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Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Nature Poetry
Sharon F. McDermott is a poet and an administrator at the Center for Environmental Oncology of UPCI. In 2005, her chapbook, Alley Scatting, inspired by the alleyways of Pittsburgh, was published by Parallel Press, University of Wisconsin, http://parallelpress.library.wisc.edu/about.shtml
Lunar Eclipse, 2005 (February 14, 2007)
"Poetry is tribal not material"
C.D. Wright, from Cooling Time: An American Vigil
and there we were laughing in the cab
of your truck, watching the luminous scoop
of moon melt down the long black throat
of the sky. We had learned by now not to force
our moments, not to chase meteor showers out of the city
only to wind up lost, a little creeped-out on a country road,
crawling with shadows and the scissoring of locusts. Here, on city
streets, we’d taught each other to look up, to leave the over lit
coffeeshop to its mugs and crushed beans and stand quietly
on Walnut Street, two stones in a moving stream
of window shoppers and dinner dates. I knew you were the one
friend who’d greet the sky’s latest show with awe
and a few silly jokes, the friend who wouldn’t scoff
at spending a hot Pittsburgh night craning our necks
to view la luna slowly whittling
down to a lit grin. We drove onto Howe, beneath the burnt out
lamp of streetlight. And as the earth tilted beneath us,
blotting out its lonely moon, silver
by sliver, I felt a shiver, the merest whisker of the fear
our ancestors must have felt when their numinous path-
maker erased itself and abandoned them in the wilderness
without any guides. But you were here with me, your glasses
tipped in light. And we’d learned enough in this city full of polite strangers, that one good friend meant the difference
between a life as small as a doused beam
and a life of blue fire.
~for Jeff
New Snow, Crabapples (January 31)
Cold walk with Rosie on tangerine trails,
snow in the shadow of tangling.
I watch sunrays ring old summer fruit
like bells. Though ice capped, still red.
Hikers pass quickly, hunched in their coats.
Bitter breeze. Nowhere to go but around
these familiar bends made magic
with shimmer and peaks. And what have I learned
up till now? Still circling, still hoping
to leave my mark. These winter walks,
I try to remember to lean into sparks
of ice on a branch or a crow’s
raucous swoop. Oh woods full of bootcrunch
and breath! Oh heart with its own wild fruit:
Beyond sidewalk grit. Chimney smoke.
Snow in its silverfall blues.
Crows: The Yard (January 17)
Here’s the digestible map: tracks of the great
black birds in the snow. You have fed the crows
of the winter trees shelled nuts, sunflower
seed, suet, and they’ve gone off to pray. The world
blizzards by, whitens like the knuckles of a fearful
hand. You have fed the black-coated warriors
grapes, dried berries, bits of days-old bread, and they
have gone off to battle. February carves itself
ice sculpture. Great clouds of crows eclipse
the falcon’s own lonely hunger which cries out
like a high wind: shree! shree! The map is a trudged
field, the snow fills footsteps behind you. You fed
the thieving humps, cloaked and hunkered down
in oaks and elms. You fed them all, driven simply
by their hunger, and they circled like a great smoke
ring. Here’s the digestible map: the cold world brings
out need, eyes that pierce like stars. You learn to feed
what cannot feed itself, the catcalling monks, the cassocked
friars. Call down the great black fire—trees will feather
into wings and move closer: the answered prayer, nearing.
Lunar Eclipse, 2005 (February 14, 2007)
"Poetry is tribal not material"
C.D. Wright, from Cooling Time: An American Vigil
and there we were laughing in the cab
of your truck, watching the luminous scoop
of moon melt down the long black throat
of the sky. We had learned by now not to force
our moments, not to chase meteor showers out of the city
only to wind up lost, a little creeped-out on a country road,
crawling with shadows and the scissoring of locusts. Here, on city
streets, we’d taught each other to look up, to leave the over lit
coffeeshop to its mugs and crushed beans and stand quietly
on Walnut Street, two stones in a moving stream
of window shoppers and dinner dates. I knew you were the one
friend who’d greet the sky’s latest show with awe
and a few silly jokes, the friend who wouldn’t scoff
at spending a hot Pittsburgh night craning our necks
to view la luna slowly whittling
down to a lit grin. We drove onto Howe, beneath the burnt out
lamp of streetlight. And as the earth tilted beneath us,
blotting out its lonely moon, silver
by sliver, I felt a shiver, the merest whisker of the fear
our ancestors must have felt when their numinous path-
maker erased itself and abandoned them in the wilderness
without any guides. But you were here with me, your glasses
tipped in light. And we’d learned enough in this city full of polite strangers, that one good friend meant the difference
between a life as small as a doused beam
and a life of blue fire.
~for Jeff
New Snow, Crabapples (January 31)
Cold walk with Rosie on tangerine trails,
snow in the shadow of tangling.
I watch sunrays ring old summer fruit
like bells. Though ice capped, still red.
Hikers pass quickly, hunched in their coats.
Bitter breeze. Nowhere to go but around
these familiar bends made magic
with shimmer and peaks. And what have I learned
up till now? Still circling, still hoping
to leave my mark. These winter walks,
I try to remember to lean into sparks
of ice on a branch or a crow’s
raucous swoop. Oh woods full of bootcrunch
and breath! Oh heart with its own wild fruit:
Beyond sidewalk grit. Chimney smoke.
Snow in its silverfall blues.
Crows: The Yard (January 17)
Here’s the digestible map: tracks of the great
black birds in the snow. You have fed the crows
of the winter trees shelled nuts, sunflower
seed, suet, and they’ve gone off to pray. The world
blizzards by, whitens like the knuckles of a fearful
hand. You have fed the black-coated warriors
grapes, dried berries, bits of days-old bread, and they
have gone off to battle. February carves itself
ice sculpture. Great clouds of crows eclipse
the falcon’s own lonely hunger which cries out
like a high wind: shree! shree! The map is a trudged
field, the snow fills footsteps behind you. You fed
the thieving humps, cloaked and hunkered down
in oaks and elms. You fed them all, driven simply
by their hunger, and they circled like a great smoke
ring. Here’s the digestible map: the cold world brings
out need, eyes that pierce like stars. You learn to feed
what cannot feed itself, the catcalling monks, the cassocked
friars. Call down the great black fire—trees will feather
into wings and move closer: the answered prayer, nearing.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
A Year of Change
2006
It's the end of the year and time to look back on 2006. It was a great year for Venture Outdoors...with a lot of change and growth. The staff and board of Venture Outdoors thank each of our volunteers, members, donors, partners and participants for their help in bettering VO and the Pittsburgh Region. Reminisce with us and look forward to an even better 2007!
January 1
Venture Outdoors rolled into 2006 as an official 501(c)3 non-profit, breaking away from its former parent organization, the Tides Center. Founder Mike Schiller stepped down as our Executive Director to blaze new trails (now in Seattle near Mt. Rainier). Wes Posvar, VO Board Member took over as interim ED for the following 6 months while a new ED was being found.
January 16
The 4th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the Park, a co-coordination between Venture Outdoors and the SCA, brought over 300 kids and adults together to celebrate diversity of people with a diverse number of outdoor (and indoor) activities.
Join us as we celebrate the 5th annual MLK Day in the Park!
(Sign up to be a volunteer by contacting Allison Ruppert: 412-255-0564 x26 or aruppert@ventureoutdoors.org by January 12.)
February 12
Member's Winter Party at Ohiopyle.
Featuring the 3rd Annual Camp Stove Cook-off!
It was one of the few weekends where we had a substantial amount of snow.
April 13 & 14
The 4th Annual Banff Mountain Film Festival expanded its stay in Pittsburgh for 2 nights with different films showing each night.
May 20
6th annual Venture Outdoors Festival draws over 5,000 people to the North Shore. This year featured a new addition to the Kayak Pittsburgh fleet, the hydro-bike, which our former Mayor Bob O'Connor tried out himself.
June 3
KP's second location, Kayak Pittsburgh North at the North Park Boathouse opens for business.
June 25
Venture Outdoors Birthday Party
On this day we celebrated 5 years of getting people outside.
The Boogie Hustlers helped us rock out at the North Park Boathouse!
July 10
The Home Run Derby sent over 20 baseballs into the Allegheny River...which sent Pittsburgh into the limelight as a kayaking destination as the flurry of paddles and bodies literally dove after their piece of All-Star history.
July 17
New Executive Director, Erik Lingren took over as head of Venture Outdoors.
August 2006
Once again, Venture Outdoors was cited as one sign that Pittsburgh is a great place to recreate. Pittsburgh was highlighted in the National Geographic Adventure Magazine as the top Adventure City in the U.S.
October 28
Both locations of Kayak Pittsburgh closed for the season with record numbers.
November 15 - 17
The VO office received a face-lift, as staffers replaced furniture and rearranged to provide a more efficient working environment and more space for classroom sessions.
December 13
The Holiday Housewarming party was well attended by the VO staff, board, volunteers, and friends.
December 31
Venture Outdoors will once again be running the Snowshoe Wonderland part of the First Night celebrations in Downtown Pittsburgh. Contact Allison (412-255-0564 x26 or aruppert@ventureoutdoors.org) if you want to Volunteer!
It's the end of the year and time to look back on 2006. It was a great year for Venture Outdoors...with a lot of change and growth. The staff and board of Venture Outdoors thank each of our volunteers, members, donors, partners and participants for their help in bettering VO and the Pittsburgh Region. Reminisce with us and look forward to an even better 2007!
January 1
Venture Outdoors rolled into 2006 as an official 501(c)3 non-profit, breaking away from its former parent organization, the Tides Center. Founder Mike Schiller stepped down as our Executive Director to blaze new trails (now in Seattle near Mt. Rainier). Wes Posvar, VO Board Member took over as interim ED for the following 6 months while a new ED was being found.
January 16
The 4th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the Park, a co-coordination between Venture Outdoors and the SCA, brought over 300 kids and adults together to celebrate diversity of people with a diverse number of outdoor (and indoor) activities.
Join us as we celebrate the 5th annual MLK Day in the Park!
(Sign up to be a volunteer by contacting Allison Ruppert: 412-255-0564 x26 or aruppert@ventureoutdoors.org by January 12.)
February 12
Member's Winter Party at Ohiopyle.
Featuring the 3rd Annual Camp Stove Cook-off!
It was one of the few weekends where we had a substantial amount of snow.
April 13 & 14
The 4th Annual Banff Mountain Film Festival expanded its stay in Pittsburgh for 2 nights with different films showing each night.
May 20
6th annual Venture Outdoors Festival draws over 5,000 people to the North Shore. This year featured a new addition to the Kayak Pittsburgh fleet, the hydro-bike, which our former Mayor Bob O'Connor tried out himself.
June 3
KP's second location, Kayak Pittsburgh North at the North Park Boathouse opens for business.
June 25
Venture Outdoors Birthday Party
On this day we celebrated 5 years of getting people outside.
The Boogie Hustlers helped us rock out at the North Park Boathouse!
July 10
The Home Run Derby sent over 20 baseballs into the Allegheny River...which sent Pittsburgh into the limelight as a kayaking destination as the flurry of paddles and bodies literally dove after their piece of All-Star history.
July 17
New Executive Director, Erik Lingren took over as head of Venture Outdoors.
August 2006
Once again, Venture Outdoors was cited as one sign that Pittsburgh is a great place to recreate. Pittsburgh was highlighted in the National Geographic Adventure Magazine as the top Adventure City in the U.S.
October 28
Both locations of Kayak Pittsburgh closed for the season with record numbers.
November 15 - 17
The VO office received a face-lift, as staffers replaced furniture and rearranged to provide a more efficient working environment and more space for classroom sessions.
December 13
The Holiday Housewarming party was well attended by the VO staff, board, volunteers, and friends.
December 31
Venture Outdoors will once again be running the Snowshoe Wonderland part of the First Night celebrations in Downtown Pittsburgh. Contact Allison (412-255-0564 x26 or aruppert@ventureoutdoors.org) if you want to Volunteer!
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