This week Virginia Power dug trenches and laid down cables to give our new building electricity.  In the meantime they rescued turtles and displaced copperheads.  In my almost ten years on the site I have only seen one baby copperhead and two black snakes (though the pair of black snakes I saw repeatedly, since they lived in the dog park and in the barn, according to park staff leisurely slithering between the two).   Wildlife does a good job of hiding, although the cicadas are certainly not hiding.  Last week before the rains there were thousands of them past Trevillians Creek. The children I was leading on a hike kept screaming in fun.  The red-eyed cicadas were more at the children's eye-level.  I could look away more easily.  Looking closely at them can be rewarding, however.  When rain falls on their wings it looks like diamonds...not to insert purple prose into this post, but the wings do become jewel-like.

We are a year later than we thought on the building, the volcanic rock getting in our way physically and financially.  Even now it appears: Virginia Power hit "more than they thought," but I have gotten used to rock and expense, and the reality doesn't make me as volcanic as it used to.  The expense has gone from six figures to four, a welcome change.  It is still surprising to remember that lava used to flow in Charlottesville.

We are set to complete within the next two months (everyone else is saying one month, but I have been ever cautious in predicting ends).  The next step will be raising more money for the interior and for staff.  We will probably emerge in the fall to the general public, though we are serving school groups now and camps in the  summer camps before a general opening.  We are emerging a little later than the cicadas...and like them haven't started our full song yet.  (I haven't heard them at all yet...they are silently perched on stems.)   

New Website Address

Hi Everyone,
I wanted to tell you that we have changed our URL.  We are now www.lewisandclarkvirginia.org  We'll be getting new emails soon, and I'll be sure to let you know what they are.  My own email is alexandriasearls@gmail.com if you have any questions.
Other news... we are working on a Rivanna River vision with several community partners.  And next Monday is roof day!  I'll be out at the site seeing how it progresses.
Alexandria

Construction Continues

The building has a roof now, which is exciting to see.  Tomorrow I'll get to stand inside the future Lewis and Clark Exploratory Center, provided there isn't too much heavy equipment moving around.

Festival of History this Weekend

Charlottesville is celebrating its 250th birthday by having events all year...and this weekend is one of them.  The Festival of History has displays and reenactments throughout Downtown, with our Red Pirogue on 4th Street at Court Square Saturday 10-4, and Sunday 12-4.  Come climb aboard and see our posters and other items...

Since October

It's been a long while since I've written.  The construction of the new Lewis and Clark Exploratory Center has taken as much attention as you can imagine, and though we still do school groups and special programs at our temporary facility, we are closed on the weekends so we can concentrate on the last fundraising necessary to complete the building.  We've raised 85% of the funds... now we need the last 15%.  Please see our website  www.lewisandclarkeast.org if you are interested in donating...Thank you!

Rain Closing

Because of the cold, rainy conditions we had to stay closed today. Tomorrow's forecast is for good weather, so please drop by then!

October 29/30 Weekend

Our 2011 season ends this coming weekend... and 2012 will begin with a brand new building. Completion is scheduled for the spring!

Saturday, 10-4, and Sunday, 12-4, we're preparing for Halloween by making North American animal masks, and masks of Thomas Jefferson. We're doing a last scavenger hunt looking for a variety of colors on the trails, and we're doing painting on wood that you can take home: chessboards and folk portraits. Help us celebrate our last weekend at the Keelboat Barn!