Thru hiking, hiking from end to end a trail of significant distance…many people set off with all of the gear and the best of intentions. The Appalachian Trail…Pacific Crest Trail… and Continental Divide Trail are America’s three long distance trails. To complete one is a huge undertaking. To complete all three (the Triple Crown) is almost unheard of. According to the Appalachian Trail Conference, only about 20% actually finish.
Our own Bert Emmerson (Wildcat) has the distinction of being a Triple Crown holder. He will speak at the shop on Thursday, November 3rd from 7:00 – 8:00pm. Bert has given his clinic to groups all over East Tenn. You will laugh at the stories, wonder at the discipline, and maybe just maybe set some goals of your own.
Logistsics…gear…food…water, what do you do first? How do you prepare mentally? Bring your questions, your imagination, and your sense of adventure. See you there!
Tags: appalachian trail, outdoor, thru hiking
The outdoor community and art community share many of the same people/values. Many artists go into the outdoors to become inspired to paint, photograph or write, and many outdoor enthusiasts are inspired while enjoying the outdoors to capture that moment in writing…pictures…you see where I’m going here.
Bill Womac is an local artist, active in the art community and owner and host of one of the sites (Boyd Thomas Clothing) of the “Maryville Art Walk” that takes place the last Friday of every month (excluding Dec and Jan) in downtown Maryville www.maryvilleartwalk.com As a downtown merchant he enjoys the traffic that the Art Walk brings and as an artist he gets to see new and familiar artist, their work and see the local art community grow.
Boyd Thomas is one of my favorite shops in town. If it’s in my closet and didn’t come from Little River Trading Co it probably came from Boyd Thomas. I’ve know Bill a few years so he gladly accepted when I asked him to talk about his art and the local art community.
LRTC- Do you ever remember a time that you didn’t feel compelled to paint?
BW- My parents enrolled me in an art class after school as a child…some kids took piano, I took an art class. So for me the classes came first and then the desire. As a student, I learned basic principles…composition, light, choosing subjects, balance, foreground/background. That type thing. I continued studying art while at UT studying to enter Pharmacy School.
LRTC- what is you favorite medium?
BW- I like to paint with acrylic on paper or canvas.
LRTC- When did you start to “produce” art for sale.
BW- I added photography as a medium after college and dabbled while at work on the road as a rep for various companies. It’s only been in the last few years that I have been off of the road that I can dedicate the time to paint and put together collections to display and sell off of.
LRTC- do you ever paint something that is really hard for you to consider selling?
BW- Oh yeah. Sometimes it’s hard to sell something that I’ve worked on or reminds me of something. I’ve begun to work on high contrast pieces lately that is interesting. What it all boils down to is to leave something behind when I’m gone that people can look upon and be happy.
LRTC- Do you have any advice for art consumers?
BW- buy what you like…buy/support your local art community…you can buy an original, local piece of art for just about what you’d pay for a print at a hobby shop.
LRTC- How is the local art community doing?
BW- you’d think from the number of guilds, or groups that it’s doing extremely well. But it would help if there was some kind of cohesive way to demonstrate all of the work from the local artist community, all of the local artists of every medium, from quilters, painters, photographers, those working in clay or wood, writers…everyone.
It seems to me that many of our Customers’ are artists. The purpose here was to see what the local art community is about. We will feature other artists in the future. If you haven’t been to an Art Walk on the Last Friday night of the month…check it out.
Cheers!
The web has both simplified and complicated how and where you get your news/information. For outdoor junkies like us it’s no different. Lots of web sites to bookmark, blogs to read, pages to “like”, and tweets to follow. Add to that all of the “devices” to use and apps to link everything to and a person can go crazy trying to get it all straight. No worries, every one is going through the same thing… liking, linking, reading, and finally trimming everything down to your favs. But once yo get it all dissected down there is some great articles/posts that are available. One of my favs is Patagonia’s The Cleanest Line, here you’ll find thoughtful, well written articles on everything from outdoor adventures, being green, to interesting people. When living vicariously, you could not find a better source. Cheers!
Costa Rica Slide Show come see how PURA VIDA can impact your life
Thursday night oct. 13, 7:00pm here at the shop.
Is this simply a saying in a different culture or is it an aspect of life no longer attainable by todays standards…pura life is the translation, or pure life.
Recently Bruce Guillaume, director of Mountain Challenge (a company aptly named that’s been introducing people and corporations to the value and ethics associated to the outdoors), visited Costa Rica to introduce another group to the wonders he has found there. Among them Costa Rica’s Blue Zone…what and where are these blue zones, and what are their inhabitants doing to gain a better chance of reaching 90, or even well past the age of 100? Is it medicine, genetics or lifestyle that determines blue zone life expectancy?
Here is a sample of what’s to come tomorrow night…
LRTC- How did you come to hear about Costa Rica’s Blue Zone?
BG- Actually some students told me about the concept of blue zones because
of my wellness/fitness interest. It was only after I read the book that
I learned about the connection to Costa Rica.
LRTC- What was the greatest surprise for you during your trip there?
BG- At first most people wanted to know “the secret”. What do they eat or
drink, What’s the secret nutrient or vitamin?, etc. The surprise was
that there wasn’t any real surprise. It was all about a simple and
purposeful way of life.
LRTC- What were you least surprised by?
BG- This was my 4th or 5th time to visit Costa Rica, so I wasn’t too
surprised by much.
One thing that I have seen slowly occur over the years is the “American”
influence in San Jose area (only major city) – chain restaurants, box
stores, etc. and at some of the coastal towns. This isn’t surprising but
it is a little sad.
LRTC- What changes can everyday people make in their lifestyles that can
impact us the most?
BG- Some lessons from Costa Ricans in general;
Find and follow purpose in your life.
Have fun (pura vida)
Keep things simple – food, etc.
Stay active
LRTC- Lastly what can we learn from Costa Rica aside from Blue Zones?
BG- They have a whole approach to life – pura vida – based on simplicity,
humor, relationships, activity. They do a great job of protecting their
natural resources. If the world consumed like Ticos, we would only need
the resources of 1 planet earth. Imagine that – a sustainable lifestyle.
Well we have collected all of your entries for the photo contest and posted them on our FaceBook page under “Outdoor Photo Contest” album. http://tinyurl.com/44rclap
There were so many beautiful pics that you will sure to be amazed. Be sure and “like” your favorite. The picture with the most “likes” will be awarded a $50.00 gift card to the shop. Looking at all of the different locations of the pics will make you want to get outside and explore.
Whether you are spontaneous or an explorer who plans each outing, local or out of state destinations we each have our favorite time and place where we get away, our sanctuary. It might be a childhood memory of simpler times, meeting place of that special someone, or seeing something extraordinary, whatever it is, a photograph helps bring that moment in time of that place back with you.
Thank you all for sharing you special places with us all.
- new day is dawning
- moonrise over the atlantic
One of my favorite places is the beach. These two shots are taken from almost the same vantage point, mere hours apart, and evoke completely different feelings. Mostly I shoot pics that will remind me of the occasion. You know, friends, family, locations, that kind of stuff. Once in a while I’ll accidentally shoot something that looks cool too.
Just outside of Beaufort (pronounced Bufort) SC there is a campground called, Hunting Island State Park. At only 6.5hrs away from E Tenn., I highly recommend it. The campsite, where I shot these pics, is as close to the water as you can get at high tide and not get wet. On the campgrounds is a light house, bike trails, fishing pier, and it’s only a short drive back to beautiful historic Beaufort SC.
I love the backcountry, but there is something to be said for the front country too.
Cheers!
Big title for todays blog for an important day… We get asked all the time “do you ever do a customer swap day“? Well this is our 2nd annual Customer Swap Day. This year we thought we’d add an additional cause…that is collecting school supplies for the Blount County Boys & Girls Club.
As with last year all you have to do is show up and set up in the parking lot, sell your gear, then um, well, er, think about coming inside to see the wonderful new offerings we have for the fall with your new found loot burning a hole in your pocket.
Also for anyone that brings a bag of school supplies in for the Blount County Boys & Girls Club and we’ll give you a 10% discount on any one regularly priced item (excludes boats and sunglasses) in the shop.
If you are looking for something to do in the outdoors this weekend. It is going to be a beautiful day on Saturday so stop by on your way out to play in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, shop for some gear and bring some school supplies out for the BC Boys & Girls Club.
Cheers!
