Swing Dancing To a Plant-Based Beat

Save the date, October 12-14, 2012! That's the best time of the year to visit Richmond in all of its' beauty and splendid glory. The Richmond Folk Festival and its' eclectic mix of people, music, food and exotic wares set against the backdrop of Richmond's skyline is an event that should be experienced by everyone in our region of the US and beyond. If you are traveling through, it gives you the sense that you are entering the tip of the south but haven't quite made it yet. This year was no different! Having been to every one of these events since it started as the National Folk Festival in Richmond, I have yet to come away disappointed or unfulfilled. All of the work that is done, from the stage setups, organizing of volunteers, selection of food vendors and management of the facilities is second to none. Every year that you go back you see the things that are being done in order to try and make it even better. I think that's the sign of progress and hope tha

Every now and then, of all the music events and shows you head out to, you run into a gem! That is the way it was when my wife and I headed out to Virginia Beach and Blues At the Beach on Sept. 10. Initially, we went to take in a free  Blues Dance lesson and to see and hear Michael Burks . At the end of the day, we were not let down by either and experienced so much more. We arrived at  Virginia Beach and parked in one of the municipal lots which cost $10 in the off-season, a bit expensive with most other beaches being about half that, and headed over to the 17th Street stage. When we walked up the Mike Lucci Band was finishing up their set so we only took a quick glance at them and headed to the beach some 50 yards away. With our umbrella, chair, and cooler in tow, we staked a claim to our little piece of paradise in the sand. It was perfect with a temperature that hovered just around 80 degrees, a soft breeze, and, get this, blues dancers everywhere. They were dancing in the water

I had, what I call, a software epiphany on Sunday morning and it goes like this. As a part of my suburban homesteading project, I want to add a few chickens. Therefore I have been Googling chicken tractors, chicken coops, chicken houses, and practically chicken anything in order to come up with some plans to build a somewhat mobile chicken coop. My searches were not too successful as most people are trying to monetize every idea possible. They seem to be less willing to share info on these types of things or maybe some are just not capable of creating the drawings or plans necessary to present a project such as this in any meaningful way. So, I awoke on Sunday morning with this idea in my head and no way to get it out and it was driving me crazy. Once again sitting in front of the monitor I was reminded of Google SketchUp . Having a bit of experience in 2D AutoCAD and Better Homes and Gardens Home Designer , I decided to install it for a second time, after having installed it months a