Isaac Ludwig - Checking in from the Pigeon River

I love doing things like this because what you're playing with is dissociating yourself from your physical appearance. One always finds out that people hold onto an idea of what you should like and react based on that prefabricated idea.

All that aside I've been going about my day to day life and have managed to successfully hone in on some of the quests we've been assigned. In the normal flow of the first two week of facial hair growing glory the first event I would like to touch on is an issue that hits close to home. When I was in college I was quite active in various issue based political items. After I graduated college I spent a lot of time on the road, which didn't lend itself to acting much on issues like this. Since I've moved to Hartford, TN I've had the opportunity to get involved in some local issues again. One of these issues is the water quality of the Pigeon River.

The latest in this 100 year saga of pollution from a paper mill in Canton, NC brought a group of people to Nashville, TN for a day at the capitol. We started the day meeting up with my state representative Eddie Yokley. This is an important enough issue for this area that he dedicated the entire day to this issue. After meeting and lunch our first stop was a public bill signing with Governor Bredesen. This bill makes sure the water testing is done in center of the Pigeon River when the hydroelectric plant is on. This is a small step in the right direction but a necessary part of the process that will give us accurate data of the water quality. After the bill singing we had a meeting with the TN Division of Water Quality. That was a very productive meeting... and you'll hear more about the details in the near future. In the mean time check out the article of the bill signing featuring the stash!... here.

The next step, which should have probably happened before I went to Nashville, was a haircut. I don't usually go to barbers... so I imported a beautician named Mary Sue who trained to be one of our guides this spring. She had to go home to take care of family business for the rest of the summer, but she still likes to visit us sometimes. A little exercise was necessary before the session... and for the record Oscar's handstand was not staged... that's just the way he rolls.

The final appearance the stash made was for the ribbon cutting of Rafting in the Smokies new kayak shop. My state rep, mayor, etc. came out and flattered me with some kind words about fighting for the river, etc. You can see the entire gallery from the ribbon cutting here.