16 coordinated by Bob Aby '67

I was asked by my friend Bob Aby to make a spread sheet of the participants of the 5K and to arrive early for the 5K event to honor coach Bill Huyck.  Here is the view back toward the campus from near the new Rec Center. 

Coach Bill Huyck, arriving with his little white Scotty dog to see the participants off behind the Rec Center.  I learned that Bill is a native of Owatonna MN and a '53 graduate of Carleton.

Here is my classmate, Harry MacLachlin, '69 with Coach Huyck and another event participant.

 Harry with Bob Aby the event coordinator and organizer at the registration table

 Harry chatting with Bob's sister and others with the Carleton water tower and farm housein the background

 Bob Aby, '67 working on how to time the event.

Hill of the Three Oaks in the background with the finish line by the timing device.  Carleton Student worker for the reunion in the foreground. 

At the registration table early preparing for the beginning of the event

Participant with a New Rochelle T Shirt.  I think Chris Grosso is from here, the husband of Val, my niece who now lives in NYC. My Arnaud French ancestors are from Le Rochelle France and moved to England with the Catholic persecution of the 15th Century, 1600's of protestants.  Are some of us still protesting?  :-)

Carleton water tower, Coach Huyck engaging in conversation with his scotty dog in conversation with barefoot participant. 

After the start of the event, this participant noticed the water on the course.  Remnants of 6 plus inches of rain that began on Thursday evening.  Bob Aby reset the course to the upper arb on Friday. 

Barefoot runner ready before the start. 

Early in the event going uphills by prairie plants like sage. 

The silver white plants are sage and the taller stalks are remnants of last years compass plant fruits with new leaves emerging. 

Barefoot runner returning with run/walker in front. 

Runners returning showing different ages of participants. 

Runner at one of the gullies formed by recent rain. 

The sign of the turn around. Bob had left these 16 Pepsi cups as the formal reminder of the half way point of the 5 K. 

Toward the end of the course.  Prairie plants in front with brush pile collected by campus workers for recycling I am told. 

Coach Huyck with scotty dog and other helpers at the finish of the course. 

Coach Huyck again with supporters at Finish

Bob Aby, center of 3, with some of his supporters and the end of the event.   Thanks Bob for your good work ! :-)  I do know there were 33 finishers and participants and that I finished 32nd in about 40 minutes or so, mostly walking. Beautiful day and fun time for me.