The Definitive Lowesville Seminar Thread

I enjoyed meeting you and Cat this weekend, as well as everyone else. I think the weekend helped kick me a bit and I actually broke out of my comfort zone this morning and pitched the Crash Course to a couple of coworkers. One was immediately excited and the other was reasonably interested.

 

The feeling is mutual Steve - I was amazed by the spectrum of people we got to spend the weekend with.

A couple of doctors, farmers, small business owners, professional musicians, attorneys, students, retirees - you name it.  And every single one of them was a wealth of information and personal experience.  I think we took away a lot more than the Crash Course Tool Box.  I'm still sorting through my notes and will start getting some more detailed posts going. 

I'm thinking a good kick off would be the discussion about extracting action items from our self assessments and converting them into the prioritized Tier I, II, III Action list.  What do you think?

And I put the three empty scotch bottles in the recycle bin this morning with absolutely no regrets.

I've been thinking a lot about where I need to spend my time in the near future concerning what I picked up at the seminar. Definitely I need to spend time on my personal action list, but, as I mentioned elsewhere, I think the biggest thing I took away this weekend was the emphasis on community. I think most of my posts on the fourms have revolved around fixing areas I'm weak in. I'd really like to more contibuting than asking.

Also it would be great to organize all the bits and pieces of useful knowledge somehow. The 'definitive' threads are a step in the right direction, but I think it could be better. Someone else recently posted to this effect - creating a 'definitive' forum. I think the forum topic areas could be better organized, but I don't want to just complain - I'd like to offer a useful suggestion and I need to mull it over. I'm thinking alomg the lines of forum/sub-forum areas like growing food, storing food, security, water, finances, etc  - basically it could be patterned after the self-assement topics - hmm - maybe that would be the way to do it, and it flows back to your idea.

Hello All,

  I was a Lowesville attendee and I had a GREAT time! A special Thank you to Cat and D-I-A-P for being gracious hosts. Also to the Martensons for the thought provoking and motivating program. I got it.

 

 For those who weren't there, I can't describe it in one or two or ten posts. If you get a chance to go to one in the near future, I recommend you GO!

 I got to hang out with a group of folks who were smart, light-hearted, open, and just very cool people. I got to hang out with them for a weekend and talk about stuff that was really important to me and had been weighing on me for a while. It turns out these really cool people thought the same stuff was important to them and we shared our time discussing it at really deep levels. 

 To what end? I am now on a journey or evolution that cares a bit less about my 401k and the banking system and cares a bit more about the people close to me and widening that circle to a close community near me so we can thrive in any future. I'm really looking forward to it.

 

 

 To all my new friends from Lowesville: It was pretty warm here in Atlanta yesterday and my wife had the house all opened up. This morning I woke up gradually, only hearing bird songs first one, then two, then more and more all very clear and loud with all the windows opened up. I thought about you all and briefly wished I was back in the cabin getting ready for a new day of discussion. But then I was just very grateful for my own cozy bed and a new day to start my journey. 

 

Warm Regards,

Paul  

Like you said, Dogs, I wish I coulda been there - then it would have been four! Sigh......................

The weekend was definitely one to remember.  It was comforting to be able to sit down and have great conversations with a group of people in which most Id never met.  The bonus is that it was not awkward and no one thought I was crazy....or at least not the topics which we conversed over.  Its amazing how diverse the group was, and yet we had so much common ground.  I would be glad to have anyone who was in attendance as my neighbor.  Who knows maybe someday that will happen.  After leaving the seminar Im hoping to help spread the information to as many people as possible in my area.  Many Thanks to Cat, D-I-A-P, and the Martenson family. 

PCars58:  Im with you on "But then I was just very grateful for my own cozy bed and a new day to start my journey."

Lucas Marshall

This is a mixed bag post wrt Lowesville but a few things need to be said.

In addition to meeting new people for the first time, it was also a privilege to meet the frequent posters in person.  Meeting someone in cyberspace is one thing, but putting faces to names and meeting in person is far better.

Now for some lighter reflections.  First off, a physical description of Crossroads is in order.  Then we'll cover the "Legend of the Lowesville Seven and the Night Hike"

There are only a few ways to get to Lowesville - over the Shenandoahs from the north, over the Shenandoahs from the south, over the Shenandoahs from the west and over the Shenandoahs from the east.  Directions to Lowesville were easy to follow, but when turns and directions become measured in hundreds of feet, and "dirt road" is a frequent description you know it's going to be good.

Crossroads is 5 miles west of Lowesville, up a dirt road in a beautiful and narrow little east-west valley, open to the east with mountain ridges to the north and south.  The valley bottom is at around 1800-1900 feet and the mountain ridges were 2800-3100 feet.  The maples were busting open along with the tulip poplars.  The weather was perfect - clear blue skies all weekend, and it got up to 94 Saturday afternoon.  There are numerous hiking trails on the grounds including a 2 mile trek to the top of the north ridge (Dismal Mountain).  There are two rock outcroppings on the ridge that overlook the valley - we were told by the retreat center staff the view was breathtaking and that a hike to the top was well worth it.  What they meant to say was the hike to the top was breathtaking. 

Since the schedule was chock full, we decided to hike up at 6:00 AM Saturday morning to leave us time to get back down, shower and eat before getting started.  So off we went - a small group of three (me, Mike Pilat and Mike's friend David).  We stopped talking to each other about 100 yards up the trail.  We covered about 900 vertical feet in the first quarter mile.  It took 35 minutes to get to the first rock overlook - about 1 1/2 miles up the trail.  The sun was up to the east, but the ridge still had the valley in the shadow.  As we stood on the rock face taking it all in, the sun cleared the ridge and it was like turning on a switch - the whole valley exploded into various greens and reds as the new growth lit up.  I think all three of us said "wow" at the same time.  As we worked our way down the trail to the next ridge we ran into a couple of other hikers from the seminar.  So now our intrepid group of 5 went off to the next ridge, slightly different view, just as breathtaking.  We hiked back, showered and headed off to the seminar ready to go.

A few people heard us talking about the hike, so we made plans to do it again Sunday morning at 6:00.  

Fast forward to the bonfire Saturday night.  We were in various breakout sessions and there were several groups of people talking about a multitude of topics.  It was a little after midnight and there were a handful of us sitting around the fire including the self-titled "City slickers" Jim and Will from Queens, and Paul from Toronto.  Paul looks up at the stars and remarked how bright they were and that you really can't see the stars that well from downtown Toronto.  A few moments of silence followed.  So I said "I'll bet it's really clear from the ridge."

Dead silence for about 10 seconds as we contemplated a 2 mile hike up an unlit trail in the dark.  At 12:30.  To stand on a sheer rock face and look at the stars.  Then from out of the darkness we hear (in a heavy Queens accent) - "I gotta flashlight" - from either Jim or Will.  About a minute later, 7 of us pile into my truck to drive up to the trail head and off we go.  40 minutes later we are all standing on the ridge looking up at the stars.  Talk about group think or herd mentality.  We sat back on the rock ledge and took it all in.  There were a few minutes of small talk and then someone said "How about a minute of silence?"  For the next 30 minutes all you could hear was the wind blowing through the trees, night birds and the river splashing and tumbling in the valley below.

Until Paul started snoring........

Realizing the seminar was starting up in a few hours we roused ourselves and headed back down the trail and got back to the rooms at 2:15 or so.  About halfway down, the batteries in the flashlight died so Rob (who I will forever refer to as Inspector Gadget) pulls out his cell phone - helicopter - tricorder and turns on (I am not making this up) a flashlight!!!!!  All 7 of us made it down without breaking anything except a sweat.  I managed to get about 3 hours of sleep before the next group met at 6:00 and we did it all over again.

That event is now forever etched in my memory and I was happy to have gone through it - in time, no doubt, it will be retold and embellished to include mountain lions, bears, snow and avalanches.  Mike, David, Paul, Jim, Will, Rob - it was a pleasure.

More to follow - I'll get to more substantive seminar topics soon, but I wanted to share this lighter moment with everyone.

Thank you everyone for weighing in on the seminar.  And thank you to everyone who I came.  I truly enjoyed meeting all of you, hearing your stories, and having the opportunity to get to know each of you.  A truly diverse crowd with respect to age, income, location, and beliefs.  I tried hard all weekend to come up with a defining "box" that I could use to quickly explain "who came" but failed.  An attendee named Will managed to observe that nobody smoked but that's as close as we got.

I just got back this morning and, as usual, I am tuckered out.  Seminars are a huge output of energy for me but they are also extremely fulfilling, fun, and therefore more than worth it.  Every time.  

This time my entire family came and so everybody got to see the entire "Martenson package" in one spot.  I am always proud of my kids but I especially love watching how they interact with people in public settings. They always find a way to be charming, direct people who happen to be a bit smaller and younger than other people. 

This seminar was slightly different from every other one in that the people who came seemed to be far more prepared than past audiences. This crowd was all done wondering if the economy had run off the rails and if the other two Es were going to possibly give us trouble in the future.  

This seminar audience wanted to jump straight to discussions of what to do.  For many this was what to do next because they already had done so much.

I was deeply touched and gratified by the expressions of hope and gratitude that so many voiced to me on their way out at the end.

Is it possible to be hopeful and optimistic given the topic and the nature of our discussions?  You bet it is.  We proved that.

We are already working on breaking the seminar into at least two and possibly three discrete versions - one basic, one intermediate and one advanced.

Thanks again everyone, I had a great time and look forward to the next one.

Best,
Chris 

 

 

  Wanted to thank Cat, DIAP and the entire Martenson family for the seminar.  A special thank you to the Martenson's for being so flexible on what we discussed and the information they provided.  The campfire was nice and the visioning was incredible with Becca, thank you for guiding all 18 of us and sharing! 

  It was wonderful meeting everyone!  So much knowledge there, so little time!

  Thanks to all of you, Teresa

 

A most grateful thank you to the entire Martenson family.  Becca and Chris for your endless bank of compassion and knowledge.  Chris, to be taught in a live class by you is an experience that will always be treasured.  Becca, what a blessing to have you there in person too.  Becca brings peace of mind like no other. 

  The tools they left us with were more than I thought I would have... The best being a positive vision with peace of mind.  My gratitude to both of you... Thank you so very much for sharing your experiences, knowledge, time, hearts, children, skills, thoughts.  Thank you for answering so many questions... Thank you for coming to Virginia!  Come back for an advanced class PLEASE.  I know who will take care of the arrangements... Say the word, I will book it NOW!  I will, think about it, just say, YES!!! ...       Oh yes... Those wonderful Martenson children.  Some of the happiest, brightest kids I have ever known. Erica with her endless smile... She taught many of us how to make cording (I think that is the same as rope ).... She didn't have any of her normal material, so with a table full of watchful eyes, she taught us with napkins.  I had a discussion with the camp director, he was watching too and was most impressed with Erica's skills. He was not alone, we all were.   Bright-eyed Simon was climbing on every rock pile I saw.  He can make cording too, he had a three foot section finished in about the same time as my 4 inch section.  He also can make a paper napkin into a flying airplane.    Rosy-cheeked Grace is the master of the chicken coop.  She taught her students as well.  I now know more about chicken after a class with Grace than all my years combined. I tried to take her home with me... I couldn't get away with that one... She breathes happiness!   It was wonderful to meet so many knowledge and nice people.  A true sense of togetherness was always felt.  What a wonderful ways to learn, from so many with experience.  I was wishing for just one more day, but of course thankful for the time we did have.  There was a real community right there! It was great meeting so many that I have just exchanged emails or read their post.   Chris and his family, the family of his staff and students (all of you) have changed my life.  The lives of my family and friends in the most positive of ways... I know my community will change too.    When the opportunity presents itself, you should RUN to the next seminar!   Cat